The Fake Haters

4. Cheating

Bright

Win:
I'll be there on time, Pear.
Don't wait for me!
Just stay inside.
<3

My phone rings around midnight, and I find these texts from Win. 

"Pfft... haha. Let me type back." I say to myself.

Bright(saved as PEAR on Win's phone):
Okay, love.
I'll be there.
🔪

Oh. I accidentally send the knife emoji instead of the heart.

Win:
Do you want to murder me?

Bright:
Yeah.

Win:
Really? I thought you liked me.

Okay. This is going to be a long night.

~.~

I get to sleep around at 2 am and wake up for college. When I arrive at the spot where I usually meet with my friends, I find Win with dark circles around his eyes, just like me.

"What happened to you two?" Dew asks about Win and me.

"Stayed late playing games." I lie.

"Talked with Pear, night long."

"Woah. You are going smoothly with her, huh? So what, you like her?" Nani asks him.

"I don't know. She's sweet and all, but I don't really feel any connection yet. So I am giving it some time." he says. "We talked a lot yesterday, and guess what? She's interested in gaming as well. I am meeting with her tomorrow."

Though it's a bit hard for me to control my laughter, I do. Seeing him talk about the conversation he had with Pear yesterday is funny because I am the one who talked in Pear's place. I like gaming, and Pear doesn't.

During class, I find myself glancing at Win from time to time. He caught me a few times, and the last time I looked at him, he showed me his middle finger, to which I replied with the same.

I got to know a lot of things about him last night. I realised he's a patient person because all night long, I was trolling him and giving him a hard time. Still, he didn't say a single word. Maybe because he likes Pear. If he gets to know that he talked with me, he would've murdered me already.

After classes, he joins Pear at our table.

"Do you want to go out for gaming sometime?" Win asks Pear.

I choke on my food, and it takes me some time to recover from the shock.

"Gaming?" Pear asks.

I realise I am about to get caught, so I quickly speak.

"Win likes gaming, you see." I butt in. "You should try it sometime. AHAHA."

"What is wrong with you? Get lost." Win smacks my shoulder.

"What is wrong with you? I was just talking with her?"

"Go talk with your girlfriend, psycho," he whispers to me.

"Why? Are you afraid Pear might like me instead?" I whisper back.

"She won't fall for a nut head like you. I treat her well, unlike you. I don't remember you accompanying Earn anywhere. No wonder if she breaks up with you."

"Shut up." I slam one of my hands on the table and stand up. I leave my untouched food and leave the table only to hear Win calling after me.

"You might be mad at me, but don't be mad at your food!"