freshloveee

[freshloveee]

Rumor has it…

pairing: hopkins!p x OC

synopsis: Iris simply hated homecoming. that’s how it started. a ceremonial dance no one would remember a year from now. but unfortunately only iris felt that way, so when the whole school is buzzing with wonder on who she’ll take. she does the only logical thing : she lies.

OR

when paige bueckers ends up fake dating iris for mutually beneficial reasons, of course, until lines get blurred and they start to live inside of a jenny han novel and not minesota.

A/N: welcome to my , to all the girls i’ve loved before meets ten things i hate about you alternate universe which is actually just an excuse to use the fake dating trope in the setting of 2019.

Will be published in three parts:

The beginning | the middle | the end

The beginning.

Iris Walker didn't hate homecoming. 

She hated the way everyone treated homecoming. Like the biggest milestone in a teenager's life, everything comes down to the one pivotal moment of what color dress you wear.  

It was dumb. The whole thing was a popularity contest built for people who were going to peak in high school.

Unfortunately, Iris seemed to be the only sane person in the entirety of Hopkins High who felt this way. 

She tugged on the sleeve of her sweater as she made her way through the hallways on Monday morning. Homecoming posters littered the halls, big sparkly letters mocking Iris as she passed by. Honestly, Iris thought, homecoming was still two months away, yet the school was decorating for it like Hobby Lobby putting Christmas decor out before Halloween. 

She sighed in resignation when she finally made it to her locker, turning the code easily. She was gonna suffocate herself with a homecoming streamer soon. Her impromptu personal end was cut short, however, when loud voices suddenly filled the hallway, and Iris didn't have to turn her head to know who the cause of the commotion was.

Paige Bueckers.

Hopkins High’s golden girl, standing at 6 feet tall, starting point guard and a promising UConn commit. Basically, the school's very own Olympic torch ; bright, loud, and trailed by everyone who wanted to get near the flame.

“Hey, Bueckers!” someone yelled. “You taking a three-pointer to homecoming or what?”

Iris rolled her eyes so hard she saw the inside of her skull. High school cliches will be her inevitable end.

Paige’s laugh echoed down the hallway, low and easy, like nothing could touch her. She dapped up a teammate, slung her bag over one shoulder, and somehow made a hoodie and sweats look like a fashion statement. Like she just rolled out of bed and wandered into a Gatorade commercial on her way here.

Paige stopped at the locker beside Iris, because, of course, she had the lovely privilege of being locker neighbors with superstar over here (note the painful sarcasm).

“Good morning Iris, you scare any freshmen on your way in?”

Paige's bright voice hit Iris’ ears as she opened up her own locker, a few crumpled papers falling out as the door opened. 

“No, but its only eight am. Feelin a little on the tired side this morning,” iris quipped back. 

Paige kept her easy smile, “what no sacrificial rituals to give you energy today?”

“Nope, just coffee and pessimistic realism.” Iris flashed her a fake smile before turning on her heel toward the other end of the hallway.

“Dont know what i’d do without our cheerful morning chats!” paige called out from behind her as she walked. Iris rolled her eyes for the second time that morning, making her way to economics with a stone cold galre.

It wasnt that iris was a negative person, truly she wasnt. She just resented suburbian dreams and highschool cliches. And hopkins? This place was a death trap full of them. Iris grew up a little…different then everyone else. She didnt have the same interests, she didnt fit in to any of the stereotypical boxes youre offered when you start highschool. She wasnt athletic, she was smart but not a National Honors studnet, she wasnt a huge fan of parties but mainly because she thought it was strange that they all hated each other in school but magically liked each other if someone had a designated place to drink. 

Iris was just, different. She tried to fit in, originally. When she first started highschool she joined clubs, branched out, tried on different personalities. But none of them fit, and after relentless rejection from different circles iris decided she would be the absolute opposite of whatever everyone esle was. 

If she wasnt gonna fit in, she was gonna be the best at not fitting.

And she was. 

Iris dropped down into her seat in AP econ, her bag landing on the floor with a soft thud. Beside her, her best friend jumped awake, head lifting off her desk in a fright. 

Tara Lee. 

Tara and Iris had been best friends ever since fourth grade when Tara walked up to her at recess and declared they would be best friends because she had overheard Iris tell one of the boys that they'd never be as smart as the girls because it would take them longer for their brains to fully develop. 

Tara groaned softly, moving to rest her chin in her hand, “This class is dumb. I don't need to learn about interest rates, and definitely not at eight in the morning.” 

Iris scoffed lightly beside her, pulling her books out of her bag, “Yeah okay, don't ask me questions when you need to pay student loans, or understand the government.” 

Tara rolled her eyes, “I hate when you do that. Feed me logical answers instead of letting me brood in delusion or misery.” 

Iris smiled giving her a sideways glance. Tara glared before her eyes flitted to the side, noticing a homecoming poster. Her smile grew vengeful as she glanced back at Iris.

“So…gotta homecoming date yet?” 

Iris didn’t even bother looking up. “Nope. And before you even say it, I’m not going. I’ll be at home, eating Pad Thai and watching greys like a well adjusted teen.”

Tara raised an eyebrow, “Come on, you're really gonna skip your senior homecoming.”

“You say that like it's supposed to mean something.”

“It does mean something.” Tara deadpanned, “To literally anyone but you.”

Iris shrugged noncommittally. They’d had this conversation a million times, and it always ended the same way. Tara wanted to go, and Iris didn't. It seemed to be the one thing Iris and Tara could not agree on. Tara had always been more cliche crazy than Iris, even when they were little.

But now, as they finished up their last year in high school, Tara's sentimental side had come out tenfold. Tara kept dragging her to everything: football games, school assemblies, paint your parking spot day, senior ring ceremonies.

At this point, Iris had school spirit coming out of her ass, and her social battery was dead. And it was only November. If she had to fake another high school memory, she was pulling a Dumbledore off the Astronomy Tower. End scene.

“Come on Iris, I’m not the only one who wants you to go. Half the graduating class is waiting to see who you go with.” 

Iris blanched, pulling a face, “Why does anyone care who im going with to homecoming- not that im going.” She finished, noticing the flash in Taras' eyes.

“Because you're gay,” She said simply. 

Iris glared. 

“What?” She said, throwing her hands up in defense, “There's like what…five gay people at Hopkins. The gossip girls like to invest in you guys. Like mini Love Island.” 

“That’s a human rights violation.” 

“That's high school.” 

Iris rolled her eyes, flipping through her notebook on the desk, “This is what happens when Netflix ups the price for the monthly subscription. Teenagers start manufacturing their own drama.”

Tara snorted, “Maybe if they all journaled their private thoughts like old Victorian children, we’d finally have world peace.”

Iris smiled to herself, giving her head a small shake.The air in the room shifted, causing iris to glance up. The girls basketball team had arrived, or more importantly, paige had arrived. She walked in with two other players, but iris only focused on her. Paiges long blonde hair was down and straightened, falling almost to her elbows. Paige had soft features, and she had a warm, kind smile. Her eyes were vibrant blue, almost the color of the Caribbean. Paige was just one of those people. The kind everyone wants to be around, everyone wants to know. It wasn't romantic either. Tara was right, there are barely any gay people here.

No, people orbited around Paige because she was just magnetic. Iris could never really put a finger on it exactly, but she’s always been that way. It didn't matter if she was on the court or off; she was a star. Like literally, a star, her hair was fucking golden for crying out loud.

So maybe it was paiges impromptu entrance, or maybe it was the pressure of everyone in school supposedly watching her, or maybe it was the fact that iris often became easily distracted by the spot where paige's neck disappeared into her shirt. But when Tara nudged her under the table and smiled, “Maybe you should take Paige to homecoming”, Iris didn't automatically shut the idea down. Instead, she scoffed, her cheeks getting a rare flash of color from being caught staring, at a jock no less. 

And that right there, friends, is exactly how the rumor mill starts. 

Because unbeknownst to Iris and Tara, Sophie Grahm was sitting in front of them eavesdropping contently, pretending to write in her notebook. And the only thing Sophie could do that involved writing was write a text to her friend group with Hopkins High School's biggest gossip since trent mcworthy got his tongue stuck to the flag pole.

Paige Bueckers and Iris Walker were going to homecoming. Together. 

At the front of the class, Paige sat oblivious to the mayhem unfolding behind her like the ticking of a time bomb. Instead, Paige was thinking about her ex, because what else was she supposed to think about when the school was littered with posters of hearts, and homecoming proposals exploding around every corner.

Paige personally thought the proposals were a little extra, but hey, what did she know? She found straight people weird in many ways besides elaborate displays of affection over a dance that wasn't even prom.

The point was, Paige was busy thinking about her ex-girlfriend, Sloan. They had broken up all of four days ago, and already she had posted an Instagram photo of her with some new guy. Paige was bitter, four days? Really? It's not like she expected Sloan to retire to a convent, but damn, give a girl a grieving period. 

Paige fiddled with her phone in her hand as she pulled up Sloans Instagram, for the third time this morning, only to come to the conclusion that the photo was still there and would probably remain there. Paige dropped her phone on the desk in front of her letting out a sigh. Amari threw her a sideways glance.

