The Anatomy of a Broken Heart //Completed//

20. Santana

This guy was good. Maybe he should rethink his career as a perpetual daddy's boy and go into acting. I'm sure he'd bank with that puppy love face he just gave me. Give the guy the damn Oscar already.

Although I had to admit I nearly fainted when those first faces turned around to look at us, I was a little more confident now than I initially was. I'd stuffed all my fear deep down and affixed the calmest look I could achieve onto my features, hoping I looked relaxed. Thankfully, Caleb just proved he was all in and I could breathe again. We'd just passed our first big test as a newborn couple: our first public outing. I hated being the center of attention, though it seemed to love me enough, especially with all the crap people liked to blame me for. When we stepped into the main corridor, I was sure I had bit the bullet and was going to die right on this forsaken high school floor, but his hand was warm around mine and he held me up and got me through.

I couldn't even turn to look at him, because if I did, I'd be breaking eye contact with the grime in the creases of the walls that were keeping me from looking at the horrified faces of the kids around us. When he dropped me off by my class, I don't know what came over me with that stupid kiss, but it worked. I knew I was going to get heat from him for breaking one of his precious rules but it was kind of instinctual. Whatever feminazis will say about genders not being right, I do know one thing. Girls are creatures of instinct and we fight with our emotions. I wanted to cause Farrah the most pain and that small kiss on Caleb's cheek was like a dagger to the gut and she'd be feeling it for days.

When I walked into Mr. Arden's History class, I walked with my head down and my eyes trained on the dirty floor. I took my seat next to Pari and Jonah and didn't look up until Pari pulled on my hair to get my attention.

"What?" Obviously, I already knew what. I was prevaricating, though. This was something I hadn't even given myself a chance to think about because I knew they'd all flip if I told them. Let them see us together and make up their own minds.

"What did I just see as I was walking into class?" she demanded.

"A bunch of entitled snobs and a middle aged teacher, all hating their menial existence and the fact that they're stuck in the same room for forty eight minutes?" Again, stalling.

Her mouth opened and closed and opened again until she let out a long sigh. "Ever the sharer, I see." I could hear the disappointment in her voice but I wasn't about to spill everything within range of all the ears that I knew had perked up to listen to my confession. I winked at her and turned back to try and pay attention to Arden and his droning about potatoes or whatever.

Pari kept looking at me, hoping I'd suddenly turn to her and tell her everything. We hadn't discussed the logistics of what to say to people, so I wanted to wait and talk to Caleb before I lied and said he was my boyfriend.

I shuddered involuntarily at the word. Caleb was such boyfriend material, it was nauseating. He was too good looking, too rich, too bland. I never put much stock into what others thought about me, but this was a really strange situation. No matter what I told myself about not hearing their endless sneers and all the rumors they wanted to make up, I just didn't want to be the girl that fell for the guy who everyone wanted. Even if it was a pretense.

I studied Arden's steal colored tie, following the patterns of chevron that ran across its surface, if only to drown out my own thoughts, but it was impossible. Every second that passed, a ball of apprehension grew in my chest and I felt my hands begin to tremble with anxiety. What if people found out it was a ruse? What if Jasper didn't care? What if this was all some stupid plan concocted by Farrah and Caleb to mess with me just for kicks?