My Fake Boyfriend Is the School Bad Boy novel Chapter 134

Chapter 134 The Midnight Blue Silk

The reflection crushed the remaining air from my lungs.

The dress fit terrible. The bodice sagged in the front. The waistline hung an inch too low, creating a shapeless, boxy silhouette. The maroon color washed out my pale skin, making me look sick and tired.

I did not look like a girl preparing for the biggest event of the year. I looked like an imposter. I looked like a girl wearing a cheap costume, pretending to belong in a world that rejected her.

Trent Lawson’s mocking voice echoed in my head. Charity case.

I reached behind my back. I yanked the jammed zipper downward. The metal teeth scraped against my skin. I pulled the ugly dress over my head and let it drop to the dusty floor.

:))

I put my school uniform back on. I buttoned the white blouse. I slipped my arms into the navy blazer. The familiar Crestview crest offered zero comfort. It felt like a constant reminder of the world I could not afford.

I emerged from the faded floral curtain holding the maroon dress.

The cashier looked up from her book. “Did it fit?”

“The zipper is stuck,” I said. My voice sounded hollow. “And the color washes me out.”

She offered a sympathetic smile. “Formal dresses require a good tailor. The previous owner altered the waist on that one. We do not have

tailors here.”

“Do you have anything in a deep blue?” I asked.

‘Just the chiffon one with the mud stains on the hem. I can lower the price to five dollars for you.”

“I do not know how to remove mud from cheap chiffon, I admitted.

‘Shame, the cashier said. “You have a pretty face. You deserve a beautiful dress. Good luck, sweetheart.”

“Have a good afternoon, I told her. I hung the garment on the return rack near the cash register. I walked out of the store without a

backward glance.

The walk home felt endless. The gray clouds broke, releasing a cold, steady drizzle. I did not possess an umbrella. The rain soaked my dark hair. The water dripped down my neck, sending a deep chill straight into my bones.

I reached my small house. I unlocked the front door and pushed it open.

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13:13 Fri, Jul 10

Chapter 134 The Midnight Blue Silk

The house sat empty and quiet. My mother worked the closing shift at the diner. She would not return until past midnight.

I dropped my heavy canvas bag onto the floorboards in the hallway. I took off my damp blazer and draped it over the back of a kitchen

chair. I walked into my bedroom.

I sat on the edge of my mattress.

1 reached across my small wooden desk. I grabbed a clean glass jar sitting next to my biology index cards. I unscrewed the metal lid. I dumped the contents onto the bedspread.

A small pile of crinkled dollar bills and silver coins tumbled out.

I smoothed the paper bills with trembling fingers. I separated the ones, the fives, and the single ten-dollar bill. I counted the coins. I knew the exact total, but I counted the money anyway. I needed the physical confirmation. I needed the undeniable mathematical fact to

ground my racing thoughts.

Forty-eight dollars and thirty cents.

My life savings. The culmination of skipped lunches and spare change found in the couch cushions.

Forty-eight dollars.

I stared at the money. The tears breached my defenses. They spilled over my eyelashes and traced hot, wet paths down my cold cheeks. I wiped my face with the back of my hand, but the tears refused to stop.

I cried for the unfairness of the world. I cried for my mother’s exhausted eyes and her double shifts. I cried because I loved a boy who lived in a different universe, and I lacked the basic resources to meet him halfway.

I needed to cancel.

The realization settled in my chest, heavy and suffocating. I needed to find Ryder tomorrow morning. I needed to look into his hazel eyes and tell him I could not attend the Formal.

A loud, sharp knock on the front door shattered the silence of the house.

I jumped. The sudden noise sent a massive spike of adrenaline through my veins.

I wiped my face with both hands. I took a deep, shaking breath. I stood up from the bed and walked down the narrow hallway.

I reached the front door. I looked through the small glass peephole.

A man stood on the front porch. He wore a crisp, tailored black suit and a matching tie. He held a large, wide, flat rectangular box in his gloved hands. A sleek, black town car sat idling by the curb, the engine offering a low purr.

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Chapter 134 The Midnight Blue Silk

I unlocked the deadbolt. I pulled the wooden door open.

“Raisa Petrova?” the man asked. His tone sounded polite and detached.

“Yes, I answered. My voice sounded thick from crying.

He stepped forward. He held out the massive box. “A delivery for you, Miss Petrova.”

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