My Fake Boyfriend Is the School Bad Boy novel Chapter 18

Chapter 18 They Started Asking Questions

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The cafeteria at Crestview Preparatory Academy was designed to look like a modern food court, but at noon, it felt exactly like a

gladiatorial arena.

I stood at the edge of the massive room, my plastic tray gripped so tightly in my hands that the edges dug painful grooves into my palms. The air was a suffocating mix of reheated marinara sauce, industrial lemon floor cleaner, and the sharp, nervous sweat of five hundred teenagers. The fluorescent lights overhead buzzed a constant, flat note that drilled directly into the center of my forehead.

Usually, I navigated this room like a ghost. I would keep my head down, slide through the gaps between the circular tables, and slip into

my usual seat near the back windows without anyone glancing in my direction.

Not today.

The moment the heavy double doors swung shut behind me, a physical wave of attention crashed over my shoulders. Conversations at the tables nearest to me died out, replaced by a frantic, buzzing undercurrent of whispers. I didn’t have to look up to know they were staring.

I could feel the weight of their eyes scraping against my skin.

I swallowed the dry taste of ash in my mouth and forced my stiff legs to move.

Walk like you chose him, Ryder’s voice echoed in my head, a rough, grounding anchor in the middle of the chaos.

I straightened my spine. I kept my eyes fixed straight ahead, ignoring the pointed fingers and the dropped jaws as I marched toward the

back corner.

My usual table was already occupied. Jenna was sitting on the left side, a pristine salad in front of her. Liam, my AP Chemistry partner, sat across from her, his nose buried in a thick textbook. A third girl, a sophomore named Maya who sometimes borrowed our notes, was

perched on the edge of a chair.

As I approached, Maya abruptly grabbed her backpack, stood up, and practically sprinted to another table.

I reached the empty space she left behind and set my tray down. The plastic hit the laminate wood surface with a dull, hollow clatter.

Liam looked up from his textbook. He blinked, pushing his wire-rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose. Jenna didn’t even pretend to be doing anything else. Her eyes were wide, completely locked onto my face. Two days ago, in the hallway, she had taken a physical step back from me to avoid the fallout of Harper’s rumor. Now, she was leaning in, practically vibrating with desperate curiosity.

I pulled out the hard plastic chair and sat down. I picked up my turkey sandwich, the bread feeling like cardboard beneath my fingertips.

So, Jenna breathed, the word stretching out tight and thin. “Are you going to tell us, or are we supposed to just read about it on the

school’s anonymous feed?”

I carefully set the sandwich back down. I couldn’t eat. My stomach was a tight, twisted knot of acid.

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12:39 Fri, Jul 10

Chapter 18 They Started Asking Questions

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“Tell you what?” I asked, aiming for casual and landing somewhere near breathless.

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“Raisa, stop. Jenna leaned closer across the table. Her voice dropped to a harsh, demanding whisper. “You walked through the front doors

holding hands with Ryder Steinmann. Harper Vance was literally hyperventilating in the girls’ bathroom during second period. Her mom

called the principal, and the administration told her to drop the cheating rumor immediately because you clearly have… other interests.”

My chest hitched. The lie had worked. Mrs. Gable had seen us, the board had been appeased, and my scholarship was safe. The sheer relief

of it was a sudden, dizzying rush of oxygen to my starved brain.

But the relief was instantly crushed by the reality of the trap I had just built for myself.

“It’s not a big deal,” I lied, keeping my voice as flat as possible. I reached for my plastic water bottle, desperate for something to do with my trembling hands.

“Not a big deal?” Liam finally spoke up. He closed his textbook, the heavy thump emphasizing his words. He looked genuinely alarmed. “Raisa, the guy put a senior in the hospital last year. He got suspended last Tuesday for fighting in this exact room. He is a walking disciplinary hearing. Why are you anywhere near him?”

I twisted the cap off my water bottle, my knuckles turning stark white. The script. I needed the script.

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