Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Steph curses to herself as she finally arrives home after a party, seeing the lights were still on. This wasn’t the first time she has been out past her curfew and won’t be the last. But usually her dad was asleep by now. Tonight however, it was evident the mayor of Hatchetfield was up and about, late into the night.

Sighing, Steph forces herself out of the car and walks inside. She’s waiting for her dad to immediately say something. But to Steph’s surprise, her dad is just standing in the living room, distracted by paperwork. It takes her locking the front door for him to even notice she was home.

”Hello, Stephanie. Do try to remember what time you should be back at the house. One night you will be accompanied by a police officer and I will make no effort to get you out of it.” Solomon Lauter doesn’t even look up, eyes remaining on the documents.

Steph rolls her eyes. “Hey dad, I’m doing great. How are you?”

Ignoring her obvious sarcasm, the man huffs. “This charity ball is always hell to plan. Takes away so much of my time and I don’t even see a cent of the money myself. It is not worth the headache, but it needs to be done. Those idiots around town just eat this donation stuff up.”

Whenever her dad talks this way it’s always a struggle to hold her tongue. But in the past when she’s spoken up, she’s met with some bullshit along the lines of only being a child and having no logical thinking when it comes to politics. Her dad has had many close calls in terms of his shitty choices as mayor, but people keep electing him. God knows why. It’s like he made a deal with the devil or something.

“So what lucky place is getting your attention this year?” Steph dryly asks.

Solomon scoffs. “St. Damien’s. As if hospitals need more money. But it's what the community voted on. It’s all about pleasing the people, Stephanie. Even if their choices are dim-witted.”

“Yeah, imagine people wanting to help the sick. That’s crazy..” she deadpans.

This earns a glare from him. “I would watch your attitude. I know you probably have some opinions about me not wanting to host these pointless fundraisers, but don’t act like you haven’t poorly contributed to my functions in the past. The last few events you attended I almost lost my job. All because of the imbeciles you brought along as dates. You never make smart choices, Stephanie. Especially when it comes to the idiots you decide to get with.”

Wouldn’t be a talk with her dad if he didn’t criticise her. It’s expected at this point. Admittedly, the guy she brought to the Honey Festival last year did crash his motorcycle into several of the stalls that were set up, so she can’t exactly say her dad was wrong. Not to say it wasn’t very amusing, plus no one got hurt.

“Okay, I just won’t go.” she states, trying to hide her smirk. “I will be very sad to miss it, but your job will be safe.”

Her dad drops the paperwork he was holding, it landing on the table. “I built my entire image on family values. If my only daughter isn’t in attendance, that wouldn’t be a very good look now would it? Let me dumb it down for you. You will be there, so I can look relatable to the public. Got it?”

Steph learned a long time ago to just brush off his words. She’s gone past the point of caring.

“Fine. Then I’m inviting Stacy and Brenda. No way in hell I’m going by myself.” Steph crosses her arms.

“The girls who almost set your bedroom on fire by leaving a curling iron on? Not a chance.” Solomon then looks at his daughter. “How about the Jägerman boy? Having the quarterback of the Hatchetfield High in attendance will definitely have the residents talking..”

Steph almost laughs at that suggestion. He had just finished explaining how he didn’t want her bringing any idiots, only to want the ringleader of them all there. But she is too tired to argue. Though this time she actually has a reason to go against her dad’s wishes, which is rare.

“You know dad, that would be great. But Max isn’t in town at the moment. A big college put out a program for student athletes to train at their fancy campus. So of course Hatchetfield High spent what little funds we have sending him there. All so he can learn how to perform at his best or whatever.” she scoffs. “As if the nighthawks lose at anything, how could the town ever recover?”

It sounds like some elaborate lie, but it’s actually the truth. Honestly? It’s been very refreshing not having Max there. It feels like a weight has been lifted off the entire school. Sure, there are still jerks around, but nowhere near as intense as Jägerman. But she’d never say that to anyone. Max is in her friend group, which technically makes them friends. Kind of.

He sighs. “I see. Then I suggest you find a responsible date who actually has a brain. Otherwise I’ll be finding one for you..”

“Whatever.” she mumbles through gritted teeth. “I’m going to bed.”

Steph heads up to her room, her mind racing. Who the hell is she supposed to invite? As apparently anyone she hangs out with who isn’t Max is a no go.

But she can’t go with no one. Last time Steph went alone to one of these things she spent the entire night either getting yelled at by random people or had groups sucking up to her because of dad. She needs someone there to distract her from it all. But there’s no fucking way Steph is letting her father set her up with a random person.

____________

At school the next day, Steph stands outside. She’s suppose to be in class, but she really can’t be fucked learning right now. The conversation she had with her dad last night was still on her mind. She hated how controlling he can get. It was like she was in middle school again and was being told who she could and couldn’t invite to her birthday party.

Usually she was allowed to invite whoever she wanted to these events and no thought had to be put into it. But her dad just had to make things difficult, like always. What does he even mean by responsible? Someone who doesn’t have a life?

However, there is a small part of Steph that wants to prove her father wrong. Making the claim that she never makes smart decisions when it comes to dating really pissed her off. She wants to find someone who is the complete opposite to her past partners and to herself, really. Just to see the look on his face.

“Stephanie Lauter, what are you doing out of class?”

She groans, turning around. Miss Mulberry stands a few feet away, hands on her hips.

“Hey Mulberry, I just needed some fresh air. The fumes in chemistry were messing with my head.” Steph lies.

The woman gives her a look. “I believe you’re supposed to be in English right now. Regardless, detention for you after school.”

“Yeah, whatever.” Steph sighs, making no effort to go back inside. At this point she’s stopped giving a shit about getting detention. She just wanted to be left alone.

“Miss Lauter. I would advise you to get back to class.” the teacher warns. “Or shall I call your father?”

This forces Steph to follow her instructions rather than argue. If the school rings her dad she’d likely get grounded or worse, have her phone taken away. It is not worth it.

____________

Steph walks into detention, slumping into her usual seat. Some of the stoner kids, two football guys and a few others all sit there, looking bored as hell as normal. Usually she’d keep to herself for an hour, just wanting the time to go quickly. But the door opening catches her attention, a fresh face walking in.

He was one of the nerds that travel around in packs to avoid people like Max Jägerman. Peter Spankoffski, she thinks his name is. Steph has to say, the bow tie and suspenders he wore kind of made him a walking target. The boy definitely looked out of place, slinking down into the corner desk.

Pete’s going to get eaten alive in a place like this if he draws any attention to himself. Steph hopes for his sake he just sits there and stays quiet the whole time. But for whatever reason, she can’t look away. He opens his bag, pulling out what she can only assume is homework. What kind of nerd does homework in detention?

Noticing one of the jocks was seconds away from throwing his trash at Pete, Steph quickly moves to sit next to him. He doesn’t say anything at first, head down in his work.

“So, what are you in for? Correcting the teacher?” she scoffs.

He sighs. “I’m really not in the mood for whatever you’re trying to do, okay? Just get your joke or comment out of the way and leave me alone. I’ve heard it all.”

This takes her aback. She wasn’t expecting him to be snarky. His attitude simply intrigued her more.

“I’m just sitting here, man. Keeping you company so these dumbasses don’t try anything stupid.” Steph looks around, seeing the others have now gone back to minding their business.

Pete lets his guard down. “Sorry..”

He continues to hastily write down notes, his jaw clenched. It is clear something was bothering him. Obviously just being there would be hell for Pete, but she can’t help but think there was something else going on.

“I’m assuming you’re in a mood because someone like yourself would never be caught dead in detention?” she asks.

“Grace Chasity saw me walk into school late. I slept through my alarm, so I couldn’t be here on time.” he shares in a huff. “I usually never sleep in.”

Steph smirks. “Wild night?”

“Oh sure, if you call dinner with my family last night wild..”

She cocks an eyebrow. “Well, we’re going to be here for a while. Tell me what happened, Spankoffski.”

Chapter Text

Pete always felt uneasy at his family dinners. The Spankoffskis had a weird dynamic. His mom was gone days at a time for her job and his dad pretty much lived at the shoe store he worked at. Quite often Pete would come home after school to an empty house. Not that he really cared. Honestly he preferred the quiet.

Then there’s his brother. Ted was already leaving for college when Pete was a baby, so they didn’t really have a normal sibling relationship. Pete would often see other kids playing with their brothers and sisters in the street growing up, a part of him wishing he could have that. But even when he was a child, he understood his brother was an adult who worked and had much better things to do than hang around some kid. But they try to make it work. Heavy on the word try.

These dinners were more an obligation at this point. Ted would come to the family home every two weeks or so after work. They’d talk over a meal, the conversations always coming back to Pete’s future or his brother's love life. Every. Single. Time.

Poking at his spaghetti, Pete half listens as his parents direct their attention toward Ted. His brother looked over it already, the man trying to wolf his food down so he could get out of there quickly.

“So Ted, how is the lovely Charlotte going?” Mrs. Spankoffski asks.

Ted sighs. “Still married.”

“Oh! Well is there anyone else in the office you have your eye on?” his dad speaks up.

The older brother simply laughs, not even giving a verbal response. Pete doesn’t say a word, looking down at his food. He is not getting involved.

Mr. Spankoffski clears his throat. “We just want you to be happy. Settling down, having kids. Don’t you want that? You’re not getting any younger..”

“Not really.” Ted bluntly replies.

Looking up, Pete sees his mom move her hand to Ted’s arm. “We know it’s been hard since Jenny—”

His brother slams his fork down. “Why don’t we ask Pete about his dating life? I know he’s never spoken to anyone that’s not one of his loser friends, but there has to be someone. Right lil bro? Or is Fleming hitting on you the only action you get?”

Pete swallows his food, glaring at Ted. Why the hell would he do that? He understands that his parents are being overbearing. But why bring him into it?

“While I don’t love his choice of words, Ted does have a point. Don’t you want a high school sweetheart, Pete?” his mom asks, voice hopeful. “That’s what your father and I had, after all.”

Mr. Spankoffski nods. “It’s also your senior year, wouldn't it be nice to graduate with someone on your arm?”

“Wouldn't it?” Ted smirks. “But you kinda need the balls to talk to someone you find hot, so it doesn’t look likely you’ll get to do that..”

With Ted’s smug expression and the way his parents were looking at him, Pete felt overwhelmed. When overwhelmed, he usually just says the first thing that comes to his mind.

“I’m seeing someone.” he blurts out, despite it being completely untrue.

Okay. Usually he doesn't say anything that stupid.

Ted scoffs. “Bullshit.”

“Honey, that's great! Why haven’t you said anything?” Mrs. Spankoffski beams, ignoring the older brother.

“Uh, it’s new. Just wanted to make sure things were gonna work out before I said anything..” his voice wavers. He’s in over his head.

His dad pats his shoulder quite forcefully. “Good job, son.”

Pete then looks at Ted, who can definitely tell he’s lying. A grin flashes across his brother’s face, which immediately makes Pete nervous.

“Yeah, good job. Can’t wait to meet them. Why not bring them to the next family dinner, Petey?” Ted suggests, making his parents nod enthusiastically.

He seriously wants to kill Ted right now.

“I don’t know..we’re still in the early stages of everything..” Pete rambles.

Ted brushes him off. “It’s a couple of weeks from now. You’ll know if it’s serious or not by then.” he shoves the last mouthful of food into his mouth. “We’ll be very eager to see if the youngest Spankoffski has actually scored..”

He’s screwed.

____________

“So I didn’t get any sleep because I was up all night thinking about what the hell I’m supposed to do. Hence why I slept through my alarm..”

Pete has no idea why he decided to just air out his family business to Stephanie Lauter of all people. But he just did.

“God, maybe it’s a good thing I have no siblings.” Steph laughs.

Pete shrugs. “Ted’s like that with everyone. But I don’t know. He just looked so smug. I mean he knows I’m not even close to dating anyone.”

Steph stays silent for a moment, before her eyes grow wide. “You need a date..”

Confused, he nods slowly.

She shakes her head, turning in her seat so she’s facing him. “Look, my dad has this charity ball coming up. Last night he straight up told me that if I want to bring someone, they have to be responsible and not a complete idiot.”

“Um, good luck with that?” Pete is honestly so lost. Is she just trying to relate to his story to make him feel less shitty about the whole thing?

Steph groans. “Don’t you get it, dude? We can pretend to date each other. I go to your family dinner to wipe that smug look off your brother's face, and you can keep me company at the charity ball. I see the type of grades you get and how you act around school. You’re the fucking poster boy for being responsible. Well, if you ignore the detention.. ”

It takes several seconds for Pete to process what she just asked. Stephanie Lauter, one of the most popular girls at Hatchetfield High, wants to pretend to date him.

Pete closes his eyes. “You want to do what?”

“Come on. Think about it. This way we don’t need to scramble to find random people to bring to these things. You won’t owe me anything and I won’t owe you anything.”

He gives her a look. “We don’t need to find random people? We’ve never spoken before! Usually you’re trailing behind Jägerman after he shoves me into a locker. How do I know this isn’t some joke?”

The girl stops for a moment, looking down at her lap. Pete isn’t sure how to read her body language. He’s either right and she’s trying to cover it up, or she’s being genuine about this offer. When she looks up again, there’s no smirk.

“Max isn’t here.” Steph states, tone serious. “You know he’s the one who organises that kind of crap. Him not being in town means he can’t control what we do. This is all me. It’s not some stupid prank. I promise.”

Pete can’t help but remain hesitant. But he really has no other option. It’s not like anyone else is offering to date him. Or in this case, fake date him. Besides, the way Steph looked at him, made Pete feel like he could trust her.

“Okay. Sure.” his voice cracks.

She sits up at that, a grin spreading across her face.

“Great. You can come to my place after we’re done here. We can work everything out.” Steph offers. “This isn’t the first time I’ve had to lie to my dad about what I have and haven’t done with a guy..”

This makes him laugh nervously. He really hopes he doesn’t regret this.

Chapter Text

Now that detention is over, Pete sits in Steph’s bedroom in an awkward silence. Neither of them has said anything about how they’re going to pull off this fake dating idea. How do you even start a conversation about something like this?

Steph has to admit, this plan was a bit stupid. But she knows her dad. If she took more than a few days to find a date he would immediately start looking for some loser to set her up with. Not to mention, this way Steph won’t be expected to do anything her dates usually ask for when dragging them to these boring events. They’re doing each other a favour.

“So when is this charity ball?” Pete asks from Steph’s desk chair.

She sighs. “About a month or so from now. How about your family dinner?”

“Two weeks.”

Steph nods. “Okay. Nice. That should give us enough time to work out how to be a convincing couple. Shouldn’t be too hard, it’s not like high school couples are overly romantic here..”

Pete nervously drums his fingers on his lap. “Are you sure about this? I mean technically you don’t even need a date for your dad’s event. Just someone to talk to.”

“Trust me, it’s easier this way. It’s going to look weird if I just randomly bring some nerd I haven’t been seen talking to. If people around town think we’re a thing, there will be no questions.” she sighs. “Plus my dad may have said something about me only dating idiots and I kind of want to prove him wrong..”

The boy stands up with a start. “Wait, people around town? I thought we were just doing this fake dating stuff in front of our families..”

“We live on a small island, dude. If we don’t fully commit to this, people will eventually talk. Especially with my dad being mayor. I already know he’s going to use me dating a straight-A student as some sort of weird brag.” she scoffs.

Understanding her point, Pete sits back down and pulls a notebook out of his bag. “Right. Guess we should start getting our story straight then..”

“Are you seriously writing about this?” she comments.

Pete turns to face her. “What’s my brother’s name?”

“Huh?” she replies, confused. “I don’t know, you only said it a few times during detention. The main thing I took away from your story is that he’s a bit of a jackass.”

“It’s Ted.” he sighs. “We need to remember a whole bunch of stuff about each other if we’re going to pull this off. Putting things in a book will make it a hell of a lot easier to keep track of everything.”

She hates that he has a point.

Defeated, Steph sits down next to him. “Fine. Write your notes.”

“So, how did we start talking?” Pete begins.

She thinks for a moment. “We’ll do the most obvious scenario. You offered to help me study. A few weeks ago Mulberry actually told me I need to get my grades up if I want to graduate. We can pretend you overheard and made the suggestion to tutor me.”

Pete nods as he jots down what Steph said. “Makes sense. Who asked out who?’

“Well everyone knows I only date guys who ask me out, so you asked. We finished up a study session and you asked if I wanted to go to Beanie’s. You did the whole awkward thing of trailing off as you suggested it could be a date and I agreed.” Steph says.

Pete looks at her. “You lie a lot, huh?”

“Think it comes with having a parent in a political position.” she admits. “As far as my dad’s aware, I only sneak out of class on those rare days the school actually catches me and the only place I’ve spent the night at is Stacy’s for a bunch of sleepovers.”

“Don’t let Grace hear that. She may give you detention for life.” he states. “Or force you to go to that abstinence camp with her..”

This makes Steph laugh. She wasn’t expecting that from him.

“You're funny.” she smiles.

“I am?” he almost sounds shocked.

She nods. “Works in our favour too. I like funny guys.”

A silent moment is shared where Pete simply looks at her. Maybe she shouldn’t have made that comment, especially while they’re brainstorming ideas on how to be a fake couple. But he soon clears his throat, Pete's attention averting back to the notebook. “Okay! I asked you out. Uh, first kiss?”

She shakes her head. “I’ve come up with all the ideas so far. You take a stab at this one.”

Tapping his pen on Steph’s desk, Pete thinks for a short second. “It was after you solved a math problem without my help. You were just really proud of yourself and excited that I couldn’t help but kiss you.”

Steph sits back in her seat, impressed.

“While I can never picture a time I can do math without cheating off of someone, I like your creativity. Write it down.”

As Pete takes note of what he just said, he glances at Steph. “You know, I could actually help you study while we’re doing this fake dating thing..”

She holds back a laugh. “Yeah, no. I’m all good.”

He stops, putting his pen down. “I’m being serious. To make this convincing we’re going to be spending a bunch of time together. If I’m gonna be your fake boyfriend I may as well be useful and help you with your grades.”

“Boyfriend? Didn’t realize we were putting labels on this fake relationship..” Steph jokes.

Pete’s face grows red at the comment. “Oh! Uh, sorry. No labels checks out—”

“I’m messing with you.” she smirks, giving him a light nudge. “Fine. As your fake girlfriend I accept your help. But if I do start to get my homework correct on my own, you better not kiss me.”

He laughs softly. “Don’t worry. When you start working things out for yourself I’ll keep a very respectful distance.”

The way Pete worded that replayed in her head. When you start working things out for yourself. Not if. When. Like he somehow already knows she can get better when it comes to her school work.

Realising she’s just staring, Steph stands up from her seat. “But we’re not studying everytime we hang out. We need a balance of productivity and doing fuck all.”

“That’s fair. Speaking of that, how often should we catch up outside of school?” Pete asks.

Steph moves to her bed, relaxing against the headboard. “I mean every relationship I’ve had has been different when it comes to that. Some I practically lived at their house, others we only snuck around together. But for us, I’d say a few times a week.”

“So maybe we could study one day, and do whatever the other times we catch up?” Pete suggests.

“That works.” Steph sighs.

As Pete continues to add things to his notebook, Steph’s mind wanders. She thinks about Pete’s side of the deal. It’s his family who really needs to be sold on the whole dating thing. All it’ll take for her dad to know Pete is responsible is one conversation. Solomon doesn’t actually care about who she dates, just as long as they don’t make the Lauter name look bad.

