Fake It Till You Fail It

Just as I was lost in thought, Charlize and Geena walked in.

I was a little confused—How did they know I was here?

The next second, Charlize placed a warm lunchbox on my desk.

“Figured you’d be too caught up studying to eat, so I brought you something.”

Meanwhile, Geena handed me a cup.

“Coffee. Your stomach’s weak, so it’s decaf.”

Their sincerity was written all over their faces. They didn’t look like they meant any harm.

Had I been overthinking things?

But if it wasn’t them… then who?

My mind was a mess, but I managed to squeeze out a smile.

“Perfect timing! I was just getting hungry. Let me wash my hands first, then I’ll dig in.”

With that, I grabbed my phone and headed to the restroom.

But instead of going into the men’s room, I stopped by the sinks and opened Clive’s Facebook blog.

Sure enough, he had a new post.

[Guys, you won’t believe it. When I shared my predicted essay topics for the SAT, someone straight-up copied my outline! The predictions might not even be right, but that’s just nasty. Anyways, I’m reworking my entire essay plan.]

Attached was a photo of a guy studying in the library.

Anyone familiar with me could tell—that was my silhouette!

Just who on Earth took that photo?!

In the comments, someone asked what Clive’s new essay plan was.

Clive replied. [I’d write it in Old English this time.]

I froze.

I hadn’t told anyone I was planning to write in Old English!

Even if it was just a coincidence, why would Clive choose a style he wasn’t even good at?

There had to be a spy around me!

Was it Charlize? Was it Geena?

Or… were they both in on it?

But why? What were they after?

Just then, someone patted me on the back.

“Denny, what are you thinking about?”

That scared the hell out of me.

It was Charlize and Geena.

Since I hadn’t returned, they’d come to check on me, worried something was wrong.

Still on edge, I brushed them off.

“Uh, you guys go ahead. I’ll eat in a bit.”

The moment the words left my mouth, Geena immediately snapped, “Denzel, we went out of our way to bring you food, and this is how you act?

“Don’t think I haven’t noticed—you’ve been acting all suspicious around us these past few days! Seriously, it’s like we’re being treated like enemies!”

Charlize quickly stepped in, “Geena just has a sharp tongue but a soft heart—don’t take it personally.

“We know you’re under a lot of pressure. We just wanted to look out for you.”

I quickly replied, “I know you guys mean well. Maybe I should just stay in my dorm for the next few days. Save you the trouble of coming back and forth.”

Geena rolled her eyes.

“Fine, do whatever you want. It’s not like I enjoy babysitting you anyway!”

With that, she dragged Charlize, and they stormed out of the library’s study room.

Finally, I let out a breath of relief.

At 10:30 PM, I returned to the dorm.

The moment I walked in, I heard my roommates talking about Clive.

I went over to take a look.

They were looking at a photo—three hands holding up drinks in a toast.

The caption read: [Love from my sisters!]

I recognized those hands instantly—Charlize’s and Geena’s.

Since when were they this close?

And why didn’t I know about it?

I pulled out my phone to check Clive’s Facebook friends.

But I Charlize’s and Geena’s comments on his new update caught my attention first.

[You will always be my number-one heartthrob!]

[Don’t worry, Clive. We’ll make sure you top the SAT!]