HEARTLESS─── RAFE CAMERON [1]

chapter four

"No," I say firmly. "No. Not a chance in the world. I'm not doing it. No."

"Will you stop saying 'no' and just listen to me instead?"

"Look— I love you, Brie, and I think I've done enough listening to know that I am not doing whatever you just told me to do."

"Why?" She says. "You and I both know that the only way he'll back off is if he sees you have a boyfriend. And you and I also know that there are a hundred boys at your penance."

"At my penance?"

"Like...at your beck and call."

"Look, I'm not going to fake date Rex O'Connell, Xavier Williams, or any other boy you can fish up."

"Okay..." she sighs thoughtfully. "You're not going to fake date just any boy. My plan is that you fake date someone we know Aaron hates. To piss him off even more."

"Wouldn't that just be worse? Wouldn't that just give him more of an incentive to target me?"

"Well, yes, but not exactly. We know Aaron doesn't fuck with people unless he has to. And if you're with someone he hates, he's going to fuck with them. He's not going to fuck with you."

I can feel myself getting more and more intrigued by her plan, and I hate myself for it.

"How long is this going to last for? I'm not going to fake-date for my entire life just to stay away from Aaron."

"Lux, don't be silly. Aaron will find a new girl in a month or two, tops. He's going to taunt you and mouth-fuck her quite literally in your face whenever he can. He's going to wave her at you and try to get you jealous, but I think both of us know that's not going to work." She pauses for a few moments. "Then, after another month or two, he'll forget about you."

"Ow," I say. "Harsh. But it's what we want. For him to forget about me."

"Exactly." She grins, knowing I'm seriously thinking about this.

***

Brie and I spend another half an hour discussing our plan.

"Wait—" I say. "Let me go over the plan again. I'm going to find a boy— whoever he may be, who Aaron hates. I'm going to date this 'boy' for a few months— so Aaron lays off me. It'll also be enough time for Aaron to find another girl and try to get me jealous. By the time Senior year will start, he would have forgotten about me, and I'll break up with the boy. And then, all of this would have blown over." I pause for a few moments. "Right?"

She grins widely. "That's exactly it."

"Fine," I say. "I'll do it. But you're going to have to come up with some damn good options, because I am not dating a freak for the entire summer."

"Well..." she pauses. "I've already come up with a few options."

"Go on," I say, crossing my arms.

"Okay...let's see. Boys who Aaron Wood hates."

She pauses for a moment, before starting up again. "Rex O'Connell, Michael Reid, Francis Lisbon, Robert Freeland, Charles St. James, Alexander Kennedy..." she pauses. "Oh, how could I forget? Rafe Cameron."

I shiver slightly at his name. "Okay, well— half of those boys are already out. I'm not dating Rex O'Connell. Not a chance in hell."

"Figured," she says blankly.

"Robert Freeland is a pervert, Alexander Kennedy is a man-whore, and you know I'm not dating Michael."

"Why not? C'mon. Michael? He's your best option! He's obviously going to say yes."