Chap 2 : Forced to fake it

ALEX CARTER

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I walked into the locker room, the sound of laughter and shouting filling the air.

My teammates were high-fiving each other, still pumped up from our practice session.

I grinned, feeling a sense of satisfaction. We were looking good this season, and I was confident we'd take home the championship.

As I made my way to my locker, I caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. I ran a hand through my hair, messing it up just enough to look like I'd been working hard on the field.

My teammates started teasing me about my "brush with danger" earlier, when I'd thrown the football that narrowly missed Silver Blake.

"Dude, you almost took out the lacrosse girl," Jace one of my friends said, chuckling.

I laughed, feeling a sense of pride.

"Hey, I was just trying to get her attention," I said, winking.
My teammates laughed and joked some more, but my mind kept wandering back to Silver.

She was a feisty one, always ready with a sharp tongue and a glare that could freeze you in your tracks.

I had to admit, I found her intriguing.

•○●○•
I finished changing and headed out of the locker room, the sound of my teammates' laughter and chatter fading into the distance.

I walked out of the school, the bright sunlight and fresh air a welcome change from the humid locker room.

As I made my way to my house, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride.

My family's wealth had its perks, and our house was definitely one of them. It was a sprawling mansion with sleek lines and modern architecture, set back from the street behind a wrought-iron gate.

I pulled up to the house and stepped out of my car, calling out as I entered the foyer. "I'm home!"

The sound of my voice echoed through the empty halls, and I heard the distant sound of footsteps.

My father emerged from the kitchen, his expression serious as always.

"How was practice?" he asked, his voice firm.

I shrugged, heading into the kitchen with him.
"It was good. We're looking pretty strong this season."

My father nodded, his eyes narrowing slightly.
"That's what I like to hear. You need to keep pushing yourself if you want to get noticed by college scouts."

I nodded, feeling a familiar sense of pressure. My father had always been focused on my athletic performance, and I knew he expected great things from me.

As I rummaged through the fridge, looking for something to drink, my father turned back to his phone, dismissing me.

I grabbed a can of soda, and chugged it. After throwing the empty can into the trash.

"I'm going to go chill out for a bit," I said, not expecting a response from my father.

He barely looked up from his phone, his expression unchanged.
"Don't forget to review your playbook for tomorrow's practice."

I nodded, heading out of the kitchen and up to my room.

As I settled onto my bed, I pulled out my phone and started scrolling through Instagram, mindlessly browsing through posts from my teammates and other people I knew.

But for some reason, my mind kept wandering back to Silver.

I wondered what she'd be like on social media, if she'd even have an account.

On a whim, I typed her name into the search bar. To my surprise, her account popped up.
I clicked on it, curious to see what she'd been posting.

Her profile picture was a photo of her in her lacrosse gear, her helmet and stick prominent in the shot.

Her bio read "Lacrosse > everything" with a few lacrosse-themed emojis.

I chuckled, feeling a sense of amusement.

As I scrolled through her posts, I saw that she mostly posted pictures of her playing lacrosse, as well as some music quotes and lyrics.

She didn't seem like the type of girl to be on social media, but I guess you never really know someone until you see their online presence.
She had a few hundred followers, which wasn't bad for a high school student.

I noticed that she didn't follow many people herself, just a few friends and teammates. Her posts were pretty straightforward, no drama or controversy.

I kept scrolling, looking for any hints of her personality or interests beyond lacrosse.

But what I saw was a girl who was passionate about her sport, and not much else. It was kind of refreshing, actually.

As I continued to browse through her posts, I felt a strange sense of curiosity about her.

Just as I was getting lost in my thoughts about Silver, my mom's voice echoed up from downstairs, startling me.

"Alex, dinner's ready! Come on down!"
I groaned, reluctantly putting down my phone and heading down to the dining room.

As I sat down at the table, I noticed my dad's stern expression, while my mom smiled warmly at me.

"Hey, sweetie, how was your day?" she asked, passing me a plate of food.

I shrugged, digging in. "It was good, Mom. Just practice and stuff."
My mom's eyes lit up. "Oh, football! How's that going? You're doing great, I'm sure."

My dad grunted, his eyes fixed on his plate. "He needs to focus on winning, not just doing great."

