Influenced a romantic co.., p.12
Influenced: A Romantic Comedy, page 12
“What?”
She shrugs with one shoulder. “Beg.”
Beau snorts as he watches from the doorway, and I know I have no choice. I swallow every ounce of pride I have and get down on my knees in front of her. Clasping my hands together, I clear my throat.
“Kaia Blakely, I’m asking, no begging, for your help. I’m truly sorry for every mean or vindictive thing I’ve said and done to you. I promise if you do this, I will be forever grateful. Please, help me. I need you.”
Her smirk turns into a smile as she holds back a laugh. “Touching, but still no.”
“Fucking seriously?” I drop the nice guy act. “Come on! You owe me.”
She freezes halfway up the stairs and turns to glare at me. “I owe you? I fucking owe you?”
Uh-oh. Wrong choice of words.
“Since I got here you’ve done nothing but tried to make me miserable! You told the waitress I’m underage, you told the paparazzi I’m a diva, you leaked a private phone call to the internet—”
“That one wasn’t me.”
“—and you put my phone number on a lesbian dating site! And that’s not even counting all your rude and uncalled-for commentary. So, no, Declan. I won’t help you. You made your bed. Lie in it.”
14
KAIA
Anyone who thinks women are moodier than men obviously hasn’t met Declan Royce. The guy is the king of hot and cold. One minute he’s defending my honor, and the next, he’s screaming at me like he has some sort of right to. Like I ruined his life.
Sorry you’ve made some shitty choices, dude, but don’t pin that shit on me just because it didn’t go the way you thought it would.
I’m standing in front of the mirror, brushing my hair back into a ponytail, when there’s a quiet knock on my door and Beau pokes his head in.
“Hey, got a minute?”
If this is about what I think it is, no. But I can’t say that to him.
“Sure.”
I take a seat on my bed, and he leans against the wall. “I know you don’t want to help Declan, and that’s entirely your choice. If you choose to stick with that, I won’t hold it against you. He’s done some pretty shady shit.”
I scoff. “You think?”
He holds one finger up. “But, if you could put that behind you for a little bit, it would mean a lot to me. Dex has his moments, but he’s actually a pretty good guy.”
Grabbing a pillow, I place it on my lap and hug it close to me. “I’ve heard the stories about him. All the women and threesomes he had when he came here. He could find anyone to play pretend girlfriend for him. Why me?”
Beau looks down at the floor and chuckles for a moment. “If you tell anyone this, I’ll never trust you again.”
“Okay…”
“It wasn’t my idea to ban Declan from being what Havoc likes to call a constant sex god,” he confesses.
Huh? “It wasn’t?”
“No,” he shakes his head. “It was Declan’s. He was only doing it because he thought that’s what he needed to do to fit in. When he got a little lost in it, he came to me for help.”
“Why would he think he needed to have a ton of threesomes to fit in?”
Shrugging, he smiles. “Because Oakley wasn’t here yet to tell him Havoc and Mayhem are fucking idiots and not to listen to them? Your guess is as good as mine, honestly. I’m just telling you because he’s not entirely the guy you think he is. And if you two hadn’t gotten off on the wrong foot, I think you’d see that.”
“Yeah, but I tried,” I tell him. “I was nice, but from the second I walked through the door, he wanted me out, and he made sure I knew it.”
“I know. And like I said, if you stick to that, there isn’t a single person in here that will hold it against you. Probably not even Declan himself.” He walks over toward my door, getting ready to leave. “I’m just asking that you reconsider.”
Leaving me with that, he shuts the door behind him. I put the pillow up to my face and scream into it. It’s not the best outlet in the world, but it helps to get a little of the frustration out.
On the one hand, Declan did this. Everything that is going wrong for him right now, he caused. Well, with the exception of people thinking I left Harrison for him, but even that wouldn’t be happening if he had just left me alone. He’s the one that put the spotlight on us when he decided to instigate shit at the party. Not me. I was just minding my business.