“What's got you so bent outta shape P? You been dodgy all morning.” She mumbled. 

Paige straightened up in her chair some, “have not” She muttered. 

And ok, It wasn't that she didn't want Amari to know she was in the midst of a who can move on quicker challenge with her ex-girlfriend. It was that she didn't want Amari to know she was losing. Paige did not lose, it wasn't in her nature. Whether it was sports or who could finish folding their laundry the quickest against her little brother, she always won. 

But more than that. She was embarrassed. Embarrassed that a girl she cared a lot for had moved on in the blink of an eye. Paige didn't think she loved Sloan, but she thinks maybe she could have, you know, someday. 

Paige was saved the hassle of being questioned by Amari when Conner showed up, dropping into the desk beside them. Connor was…to put it lightly, a moron. 

He played basketball on the guys' team, so he knew Paige and Amari by association. Paige however, was not his biggest fan. He spoke without thinking too often for her to handle, which was saying a lot seeing as she rarely thought before she spoke or acted. 

He huffed, dropping his bag down, turning to them, “Dude, its fucking freezing out side.” He muttered, a shocked look on his face. 

Amari gave him a deadpan, “It's November, in Minnesota. What’d you expect, UV 10?” 

Paige snorted a laugh, catching the sight of Conner's unamused expression out the corner of her eye before her focus shifted elsewhere. 

Iris Walker.

Iris had walked to the front of the class to throw away her coffee cup, and her curly hair was down and slightly unruly. She had an off-white sweater on, the fabric swallowing her whole, but the color against her tan skin made her look like she was glowing. Paige watched as Iris walked back to her desk, not sparing her a second glance. 

Paige and Iris had been locker neighbors for the entirety of their high school career, and for four years Paige had used that closeness as a way to bother her. Paige wasn't sure exactly when it happened, but it very quickly became the favorite part of her day. She was absolutely positive iris would say the opposite, which only made her like it more. Paige liked buggin her, asking her stupid questions in the mornings, picking on her about her style or her relentless wit. Every time she did, Iris made this cute little scowl, her eyebrows pinching together slightly as her eyes flashed with something.

It was entertaining, to say the least.

“Bueckers”, Paige zoned back in as she felt Conner kick her from under his desk. She turned, giving him a look mixed between irritation and boredom. Irritation because she was enjoying thinking about Iris’ face when she was pissed, and boredom because whatever came out of conners mouth could put a room of children to sleep. 

“Why are you staring at Iris Walker?” 

Paige didn't like the way he said her name like it was beneath him. She bristled slightly, giving him a hard look, “Why do you care?”

“'Cause she's..weird. I mean, come on, she’s always talking about some complicated world view or book, I mean- she doesn't even like sports.” He talked about her like she was interchangeable, replaceable, ordinary. Paige didn't like it.

“Just cause she speaks at a speed your 'thirteen ACT score' level brain can't understand doesn't make her weird.” Paige deadpanned, promptly shutting him up. He grumbled, leaning back in his chair, muttering something about making a fourteen under his breath.

Paige had always been that way about Iris, and he should know it. Paige was like that about everyone, she didn't partake in shit talking her classmates, or singling out people who didn't exactly fit in. Paige remembered all too well what it felt like to be playing varsity basketball as an eighth grader and not feeling like she fit at all. 

So if she had something to say about it, no one get's gossiped about around her. But especially, not iris. And he knew that.

It's like she said, they had been locker neighbors for four years. So what if she felt the smallest bit protective over the smarter girl? Not that she needed it, Iris Walker could one hundred percent hold her own. But behind Iris’s back, when she wasn't there to defend herself, Paige always shut it down for her. 

Because that’s just the kind of person she was.  

~~~~~

By lunchtime, the rumor had turned into full-blown factual proof with photo evidence. Except there was no photo evidence, and it was just a picture of Paige and Iris bickering at the lockers that morning over making freshmen cry.

But for high schoolers? Yeah that was really all it took.

Iris should have seen it coming, should have known this entire thing would start the second Tara brought up such a taboo topic in a public setting. The only problem was iris did not see it coming because not only did she not pay attention to gossip, she also didn't pay attention to social media. Which of course, where all this had originally been born since no one spread rumors through a game of telephone anymore.

So no, iris did not see it coming. As she sat at a corner table in the cafeteria with Tara beside her in a heavy one-sided debate about which member of One Direction was the one who had purchased the Scooby Doo van (One sided because Iris very well knew this answer, tara was just being stubborn). 

“Im telling you, Niall Horan is definitely the one who bought it. Look at that kid and tell me he doesn't look like he'd pull something like that.”

“It wasn't Niall”, Iris had repeated for the third time now, “you'd Google it if you were so sure of yourself, but you're not. You know Im right, it was Zayn and Louis.” 

Tara didn't get a chance to argue because a purse landed harshly on the table, followed by long legs and a cheerleading skirt. Sloan, captain of the cheer team and one of the 'very few five gays’ Tara mentioned earlier. 

Note: also, a raging bitch. 

“Iris, just the girl I was looking for.” Her voice was overly cheerful in a way that nails on a chalkboard was an ear-fracturing sound.

Iris sent a sideways glance to Tara, who shrugged helplessly. If Tara 'eats gossip for breakfast' Lee didn't know what this was about, then Iris definitely had no clue what this was about. 

“I heard from a very reputable source that you are taking Paige to homecoming.”

Iris blinked. Then blinked again. Because what?

“Was your ‘very reputable source’ the lunatic homeless man outside the cafeterias trashcans?” Iris asked incredulously, raising one eyebrow. 

What on earth was she even talking about? Iris was not going to homecoming, for the last fuc-

“No my source is the entire student body. You know for someone with such a high IQ you'd think you’d be aware of when you're the center of attention.” Sloan's voice was snotty enough that Tara raised out of her seat just a bit, before Iris yanked her down by her shirt. Tara huffed, but Iris ignored her, Tara couldn't fight a children's birthday clown, let alone Sloan. 

“Yes well, its hard to keep that high IQ up if i'm busying myself with petty, inconsequential high school drama.” iris snapped back, flashing her a fake smile. 

She hoped her venomous sarcasm would mask the fact that she had no earthly idea what was going on, why anyone thought she was going to homecoming with paige, and worse, if paige even knew.

Sloan leaned forward on the tabel some, her curious facade dropping completely as she glared, “Heres the thing Irirs, you are going to clear up this rumor and you are going to do it fast. Because Paige is not going to homecoming with you. I mean…hoenstly” She dropped her voice to a whisper, “everyone probably thinks you started the rumor yourself out of embarrassment that no one seemed to have asked you in time. Or at least they will, when I make sure that's the story that gets told if you don't call this off.”

Iris leaned back from the table, taking a second to fully grasp what was happening. Iris had become the center of a school wide rumor over a homecoming dance, and was now being threatened by a cheerleader in the lunchroom, over a girl. 

Seriously? How fucking cliche, the only twist here is that she’s gay. Iris thinks about all of this for a moment, weighing the risk and reward for what her next move should be. But more than risk and reward, Iris was thinking about the fact that she was pissed. Sloans words were mean and cutthroat. Iris didn't believe any of them, but it didn't mean they didn't nestle their way under her skin. 

Now, this is where Iris may have admittedly, said the wrong thing.

“Well”, Iris said, clapping her hands together once, “Thank you for that lovely little stalker-esque conversation. And as far as homecoming goes, I will be going with Paige, and you can continue to have a problem with that all you want.” She smiled sweetly, grasping Tara's arm and yanking her up along with her. 

They were out of the cafeteria before Sloan could even blink. Iris kept pulling Tara, yanking her all the way down the hallway until they reached an empty science classroom. 

“Oh my god,you did not just tell her youre actually going to homecoming with paige.” Tara gasped, trailing along behind Iris without much of a choice.

Iris quickly closed the door, turning to look at Tara, “Ok, what the hell happened between first and third period, and why are cheerleaders threatening me?” 

Tara shrugged, shaking her head, “Dude, I don't know, I've literally been with you all morning.” She mumbled, “Hold on, let me dig.” She dropped her bag, pulling her phone out from the pocket. Iris paced the room back and forth while navigating through whatever it was that was floating around in cyberspace about her.

 “Oh…oh no”, Taras voice had iris spinning around to face her.

“What? What oh no?” She repeated.

“Well, theres a lot to unpack here,” She sighed, “First of all, the rumor seems to have surfaced during first period. Someone is claiming you were talking ‘loudly and proudly’ about how you were taking the ‘star of women's basketball’ to homecoming.”

“I dont even talk like that.” 

“Regardless”, Tara waved off, “Thats what it says. But theres something much worse than that.” She muttered.

“Something worse then the entire school thinking i’m going to homecoming with paige bueckers?” 

“Sloan and Paige were together, like recently. Apparently they just broke up a few days ago. Gossip mill says Sloan moved on fast, leaving Paige pining. Until today, now she's back ‘not giving up her girl without a fight’- ok who is writing these things, they talk like we’re in a disney movie.” 

Iris tuned tara out as she began rambling about gossip pages and cliche headlines. The room was spinning before her eyes because somehow in the span of three periods, Iris had not only become the topic of the senior class, but she had also lied and only further fed the rumor mill demon. What the hell was she thinking? She's not going to homecoming, let alone with Paige.

Paige is supposed to stay tucked into the corner of her annoying morning routine. They trade an insult, Paige smiles, Iris grimaces, and then they don't speak untill the next day. 

Oh she was so totally screwed.

