Heartbreakers

4.pinkie promises

"Would you talk to me?" Aaron says, standing behind my locker door as I swap over my folder.

Staring at the black folder in my hand I wipe away specks that fell from my locker. I run my tongue over my teeth before glancing at him, his eyes hold concern and paranoia as I stare at him. Shaking my head I close the door and start walking to Physics. How am I meant to tell him about the deal? I know how that will go down and it won't be a pretty sight.

Aaron is patient but not when it comes to Grayson. I don't want him to be the reason why he gets suspended, or why he doesn't get into his dream school. The best thing is for him not to know but I don't know how that's going to happen. I either take a risk in telling him and gauge his reaction or I lie and hope he doesn't find out.

"Please just let me think about this," I mumble as he stops me from walking. He raises an eyebrow and I shake my head. "I know that if I don't do agree to the deal then we're screwed but if I do it's going to be trouble."

"What sort of trouble? He isn't asking you to rob a bank or something is he because-" I roll my eyes and head with a huff.

"No he isn't! Alright? Just, can you promise me something, that you won't get mad or violent with him?" His eyes narrow into slits and I hold out my hand for him with my pinkie extended. "You break the promise and I'll break your pinkie." I wiggle mine at him and his tongue pokes out of his mouth for a split second.

"As long as it doesn't involve you either getting arrested, suspended or having sex with him," I wriggle my pinkie and he links them together before sighing. "Alright what does this grade A-asshole want you to do?" The bell goes signaling the end of lunch.

"I've got to get to class but I promise I'll tell you after school. Deal?" He nods and walks away, not before giving me a concerned look.

Giving a slight smile to him I hurry up the stairs towards the lab, wondering what exactly my new teacher is going to be like. Hopefully I won't have to deal with the girls drooling over him because that's just going to make me want to cry and throw my textbook at them. Like no, that's illegal and weird because its four years plus difference. No.

I adjust my back pack and go to walk into the classroom but stop in the door frame. My eyes flicker between the two males in the room, one being Grayson and the other presumably my new teacher. The former looks at me with an angered look on his face, it fades when he realizes it's me but keeps a stiff posture.

"You should get to class Grayson," The teacher pushes off the desk and picks up a clipboard. "What would your name be? I was informed by your teacher the class can be disruptive."

"Aria Mitchell," I slowly walk in, seeing Grayson snatch up his bag from the ground and fling it onto his shoulder.

"Your teacher told me about you," He raises an eyebrow and walks forward tapping the front desk. "Hopefully you won't cause me any trouble." I bite my lip in annoyance only to hear laughter.

Furrowing my eyebrows I send a glare to Grayson before walking around to the desk. I place my things down as he continues to laugh, looking at the teacher my eyes flicker to the white board for a name. Mr Anders. Well they aren't obviously related but somehow they know each other. Why would they carry on like this?

Why would Grayson and Mr Anders have this constricting tension around them?

"Aria couldn't cause trouble in class if she tried. She's too much of a good girl" He s.tops laughing but snickers down one as Mr Anders narrows his eyes at him.

"You have Chemistry. I think you should go now so you aren't late." He grits out with a fake smile and Grayson rolls his eyes in return.

"But seriously. Mrs Johnson holds grudges against students that have troubled relatives. In simplistic terms, she has a cousin who caused havoc. She isn't the trouble maker." He glances to me with a slight smirk before heading out just as people file in.

Sinking into the stool I pull the sleeves of my jacket down only to stop with a sigh. I pull off my jacket and find myself tensing as a familiar blonde slides in beside me, almost instantly I feel a flood of emotions as she continues to unpack without a care in the world. Her hair is straightened and radiates a sickeningly sweet smell of roses. It sends chills down my spine at the memory of smelling roses on him.

This was one of the three girls he cheated on me with.

She finally glances at me or in my direction, freezing momentarily like a deer in the headlights. Almost immediately she looks away, timidly glancing at me as if she needs to say something. In all honesty I would rather not talk to her. I take a deep breath and grab my bag to get my things out, except pegging my bag to the ground in aggravation. Out of all the girls, she was the one delusional enough to try a relationship with him three months later.

"You're Aria aren't you?" Her voice is soft, hesitant in asking that question. "I'm St-"

"I know who you are just as well as you know who I am," I glare at her noticing her looking away out of guilt. Swallowing I shake my head knowing that I can't take it out on her. Talk about being in between a rock and a hard place. "Maybe we should start over. Because I don't want this to be awkward every lesson."

"I'd like that very much. I'm Stephanie," Shaking her hand I give a tight lipped smile.

"Aria. Nice to meet you."

If only I meant those words.

Technically it wasn't her fault -or any of the girls fault- I caught him out in one of the worst ways possible. It was the night I finally—after seven months - gave him my virginity and while he was showering a text came up. It was a sext from Lucy with her in a very revealing photo and that's when I found out everything that night. I crashed at Ella's knowing that if I went home, mom would question why I was walking funny and Aaron would've killed him.

All they got told was the sext part and not the fact I'm no longer a virgin. It would crush mom and cause Aaron to go on a killing spree. So I lied to them for their own sanity and they were angry as it was. Mom sent me to Jennifer's the next week in hopes to cheer me up and get me to leave my room. A bottle of vodka and several horror movies later we came up with the website out of spite.

Not the best idea when intoxicated but it made the hole in my chest feel less painful.

But sitting next to Stephanie is bringing up all that I felt last year. Its just an instinct because I didn't deal with the heartbreak normally. I hid in my room for a week, got drunk, created a vengeful website and that was it. No more tears, no anger. No nothing. For seven months of dating it doesn't seem like that was enough but I certainly didn't want to deal with this again. Its been nearly a year since he left and I'm glad.

But waiting a year to get over him seems excessive. At what point do I put it behind me and try looking for someone else. Do I try though? Maybe dating isn't the best idea for me, then again here I am, being blackmailed into fake dating someone for the sake of his reputation. I don't know what he meant by that but whatever it is I want to find out before I agree to this.

No more games or tricks when it comes to relationships, fake or real.