But on the other hand, I think about Rhys, and Havoc, and Oakley. Oakley. If her best friend ends up having to leave because he simply became irrelevant, she’s never going to forgive me. Not if she knows I could have done something about it.
Ugh, why is this so hard?
As if she can sense my internal dilemma—like some sort of best friend telepathy—my phone rings beside me, and a picture of Jules lights up on the screen.
“You have impeccable timing,” I tell her as I answer it.
She snickers. “I was just calling to tell you I got to the dorms safely. I’m in the process of unpacking now, and let me just tell you, this room is way too big without you and all your shit.”
“They’re going to send you another roommate.”
“Like hell they are! I could barely stand living with you, and you’re my best friend. I cannot handle some new chick invading my personal space.”
Laughing, I turn myself so I’m lying on my bed. “Okay, no roommate for you.”
“Thank you.” She exhales. “So, tell me. What’s wrong?”
Where do I begin? “Well, Declan is still being canceled.”
“I’ve noticed that. Poor kid.”
“Poor kid?” I scoff. “He did this to himself.”
“No, I know,” she assures me. “And I’m not saying it was right. I’m just saying people on the internet can get brutal when they cancel people. The comments are hard to handle. Some people are even going as far as telling him to kill himself because he’s irrelevant now and useless.”
Ouch. That’s fucking cruel. I mean, I think he deserves to suffer a little. A punishment for the shit he’s put me through. But I wouldn’t ever take it that far. He’s still a human being. He still has feelings—or at least that’s what people tell me. I’m yet to see any.
“He basically asked me to fake a relationship with him,” I blurt out.
She must have been drinking because she sputters, coughing everything up. “A warning next time! My God!”
“Sorry, sorry.”
“That sounds risky,” she says after she catches her breath. “He must be really desperate. What did Beau say?”
“It was Beau’s idea,” I admit. “I don’t think I’m going to do it. After everything he’s done, he doesn’t deserve my help. And he had the audacity to say I owe him—as if defending me to Harrison erases everything he did.”
“Twice,” she corrects me. “He defended you to Harrison twice. Well, three times if you count what he said to him in the theater room when he caught Harrison cheating.”
Hearing this new information, I sit up. “What are you talking about?”
“Remember when I went downstairs to get you some water, and it took me a while to come back?”
“Yeah. You had me get in the shower and said it would make me feel better.”
“Well…” She pauses. “Harrison was outside, all drunk and belligerent. And when he insisted on seeing you, Declan went outside and made him leave. Told Harrison that he would have to kill him to get to you. Harrison tried to hit him, but he was so drunk that he missed and fell.”
When I saw Jules calling, I was almost relieved. I expected her to tell me what a douchebag he is and that I’m completely justified in telling him to eat shit as he watches his fan base dwindle to nothing. This, however, is not that.
“Why is this the first I’m hearing about this?” I question.
She hums. “Because we agreed not to tell you? What good would it have done? He already ripped your heart out and squished it all over the patio. He didn’t deserve another ounce of your attention.”
“So, he was right, then.” I grumble. “I do owe him.”
“I wouldn’t necessarily say that. He’s been a total ass. But do I think it’s a bad idea? Not exactly. It’s risky, yes, but with Beau keeping an eye on it, it should be okay. It will keep the spotlight on you too, you know. Hell, it’ll probably make your job easier.”
I snort. “Trust me. Pretending to date Declan will be anything but easy.”
“Okay, fair point,” she agrees. “But you’re going to do it anyway because you’re a good person. And while you have every reason to be spiteful, it’s not who you are.”
“I fucking hate when you do that.”
“When I do what?”
“When you show how well you know me. It’s like you’re obsessed with me or something.”
She laughs loudly. “You hate it, but you love it.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I roll my eyes playfully. “Love you, bye.”
“Later, loser.”
I stay on my bed for a minute, just staring up at the ceiling. Jules is right. I’m going to do it because that’s who I am. But that doesn’t mean I’m not petty enough to let him sweat for a little bit.
