The first thing people notice about me is that I don't talk much. The second thing, they stop noticing me at all.
I've gotten used to that. Being invisible has its perks. No one asks why you eat lunch in the library or why you keep your phone on silent all the time. No one wonders if you're tired because of the late shifts at the gas station. They just assume you're another quiet kid with a hoodie and too many books to read.
Well that morning was supposed to be like every other: quiet, predictable, peaceful.
The halls smelled like cheap cologne and hallway cleaner. The morning announcements were over. Some were over-enthusiastic talking about a pep rally. I slipped into my first class, slid into my usual corner, and opened my notebook.
Then, of course, Mira Tan had to ruin everything.
Everyone knew who Mira was. Cheer captain, student council, the kind of girl whose laugh could turn heads down an entire hallway. Beautiful in that bright light way that made you look away because it almost hurt to stare too long. We were in the same grade, but that was about it. Her world revolved around popularity, mine revolved around silence.
Still, I'd be lying if I said I hadn't looked at her once or twice. She was really charming.
When the bell rang for lunch, I grabbed my backpack and headed to the library, my usual spot. I didn't notice the crowd gathering in the cafeteria until I heard a loud sharp slap. It cut through the buzz of conversation like a whip.
Someone muttered, "Dude, Mira just slapped Ryan."
I stopped walking.
Another voice, excited, whispered near me, "She caught him cheating. Like actually cheating with Lina."
Lina Cho. Mira's best friend.
I didn't want to care. I should've just kept walking. But the noise grew louder, everyone pulling out phones, laughing, gasping, whispering.
I must say curiosity it's a stupid thing. Before I knew it, I was standing near the cafeteria doorway, watching from the edge of the crowd.
Mira stood in the middle of the chaos, mascara smudged but eyes sharp enough to cut glass.
Ryan, the golden boy, the basketball captain, stood there looking like an idiot trying to talk his way out of it while people filmed.
"Don't," Mira snapped, her voice steady. "Don't talk to me like I'm stupid."
"Mira, it wasn't like that—"
"It was exactly like that," she said. "You kissed her. You lied. You think because everyone loves you, I'll just what? Pretend it didn't happen?" Her voice was stern cold and sent the shivers.
Ryan reached for her arm, and she slapped his hand away. The entire room froze.
Then she smiled cold, proud and terrifying. "Fine," she said, loud enough for everyone to hear. "You wanted me to look pathetic? I'll show you what pathetic looks like when he's standing next to me."
She turned and stormed off, eyes blazing with pure anger. The crowd broke into a wave of murmurs
And that was the first time I saw her really break.
I left before the gossip could swallow me whole. By the time I reached the library, I forgot about their clash. I mean I'm not some kind of rude introvert buy what would remembering the love affairs of other people possibly do in my life. I simply continued with my studies and allowed my day to go just as normal as it did.
By the next morning, it was catastrophic, everyone had seen the videos. People gossiped the event in the halls and it became the talk of the day: Mira the benevolent breaks up with Ryan the cool basketball team captain.
Ryan acted like nothing happened, laughing with his teammates. Lina didn't show up to school that day.
As for me? I just kept my head down and tried to concentrate.
Then, three days later, Mira walked into the library.
It was after last period. The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the air conditioner. I was at my usual table in the corner, working on homework, when her heels clicked against the tile floor.
She scanned the room, spotted me, and walked straight over.
I blinked. "…Hi?"
"You're Shareen, right?" she said, folding her arms.
"Yeah." I closed my notebook slowly. "You need help with something?"
She looked at me for a moment like she was calculating something in her head. "Yeah. You."
I raised an eyebrow. "Me? How?"
"Yes." She exhaled. "I need you to be my boyfriend."
I stared. "I'm sorry...what?"
"It's fake," she said quickly, like ripping off a band aid. "Just for a month. You don't have to actually like me or anything."
"That's… good," I said dryly. "Because I'm pretty sure this is the weirdest thing anyone's said to me all week."
She didn't smile. Her voice trembled slightly. "Ryan thinks he can embarrass me and just move on like nothing happened. I want him to see me happy. I want him to see me with someone he'd never expect. He didn't even come for a proper apology. You have to do this."
"So your plan," I said slowly, "is to make your ex jealous using… me."
"Exactly."
I laughed once, quietly. "Mira, I don't know what makes you think I'd—"
"I'll pay you," she said.
That made me stop. "You'll what?"
"Pay you. I know you work nights. I asked around." Her eyes softened just a little. "You could use the money, right?"
That hit deeper than it should have. I hated that she was right.
Still, I shook my head. "You don't know me. I'm not whatever you think I am."
"I know you're quiet," she said. "You don't care what people think. That's exactly why I need you. I'll pay you a hundred bucks each day for the act."
Her tone wasn't desperate, but it wasn't cold either. It was honest. And that was rare.
"I'm not some prop for your revenge," I said trying to talk out from the money.
"I'm not asking you to be," she replied. "I just… need someone real to stand next to me."
She looked down. "Forget it. I shouldn't have asked."
She turned to walk away.
Something about the way her shoulders dropped stopped me. I knew that feeling the weight of pretending you were fine when you weren't. The exhaustion of holding your head high just to prove you could.
"Wait," I said.
She froze, then slowly turned back to me.
I sighed. "I'll do it. But not for the money."
Her eyes widened. "Then why?"
I looked at her for a long moment. "Because I saw what he said to you. And someone needs to shut him up."
For the first time since she walked in, she smiled small, genuine, a flash of warmth beneath all that pain.
"Deal," she whispered.
The next morning, the whole school found out. Mira Tan and Shareen Hayes: dating.
It spread faster than wildfire. Whispers, stares, disbelief. I could feel the eyes on me as I walked through the halls. People moved out of the way like I was radioactive.
Mira met me by the lockers, perfectly composed, her hair tied up, a soft pink gloss on her lips. "Ready?" she asked.
"Ready for what?"
She grinned faintly. "The show."
Before I could respond, she slipped her hand into mine and then she gracefully walked her way out into the corridors of the class.
She leaned closer and whispered, "Don't look so terrified. You're supposed to be my perfect boyfriend."
I swallowed hard. "I've not done before. We're we really going to start today?"
"Come on. Don't be shy. You are holding hands with the most prestigious and beautiful lady in this school. Don't act nervous or you will ruin it."
"Okay. I'll try." I muttered knowing fully well that I would mess things up.
As we walked through the hallway together, I could almost hear Ryan's silence somewhere behind us. I hear his murmurs and a wave flushed around me: Fear.
I could feel his eyes burning through my fabric. He was burning in rage and the last thing I wanted was to be an enemy to Ryan.
That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling. My phone buzzed.
Mira: Thanks for today. You did good.
I typed, You owe me for emotional damage, then deleted it. I tried to think of a better answer.
Instead, I just wrote, No problem.
She replied with a single heart emoji.
I told myself it didn't mean anything.