The cafeteria was of course one of my favourite places in our beautiful high school.

Not.

There were multiple reasons why I preferred to sit on the floor in the hallway by my locker or outside instead of making the trek to our illustrious cafeteria/auditorium.

One: it was always packed.

Two: it was always packed with the people that I tried very hard to avoid.

The popular girls who sat together and ate their organic wraps and drank bubbly water with various fruits in it out of their PINK® water bottles. The jock boys who sat either in groups together and did nothing but laugh and not-so-discreetly check out girls, or actually had the guts to be the one sitting in the middle of them. The never-ending line of people buying food or selling cupcakes or taking pictures for the yearbook.

It was definitely not my scene.

Unfortunately for me, this was the kind of environment where my fine, fit boyfriend thrived.

I wiped my palms on my jeans for what seemed like the millionth time in the last ten minutes and glanced anxiously at the clock. The hands were obscured by the dark, which made me even more panicky because I couldn't even ballpark how much longer I had until I really put myself out there as Blaze Sullivan's latest lay.

A nostalgic melody and a shot of the grass blowing in the wind appeared on the screen, followed by the white-lettered credits crawling across the scene. The teacher flicked on the lights and then proceeded to write our homework on the whiteboard. I glanced at my classmates. Several of them were blinking their bleary eyes and fixing their hair, while casually trying to wipe the drool from their mouths. I would bet my next-to-nothing allowance that half of them wouldn't be able to say a thing about the movie. Not that I could say any different.

Blaze kept distractedly rubbing my shoulder with his thumb, which made it beyond impossible for me to concentrate on anything other than how close he was to me and how he furrowed his eyebrows and ran his tongue along his teeth when he was concentrating on something.

He had really nice teeth; straight and white but not like the bleached, glaring shade of Hannah's. I liked how when he smiled, genuinely, without realizing, the creases reached the corners of his eyes and there was a little dimple that appeared on his chee-

"Babe," His voice cut through my thoughts and I could hear a slightly forced undertone. "Stop looking at me like that. You have this creepy smile on your face and people are staring."

I blinked and once again turned to the room. Sure enough, at least three of the girls were whispering not-so-discreetly into their hands and glancing pointedly at me. Of course. I swore I wouldn't let him get into my head and what's the first thing I do? Basically start drooling over him like he's the last guy on earth. I cleared my throat.

"Right. Sorry, I was thinking about someone- I mean, something." The corners of his mouth lifted slightly in a secret grin.

I sighed and turned back to the front of the class where the teacher was packing her things. Before I could cast another glance at the clock, the bell rang loudly and I shot up out of my seat.

Usually lunches meant making the most out of our limited choices of fast food restaurants near the school with Emilia in the hour we were given. Now I stopped short when I remembered where I was heading instead. Blaze got up behind me and I felt his arm snake around my waist.

"Lead the way." An involuntary shiver ran down my spine at the proximity of his rough voice. I forced my foot forward, making my way out of the quickly emptying classroom.

My heart pounded in my chest and stomach was doing weird clench things. What the classroom lacked in noise, the hallway made up for in the way of an endless crowd of rowdy, food-deprived teenagers. I braced myself for the many bodies that were about to connect with my shoulders but they never came.

It seemed that I had underestimated my new-found popularity in our power couple status. It was like the parting of the Red Sea. The girls who knew what was up pulled their friends and boyfriends out of the way while they cast vicious glances my way. The guys just gave Blaze knowing smirks and checked me out. I moved in closer beside him and he gave my shoulder a possessive squeeze.

"Relax." The whisper was inaudible, but unmistakable. I needed to stop acting like this was an act and show the school what they wanted to see. In one swift move I puckered my lips in a smirk and brought my gaze up so that I was looking everyone head-on. My fingers sought out his and he didn't miss a beat to interlace them.

The message was clear. He was mine and mine alone.

I made the mistake of casting a quick glance to the side and saw two of Blaze's ex's giving me a knowing smile, pity in their eyes. I sighed internally.

Well, at least for now he was mine.

~OoOoOo~

Surprisingly, I was having fun. Emilia was seated on one side of me and Blaze on the other. The rest of the table consisted of what could only be described as high school royalty.

