Previously:
"Damien, come up and say a few words." Mr crawford looks proud as his son waves and smiles to the crowd. He stands next to his father and winks at the crowd, making a few girls go wild. He starts his speech and it doesn't help the feeling in my stomach.
-:-:-
"I'd like to thank one special person. She's made me want to push harder and go further in life. Over the years, I fell in love with this quirky girl that somehow made me want to do better. She doesn't know it, but everything I have done is for her. For us." His eyes land on me and I feel nauseous.
I look to see Mariah Green, the queen of the school, stand up. She looks smug and I frown. Her and Damien have hooked up and even one time were the 'it' couple. She smirks and giggles with her friends.
"I couldn't have done it without her. Would you come up here, Ariella?" I hear gasps as all eyes turn towards me. Mariah looks livid as her fave turns a lovely shade of beet red and everyone else looks shocked. My parents just stand around with grins on their faces. I walk towards the stage and hold my chin up high.
'Just for the public. It's just for show. You can do this.' I tell myself repeatedly. A sinking feeling has me wondering how his speech felt so real. I shake the feeling as I walk up the few steps and towards Damien. I put on the best fake smile that I can as I stare at him. He mirrors the smile. I stand next to him and turn towards the crowd.
"We have a big announcement and what better way to share then with everyone in the same room." He says. Camera's flash as our picture gets taken. I feel his arm snake around my waist. "We've hidden it for too long now and decided to officially come out as a couple." If everyone was surprised before, then they definitely are now. It's silent for a few moments but then everyone starts clapping. People whisper throughout the crowd. I spot my best friend and she looks confused and upset.
I look at Damien to notice he's already staring at me. He looks at my lips and I quickly understand what he means. I fight the urge to grimace in disgust and look at his to show my approval. He almost rolls his eyes but brings his lips to mine. I respond back and our mouths move slowly in sync.
A foreign feeling sweeps over me and time seems to slow down. The only thing I can think of is the person in front of me. I feel like my body is lit up in fireworks and I wonder why I never kissed anyone before if this is what it feels like. My mind is clouded with racing thoughts of whether I want this to be real or not.
He pulls away and I lean back. I slowly open my eyes to find him already staring at me. He smirks and sends me a wink. I suppress my groan and just laugh. The crowd is clapping as we make our way off the stage. As soon as we're off, my bestfriend storms up to us and she looks mad. She just stands in front of us, looking between Damien and I, and crosses her arms across her chest.
"What in the actual hell is this? There is no way you two are dating. Just this morning you wanted to rip each other's heads off." Delilah says, clearly confused and frustrated. I look to Damien and he smirks.
"We do bicker quite a lot, don't we babe?" He says as he tilts his head to me. It's obvious to me that he's enjoying torturing me way too much. I roll my eyes and spot my father walking towards us. I look to my best friend and she's still waiting. I mouth for her to come over later and she just walks away with an exasperated sigh.
"Time to go, lovebirds." I sigh slightly and walk with Damien side by side. We walk outside and get bombarded by paparazzi asking questions and taking pictures. His driver opens the limo door and I get in, followed by Damien. His driver gets in and looks back at Damien.
"Back to my place, Arthur." He says to the driver. The driver nods and the tinted window goes up, blocking our view of Arthur and his view of us. As soon as we're out of sight I sigh loudly and scoot away from Damien. I don't have the energy to glare or argue with him so I just rest my head on the window. My eyes become heavy and I barely notice the arm pulling me. I open my eyes quickly and look at Damien.
"Shh. Just go to sleep. You look tired." He says. I must be hallucinating because I could've sworn I saw worry on his face. I just nod and rest head against his shoulder. He wraps both arms around me and pulls a blanket over me. Soon enough, I fall into a deep slumber.
YOU ARE READING
Doubt
Teen Fiction"Say it." He demanded, a smirk playing on his lips. I was pressed against the wall as he stood barely arms length away. I knew what he wanted me to say and a part of me wanted to say it too but I was too stubborn to give up. "Say what?" I asked inn...
