Chapter 12: (Ethan's POV)

We got through the whole week, making our act more convincing as time went on and today was Friday. Apparently, I'm all Olivia's today. It's a date, she said. It'll be fun, she said. What she didn't say was that this date was going to be sitting there while she gets her hair and nails done. 

"Couldn't you be doing this yourself?" I asked, sitting in the chair beside hers. 

"No, it's boring when you're alone," she shrugged. 

"It's not fun to get your hair dyed? On your own? Your hair? What is wrong with you?" I mumbled, shaking my head. 

"It's not fun coming here on my own," she whined, "I usually bring Sky but she's busy, she's got dinner with her cousins who are visiting," she explained. 

"What are you even doing to your hair? It looks fine," I groaned, looking at the hairdresser who was putting her hair in foils, painting like he was painting a canvas. 

"I'm getting my highlights touched up, Ethan," she said. 

"You look like Edward Scissorhands but with foils in his hair," I mumbled. 

"Ethan, they're highlights, I'm not changing my hair color completely," she scoffed. 

"So, you're telling me your hair isn't really like that?" 

"You've seen me since preschool, you tell me. Was my hair like this?" 

Now that I think about it... "Yes, I don't see a difference," I huffed. 

"It's little strands, I see the difference," she shrugged, "I get it done for me." 

"And we're going to get your nails done after this?" I sighed. She nodded lightly. "Can't I just leave?" I asked. 

"Nope," she said. 

"Why?" I huffed. 

"Cause you're a nice boyfriend," she glanced at me, shooting me a pointed look. 

"Right," I nodded. Her hair took about an hour. An hour of me just sitting there while she blabbered on. 

"Thank you, Stacy," she grinned as we left. 

"Now?" I huffed. 

"Now," she linked her arm with mine, "The nail salon." 

"Which is where?" I questioned. 

"Across the street," she grinned. I groaned as we walked in there. "Hi, Zach," she smiled. 

"Hey honey," he said while sitting down. "What are we doing today?" he asked. 

She turned to me while I sat on the stool beside her chair. "What?" I asked in confusion. 

She rolled her eyes, "Can I see the color options, and then I'll tell you what we're doing," she smiled. 

"Sure thing, I'll be back in a minute then," he said while standing up. 

"Pick a color," she said, handing me the set.

"Are you serious?" I deadpanned. 

"Yes," she nodded. 

I sighed, looking at all the options. "That one," I said, pointing to a royal blue one. 

"See? It's not so hard," she smirked. 

Zach came back and grabbed all things needed and started on her nails. "This one?" he asked. She nodded. While doing her nails, he started talking to her. "And who is this?" he asked, glancing at me. 

"This is Ethan, my boyfriend," she introduced. 

"When did you get a boyfriend?" he questioned, glancing at me again. 

"I don't kiss and tell, it's been a minute," she chuckled, looking at me. 

"A long minute considering we spent an hour on her hair and this will take...?" I trailed off questioningly. 

"Not more than 30 minutes," he laughed, looking at me. 

"Ethan," she turned to me, "I'm hungry." 

"What do you want, babe?" I asked, sighing. 

"Chicken nuggets, there's McDonald's down the street, oh, and some coke!" she said as I stood up. 

"As you wish," I said while leaving. As per her request, I got her a 10 piece chicken nugget so we can share, and coke for both of us before going back there. She grinned up at me as I sat back down. "There you go," I said, putting the food in front of her on the table. 

"She can't eat, hun, you'll have to feed her," Zach said, glancing at me while adjusting his mask. 

"What?" I chuckled. 

"I'm doing her nails, how's she gonna eat?" he sighed, looking at me directly. 

I shot him a glare before picking up a nugget, dipping it for her the way she instructed before holding it up in front of her face. She smiled at me sheepishly but cheekily too before opening her mouth. I shoved the whole nugget in her mouth and she rolled her eyes, eating it with a little trouble. 

"I'll choke and die, don't do that, next time I'll bite your finger off with it," she said after swallowing. 