Among the athletes, girls who looked like they'd been printed off a Tumblr blog, and rich kids who knew how to throw killer parties there were a few familiar faces. Namely Jason and the Queen B herself (B as in Bitch), but also the Lawrence twins.

It hadn't occurred to me that I would actually be a part of their group as Blaze's girlfriend but it made sense. And it made me happy; I loved the twins.

Currently Jessie was challenging his brother to see who could drink their water bottles the fastest. The aforementioned boy chocked halfway through, spitting the contents of his mouth onto the table. Some excess water splashed onto Hannah and Jessie quickly turned red in the face and rushed to apologize.

Laughing good naturedly, she waved it off and the attention was quickly redirected onto Jamie who was flaunting his victory. My eyes rested on Hannah for a few more seconds. God, she was a good actress. Thus why no one would believe me if I tried to convince them of her daily assaults.

She leaned into Jason, smiling up at him and then pulling him down for a kiss. He didn't hesitate. But what really killed me was that it ended up being a short, sweet peck and he just proceeded to smile at her. My insides clenched. He was falling for her.

Suddenly his eyes wandered and met my nosy stare. I felt myself flush but instead of looking away I leaned into Blaze and smiled back.

See, I have a boyfriend. I am happy without you.

He seemed confused for a second, but then mirrored my smile. I looked away, getting caught up with Emilia's vivid recollection of the tale behind her snapchat story; Mr. Martin's hair catching fire in her first period chemistry class. I could tell she had just gained a few new friends and followers as the rest of the table seemed engrossed, laughing along with her.

I felt a twinge of guilt. Most of these kids weren't awful like I thought they were. Maybe I was too quick to judge. I wrapped my arms around Blaze and looked up at him. He was genuinely smiling, watching Em's re-enactments. I had to admit; he was absolutely adorable like this. I stretched my neck and pressed my lips to his scruffy cheek.

He looked down in surprise, a faint blush on the skin where I'd kissed him. I'd gone with my instincts and for once, it seemed I'd succeeded. He leaned down and kissed me back; on the lips. It wasn't an intense make out session, but it was sweet and there was that spark again, stirring those famous butterflies. I leaned my head against his shoulder and refocused my attention on the current topic of conversation.

I needed to get something straight or else this could end very badly. There was nothing real between me and Blaze and there never would be. I needed to keep it that way... I didn't want to think of what would happen if I fell for a player like him. Scratch that, I already knew.

I'd be left humiliated and alone, subject to the stares and whispers and smirks of I told you so's. And any chance with Jason would be out the window, Hannah finally winning and getting what she wanted all along. No, I couldn't let that happen. I had to lead with my head, not my heart.

And my head was so engrossed in my internal dialogue that I missed the bell. Blaze snapped me out of it by moving to get up, dragging me with him. I waved a quick good-bye to Emilia, who was rushing to get to her next period gym class and blew me a kiss back, shouting an affirmation in regards to meeting me after school like usual.

I followed Blaze to throw out his garbage and then out to his locker. My next period was a spare but he actually had fitness. What, there was no way I was skipping out the opportunity of a spare for something that involved physical activity! He grabbed his gym bag and shoes out of his locker and then turned to say goodbye. I shut him up by grabbing his hand.

"I'll walk you to the gym babe." He raised an eyebrow to show how impressed he was with me. My acting ability had gone from nonexistent to Johnny Depp in less than a day. We walked down a flight of stairs to the change rooms, reaching them just as the bell went.

"Well, I think we made it through lunch ok don't you?"

He smirked. "Yeah, you managed to not embarrass me or yourself... that much."

I gave him a look. "Ha-ha, whatever. I had fun... or at least there were moments where I didn't want to die of boredom so that was good."

He actually laughed in response. "Well Ms. Reyes, we should do that again sometime."

"Are you asking me on a date Mr. Sullivan?"

"Well, usually you would ask that before you start dating but I guess I've always been somewhat of a bad boy."

It was my turn to laugh. "Well, the answer is yes. We should do it sometime again. I'm free tomorrow?"

He tilted my chin up with his fingers. "It's a date." He leaned in closer. "You're getting really good at this acting thing Reyes." He whispered, then pecked me on the lips.

Right, acting.

"Get to class, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble because of me." He started walking away but looked back quickly, a coy smirk on his face.

