Would You Rather: A College Romance (Campus Games Book 3)

Stake your bet

“Pay up!”

I wake up with a thud when Gabi jumps on top of my bed, startling me. A groan escapes me when I peel an eye open, seeing her grin down at me like a puppy. “What time is it?” I reach for my phone on my nightstand and almost choke when I see it’s 6 am.

“You’re crazy,” I grumble, pulling my covers over my head. “Let me sleep.”

“Nope.” She pulls the covers off my face. “We made a deal. You lost.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I mumble into my pillow.

“We made a bet, remember?” I reluctantly open my eyes, seeing a grin spread across her face as she shakes a bottle of red hair dye in my face.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. I didn’t make any bets.”

She lets out a laugh. “Oh yes, you did. You said, and I quote, ‘I will never get a boyfriend, and if I do, I’ll dye my hair red, and I’ll do anything my best friend Gabi wants for a week.’”

I narrow my eyes at her. “I definitely didn’t say that.”

She sighs. “Okay, well, I added that last part, but the rest is true. You were so confident that you would never date again,” she says with a head tilt. “And we both knew that was bullshit.” The red hair dye is shoved in front of my face again. “So it’s time to pay up.”

“Did I miss the part where I’m dating?”

She smirks. “You’re trying to deny it,” she says, tutting at me. “You little cheater.”

“Deny what?” I ask her, wiping my eyes, knowing I’ll never be able to get back to sleep now.

She shakes her head, a smile on her face, and pulls out her phone, holding it out to me. A picture of Lucas and me at the park a few days ago is front and center on the screen, with the headline saying, ‘The hottest celebrity couple debuts their relationship’. Well, then, seems like it worked.

“Shit.”

“Yeah, shit,” she says, pocketing her phone. “I thought you said you didn’t even know him.” She narrows her eyes at me. “And now you’re suddenly dating? How the hell did this happen?” She shakes her head. “You know what, I don’t care. You lost,” she says. “I can’t wait to see you with red hair.”

That is not happening. “I did not lose. I said the day I fall in love will be the day I dye my hair red. That hasn’t – and will not – happen.”

She squints at me and then drops her shoulders. “Fine,” she says, sitting on the edge of my bed. “But it won’t take long. You’re already halfway there.”

I choke on my laughter. “I’m nowhere near close. Believe me, you’re going to be getting a tattoo of my choice before that ever happens.” If and when Gabi undoubtedly falls in love first, I’ll be picking out a tattoo for her. And I can’t wait for that to happen.

She narrows her eyes at me. “When did you see him again?” she asks. “Why didn’t you tell me? Is it serious? Is he nice? Is he—”

Gabriella doesn’t have time to finish her sentence because both Leila and Rosie open the door and come inside. “You’re dating Lucas?” Leila asks.

I groan again. “Seriously? Can’t I get some sleep here?” I fall back onto my pillow and squeeze my eyes shut. When I lift my head, they’re all staring at me, waiting for answers. “How do you even know about it?”

“Gabi called us,” she says.

I look over to the traitor in question, who simply shrugs. “It’s a big deal,” she says. “I never thought this day would happen.” She pretends to sniff and wipe a tear. Such a drama queen. “My baby is growing up.”

I pick up my pillow and hit her on the arm with it. She lets out a laugh, and Rosie sits down beside me. “I know I’m not one to say anything since I kept Grayson a secret from you guys, but why didn’t you tell us? Didn’t you know it would be all over the internet?” she asks.

I did. I knew, and I should have prepared for this moment, but the thought of lying to them gives me hives. I pull my bottom lip between my teeth. “I… forgot?”

They all narrow their eyes at me, and Leila shakes her head. “Okay, what’s going on?” she asks. “Last week, you told us you didn’t know him, and now you’re apparently dating? Besides, the Lucas I know doesn’t date, at least not seriously.”

I frown, thinking of all the girls that came before me, getting photographed with him. I’m no different. I’m now one of those girls. “It’s complicated,” I tell her, not wanting to lie but also not wanting to go broke from this NDA.

“What’s going on?” Leila asks again. “If anyone understands ‘complicated,’ it’s us.”

Shit. God, I hate lying. “I… can’t say.”

That makes them even more suspicious, and I inwardly curse at myself for signing that NDA. This is the hardest thing in my life. I don’t keep secrets from them. They know everything there is to know about me. Even what happened with Daniel.

“Are you okay?” Leila asks, her tone sounding worried. “Is there something going on?”

“Whatever it is, you can tell us,” Rosalie says.

“Who’s ass do we need to beat?” Gabi asks.

I let out a laugh, shaking my head. I love these girls so much. I can’t lie. Not to them. I sigh, and the words just come tumbling out. “It’s not real.”

“What?” they all ask, clearly confused.

“It’s fake,” I admit with a shrug. “That meeting I had with an agent last week? It was Lucas’ agent. She said people were loving the picture of us and the idea of us as a couple, and his agent suggested we continue the ruse. Pretend to date.” I look at the girls, who all seem confused, and shake my head. “She said this would be good for me, for both of us. That it would get us publicity and make my name known.”