~~~~~

Iris went through the rest of the day in a state of anxiety. She didn't let it show, but she was internally plotting how she could move across the country and change her name.

I mean, this was fine. So what if the entire school thought she was going to some stupid dance with paige. And so what if she further pushed said rumor along by inadvertently lying. And so what if she told the lie to paiges ex girlfriend.

There was no need to panic (there was an abundant need to panic).

Iris bounded through the front door of her house like a wrecking ball, book bag slipping off her shoulders, the smell of her dads pot roast wafting through the air from the kitchen.

“Iris you’re- hey where are you going”

Her dads voice rang through, but iris wasnt listening. She was already bolting up the stairs, rushing past her sister. She barged into her bedroom slamming the door behind her only to fall against it. 

Iris let herself slide down the door as she glanced around her room. Dimly lit with soft yellow lamps, messy in a chaotic way, clothes strung out from her closet, hand painted mural on the wall from one insomniac ridden night, book shelves bending under the weight of too many classic novels. Iris liked that her room resembled what it felt like to live inside her head.

Unorganized and cluttered.

She landed on the floor with a soft thump. For the first time since she started highschool she found herself trapped in a stereotypical, trope ridden situation, and she was finding this was much more fun to read about in books then to actually live. Her phone buzzed around on the floor beside her, she picked it up only to chunk it across the room in fear when she read the screen.

Incoming call from Paige Bueckers

Iris groaned crawling forward on the floor until she was laid flat on her stomach like a star fish. She knew. Of course she knew, why wouldn't she know. Oh this was so terribly, no good and very bad. 

How did she even get Paiges number, she thought to herself in slight confusion, but that was neither here nor there.

Paige was probably calling to ask why on earth iris was acting like a psychotic stalker spreading rumors about their fake relation to each other. Or worse, calling to tell her off for making her ex girlfriend think she had already moved on- what if paige was still in love with Sloan, oh god what if Iris was single handedly responsible for keeping two teenagers form completing their love story.

She noted bitterly to herself that teenage love stories were bullshit and she had done them a favor by ending it early if that were the case.

Iris heard her bedroom door open behind her but she remained face down in the carpet like a pathetic, over dramatic teenage girl. Which she was. 

“Iris?” , her little sisters voice came through. Iris groaned incherently into the carpet in acknowledgement. 

“Why are you laying there like roadkill?” 

Iris answered without lifting her head from the carpet, “Im basking in my own stupidity.” 

She heard Alora's foot steps move until the creak of her plopping down unto the bed sounded through the room, “What could you possibly have done? Mistype your college essays?” 

Iris sighed rolling over onto her back looking up at the ceiling, “Accidentally started a rumor about myself….and paige bueckers.” 

Alora gasped on the bed chunking a pillow down at iris, “ Shut up! Like, basketball star, highschool heart throb, could make a straight girl gay Paige Bueckers?” She exclaimed excitedly. 

Iris grimaced turning to face her, “How do you even know who she is, you're in the eighth grade.”

“Uh hello? The slam? Instagram? Freaking google.” she deadpanned, “dude shes like famous, have you seen her tik toks?” 

Iris rolled her eyes, “You know I dont keep up with that stuff”, she grumbled.

“Yeah, well I do, and let me tell you. You just started a rumor with the best leading role possible.” She paused then, “Wait- what rumor did you start?” 

“Accidentally told people we were going to homecoming together.”

Alora snorted, “Yeah right, like youd ever show face at homecoming.” 

Iris snapped the pillow from earlier off the floor, slapping her in the face. Alora laughed brightly, “What im just saying”, she mumbled.

 Iris sighed then, pulling herself off the floor to go and join her little sister on the bed. Iris and Alora hadnt always been so close, but when they lost their mom in a car accident a few years ago, everything changed. Before the accident they despised each other, the larger age gap had them developing at completely different times, going through the annoying phase and the puberty phase in sync, resulting in screaming matches for no reason. After the accident though, it stopped mattering. Alora would spend nights in iris’ room, sometimes they spoke, sometimes they watched movies, sometimes they even bickered. But after that day, it stopped mattering as long as they were in each others presence. They realized how momentary life really is, so things like breaking each other's stuff, stealing hoodies, or arguing over who gets to pick pizza toppings stopped being a chore and started being a privilege. 

Alora pulled her phone out beside her, “C’mon let me show you your girlfriends tik tok.”

“She is not my girlfriend.” Iris snapped, “She isnt even my friend.” 

But the words died in her throat as alora pulled up paiges tik tok, videos of the blonde smiling, doing funny trends and photo dumps filled the screen. Alora clicked on the most recent one, it was her and some of the girls from team in the gym. They were doing some weird dance iris assumed was trending. But she was more caught on Paiges vibrant smile, the way she jumped up and down at the end, slapping her teammates on the shoulders, the way her lips curled up just slightly when she stuck her tongue out as a joke. Iris stared at the screen as Alora scrolled; paige's blue eyes, soft long hair, overly energetic in every video, it was like you could hear her laugh through the screen.

“Girls! Dinner!”

Her dads voice caused her to jump slightly, pulling her out of the trance. She blinked to herself, shaking her head. 

Alora side eyed her, shutting her phone off. She didn't say anything, just grinned to herself as she watched her sister stand off the bed in a slight haze. 

What the hell was that?

The next morning, the air was frigid, as melted snow surrounded the sides of the roads. iris sat in the front seat of her car like a sleeper cell spy, hood up, sunglasses on, as she scoped out the scene of the senior parking lot. She was fully aware that eventually she would have to get out of the car and go inside, it was just the actual process of getting out of the car that was proving to be a challenge.

Somewhere in that building, inside a sea of people, was Paige. And more specifically, then somewhere, was their locker, and their AP econ class. The second she got out of this car, she was going to have to face her, and Iris was simply not ready for that yet.

But apparently, Paige was very much ready for that as the following sequence of events occurred.

Iris’ passenger door whipped open, causing her to jump halfway out of her seat and let out a particularly girlish scream. She whipped around sideways and came face to face with Paige herself. Who was now climbing into her car completely unbothered.

“Jesus Christ Paige, what the hell!” Iris exclaimed.

Paige huffed, dropping into the passenger seat, throwing her a sideways glance, one eyebrow raised, “You should really lock your doors.”

Iris balked, “Sorry,” She mocked, “Usually strangers don't just jump into my car in the student parking lot.”

Paige turned then, facing iris head on, both eyebrows raised now, “Yeah? Well, most people don't announce that they're going to homecoming with me without even asking me out.”

Iris froze for a second, letting out a scoff, “I didnt- Im not even-”, she groaned. “I didn't announce it.”

“You confirmed it. To Sloan”, Paige responded, but there wasn't any real bite to her tone.

Iris winced, “You heard about that?” She said it a little softly like if she whispered this wouldnt actually be happening.

“Oh everyone heard about that, babe.” Paige added the nickname mockingly, her lips turning up at the corners just slightly.

Iris leaned forward, dropping her head onto the steering wheel, and Paige's soft laugh filled the car. “I didn't mean to confirm it” Iris started, turning her head to the side to steal a glance at Paige, “Sloan was being a total bitch, it just came out.”

Paige's features stilled for a moment, her eyes sharpening, “What’d she say to you?”.

Iris was surprised by her tone, it wasn't light or curious but…heavy, protective almost. Iris shook her head to herself, throwing a cautionary glance at her coffee cup. She must have accidentally drugged herself this morning because paige was a lot of things, but protective over a girl who just started the biggest rumor was not one of them.

“Nothing, just…the usual high school girl petty stuff,” Iris mumbled, lifting her head off the wheel to lean back in her seat. Paige hummed suspiciously, still eyeing her. “Stop looking at me like that.” Iris snapped, squirming under the eye contact.

Paige let out a breath of a laugh, then, glancing out the windshield for a minute. “I honestly just didn't think you'd actually confirm the rumor”.

Iris scoffed, “It's your exes' fault”, she deadpanned.

Paige shrugged, “Solid defense”, she admitted. “It's kinda funny, Sloans been spiralling out about it since yesterday. I think she actually expected me to spend senior year crying over her.” Paiges tone was light, no tension in her voice, or anger in her eyes.

Iris furrowed her brows, “Wait- so you're not mad?”

Paige looked at her, expression unreadable, “Mad? Nah” she shook her head, “I mean… everyone's talkin bout us.” She paused, tilting her head to the side a little, “Could just let 'em keep thinkin we’re together”.

Iris stilled, looking at paige like she had just grown three heads, because what fucking cheesy ass rom com did paige think they lived in right now?

“Im sorry- what?” Iris balked, raising her eyebrows incredulously.

