Conveniently Inspired

Chapter Seven

Skylar tapped her foot with nervous energy in English class. She waited for Ms. Singh to put them in pairs again, constantly looking over her shoulder at Kaden. He didn't notice. Unsurprisingly. But who did notice was Summer Marshall. She squinted at Skylar with a predatory look, trailing her line of vision towards Kaden with a furious glare, as if to say, Back off, he's mine.

This only made Skylar more skittish.

She let out a sigh of relief when Ms. Singh announced it was time to group up. Once again, Skylar and Kaden had the privilege of working out in the halls. Kaden walked out first, but he didn't have a backpack on this time, so thankfully she didn't have to worry about him ditching.

"Hi" Skylar said. Kaden was already seated on the ground with his back against the wall. He grimaced and nodded. What a great start. "Um, so, before we get started on the assignment, I just wanted to let you know-"

"Lin, speak up. I can't hear a word you're saying."

Skylar forced herself to make eye contact. She hadn't even realized she'd been staring at her shoes, her loose hair concealing her face in a curtain. "Before we get started on the assignment," she started again, voice turned up a couple volumes, "I wanted to let you know that I'm willing to partake in your deal."

He raised an eyebrow and sat up straighter. She was still standing which forced him to crane his neck higher. "I'm listening."

Skylar glanced behind at the classroom door just to ensure it was still closed. "I'll pretend to be your girlfriend. If you still want me to." She added the last sentence in a rush, as if he'd somehow changed his mind over the weekend. Although, if the roles were reversed and she was Kaden, Skylar would've chosen a better candidate as well.

"You're not shitting me right now?"

Skylar shook her head. Nobody spoke for a while. Then, a slow grin spread across his lips. "Can I ask what changed your mind?" She shook her head again and sat cross-legged next to him. Opening her binder, she unclipped a piece of paper and scribbled a wide title on the top: Rules. She wrote the 's' in a fancy, curvy way and underlined the word twice. "I'd rather not confide in my reasoning. But if we're going to go through with this, we need to set some boundaries."

Kaden scooted over, until their legs were nearly touching, and leaned his head closer to the paper. "Alright. Shoot."

Rule #1: This affair occurs strictly on school premises only

Kaden frowned but kept quiet. Skylar continued scribbling:

Rule #2: No PDA

Kaden scoffed. "You can't be serious. Summer won't believe we're dating if I can't even hold your hand."

Skylar squirmed. "I'm not used to touching."

"You're not a germaphobe, are you? I wash my hands, trust me."

"No. I just- I'm just not used to it."

Kaden sighed, like he was already regretting this. But then he wrung his hands in a 'continue on' motion.

Rule #3: This can end at anytime that either party desires

Kaden nodded in agreement.

Rule #4: Activities where either party is uncomfortable is prohibited

Skylar capped her marker and looked at him expectantly. She passed him the paper, which he glossed over with a quick scan. "Would you like to make any adjustments?" she asked.

"I think the first one needs to be amended." Without looking at her, he held out his palm, and she immediately passed him the marker. He added his tiny boyish handwriting at the end of the first rule, " ...with the exception of occasional public hangouts." When Skylar frowned, he explained, "There's this wedding thing that my parents are expecting I attend. I've already told them I broke it off with Summer, and they're still expecting me to bring a date, so..." he trailed off awkwardly, scratching his neck.