Falling For You

Chapter 7: Sealed with a Deal

The door to the lab swung shut behind us, the echo of Aaron and Roxanne’s taunts still ringing in my ears. Mateo walked beside me, his shoulders tense, his fists still clenched. I glanced at him, sensing his frustration, but chose to keep silent. The encounter had drained both of us, and the last thing we needed was another argument. Instead, I led him toward the 'picnic bench' near the library building—a place I often went to clear my head.

The bench was nestled in a small garden, surrounded by a few trees and blooming flowers. The area was peaceful, a stark contrast to the chaotic hallways we had just left. Mateo sat down first, leaning back and closing his eyes for a moment, as if trying to shake off the negativity of what just happened. I joined him, but my mind was already racing, thinking about what we had just been through. We needed to make sure our ‘fake’ relationship was airtight—especially with people like Roxanne and Aaron waiting for us to slip up.

I took a deep breath, then pulled out a piece of paper from my bag. Mateo opened his eyes, looking at me with curiosity. “What’s that?” he asked, sitting up straight.

“We need to make this official,” I replied, my tone serious as I started scribbling on the page. “A deal, with rules. If we’re going to pull this off, we can’t afford any mistakes.”

His brows furrowed. “Rules? For a fake relationship?”

“Exactly.” I handed him the paper, where I’d written down a few key points.

No unnecessary physical contact unless in front of others.

We have to maintain the illusion of being together in public.

No discussing the fake relationship with anyone, not even friends.

If either of us wants to call off the deal, we have to give notice at least a week in advance.

Protect each other from any negative rumors.

Mateo looked at the paper, then back at me, smirking. “You’re serious about this.”

“Completely,” I said, holding his gaze. “This is about more than just getting back at Aaron and Roxanne. If this blows up, it’ll be my reputation on the line, not just yours. I want to be in control.”

He nodded thoughtfully, then took the pen from me. “Fair enough. But we should add one more thing.” He jotted down his own addition:

Always back each other up, no matter what.

I read his addition and nodded. It made sense. We needed to be a united front, especially in the face of people like Aaron and Roxanne. “Agreed,” I said.

Once we both signed the paper, I folded it carefully. “I’ll make a copy for you.”

We walked to the library, the silence between us feeling less awkward now. After photocopying the agreement, I handed him his copy. He stuffed it into his bag without looking at it again, but I could tell by his posture that he was more invested in this deal than he let on.

The next morning, I stood at my front door, waiting for Mateo. I had told Jenna that he’d be picking me up, and she was beyond curious. She knew something was up, but I promised to explain everything later. As Mateo pulled up in his car, I waved goodbye to my mom and jogged toward him.

“You ready for the show?” he asked with a teasing smile as I got in.

“Let’s just get through today,” I replied, my stomach in knots. I wasn’t sure how the school would react to us walking in together. The last thing I wanted was to be the center of more gossip, but we had to stick to the plan.

When we arrived at school, I took a deep breath and reached for Mateo’s hand. He glanced at me but didn’t pull away. Together, we walked through the school gates, and immediately, I felt the weight of countless eyes on us.

“Isn’t that Mateo Hernandez?” someone whispered.

“I heard his dad got arrested,” another voice chimed in.

“Why is Bianca with him? Isn’t she the one Aaron dumped?”

The comments rolled off me like water, though I couldn’t ignore how heavy some of them felt. But then, there were others—students who looked at us with curiosity, admiration even.

“They actually look good together,” I overheard one girl say.

Mateo gave a cold glance to a group of students who muttered something about his father. His grip tightened on my hand, but he didn’t say anything. We kept walking, determined not to show that the gossip bothered us. But it did. I could feel the tension radiating from him.

When we reached my locker, Roxanne was there, leaning against the wall with a look of pure annoyance on her face. She made no attempt to hide her disgust as she watched us approach. Aaron, who was standing not far from her, had a different expression—his gaze was locked on me, a mixture of confusion and regret etched across his face. For a moment, I felt a surge of satisfaction. Maybe now he realized how stupid he had been to dump me for Roxanne.

“Wow, you two are really committed to this little act, huh?” Roxanne sneered as I opened my locker.

Mateo wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me closer. “It’s not an act,” he said smoothly. “But I’m sure that’s hard for you to understand.”

Roxanne’s face twisted into an ugly scowl, but she didn’t respond. Instead, she turned on her heel and stormed off, leaving Aaron standing there, staring at me. I met his gaze for a brief moment, but I didn’t let it linger. He wasn’t worth my time.

Mateo and I walked past the bulletin board, heading toward class. As we passed, something caught Mateo’s attention. He stopped in his tracks, staring at a poster pinned to the board.

“Football tryouts?” he muttered under his breath.

I followed his gaze. The poster announced tryouts for the school football team, set for next week. Mateo’s expression was hard to read, but I could tell he was interested.

“You should try out,” I said, nudging him lightly. “You played at your old school, right?”

He hesitated, his eyes still fixed on the poster. “Yeah, but that was a long time ago. I don’t know if I’m up for it now.”

“Why not? It’s a great opportunity. Besides, it might help you fit in here, you know?”

He glanced at me, then back at the poster. I could see the conflict in his eyes—part of him wanted to try, but something was holding him back. Maybe it was the rumors about his dad or the way people looked at him like he didn’t belong.

“Come on, you’ve got nothing to lose,” I encouraged. “And if you need someone to cheer you on, I’ll be there.”

He smirked at that, but the hesitation remained. “I’ll think about it,” he finally said, turning away from the board.

We continued walking, but I could tell his mind was still on the tryouts. Maybe this was exactly what he needed—a chance to prove himself, not just to the school but to himself as well.

The next morning, I told Jenna about Mateo picking me up again, and as we arrived at school, I could feel the buzz of rumors swirling around us. Students stared, whispered, and some even stopped mid-conversation to watch us as we walked hand in hand through the halls.

Mateo played his part perfectly, acting as if he didn’t care about the attention, but I could tell it affected him. Every sneer, every judgmental comment, made his shoulders tense just a little more. But we stuck to our deal. As we passed the lockers, I caught sight of Roxanne’s annoyed glare and Aaron’s regretful stare.

We were winning. Even if this was just an act, we were winning.

When we passed the bulletin board again, I noticed Mateo’s gaze linger on the football tryout poster. “You really should go for it,” I said, nudging him lightly.

“I don’t know,” he muttered, though I could tell the idea was tempting him.

“Think about it,” I smiled. “You’d be great.”

As we continued on our way, I felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Maybe this whole fake relationship thing wasn’t so bad after all.