Paige grinned easily, “Well, thanks to you, everyone thinks im bringin you to homecoming, my ex is trippin over me again- which, hello karma- and people finally stopped talking about who you're gonna go with.”

Iris furrowed her brows, “You knew people were talking about that?” she asked curiously, “Me and who I would bring?” she clarified. Iris didn't know why the idea of Paige knowing about what people say about her behind her back intrigued her so much, but it did.

Paige rolled her eyes bitterly, “Yeah, had to hear about it all the time. People find you extremely interesting,” she grumbled. Paige hated listening to people talk about Iris, and who she would bring, and what dress she would wear, and if she would coordinate colors with her date. It was annoying because it didn't matter, definitely not because Paige's stomach tightened when she imagined Iris standing with someone posing for homecoming photos. No, definitely not that.

Iris stared back at her, eyes running over her face a few times. “You're serious right now.”

Paige stared back easily. “As a heart attack”.

Iris sat there for a second, at a complete loss for how she got into this mess. Yesterday morning, she was content with hating homecoming, internally debating Paige's popularity, and arguing about disassembled boy bands. Now…everything was all jumbled, and Paige was sitting there looking at her like she couldn't be less bothered by this mess if she tried.

Paige, who lived in a world of popularity and cheerleading ex-girlfriends, who always got picked first in gym class and would probably win homecoming court if there wasn't a heteronormative belief around the whole thing. This was not the kind of situation Iris was supposed to be in, iris who’s on a first name basis with the school nurse from bailing out of gym too often, who’s idea of rebellion is violating the schools dress code in minor ways just so if a teacher asks she can declare the code is sexist and proceed to argue her case.

She could say no. She could push Paige right out of this vehicle, and tell her to go get her head checked for CTE from this batshit idea.

But then Paige turned her head to the side, lips caught between her teeth, and a lazy smile on her lips as if she could read Iris’ inner thoughts. And Iris felt her stomach do that thing, where it falls out from under her, and it feels hard to breathe. Her mind flashed back to Sloans smug face, and her stupid little smirk like she was just so much better then her.

And that’s how Iris’ simple tuesday morning turned into a lesbian jenny han novel.

“Okay”, Iris breathed, “But we need rules”, She said sharply. Paige rolled her eyes on an exaggerated groan.

“Jeeze, Walker, leave it to you to suck the fun out of fake dating”.

Iris gave her a sharp look, but Paige just smiled, completely unbothered. “Alright, alright,” She breathed, “meet me out here after school and we can make you a little rule list.”

Iris huffed at the condescending tone Paige used, but nodded nonetheless. Paige stared at Iris expectedly, shifting her eyes to the school building and then back, “So … you know we have to walk in together right?”

Iris physically winced, completely appalled, “Are you kidding? I am not walking in there with you.”

“Dude, no one's gonna believe we’re together if they see me get out of your car and then not walk in with you.”

Iris was already shaking her head, “No, no, nope- absolutely not. I need more than the two freaking seconds that have passed since I agreed to this before im ready to publicly declare our love together,” She snarked, sarcasm heavy on her tongue.

Paige grinned slyly, “You declared our love for each other yesterday.”

Iris glared, “Get out of my car.”

Paige laughed brightly, “Fine, but you better not flinch or glare at me when I come up to you in econ.”

Iris rolled her eyes, muttering an, “I make no promises”, as Paige reached over, opening the door and hopping out of the car. She threw Iris a ridiculously cocky wink through the window, walking backwards toward the school.

Iris slammed her head against the driver's wheel so hard that the horn went off.

When she finally got out of her car after sending out prayers to a higher power asking for strength to get through this mess she created, she made her way through the halls with her head down.

She heard the whispers, noted the slight head turns. At least she hadn't overreacted about the magnitude of this rumor; it was definitely at the catastrophic level that had her face down in the carpet last night.

Iris took a deep breath as she rounded the corner and the door to AP econ came into sight. Her skin prickled in slight fear of what Paige was going to do because, knowing Paige, it was never good, or well thought out, or smart. Iris stepped through the threshold of hell (the doorway) and clocked Paige's mischievous grin immediately. She sent her a side eye as she passed her desk, only letting out a breath when she reached hers in the back row.

Tara, who was awake today, turned her head, “Hey- what's with the face?” she asked lightly, twirling a pen in her finger. Tara looked well-rested, she looked relaxed, Tara looked like a normal seventeen-year-old who hadn't just agreed to create a fake relationship with the hottest girl in school.

No, most popular girl in school. Not hot. Never hot. Iris didn't even think that, that wasn't even her inner monologue, just there.

“What? I don't have a face. No face, practically faceless, like a mannequin- or a serial killer.” Iris nodded her head as she spoke quickly, a weak smile on her face, and a slightly manic look in her eyes.

Tara stared back at her like she had just admitted to liking men or something equally horrific. “What the hells wrong with you? Did you take speed for breakfast?” she inquired, glancing at the coffee cup in Iris’s hand like it was incriminating.

Iris opened her mouth to respond, but was cut off when a paper airplane landed on her desk. She looked up then, noting Paige's sly grin, head turned over her shoulder, staring back at her. And then she noticed everyone in the room giving slight pause, noticing paiges move.

It was so nonchalant, so perfectly planned, the exact thing that would fuel this rumor with a little bit more fire than yesterday, without revealing too much at once.

“Did she just-” Tara started in confusion, but when she reached out to touch the airplane iris smacked her hand away on instinct. She widened her eyes to herself, she hadn't meant to do that, it was just….paige made this for her. It was her note.

She reached forward then, carefully unfolding the note as if it might explode in her hands. And there it was, in slightly messy handwriting that was just so paige:

Stop lookin so serious ma, people will think youre plotting my death instead of thinkin about kissing me.

Iris made a choked sound somewhere between a laugh, a cough, and an aneurysm. She quickly folded the note back up, glancing up only to see Paige's head was still turned over her shoulder, watching. Paige was grinning, her lip caught between her teeth, and then, with the slyness of Ferris Bueller, she puckered her lips, sending Iris a mock kiss through the air before turning her head back to face the front.

Beside Iris, Tara’s jaw had fallen slack as she watched the entire thing unfold. “Did she actually just send you a note in class like a 1980s’ can't buy me love’ remake, in the shape of an airplane?”

Iris turned, looking at Tara finally, “I’ll explain it later” she mumbled under her breath, slouching in her chair slightly as people around the room stared at her.

“Uh, yeah, you better,” Tara shot back, giving her a curious look before facing forward again.

~~~~~

By lunchtime time Tara was busting at the seams to discuss Iris’s rendezvous with Paige from this morning. So when Iris was walking down the hallway toward the cafeteria and a hand snaked out from an empty classroom, yanking her inside, she wasn't at all surprised.

“Okay- Ow” Iris huffed, as Tara closed the door to the biology classroom behind her.

Tara rushed forward, then, dropping her bag down, “Okay, now spill.” She grinned, jumping up to sit on a bio table. Iris grimaced at her tone; she knew by now this was Taras' girly gossip tone.

Iris sighed, leaning back against the wall. “She jumped into my car this morning”.

“She what?”

“Yeah, like full-blown breaking and entering just hopping into my passenger seat while I was in the parking lot.”

Tara stared wide-eyed, “Like, with anger or…” Iris laughed at the irony of the question.

“That's what I thought at first, but no, not in anger. She isn't even mad about the rumor or Sloan.”

Tara thinned her eyes, “Youre kidding.”

Iris shook her head, “No, she…she actually likes the rumor. She jumped in my car to confront me but now she wants to spur the rumor on.”

Taras' jaw dropped in glee, “Oh my god, Iris Walker, please tell me the next words that come out of your mouth are going to include the words ‘fake dating’”, she breathed out, eyes gleaming.

Iris dropped her head forward on a groan, “you sound like a rom com”, She said it with mock horror, because secretly she rewatched to all the boys i loved before habitually once a month.

“well?” Tara prodded, “what happened, what’d you guys agree on?”.

Tara looked far to happy for Iris to bear, the thought of her life being the current first pick in the public’s gossip digestion making her slightly nauseous.

Iris told her everything then, from the tone paige used to propose the idea to the cocky little wink she threw her way walking in the building. Tara sat on the table looking like a starry eyed child listening to how their parents first met. but that expression changed when iris admitted to agreeing to this plan.

Tara’s eyes sharpened slightly, her expression a little more serious then before. “you think it’s a good idea? getting involved with her like that?”

Iris shrugged not thinking much of it, “I mean… it’s not like i’m gonna fall for her or something. if that’s what you mean.” because honestly? iris and paige were on different planets. Sure, she was pretty and sometimes bearable to talk to. But at the end of the day they were just way to incompatible for something like that to ever happen. Let alone work out.

Tara studied Iris’s face in silent thought, “i just don’t want you to end up getting hurt.” She supplied.

And iris knew what she meant. She didn’t just mean a cliche fake dating leading to unrequited love. She meant the fact that iris hadn’t put herself out there not once since her mom passed.

Tara thought of Iris to be more fragile then a normal person. She knew how strong she was, and how quick witted and sarcastic she may seem. But deep down she still remembered the girl who sat nonverbally in her room, staying the night almost every night because she couldn’t face the quiet of her own home. Tara knew that deep down buried underneath all that pessimism and deflection, there was a little girl who never recovered from losing her mom.

Iris nodded her head, acknowledging the wordless message that passed through them that only years of friendship could create. “I’ll be fine. I promise.” she whispered the last part.

