Date me?

5

"You mean you want us to fake date till the start of next year?" I ask not believing what I just heard Ethan say.
"Yes exactly, that way the rumours won't be as bad" he says
"Ethan the rumours will be worse because they will be true" his face changes like he's just realised the consequences.
So he's repeated the plan like 10 times and he still doesn't realise the hitch? Lord help me, as much as I hate the plan, I feel sorry for Ethan.
"At least give it a try Pops! Just for tonight at Daisy's, Ellie won't even be there" he gives me the look, the look that always makes me back down and let him win.
"Don't" I say
"Don't what?"
"Give me that look because now I have to say yes to this stupid idea" he laughs
"So tonight, dress sexy, act flirty and make it look real" Ethan says winking and licking his lips
"Don't push it" I laugh
He just smirks and then starts the car and heads towards school.
I'm probably going to regret this for a long long long time...

When we get back to school there's an arrival party waiting for us.
Grayson, Daisy, Ellie (and crew) and my older brother Harry.
"Where the hell have you been? And why weren't you answering my texts" Both Grayson and Harry say to us
"To get ice cream" we reply in unison
I check my phone to see texts from Daisy and Harry
Harry 🚗: where are you?
Harry 🚗: dad will kill you if he finds out!
Daisy 😘: where are you? Ellie said you're with Ethan?
I've never felt so popular, all these texts.
I walk over to Daisy who has been raising her eyebrows at me.
"You're not helping the rumours Pops"
"Don't even mention it and why is Ellie even here?" I say glancing over, receiving the evils in return. If she's broken up with Ethan and hates me what's the need for her to be here?
"And Daisy you weren't in science you don't know what she said, I couldn't bare another lesson with her"
I walk through the doors to my locker but can feel Harry hot on my heels, he's never been the protective brother type, but for some reason I think he might have turned it on now.
"Why did you interfere with his relationship?"
"I had nothing to do with it" I say
"Then why did you skip class to get ice cream with him?"
"Because I wanted ice cream and he had a car"
I roll my eyes, grab what's left in my locker and walk back out the doors to Ethan's car, telling him to get out of here quickly. I can't deal with anything else today.

When we were little Ethan and Grayson were always the people I ran away to if I'd fallen out with people, they acted like big brothers, promising to beat up any guy that broke my heart.
My last boyfriend was... well let's just say a jerk at the least, but I was completely fooled, until Ethan pointed things out, like the nights his car was parked outside another girls house or how he'd disappear upstairs at parties. Ethan and Grayson looked after me when it finished and when he carried on harassing me. They looked after me more than my own brother did.

Ethan's POV
I knew the plan was crazy, I also knew it would make the rumours worse, but what I hoped it would do was bring me and Poppy closer, not how we are now like best friends, but in a different way.
Every time I would fight with Ellie she would be there to talk me through it and give a logical explanation for Ellie's behaviour. Even though she hated Ellie she stood up for her and only ever wanted to help our relationship, I feel really bad as using her as the excuse for us to break up.
Poppy may be our next door neighbour and she may be Gray's little sister, but to me she's something else. Someone else.
One night Gray and I had been playing kiss, marry, avoid, Gray gave me Ellie, Daisy and Poppy. He didn't even bat an eyelid when I avoided Ellie and kissed Daisy, it was marrying Poppy that he asked about, that was when I knew if I ever broke up with Ellie, Poppy was who I wanted. If she was single.