My Year in Chicago - Carl Gallagher

"Dating" Carl Gallagher

I walked into school the next day with my heart pounding in my chest. My first day as Carl's *fake* girlfriend. I wasn't sure what felt weirder: pretending to date someone I still had unresolved feelings for, or the fact that this was all just a big act to get back at Lexi. Either way, I had no idea how this was going to play out.

I spotted Carl waiting by the lockers. He was leaning casually against the wall, one hand in his pocket, looking as nonchalant as ever. The sight of him made my stomach do a flip. Not because he looked particularly different—he was still in his usual outfit, hoodie and jeans, hair pushed back—but because today, we weren't just Carl and Anabelle. We were "together."

Carl noticed me approaching and straightened up, giving me a nod. "You ready for this?" he asked, his voice low and calm, like he wasn't phased by any of it.

I swallowed hard, nodding back. "Yeah. Let's get this over with."

He smirked and, without warning, reached for my hand. The sudden contact sent a jolt through me, but I didn't pull away. Instead, I let him lace his fingers through mine as we walked toward the crowded hallway. The whispers started almost immediately.

"Is that Carl and Anabelle?"

"When did *that* happen?"

"They're together now?"

I tried to ignore the stares and comments, keeping my head down as we made our way past the lockers. Carl, on the other hand, was playing it cool. He seemed to enjoy the attention—or at least, he didn't care about it. That was one thing I had to give him credit for: he was good at keeping up appearances.

As we walked, I couldn't help but glance around, searching for Lexi. This whole plan was for her, after all. We didn't have to wait long. Just as we rounded the corner near the science wing, there she was—standing with her group of friends, laughing like she didn't have a care in the world. That was until she saw us.

Lexi's smile faltered, and her eyes narrowed as they locked on Carl's hand in mine. She quickly whispered something to the girl next to her, and they all turned to stare. It was obvious she hadn't expected this.

Carl leaned in closer, dropping his voice so only I could hear. "Looks like it's working."

I glanced up at him, and for a second, I forgot this was all fake. The way he was acting—confident, protective even—it almost made me believe that we really were something more. But then I remembered why we were doing this. It wasn't for me. It was to make her jealous.

"Let's keep moving," I muttered, trying to shake off the strange feelings creeping up on me.

We walked past Lexi without a word, but I could feel her eyes burning into my back. She wasn't used to being the one on the outside, and I could tell it bothered her. Good.

The rest of the morning felt surreal. Everywhere we went, people stared, whispered, and asked questions. Carl seemed to know exactly what to do—he'd wrap his arm around my shoulder, pull me in close, or drop some casual line about how we'd been "hanging out" for a while now. It was all part of the act, but it felt so convincing. Too convincing, honestly.

By the time lunch rolled around, I was exhausted. Keeping up this charade was harder than I thought, especially when my mind kept drifting back to what had happened between Carl and me in the past. Part of me couldn't shake the idea that maybe, deep down, I still wanted this to be real.

We found a table in the cafeteria, and Carl sat down next to me, his hand casually resting on the back of my chair. I glanced around the room, half expecting Lexi to march over and start something, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Looks like we're in the clear for now," Carl said, noticing my gaze.

"Yeah, but for how long?" I muttered, picking at my food. "You know she's not going to let this slide."

Carl shrugged. "Let her come at me. I'm ready for it."

I looked at him, surprised by how calm he seemed. Maybe it was easier for him. He'd been through worse, after all. But for me? I wasn't used to this kind of drama. I wasn't used to pretending, especially when the lines between fake and real felt so blurry.

"You okay?" Carl asked, leaning in a little closer. "You've been quiet."

I forced a smile, not wanting to seem off. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just... processing everything, I guess."

He nodded, giving my shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Don't overthink it. This is just to mess with Lexi. Nothing more."

His words stung a little, even though I knew that's how it was supposed to be. *Just to mess with Lexi*. Nothing more.

After lunch, we headed to our last class of the day—history. Carl sat next to me, and I could feel the eyes of our classmates on us the whole time. It was like everyone was waiting for something to happen, waiting for us to slip up or for Lexi to finally explode.

But nothing happened. Not yet, anyway.

When the final bell rang, I quickly gathered my things, eager to get out of there. Carl walked with me to my locker, his hand brushing mine again as we made our way down the hall. I could see Lexi out of the corner of my eye, glaring from across the hall, but she didn't say anything. Not yet.

Carl glanced over at her, then back at me. "See? Told you this would work."

I nodded, but I couldn't help feeling uneasy. This whole situation felt like a ticking time bomb, and I wasn't sure when it would go off—or what would happen when it did.

As I closed my locker and turned to leave, Carl stopped me.

"Hey," he said, his voice softer now. "Thanks for going along with this. I know it's not exactly... fun."

I looked up at him, surprised by the sudden sincerity in his voice. "Yeah, well, let's just hope it works."

He smirked, but there was something behind his eyes that made me wonder if maybe—just maybe—this wasn't all a game to him either.

"See you tomorrow, girlfriend," he teased, giving me a wink before walking off.

I stood there for a moment, watching him leave, my heart racing. Fake dating Carl Gallagher was supposed to be simple. But I had a feeling it was going to get a lot more complicated.