~~~~~

When the final bell rang signaling the end of the school day, Iris rose from her desk on slightly shaky feet. She was nervous to meet Paige to discuss their rule book, but more so, she was still just in shock that she was actually agreeing to this.

For a flash of a second, Iris wondered what her mom would think.

She shook her head to herself, blinking the thought away. Iris made her way down the hallways, dodging people as they high-fived each other, swerving around seven-foot-tall football players in letterman jackets. When she finally reached her locker, Paige was already there, leaning casually with one foot propped up on the wall behind her.

Her hands were shoved in her hoodie pockets, eyes zoned out, focused on nothing in particular. Iris cleared her throat as she approached the lockers, and Paige's head snapped to the side at the sound. A big grin filled her face when she realized it was Iris.

“Hey”, she smiled, tone easy and light.

Iris gave a subtle nod, focusing on punching in her locker combination. “You didn't have to wait for me in here, you know, could've waited in the parking lot.” Iris mumbled, looking sideways at paige for just a second, then back at her locker.

“I know, but I’d rather walk with you to the parking lot.” Paige shrugged. She seemed so natural, like this wasn't weird, like they hadn't spent four years only speaking in clipped sentences.

Iris let out a scoff, “How very girlfriend of you”.

Paige grinned, “Yeah, you know me, always wherever my girl is”.

Iris’s stomach caught for a fraction of a second as her words rolled around inside her brain. The idea of being referred to as Paige's girl, feeling otherworldly and absurd. But also.. Kind of endearing, in a totally regrettable way. She stuffed that down, though, preferring to stick to her usual shield of sarcasm and deflection

“Lucky me”.

Iris pulled her bag out of the locker, replacing her econ book on the shelf for an APUSH book instead. She was already ahead of econ anyways, she needed to work on her ap us history identities instead if she wanted to maintain the A in the class. She knocked over an empty water bottle as she switched her textbooks, a battered copy of Sense and Sensibility tumbling off the shelf as well.

Paige furrowed her brows, leaning forward slightly to glance in the locker, “Dude, what the hell’s in there?” She asked around a soft laugh, taking in the chaos of Iris’s locker.

“Stuff” Iris replied stiffly.

Paige reached into the locker before Iris could even stop her, pulling out a pair of wired headphones that had tied themselves into a knot that had proven to be impossible to undo. “Do these even work?” Paige questioned, raising one eyebrow.

Iris snatched them back, tossing them into the depths of her locker, “Yes” She grumbled, slamming her locker shut.

Paige let out a breath of a laugh, shaking her head, “liar”.

Iris rolled her eyes, spinning on her feet and making her way down the hall, paige caught up effortlessly since her legs were eight feet long. She walked closely, close enough that their arms brushed with every step they took.

Paige watched as a pen slowly started to fall out of the small pocket of Iris’s book bag. She reached forward on instinct, catching it in midair. She smiled to herself, grasping the handle on the top of iris’s bag, drawing her to a stop with a small tug. Iris huffed, her feet stuttering underneath her, “What are you-”.

Paige ignored her as she slipped the pen back into the small pocket, zipping it all the way closed and then giving a small pat to Iris’s shoulder. “Youre like…chronically unorganized for a straight A student”.

But Paige was too close, standing right to the side of Iris, and Iris could feel the heaviness of everyone's stares as people stopped to watch. Paige looked down at Iris, completely oblivious to the attention around them. Or maybe she was aware, and she just didn't care.

Iris gave Paige a long look before slowly turning forward again. This time she didn't speed walk away from Paige, but let her step fall in sync with hers. Paige was good at this, at pretending, at looking at Iris like she meant something, at doing small things that caused lingering stares from other classmates. That scared Iris a little, but she’d never admit that.

The sun was shining outside, a stark contrast to the cold air that flitted around them. Iris pulled the sleeves of her sweater over her frosty hands, wrapping her arms around herself as they walked toward their cars. Iris was making her way toward her own car, out of instinct or habit, until paige grasped her elbow, pulling her into her side, and led her toward her car.

“What are you doing?” Iris asked confusedly, throwing a glance back at her car. Paige threw her arm around Iris’s shoulder, the picture of confidence as she led them in the opposite direction. She leaned down some, turning her head to the side, “We” she said slowly, “have plans.”

Iris ignored the way her stomach flipped with Paige's arm around her, and her teasing smile as she whispered in her ear. “How could we possibly have plans we came up with this eight hours ago.” She deadpanned, referring to their decision to start this whole thing this morning.

Paige shrugged, “What can I say, I work fast”.

That was all Paige said before opening up the passenger door to her silver Jeep Wrangler, leaning against it as she stared at Iris expectantly. Iris stared back- more like glared back. Paige threw her head back on an exasperated laugh, “oh my god, would you just get in. I dont bite.” She said, but the way her eyes gleamed when she said the last bit suggested otherwise.

Iris mumbled something unintelligible under her breath before getting in the car begrudgingly. Paige jogged around the front, waving at someone who called her name before climbing in the driver's seat.

Iris glanced around the car, it smelled like cedarwood and a faint whisper of laundry, like she washed her hoodies too much after practice and always kept them in her car. It was warm, almost intoxicating in a way. There was a black Nike bag on the backseat, and a few empty water and Gatorade bottles.

Iris stilled as paige put on her seat belt.

“So we’re just gonna go over the rules, right?”

Paige grinned, throwing the jeep in reverse with way to much joy. “Yup”, she said popping the p.

Iris thinned her eyes some, “In the parking lot?”

“Nope”, Paige popped the p again, moving her arm to rest on Iris’s headrest as she looked over her shoulder to back out. “Put your seat belt on.”

Iris grumbled as that cedar wood smell assaulted her senses from paiges movement toward her, but nonetheless she grabbed the seat belt buckling herself in because she didnt hate the smell enoguh to die trapped in a car with it.

“Couldve just told me we were going somewhere instead of kidnapping me”

Paige scoffed, grin tugging at her mouth, “Its not kidnapping, its a surprise.”

“I dont like surprises”, Iris deadpanned.

Paige threw her a side eye as she slid her sunglasses up her nose, “I love your negativity, it really balances out my optimism.” She grinned to herself, one hand on the wheel, “But also, youll love my surprise when it greets you in the form of a oatmilk latte.”

Iris perekd up at that, “wait- are we going to lulas?”

Lulas was a locally owned cafe across town that literally no one from their highschool frequented. It was mainly just old people, but Iris was on a first name basis with the 60 year old barista behind the counter, Miss Maureen.

Paige hummed softly keeping her eyes on the road, “What other coffee place would we go to? Youve brought one of those oatmilk lattes to school with you every single morning since sophomore year.”

Iris paused, glancing at paige. “You noticed that?”, Iris’s voice was unnaturally soft as curiosity took over her. Her usual snark and sarcasm dissolving into the moment as thoughts of paige paying close enough attention over the years to know her coffee order even though they dont speak.

Paige shrugged noncommittally, shifting nervously at iris’s tone, “I mean, yeah”