Leila nods. “Yeah, it’ll definitely do that. Lucas is well known and loved, and with you being photographed with him… people will start to notice you, for sure.”

“So this is all fake?” Gabi asks, looking down at the picture again. “None of it is real?”

“Definitely not,” I confirm. “We’re not even kissing in this picture. He was warning me about the paparazzi, that’s it.” I glance down at the picture on her phone. It really does look like we’re kissing. “Trust me, the last thing I would want is to be in a relationship, less of all him.”

“You still don’t like him, huh?” Leila asks.

“He just knows how to get on my nerves. At first, he scared me off taking the deal, and then he chased me down, begging me to take it. I don’t like that he has the power to decide what I do.”

Leila shakes her head. “Everyone loves Lucas. I don’t understand how you don’t like him.”

“So you’ve said,” I tell her with a sigh, wishing I could just go back to sleep. “But we just don’t get along.”

“How’s that going to work?” Gabi asks. “You’re going to have to spend time with him, right?”

“I’m sure it won’t be for long. Just some public outings here and there, and then he’ll get what he needs.”

“And you?” Rosie asks. “What do you get from this?”

I shrug. “Hopefully, this will get me some recognition and help me land an audition. Nepotism is alive and thriving after all.”

She chuckles. “Don’t I know it.” Rosie’s family is very well off, so while she prefers slumming it with us, her family could get her anywhere she wants.

My phone buzzes on my nightstand, and I reach out to grab it, seeing a text from Lucas. My brows furrow when I open it.

Lucas:

Did you get Ana’s email?

What email? I quickly check, going through my emails, and there it is. The next part of this plan. I scan the details, and when Lucas’ name flashes at the top again, I let out a groan.

Lucas:

Are you ready for this?

Ready? Does he think I’m incompetent or something? Ok, sure, I might have panicked at the park. But I had never done that before. Of course, I’d be on edge.

Me:

What the hell are you doing up at this time?

Lucas:

Some of us wake up early.

I groan, burying my head in my hands.

“Is that Lucas?” Leila asks.

I lift my head and nod. “We have a photoshoot next week to announce our relationship,” I tell her.

When my phone rings, my eyes widen, and the girls all look at me. I glance at the screen, see Lucas’ name, and shake my head. “Why the hell is he calling me?”

“Answer it,” Gabi says.

I shake my head. “You guys can’t speak,” I tell them while the phone rings. “I signed an NDA. If I tell anyone, I pay a hundred thousand dollars.”

“Fuck,” Gabi says, her eyes widened. “That’s a lot of money.”

“I know.”

“Don’t worry,” Leila says. “We won’t say a word.”

Rosie pretends to zip up her lips, so I let out a sigh and answer the call, bringing it to my ear. “Why are you calling me at six am?” I ask him.

He lets out a laugh. “Let me guess, you’re not a morning person?”

“Not when you’re calling.”

“Put it on speaker,” Gabi whispers.

I pull my phone away and put it on speaker so the girls hear.

“Charmer as always,” Lucas says. The girls all listen intently. “So, are you ready?” he asks.

“For what?”

“The photoshoot,” he clarifies. “I know you’ve never done one before, and I wanted to check in on you. I would hate for you to embarrass yourself or anything.”

I press my lips, glancing at Leila to prove to her that her ‘friend’ manages to get on every one of my nerves.

“Don’t worry,” I reply. “It’s just a photoshoot. You do it. How hard can it be?”

He laughs, and the sound radiates through the room. It’s smooth and husky, and I hate it. “Very hard, princesa.” The girls widen their eyes at the term, and I look away, my cheeks feeling hot.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine.”

“We’ll see about that,” he says. “The photo shoot is at ten. Don’t be late.”

I let out a scoff. “I’m never late.”

“Are you sure?” he says. “It would be very unprofessional for the crew to have to wait for you.”

“Trust me,” I say, my eyes narrowing. “I’ll be the first one there.”

He chuckles again. “Can’t wait. I’m heading into the gym now. But if you change your mind and decide to ask for my help for the photo shoot, I’ll expect a please.”

“I don’t need your help,” I reassure him. “I have class in a few hours, and as fun as this was, I’m going to hang up and go back to sleep.”

He hums. “Night. Dream of me.” I can picture the stupid grin on his face, and I resist the urge to groan.

“That would be a nightmare,” I say into the phone before I hang up.

“Well,” Gabi says. “That was… interesting.”

“He calls you princess?” Rosie asks, smiling.

She’s so sweet it hurts. I mean, her boyfriend calls her angel. “Hate to break it to you, but he doesn’t use that in a good way.” Lucas’ term is laced with sarcasm, reminding me that he thinks I’m a princess who gets everything my way.

“Lucas was right, though,” Leila says. “Photoshoots can be hard for someone who’s never done them.”

I know that. I was just trying to get under his skin like he has mine, but the thought of asking him for help is not an option. I give Leila my sweetest smile and flutter my eyelashes at her. “Help me?”

She laughs. “Of course I will.”

I let out a breath. I’m going to show up at that photoshoot and prove to Lucas that I don’t need his help, nor will I ever beg for it.

He’s going to eat his words, and I can’t fucking wait.