OKAY, SO MAYBE I fell asleep. Oops. I wake up two hours later to the sound of Lux calling me down for dinner. Honestly, I didn’t intend to make Declan sweat for that long, but am I even a little bit sorry about it? No. Not really.
“Kaia!” Lux shouts again.
I get up from my bed and open my door. “Coming!”
“Ooh, can I watch?” Havoc calls back, which is quickly followed by, “Ow!”
“Stop being so crude,” Lux reprimands him.
“It’s who I am, baby.”
As I finish fixing my hair, I walk out the door and just happen to catch Declan as he reaches the bottom of the stairs. Judging by the way he’s moving, it’s safe to assume he’s in the same fuck it all mood he was earlier.
“Declan,” I say from the top of the stairs.
He stops and turns toward me, defeat written all over his face. “What’s up?”
I jog down the stairs until I’m standing on the second step from the bottom, making me eye level with him. “About Beau’s idea—”
“It’s fine. I totally get why you said no. Don’t worry about it.”
“I’ll do it,” I tell him.
“I’ll figure something—” He pauses, and his eyes widen as he realizes what I just said. “Seriously? You’ll do it?”
The moment I start to nod, he wraps his arms around my waist and lifts me up, spinning us around. I try to ignore the way his hands feel on my bare skin, between where my crop top ends and my pants begin. Instead, I focus solely on the million thank fucks he murmurs—to me or to the universe, I’m not sure.
He puts me down and grabs my wrist as he drags me into the kitchen. I don’t know if it’s the excitement, or just downright stupidity, but I can almost guarantee he doesn’t think his next move through. His eyes meet Beau’s, and he holds up my hand.
“She said yes!” he shouts, and every single person in the room stops what they’re doing.
“Boy, if you don’t clarify what you’re talking about in the next five seconds, I will not apologize for what I do next,” Lux tells him.
I pull my wrist out of his hold. “Declan!”
“Shit, sorry,” he cringes. “She said yes to helping me save my account from the dark depths of Canceltown.”
Nate, the dramatic queen he is, collapses onto the ground as he finally starts to breathe again. “Praise Taylor Swift. I thought they both lost their minds and were running away to Vegas to get hitched by the weird dude in a white suit with too much hairspray.”
“You mean Elvis?” Maisee asks.
He breaks character for a moment to stare blankly at her. “Honey, I’m sorry. Forget what your mama told you. That ain’t Elvis.”
“They’re Elvis impersonators,” Lux explains.
He sits up and tilts his head to the side, like the concept never actually crossed his mind. “I can’t wait for the day when people start to impersonate me.”
I bite my lip to hide my smile as Havoc opens his big mouth. “Why would someone want to impersonate you?”
Nate stands up and clutches his metaphorical pearls. “Excuse you, Conrad Prescott, whichever you are. You watch your mouth, sir, because I am amazing.”
Lux watches him like he’s the most amusing thing in the world. “I wish I had your confidence.”
“Same,” Maisee and I agree in unison.
Rhys looks around at the bunch and shakes his head. “My God, you guys get sidetracked easier than ADHD children with shiny objects. Can we get back on topic please? I’d like to know how Declan plans on using Kaia as a lifeline.”
Declan shrugs as if it’s obvious. “We’re going to film together and let people think we’re dating. A fake relationship of sorts.”
And they all go quiet again until Maisee starts to laugh, getting Lux to break with her. “It took eighteen attempts just to get one video where you two didn’t look like you wanted to set each other on fire. You’re making that a regular thing, and you think people are going to believe it?”
“They believed it in the last one,” he counters. “Look at the comments. Most of them are fully convinced we’re already dating.”
Oakley looks concerned. “You know they’ll annihilate you both if they find out the truth, right? They’re not the biggest fans of clout farming and PR stunts.”
“So, we make sure no one finds out,” Beau says confidently. “What it comes down to is Declan needs this. And if Kaia is willing to help him, then let her. We’ve all learned a few things over the last couple years. We can do this.”