“Can I ask you something?” she speaks up.

“Sure.”

“What is your family like? Just so I know what to expect when I do go to this dinner. You’ve told me a bit, but I don’t know. I’m still curious.” she asks.

This question causes the boy to turn around in the chair, a long exhale escaping his lips. “Jeez. Where do I start? Well Ted is in his thirties so he obviously doesn’t live with us. Usually I only see him at these dinners or other family gatherings. Occasionally I’ll see him around town, but this is Hatchetfield so it’s a bit hard not to run into each other at random times.” he explains. “My parents are pretty nice. They just have a lot of things they want from me and my brother. Expect perfect grades so I can get into a good college, to then get a stable and reputable job. Then there's the whole marriage idea they just love to push..”

“No pressure.” Steph breathes out.

His eyes grow wide. “Not to freak you out! I don’t know why I said that. That’s more for my brother. They shouldn’t bring it up when you’re over. If they do, it’d be very weird since we haven’t even graduated high school yet.”

“Oh please, parents have done much worse to me in the past. I was practically pushed out a window one time because a mom caught me in bed with her daughter.” she casually shares.

Pete adjusts his glasses. “She pushed you out a window?”

“Technically it was more of a hard shove toward the balcony I climbed up to sneak into the bedroom in the first place. I mean we weren’t even doing anything that bad. Just making out..”

He sits back in his seat. “Well you don’t have to worry about being pushed out any windows when you come over. But if it does happen, at least I only live in a one story house..”

This makes her smirk. She still can’t believe this dweeb is actually funny. “Good to know.”

Pete adds some more notes about his family before turning to Steph. “What about your dad?”

Steph doesn’t feel like getting into everything about her dad at this very moment. But she knows she has to be a little bit upfront about him. After all, Pete is the one who’s supposed to help prove her dad wrong with this whole plan.

“You’re a smart guy, so I’m pretty sure you can see through his bullshit good mayor act. Says one thing to the public only to talk crap about them the minute he’s behind closed doors. He judges everything I do and uses the excuse of being mayor as to why he can make those criticisms.” she sighs. “So I need you to get him off my back about the type of people I date.”

He nods. “Yeah, can’t say I completely trust him with his leadership choices. But if it helps you, I can act like his biggest fan.”

Steph softly laughs. “Much appreciated.”

The room falls silent again, the only sound being the scribble of Pete’s pen. Steph closes her eyes for a moment, just trying to process everything so far.

“Um, so there’s one major thing we haven’t really talked about yet.” Pete speaks up.

“Hm?” Steph responds.

“Boundaries and stuff. What we are comfortable with, not comfortable with in terms of acting like a couple..”

Steph sits up from her bed. “Right. Well it’s not like anyone will expect us to make out in front of them or anything. So I guess just the tame stuff. Hand holding, arms around each other, hugging, odd peck on the cheek. If that’s cool with you?”

“Sure! Very cool. That is all cool with me!”

As Pete continues to ramble, Steph runs a hand through her hair trying to plan out how they can actually get this whole thing in motion. They need to act like they’re dating sooner than later.

“Here’s what I’m thinking. Tomorrow at school we start talking and make it obvious there’s something going on. Then when someone eventually asks, we just casually tell them we’ve been seeing each other. No need to go into it too much with the people at school.” Steph explains.

He shoots her a look. “You don’t know my friends. A girl bumped into me once and Ruth asked me to describe how it felt in full detail. They’ll have a lot of questions about us..”

Steph decides not to comment on that first part. “Just make something up if they ask about anything we haven’t talked about. We can text to keep each other up to date.”

She motions for Pete’s phone, quickly putting in her number. After sending herself a text so she can save his number into her phone, she hands the device back to Pete.

He looks at the screen. “Text to keep up to date. Got it.”

She takes another moment to really think about this idea. Pete definitely isn't her usual type which is perfect for the situation she’s in, but from the sounds of it this geek has never even held hands with another person before. She needs to make sure no one gets hurt. Him in particular.

“Just one more thing before we get into all this.” Steph starts.

“Yeah?” his voice cracks.

Steph sighs. “We have to make sure that this whole plan just stays a silly act between two people. I don’t want you on my doorstep one night in tears because you actually have feelings for me or whatever and you can’t possibly keep pretending anymore.”

Pete crosses his arms, obviously annoyed by her accusation. “Trust me, as soon as this charity ball is over we’ll be ignoring each other again in no time. Max will likely be back after that anyways and I will not be seen talking to one of his friends, let alone crushing on one of them. I know I haven’t dated anyone before but I also don’t fall for every person I see. You’re safe.”

She stays silent for a moment, not expecting that response. But she has to admit, his honesty is reassuring.

“Okay, then it’s settled. We start this whole fake dating thing now and break up a few days after the charity ball.” Steph collects her thoughts.

He nods. “Then it’s back to normal.”

“Exactly. Soon it’ll feel like this never happened.”

Chapter Text

steph (12:09 am)

hey dude

what’s your beanie’s order?

pete (12:11 am)

hot chocolate

wait why

it’s the middle of the night

steph (12:13 am)

not for right now man

i always get coffee with my friends before school

made me think about how couples buy each other shit

if i bring you a drink before class, that’ll get people talking

pete (12:15 am)

you really don’t have to do that

plus when i go to beanie’s they always take forever

i don’t want to make you late for school

steph (12:17 am)

ah yes because i’m always concerned about getting to class on time

i’ll already be there getting my drink anyways

you’re getting that hot chocolate, spankoffski

pete (12:19 am)

okay but i’m paying you back

steph (12:21 am)

we’ll see

night pete

pete (12:23 am)

i’m definitely paying you back

goodnight steph :)

____________

Standing at his locker, Pete looks over the text conversation from very early this morning. Usually he would have been asleep at that hour, but it’s a bit hard to sleep when you’re thinking of ways to be a convincing boyfriend to a girl you aren’t even dating. He was trying to be cool about this and not overthink every little detail, however that plan was very short lived since he found himself reading the notes of their fake relationship instead of sleeping last night.

Pete already knows Steph is more than capable of pulling this whole thing off considering she’s actually dated before, but he hasn’t. So not only will he need to act like he knows what he’s doing, but like he’s been doing it for awhile. Pete just doesn’t want to do too much or too little, so he’ll likely see what Steph does and go from there.

“What’s up with you? All you’ve done is look at your phone and I know the only people who text you are Ruth and myself..” Richie asks bluntly.

Putting his phone away, Pete sighs. Steph did say they were going to start this plan today, so may as well bite the bullet now.

“Uh, I’ve actually been helping someone study. Tutoring them, I guess. They asked if I wanted anything from Beanie’s earlier and I was just making sure the money I sent for it went through.” he admits, that last part being the truth.

Ruth looks at him. “You’re tutoring someone? Are they hot?!”

Before Pete can even respond, a voice is heard from behind him. “I would hope he thinks so, otherwise he has a lot of explaining to do about our last few study sessions..”

Steph now stands with Pete, handing over his hot chocolate. Unsurprisingly, his two friends stand there completely speechless for a moment. They make small gestures toward the pair, obviously trying to put together what is happening in their heads.

“You two seem shocked.” Steph then looks at him, a smirk creeping on her face. “Pete, did you only just tell them about how you’re helping me in math? What, are you embarrassed of me or something?”

She is good at this.

“Of course not! If anything you should be embarrassed of me.” he thinks quickly. “I just wasn’t sure if we were telling people about it. Not too long ago we couldn’t even look in the same direction as someone like you without Max being weird about it. Didn’t say anything out of habit, I guess..”

A worried look flashes across her face before it’s quickly replaced by a smile. “Well lucky Max is off training at some stuck up campus. So you can talk about us all you want.”

“Good to know.”

Her hand then slips into his. The sensation was new to Pete, but it was a feeling he could grow used to. This action finally earned a verbal response from his friends.

“Wait, are you with Stephanie freaking Lauter?” Richie speaks in a forced whisper, as if Steph wasn’t standing right there.

Pete takes a deep breath. “Uh, yeah. I asked her out a couple of weeks ago..”

“What the hell Pete! How could you not tell us?!” Ruth practically yells, several students turning around at the commotion. “This is major! You need to tell us everything! I mean everything.”

Pete gives Steph a look, Ruth proving his point from yesterday about how she’d react to the news. There is no simple way of talking to Ruth about this type of stuff. It just makes things more difficult when he needs to start answering her questions with lies he thinks of on the spot.

Noticing his unease, Steph places her other hand on his arm. “Go easy on him, I only just told my friends about us this morning at Beanie’s. It was a bit hard not to when I was ordering two drinks..”

“Thanks, by the way.” he says genuinely, taking a sip from his cup.

“Don’t mention it.” She gives a soft smile. “Speaking of my friends, I should get back to them. Much like you two, they're dying to know more about Pete and I. Sorta promised I’d give them a run down about it all on our way to class.”

Pete smiles nervously. “Hope they go easy on me..”

That’s actually the truth. He didn’t even consider what Steph’s friends would have to say about him. Would they even know who he is? Pete usually tries his best to remain invisible to people like that.

“Well so far they only refer to you as bow tie kid, but if they let me talk about you for hours that will definitely change.”

That answers his question.

“Have fun trying to find enough things to talk about for that long..” his voice cracks.

“I think I’ll manage. We’re still studying at yours after school, right?” Steph asks, her face making it clear she was genuinely asking and didn’t just say that for show.

Honestly it wouldn’t hurt to spend a bit more time together, despite only being one day into this whole fake dating plan. Not to mention Pete actually wants to try and help Steph with her math, even if she doesn’t seem too thrilled about it.

Pete smiles. “For sure. I’ll see you later.”

With that, the girl gives Pete a wink before walking toward her group. Now it was just the three of them again and Pete was almost scared to look his friends in the eye. He knows they mean no harm by wanting to ask questions, as this is a very random and sudden life update. They just don’t know it’s a bunch of bullshit to get a few family members off his and Steph’s back.

“I don’t even know you!” Richie exclaims. "Stephanie Lauter? How did you keep this to yourself?”

Ruth groans. “Yeah, Pete! You were getting with Stephanie and you just let me drone on about light cues at lunch? Talking about a girl you get to make out with is so much more interesting than musical rehearsals.”

He just needs to keep things simple and to the point. Answer like he actually would if he suddenly started dating one of the popular kids. There is no need to make the story perfect.

“Don’t you think I haven’t been freaking out about this? It’s new! Plus I don’t know the rules when you’re allowed to start talking about things. I’ve never dated anyone before!” Pete states.

“Now you’re dating the hottest girl in school. Lucky..” Ruth whines, looking to the floor.

Pete smiles awkwardly at that, not really sure how to respond. Even though they’re a fake couple, describing her like that still feels as though he’s crossing a line.

“What are you gonna do when Max gets back?” Richie asks genuinely. “Good luck keeping someone like her with him roaming the halls. It’s cool you're getting some Pete, but you’ll be lucky if he doesn't kill you. This whole thing stresses me out and I’m not even the one dating her!”

While Richie does make a good point, Pete is already reassured with the knowledge they’ll be “broken up” before Max even gets back. But he can’t tell his friends that.

His mind races, trying to think of something. “Look, I’m not expecting this to be a long thing. But when studying one night I swore we had a moment so I trusted my gut. With Max not here to push us around, I thought I may as well go for it. Even if it doesn’t last, it’ll be nice for a little while.”

The short girl nods at Pete’s words, seeming to understand where he was coming from. “Makes sense. You can also go to college now and say you've actually dated someone. Wish I could say that..”

Richie gives Ruth a sympathetic pat on the shoulder as the school bell finally rings, making Pete thankful. At least for the next few hours he can use the excuse of being too busy with work to talk about him and Steph. He’s surprised he managed to get through this conversation without them asking too many questions. But at least Ruth and Richie were convinced he was dating Steph now.

Now he just needs to convince his family.

____________

Steph has been at Pete’s house for about ten minutes now.

She’s spent most of the time looking around his bedroom. Several comments have already been made about his comic collection and academic awards he has displayed on his shelf, but he was expecting that. Pulling her eyes away from a Spider-Man figurine, Steph moves closer to Pete.

“Does a suspender wearing guy like yourself own any hoodies?” she asks.

Looking up from his textbook, Pete turns to her. “Uh yeah, I have a few. Why?”

“Stacy asked if I have stolen any of your clothes yet. I automatically replied yes thinking nothing of it, but she then told me I should wear something of yours to school tomorrow. Apparently it’ll be totally adorable. Her words, not mine.” Steph explains. “Would it be cool if I borrowed one?”

It’s times like this Pete really wished he owned some cooler hoodies. The selection he had made it very obvious the type of person he was. But Steph wearing an old science camp hoodie or NASA sweatshirt will really send the message she’s dating a giant nerd, so it’d work for their plan.

“Go for it.” Pete gestures toward his wardrobe. “I only wear them around the house anyway, so you can take more than one if you’d like.”

“I should only need the one, but I will keep your offer in mind.” Steph smiles before walking over to the wardrobe. She slides several clothes over before stopping at one. “Of course you went to science camp..”

“Hey it’s actually a fun place if you’re into that stuff!” Pete defends himself, his voice cracking which doesn’t help his case.

Pulling it off the hanger, Steph inspects the blue hoodie before putting it on. She pushes up the sleeves slightly, as they fall past her hands. “Man, you’re tall.”

“Maybe you should have found a shorter fake boyfriend..” he jokes, eyes lingering on her wearing his clothes. But he quickly turns back to his homework, not wanting to stare.

“That or a fake boyfriend who doesn’t talk back.” she retorts with a smirk. Steph then moves closer to Pete, looking over his shoulder at his textbook. “So you were really serious about that tutoring offer huh?”

“I mean you’re dressing like a nerd now, may as well study like one.” Pete motions toward the hoodie.

“Very funny.” Steph deadpans. “Let me get my school shit from my bag. I think this will be the first time I’ve actually written in my math book this year.”

As she heads toward her things, Pete is expecting Steph to take the hoodie off and leave it with the rest of her stuff. But she leaves it on, walking back over with her notebook. Not that he cares she left it on, he just assumed she’d only wear it in front of her friends.

Sitting next to him, Steph lets out a sigh. “The sooner we start this, the sooner it’ll be over.”

“It won’t be that bad.” Pete reassures her.

“If you say so.”

____________

They ended up studying for two hours.

Pete honestly wasn't expecting to tutor Steph for that long. Not that he was complaining. They likely would have studied longer, but Steph’s dad texted her a few minutes ago demanding she come home immediately. The girl didn’t seem too happy about it by the way she was shoving her stuff into her backpack, so Pete just stood back, giving her some space.

“I fucking hate when he does this. He gets so damn controlling for no reason.” she huffs. “Sorry to just up and leave, kind of wanted to spend a little more time talking about this whole fake dating thing. Plus studying didn’t completely suck I guess. Not that he’ll believe that’s what I was doing.”

He watches Steph as she texts her dad back in a rush, wishing he could help in some way. Like reassure Mr Lauter that his daughter truthfully got caught up studying and wasn’t doing anything bad.

That’s when he thinks of something.

“Uh, what time does your dad finish work on a Saturday?”

Confused, Steph puts her phone away. “I don’t know. Like noon? He works shorter days on the weekend. Why?”

“What if I come to your place sometime before then and we set up our math homework in your kitchen or living room or any place that’s out in the open. That way when your dad comes home, he’ll see me tutoring you and he will know you were being serious about studying this afternoon.” Pete suggests. “He needs to meet me before this charity event anyways, right? So this will also show him you also took the initiative to find someone responsible like he asked.”

Steph’s frustrated expression softens, a smile forming. “You really are smart, aren’t you?”

“Just want him to know that you’re trying to improve your grades and not doing anything illegal.” his voice wavers.

She scoffs. “Some would argue math is illegal.”

Pete rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I think you’ll learn to love it.”

“Whatever you say.” Steph sighs. “I should really get going, otherwise my dad will call me and I can’t deal with that.”

Pete nods, walking out his bedroom with her towards the front door. “Do you want me to like, I don’t know, write a note or something to your dad? About where you were?”

“No, don’t worry about it. Soon I’ll just be shut in my dark bedroom with my phone and some music. That’s all I need to calm me down.” Steph then gestures toward Pete. “But that plan for Saturday definitely works, so we can talk more about things then.”

“I’ll be there.” Pete smiles. “Um, hope you have a good night. You know, with your phone and all that.”

She laughs lightly. “You too, Pete.”

As Steph walks away, he can’t help but focus on his hoodie she’s wearing. He just hopes her friends don’t tease her about it. Pete thinks it suits her, but then again, what does he know?

Chapter Text

“So why can’t you come to the mall with us?” Brenda asks over the phone.

Steph sighs. “I told you at school, Pete’s coming over to help me study. I’ll go with you guys next weekend.”

“Seriously? You’re doing school work on a Saturday?” the other girl judges. “Still don’t get why you want to date a nerd like that. I know Stacy finds it cute, but come on. There are like, so many better options at school!”

Though she isn’t even dating the guy, Steph still feels the need to defend him.

“Are there? Because the last few people I dated either almost got me suspended or they cheated on me. The worst thing Pete has done so far is make me do math. Plus studying with him will hopefully get Mulberry off my ass.” Steph states, her tone coming out more forceful than expected. “So I think I’m good.”

The other end of the line is silent for a moment, making Steph fear she came on a little too strong. But she isn’t exactly wrong. The jerks she got with in the past convinced her to do some pretty stupid things, which adds to the whole ‘you only date idiots’ argument from her dad. Her friends know this too, since they’ve had several conversations about how they have always disliked whoever she just broke up with and that Steph deserves better. Pete truly isn’t like anyone she’s dated before. Well, fake date, at least.

“I mean I guess by dating him you can just make out if you get bored of doing fractions or whatever.” Brenda eventually speaks up. “Kind of hot when you think about it..”

“Yeah totally. We’re always doing stuff like that.” Steph lies, cringing internally. “Uh, I should probably go. Pete will be here soon and I still need to get ready.”

A gasp escapes from Brenda. “You should dress super cute so he gets distracted and forgets he’s there to study!”

Steph is glad her friend can’t see her face at the moment, as her expression would definitely show she doesn't like that idea at all. “I’ll think about it. Have fun shopping.”

“You know I will!”

Hanging up the phone, Steph throws it onto her bed as she looks down at her clothes. She’s still wearing what she slept in the previous night. Usually Steph would still be in bed at this time on a Saturday, so her routine is definitely fucked up for today.

All Steph knows is that she better get changed quickly, as one of the things she wore was Pete’s hoodie. Which is crazy, as she originally just borrowed this to wear in front of her friends. However, she’s been wearing it to bed ever since Pete gave it to her. If he sees her wearing the hoodie days after her original plan, there is no way she can explain herself and things will get very awkward. It doesn’t mean anything, it’s just something to wear when it’s cold.

Once the hoodie is off and Steph is wearing clothes not given to her by a fake boyfriend, she runs downstairs. Steph has no idea what to expect from today, but it was a good plan on Pete’s behalf. Having her dad come home and see her studying with some nerd will definitely show him that she’s taking her grades and the responsible date he requested for his event seriously.

