When Charlotte agrees to fake date bad boy Mason to make her best friend and secret crush, Ben, jealous, she thinks it will be a simple arrangement. The rules are clear and she's certain of her goal: make Ben fall in love with her. So why does it seem like the lines always blur when Mason is around? *** Charlotte Anderson has secretly been in love with her best friend, Ben Hathaway, since childhood, though he's never seen her as anything but the girl next door. After witnessing Ben kissing another girl at a party, a heartbroken Charlotte accidentally admits her crush to notorious bad boy Mason Reed... who also happens to be one of Ben's closest friends. But Mason isn't going to tell Charlotte's secret; instead, he suggests they fake a relationship to make Ben jealous. They create a set of strict rules for the arrangement: no kissing when Ben isn't around, no sex, and no falling in love. But as their fake relationship progresses, and Mason's walls break down, Charlotte finds herself questioning her true feelings for both boys, and wondering if some rules are meant to be broken-especially when it comes to love. [[word count: 100,000 - 150,000]] Cover designed by Gillian Goulet (This story is a standalone title in the Dependency series) [[Wattpad Editors Choice: June 2021]]

{#1 in teenagers} {#2 in fiction} {#2 in popular} "You better not tell anyone about this." "Aw why not? I'm sure your fandom of desperate girls would love to know that their precious prince charming needs a babysitter." I smile innocently back at his death glare. "I'm serious, nerd. I could make your life hell." ------------------------------------------------------------ Marnie Jones is an ordinary 11th grader. Her only intentions are to get good grades and save money for college with her babysitting job. Everything is going to plan. Until she gets a job babysitting the high school bad boy, Zeke Blakely. The two come from complete different social groups, and Marnie automatically hates Zeke and his big ego and cocky attitude. He's a player. He's dangerous. He's reckless. She's safe with an overthinking problem. As the two are seen hanging around school together, attention gets drawn to Marnie. Which she hates. But she also catches the eye of a handsome jock, too. And why, you ask, does a 17 year old boy need a babysitter? You'll have to read to find out. WARNING: contains vulgar language and mature scenes.

❝ I don't have time to waste thinking about a boy who will only destroy my future,❞ I say getting closer to him with every word, maybe a little too close. I feel his breath fanning my face. He licks his lip as a sneaky smirk slips onto them, his greenish-gray eyes shift between my lips and eyes, making my traitorous breath hitch. ❝ You saying you think about me, Torres? ❞ ~ Mariana Torres is the first in her family to go to college. Being the first in a Latinx family comes with more pressure and stress than usual, something Mariana is used to. She wants nothing but to make her family proud, even if it means pursuing something she's not interested in. Now heading off to UCLA on a full-ride with her best friend, she's finally getting the chance to get a strong education and become a successful doctor. But every perfect plan has bumps in the road, and this one just happens to be a beautiful one. Aiden Grey lives life like he's dying. He parties, drinks, smokes, burns through his money, and sleeps around with every girl at UCLA. He isn't attracting the ladies by being a brooding bad boy, but by being so carefree you feel your problems slip away when you're with him. Too bad Mariana can't afford for her problems to slip away. *** Warning: Book contains swearing and mature content. WARNING... PART 2: This story contains emotional rollercoasters, flawed characters, tears, sometimes a scary amount of anger and frustration, a really really strong 'has to be you' type of love. *This warning was apparently needed...* ENJOY ~ COMPLETE ~ #1 in Adult-content 6/27/2020 #1 in Romance 6/28/2020 #1 in University 7/4/2020 #5 in Drama 7/6/2020 #3 in College 7/10/2020 #1 in Collegeromance 7/10/2020 #4 in Slowburn 7/18/2020 #1 in Love 10/21/2020 #1 in Singing 11/29/2020