faking it » david dobrik

23

Meeting David's parents wasn't as scary as I thought it would be. They actually liked me, and in the two days we stayed in Chicago, I thought we really grew pretty close. They would be great family for my child, something I couldn't say about my own family.

I was glad to be back in LA, despite how sweet David's family was. His friends were nice, but they scared me, and I was glad to have my peace and quiet again.

The weekend after we got back, Aaliyah wanted us to hang out and catch up. I left the house early that morning, before David even woke up, and met her for a day of shopping and eating.

"So they like you?" she confirmed as we sipped our Starbucks and window shopped in the mall (we're both too broke to actually purchase things).

"Surprisingly, yes," I giddily grinned, pointing out a cute sweater that only looked good on the mannequin.

"Surprisingly," Aaliyah scoffed. "Shut up. You're a parent pleaser. My dad and my grandparents love you."

"Yeah, but this is different. I'm locking their son down for life. Plus friends and boyfriends are much, much different," I explained. "It doesn't really matter if you lie about liking a friend because it's not like you're going to be together all the time, but a girlfriend? Tragic. Horrible."

"Okay, but they liked you," she laughed, sliding a pair of bug eye sunglasses on then striking a pose. "I'm so excited for you, Sloaney. You've really got your life figured out. Now if only we could straighten out that David problem."

"What do you mean David problem?" I frowned.

"Um, try the fact that you're completely in love with him," she joked, nudging me with her elbow. "You don't have to hide it. I understand. He's kind of sexy, in an Internet star way."

"I am not!" I gasped, raising my eyebrows in shock. "I totally am not."

"Sloane," she sighed, shaking her head. "Sweet, sweet Sloane. You spent the last fifteen minutes explaining to me his new haircut. Fifteen minutes. So are you going to lie to me again?"

"Okay, fine," I groaned, flipping my black ponytail over my shoulder. "Maybe I am a touch in love with him. Just a touch, though!"

"Sloane," she placed a hand lightly on my shoulder. "Do I have to remind you that this is a business transaction to him and that when the dues are paid, you will be out of his house, trading off your fucking kid every week? You can't be in love with him. It's not good for you."

I agreed with her. I shouldn't be in love with David. He saw me as something he needed to get rid of, and I saw him as something I wanted to keep. It would have never worked.

Despite our rather depressing conversation about my love life, we had a great day, and I was glad to be back with my best friend. Seeing her on campus twice a week wasn't enough. I left the mall beaming, feeling completely reenergized and ready for whatever life through my way. Girl talk will do that to you.

I made it home safely, and I walked in nearly skipping, but froze at what I saw: David, seated at the counter, a stack of papers resting in front of him. The grim look on his face and his hands curled tightly into fists told me he was angry, but I had no clue what about.

"Are you okay?" I tentatively asked, taking a step in front of him. The counter was much too big and my glasses weren't on, so I couldn't read the papers from my place across from him. "What's wrong?"

"Would you like to explain?" David slid the stack towards me. The top page was just a cover page, titled simply The Real Life of David Dobrik. My face fell in shock and disappointment, and I took in a deep breath. "Do you have anything you want to say for yourself, Sloane? Maybe about why you've been lying to me for the past five months?"