But studying on a Saturday? Steph is tempted to suggest they only start looking at math a few minutes before her dad walks through the door. However, it was kind of nice understanding what the hell she’s supposed to be learning in class for once, so perhaps studying for one whole day won’t kill her.

Before she can change her mind about how she wants today to go again, the doorbell rings, interrupting her thoughts. Steph quickly walks to the door, opening it with a smile upon seeing Pete. She’s taken aback slightly, since he’s abandoned the usual bow tie and suspender combo and instead wears a simple knit sweater. He looked nice.

“No bow tie today?” Steph smirks, inviting him inside.

Pete smiles nervously, picking at his outfit. “No, not today! When you went through my clothes it kinda reminded me of all the stuff I rarely wear. Thought I’d try something new. Plus don’t really want your dad also calling me bow tie kid..”

She laughs. “The mayor of Hatchetfield isn’t one to use nicknames, so I think you’ll be fine. Though I have to say, it’s a good look. Your fake girlfriend approves.”

The boy looks to the floor, his glasses falling down his face slightly. Steph gets the impression he never gets compliments, even if they’re just friendly.

“Uh, thanks! I have quite a few of these so I’ll probably start wearing them to school too. I am pretending to date Stephanie Lauter after all, I can't keep dressing like a complete nerd.” he says, adjusting his glasses.

Steph smirks. “I wouldn’t say you dress like a complete nerd, your hoodie was a hit with my friends. They said camp clothes with logos are very in right now, whatever the fuck that means.”

“Well it’s yours. Uh, if you want to keep it, that is. I don’t know how often your friends will expect you to wear it so it’s easier for you to hang on to it.” he offers. “But if you only wanted to wear it the once that’s fine, I really have no idea when it comes to this stuff—”

“I’ll keep it.” Steph cuts him off. “Um, the girls sometimes come over for sleepovers so it’s sort of the perfect thing to wear for something like that. Thanks dude.”

“No problem.” he smiles. “Should we start studying?”

Steph nods. “We can work in the dining room, it has a pretty big table so we can spread out all the textbooks and shit to make it look really convincing to my dad.”

“I did bring some cue cards we could put out I guess..” Pete adds, taking his bag off.

“That doesn’t surprise me. Put them on the table.”

As he pulls everything out of his backpack, Pete looks over to Steph. “So I sense it takes a lot for your dad to believe you about things?”

She shrugs. “He always assumes the worst. Just want to make things as obvious as possible. Ridiculous, but better safe than sorry.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll go full tutor when your dad comes home. I love talking about math and science. Only being an equation or formula away from the answer, finding what those sums are and figuring it all out. The endless possibilities of steps you can take and finding that one that makes you understand it the most—” he then stops, an awkward laugh escaping. “I’ll leave it for when your dad walks in.”

Steph finds herself staring at Pete. The way he talks about the things he has passion for, how his eyes lit up as he got lost in the moment talking about the subject, it made Steph want to hear him talk about it more. She could honestly sit with Pete for hours, listening to him just to see that look on his face again.

Clearing her throat, she gives him a soft smile. “I don’t know, hearing all that kind of made me want to study and I never want to study. Your words are very intriguing.”

“Oh! That’s good. Uh, well let’s get started then.” his voice wavers.

Steph takes a seat, motioning for Pete to sit next to her. “Teach me your ways so I can get Mulberry off my back, Spankoffski.”

____________

A notification appears on Steph’s phone, it being a text from her dad saying he’s almost home. This makes her sit up a bit straighter as she opens up some of the textbooks that were currently closed on the table.

“He’s on his way?” Pete asks, noticing her sudden change in behavior.

“Yep, so get ready to suck up to my dad and brag about how much you’ve helped me with math.” she says with haste.

“Hey, you’re actually doing pretty well. It’s not like we need to completely lie to him.” Pete reassures her.

She smiles slightly, looking down at her notebook. Steph has no idea what it is about Pete and the way he explains things, but she actually feels smart when working with him. Maybe her grades really will improve by doing this.

The sound of the door opening makes them both jump, Pete immediately leaning in close to Steph to point at her textbook. “Okay, so here we’re factoring quadratic expressions, so I’ll walk you through the first few, then you can have a go by yourself.”

Steph nods, even though she cannot focus on a word he’s saying. She can feel her father’s presence, him looming behind them.

“What’s going on here, Stephanie?” Solomon asks. “Cannot believe I can recall the last time I saw you actually use a textbook.”

Holding back, Steph puts on a smile. “Well Pete here makes studying bearable. He heard I was struggling in math so he offered to help. Pretty responsible guy if you ask me.”

The older man looks Pete up and down. “I see. Now did your friend here offer to help you out of the kindness of his own heart or does he expect something more knowing you’re related to me? Everyone wants something, Stephanie. No matter how innocent they may appear.”

Steph clenches her jaw. She goes to stand up, but she feels a gentle hand on her arm. Pete gives her a quick reassuring look before he leaves his seat, moving next to Solomon.

“Mr Lauter sir, I can assure you I would have helped Steph no matter who she was or who she was related to. I love math and talking about it, so really we both benefit from this.” he smiles at Steph. “She’s picking it all up really quick. I mean she was studying hard the other day, I think that’s why she was home a bit late. Wouldn’t be surprised if she goes up a letter grade on her next test.”

She feels her face warm slightly at Pete’s words, taking a quick glance at her work. Does Pete really think that? Or was he just selling this whole studying thing to her dad?

“Interesting. Well I guess this is more ideal compared to what you usually do on a Saturday, lazing around because you got too drunk with your friends the Friday before.”

Trying so hard not to roll her eyes, Steph also stands up. “What can I say? Pete is a good influence on me.”

Steph then grabs Pete’s hand, smiling up at him. The tall boy gives her a soft look, his thumb brushing against her skin. Solomon looks at the gesture, crossing his arms.

“Let me guess. Pete is the person you want to bring to my charity ball this year?” he sighs.

“If that’s okay with you, sir. I understand a fundraiser like this is very important so I would get why you may want to keep the guest list selective.” Pete’s voice cracks.

Her dad gives Pete a final once over. “I’ll allow it. Any person who can convince my daughter to study obviously has the patience and brains to not do anything idiotic at one of my events. Don’t make me regret this, Stephanie.”

Even with him believing her, Solomon still found a way to make her sound terrible. Steph doesn’t want to show her dad his words affect her, so she continues to stand there, trying not to lose her cool.

“Well we better get back to it before I get distracted.” Steph says through a forced smile.

Solomon Lauter gives them a final look before heading upstairs, Steph letting out a frustrated groan as they hear the door to his office close.

“He is really intense.” Pete’s voice wavers.

Steph scoffs. “That’s one word to use.”

She sits back down with a sigh, looking at the textbook again. May as well keep studying as a distraction, otherwise she may actually lose it about her dad and she really doesn’t want Pete to deal with that.

Eventually the boy sits next to her. “We don’t have to keep doing math. Your dad seems pretty convinced..”

Steph shakes her head. “Unless you want to hear me shit talk my dad, which I’m really not in the mood for, we better get back to quadratic expressions or whatever you said.”

“Or we could talk more about this fake dating plan? I was being honest when I said you’re getting this pretty quick. Let’s leave it for today.” he suggests. “Balance of productivity and fuck all, I think you said?”

That makes her smirk, forgetting about her dad for a small second. “You remember our talks, how sweet.”

He rolls his eyes with a light laugh, shutting his notebook and putting it away. “To start things off, what are the rules with how we talk about each other to our friends? Like Ruth kept saying how hot you are the other day and I didn’t really know how to respond.”

“You don’t think I’m hot?” Steph questions, a smile playing on her face.

Pete then becomes flustered, making her hold in a laugh. “No, nothing like that! I just didn’t want to make you uncomfortable or anything if I talked about you in that way! Because the only thing we really covered the other day was like the physical boundaries, you know? Not how we can describe one another—”

She places her hand over his, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “Pete? I’m messing around. You can describe me as any other teen boy would their girlfriend, just don’t be too weird about it.”

“Right, cool! Got it.” he breathes out. “I mean I’ll likely just call you beautiful to my friends. Uh, that isn’t too weird, right?”

She takes a moment to respond, that word sticking in her head. Quickly getting over it, Steph clears her throat. “Yeah, words like that are completely fine, dude.”

He nods with a smile. “Anything you want to talk about more?”

She thinks for a second before sitting back in her seat. “Honestly? I think we just need to learn more about each other. Think the more we know, the easier it’ll be to make a convincing couple.”

“Well, uh, guess a pretty important thing to know about me is I have low blood sugar so I kinda need to keep an eye on that.” Pete shares.

“Okay then, I will start keeping juice boxes on hand.” Steph takes a moment to think for herself. “Let’s see, facts about me. Oh! love the rain, hate thunderstorms. Just when it gets really loud with all the lightning? Not my thing. Anytime my friends want to sneak out when the weather is really shit I just use my dad as an excuse to get out of going.”

She doesn’t want to talk about how the weather was really bad the night her mom got into the car accident that killed her, or how her stomach twists into knots whenever the clouds turn that familiar dark gray. Steph just wants to brush it off, act like it’s a silly fear she’s had since childhood.

“Huh, I didn't expect that. Guess we do have a bit more to learn about each other..” he speaks up.

“Do you not find storms in this town creepy as fuck?” she admits, being somewhat honest.

Pete gestures in agreement. “They can get really freaky here..”

“Let’s be real, Hatchetfield as a whole is freaky as fuck, but I do not like to think about it too much” Steph adds, taking a quick look out the window at their town.

“Agreed.”

____________

They spend the rest of the afternoon covering the basics. Favorite foods, tv shows, movies, what they’d do if trapped on a deserted island, things of that nature. Most of it was stuff that would never come up in conversation with their friends and family, but it was nice to just chat with Pete as she would with any of her other friends.

After wrapping up a conversation about how they’d survive an apocalypse if one were to ever happen in Hatchetfield, Pete looks at his watch. “Okay, I should probably go. My parents will probably be home soon..”

Steph stands up. “Thanks for coming around again. At least the plan worked too. I don't need to worry about my dad being on my case about his stupid charity ball and who I should bring anymore.”

“Glad we could convince him.” Pete picks up his things before turning to her. “Since your dad is now aware we’re “dating” would it be okay if I tell my parents it’s you I’m bringing to dinner?”

Steph smiles, giving him an encouraging pat on the arm. “Go ahead, Spankoffski. Make me sound good.”

“Of course I will. I mean they probably won’t move on from the whole dating the mayor's daughter thing anyway.”

She places a hand on her hip. “Ah yes, my main personality trait with the adults of Hatchetfield.”

“I’ll make sure they get it out of their system before you come over. No mayor talk.” Pete reassures her.

“Well thanks. Any night I can go without talking about my dad is a highlight.”

Her front door is only a short walk away from the dining room, so Steph hangs back a bit as Pete heads outside. He then stops, looking over his shoulder. “I wasn’t lying about your next math test, either. You’re really smart Steph. After a few more study sessions, I think you’ll get a decent grade.”

Steph can’t even respond, simply smiling to show she acknowledges his words. He returns the expression before closing the door, leaving Steph standing there by herself.

Peter Spankoffski thinks she’s smart and somehow, it’s the best thing anyone has ever said to her.

Chapter Text

This fake dating plan has now been going on for over a week and Pete still hasn’t told his parents that Steph is the one coming to their family dinner. He knows he told Steph last weekend he was going to tell them, but he’s been waiting until they’re both free and not working late or away on business.

It’s not like he’s been trying to avoid the subject. He could be wrong, but Pete thinks he could bring anyone home and his parents would be happy. The person Pete’s most concerned about is his brother and what he’ll do when he finds out who Pete is “dating”.

Ted knows how to push his buttons and likely already has a bunch of crap prepared to embarrass Pete with. Once he learns Stephanie Lauter is the girl Pete has been seeing, he won’t hold back. While they’re not actually together, he still doesn’t want her to learn anything that’ll make Pete want to curl up into a ball and die.

His mother calling him for dinner pulls Pete out of his thoughts, getting up from his bed with a sigh. He heads toward the kitchen, where Mr Spankoffski already sits at the table. If he’s gonna tell them about Steph, he may as well do it now while they eat. Gives them a whole meal to ask questions and get over the fact he’s “dating” Solomon Lauter’s daughter.

After taking a small bite of meatloaf, Pete clears his throat. “So, uh, is it still okay if I bring the person I’m seeing to our family dinner?”

“Of course! Are you finally going to tell us who they are?” his mom beams.

He smiles awkwardly. “It’s Stephanie Lauter..”

As soon as her name leaves his mouth, both parents give each other a look. They don’t even say anything, having what seems to be a silent argument over who should talk first.

Noticing their hesitation, Pete speaks up. “Something wrong?”

“Look honey, we just thought you were dating someone who was more like you.” Mrs. Spankoffski admits. “Like one of the girls from that study group last year. They were very sweet!”

“PJ and Reese? They have been dating since before that study group.”

His dad lets out an amused hum. “I thought they were just really close friends..”

“Nope, definitely together.” Pete states bluntly. “Does it matter that it’s Steph?”

Mr. Spankoffski doesn’t say a word, shoving a piece of food in his mouth to avoid eye contact with his son. Despite this, Pete can tell he isn’t impressed. He really didn’t think this conversation would go this way and now that it’s happening, Pete doesn't want it to continue.

His mom places a gentle hand on his arm. “Sweetheart, you can’t blame us for being worried. You know the stories that float around about that girl, we just don’t want you getting tied up in the wrong crowd. You’re a smart boy, Pete. It’d be a shame for you to lose your drive over something like this.”

Pete can’t even process half the things his mom is saying because he’s just so annoyed. His parents haven’t even spoken to Steph before, yet they feel as though they have the right to say shit like this? He can’t believe he’s admitting this, but Pete's starting to understand why Ted acts the way he does when he talks with their mom and dad.

“I am smart. Smart enough to think for myself and not believe every dumb rumour this town creates about each other. Most of the kids at my school think we’re rich based on how I dress for goodness sake.” Pete stops for a moment, not wanting to say anything that’ll get him grounded. “Point is, don’t judge her without even meeting her first.”

“You have to understand your mother and I are just looking out for you.” Mr. Spankoffski finally speaks up. “We meant no offense to the mayor’s daughter, but our first instinct is to be cautious. She hangs around the boy who made you miss a week of school last year!”

Their relationship isn’t even real but this whole talk is still making him angry.

“Yeah, that was Max. Not her.” Pete stands up from his seat, unable to keep arguing about this. “I’m not that hungry. Think I’ll just go to bed.”

Mrs. Spankoffski puts on a smile, as though the heated discussion didn’t happen. “Okay honey. I’ll put this in the fridge for you just in case you change your mind.”

He simply nods, making his way out the kitchen. Before he leaves, Pete turns back to his parents. “Make sure you call her Steph when she comes over. None of that mayor crap.”

Once they acknowledge his request, he finally returns to his bedroom. He shuts the door, leaving the light off as he falls onto his bed. That really didn’t go well and Pete now knows just how judgemental his mom and dad can be.

Pete can already hear his parents through the thin walls, clearly talking about what just happened in disapproving voices. It doesn’t matter though. He knows Steph and no amount of stupid rumours created about the girl will change that.

Not to mention the reason why they don’t like Steph. His own parents see Pete as this weak and pathetic guy that’s only capable of dating someone who is exactly like him. He’s used to people his age viewing him that way, but his mom and dad? That’s a kick in the guts.

At least they’ll be very happy when their fake relationship comes to an end.

____________

A clap of thunder wakes Pete from his sleep.

Rain hits the bedroom window with force as Pete checks the time, the bright phone screen displaying 2:54am over his constellation home screen. He puts the device down with a groan, making an attempt to go back to sleep despite the crappy weather outside and the talk with his parents replaying in his head. A lighting strike causes Pete’s room to glow for a fraction of a second, which makes him sit up with a start.

Steph hates thunderstorms.

Pete throws his blankets off and picks up his phone, calling Steph’s number. If she doesn’t answer, that means she’s asleep and won’t be worrying. However, if she is awake, maybe Pete can stay on the phone with her until the weather clears up.

Almost instantly, Steph picks up. “Pete, what are you doing awake?”

“The thunder woke me..” he shares.

“Yeah, the weather is a real bitch tonight.” Steph strains a laugh. “Don’t take this the wrong way dude, but is there a reason you’re calling at three in the morning?”

Pete feels his stomach drop. Why did he call her? All she said was that she hated this weather. People hate a lot of things. That doesn’t mean they’re necessarily scared of them.

“Uh, right. I just remembered you telling me you hated thunderstorms and I was ringing to check on you.” Pete closes his eyes tight, now pacing around his room out of embarrassment. “Now I’m realising it was stupid of me and you probably just meant you hate them because they’re an inconvenience or something—”

“You remembered that?” she cuts him off, voice now wavering.

Pete stops, sitting on the edge of his bed. “Yeah, of course.”

Steph lets out a shaky breath. “Huh. Didn’t think you would.”

“How are you doing?”

There is a moment of hesitation on her end. “Honestly? Not great. Usually I just go on my phone or smoke some weed to calm me down, but my dad is away for a few days for work and he isn’t answering my texts or calls. I know all I do is complain about him and he doesn’t give a shit about me, but just this weather and him getting driven around a lot for his meetings, I’m freaking out. What if he had to work late tonight and didn’t make it to his hotel? I don’t even know where he’s staying..”

Pete takes a look outside before making a quick decision in his head. “Do you want me to come over?”

“Dude, I don’t want you driving in this.” she firmly states.

“I’ll walk.”

“You can’t walk in this either!”

He doesn’t let up. The way she was talking, the tone of her voice, Pete didn’t want her to be alone right now. “Don’t worry! My mom gets super overprotective when it comes to weather so I have it all. Raincoat, windbreaker, gumboots, gloves, an umbrella - as soon as I take all that off I’ll be dry as a bone.”

Steph doesn’t respond for a second, sighing after a moment of silence. “Fine. Just stay away from the road if you can.”

“Will do. I’ll see you soon.”

Putting his phone in his pocket, Pete starts to get changed. As he throws the raincoat on, his eyes fall on his school bag.

Should he take it with him? It’s already morning and by the time he waits for this weather to clear up with Steph, they’d need to leave for school anyways. Taking it now would also mean he can avoid his parents a little longer, as their conversation over dinner last night still irked him. Mind made up, he grabs the stuff he needs for class as well as a spare change of clothes and shoves them into his bag before putting it on.

Pete then writes a note to leave in the kitchen, claiming he left for school early to meet up with Richie and Ruth. This way his parents aren’t wondering where he is when they wake up and won’t send him thousands of texts asking why he isn’t coming down for breakfast.

Leaving his note on the table, Pete quietly makes his way to the front door. He takes a look over his shoulder to ensure his parents are still asleep and not about to storm out of their bedroom to stop him. Once he’s in the clear, he leaves the house and gently closes the door behind him.

Putting up his hood and umbrella, Pete makes his way to the Lauter household. The weather remains the same, but the storm is the least of his worries at the moment.

____________

Steph pulls him inside before he can even ring the doorbell. It takes Pete a few seconds to process what’s happening, the girl still having a tight grip on his arm.

“Steph?” his voice cracks.

She quickly pulls away. “Uh, you can hang your coat and stuff on the hooks. I’ll grab a towel.”