"Oh babe, you don't know all the trouble I want to get in with you."

I was left with a blush on my face at his innuendo.

Turning to leave, I was still somewhat in shock and crashed into a body. I looked up to see that it belonged to a slightly distressed-looking Jason.

"Oh, hey Tria!" He greeted, using my nickname once he realized who I was. I took a second to collect my thoughts and replied, his name rolling off of my tongue.

"So, you and Sullivan huh?" At first I didn't understand what he meant, but then I realized he was referring to my fictitious relationship.

"Oh, yeah. He's my boyfriend." Obviously, I was so stupid.

He reached up and rubbed his neck. "Crazy, I never pictured the two of you being together."

"Yup, well we are." Was my intelligent response.

"Well, just be careful alright? Blaze is my bro and all but I know he uses girls like you and I don't want you to get hurt."

I was conflicted at his words. I was gushing over the fact that my plan was working and he at least seemed a bit concerned for me, but I was also slightly indignant. What did he mean girls like me? I was perfectly capable of dealing with Blaze Sullivan and taking care of myself.

And that's what I told Jason.

"Thanks for the warning, but I think I'll be alright. Blaze might seem like a bad boy in public, but behind closed doors I can handle him just fine." I winked and smiled, leaving him confused.

Moving past him, I said "You should get to class. You wouldn't want to get into any trouble Jason."

Score Demetria.

~OoOoOo~

Last two periods came and went and before I knew it, I was in the parking lot waiting for David and Emilia. It was a Friday afternoon and everyone was in a rush to get home.

I was in a rush to see my friends and dance out the craziness of the week. I spotted my best friend pushing through the crowd towards me.

"Hey! David said to walk down the block and he'd meet us there to avoid this crowd." I cocked an eyebrow.

"Have you been texting him?"

She looked up at me in badly concealed embarrassment. "What, no! He just texted me that like 30 seconds ago! I don't talk to him like ever, and we rarely ever text –especially not since he was such a jerk to you! Because that would be like betrayal and you're my best friend so-"

"Ok, ok chill Em! I was just wondering, no need to get all intense!" She smiled sheepishly and started scratching her elbow. It was a classic Emilia tell- she was lying to me, but I was going to let it drop... for now.

"Alright then, let's go meet him shall we?" We started off in the direction of where David was supposedly waiting for us.

I had opened my mouth to ask Emilia what she thought about lunch when grabbed my bag, knocking me off balance. I swerved and narrowly avoided falling on my butt. When I regained my footing, I looked up to find an amused looking Jessie trailed by his brother, Hannah, Jason, and Blaze.

"Hey Demi!"

I glared at him. "Can you please explain the purpose of trying to kill me?"

"I just wanted to get your attention!" He grinned widely, making me break into a smile as well. I couldn't stay mad at these boys.

"Well, what's up?"

"Can we catch a ride with you and David?" He asked, gesturing to his twin.

"And me!" Emilia chimed in, not appreciating being left unacknowledged.

I was about to say yes when Blaze cut me off. "I can give you guys a ride if you want."

They turned to look at him. "No man, don't worry about it David's got us."

"No really, I was about to offer to drive Tria there anyway so I can just give you guys a ride too."

Blaze looked at me then, the question in his eyes. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

If I said yes to Blaze, then he would give me a ride and then I would have to invite him in because he would ask and then I'd be mixing my personal life with dance and I'd end up having to lie to even more people. If I said no, it would look like I was blowing off my boyfriend for another guy.

"Umm, sure. How about I go with you, and then the twins can go with David and Emilia since he's already driving all of this way."

He nodded in agreement and then walked over, putting his arm around me.

"Sounds good." He leaned down to my ear. "And then we can have more alone time."

It was a stage-whisper, meant to be heard by the couple standing a few feet away.

The twins didn't know what to do with themselves for a second before they recovered and said their goodbye's, walking away with Emilia.

Blaze and I dismissed ourselves from Hannah and Jason, the latter sending me a smile that made my heart skip a beat. I walked over to Blaze's car and got into the driver's seat.

"Thanks for offering to give me a ride, but it's totally fine; I can always count on a ride with David."

Only because he would never be heartless enough to keep Emilia stranded, not so much for me. Blaze rested his right hand on my headrest and looked back over his shoulder, backing the car out slowly.