Iris sank lower into the seat of her jeep then, turning her head to look out the window so paige wouldnt see her smile. And also to avoid getting another hit of that intoxicating laundry-and-cedarwood smell that was so annoyingly paige.

~~~~~

The coffee shop was loud, the sound of cappuccino machines whirring and soft music playing through the speakers. The little bell above the door jingled as they walked in, warm air contrasting with the snowy weather outside. As Paige and iris made their way toward the front counter, multiple customers greeted iris, causing paige to laugh.

“I should have known you’d be popular with the older crowd.” Paige mumbled, shaking her head softly.

“Shut up” iris grumbled, but her smile stayed intact.

Iris spent a lot of time here, more than she’d admit to anyone. She studied here, played chess with Mr.Alfred, who cheated religiously, she gossiped with Miss Maureen about her husband, listening to stories of what it was like to be in love in the seventies.

Speaking of, Miss Maureen smiled brightly when she saw them, dropping the towel that was in her hand in excitement. “Oh, Iris, hello, who's your friend?”

Iris grimaced slightly, “I don't know, but this is Paige”.

Maureens face fell slightly at her tone, but paige just choked on a laugh. “Paige Buecers, ma’am. Iris’s girlfriend.” Paige smiled brightly, offering her had over the counter to shake.

This time it was Iris’s turn to choke, but it wasn't on a laugh, it was more so just air. Miss Maureens mouth actually dropped in delight. “Oh I just knew it! The way you two walked in, like sugar over warm biscuits.”

Paige nodded, her polite smile staying in place as her eyes widened softly. She threw Iris a sideways glance and a whispered, ‘huh?’.

Iris waved her hand dismissively while shaking her head, “I dunno, I never know what she’s talking about.” She shrugged softly.

Miss Marueen was oblivious to their confusion, already spinning around behind the counter to yell toward the kitchen, “Howard! Iris has a girlfriend-” , and just like that Marueen was gone, drink orders be damned, disappearing into the kitchen to tell her husband.

Iris sighed heavily, glaring at Paige, “See what you’ve done?”, Paige grinned that Paige Bueckers grin, all too pleased with herself. Iris rolled her eyes, lifting a finger, “Keep smilin’, you just kissed your chance of ordering a drink goodbye. Maureen is seventy-two with the attention span of a squirrel. She’s gonna bring you a mystery concoction now.”

Iris started toward her usual booth, not checking to see if Paige was following, she knew she would.

Paige followed behind her like a badly trained puppy, giddy as hell with every barb Iris threw her way. She dropped down into the booth across from Iris, dropping her hands on the table. “I knew you came here a lot, but I didn't know you came here this much.”

Iris shrugged, grabbing a sugar packet off the corner of the table to fidget with. “I just like it here, that’s all.”

Paige hummed, her head tilted just slightly as she observed Iris. “I think there's more to it than that, but don't worry. You’re gonna tell me eventually.”

Iris raised her eyebrows unimpressed, “Youre very confident for someone who can't even get a real girlfriend.”

Paige let out a shocked laugh, taking a small sugar packet and launching it at Iris’s face. Iris ducked down in the booth, dodging it, but a small smile slipped free on her face.

“That’s rich coming from the girl who’s so helplessly in love with me she told everyone we were together.” Paige mocked back.

“Youre delusional. You should get your head checked, too many basketballs to the head, you're losing your ability to recollect past memories correctly.”

Paige just shook her head softly, reaching over into her bag to pull out a notebook. She dropped it on the table, pulling a purple pen out to go along with it. “Alright, Walker, let's see your contract writing skills.”

“Why do I have to be the one to write it?” Iris grumbled, but reached forward to accept the supplies nonetheless.

Paige grinned evilly, leaning back in the booth as she spoke, “‘Cause im an unreliable author, too many hits to the head to write something so serious.”

Iris raised an eyebrow, “We’re writing it in purple pen, how serious could it be?”

Paige scoffed, “Purple is a very sophisticated color.”

Iris rolled her eyes, shaking her head as she turned to a new page in the book. Miss Maureen rounded the counter then, approaching the table with two drinks in hand, “Here you go, dears, iced oatmilk espresso for you, Iris, and an iced French vanilla sweetened latte for you, Paige.”

Paige smiled to herself, shooting Iris a look at the actuality of Maureen making her a drink she didn't order. Iris quirked the left side of her mouth up in an ‘I told you so smirk’.

“Thank you, Miss Maureen”, Paige smiled. Iris pretended not to stare at her for too long as she did it.

Instead, she looked down, drawing out in cursive letters; Iris and Paiges rule book for fake dating.

Paige leaned forward, taking a sip out of her straw, only to pull back and cough dramatically. Iris bit her lip to contain her grin, glancing up under her lashes at her. That French vanilla latte was more commonly known between Iris and her sister as an iced cup of sugar, given it was 10 percent coffee and 90 percent creamer.

Paige glared, taking in iris’s grin, her eyes lingering on her lip caught between her teeth, “You could have warned me this was basically liquid birthday cake.” She said, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.

Iris shrugged to herself, not feeling guilty at all. “Nah, this was funnier.”

Paige shook her head, reaching forward to take Iris’s drink instead. Iris tried not to stare as she leaned forward, taking a sip out of her drink.

She looked down again, “Okay!” She said overly brightly, “rules..” She cleared her throat softly. Paige glanced up, oblivious to Iris’s inner turmoil.

“Okay. basketball games are a must, you have to be there for sure.” paige supplied easily. Iris nodded, that made sense so she didn’t fight it. She wrote the rule down easily on line number one.

“PDA” , Paige said confidently nodding her head,”If we’re in public im gonna hold your hand, or put my arm around you. And you cant look like youre planning my death while I do it.”

Iris looked down at the purple pen in her hand, tugging her lip between her teeth as she wrote the words down, “Don't ask me to do the impossible Paige”, she mumbled to herself. Iris paused for a second as a thought hit her. She glanced up at Paige, “No kissing”.

Paige hadn't even thought about that part, but now, as Iris sat across from her, long lashes covering her eyes, Paige was thinking about it a little. She grinned slightly, “Why not?” She pushed. She wouldn't actually force Iris into this, but that didn't mean she couldn't bother her about it in the meantime.

Iris bristled, breaking eye contact, “because” She mumbled, writing the rule down, “It’s not real.”

Paige hummed, tapping her fingers against the table. She watched the way Iris’s curls fell softly against her shoulders, the way her delicate fingers held the pen as she wrote. A thin necklace with a heart dangled against her chest.

“Right, this is fake.” Paige filled in. Iris nodded. “Exactly”, she conceded.

Paige grinned, leaning forward against the table, “Although, if this is fake, then technically kissing wouldn't mean anything.”

Iris looked up, giving her a flat look, “Youre really bad at logical reasoning.”

Paige shrugged, smiling easy, “Maybe im just really good at loopholes”.

Iris looked down, writing out in all caps, ‘NO LOOPHOLES.’ Paige let out a loud laugh this time, “Youre so not fun.” She grumbled, but let the topic go because at the end of the day, she didn't really care.

Iris perked up a rule came to her, “Private life stays private," she said, raising a finger in the air, “No snooping through each other's stuff in their cars or..whatever.”

Paige sucked some air through her teeth. “Trust me, I have no desire to snoop through your black hole of a locker.”

“It is not a black hole. I know exactly what’s in there.” Iris snapped.

Paige laughed, dropping her chin in her hand, “There's probably an assignment from freshman year buried in there somewhere.”

Iris childishly mocked Paige's words in a high-pitched tone, writing the rule out as she did.

“We need an end date,” Paige said then, causing iris to look up, “A date we agree we should call it quits on, clean break.”

Iris paused in slight thought, “That's actually…a really smart rule”, she said slowly. Paige grinned proudly, looking like a kid who just got a golden star for spelling something correctly.

“OK.. how about, after New Year's?” Iris supplied, “Homecoming is right before Christmas break. Post New Year's gives us a perfect out, but it's far enough after homecoming that it’s not suspicious.”

Paige looked to the ceiling, mulling the thought over in her head, “Does that mean you’ll let me take you with me to the New Year's bash at the civic center?”.

The New Year's party at the civic center was a huge deal in Hopkins. They streamed it on the local news, and it’s been a tradition in the town for the last twenty years. Iris usually went with her parents, but since the accident, she hadn't been back.

“I don't know,” she stalled, giving Paige a worried look.

“Oh, come on, it’ll be fun. I'll make sure you have a good time.” She replied, and the sincerity in her tone caught Iris off guard. Like she actually cared that iris have fun on new years, and wasnt just using it as a ploy to fool the public.

Iris glanced down at the paper, purple ink sprawled out over the lines, “I’ll write it in as a contingency.” She decided.

Paige clapped, “I don't know what that means, so im taking it as a yes.”

Iris hadn't meant to laugh at the blondes excitement, but it bubbled out of her anyway, without her permission. Paige grinned seeing Iris’s surprised smile.

“okay” paige said leaning forward, “final rule: no one can know this is fake. It’ll be to embarrassing. like social suicide.”

Iris paused slightly glancing up at Paige, she had a point, regrettably. The problem was Iris has already broken this rule. She looked back down, avoiding eye contact.

She cleared her throat softly, “right…so about that.” she whispered, braving a glance at paige.

Paige fixed her with a deadpan look, “Iris please tell me you didn’t manage to break the most important rule before we even started doing this for real.”

iris sighed letting the pen drop from her hand in defeat, “Look I only told Tara-“

Paige cut her off with a loud groan throwing her head back exasperatedly. “Iris” she whined half heartedly, iris ignored the small pack of butterflies in her stomach hearing her say her name. “Tara eats student gossip for breakfast she literally couldn’t keep a secret if it smacked her in the forehead with a confidential label.”

Iris folded her lips into her mouth weighing her head to the side because okay, paige did have a point. But this was different, Tara was Iris’s best friend, and while she may consume gossip like oxygen, she never tells anyone the things that iris says.

“look it’ll be fine- it’s different with me and her. She wouldn’t do me like that. Scouts honor.” She said solemnly, holding up two fingers. Paige brought her head back forward, squinting at iris’s hand.

“were you even a girl scout?” she mumbled. Iris side eyed her own hand, then glanced back at paige, offering a guilty shrug.

“i don’t like woods. or bugs. or group activities.”

Paige facepalmed, rubbing her fingers over her eyelids. Iris was going to give her early onset heart problems from stress, and she’d only been her fake girlfriend for 8 hours.

“fine” she sighed, looking back up, “but don’t tell anyone else“ she said slowly. “honestly, you’d think i’d be the one to spill our secret.” she mumbled, referring to the fact that she personally hadn’t shut up once a day in her whole life.

Iris nodded her head quickly, “I won’t tell anyone else- oh wait…except my sister.” she said, adding the last part and ok- she swears she doesn’t usually have this big of a problem keeping her mouth shut.

Iris expected paige to groan, or maybe glare in protest, but instead her eyes brightened. “Alora?” she questioned excitedly.

Iris blanched, “you know my sister?”

paige shook her head, “nah not really. but I see her comments on my tik toks sometimes, roasting people who say i can’t ball. she’s a menace” paige’s voice shook around a laugh.

Iris made a mental note to throw Aloras cell phone out the second story window when she got home.

After that, paige and iris took turns signing their name in purple ink at the bottom of the rule book. Paige was the one who said it didn’t count if they didn’t sign it, of course. She patted the table once after dotting the i in her name.

“well there you have it” she grinned proudly, “you are officially stuck with me.”

Iris didn’t smile, just glanced between paige, the paper, and her coffee that was in paige’s mouth.

“god help my soul”, she mumbled softly.