As she walks away, Pete notices what Steph’s wearing. His science camp hoodie. Obviously he doesn’t care, he did tell her she could keep it. Pete just wasn’t expecting her to be wearing it when none of her friends were around. He quickly decides it’s not that serious, not wanting it to play on his mind. Instead he focuses on taking off his raincoat, the multiple layers managing to keep him dry.

“Shit, you weren’t lying on the phone.” Steph says as she hands him the towel, examining Pete’s clothes. “Think your mom could shop for me too?”

He laughs awkwardly, drying his face a bit before putting the towel down. “Unless you want to wear a bunch of dress shirts, I’d hold back on that request.”

Steph shakes her head before looking up at him. “Um, thanks for coming over, you really didn’t have to—”

“I wanted to. You sounded like you needed someone here. Plus I kind of wanted to get out of the house anyway.” he admits, moving to the couch.

She cocks an eyebrow. “Oh? Why’s that?”

“Just my parents..”

She sits next to him. “I thought you and your folks were close?”

“They said some stuff over dinner I didn’t like so I don't really want to deal with them right now. Even brought what I need for class with me so I can just head straight to school rather than go home.” Pete then looks at her. “Hope that’s okay..”

Steph waves her hand. “No sweat, whenever my dad isn’t here it’s rare I don’t have someone stay over.”

“Uh thanks.” Pete looks away, thinking about what his mom and dad said about the girl sitting beside him.

“Wanna talk about it?” she asks. “Trust me, as someone who deals with a lot of shit from her dad, venting about it feels great.”

He wants to. Pete wants to complain about everything they said and their insane thought process. Talk about how easy it was for them to believe stupid lies created by other people in Hatchetfield before even talking to the person they’re about. Pete would vent, if it wasn’t about Steph. It’s clear her own dad makes her feel bad by making assumptions about her, he doesn’t want to add to that.

Pete continues to avoid eye contact. “No, it’s okay. Just stuff to do with relatives. You wouldn’t be interested.”

She gives him a look. “Bullshit.”

“Sorry?”

“Dude, our whole thing is lying to other people. Pretending to be a couple, acting like we’ve been talking for ages, all that crap. We don’t lie to each other. So what’s up?” she asks again, her gaze intense.

He knows she won’t let it go until he tells the truth.

Pete sighs. “I told them about you. How you’re the one I’m bringing to dinner. They got all weird about it and acted like they were being protective, but all they were doing was being judgmental about you..”

There’s a beat of silence. Why did he tell her?

“That’s it?” Steph scoffs.

Taken aback, he looks at her puzzled.

“Pete, every adult has their opinions about me. When you’re the daughter of Solomon Lauter, it’s like you have a constant fucking spotlight on you. Don’t stress about it.” she laughs. “Doesn’t mean I can’t act my ass off at this dinner, pretending to be the perfect girl in front of your parents. Even if they still don’t like me, soon you’ll be free to date someone you actually like and they approve of. It’ll all work out.”

He still feels bad about it, but Steph seems to be used to it.

Which is worse.

“Besides, this whole thing is to shut your brother up about how you’ve never dated anyone. He’s the one I really need to lay it on thick to.” Steph adds.

Pete tilts his head in agreement. “Good point.”

Thunder claps outside as the rain comes down hard, causing Steph to jump and move closer to Pete. He doesn’t move a muscle as the girl leans against him.

“You okay?” his voice wavers.

Steph doesn’t respond, her eyes closed tight as takes short breaths. He can tell all she can think about is the weather and her dad. She needs a distraction. His eyes look down, falling on the hoodie she wore again.

“So I know you teased me about science camp, but you never gave me the chance to explain what we actually do there..”

Her eyes slowly open. “Go on.”

Pete smiles. “Well you know those experiments we can’t do in class because they need to be done outdoors to prevent people from getting hurt? Good thing about camp is that it’s all outdoors..”

“Sick.” she replies.

“Last year I helped the younger campers build bottle rockets. Some of those things got really fucking high, even got over the trees in Witchwood Forest.” he shares.

Steph smirks. “I got really fucking high in Witchwood Forest once. Wasn’t at a camp though..”

He rolls his eyes. “How did I know you were going to say something like that?”

“Because you're my fake boyfriend and know everything about me. You’re obsessed and can’t help it.” she playfully smiles.

Pete gives her a look. “I’m obsessed? Nice hoodie, sweetheart.”

Steph’s face immediately drops.

“Crap.” she mutters.

The girl begins to pull the hoodie off, making Pete put a hand on her arm. “I’m just kidding around! You don’t have to take it off.”

She stops, relaxing back into the couch. “I just didn’t want to make things weird..”

“Hey, I did say it was yours. Nothing weird about it.” he reassures her.

Steph nods, wrapping her arms around herself. “So, what else did you get up to at your cool nerd camp?”

As Pete tells her more stories, rain continues to fall down on Hatchetfield as thunder booms throughout the early morning. However, Steph is much calmer now, Pete keeping her distracted.

What Pete doesn’t realise is that his presence alone is all she needed.

Chapter Text

Several dresses currently cover Steph’s bed as she makes an attempt to choose one to wear to Pete’s family dinner tonight. After learning about how his parents' feel about her, Steph decided it was best to ditch the ripped jeans for one night and look “presentable” as her dad would describe. If she’s going to commit to this perfect girlfriend bit she may as well really sell it.

Eventually she settles on a black dress. Not one she’d wear on a daily basis, but still believable enough to not make it seem like she was trying too hard. Steph pairs it with some boots and a small necklace before touching up her makeup, ensuring everything looks okay. While she wants to make a good impression for Pete’s sake, she doesn’t want to completely abandon her usual style. No one’s opinion is worth that much.

Once ready, she makes her way downstairs where her dad sits at the dining room table, reading the newspaper. Steph thinks she gets past her dad without him noticing, but Solomon clearing his throat and putting down the paper immediately tells her otherwise.

“Another party, I presume?” he asks, looking at her outfit.

She forces a smile. “Nope. Pete invited me to his family dinner. Meeting his parents for the first time.”

A cold smirk spreads across the man’s face. “Have to admit Stephanie, did not expect you to commit to a lie this much. I actually see myself in you for a change.”

This makes Steph stop in her tracks. How the hell did he figure it out? Sure her and Pete aren’t winning any awards for their acting anytime soon but Steph didn’t think her dad of all people would pick up on the fact they weren’t actually a couple.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she retorts, mind racing.

Solomon rolls his eyes. “You really expect me to believe you have any romantic interest in that Spankoffski boy? It is clear you tricked the naive soul into thinking you actually have feelings for him. All so you don’t have to attend my charity event alone. Honestly I thought you were going to bribe someone off the football team to act smart for the evening or catch a sudden illness hours before we’re needed at the fundraiser. However this plan of yours is much more sinister. Reminds me of the lengths I go to secure the people’s vote.”

So he didn’t know. Well not really. Sure she isn’t actually dating Pete, but they both know it’s a fake relationship. Neither of them have feelings for eachother. Yet again her dad is just assuming the worst in something she's doing. Except this time he seems disturbingly for it. Regardless, Steph doesn’t want to give her father the satisfaction of being somewhat correct. She also hates the idea of being anything like him.

“As much as it hurts to admit this, you were right the other night. Usually I do only go for idiots who end up being massive jerks. So I decided to give some dorky guy a chance and he really fucking surprised me. Starting to think nerds have been my type this entire time.” Steph lightly laughs. “He’s nice, wants to help with my grades, actually listens and doesn’t convince me to do stupid shit that gets me into trouble. Believe what you want, but you should be happy I’m dating someone who won’t make a fool of themselves at your event..”

There was no need to make anything up either. Steph still can't believe Pete offered to come over when the weather was shit all because of one conversation they had. No other person has done that for her. Helping Steph with her school work was already enough, but Pete continues to prove he is so much more than just a geeky guy she decided to bother in detention.

Despite her words, Solomon’s expression remains the same. “If you say so. Though might I suggest next time you pull a stunt like this, perhaps you can choose someone who at least has a reputation? I cannot exactly brag about the fact my daughter is dating the son of a shoe’s salesman..”

She bites her tongue, not wanting to get into an argument that’ll make her late for dinner. Steph simply ignores his words, opening the front door.

“Not sure what time I’ll be home. Don’t wait up.”

After earning a measly head nod, she walks outside and gets into her car, sitting in silence for a moment. He’s so frustrating. No matter what it is, her dad has the same cold, heartless way of going about it.

Even the way Solomon responded to her messages the night of the storm pissed her off. All she got was a stupid text after school asking her to email him some paperwork. Didn’t even think to address the fact she was stressing about whether or not he was okay that night.

At least Pete was there for her, otherwise she likely would have done something reckless.

____________

Steph stands in front of the Spankoffskis house, hesitating to ring the doorbell. She doesn’t know why she’s so nervous, all she’s there to do is prove Pete’s brother wrong. Maybe it’s because she’s never done the whole ‘officially meeting the family’ thing with anyone she’s actually dated. This is new for her, even if it’s all an act.

Finally getting over herself, she presses the small button causing a chime to ring through the house. Steph can hear some commotion on the other side of the door, several moments passing before it finally opens. While she was expecting Pete to be standing there, another man is at the front door instead. He looks pretty similar to the boy she’s pretending to date, the main difference being the short hair and moustache.

“You’re with Stephanie Lauter? No fucking way!” the older man laughs out, an annoyed Pete standing just behind him. 

She gives him a once over. “I’m assuming you're Ted?”

Before he can respond, Pete is shoving him away. “I told you not to answer the door!”

“I just wanted to be the first to meet your girlfriend. Excuse me for being a good brother.” Ted states, trying to get a rise out of his younger sibling. “I can see why she made you keep the relationship on the down low. You’re punching above your weight, Petey.”

Seeing Pete’s agitation, Steph smirks as a plan forms in her head. “Well usually I’m not one to meet the family of someone I’m seeing. I have to be pretty into a guy to agree to something like this." She then wraps her arms around Pete, looking up at him in a sickeningly sweet way she’d normally cringe at.

Pete brings his arm over her shoulder. “Thanks again for coming, I know this isn’t really your thing. So I appreciate it.”

“Of course. Kind of want to see the rest of your house anyways. All I’ve seen so far is your bedroom.” she adds, really wanting to shut his brother up. “Not that I’m complaining..”

Unsurprisingly, this makes Pete go bright red as Steph stifles a laugh. She isn’t wrong though, the only room she’s properly seen is his bedroom. Ted just doesn’t know it was for studying purposes.

Ted looks between the two, obviously trying to work out his thoughts. “Alright little bro, maybe my charm has rubbed off on you. Just try to keep your hands to yourselves during dinner, okay? Don’t think our folks want to know everything their precious little boy gets up to with the chick he’s seeing.”

After he gives the pair an uncomfortable wink, the man disappears into the kitchen. Steph waits a few seconds to make sure he’s actually gone before pulling away from Pete’s embrace. “So he’s always like that huh?”

Pete sighs awkwardly. “Yeah. That’s not even the worst of it..”

“It is kind of fun messing with him though.” she smirks. “Hope what I’ve said so far isn’t too much..”

“Uh no, not at all! You’re much better at thinking on your feet than me with this whole thing.”

Steph nods. “Let’s just hope I can do that in front of your mom and dad. Don’t want to say anything dumb that’ll confirm their theories about me.”

“That won’t happen, I’m more worried about what they’ll say. If things get too overwhelming, I’ll get us out of there.” he reassures her.

For a fake boyfriend, Pete sure does a damn good job at making her feel comfortable and heard. Steph can only imagine how he’d treat a person he actually has feelings for.

“Good plan.” Steph takes a deep breath. “Time to act like a fucking angel. Don’t judge me too much, this is all to help you.”

He smirks at this, guiding her to the kitchen. That nervous feeling returns as soon as Pete’s parents come into view, holding each other like they’re on the cover of a crappy Hallmark movie. Steph just needs to bullshit her way through this dinner and then they can focus on the charity ball. After that, this whole plan will be over and done with.

“Stephanie! We’re so glad you could make it.” Mrs. Spankoffski greets, her smile so forced it was almost painful to look at.

Mr. Spankoffksi looks her up and down, making her nerves increase. “Yes. It’s a pleasure to have you, Miss Lauter.”

Pushing everything down, she also plasters on a smile.

“Thank you for inviting me! Pete often talks about your family dinners so I knew I couldn’t miss it.” Steph explains, putting on a polite voice. “It smells amazing. Don’t get a lot of home cooked meals at my place.”

Again, not a lie. Sometimes she’ll cook for herself but usually her food intake consists of takeout or coffee from Beanie’s. Solomon Lauter isn’t one to eat dinner as a family. Unless it’s for show, of course.

“Well your father always seems quite busy and on the go when I see him around town. Guess it’s hard to fit ‘cook dinner’ on his packed schedule as mayor.” Pete’s mom laughs softly, making Steph unsure if that was supposed to be a dig at her dad.

She just laughs along, not wanting to make things awkward before the dinner even starts. Pete gives her an apologetic look before they sit down at the table, Steph now just focusing on more polite crap she can say to make his evening go quickly.

The table is silent for a moment as they all start eating, Steph thankful it gives her more time to think. She can’t help but notice the way Mr. Spankoffski looks at her, as though he’s waiting for her to say something bad. Clearing her head, Steph takes another bite of her food before smiling at Mrs. Spankoffski.

“This tastes really good.” She exclaims before moving her attention to Pete. “No wonder you talk about your mom’s cooking all the time.”

“Well thank you! Maybe I could teach you how to make it sometime? The women in our family just love cooking this. I have a whole range of recipes I could show you!” the woman smiles. “Sometimes I feel like a bad mom for going back to work and not being here for Pete all the time to make his favourite foods, but at least he has you now!”

Steph doesn’t even know what to say, the comment making her feel a bit weird. She knew going into this that Pete’s parents were very white picket fence and nothing like what she experiences at her own home, but she didn’t think they’d be this traditional.

“Mom!” Pete warns, feelings obviously mutual with Steph.

Mr. Spankoffski sighs. “She was just making a simple offer, Pete.”

Wanting to ease the tension, Steph clears her throat. “I’d be down. Always looking for things to do when I have the house to myself. Why not cook?”

“Wonderful!” Pete’s mom beams, clasping her hands together. “You’ll be living in the kitchen in no time!”

“Better that than causing trouble around town..” Mr. Spankoffski mumbles under his breath, his wife nodding at his words.

There it is.

Steph doesn’t know if she should acknowledge what he said or act blissfully unaware. If this was any other adult she’d talk back, probably saying something she’d regret. However, she’s here to help Pete. This fake dating plan was for both of them. Steph doesn’t want to screw things up because she can’t keep her cool.

“You’re unbelievable..” Pete mutters, Steph whipping her head around at his words.

Heart pounding, she watches his face twist into an expression she’s never seen before.

Mr. Spankoffski looks up from his food. “Excuse me?”

“You know what I’m talking about. Both of you need to lay off.” he somewhat snaps, fist clenched on the table.

All of this makes Steph sink down in her seat, her appetite gone. She glances over at Ted, who seems very entertained by the situation. The man sips at his beer, clearly trying to hold in a laugh.

“What did I do?” his mom speaks up, tone genuine.

Pete rolls his eyes. “Seriously? All you’ve done so far is make Steph feel like she has to cook for me. Which is really fucking weird, what year do you think this is?”

“Do not talk to your mother that way!” his father demands.

The boy next to her scoffs. “So you’re allowed to be rude to my girlfriend but I’m not allowed to defend her? She’s done nothing wrong!”

Steph finds herself unable to focus for a moment, the argument turning to a muffled hum. This is all her fault. They’re fighting because Pete brought her along. This fake dating shit was intended to get people off their back, not cause issues. Steph doesn’t even have the energy to move, frozen in place.

“She hasn’t done anything wrong? Your mother and I are well aware you snuck out a few nights ago. This house has very thin walls, Peter. It's hard to ignore our front door opening in the middle of the night!” Pete’s dad then glares at Steph. “It’s quite obvious who convinced you to do that.”

That comment snaps Steph out of her daze as the room goes quiet. A laugh almost escapes, feeling like she can’t win with any of the adults on this stupid island.

Her dad thinks she’s lying to Pete and wishes she “tricked” someone who was higher up in the Hatchetfield community. Mr. Spankoffski didn’t even give her a chance, believing she’s a bad influence on his son. Then there’s Pete’s mom, who has this strange old fashioned mindset that the perfect girl is someone who cooks for their partner 24/7, even though she isn’t home herself to cook all the time.

“Woah, sneaking out? Very rebellious little bro.” Ted’s sarcasm breaks the awkward silence. “What scandalous thing will you do next?”

Pete doesn’t even acknowledge his brother, eyes glued to the floor. It’s obvious this is the first time his parents have gotten mad at him, the boy drumming his fingers anxiously on his lap.

Eventually he speaks up, voice wavering. “Look, Steph didn’t make me do anything. It was my idea—”

“You don’t have to cover for me.” Steph cuts Pete off. She has a shit relationship with her dad and doesn’t want Pete to go through that too because of her. “I called Pete that night. My dad was away on business and I wanted some company. He was the first to come to mind.”

“Steph..” Pete starts, but she shakes her head.

Mrs. Spankoffski frowns. “Pete, we’ve talked about peer pressure. You didn’t have to say yes..”

There is no way she could turn this night around now. That’s right, even Stephanie Lauter, the girl who's apparently always up to something, couldn’t think of a lie to cover her ass. Best option was to leave and be thankful she doesn’t have to come back for dinner ever again. One dinner and the charity ball, that was their agreement. She just wants to fuck off somewhere and be alone.

“I need to go.” she stands up from her seat, forcing a smile. “Sorry about the whole sneaking out thing. Sometimes I forget not everyone makes stupid decisions like me, but no need to worry. Won’t be asking Pete to do that again. Thanks again for dinner.”

Not even waiting for a response, Steph walks out of the kitchen and heads toward the front door. She can hear Pete arguing with his parents some more, making her walk faster, finally making it outside. Mr. Spankoffski is not wrong about the thin walls.

“Steph, wait!” Pete calls after her, but she doesn’t stop.

“I have to get home. My dad doesn’t want me out late.” Steph lies, not looking back.

Before she can even reach her car, Pete is grabbing Steph’s arm and spinning her around so they stand close together, the position making her look up at him. They stare at each other for a moment, Pete trying to read her facial expression.

Noticing this, Steph smirks at the boy like she usually would. “Well your brother knows you have a love life now. Just as long as we don’t start a fire or some shit at my dad’s charity ball, I’d say this plan has been pretty successful!”

He doesn’t smile. Instead, he looks concerned. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Do what?” Steph strains a laugh.

“Lie to my parents. Act like you made me sneak out. It was my choice to come see you. This whole time they knew I snuck out but waited until now to lecture me about it?” Pete exclaims, frustrated. “My dad knew exactly what he was doing.”

Steph brushes him off. “They already don’t like me, no point in you getting in trouble. You’re like the ideal child, dude. Great grades, polite, dress well and your go to drink is hot chocolate? No shit they think I forced you to sneak out. May as well lean into the believable lie. It’s not like I haven’t convinced people to do that in the past.”

He scoffs, dropping her arm. “Yeah, that’s me. Just a pathetic seventeen year old who still gets fucking coddled by his parents..”

