Keeley shrunk back, wishing more than anything that she hadn’t come to school today. She didn’t know how to answer. Was this a rhetorical question?

She absolutely planned to run away from him but didn’t want to know what he would do to her if she admitted it.

The moment she opened her mouth to make something up, his phone rang.

“What?” Aaron barked into the speaker, still looming over her. “I got held up at school. I’ll be there soon enough. You’re paying him, aren’t you? You can afford for him to wait for me. Bye.”

He snapped the phone shut viciously and a frightening expression crossed his face. “I’m late. Be prepared to compensate me tomorrow.”

She nodded, grateful to be temporarily spared, but dreading what kind of compensation he had in mind.

Weak-kneed, she slumped against the locker after he stormed off with her heart racing. How had she attracted his monster’s attention? Why wouldn’t he let her go?

Unfortunately, Keeley was too dazed by the encounter to notice that someone had seen the entire thing.

Rachel von Dyne, a particular friend of Lacy’s, knew how badly she wanted Aaron. She might loan Rachel her brand new limited edition Prada bag in exchange for this scoop.

‘Just saw something you might be interested in regarding your future boyfriend’ she texted.

Lacy responded right away. ‘Name your price’

‘I get to use your limited edition Prada bag for a month’

‘Make it a week’

Rachel smiled. It was better to start high with Lacy—she liked to haggle. A week was good enough since she would go shopping downtown during that time and wanted everyone to envy her.

‘Deal. It’s kind of long to text it all out so I’ll tell you tomorrow at lunch’

‘Just call me. You’ll forget the details by then’

She dialed Lacy’s number and launched into a detailed explanation of everything she just saw, unaware that her friend’s expression grew more and more twisted as the conversation went on. Lacy was out for blood.

===

Keeley tossed and turned all night worrying about what Aaron wanted from her so she appeared in front of him boasting a pair of panda eyes.

“You look terrible.”

She scowled at him. “Thanks.”

He ignored her sarcasm. “I enjoyed the brownies.”

Did that mean he would let her off the hook for making him late? Babbling random nonsense might distract him enough that he would forget punishing her.

“Ah, those were nothing. If I had more time and ingredients I could have made marshmallow brownies. Have you ever had those? You melt a bunch of mini marshmallows on the top the last few minutes the brownies bake and then put chocolate frosting over top the marshmallow layer. My grandma used to make them and they were fantastic.”

“Which one?”

“Huh?” Keeley asked. She didn’t think it would actually work.

“Was it your maternal or paternal grandmother?”

“She was my dad’s mom. She passed away from Alzheimer’s when I was in middle school but before she couldn’t remember us and had to live in a nursing home she baked all the time.”

Aaron digested this information. “I want to try them later.”

This derailed her. “You what?”

“Maybe next month since I just had some,” he mused. “It can be part of your compensation.”

She should have known she wouldn’t get off so easily. Distraction failed. All it did was give him ideas. It would be easy enough to bake again—maybe he was showing mercy.

Although… “Hang on, you said part?”

His eyes glinted. “My time is very valuable you know. Your father isn’t the only one capable of lecturing. I got in trouble because you held me up. To make it up to me, you need to eat lunch with me for a month.”

How on earth was that fair?! They both got in trouble with their parents over this whole incident! Shouldn’t they be even already?

“I refuse.”

“Either you do that or I tell everyone you’re my girlfriend.”

Keeley stopped breathing. That was so much worse than spending time with him! Lacy might jump straight to murder.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

“I would. So which is it?”

“I don’t want to sit in the cafeteria,” she said stubbornly.

Both were terrible options but she could potentially have a little more control over the lunch situation.

“That’s fine. All you have to do is eat with me and do what I say within reason,” Aaron replied smoothly.

Do whatever he says! No way. He was blowing this entire thing out of proportion.

“Don’t test me, Aaron. I’ll eat lunch with you but I won’t do anything else,” she said through gritted teeth.

How had things ended up this way? She couldn’t deal with the repercussions that would come with him telling people they were dating when they actually weren’t but wouldn’t eating together have the same general effect?

Rumors would fly like crazy. Lacy would think there was something between them whichever option she picked.

“Fine. Option two it is then.”

“No wait! Just…define ‘within reason’ for me,” Keeley pleaded.

She needed more information to decide between the lesser of two evils.

Aaron went silent and she fumed. Of all the ridiculous people in the world, why had she gotten stuck with this one? He was so childish! He hadn’t been like this before!

It made absolutely no sense that he was this desperate to spend time with her. The only explanation she could think of was that he was doing it specifically because he knew she was uncomfortable around him and wanted to make her suffer.

When the bell rang, he took her by the hand and dragged her to the cafeteria.

“You said we wouldn’t eat here!” she hissed, pulling away.

He looked at her like she was an idiot. “I still need food. Don’t move—I’ll be right back.”

Keeley pulled her hood over her head and faced the wall, desperately trying to disappear.

She couldn’t be seen by any of the students entering the cafeteria or she would be in deep trouble. Well, deeper trouble. Things were already pretty bad.