My mom ignored him, turning back to me. "So, Alex, how's everythingelse? Do you have a girlfriend now?"

I rolled my eyes, feeling a sense of embarrassment. "No, Mom, I don't have a girlfriend."

My mom's eyes sparkled with interest. "What about that cheerleader girl, Jenny? Right? I thought you two were dating."

I corrected her, feeling a bit annoyed. "It's Jennifer, Mom. And no, we're not dating. We're just..... friends."

My dad looked up from his plate, his expression disapproving.
I was feeling a familiar sense of pressure. My dad's expectations were always high, and I knew I had to meet them.

His expression turned stern, his voice taking on a disapproving tone.
"Why aren't you dating her? She seems like a nice girl. Jennifer's family is well-respected in this community, and she's a great cheerleader. You two would make a good couple."

I felt a surge of frustration, knowing that my dad was going to push this issue.

"Dad, I told you, we're just friends. I don't have feelings for her in that way."

My dad's face remained unyielding. "Nonsense, Alex. You're a great catch, and Jennifer would be lucky to have you. You should ask her out, see where things go. It would be good for your social standing, and it would make me proud."

I sighed, feeling trapped. "Dad, I don't want to date her just to make you proud or to improve my social standing. I want to date someone I actually care about."

My mom intervened, trying to diffuse the tension.
"Honey, let's not pressure Alex about this. He's young, and he needs to figure out his own relationships."

But my dad wasn't having it. "No, dear, this is important. Alex needs to learn how to navigate these things, and Jennifer is a great opportunity for him."

The pressure was building, and before I knew it, the words just slipped out of my mouth.

"Jennifer and I aren't dating because I'm dating someone else!!"

The room fell silent, and both my parents stared at me, their expressions shocked.

I couldn't believe I had actually said that.

What was I thinking? No shit I wasn't thinking at all.

I hadn't even realized I was going to say that out loud.

My mom's eyes widened in surprise, while my dad's face turned red with anger.

"Who is this person?" he demanded, his voice low and menacing.

I felt my heart racing, and my mind went blank. I hadn't meant to reveal anything, and now I was stuck. I didn't know what to say, or how to explain.

I just shook my head, feeling like I was in trouble.

"Who is she?" my dad repeated, his voice growing louder.

I hesitated, unsure of how to respond. And then, out of nowhere, Silver's face popped into my head. I didn't know why, but I couldn't shake the image of her smirking at me on the field.

"Silver," I blurted out. "Her name is Silver."

The room fell silent again, and I held my breath, waiting for my dad's reaction.

But to my surprise, his anger seemed to dissipate, replaced by a calculating look.

He nodded slowly, his expression unreadable.

My mom, on the other hand, looked thrilled.
"Silver, wow, what a...unique name," she said, her eyes sparkling with interest. "Is she pretty?"

My mind automatically conjured up an image of Silver, her black hair with blue highlights waving over her shoulders, her piercing eyes, and her full lips.

"Yes," I breathed out, trying to play it cool despite the sudden rush of emotions.

My mom's face lit up with a smile.
"I'd love to meet her sometime," she said, her voice filled with excitement.

I nodded, feeling a sense of trepidation. I wasn't sure if I was ready for my mom to meet Silver, or if Silver would even want to meet my mom. But for now, I just nodded, trying to keep the peace.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly, with my parents chatting about their day and me nodding along, trying to appear interested.
But my mind was elsewhere, consumed by the question that kept swirling in my head.

How was I going to get out of this?

My parents wanted to meet my girlfriend, Silver Blake, the girl who literally hates me.

I couldn't tell them it was all a lie - my dad would be furious. And what was I going to tell Silver?

That we had to fake date, just to appease my parents? And then, when I went off to college, we'd break up?

No big deal, right?

I couldn't shake the feeling that Silver would not agree to this plan. She seemed like a strong-willed person, and I couldn't imagine her going along with something like this.

But what choice did I have? I had to make this work.

As I sat there, trying to eat my dinner, I couldn't help but think about the potential consequences of my actions.

What if Silver said no? What if my parents found out? What if...

I just need to have a calm and rational talk with Silver, and convince her to go along with the plan.

Easy enough, right? Yeah, right.

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