“Pete, I didn’t mean it like that.” She gently reassures him. “Look, none of this really matters, remember? In a few months time you’ll probably be dating this picture perfect person your parents love and they won’t even remember you snuck out. If anything, I’m just making your actual first girlfriend or boyfriend look better in comparison. No need to thank me, think of it as a bonus to our plan.” Steph tries to joke.

“I don’t care about the plan right now!” Pete snaps, quickly swapping to a forced whisper. “The fact we aren’t really dating doesn’t mean I can’t be annoyed by what they said!”

Taken aback by his outburst, Steph laughs nervously. ”Dude, I swear it’s fine. Sure I’m used to hearing stuff like that through whispers around town and not at a dinner table, but nothing they said is new to me.”

Pete shakes his head. “And that’s not okay! I saw how you reacted to everything tonight. You’re allowed to be upset.”

Staying silent, Steph doesn’t know how to respond. He takes notice of shit like that?

While she was tempted to drag Pete into her car and complain her ass off, she really didn't have the energy to talk about it anymore. At least not tonight. Instead of being honest and opening up, she turns away.

“It’s all good. Think I just need to get to bed. Clear my head, you know?” Steph claims, just wanting to go home.

There’s a moment of hesitation before Pete responds. “Can I say one more thing?”

Sighing, she looks at him again. “Shoot.”

Another beat of silence passes as Pete fidgets with his fingers.

“You look really nice. I was gonna tell you that earlier but Ted happened and then my parents, so I couldn’t find the right time to say it.” he rambles. “Uh, then again you always look nice, so you probably hear that all the time. Likely don’t need it again from a fake boyfriend..”

Suddenly, she didn’t feel so crappy anymore. Sure, what his parents said still replayed in her head like some sort of crappy nightmare, but Pete’s words yet again calm her down. She no longer feels the need to scream into her pillow when she gets home.

For the first time tonight, she genuinely smiles. “Will never say no to a compliment, especially from a fake boyfriend.”

This seems to ease Pete, his demeanour relaxing slightly.

Steph then gets into her car and turns on the ignition, eyes meeting Pete’s for a final moment. She gives him a small grin before driving away, the Spankoffski house slowly disappearing behind her. This night was an absolute shit show and all Steph wants to do is forget about it.

Well, maybe not that last part.

Chapter Text

A few days have passed since Steph came over for dinner and to say it’s been tense amongst the Spankoffski family would be an understatement. As soon as Pete came back inside that night, another argument was sparked about his “date” which made everyone go to bed angry.

Except Ted. He seemed very amused by the whole thing.

Pete has made some more attempts to reason with his parents, but they won’t listen. They just keep repeating the same crap about how they know what’s best and they’re only looking out for him. In other words, only his mom and dad can decide the type of person he should be with.

All the arguing about his life must have been really hard on them, since the couple are currently both away on a business trip his mom needed to take.

Thing is, Mr. Spankoffski never goes away with his wife when it comes to her work, since he’s always busy with his own job. Guess their son dating someone they didn’t get to hand pick themselves allows for some time off.

If anyone were to know the full story of Pete’s situation they would likely say he’s an idiot and tell him just stop the fake dating thing all together. It would make his parents very happy after all and the arguments would stop, but he doesn’t want to back out now.

For one, it’d be pretty shitty for Pete to turn around and bail on the charity ball with Steph, considering that was the reason she even proposed the idea in the first place. Secondly, he’s grown tired of the way his mom and dad treat him. Their so-called caring and cautious parenting style is starting to become suffocating and he wants a break.

Not to mention, Pete likes what he has going with Steph, even if it’s just a fake relationship. His parents will just have to put up with it all for a few more weeks.

A knock from outside is a welcomed distraction, Pete already near the front door to open it. As though the girl knew he was thinking about her, Steph stands there with a recognizable Beanie’s disposable cup in hand.

“Steph! Uh, did we have a study session planned? Jeez, sorry I must have forgotten—” Pete rambles, worrying the shit going on with his parents actually made him forget plans.

She scoffs. “A girl can’t show up to her pretend boyfriend's house unannounced?”

“Oh! I mean that’s fine too. Um, come in.” Pete moves to the side so she can walk through the door, still curious as to why she wanted to come here of all places.

Clocking his puzzled expression, Steph laughs lightly. “I was at Beanie’s after school and my dad sent me a text saying he’s got important people coming over. In other words, don’t come home.” Steph then looks at him, her usual smirk faltering. “I was wondering if I could hang here for a bit? Stacy and Brenda are at cheer practice and I’m not really in the mood to sit through another routine of theirs..”

He nods, now really grateful his parents aren’t home to say more crap about Steph. “Of course, stay as long as you want. It is a Friday so it’s not like we have school tomorrow or anything..”

“You’re such a dork.” she comments, it almost being endearing. 

Pete playfully rolls his eyes. “Whatever..”

“I also got you this.” Steph hands him the cup. “Felt kinda rude just showing up here with nothing.”

He takes a sip, the familiar taste of hot chocolate hitting his lips. “You didn’t have to do that..”

“It’s nothing, dude. I’ll probably just stay for a few hours. Will definitely be out of here before your parents get home though.” she sighs, looking toward where they had dinner the other night.

Pete hesitates for a moment, putting the cup down on the coffee table. “Actually, my mom is away for work and dad decided to go with her. You won’t have to worry about them..”

Steph smirks, moving close to Pete. “So you have the house to yourself?”

“Uh, yeah..” his voice cracks, suddenly nervous Steph is about to suggest a party or something. Not to lean into the nerd stereotype, but he is not about to invite people over who call him “Micro Peter” on a daily basis.

“Think I could spend the night?” she asks. “Kind of want to avoid going home all together. I never know when my dad finishes his meetings and god forbid I interrupt it by opening the front door.”

Now at ease, he smiles. “Yeah, sure. Like I said, you can stay as long as you want. I was gonna get some homework done tonight but we can watch a movie or something..”

“I could study.” Steph shrugs. “Your dad talks a lot about how I’m a bad influence on you, yet you’re the one who actually makes me want to do math. Can’t get worse than that..”

He knows she’s trying to make a joke of an awkward situation, but Pete finds himself feeling bad. “Don’t listen to anything he said the other night. With the shit you get from your own dad and the rumours people make up, I’m surprised you haven’t done worse.”

She tucks a piece of hair behind her ear, a grin appearing. “Well you have to say that, you're my fake boyfriend.”

Pete gives her a look. “Steph..”

“I’m not perfect, man. Sure people thought I was pregnant last year because I was throwing up in the girls bathroom when in reality I was just hungover, but it was still stupid of me to drink the night before school.” she laughs. “Then again, when am I not stupid.”

Steph casually turns away to walk toward the kitchen, her words sticking in Pete’s head like a broken record.

“You’re not stupid.” he says.

This makes her stop, slowly turning back around to look at Pete.

“We all do stupid things. I mean I kept wearing a bow tie and suspenders to school even though it made me a walking target.” he points out. “Some would argue that’s a dumb move. Doesn’t mean everything I do is stupid..”

Steph sighs. “Pete it’s not that serious, I was just saying shit. It doesn’t mean anything.”

“Good. I hope that means you actually think you’re pretty smart, because that’s how I see you.”

“You think I’m pretty?” she smirks, crossing her arms.

Anyone with eyes would think she’s pretty. She’s Stephanie freaking Lauter for goodness sake. However with this whole fake dating situation, he almost feels like he can’t be honest since it’d make things awkward.

“Well I am your fake boyfriend, I have to think you're pretty.” he instead teases.

This only makes her smirk grow. “Oh of course. Does this mean I have to think you’re pretty since I’m your fake girlfriend?”

“Uh, so homework?” he swallows thickly, unable to respond to what she just said.

She huffs a laugh, grabbing her school work. “You’re really easy to mess with, you know that?”

“I’m aware.” Pete’s voice wavers, taking a seat where he was already set up for study before Steph came over.

Sitting next to Pete, she gives him a light nudge with her shoulder. “You know I’m just kidding around, right? I mess with people to show I care.”

“I know. ” he says softly. “Sort of learned a lot about you over these past few weeks. The fact some people only see you as the mayor’s daughter is their loss, honestly.”

Getting to know Steph beyond the front she puts up at school has been refreshing. When they were first talking in detention, he swore this idea she suggested was a massive joke and somehow Max was behind it. Pete is very happy to admit he couldn’t be more wrong. He’s actually enjoyed spending time with her, despite the ridiculousness of their fake dating plan.

Steph stares at him for a moment before quickly averting her attention from Pete to the textbook. “Uh, let’s see if you can make me understand trigonometric functions. When Mulberry talks about it I just get fucking confused.”

“Sure, I’ll do my best.” his voice cracks, grabbing a pencil. “So the main thing to understand is there are six functions, which are sine, cosine, tangent, cotangent, secant and cosecant. They represent ratios of sides of right triangles. Sometimes Miss Mulberry switches between calling them trigonometric functions and circular functions, but it’s the same thing. So I don’t blame you for getting confused in class.”

Pete then starts working through the first equation in the chapter, explaining the steps as he goes along. He has no idea if what he’s saying makes any sense to Steph, but once he starts talking about a topic he’s interested in he often struggles to stop. His rambling is especially evident when he’s studying one on one with someone.

Eventually he solves it, looking at Steph for the first time since starting the problem. He’s expecting her to be writing in her own notebook, but instead the girl looks at him with a soft expression.

“Steph?”

She immediately moves her eyes to the blank page in front of her, a strained laugh escaping her lips. “Sorry, that was weird. I promise I was listening. It’s just, whenever we study and you’re talking..” Steph then draws off, looking away.

“It’s just?..” Pete repeats, curiosity getting the better of him.

“Distracting. It’s distracting.” she somewhat blurts out. “All I want to do is listen to you talk about your nerdy shit and not worry about my own work. Which is dumb because the only reason you talk about this stuff with me is to help me with my grades.”

Pete feels his cheeks grow warm at her confession. “You like listening to me ramble about math?”

“Not just math. Pretty much anything you talk about.” she admits, drawing random patterns on her page. “I like how you get lost in the moment.”

He adjusts his glasses. “Honestly I thought I talked a bit too much when we studied together..”

“Not at all.” Steph reassures him. “I mean I still follow along and understand how to solve the questions. I just sometimes forget to write things down because I’m so focused on what you’re saying.”

Pete looks to his work, trying to process what Steph just told him. He always thought anyone that got stuck listening to him talk about a subject for ages would find it boring and secretly wished he would shut up. He really didn't expect the popular girl he’s been pretending to date to show interest in the geeky stuff he can’t keep quiet about. Then again, Steph is good at surprising him.

While the knowledge Steph actually enjoys listening to his rambles makes him feel insanely happy, he still wants to ensure she walks away with something written down. Tapping his pencil on the table in thought, he soon looks to Steph.

“How about you try to talk me through the next question? We can sort of make it a discussion. That way you’re still getting work on the page.” he offers.

Steph sits back in her seat, considering it. “Alright, guess we could give it a shot. But if I say anything wrong, you better not laugh at me or tell your little dweeb friends about it..”

“I wouldn’t do that.” he reassures her.

She hesitates before looking at the next question. “Fine..”

Pete listens to Steph, her brow furrowing as she slowly goes through the equation in steps. Even if she can’t see it yet, the girl is definitely improving at her math.

____________

It was now dark outside and the pair had made the decision to stop studying for the night, both growing tired. Pete carefully packs away his things as he stands up from the table, turning to Steph.

“Was thinking about ordering a pizza. Is that okay?” he suggests, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“Pizza works.” Steph nods, shoving her school things back inside her bag. “Think I could borrow some clothes or something? Kind of want to get out of these jeans..”

He nervously nods. “Uh sure, you can grab anything you want from my room. I’ll just call Pizza Pete’s while you do that.”

Steph smirks. “I’ve never made that connection until now. Maybe I should call you Pizza Pete at school. It may catch on and replace Micro Peter..”

Pete gives her a look. “Very funny.”

“Okay, no more jokes. I’ll go get changed." She heads off, Pete still able to hear the girl laugh at her own joke as she walks down the hallway.

Once the order is placed, Pete sits on the couch and looks at his text messages. He opens the latest conversation between himself and his mom, it being from before his parents went away. Pete did send a message on that first day asking if they got to the hotel safely, but it was only read with no response. This made it very clear his parents did not want to speak to him right now.

It’s not like he was in any mood to talk to them either, but it still feels weird. Pete’s used to his mom texting him constantly when she’s not with him, always wanting to know his whereabouts and if he’s home.

As of right now though, he doesn’t even know when his mom and dad will be back. Not wanting to think about it, Pete places his phone on the coffee table so it’s out of reach.

“This definitely feels better.” Steph comes back from Pete’s room, now wearing a pair of his sweatpants and a hoodie with Spider-Man on it.

Pete looks at Steph, who now plays on her phone. Whenever he sees her wearing his stuff it takes a while for him to look away. Almost makes Pete wish he really was dating someone so he could lend them his clothes all the time.

“Want to watch something? Pizza should be here soon.” he looks toward the tv, unsure if Steph caught him staring.

The girl sits next to Pete, oblivious to his gaze. “Sure, put on whatever. Though your choice may change the way I see you as a fake boyfriend.” she playfully jokes before continuing to scroll on her phone.

He randomly picks something sci-fi, the pair getting lost in the story for about ten minutes. Steph actually puts her phone down to watch, Pete hoping that’s a good sign and isn’t boring her to death with his choice.

A knock on the door pulls Pete away from the film, their dinner finally at the house. He places the box on the table and opens the lid before sinking back into his seat. They both grab a slice, eating in silence as they continue to watch the movie.

“So does your dad always go away with you mom on her work trips?” Steph suddenly asks as she finishes her mouthful.

Pete puts down his pizza. “Um no, not usually.”

“Why the sudden decision to go with her?”

He doesn’t answer for a second, knowing there’s no way to be honest without bringing up the dinner and how awkward it’s been since that night. Pete does not want to put Steph through that again.

“Guess they just wanted to spend more time together. They rarely get to see each other, so I think dad took some days off work so he could travel with her.” he lies, eating more pizza to stop himself from rambling more.

Steph nods. “Know when they’ll be back?”

“Uh, no. But that’s fine, I’m sure they’ll be home soon. Mom’s work trips never last more than a week.” Pete explains.

“Have they been calling you or whatever?”

Letting out a strained laugh, Pete shakes his head. “No, but these trips always keep mom busy. Normally she’ll text me at night when she’s away at these sorts of things, asking about homework and school. Guess dad being there sorta changed her routine.”

“And your dad?” she cocks an eyebrow.

He scoffs. “He rarely contacts me on the phone. Does all his talking through mom.”

Steph then moves her hand on top of his. “Don’t stress, I’m sure they’ll be back sooner than you think. It’s not like your dad’s shoe store can run itself.”

Thing is, Pete doesn’t even think he is stressed about them being gone. Sure, it’s weird having both parents away at the moment with zero communication, no doubt about that. However, with how they left things, Pete is more stressed about their return. It’s safe to assume they’ve used some of this time to complain more about Pete and his choices to each other, so he could only imagine the shit they’ll hit him with as soon as they come home.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” he replies quietly.

As she turns back to watch the movie, Pete can’t help but feel those upset emotions resurface with how his parents treated Steph. He knows in a few weeks time the two of them won’t even be speaking anymore and all these negative discussions about the girl he was “dating” will soon be forgotten, but still doesn’t stop Pete from wishing his parents went about the dinner differently.

Just as Pete looks toward the movie to distract himself, the sound of keys in the door suddenly makes his stomach drop. He pulls his hand away from Steph’s, heart racing as the door opens.

But it wasn’t his parents as Pete was expecting. It was Ted.

As the man walks in, he immediately spots them on the couch. “Girlfriend over on a Friday night? How did you convince our old folks to let that slide?”

Groaning, Pete pauses the movie. “What are you doing here?”

“Calm down, little bro. I forgot my jacket the other night. Was on the way to someone’s place and thought I'd stop by to grab it. Not that I’ll have it on for long.” he smirks, making the pair cringe.

“Well could you grab it and go?”

Holding his hands up in defense, his brother picks up the piece of clothing. “Alright, alright. I’m going. Why are you two even out here? It’s like you want mom and dad to catch you. That’s a bit weird, Petey. Even for you.”

Looking away from his older brother, he shrugs. “They’re not here at the moment.”

“What do you mean? I know dad is shitty when it comes to time management but he always comes home at some point.” Ted asks, making no effort to leave.

“He went away with mom.”

Ted stands there, confused. “Like on one of her work trips? Why? He never leaves that stupid shoe store..”

Pete sighs. “I don’t know, Ted.”

He hates the fact he actually does know, unconsciously looking at Steph.

Ted obviously takes note of this, the man rubbing his face in frustration. “Hang on. Does any of this relate to that fucking dinner the other night? Mom and dad aren’t happy with the girl you’re getting with so they fuck off on some trip together so they don’t have to argue about it anymore?”

This makes Steph stand up. “Is that true?”

Pete avoids looking at them, fingers nervously drumming on his lap. “I’m not too sure..”

“Have they at least been texting you? How long have they been gone?” his brother asks, tone growing more annoyed.

Pete is not used to seeing Ted like this and he isn’t even sure how to react. If anything it just leaves him confused. It’s not like his brother was jumping to help Pete when all the arguments were happening the other night. 

“No, no texts.” his voice wavers. “And it’s been about four days?”

“Can’t fucking believe this. Always on my ass for making poor decisions yet they pull this shit.” Ted sarcastically mumbles, putting his jacket on in a huff.

Pete doesn’t say anything, not really wanting to talk about it anymore. The older man looks at him a final time before walking toward the front door.

“If you don’t hear from them by Monday, call me.” he somewhat demands, before finally leaving the house.

An awkward silence fills the room as an overwhelming feeling takes over Pete’s body. It almost sounded like Ted cared about him.

He can sense Steph staring at him, but he feels too bad about everything to meet her eyes.

“Dude, this stupid plan is not worth all this. I can find someone else for the charity ball or let my dad pick some loser to take me.” Steph says after a moment, sounding a bit shaken up.

Pete forces himself to look at her. “No. We had a deal and I want to follow through with it.”

Steph continues to stand there, looking unsure.

“I promise, I’m all good.” he reassures her, making the girl relax slightly.

“Okay then.” she looks away, a beat passing. “Do you want me to go? That was a lot and I’d totally get if you want to be alone—”

“I want you to stay.” his voice cracks. “Anyways if you leave now, you’ll miss the best part of the movie.”

“Well we can’t have that.” Steph smiles softly, her head falling on his shoulder as she sits back down. She really is committing to this fake girlfriend bit.

Not that Pete’s complaining.

Chapter Text

Steph feels terrible.

She knows Ted was right that night, about her being the reason Pete’s parents essentially ditched him. No matter how many time’s Pete claims it could be something else, Steph knew the truth. While she appreciated the nerd’s effort to protect her feelings, it’s hard to ignore the reality of the situation.

However, her being the cause of all this wasn’t even the main thing making her riddled with guilt. What Steph really hated is how she was happy Pete still wanted to go to the charity ball with her and stick to their plan. She didn’t even put in the effort to change Pete’s mind so his parents would treat him normally again. He was essentially sacrificing his own well-being just to help her out. It was selfish of her to let it slide.

But she isn’t ready for this time with Pete to end. Steph wasn’t expecting to even tolerate hanging around one of the biggest geeks at Hatchetfield High, yet here she is almost wishing there was a way to stop time so she could enjoy it for a little bit longer. That or prevent Max from coming back, but that is inevitable.

