How Does a Daffodil Survive in Winter?

x | A Bad Boy Is Just an Asshole with Abs

Someone had filmed Lacie punching me and posted it on every existing social media platform. As expected, it blew up and the tables turned for Lacie and I. She became the most hated and laughed at person overnight and I, well I was having the better life. It wasn't just a fad, Lacie and I's switch of positions lasted thanks to what I had originally planned: pretending to date Theo.

Theo and I continued the façade and after a few days it became less vigilant and more regular. We would meet at school every morning and walk to class together for as long as we can. When it was time for us to go our separate ways, an awkward hug would be exchanged along with some nice words. Then at lunch we would sit together in the centre of the cafeteria like king and queen. At the end of the day, we would walk out of the school together and Theo would drive me a few blocks down the road so it would look like we were going somewhere together.

I became more used to it as it moulded into my daily life. Things were easier without Lacie around but it meant that I wasn't making any progress. The two weeks I went without her were like practising for when she did eventually return. And by time she did, Theo and I had mastered the art of fake-dating.

"Lacie's back from her suspension," I stated as I walked alongside Theo.

Lacie had come back with a new haircut and freshly done nails. You could tell she was ready to be a tyrant of the school again. That ended brutally when she was so warmly greeted with a pie thrown at her face. The only people who treated her with respect were her two sidekicks and even they were getting sick of being associated with her. Especially when they got some of that apple pie on their clothes.

"Yeah, only to have a perfectly good pie wasted on her," Theo complained.

"That pie didn't deserve such fate."

"To think that the last thing it saw was a maniacal face that looked like if the 2000's came back and screamed 'it's Britney, bitch' in everyone's faces."

I gaped at him. "Holy shit dude, you're starting to sound like me."

"I only learn from the best," he grinned.

I turned into a tomato and his compliment. One of the inconveniences of having pale skin. That and getting sun-burned very easily. "Ay, stop it you," I said, trying to play it cool. "You're gonna make me look like..." My eyes widened. I couldn't think of anything witty to say. I nudged Theo with my shoulder. "You stole my 'funny'," I gasped, clutching my chest.

"Funny?"

"Yeah, everybody's got a 'funny'. It's located in your... funny bone and it's this... entity that powers your jokes," I bluffed. "Some people have a very small 'funny' because they don't use it that much. But I'm practically a gym junkie when it comes to my 'funny', it's literally the only thing I ever workout on. Now I've said 'funny' so many times that it sounds weird."

He laughed. "Sometimes I can't tell if you're joking or not. You're talking about an absurd thing you made up right on the spot I presume but you sound so serious when you say it."

"Honestly, there isn't a line between seriousness and humour for me," I said. "There probably should be a line. Maybe it should actually be a wall made of solid titanium. I'm ignoring the line again, aren't I?"

"Hey, you got your 'funny' back!" Theo cheered.

I looked at my hands. "Oh, that was a horrible few seconds when I lost it," I sighed in relief. That was until I saw a group of cheerleaders led by Summer approaching us. "Oh god, here comes another horrible few seconds."

It wasn't just a few seconds.

"Hey Theo, good luck with the competition on Sunday!" Summed called. Surprisingly Lacie wasn't on the school cheer squad. That was probably the only non-cliché thing about her.