Page 29 of The Fake Script
“Let me stop you right there, Robyn,” I say in a hushed tone so no one can hear us. I guess I’ll have to be the one who tells her. “No need to say that I’m lucky, and that Auston is a catch or whatever, because this entire thing is a sham.”
She scrunches her eyebrows. “What? You’re whispering. I can’t hear you,” she says, her voice muffled by the clacking of hangers latching on the hooks and the ruffle of clothes.
Heat rises to my face. “We’renot really dating,” I say again, a little louder, but then I notice one of the store assistants standing only a few feet away, talking to a customer.
“Hold on,” Robyn says, finally done placing the dresses on the hooks. I bite my nail in frustration, forcing myself not to just yell it to her. She runs her hand over the fabric of the dresses to smooth them, then nods in satisfaction.
“Sorry, what were you saying?” She plants both hands on her hips, facing me.
“Auston and I are only pretending to date,” I whisper slowly, pausing after each word.
Her eyes widen. “What!”
I look around in a panic, but luckily, no one seems to be paying attention. “We’re only doing this because some pictures of us together were leaked, and since we were in high school together, the Internet is now convinced we’re an item.”
“Seriously?”
I nod. “Nothing is happening between us, but we need everyone to think we’re dating. Especially Madison. I assume you're familiar with her obsession with Auston.”
She gives me a pointed look. “Oh, the girl who went to a printer to get wedding invites done for their wedding before casually dropping one in front of the paparazzi? Yes, I’m familiar.”
My eyes widen. “Wow. She’s even crazier than I thought.” Releasing a small breath, I shake my head. “Well, now you understand what’s going on. Auston can give you more details if you want, but we can’t discuss this here. Too many people around.”
She still looks stunned, and I can’t really blame her. I just unloaded a huge secret on her. Tropes may be part of my day to day, but I know it’s not the same for everyone.
“My goodness,” she breathes out, shuffling out of the room to sit down on one of the plush velvet sofas. “Wait,” she whispers, recovering quickly. “Who else knows?”
I sit down next to her. “No one, for now. But Auston said he’d tell Cillian.”
She nods. “Okay. I guess my job just got a little more interesting.”
I laugh quietly. “Glad you’re seeing it that way.”
“So, tell me.” She places a hand on my forearm. “How was Auston in high school? Anything juicy to report?”
I shake my head, unable to hold back a smile. “Unfortunately, no. Unlike every other teenager, Auston never had an awkward phase. I don’t think it’s in his genes.”
“Tell me about it,” she says with a chuckle. “Oh, and before you think I might be interested in him, I’m not. I have a boyfriend. His name is Mike,and he’s back in LA, where we live.”
“Oh, okay,” I say in a casual tone, even if, in the back of my mind, I’m glad we cleared that up. Madison will be enough of an opponent in this fake relationship.
“So, are you ready to try on the dresses? The theme for tonight is ‘tropical,’ so I found three that could fit the theme and three more general evening gowns.”
My eyes widen slightly. I’m not sure “tropical” is my style. I’m more “comfy-couch chic.”
I walk to the dressing room and slip into the first dress. It’s a long black number that looked fine at first glance, but it’s seemingly made of nothing. I look into the mirror, and I might as well be naked.
“So? Does it fit?” Robyn calls from outside. “Show me.”
“Absolutely not. You do know I’m going to be seen in public in it, right?”
“Too revealing?” she asks, and I snort out loud.
“Yeah, you could say that. I have a feeling this dress was designed to showcase your underwear.”
She pauses thoughtfully. “I mean, you have an incredible body, and with the right bra and—”
“Hard pass,” I say, slipping the dress over my head.