The boy currently sits across from her, both of them at a table in the middle of the cafeteria. It was Stacy’s idea to invite Pete and his friends to eat lunch with them last week and they’ve been eating together ever since. His eyes are glued to his phone, not paying attention to anything the group is talking about. Then again, neither was Steph.

Gently nudging his foot under the table, she puts on a smirk in front of the others. “Wanna see if the janitor’s closet is free? We still have twenty minutes left in our lunch break..”

She’s sure to quickly glance at his phone, hoping Pete understands what she actually wants to do. Seeming to understand what Steph is implying, he nods. “Uh, sure!”

“I wish someone would take me to the janitor’s closet..” Ruth mumbles as the pair walk off, Stacy giving her comforting pat on the arm.

Steph grabs Pete’s hand as they leave the cafeteria, pulling him to an empty corner of the school hallway before dropping it. Once she double checked no one else was around, Steph looked back at Pete who was on his phone again.

“What’s going on? Usually I’m the one always on my phone.” she asks, growing concerned.

His voice cracks. “My mom texted me.”

Steph doesn’t know if she should feel relieved or worried. “Shit. What did she say?”

“Apparently her business trip was all okay, but they have decided to extend their time off and check out Clivesdale.” he weakly laughs. “She then added that this will give me more alone time to really think about everything.”

“Fucking Clivesdale?” That guilty feeling increases as she watches Pete look at his phone. “Will they at least be back in a few days or something?”

“She didn’t say.”

Steph thinks back on the night she stayed over. “Are you gonna call your brother?”

“I don’t know. I did hear from them and he only told me to call if they didn't reach out–”

She stops him. “Doesn’t hurt to at least tell Ted what your mom said. I know you two aren’t close but he’s also the only other person who really knows your parents in the same way you do.”

Pete hesitates for a moment before looking at his watch. “He may be on his lunch break..”

“Call him. I’ll wait here.” she tells him, the boy nodding as he walks off with the phone to his ear.

As Pete paces around talking to his brother, Steph tries to divert her attention elsewhere to not stare. She hopes Ted isn’t a complete jerk about the whole thing, otherwise she’ll feel even worse for suggesting Pete call him. If anything else goes wrong, Steph will just have to pull the plug on this whole thing herself, even if she selfishly doesn’t want to.

Soon Pete comes back over, putting his phone in his pocket. “So after swearing about mom and dad for a few seconds, he told me if my nerd self can’t handle being home alone at any point, I can crash at his place. Which I think is him trying to be nice..”

“Are you going to take him up on his offer?” Steph asks, feeling slightly more at ease.

Pete shrugs. “I’ll think about it. I mean the last time we spent any alone time together was when he was forced to babysit me when I was six. It’s going to be different if I do stay with him, even if it’s only for a little while..”

He then removes his glasses, rubbing a hand over his tired eyes. It’s clear Pete was over talking about all this. Seeing he needed to take his mind off everything, Steph smirks.

“You know, my dad kindly reminded me that the citizens going to the charity ball are very observant and remember all the details when it comes to his events, down to what everyone wears.” she shares.

Pete puts his glasses back on as he listens, likely trying to understand where she’s going with this.

“What he wanted to say was buy something new so people don’t notice me wearing the same thing two years in a row. Want to come to the mall with me to check out some dresses after school? Need approval from the guy I’m bringing along, afterall.” Steph offers, part of her wanting to spend more time with Pete anyway.

He thinks for a second before smiling. “Don’t know the first thing about picking out clothes, but sure. I’ll join you.”

“What are you talking about? Your bow ties are very in.” she teases, even though Steph finds herself weirdly drawn to them now.

This makes the boy roll his eyes. “Whatever. Technically they’re an accessory, not an article of clothing..”

“You’re such a fucking nerd..” Steph playfully sighs. “Should we head back to the others?”

Pete simply nods, grabbing her hand as they walk down the hallway toward the cafeteria again. They really don’t have to be doing this right now since no one else is around, but Steph doesn't want to pull away.

____________

Lakeside Mall always felt busy. Steph came here quite often, whether it be watching Brenda and Stacy try on clothes or simply trying to keep herself busy to avoid going home, it had everything she needed. However, walking through the shopping complex with a fake boyfriend on her arm was definitely a first.

“So what should I expect from this charity ball? All I know so far is to not be an idiot and dress nice..” Pete asks.

She sighs. “Fancy food that doesn’t even taste good, boring live music and way too many bullshit speeches from my dad. Get ready for a thrilling night, Spankoffski.”

“Noted.”

Eventually Steph makes it to the store she usually comes to when looking for clothes, walking inside. Pete follows close behind, watching as she looks through the racks.

Looking for something to wear to these paid events is always difficult. This isn’t like the Honey Festival where she can put on anything and call it a day. When people are paying close to a hundred dollars for a single ticket they tend to go all out. Since Steph is related to Solomon Lauter, she needs to put in effort too.

“Are you looking for anything in particular?” Pete speaks up.

Steph crosses her arms. “Kinda. Nicer than a party dress, but I don’t want it to look like I’m going to prom either. If that makes any sense.”

He nods, looking around himself before wandering off. Steph watches the boy walk away before returning to the rack of dresses. She just wants anything that is both suitable for the charity ball and bearable to look at.

No matter what Steph chooses, her dad will have something to say about it. If he didn’t care so much about the town's opinion of his family, she’d be wearing the same dress to each event until it didn’t fit anymore or the zipper broke.

“How about this?”

Pete’s reappearance pulls Steph away from her thoughts, turning around to look at him. He holds out a semi-formal long green dress, something she would have definitely picked out herself if she came across it.

“Holy shit, dude. You have a good eye." Steph takes the dress to examine it.

A nervous laugh escapes from Pete. “I wouldn’t say that. Just thought the color was similar to the flannel you wore when we first started talking in detention.”

She immediately moves her attention to him. “You remember what I was wearing?”

Pete’s eyes grow wide as his cheeks become red. Steph almost makes a comment about it, but didn’t want to make things worse for the boy.

“I mean it was when we organized the whole fake dating thing and we never really talked before that so it kind of stuck in my mind!” he rambles. “Usually I do not think about what people wear or even pay attention to it–”

“Argyle suspenders and bow tie.” Steph casually cuts him off, walking toward the changing room.

“What?”

Opening the curtain, she looks at him. “That’s what you were wearing when I first bugged you in detention.”

“Oh! Right.” he smiles slightly, relaxing as he takes a seat.

She gives him a smirk before closing the curtain, wanting to be quick with this. While she is trying to distract Pete from the shit going on with his parents, she doesn’t want to bore him either by taking too long. Once she has the dress on, Steph takes a small look in the mirror before stepping outside again.

“This is the one, man. You saved me a lot of time.” she says, looking down at the dress.

When she looks up to get Pete’s thoughts, Steph is met with the boy staring at her with a soft gaze. The expression makes her face grow warm, unsure why he was giving her that look. She almost feels frozen in place as Pete stands up, having no idea what was going through his head.

“You look real nice, Steph.” he shares, quickly glancing at the dress before meeting her eyes again. “No one at your dad’s event could say anything bad about it.”

Steph just stands there for a moment, trying to figure out what she was feeling in her stomach. It has to be the guilt from earlier. Pete saying these nice things about her despite Steph being the reason he’s in the middle of an argument with his parents who aren’t even in Hatchetfield at the moment? That has to be it.

Realizing she hasn’t said anything, she scoffs. “Well you underestimate the stuck up jerks of Hatchetfield, someone will definitely say something.”

“Who cares what the rich adults of this town think? If you like it, you should get it.” Pete cracks a smile before looking to the floor. “Uh, so I was wondering if you’d want to—”

“Stephanie?”

A very familiar tone interrupts Pete, making Steph roll her eyes. She turns around, Solomon Lauter standing a few feet away from them.

“Hey, dad. What brings you to a place like this?” she asks through a forced smile.

Looking the pair up and down, her father sighs. “I was going to send Miss Tessburger here to collect some things required for the charity ball, but she came down with something that apparently prevents her from doing her job. So I’m here instead, much to my dismay.”

“Walking around a mall, how difficult for you.” Steph can’t help but comment, annoyed her dad interrupted Pete. “I’m sure you’ll get through it.”

Solomon glares at her. “Say goodbye to your boyfriend, Stephanie. Your attitude has earned you a shopping trip with your old man. These event decorations won’t buy themselves..”

“What? That’s not fair—” she starts, almost embarrassed to look back at Pete.

Her dad cuts her off. “Want your phone taken away too?”

This shuts her up, forcing Steph to turn back to Pete. The soft expression from before is now replaced with an apologetic look, making her feel like shit.

“Sorry. Uh, thanks for coming with me today and helping find a dress..” She looks up at the boy, trying to show how annoyed she is by the situation without saying anything that’d get her grounded. “Oh, what were you going to ask?”

Pete quickly glances between Steph and her dad. “It’s nothing, don’t worry. Hope you two find what you’re looking for.”

With that, he moves away from Steph. It takes everything in her not to stop him and to just tell her dad to leave, but that would definitely get her grounded.

“Hope you find a decent suit to wear to the charity ball..” her father mumbles as Pete walks out the store, making Steph clench her jaw.

Over it already, she puts a hand on her hip. “Am I allowed to get this dress or will it cut into your shopping time?”

He huffs. “Make it quick. Want to be in and out of this mall as soon as possible. I am not in the mood to talk to too many citizens today about their requests for the town..”

Rolling her eyes, Steph walks back into the changing room and closes the curtain. She takes a few deep breaths before putting her own clothes back on, trying hard to focus on what Pete said to her rather than what was happening with her dad.

What she really wants to know is what Pete was about to ask if they weren’t interrupted. 

____________

After putting up with her dad complaining for two hours about everything he needed to get done and her attitude, they eventually made it back home. Steph wasted no time running upstairs to shut herself in her room, not wanting to get roped into any more charity ball shit.

Pulling out her phone, Steph’s finger hovers over Pete’s number. All she could think about while shopping for event supplies was how he got cut off mid question. It was most likely related to their upcoming math test and if she wanted to squeeze in another study session or some other nerdy crap that goes through his head, but what if it was something else?

Not wanting to be that person to call him about something that is probably nothing, Steph decides to really distract herself and make an attempt to study on her own, especially with the test coming up. She just wants to prove Miss Mulberry wrong and actually pass this time, the threat of not graduating becoming more real. It can’t be that different to studying with Spankoffski, if anything Steph may get more work done because he isn’t there to distract her with his countless facts or explaining the various methods of finding x.

As Steph works through the questions, she can’t help but feel a tiny bit proud of herself. Sure, studying in your senior year is the expected bare minimum for students, but this time a few weeks ago she didn’t even know where her math textbook was. Now she actually understands some of the stuff Miss Mulberry drones on about and can work through a chapter without her head hurting? Of course she’s fucking happy. Obviously Steph still gets stumped and the highest grade she’ll probably receive is a C, but it’s better than failing and the school calling her dad about it.

She taps her pencil on the desk, the second set of sums making zero sense to her. If Pete were here, he’d likely have some method already prepared that’d make Steph understand everything straight away.

Glancing at her phone, Steph thinks for a moment. Maybe she can ring him about the math problem and then find a way to bring up the question from earlier? Then it can stop bugging her and she can move on.

Leaning back in her seat, Steph calls Pete. Eventually he picks up, but there is commotion happening in the background that seems to be keeping him preoccupied.

“Hey Steph - can you back off a bit?”

Smirking, Steph listens as more noise is heard from the other end. After a few more seconds of background bickering, a door is closed followed by a sigh from Pete.

“You okay?” she lightly laughs.

He scoffs. “Sorry about that. Ruth and Richie don’t know what privacy is..”

“Shit, didn’t realize you had them over. I can call you back–”

Pete cuts her off. “No it’s okay! We’re just watching movies I’ve already seen so I’m not really missing anything. That’s actually what I was going to ask you earlier, if you wanted to come over and join us. Then your dad came over and I thought asking may get you into more trouble..”

For whatever reason, learning this made her slightly disappointed.

“Good call, he would have shut that down immediately.” Steph replies after a moment, her feelings confusing the fuck out of her.

“So what’s up?”

Remembering just now why she called, Steph quickly decides she is no longer in the mood to study. “I just wanted to say sorry about my dad this afternoon. Man has to do one job for himself and suddenly it’s the end of the world..”

“Well you can tell him I do have a decent suit so he has nothing to worry about.” Pete comments, a smirk in his tone.

This makes her smile, happy Pete won’t take crap from her dad. “Looking forward to seeing it. I’ll see you at school, Pete.”

“See you then!”

Steph moves to her bed after she hangs up, resting her head against the pillow. Millions of thoughts swarm her brain as she thinks about everything she has been feeling today.

To get upset when someone invites her to do something as a group? All she fucking does is group hangs with her other friends. She can’t even remember the last time she spent time with Brenda or Stacy alone.

It’s not because of Pete’s friends either. Sure, they’re a little weird and half the time Steph has no idea what they’re talking about, but they’re nice enough. She would probably feel the same way if her friends wanted to join her and Pete today at the mall, Steph just likes her alone time with him.

What did Steph expect? Did she want him to invite her back to his place so the two of them could study late into the night again? Ask if she wanted to grab some dinner at the food court and catch a movie? Things like that aren’t even fake anymore. That’s just straight up dating.

Oh.

Shit.

Closing her eyes tight, she rubs a hand over her face. “No fucking way..” 

Steph chose Pete for this stupid fucking plan because he is the complete opposite of her type. A massive dork who’s never broken a rule in his naive life. Just a few weeks of pretending to be a couple to help eachother out, then nothing. No more talking, no more studying and no more annoying family members.

Having an actual crush on Peter Spankoffski? She just wants the ideas in her mind to stop for a moment.

Everything feels so obvious now. The reason she was so happy Pete still wanted to go to the charity ball. Keeping his hoodies. How she could listen to him talk for hours about his geeky shit. Why she didn’t want to pull away when he grabbed her hand. That feeling in her stomach when he complimented her. She really felt stupid.

Steph shakes her head, mumbling to herself. “I’m not doing this..”

It doesn't matter what she’s feeling right now. Just because she likes him, doesn’t mean Pete needs to know. For now she’ll just repress and push down whatever the fuck this crush is. Soon Max will be back and they’ll be acting like they haven’t even had a conversation before.

Like nothing ever happened.

Chapter Text

It’s been two weeks since Pete’s parents went away and now he is really starting to see the downsides of being home alone.

The news played on the TV as Pete ate dinner, which was cereal for the third night in a row. His mom and dad are the type of people to only buy groceries as they need them, so the fridge and cupboards in the kitchen are looking quite bare. He’s already used some of the money he’s saved up from chores and birthdays on food, but Pete doesn’t exactly want to be without nothing in his wallet, just in case.

It hasn’t been too bad having the house to himself. Pete would be lying if he said he didn't take advantage of the situation.

Ruth and Richie had been over a few times, coming home with him after school on occasion just to help keep his mind off things by watching movies or playing video games way too late into the night.

Then there was Steph. With Pete’s parents gone, his place was the best spot for them to study, as it also meant they could avoid her dad too. She’s also been over a few times just to hang out, which Pete has also appreciated.

A sudden knock at the window pulls Pete away from his thoughts, the noise making him want to lock the doors and run into his bedroom and hide. It’s then quiet for a small moment, only for the knocking to continue, making him more nervous.

Yet another reason he is starting to dislike being home alone.

Hesitantly, Pete walks toward the window and slowly draws back the curtain, heart racing. When he’s met with a face he can’t help but jump, taking a second to realize it’s Steph smirking at him on the other side of the glass.

Opening the window, Pete looks at the girl puzzled. “Steph, what are you doing here? Won’t your dad kill you being out this late? Or kill me if he finds out where you are?”

She waves a casual hand. “He thinks I’m at Brenda’s. I just had to get away from him for a bit. He’s somehow being more insufferable than normal..”

“Come to the front, I’ll let you in.” Pete offers, quickly walking to the door and opening it. “You do know my parents still aren’t here, right?”

Steph smiles, entering the house. “I know, but I’ve sort of made it a thing to sneak into the house of whoever I’m dating, no matter how real our relationship is. Plus, the thought of scaring you was kind of amusing..”

“I wasn’t scared.” Pete lies, voice cracking as he crosses his arms.

She gives him a look. “Whatever you say..”

“So your dad?” Pete asks, wanting to move on from the subject.

Steph slumps onto the couch. “Since the charity ball is next weekend he’s taking all his stress out on me. I can’t have a moment of peace without him complaining about random shit that has nothing to do with me yet is still somehow my fault.”

Next weekend. One more week of pretending to be a couple then all of this is over. Then it’s back to normal. Not that he’d ever tell Steph, but Pete almost wishes the charity ball was still months away. He doesn’t want to act like they are complete strangers once this is done, but this was never supposed to be serious. Just a silly plan to help each other out.

The quicker Pete comes to terms with that, the easier it’ll be.

“Well, feel free to come here whenever you need.” Pete says after a moment.

She shakes her head. “Thanks man, but I’m all sorted. The only reason I didn’t actually go to Brenda’s tonight is because she has Kyle over and you do not want to third wheel them. The girls are well aware of what’s going on and have already planned several sleepovers just in case I need a place to crash..”

“Okay, good. Just as long as you have somewhere to go.”

Steph looks around, her eyes falling on the cereal bowl. “So did you choose to have that for dinner or is it the only thing left in your house?”

“Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Can’t hurt having it for dinner as well..” Pete shrugs.

“You’re funny.” Steph smirks before standing up. “Come on. We’ll get some real food. Miss Retro’s is my go to this time of night.”

The idea of having a meal that doesn’t come out of a cardboard box does sound really appealing to Pete right now, so he nods. “I could go for that..”

Steph softly smirks at him before heading back toward the front door, the look making his heart skip a beat.

____________

The diner is practically empty, the pair sitting in a corner booth as they eat their food. Getting out of the house is also what he needed, now really thankful Steph suggested this.

“So, have you considered staying with your brother yet? I mean I know he’s a jerk but at least he has a job that can buy you food..” Steph brings up, eating a french fry.

Pete sighs out at the question. “What if I take him up on his offer and things get worse?”

“Worse than eating cereal for dinner?”

He hesitates for a second, knowing she’s right. But living with Ted? Pete can’t even begin to imagine the crap he’d need to put up with.

“It doesn’t matter. My parents will probably be back soon and besides, I’m not really in the mood to live with the person who annoyed me into this whole fake dating plan.” Pete scoffs without really thinking.

She cocks an eyebrow. “Didn’t realize pretending to date me was so difficult..”

“No! Not like that!” Pete’s eyes grow wide, trying to find the right words. “Just with the way my parents treated you and how your dad clearly doesn’t like me, you would’ve been better off doing this with someone else. Anyone else, really..”

Steph almost immediately shakes her head. “Nope, sorry dude. I know you’re used to being right about everything but you’re wrong. Sure things definitely went in a shitter direction, but I don’t regret asking you.”

Something about her being so sure made Pete feel a type of way he’s been starting to notice a lot more when hanging around Steph.

That feeling he got when she told him she likes listening to him talk about his interests.

The way he felt when he saw her in that dress.

A feeling he knows not to look into.

“Well, only one more week of all this. Then you don’t have to pretend you have a thing for losers anymore.” he forces a laugh.