~~~~~

~~~~~

Friday morning Paige pulled up outside of Iris’s house at 7:30 on the dot. Iris peaked her head around the curtain in her room, spotting paige’s silver jeep easily. A few days ago after contract negotiations , paige had convinced iris to let her drive them to school. Something about needing to draw up a game plan before her first basketball game of the season this evening.

Iris pulled back, grabbing her bag off her desk. “ALORA!”, She screamed. “LETS GO!”.

Iris made her way out of her room and down the stairs, hearing alora’s rushing footsteps behind her. As they made their way out the front door alora laughed to herself, “i can’t believe you actually got yourself into this mess”.

Iris, who wasn’t a morning person by any means, raised her hand to thump alora in the back of the head in response. She was already in a bad mood because riding with paige meant no lula’s pit stop, which meant no caffeine, which meant a homicidal iris.

she sighed to herself making her way down the icey pathway from the porch to the drive way. She pulled the jeep door open with more force than necessary, immediately met with paige’s sunny grin that could melt the literal ice caps off the side of the house.

“goodmorning” she chirped, she gave iris a lazy glance over, noting the way her eyes were softer, a little swollen from sleep. Her curls were tied back into a loose braid, hoodie falling down slightly against her collar bones as her puffer jacket sat on top of it.

Iris huffed once she was sat in the seat, already feeling overstimulated from the weight of wearing two jackets. She wondered for half a second, if doing a rain dance would magically halt the murderous Minnesotan winter.

“coffee” paige said lightly, lifting a warm cup up out of the cup holder.

And oh, an angel just gained its wings.

Iris’s usual morning glare softened immediately as she grabbed the cup from paige’s hand, her cold fingers overlapping paige’s warm ones for just a second.

“you got me coffee?” iris asked, her voice slightly raspy from sleep still.

paige smiled and shrugged her shoulders, “‘course I did. I told you, I know you get one every day.”

Iris’s heart strings pulled a little tighter at her simple explanation, and iris decided it was just because the act of being seen felt heavier at 7 in the morning.

Alora climbed in the back seat with a mega watt grin, and paige turned, pulling a second drink out of the cup holder. “for you, little walker”, she said dramatically handing off a sickeningly looking sweet monstrosity of a drink.

paige slid her eyes to iris as she did, “don’t worry. I had maureen make sure there was no coffee in hers.”

and at that paige put the jeep in drive, pulling out of the walkers drive way as if this was all so normal, so usual. Alora leaned forward from the backseat to whisper over Iris’s shoulder, “I like her you better not mess this up.”

Iris rolled her eyes shoving alora off of her while paige chuckled slightly in the drivers seat.

“alright so”, paige began, throwing a glance at Iris when she reached the stop sign. “Tonight. first basketball game of the season, you gotta be there.”

Iris nodded, finally glancing at paige’s figure and noticing the black hopkins jersey she had tugged on over her black hoodie. Gameday attire.

“i’ll be there” iris nodded once, “im gonna make Tara come, have her explain what ever the hell it is you guys do down there too me while I eat soft pretzels.”

paige’s smile widened at that, shaking her head softly, “can’t believe i gotta fake girlfriend who don’t understand basketball” she mumbled to herself.

Paige straightened up suddenly, her face brightening as she remembered something, “oh and i think we should become social media official after the game.”

Iris scoffed leaning back in her seat, “what the hell does that even mean”.

alora leaned forward from the middle back seat then, “it’s when you make a post on like instagram or something to confirm the rumors. it’s hard launching.”

Paige grinned , throwing one of her hands over her shoulder, “up top mini walker.”

Iris rolled her eyes as Alora high-fived paige the two of them already mentally synched, most likely because paige’s brain stopped developing after age 12.

“is that really necessary?” iris grumbled, she couldn’t stand social media in the first place. All the fakeness of staged pictures and good lighting. it was so arbitrary.

“yes” alora and paige replied, in sync.

Alora piped up again, this time with a fair point, “it wouldn’t necessarily be that big of a deal, if it weren’t for the fact that paige has a lot of followers. it’s gonna look suspicious to the kids at school if she doesn’t post.”

Paige nodded along, as iris glared, “so really, I have to do this because you had to go and be social media famous by seventeen?”

“yup. your fake girlfriends got fans babe, deal with it”

paige smiled around her words, cocky as ever.

Iris imagined a basketball shaped weapon hitting her in the head.

Then smiled to herself at the thought.

Then took a sip of her coffee because okay, maybe she really is homicidal without caffeine.

the car ride went smoothly the rest of the way, the low hum of paige’s music drifting through the car, her and alora talking effortlessly about basketball and tik tok trends. The snow was falling all around them, lining the sides of the roads as the sky above was grey and thick with clouds. Iris watched out the window as they passed by streets that were beginning to decorate for christmas, and different houses with disintegrating pumpkins from halloween, covered in snow.

by the time they reached Hopkins Middle School, Alora had finished her entire drink and was smiling brighter then Iris had seen in a long time.

“thanks for the ride, and the drink!” she called over her shoulder as she slid her way out of the backseat.

“no prob mini walker”, paige grinned waving goodbye over her shoulder.

Iris watched the interaction with slight intrigue. her eyes stayed on paige as she drove them out of the school lot.

“do you have siblings?” Iris asked thoughtfully, noting the way she just seemed to get along so well with alora.

paige hummed, “yeah, i gotta couple actually. divorced parents, remarried, half siblings and step siblings- doesn’t matter to me though. they’re all whole siblings to me.” paige shrugged, soft smile on her face as she spoke.

Iris kept the curious expression on her face as she watched her talk, “you get along really well with younger kids. like with alora, bringing her a drink along with mine, talking to her as if she’s our age and not 13.”

paige left one hand on the wheel, as the other fell down to her lap, toying with the drawstring of her black sweatpants. her long legs were tucked into the drivers seat, knees spread open a bit wider then necessary. she was relaxed, her hips pushed forward some as her back rested against the seat.

“well , i mean that’s just how i treat everyone. you know, my siblings, and the kids who come to games to see me. I always hated when older kids talked down to me, like when i started playing varsity at aloras age. i felt like a kid- i was a kid. but them talking to me like a kid didn’t help me feel any more confident.”

Iris nodded her head as she spoke, her eyebrows rising slightly at the mention of 8th grade varsity. “you played for high-school varsity when we were in middle school?”

paige turned her head slightly, looking over at iris, “yeah. you didn’t know?”

Iris shrugged helplessly, “I mean to be honest…no” she said sheepishly, feeling a little bad, “I didn’t pay much attention to sports in middle school. Well- I actually don’t pay much mind to them now either.”

Paige wasn’t offended, she just laughed slightly, “Yeah well, this was middle school too. before we bonded over becoming locker neighbors”, she teased effortlessly.

Iris sighed wistfully, “ah yes, the good ole days before you became a constant, nagging, presence in my life.”

Paige laughed brightly, reaching her fist over to nudge Iris in the arm, “shut up walker you know you love our morning chats.”

Iris smiled slightly, shrugging as she looked out the window, “i’ll never tell”.

******

the gym was loud.

iris noticed that first. secondly she noticed that it was packed. like more crowded then the football games. Her and Tara settled into their seats, they decided to sit outside of the student section, per Iris’s request.

“jesus there’s so many people”, iris mumbled shifting in her seat until she could get comfortable. She wasn’t dressed up by any means, a pair of jeans and the black hopkins hoodie paige had worn to school today. Paige had declared by lunch, that Iris was required to wear it tonight because ‘that’s what girlfriends do when they watch you play. they wear your number’.

iris wouldn’t mind much if it weren’t for the fact that every time she inhaled she got that addictive cedar wood and laundry smell, and she was positive it was giving her butterflies a head ache.

“yeah, everyone’s here to see your girl”, Tara laughed slightly. Iris furrowed her brows glancing around. Suddenly she noticed the plethora of 5’s all around her. Why was everyone holding a 5 if paige wore number 1?

“wait- what?” iris turns to look at Tara, “what do mean here to see her?”.

Tara raised her eyebrows, “god i need to get you a sports handbook or something.” she leaned for ward then, pointing to the number five signs. “your ‘girlfriend’ is basketball royalty. people travel just to see her play high school games. those number five signs? it’s the number she wore for team USA, they think she’ll wear it when she plays for UCONN.”

Iris’s eyes widened in slight horror, “team USA?” she questioned, “as in… the olympic team usa”.

Tara laughed humorously, “Yup. gold medal and all.”

Iris turned to face forward in her seat. “holy shit.” she mumbled.

she knew paige was good at basketball, with the constant display of posters around school, the championship they won last year etc. but she didn’t know it was like that. iris didn’t even know why it was a big deal she was going to uconn. for all she knew that was just some college in Connecticut.