Everyone other than Beau and Declan seem unsure, which isn’t very reassuring, but I can’t exactly go back on my word now. I trust Jules when she says it should be fine as long as Beau is overseeing everything. After all, he didn’t get where he is by being clueless. The man is a genius when it comes to the life of an influencer.
It’s awkwardly quiet, with everyone just looking at each other, but it’s broken with a verbal sledgehammer when Nate smiles.
“Rhys, baby,” he coos. “We should fake date for the views.”
“Absolutely not.”
Nate sticks out his bottom lip as he pouts. “Why not? I’ve got a pink sparkly dildo that would make the perfect prop.”
At the mere mention of a dildo, Rhys finches and hides behind Havoc. “Someone stop him. Jesus Christ.”
“Nate,” Beau says through a laugh.
Nate gives him his most angelic grin. “Okay, okay. I’m sorry. He’s just too easy.”
Lux and I share a look, because what everyone else doesn’t know is Nate isn’t just messing around. He has what he calls a Sisyphean Straight Boy Crush on Rhys. He knows nothing will ever become of it and that Rhys has absolutely zero interest in guys, but that doesn’t make Nate want him any less.
It’s adorably heartbreaking, to be honest.
“All right,” Beau says with finality. “Well, if you guys are sure about this, we’ll get started tonight. Oakley, switch seats with Kaia.”
We do as he says, and I take the chair next to Declan. It feels weird, being on this side of the table, but it’s not uncomfortable. With a deep breath in, I let it out slow and nod once at Beau.
“Lux?”
“On it,” she answers.
Lifting her phone, she takes a candid picture that neither of us posed for. She messes with it for a moment and posts it on Instagram. It only takes a second for our phones to notify us with the tag.
It’s a picture of not just Declan and me, but Havoc and Rhys, too. She captioned it with Dinner Vibes and added a filter to make it look a little washed out and trendy.
“What will this do?” I question, a little confused.
Beau takes a sip of his beer. “Fans are like little FBI detectives. They’re going to compare this picture to other ones that Lux has taken while we’re eating dinner. Once they find one to compare it to, they’ll notice that you and Oakley switched seats so you could sit next to Declan.”
“And they’ll continue to creative the narrative themselves,” I finish for him.
“See?” he says proudly. “You’re not as lost as you think.”
I go to look back at the photo once more and see how it already has two thousand likes and over three hundred comments. Every time I refresh it, it grows exponentially, and that’s when I push my ever-growing anxiety into a tiny box in my mind.
There’s no turning back now.
IT SPREADS LIKE WILDFIRE. That’s the only way I can even begin to explain it. Just like Beau said, it only took about twenty minutes for someone to point out the seat swap between Oakley and me. From there, they clung to little things we didn’t even notice, like how our elbows were touching on the table—as if we did it intentionally. It’s literally the most generic picture, with nothing going on in it except us sitting next to each other, but they’ve managed to turn it into this growing love story.
They almost have me convinced it’s the start of something beautiful.
Declan and I start filming videos together more regularly, and Beau arranges for us to get caught in the background of someone else’s. For example, I sit next to Dex on the edge of the halfpipe while Oakley films Rhys doing a couple tricks. We’re only in the frame for a couple seconds at most, but before we know it, there are freeze-framed images of us all over the internet.
It blows up even more when Chrissy Jordans makes a gossip video about it. She’s green screened in front of screenshot of a picture Maisee took this morning. It’s meant to be of the sunset, but you can just barely see Declan and I sitting with our feet in the pool. His hand is lightly resting on my lower back. And the minute people started to notice, she did exactly as Beau said and deleted it—making it look like we have something to hide.
The rumors fly from all directions. Some people manage to see right through it, insisting that we’re clout farming and there’s no way we have a thing for each other. But others stalk all our pages, waiting impatiently for any little scrap we’re willing to drop for them. They take their receipts and they come up with their theories, and we deny nothing.