Steph doesn’t meet Pete’s eyes, poking at her food. “Your parents will also stop being weird and give you a break. May even find you someone they approve of..”

That comment almost makes Pete not want to finish his food. After how his parents reacted to Steph, there is no way in hell he’s letting them do that. “Think I’d rather stay single..”

She lightly shrugs. “I mean, college is around the corner. They can’t control who you date from whatever ivy league school you'll definitely get into.”

“My parents do want me to apply to Harvard and Yale..” his voice wavers.

Steph looks at him seriously. “What do you want?”

Pete doesn’t answer for a second, staring at the girl across from him. He knows Steph is asking about college, but with everything he’s feeling, something else comes to mind in terms of what he wants.

“Uh, I kind of want to go to the University of Michigan? You know, it’s out of Hatchetfield but I’ll still be kinda close..” he eventually cracks out, hoping that silence only seemed long in his head.

Finishing her mouthful, Steph nods. “Makes sense. I’m just looking forward to moving out anywhere after graduation. I don’t care if it's a dorm at whichever college will take me or a small crappy apartment, I just want to be out of that house.”

“Only a year to go.” He awkwardly smiles.

Steph sighs. “Wish it was sooner..”

Pete looks around the diner, noticing the few other customers eating food are all there with their partners. Well he assumes they’re all on dates, not unless they’re also doing what he and Steph are up to, which is unlikely.

“You know, I think this is the first time we’ve actually done something that’s kind of like a date as a quote on quote couple. Usually we’re studying or getting lectures from our parents—” he immediately stops himself, releasing how that sounded.

Pete is doing a lot of talking without thinking tonight.

He's half expecting Steph to make some sarcastic comment about how those things do count as dates in high school or to not get ahead of himself, his nerves growing.

Instead, the girl just gives him a slight smile. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Feeling more at ease, Pete glances at their plates.

“Which means I’m paying for the food.” he adds, reaching for his wallet.

Steph scoffs. “No you’re not. I literally walked in on you eating cereal for dinner. It wasn’t even the good stuff, just the home brand crap..”

“I still have some money. Was just leaving it for something important.” he casually reassures her.

She gives him a look. “How is this important?”

“Uh, I don’t know. For the past two weeks I’ve just been eating random foods for dinner while I study because I’ve had nothing else to do. Kinda needed to get out of the house and not think about homework for one night. This was a nice change.”

Steph sighs sarcastically. “Damn..I was going to suggest we study once we get back to your place.”

“By all means, I can still help you with your school work tonight..” Pete smirks.

This earns him a playful glare. “Think I’m good, Spankoffski.”

____________

It’s a quiet drive back to Pete’s as Steph looks out the window, deep in thought. Quiet meant his thoughts about the girl were even louder, Pete struggling to shut them up. He sneaks a quick look at Steph before moving his attention back to the road, swallowing thickly.

Pete can’t be feeling this way. At the start of all this he assured Steph that he wouldn’t come running to her at any point to confess he’s developed an actual crush. They have a week left of this plan and he isn’t about to ruin everything with feelings that likely won't be reciprocated.

He just needs to work on pushing down whatever it is until they’re no longer talking. Pretend they aren't even there.

After all, maybe Pete just thinks he has feelings for her because of their whole situation and it’ll all go away in no time.

“Hey Pete?” Steph suddenly speaks up.

Happy this can act as a distraction, he looks at her. “Yeah?”

“Thanks for doing all this..” she says after a moment.

“The food? That’s okay. I actually still have some money left over..”

She sighs, now looking at Pete. “Not just that. I mean the food was great and you really didn’t need to pay for it, but I mean all of this. Pretending to be my boyfriend, putting up with my dad, helping me study, checking up on me when the weather was crap - you’ve done a lot. I mean a hell of a lot more than what I’m used to with this sort of thing.”

“Didn’t realize you’ve fake dated before..” he jokes.

Steph rolls her eyes. “You know what I mean.”

Pete shrugs as he pulls into the driveway. “It’s really nothing. This has been nice, even with our parents being not so cool about it.”

“Yeah, it has.” The girl looks at him softly for a moment, before clearing her throat and looking away. “Though I feel like I’ve done fuck all for you..”

“Steph..” he starts, but she shakes her head.

“Look, that night with your parents was shit. I want to try and help you out in some way.” Steph thinks for a second before turning to Pete with a smirk. “You did agree to this plan to because of your brother, correct?”

Nervous, he looks at her suspiciously. “Where are you going with this..”

Sighing, Steph moves around in her seat so she can properly face him. “In my opinion, I think you should try staying with him. You know, just so you eat right and don’t pass out due to low blood sugar or whatever..”

Pete’s honestly surprised she remembered that about him, yet another thing that won’t help him ignore how he’s feeling. Regardless, he’s still left confused.

Reading his expression, Steph continues. “What if I come with you to his place for dinner one night? That way I can help you work out if he actually wants to be there for you or just wants to make your life a living hell.” she explains. “Sort of like a redo for your side of this entire deal. I can play the concerned girlfriend who just wants what's best for you.”

Taking a moment to consider her offer, he drums his fingers on the steering wheel. Dinner at Ted’s. He knows bringing Steph along will allow for some god awful questions that’ll make Pete want to kill his brother. However, at least Steph now has an idea of what Ted is like and seems to know how to talk back to him if necessary.

Pete also knows deep down that staying with his brother is probably the best option for him right now, even if he doesn’t want to admit it. If anything, Steph being there with him may make it a little easier.

“Sure. I’ll text him and see what he thinks.” he eventually says.

Steph smiles at his decision before going on her phone, Pete unable to look away from her.

That damn smile again.

Who is he kidding, Pete has definitely fallen for Stephanie Lauter.

Chapter Text

Steph stands next to Pete, the pair in front of Ted’s apartment. Apparently the older man was pretty quick to take his little brother up on the idea, which only seemed to make Pete more nervous. She sneaks a glance at the boy, his brow furrowed as he looks at the door ahead of him. 

Without thinking, Steph grabs his hand and gives it a reassuring squeeze. “Remember, if this goes to shit all we have to do is bolt. I’ve got years worth of excuses we could use to get out of there..” 

“Right.” he breathes out before knocking on the door with his free hand, the other still holding her hand tightly.

After a small moment, Ted eventually opens the door with a smirk on his face. “I was wondering when you’d stop by, little bro.” 

“Hi Ted..” Pete sighs. 

“With your girlfriend too! Surprised she’s stuck around this long.” the man comments, inviting them inside. 

Steph shrugs. “What can I say? If I like something, I stick with it.”

She looks up at Pete for a second, meaning what she said. Honestly, everything Steph says tonight will likely be the truth. This is really her only chance to say out loud how she actually feels about Pete while still acting like it’s all a part of the plan. 

“Hey, I’m just happy Petey is getting out there. He needs someone who isn’t a complete dork to keep him company.” Ted casually states. 

Pete gives his brother an annoyed look before turning to Steph in a whisper. “Maybe this was a bad idea..” 

Wanting to at least try and give this a shot, Steph motions toward Ted. “So, Pete told me how you offered your place if he needed it. Pretty cool of you, honestly. While I’m an only child I do hear stories of how siblings can’t wait to have their own place away from everyone in their family.” 

“It’s not like having him here would cause much change to whatever I have going on. I’ll be at work by the time he gets up for school, he’ll have the apartment to himself in the afternoon to do homework and his other dork activities, then I’ll be home in time to make or buy dinner.” the man explains as they walk through his place. 

Pete looks down. “Didn’t realise you actually put thought into this..” 

Ted scoffs. “Obviously. Really think I’d invite you to stay if it were to mess up my whole thing? Sure, back when I brought people home it would have been annoying, but now I just hook up with them at their place. That way I can just leave whenever I want and not have to make some bullshit excuse as to why they need to leave my apartment.” 

“Charming.” Steph deadpans.

She looks at Pete again, who now seems deep in thought. He must be thinking the same thing as Steph, which is that while Ted has a colourful way of describing the situation, the man at least seems genuine with his offer. 

“While you do your usual overthinking thing, let’s eat. It’s only takeaway, so no fancy home cooked meal or whatever.” his brother speaks up, seeming to snap the younger boy out of his thoughts. 

“Uh, yeah. That’s okay..” Pete’s voice cracks, taking a seat at the small table in the kitchen. 

Steph also sits down, unsure how much talking she should be doing throughout all this. She mainly wants Pete and Ted to work things out, coming to some sort of understanding with the living situation. After all, she’d give anything to have a sibling to go to when her dad was annoying the hell out of her. 

“I’ll get the worst of it out the way first, have you heard from mom and dad since you called me the other week?” Ted asks.

Pete shakes his head. “No. Don’t think I will hear from them unless I apologise or break up with Steph..”

Hearing Pete say the words made her stomach drop. All he did was mention a part of the plan that was inevitably coming and it still hurt. 

“But you’re not gonna do any of that, right? Give in so mommy and daddy come rushing home to coddle you again?” his brother lectures, gesturing his fork toward Pete.

Pete quickly looks at Steph before clearing his throat. “No. I mean even if something does happen between us and we end things, mom and dad have made it clear all they want to do is control who I date which I won’t let them do.” 

Ted nods. “You do realize why they’re like this, right? The whole wanting me to get married and wanting you to find the ideal girlfriend?”

Steph looks between the two brothers, Pete looking just as lost as she feels. 

“They regret how their marriage turned out and now they want to live vicariously through us.” 

She’s left speechless at that comment, not expecting anything like this to come out at a simple dinner with Ted. 

Pete just scoffs. “Yeah right..”

“Hey, I think you’re forgetting I have known those two a lot longer than you have. While you were learning to walk they were busy fighting about mom needing to go back to work. Shoe sales can only go so far.” Ted takes a swig from his beer. “Whenever I visited it’d be the same shit. Dad would not shut up about how he can’t be the man of the house if his wife works and mom would always tell him to get a better job. Every. Time.” 

Yeah, Steph is definitely staying out of this one. 

“How often were you over?” Pete asks, almost sounding shocked. 

Ted shrugs. “I don’t know! I didn’t keep tabs on that sort of crap. They needed someone to keep an eye on you during the day while all this work stuff was happening with mom.”

Pete pokes at his food. “I thought she went back to work after I started kindergarten..”

“Well she didn’t.” his brother casually admits, focusing on his drink again. 

“Oh.” The boy next to her just stares at his lap, fidgeting with the sleeve of his sweater. “Thanks, I guess.”

“Not like you were a difficult toddler. Definitely annoying though..” Ted sighs before looking at Steph and Pete. “Enough about our family shit. I want to know more about whatever you two have going on. Not everyday your loser brother actually scores someone who isn’t hard to look at.” 

As Pete rolls his eyes, Steph decides to take over. “I definitely didn’t plan on getting with a total geek, but after spending a lot of time with him doing homework or whatever it wasn’t hard to start feeling something. Kinda made me rethink the type of people I used to date up until I met Pete..” 

Not a lie. 

Pete smiles softly at her before looking at his plate. “I know this doesn’t sound true, but studying together is when I really started to like Steph. I mean I’ve always found her pretty, but getting to know her is what made me catch feelings, I guess. Almost didn’t believe her when she told me she felt the same way..” 

Steph needs to give props to Pete as that story almost sounded true. If he was asked that at the start of all this he’d likely be a mumbling mess giving the shortest answer possible. 

Meanwhile, Ted scoffs. “Do you two do anything other than study?..” 

Pete rolls his eyes at the comment, causing Steph to give his hand another reassuring squeeze. At least Ted is really only acting like a typical annoying older brother so far and not like the Spankoffski parents. 

“Obviously..” Steph smirks, knowing she technically doesn’t have to lie again. “He’s spent the night at my place, we’ve gone to the mall, Miss Retro’s and there’s also the charity ball this weekend. So yeah, we do a bit more than just study.” 

The older man leans back in his chair, an impressed expression appearing. “Holy shit Petey, you’re going to that snobby gala? Think you could sneak me in? Heard a lot of rich chicks attend that..” 

She almost laughs at the thought of that happening, quickly eating the last piece of her food. God knows what her dad would do if someone he didn’t approve of managed to get into his exclusive event that wasn’t able to cough up hundreds of dollars, even if it’s not for him, 

“Steph’s dad already doesn’t like me that much. I don’t think having my brother hit on his guests will do me any favors..” Pete speaks up, pretty much reading her mind. 

She hates the fact Pete is right. Steph hates the fact she’s actually fallen for this dorky guy who ticks all her dad’s responsible boxes and is so different from the jerks she’s dated in the past, yet he still isn’t good enough. All because his family aren’t loaded with money or work higher up. 

“It’s kinda boring anyway. Pete and I will likely get out of there once my dad has made his corny speech that he definitely doesn’t say through gritted teeth. After that he really does not care about where I go.”  Steph adds to Pete’s point. 

There’s a small moment of silence as they eat, Steph realising she shouldn’t have made that last comment. She’s well aware Pete knows about her relationship with her dad, but it doesn’t mean she needs to air it out to Ted. 

“Well, if my dear brother thinks my place is suitable for whatever nerdy shit he does at our parents place, you two could come back here after the ball.” Ted pushes his plate away as he finishes his food. “Or whenever your mayor dad pisses you off.”

Steph genuinely smiles at that. “Thanks man, may actually consider that offer.” 

“Speaking of that, I can show you where you’d be sleeping once you’re done eating.” the older man looks over at Pete, who places his fork down. “Can’t have you taking up space on my couch.” 

____________

Once the group finished their food, the pair followed Ted down the small hallway toward the bedroom at the end of the apartment. The older man opens the door to a pretty basic room, with a single bed, small desk and dresser. 

“It’s not amazing but I ain’t exactly making the big bucks at work.” Ted explains as he looks around the room. 

Taking a step inside, Pete shoves his hands in his pockets. “Wasn’t even expecting this much..”

“Hey, I can be a good brother!” Ted scoffs before looking between Steph and Pete. “I’ll leave you two alone. I’m sure you have much to discuss about me or whatever. If you do anything else though, close the fucking door.”

With that, the man disappears into what Steph can only imagine is his own bedroom. She steps next to Pete, trying to sense how he’s feeling so far about tonight. 

“So, want me to use one of my excuses to get out of here yet?” Steph lightheartedly asks. 

Pete shakes his head. “No. It’s actually not as bad as I thought it was going to be. I mean, Ted is still Ted, but it’s better than just being in a house by myself I guess.” 

Reading his face, Steph knows Pete still has a bunch going on in his head about his parents and all the crap that’s been happening recently. She also knows the only person he can really talk about it with on a deeper level is his brother, preferably with no fake girlfriends around to awkwardly talk in front of and tip toe around certain topics. 

“Look, don’t take this the wrong way as this has actually been a pretty okay night and your brother has a good taste in crappy take out, but I think you two may need time alone to talk about all this. I don’t want you to hold back on talking about serious shit because I’m here and for all we know Ted also has more on his mind but didn’t want to say it in front of me.” Steph suggests. “So I may head off, just to give you two some time to talk before it gets too late..” 

Pete takes a moment to respond before sighing. “Guess you’re right. Can’t remember the last time I had a one on one conversation with Ted that didn’t result in him making a stupid dirty joke but I’ll try. Want me to drive you home?” 

As much as Steph wants to spend a little more time with Pete, she knows him staying here is for the better.

“It’s cool, about ten minutes ago..” Steph starts, looking at her phone. “Stacy and Brenda asked if I wanted to catch a movie. I’ll see if it’s not too late to meet them at the mall, which I can easily walk to from here.”

“As long as you’re sure.” Pete gives a slight smile before walking her to the front door. “Maybe once I’m all settled in here you can come over again and stay a little longer? I’m sure Ted wouldn’t mind if you spent the night one time..” 

She should point out that in a few days, it’ll be the charity ball and this will all be over. She should point out by the time he’s truly settled in, they won’t be talking anymore. However, she doesn’t say any of that. Steph instead shares how she actually feels. 

“I’d like that, Pete.” 

____________

Steph eventually makes it to the Lakeside Mall Cineplex, the mall still busy despite it being a weekday. Brenda and Stacy are thankfully still waiting outside, Steph happy to catch them before they went into the cinema. Smirk on her face, Steph gets closer before calling out to the girls.

“Haven’t bought the tickets yet, have you? Would hate to be sat next to some rando for two hours..” 

Her friends turn around with a start, expressions filled with worry, which instantly makes Steph feel weird. Taken aback by this, Steph looks at them confused. “Are you two good? If you don’t want me here I can leave or whatever..” 

“Of course we want you here silly!” Stacy replies, her voice high pitched which only really happens when she’s nervous. “Surprised to see you, that’s all!” 

Cocking an eyebrow, Steph looks between the two. “Okay, what’s going on?”

“Nothing! We just thought you were busy!” Brenda laughs, twirling her hair to the point it may break off. “You know we’ve been waiting for you to be free to catch up when we’re not at school!” 

Steph is about to ask more questions, but a firm hand falls on her shoulder. 

“Hey, Stephanie.”

Her heart drops. 

Slowly turning around, Steph feels like she’s going to be sick.

Max. 

This wasn’t part of the plan. He was supposed to be at that stupid campus for a few more weeks. She was supposed to be going to the charity ball with Pete, having a good night with someone she genuinely cares about and has feelings for, without the stress of her dad watching her every move or jerks like Max hanging around just waiting to make others' lives miserable. Just for one stupid night. 

That’s Hatchetfield luck for you. 

“Hey, man! You’re back already?” Steph tries to ask as calmly as possible, but her voice still wavers. 

Wrapping his arm around her shoulder, the boy groans. “Yeah. Turns out that stuck up the place couldn’t teach me anything new. Was also too much of a threat to the other students, apparently. So they sent me home.” 

“We didn’t know he was back either until we ran into him a few minutes ago!” Stacy adds, Steph now understands their behaviour from moments ago. 

Laughing nervously, she steps away. “That sure does suck, I knew you were looking forward to all that training crap.”

Max shrugs. “Eh. I’ve moved on. Probably shouldn’t have gone in the first place.”

“Why’s that?” Steph cautiously asks. 

His stare then turns cold. “Ran into your dad pretty much as soon as I got here. Asked him about the charity ball since I know he’s got that coming up, being a good resident and all. Apparently you think you’re allowed to bring whatever loser seems fit to the event.” 

As if she couldn’t hate her dad more. 

Standing her ground, Steph crosses her arms. “So?”

“You do not want to test me, Stephanie.”

Scoffing, she glares at the jock. “You don’t scare me, Jägerman.” 

“I scare Spankoffski, though.” 

Her face instantly drops.

Max moves closer, now looming over Steph. “Here’s what we’ll do. You break up with your little freak of a boyfriend, I take you to the charity ball, as your dad may have mentioned to me that’s what he originally wanted and we’ll forget you ever dated that nerd. Got it?” 

Steph wants to avoid talking about Pete all together, so she instead focuses on charity ball. 

“Since when have you wanted to take me anywhere? People may think we’d make a stupid stereotypical couple you’d see in some shitty movie, but you and I both know that’d never happen.” 

Max laughs. “Keep it in your pants, Lauter. I wasn’t planning on making it romantic. Doing this for your dad, who was much more welcoming than you have been.” 

“What do you think doing a favour for my dad will get you? Keys to the city or some shit?” Steph laughs out, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “You can’t tell me what to do.” 