I sighed, letting her bite the next one. She glanced at the coke and I held it up. She drank, I ate a nugget. I fed her throughout her nail-painting process and once she finished, both her nails and her food, we stood up to pay. "Can you take the money out?" she asked, looking at her back pocket. 

"I know what you're doing," I mumbled, looking at her eyes while slipping my hand in her back pocket and grabbing her wallet. 

"You're very fun to annoy," she grinned, taking it from me. 

"The lamp was drying her nails," Zach said. I should have known she didn't have a blacklight on her hand for no reason, of course, her nails are dry. The whole day today, even at school, she's been enjoying making me do all her work and because I'm playing the picture-perfect boyfriend, I couldn't even say no. 

"I'll see you soon, Liv," Zach smiled. 

"Bye," she sang as we left. 

"Now?" I huffed, looking down at her. 

"Now..." she hummed, looking around. She shrugged, "You wanna do anything?" 

"Currently? Pushing you off a cliff sounds great," I nodded. 

"That's not what you do to a girlfriend," she laughed. 

"Fake girlfriend," I corrected. 

She rolled her eyes, "Say it louder, maybe Annabelle will hear you," she muttered. 

"Annabelle?" 

"She's walking down the street with Justin if you haven't noticed already," she said. I looked forward and sure enough, they were walking together. I was so focused on Olivia that I didn't even see Annabelle. "Where do you wanna go?" she asked, "I would say we should follow them and annoy them with our existence but..." she shrugged, trailing off. 

"Why not?" I looked down at her. 

"I'm a horrible influence on you, let's go," she nodded. I grabbed her hand as we walked, talking about some school stuff. She started rocking our hands back and forth while we walked around. "Do you think they've seen us yet?" she asked. 

"Annabelle most certainly has," I said, seeing Annabelle looking at us before saying something to Justin. 

"You're really doing all this just to rub it in her face?" she asked, looking at me with a scrutinizing gaze. 

"What do you mean?" I asked in confusion. 

"I mean," she cleared her throat, "You're really torturing yourself with the presence of the person you hate, just to get back at her? Even though what we're doing won't hurt her nearly enough compared to how much she hurt you." 

I stared at her as we walked, not knowing how to respond. Maybe I'm not just doing this to get back at Annabelle. 

Maybe I'm doing this because it's an opportunity to help Olivia. 

Why would I want to help her? 

Maybe because I'm sick of pretending to hate her. 

I should have thought of ninth grade crushes resurfacing when I agreed to help her. 

Too bad now you're stuck with her, risking it again. 

What if I start liking her again? 

Don't let it happen. She hates you, remember? 

Strongly dislikes, she strongly dislikes me. 

"What if I tell you I'm doing this to help you?" I questioned. 

"I'd laugh and not believe you even for a second," she snorted. 

"Why?" I inquired. 

"Because you hate me," she shot me a pointed look, "You make that fairly obvious and you say it pretty often too," she shrugged. "I don't get why you hate me, seriously. Were you serious on Monday when you said during lunch that you hate me because I caught your eye?" She looked at me quizzically. 

"I said that?" I acted oblivious to the situation. 

"Don't play dumb," she chuckled, "I won't rest till you answer me today. Why do you hate me?" she asked. 

I didn't want to hate her, but I pretended to. Because she caught my eye. Because I liked her. But I knew she hated me, so I couldn't let her know that I had a stupid little crush on her since the third freaking grade. I forced myself to get over her after ninth grade. I lost my chance when I stole her first kiss and I forgot about the way I felt for her. 

"I don't," I sighed in defeat, "But I act like I do," I shrugged. 

"Why?" she frowned. 

"Because you hate me," I answered, "Or well, you did. Now, you strongly dislike me," I smiled down at her. 

"I never hated you," she huffed, "I had to act like I did though. You were such a dick to me all the freaking time. I got tired of pretending though, that's how I can play the perfect girlfriend, Ethan. I can't do it if I hate you." 

I stared at her in surprise. 

"So, that's how I'm the picture-perfect girlfriend, I just stopped pretending to hate you. Got it Mr. Bellboy?" she chuckled.

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Chapter 12

I'm moving tomorrow :(