"As your boyfriend, I will drive you where you need to go, it's not a big deal." I was impressed at how much effort he was putting in to maintain our little charade.

"Ok then. If you want to give me a ride then I won't argue with you. It's probably better than having to put up with David anyway."

"Then it's settled." It was fairly quiet for the rest of the ride, except for me giving Blaze directions. When we finally pulled up to the Santo's driveway, my heart was pounding.

There were so many ways that this could end badly.

"So..." Blaze's comment startled me.

"Yeah... do you, want to come inside?"

Blaze looked up at the large estate before us. For a second, I thought he would turn down my offer and I'd be off the hook.

But of course, this was me we were talking about and I could never catch a break.

"Sure, I can finally see where you mysteriously sneak off to after school." It occurred to me that Blaze still had no idea what I was doing here. For all he knew, I might as well have been a drug dealer. I grabbed my bags and stepped out of the car.

"Just to be clear, I'm not doing anything super sketchy." I said as I walked up to the door with him.

Instinctively, I reached out and grabbed his hand. He looked at me questioningly.

"Dating, remember?" A cocky smile spread on his face.

"You just can't get enough of me can you?" Rolling my eyes, I pushed the door open and lead my faux-beau inside.

"Hey guys! Where's everyone at?" A shriek resounded followed by footsteps pounding across the floor.

"Demetria! Tell them to knock it off!" Michaela and Alicia ran past me, laughing and shrieking as Jessie chased after them both.

I was surrounded by 5 year-old's. I made my way through the house towards the kitchen, Blaze in tow.

I braced myself as I heard several voices coming from around the corner. Carlos, Kieran and Jamie were leaning on the counters, water bottles in their hands. Carlos and Jamie greeted me with a smile, but I saw Kieran stiffen where he was standing as he noted our joined hands.

"Hey guys!"

I tried to ease the atmosphere but the two other boys seemed to sense Kieran's apprehension towards the newcomer. It was a testosterone charged standoff. The two boys were sizing themselves up while I just stood there.

Finally, Kieran started to smile and approached Blaze to do the classic guy-handshake. "Hey man, what's up?" I gave a silent sigh of relief. "Nothing much, you?" Kieran shrugged in a friendly way and I jumped to interrupt.

"Hey, everyone this is Blaze. Blaze, this is Carlos and Kieran." I introduced, pointing at each respective boy. "And you already know Jamie."

There was brief moment of nods and handshakes and niceties. After it passed, I continued.

"He's my boyfriend."

Carlos seemed unfazed, as did Jamie. Kieran didn't look thrilled with the concept but seemed happy enough for me.

Suddenly Alicia and Michaela ran into the kitchen, out of breath and still giggling.

"Hey girl, how was-" Michaela stopped short upon spotting my arm candy. She was rarely at a loss for words but the sight of Blaze (which was admittedly pretty damn good) seemed to have left her speechless.

Alicia blushed and straightened out immediately.

"Hey girls, this is my boyfriend Blaze."

Michaela gave him a quick once-over and seemed to deem him gorgeous but obviously off-limits. Her introduction was friendly. Alicia smiled her shy yet dazzling smile and extended her delicate hand. Blaze instantly put on his classic charm and I felt a spark of annoyance.

I knew this was his default setting in response to pretty girls and Alicia's effortless beauty was something I would never have.

"Pleasure meeting you two," he surprised me by stepping back beside me and snaking his arm around my waist. "How long have you known my girl?"

A slight rush of satisfaction surged through me. He was mine... at least as far as everyone knew. Before they could launch into the oh-so-interesting backstory of our relationship I interrupted by asking where Emilia was. Obviously they'd made it here before us but I couldn't see my best friend in the crowded kitchen.

"She's upstairs, setting up the sound system maybe?"

I excused myself and rode the elevator looking for her. We hadn't gotten a chance to debrief how lunch went and I didn't want her to freak out at the fact that Blaze was already so involved in my life.

The doors silently opened. Most of me really wished they hadn't.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing - David had Emilia pinned against the wall, but not in a way that I would've ever expected. My seemingly innocent best friend was running her hands through his hair and he had his hands around her waist - no doubt resting on her butt.

"Umm, what the hell is going on here?"