My Fake Boyfriend Is the School Bad Boy novel Chapter 54

Chapter 54 A Rumor Designed to Tear Everything Apart

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I sat on the city bus, resting my forehead against the cold, vibrating glass of the window. The sky above the Crestview Prep campus was a heavy, bruised gray, threatening rain but never quite delivering it. It matched the hollow, aching pressure sitting right behind my

sternum.

I had spent all of Sunday building my armor. I organized my binders, color-coded my flashcards, and locked every single chaotic memory of Chase Montgomery’s living room into a dark, secure box in the back of my mind.

I executed it perfectly. His words from the library still scraped against my raw nerves. I wasn’t a girl he cared about. I was a tactic. A shield. A human study guide. I had to force myself to remember that. If I let the warmth of his leather jacket or the phantom pressure of his mouth break my focus again, I would shatter.

The bus lurched to a halt at the corner of the campus. I grabbed my heavy canvas backpack, ignoring the dull ache in my shoulder, and stepped off onto the damp pavement.

I walked up the long, sweeping driveway toward the main brick building. The wind bit through the thin wool of my navy blazer. I wasn’t wearing his jacket today. I had folded it neatly and shoved it into a plastic bag at the bottom of my backpack. I couldn’t wear it. The scent of cedarwood and peppermint was too much of a distraction.

I pushed through the heavy oak double doors and stepped into the A-wing intersection.

The transition from the quiet, freezing morning air to the loud, suffocating heat of the hallway made my stomach churn. The corridor smelled of citrus floor polish, aerosol deodorant, and wet shoes. Lockers clanged shut. Sneakers squeaked against the linoleum.

I kept my chin level, staring straight ahead at the analog clock on the far wall.

Usually, my presence alongside Ryder commanded a terrified, silent awe from the student body. The whispers were breathless. The stares

were shocked.

A cold prickle of dread crawled up the back of my neck.

I reached locker 412. My fingers felt stiff and clumsy as I spun the silver dial.

“I knew it was too good to be true.”

I froze, my hand hovering over my AP Calculus textbook.

Jenna leaned against the locker next to mine. She was holding a clear plastic cup of iced matcha, her perfectly manicured nails tapping a rhythmic beat against the side. Her expression was a mask of polite concern, but her eyes were gleaming with the thrill of fresh gossip.

“Good morning, Jenna,” I said, keeping my voice flat. I grabbed my textbook and shoved it into my bag.

“I mean, we were all so shocked,” Jenna continued, completely ignoring my dismissal. She took a slow sip of her drink. “The two of you

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12:52 Fri, Jul 10

Chapter 54 A Rumor Designed to Tear Everything Apart

together. It just didn’t make sense. But I guess high school ecosystems always correct themselves eventually.”

I gripped the edge of my metal locker door. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, stop, Jenna sighed, rolling her eyes. She stepped closer, lowering her voice conspiratorially. “Harper’s cousin is in Ryder’s European History class. He told everyone Ryder got a twelve percent on the midterm last week. And guess who has the highest grade in the entire

junior class? Guess who has master outlines for every single subject?”

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The air in my lungs turned to ice.

“People are talking, Raisa, Jenna murmured, leaning in so I could smell the overpowering vanilla of her perfume. The rumor about Harrison is dead, sure. But this new one makes so much more sense. His dad is threatening to pull his tuition if he fails out. You needed a fake boyfriend to get the board off your back. It’s a transaction. He’s just using you for homework.”

Hearing the rumor spoken aloud was a blow. It wasn’t just a malicious lie Harper Vance had spun out of thin air to hurt me. It was the exact, devastating conclusion I had reached myself in the public library on Saturday.

It was the truth.

And now, the entire school knew it. They weren’t looking at me with awe anymore. They were looking at me with pity. I wasn’t the girl who tamed the bad boy; I was the desperate, naive scholarship student doing his heavy lifting just so he would hold my hand in the

hallway.

“You don’t know anything about him, I managed to say. My voice shook, thin and fragile.

“I know guys like him don’t date girls like us unless they need something,” Jenna shot back, the polite facade dropping entirely. “You really thought he liked you? Come on, Raisa. Look at you. And look at him. He’s just using you to pass.”

She didn’t wait for my response. She pushed off the lockers, a smug, satisfied smirk curving her lips, and walked away into the crowded

hallway.

I stood paralyzed.

My knuckles were stark white where I gripped the edge of the metal door. The dull, buzzing hum of the fluorescent lights above my head grew louder, echoing the frantic, panicked rush of blood in my ears. The hallway blurred into a smear of navy blue and plaid.

He’s just using you to pass.

I squeezed my eyes shut, biting hard on the inside of my cheek until the sharp, metallic tang of blood flooded my mouth. I welcomed the pain. It grounded me, forcing the tears pricking my eyes to retreat. I couldn’t cry. Not here. Not in front of them.

“Petrova.”

The low, gravelly scrape of his voice cut through the surrounding noise like a serrated knife.

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Chapter 54 A Rumor Designed to Tear Everything Apart

My eyes flew open.

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