Iris thought back to their conversation in the car, paige playing varsity ball at just thirteen, the USA basketball t shirt she’d seen paige wear around before, the one that hugged her shoulders really well.

Wow, Iris thought, a gold medal. She looked down at the court then with a new found respect for paige. Not paige as a person but paige as a player. To iris, basketball was just a thing, a pastime for teenagers to exert energy and be popular. But for paige, she guesses it wasn’t.

The game started and as promised, Iris snacked on soft pretzels while Tara explained what was going on, play by play. Iris was drastically confused as Tara kept saying things like flagrant foul, screens, and box out. At one point she decided to voice her curiosity but then immediately regretted it.

“why do they keep stopping the game to shoot the ball from that line?”

tara glanced sideways at Iris, “the free throw line?”

Iris side eyed tara right back, “don’t ever tell anyone I asked that.” she whispered sliding down in her seat some.

Tara laughed brightly throwing an arm around her. “oh i love you. never change.”

As the game continued, Iris couldn’t help but notice Sloan in her cheerleading uniform on the side line. She led the chants of Paige’s name every time she ran a play. Iris noticed paige’s eyes linger on sloan whenever she played on that side of the court. She wondered to herself what happened between them, if paige still liked her, maybe? She slid her eyes away from them after that, deciding it wasn’t really her business if paige was using this fake relationship to her Sloan back.

The game finally ended an hour later, hopkins had secured the win, which apparently everyone saw coming. (except iris).

Tara walked down to the bottom of the bleachers with Iris, both of them dropping down to sit on the last one. “thanks for waiting with me” Iris said, nudging her with her elbow.

Paige had told Iris to wait for her after the game, but iris was secretly too nervous to wait by herself. She wasn’t exactly sure what the protocol was after your fake girlfriend’s first game of the season. Mainly because she didn’t know what the protocol was for a real girlfriend, in general.

“of course”, tara shrugged, “I got no where to be anyway.”

Iris grinned at that, bumping their shoulders together. She was always thankful to have Tara in her life, but it was moments like these- when Iris has accidentally spiraled her self into a reality where she has no earthly idea what she’s doing- that she was extra grateful.

Paige exited the locker room at that moment, her hand down and damp from a shower, dressed in a pink hoodie and black sweatpants. Her face was impassive as she glanced around the gym, but a smile lit up her face when her eyes landed on iris and tara.

she walked over with a pep in her step, “hey” she breathed, “you waited.”

Iris looked up at her from her place on the bleachers, “you asked.”

Paige grinned, the adrenaline of the first win of the season still coursing through her. She moved her eyes to tara then, “hey wassup tara. thanks for waiting with her”,she spoke, leaning down to dap her up.

Tara shrugged, “someone needed to babysit her”.

Paige laughed as Iris scoffed in offense. “well i’m here to take over services for the night”, she said looking at tara before back at iris, “I can take you home”, she said the last part only looking at iris.

Iris looked up at her from her seat, eyes dancing across every angle of paige’s face all at once. “um yeah … okay.” she said softly, looking sideways at Tara.

Tara raised her eyebrows, glancing between the two before smiling to herself. “she’s all yours”, tara said lightly standing from the bleachers. She turned to Iris then, “i’ll see you tomorrow yea? city market?”. Iris nodded brightly, standing up as well.

“yeah for sure. 11am.”

Tara smiled then, turning to leave, “nice game paige” she clapped her on the back , walking toward the exit.

It was just them now, the gym had stragglers standing around, some players and their parents, trainers and cleaning crew. Paige smiled softly pulling the lanyard of her keys from her pocket, “you ready?”

Iris nodded once, and then they were making their way out of the gym and into the cold night air. Iris noticed the way Paige opened up the jeep door for her, but chose not to say anything about it.

Paige started the jeep wordlessly, blasting the heat to full power, watching as the ice slowly melted off her windshield.

“so…you played well tonight” Iris said turning to her, the silence in the car bugging her enough to shatter it.

Paige bit her lip softly to contain a smile, turning to look at iris, “yeah?” she breathed, releasing her lip into a full smile, “do you even know what playing bad looks like?”

Iris bit the inside of her cheek to prevent a smile, “nope. so congrats, you’re always gonna play good in my opinion” she shrugged her shoulders softly.

Paige shook her head smiling to herself, “don’t know how i got so lucky” she mumbled sarcastically.

Finally, the ice melted away enough for her to see, driving them out of the parking lot and onto the main roads. The radio played softly in the background as they drove through the snowy night.

Iris stole glances at Paige when she wasn’t looking, and paige stole glances at iris when she wasn’t looking.

******

that night after Iris had showered and changed into a warm pair of pajamas, she crawled into her bed underneath a pile of blankets and pillows, burying herself in the warmth. She had just pulled her lap top out to watch a movie, when her phone buzzed a few times beside her. the first notification, was from instagram.

paigebueckers💕 tagged you in a post!

Iris clicked on it, opening her phone as the post loaded on her screen. When a collage of images appeared, pictures of iris and paige from earlier this week, and a photo of paige in her uniform. Iris remembered.

the hard launch.

she rolled her eyes again because even now 15 hours later, she still thought it was absolutely stupid. but as she looked at the post, she smiled slightly at paige’s stupid captions. before she knew it she was leaving a comment, only to immediately get a response from paige.

paigebueckers💕:

liked by sloansworld, taralee, and 10.5k others!

paigebueckers winning on and off the court betchu can't say the same.

theslam: okay pb5!!!!

iris.walker: i don't remember ever saying i liked how annoying you are

-paigebueckers: you know you love it.

paigehoopsfanpage: damnit someone stole my girl

sloansworld: nice game cheered extra loud 4 u

******

Iris let out a scoff of a laugh at paige’s response, her eyes rolling instinctively at paige’s cocky nature. her phone buzzed in her hand again, this time with a text message from paige.

paige bueckers

your turn. beat that walker.

iris rolled over onto her stomach noting the way paige just had to turn this into a competition. She scrolled through her camera roll, picking a few pictures to make into a collage, grinning to herself as she typed out her caption.

She shouldn’t be having so much fun doing this, but something about pulling a joke over the entire schools head was just so wildly entertaining to her. Iris waited after she made her post, a few comments from alora and tara coming immediately.

and then finally, paige.

******

iris.walker

liked by taralee, Alora_walker, and others!

iris.walker yay sports! or like...whatever

taralee: tell the people how I had to explain free throws to you.

Alora_Walker: can't believe you actually went to a sporting event.

paigebueckers: damnnnn who's that girl in the jersey she fine

-iris.walker: idk but she missed a free throw

-paigebueckers: nvm. you're not allowed at my games anymore.

******

iris grinned to herself, letting out a small laugh at paige’s comments. she rolled back over onto her back, pulling her laptop onto her stomach again. as she scrolled through her laptop to find a movie to go to sleep too, her phone buzzed with a final message.

paige bueckers

goodnight, hater. have fun at city market tm

Iris reread the message more times then she actually needed too. she set her phone back down as she stared at her computer blankly for a second. she was enjoying this game of fake dating more than she thought she would.

She told herself it was just the excitement of being in on something no one else knew.

At that, iris fell asleep to the sound of patrick dempseys voice in can’t buy me love. Laughing to herself at the irony between her life and the plot, dreaming about basketballs and the Beatles.

Stay tuned for part two ‘the middle’.

🏷️: @bueckers2fudd @dontrllycaretbh

[freshloveee]

Need Paige Bueckers Christmas fic pls.

[freshloveee]

just a reminder that this is the girl they thought was straight 😭😭

[freshloveee]

promise you i’ll always defend bg with my whole life

[freshloveee]

i think about this photo everyday btw

[freshloveee]

be so fucking deadass rn

[freshloveee]

Holy graphic design

[freshloveee]

i’m happy for nai tbh she deserves to get out of that fuck ass organization and she’ll do well on the lynx. i just wish they would’ve sent paige the FUCK with her

[freshloveee]

[freshloveee]

well paige is officially and orphan…

[freshloveee]

ANYWAYS it’s only 4 days left until azzi’s podcast lfgggg

[freshloveee]

paige:

[freshloveee]

i get this is part of the game… but how do you sign four major pieces in the off season and then trade 2/4 of them

chris and curt pls answer

[freshloveee]

nai and paige’s chemistry meant so much to me man… this team is fucked😭

[freshloveee]

azzi being the sweet, soft spoken (secretly a menace), catholic school girl and paige being a trash talking goofy lil punk from hopkins is so precious to me

[freshloveee]

I WOULD FIGHT FOR HER (she doesn’t need to be saved 😔)

[freshloveee]

luisa loves her some pb5💙💚