Lights ⇝ Finn Wolfhard

chapter five

   I gripped the chair tighter as I heard his words. It was no surprise Finn didn't want to work with me, especially since we were now expected to be fake dating.

   Finn's manager reached for his shoulder, shaking his head sternly at the defiant boy. Finn whispered something at his manager in confusion and anger, obviously just as unhappy with the new arrangement as I was.

   "I'm sorry, Finn. This is how we've decided to proceed considering the current situation, I'm sorry-" Diane said before getting abruptly cut off.

     "I don't want this, you can't do this." Finn's sullen tone surprised me. It was expected that he had changed in the time I was gone, but as I looked across the table I no longer saw the once cheerful boy that had a pension for making perfect snowballs. Now I saw a tired teenager that could use a couple extra hours of sleep and a hug.

     Finn looked from Diane to me, motioning towards me with a pleading look in his eyes. "You don't want this either! Please, just - just tell her you don't want to go through with it." I hung my head in shame, looking away from him and avoiding his gaze. I couldn't help him.

     "Please" He tried one last time, his voice cracking slightly as he began to lose hope, a frown tainting his face as he accepted his fate.

      Diane sighed deeply, the mood in the room changing drastically as the two of us sat across from each other with disdainful looks, our focus set on the floor. "Tonight is the first of many public appearances as a couple. The two of you will be seen entering a mall and being photographed by the paparazzi you will proceed to go into the various stores and take pictures with fans. At all times you must keep up the happy facade, I know the both of you are familiar with it."

    She paused to look over at Finn's manager with a nod. "That's all, I'll see the both of you tonight. Meeting dismissed."

     Finn left with haste, only glancing back at me for a moment as he left, his manger trailing close behind him. I watched as his figure retreated down the hall before turning to look at my own manager.

   "What the hell was that?" I asked, irritation lacing my tone as I stood up, pacing around the room.

   "Not now, (y/n)" Diane said as she packed up her belongings, her blue eyes glancing at me as I moved around the small space.

    "Not now." I repeated lowly to myself, "Not now?!" I said louder, annoyed that was all she had to say to me. "What am I supposed to do now, just pretend to be in love with him? Play the part assigned to me like - like a puppet?!"

     "Yes." She responded, not skipping a beat. "That's exactly what you are going to do, what's expected of you."

    I laughed bitterly, stopping my pacing to look back at her. "Wonderful! I've always wanted to fake a relationship, just something else to cross off my bucket list."

   "That's enough, (y/n)." Diane said as she finished gathering her stuff. "Not only is this my job, it's also what your parents wanted. So next time you feel like questioning my methods you should take that into consideration."

   She walked towards the door in long strides, the usual sound of her heels clacking against the floor muffled by the plush carpet. With her hand on the door she turned around for a moment, looking me dead in the eye.

  "I'll see you at seven, because that's what is expected of you, (y/n)." With that she walked out the door.

    How did I end up here?