“Break up with the dork, Stephanie. Or I’ll break him .” Max demands through his teeth. 

Her blood ran cold at his tone. This is the first time Steph’s  actually been terrified of Max. She feels a lump form in her throat, tears threatening to escape at any moment. 

How Steph feels toward Pete, how much she actually wants to be with him, it’s not worth this. It’s not worth risking his safety and wellbeing. Fuck, she’s not worth it. The whole reason they were going to wrap up this fake dating plan was all because of Max’s return. 

It just happened a lot sooner than expected. 

“Fine.” Steph eventually whispers. “I’ll break up with him.” 

Chapter Text

Pete sits on the edge of his bed, looking around at what could be his permanent bedroom. He still doesn’t know how to feel about living with Ted and if it wasn’t for Steph, Pete likely would have bolted at the first annoying joke that came out of his brother’s mouth. However, it seems living here is the best option for him at the moment. 

“Scared her off or somethin’?” Ted’s voice suddenly comes from the doorway, making Pete stand up. 

“Uh, no. Think she could sorta sense this is kinda serious and wanted to give us space..” He admits. 

Ted moves further into the bedroom with a smirk. “Me saying all that stuff at dinner is the reason she left? Shit, sorry little bro. You could have got some tonight..” 

“No, Ted.” Pete rolls his eyes. “Steph just knows these things. She could obviously tell something more was up with this whole mom and dad thing and you’re the only one who knows exactly what they’re like. Sure, her dad isn’t winning father of the year any time soon, but our situations are different.” 

Pete thinks about that for a moment. Steph really does know him and Pete would like to think he knows her. He would like to know more about her. Everything about her, actually.  

“Fuck them.” Ted casually expresses, making Pete focus again. 

“What?”

“Mom and dad. Screw them and what they think.”

Pete sighs. “Ted..”

“No. Sorry if you want some in depth, cheesy TV family drama talk about our folks and how things are gonna get better the older ya get, but it’s obvious the type of people they are.” his brother huffs a laugh. “There is no getting through to them. Why do you think I only visit them as little as possible?” 

“So they really won’t come around about Steph?” Pete asks, even though he already knows the answer. 

Ted sighs. “If you live with me, the only shit I’ll give you about the people you bring home is how I can’t believe you’re able to pull them. Mom and dad randomly fucked off one day, so why can’t you? Who needs' em.” the older man shrugs, shoving his hands in his pockets.  

Pete looks down, unsure what to say. He knows Ted is right. He knows he’s right in his feelings about what happened at that dinner. He knows it’s insane for his parents to throw a temper tantrum over his “girlfriend” and left for Clivesdale for god knows how long. 

It doesn’t matter if his relationship with Steph is fake and that they’ll be “broken up” this time next week. Pete cares about Steph, and no one makes someone he cares about feel like crap. Including his parents.

Ted’s hand suddenly comes down on his shoulder. It’s firm, but comforting. “Look, I’m not saying it’s gonna be easy to move on, but it’s obvious the shit mom and dad have put you through is messing with your head.” Ted admits. “I also don’t wanna hear you whining about how all this crap is screwing with your GPA or chance at college or whatever else a dork like you stresses over..” 

The brothers stand in silence for a moment as the last few weeks replay in Pete’s head like some sort of weird movie. The highs of being with Steph, and the lows of the current situation with his family.  

Pete looks at his brother, mind made up. “Guess I’m moving in here.” 

____________

After a quick trip to the Spankoffski residence to shove random things from Pete’s room into duffel bags, the brothers were on the drive back to Ted’s place. The car ride had been quiet so far, until the older man clears his throat.

“Can I be real with you, Petey?” Ted asks, immediately making Pete nervous.

“Is it going to make me regret this new living arrangement?” Pete quips. 

Ted rolls his eyes. “Will ya let me talk before you jump down my throat? You’re like Bill..”

“Sorry. What is it?” 

“I thought Steph was leading you on. A popular girl like that being into you? Felt like a bad joke when I first found out.” Ted shakes his head. “Seemed like a fucking prank. I was waiting for a call from mom telling me it wasn’t real and you were a sobbing mess or some shit.” 

Pete holds his breath, thinking Ted is about to tell him how obvious it is the two of them aren’t actually a thing and wants to know what’s actually going on. Avoiding eye contact, he simply nods. 

“Yeah?” his voice cracks, laughing awkwardly. 

A shit eating grin then appears on Ted’s face. “But the way she acts around you? There’s no faking that. Sure it was a bit flirty at that dinner a few weeks ago, but tonight? All I’ll say is I’m very surprised she left. Can’t deny the Spankoffski charm, I guess.” 

Pete thinks in silence, processing what his brother just said. He knows Steph has nailed this fake girlfriend thing, but to hear from someone else it’s obvious she likes him feels different. Especially coming from a person who’d find it funny if a girl was lying about being attracted to him. 

“Really?” he whispers, unable to say anything else. 

His brother scoffs. “You sound shocked that your own girlfriend is actually into you. We need to work on your confidence little bro, otherwise you may never get with anyone else. Got lucky with this one.” 

He wants to say he doesn’t want to be with anyone else, but he refrains. As if he says too much about Steph and how he really feels, his brother will be relentless when the break up eventually happens next week.

Not wanting to be quiet for too long, Pete simply laughs. “Guess I’m not used to having that charm you always go on about just yet..” 

Ted shakes his head with a smirk, his smile growing as they turn a corner nearing Ted’s place.

“Oh yeah, she’s definitely got the hots for you. Don’t know many people who’d ditch hanging out with their friends to come back to their dorky boyfriend..” Ted suddenly says.

Confused, Pete looks at his brother, who gestures out the car window. There stands Steph, waiting outside the apartment complex. 

What was she doing back here?

“Don’t worry, I’ll give you two some privacy. Feel free to bring her up, I’m a heavy sleeper.” Ted winks as he leaves the car, making Pete grit his teeth. 

His brother gives a small wave to the girl, who acknowledges him with a slight head nod as he walks inside the building. Thank god he didn’t say anything weird to her, otherwise Pete may reconsider living with the older man. 

Stepping out of Ted's car, Pete immediately walks over, the conversation he just had clouding his mind. Not that he’d bring it up with Steph tonight, that is. 

“Quick movie?” He simply jokes, but as soon as Pete really looks at the girl in front of him, his smile falters. She’s not looking him in the eye and her arms are crossed over herself. 

Something’s up. 

Without missing a beat, Pete speaks softly. “What’s wrong?” 

Swallowing thickly, Steph runs a quick hand through her hair. “I’ve just been thinking about this whole thing we’ve been doing and I don’t know dude, it’s just not working in the way we planned. My dad isn’t happy, your parents are in fucking Clivesdale because of me and it seems like your brother will still give you shit no matter what you do.” 

Pete can feel his stomach drop. “Steph..”

“I think it’d be for the better if you just forget about the charity ball and we stop whatever it is we’re doing.” she breathes out. “Trust me, I’m doing you a favour. You really don’t want to be standing around an old hall with a bunch of fucking snobs.” 

As she talks, Steph still doesn’t meet his eyes.

“What if I want to go to the charity ball with you?” Pete’s voice wavers, ignoring the feeling in his gut that feels like a punch. “That was the plan, right? Why stop when we only have under a week to go?”

Steph lightly laughs, but it sounds nervous. “That’s my point, Pete. We only have a few days left of this anyways, why does it matter if we pull the plug now? You should be happy! You can ditch the event and get your mom and dad to come back. In a way, you really should be thanking me.”

Now it’s time for Pete to laugh. “You really think I want to talk to my parents after all this? You’re the one who convinced me moving in with my brother was a good choice! What’s with the switch up?”

Crossing her arms, Steph gives a shrug. “Look man, why do we need to argue about this? We had a plan and now we’re dropping it. Live with your parents, don’t live with them, it’s your life. Now we’re back to normal, just as we agreed.”

Usually Pete would just give in, meekly agree and slink back and hide in his room, anxiety getting the better of him. However, whether it be his true feelings for Steph getting the better of him or the fact he can definitely tell she isn’t being completely honest with him, he can’t just let this be over. Not now. 

“You’re not telling me something.” He states.

Steph sighs. “Pete..”

“Then look me in the eyes and tell me you actually want us to end this now. Tell me that you can’t wait to go back to not speaking to each other and to just start acting like nothing happened. Tell me that you genuinely want this, and I’ll respect that.” 

Pete can feel his heart beat in his chest as Steph’s eyes slowly look up from the ground. “Why did you have to be like this, Spankoffski?” 

He swallows. “Like what?” 

“Good! Out of all the losers in our stupid school, I had to pick one of the only guys who isn’t a complete asshole. Sure, you’re no saint. I’ve heard some freaky stories about you, man, but still. You’re just a guy who wanted to help me study as we did a crappy plan. ” Steph somewhat shouts.

Pete’s taken aback by the outburst, now left confused. He can’t even think of anything to say.

“Sorry. It’s just..” Steph speaks up again. “Max is already back.”

As those words leave Steph’s mouth, everything goes silent. The only sound Pete can hear is his own heartbeat pounding in his chest, the rest of his body numb. 

“What?” 

“Yep. Apparently he was too good for the campus. So much so they sent him home early. They couldn't teach him anything else. Not that Jägerman needed more of an ego boost.” She speaks through her teeth.

His voice wavers. “Does he know about us?”

Steph nods, her gaze returning to the ground. 

“What did he say?” Pete asks, despite being scared of the answer.

The girl then becomes quiet, her state uneasy. “That if I don’t break up with you and take him to the charity event, he’d hurt you.” 

Pete isn’t even shocked. This is the whole reason they had a time limit on this fake dating plan, because if Max found out, he’d lose his shit.

Which is exactly what happened. 

“Why didn’t you just tell me about Max straight away?” 

Steph picks at her nail polish. “I don’t know..”

“Please try to tell me?” he softly asks.  

“I thought it’d make this easier! I thought if I came up with something that would actually make sense to stop this whole thing and stop talking to you, it’d be easier for me to move on.” Steph rambles. “I didn’t want to feel this way. I just wanted to prove my dad wrong, and that didn’t even work.”

“Feel what way?” 

Steph rolls her eyes, her state growing more upset. “Come on Pete, you’re a smart guy. Think I would willingly study before I met you? Or had someone come to my place in the dead of night over something assholes in the past would claim as me overreacting? You picked out a fucking dress for me for god’s sake! The line between what was part of the plan and what was real became very blurred..” 

They stare at each other, Pete looking into Steph’s tear filled eyes. 

So she did feel the same way.

Pete should feel overjoyed. He should be smiling like an absolute idiot. Have his cliche moment of kissing Steph because he can’t find the words to describe how he’s feeling. Instead, he just feels sad.

All because of Max. 

However, with the news Steph just dropped, he can’t move on. Not that easily. 

“What’s the worst he could do?” Pete finally speaks up.

Steph scoffs. “You’re kidding, right?”

“I’ve dealt with his crap before! He’s gonna beat the shit out of me no matter what happens between us two..” He adds, feeling he’s made a strong point.

“Pete, you don’t get it–” 

He cuts her off. “I don’t? Because after years of putting up with Max, I think I have a rough idea of what goes through this hard head..”

She looks up, her gaze serious. “He fucking scared me. Max has never made me feel that way before. The look in his eyes when he said he’s gonna break you, I was terrified. I know he’s still going to be a massive jerk to you when we stop hanging out, but if we keep doing..whatever this is..I don’t even want to think about what he might do. It’s not worth it. I’m not worth it.”

“Steph..” Pete reaches for the girl, but she pulls away. 

“Make sure whoever you pick up next doesn’t have a crappy dad or any Jägerman’s in their life, alright? Really want you to actually date someone, Spankoffski.” Steph forces a smile, before turning and walking away. “I’ll be checking your Instagram daily. I expect updates!”

He wants to run after her, to tell her they can sort something out, but he doesn’t. Pete can’t even bring himself to move, so he just stands there, wishing things could be different. 

____________

Pete eventually makes his way back to the apartment, where Ted sits on the couch. The smirk plastered on his brother's face drops when he realises Steph isn’t with him. 

“She’s not coming up?” 

Not wanting to talk about it, Pete just shakes his head. He no longer has the energy to make up some elaborate story that’d fit the plan that doesn’t even exist anymore. 

“Then why did she come back? Seems like a waste of a trip.” Ted scoffs. “You two were out there for awhile–” 

Pete groans. “Why does it matter to you? Can we just drop it?” 

“Woah, what happened? Did she turn ya down or something? It happens, little bro.” His brother laughs. 

“Ted!” he sighs, growing more annoyed. “I don’t want to talk about it.” 

A silent moment passes as the man looks at his younger brother. Pete avoids eye contact, crossing his arms.

After a few seconds, Ted sits up. “Holy shit. Did she dump you?” 

“I’m going to bed.” Pete responds, ignoring the question.

He starts to walk toward his room, just wanting to sleep.

“No shame in being broken up with!” Ted speaks up “Just means you can get with more people now with no consequences!” 

Pete stops in his tracks. “I don’t want to get with more people.”

“Oh come on, Petey. You two dated for just over a month , you’ll get over her. There will be others just like her or even better .” Ted winks. 

The more his brother spoke, the more Pete grew upset. He couldn’t keep this up anymore. He couldn’t keep lying.

“We never dated!” Pete snaps, speaking before he could fully process what he was finally admitting. 

Ted gives him a look, dumbfounded. “Huh? What the fuck do you me you weren’t dating? You two were all over each other tonight..” 

Walking back toward the couch and sitting down, Pete sighs. “It was Steph’s idea. We started talking in detention and found out both of us needed dates, so she thought rather than trying to find other people to drag along to these things, we could help each other out. It started off friendly enough, I was just helping her study at first, a way to spend time together so we could make a more convincing couple, but then it became something more. It’s not exactly shocking that I actually started to like her.”

Ted just stands there for a moment, smirking.

“I knew you were lying that night when you told us you weren’t single anymore, cause conversation worked a little too well in your favour.” 

Pete rolls his eyes, standing up. “Of course that’s all you focus on. Forget I told you anything.” 

He goes to storm off, rethinking staying in this apartment, but Ted grabs his arm, forcing him to stay put. “Stop. You can’t tell me I was right and not expect me to say something. Now calm down and talk to me. Are you in a mood because you told Steph how you really feel and she doesn’t feel the same way? Or is there more to this?” 

Sighing, Pete slowly turns back around. 

“It’s Max. He hasn’t been here while we’ve been doing this and he came back earlier than expected. We thought we had another week left, but not anymore. So now we have to drop the plan and I’m no longer going to the charity ball because Steph told me Max would hurt me if we kept seeing each other.” 

His brother scoffs. “That Max kid is something else. If he wasn’t such a star athlete, he would’ve been kicked out of school by now. Still stupid they keep him around for that. Not like we’re going to the super bowl or anything.” 

Pete just shrugs, really not wanting to waste anymore time talking about the guy who makes his life a living hell, even more so now. In a way he wishes he could just make Max disappear, but that’s impossible. 

They stand in silence, Ted clearly trying to rack his brain on some good advice that isn’t just finding someone else to hook up with at a moment's notice. 

After a minute, Pete speaks up. “You were right. Right about me being actually single, but also what you said tonight in the car. About Steph really liking me. She told me after she dropped the Max bomb..”

Ted crosses his arms. “So you two are into each other, but let that jerk control you? Grow a pair, little bro! You’re smart. Find a way to make it work. Only see one another outside of school, just text when people have eyes on you, ditch class together. Hell, you can even bring her here. Something ought to work. I sneak around with married women all the time, and their husbands never find out. Besides, Steph isn’t even dating Max. You’ll find a way to trick that dope.” 

Standing there, Pete can’t believe he’s actually considering his brother's advice. It’d be really fucking risky, but unlike what Steph thinks, she’s more than worth it. 

Chapter Text

“So you broke things off with the nerd?” Brenda asks, taking a small sip from the drink she got at the food court. 

Last thing Steph wanted right now was to be alone after everything that happened last night, so she suggested to her friends they go to the mall. She knows it won’t make the problem go away, but it’s better than being by herself. 

“His name is Pete.” Steph sighs, looking up from her mindless scrolling. “And yes I did. It’s so great having Max back, isn’t it?”

She shoves her phone into her back pocket, too annoyed to even distract herself with it. Why did he have to come back early? Come back at all, even. 

“You like, really liked him, didn’t you? Not just in a, he’s okay until I find someone better, way, but in a real way.” Stacy comments, Brenda also giving a knowing look. 

Steph shrugs, avoiding eye contact. “I guess, but it’s over. No point in getting all sad about it.” 

Except she was upset. The image of Pete’s hurt face is burned into her mind and it likely won’t go away. That last comment she made about him finding someone to actually be with also replayed in her head, part of her hoping Pete wouldn’t take her advice. 

“At least you dated him for a bit!” Stacy lightly adds, pulling Steph away from her thoughts. “Better than nothing..” 

She can’t help but scoff at her friend's words. 

Brenda cocks an eyebrow. “What’s that about?” 

“Nothing.” Steph groans. “How’s cheerleading going? You guys haven’t told me what you’re doing for the next game.” 

“Uh uh. It’s obviously not nothing. Talk.” Brenda crosses her arms, Stacy nodding next to her. 

It was a poor attempt at changing the subject, but it’s all she could think of. So much for distracting herself from the whole situation, as Steph knows Brenda and Stacy. They won’t let up until she’s honest. 

“We were never a couple. The whole thing was fake.” she admits bluntly

Her friends just stand there, equally confused. 

“Dad was on my ass about who I was bringing to his charity event and kept going on about all my past relationships. It just really pissed me off, so I wanted to find someone who was the complete opposite of who I’d usually go for to shut him up. Then I was in detention and in walked Pete, a complete nerd who told his entire family he was dating someone, when he actually wasn’t. So, we acted like a couple. Sounds stupid, but it worked. Kind of..”

“But you guys were like..very convincing.” Stacy finally speaks up. “Like, we were confused as to why you were so into him..”

Steph shrugs. “I don’t know. I was thinking we’d just hang out to get people talking, but he had a different idea. He wanted to help me bring my grades up, so he suggested we study together. The more time we spent together, the more we learned about each other, the more we could act like a convincing couple. Then things just..”

“Got serious?” Brenda chimes in. 

“I didn’t want to like him! We were gonna help each other out and then just stop talking. That was the plan. Max wasn’t going to find out and Pete wasn’t going to get hurt because of me, but then he had to fucking surprise me. Since when do I go for nerds? Or study? It wasn’t supposed to be like this.” 

She can’t even look at Brenda and Stacy, knowing she’d just be met with sympathetic looks that won’t help with how she’s feeling.

In a way, Steph wishes she could go back in time and take whatever loser her dad would have eventually set her up with. It’d be hell, but at least she wouldn’t be in this position right now. 

“So did you two ever-” Stacy starts.

“We didn’t do anything. Whatever you saw at school is all we ever did.” Steph cuts her off. “Look, I’m sorry for lying to you guys and I know all you two want to do is gossip about it, but I really don’t want to talk about it anymore.” 

Brenda gives a small nod as Stacy looks at the ground, making Steph feel worse. 

“Sorry, I just want to forget about it. So please, can we talk about something else?” 

Eventually her friends accept she wants to drop it, proceeding to talk about their upcoming cheer competition. Steph half listens, but she won’t deny that Pete remained in the back of her mind 

____________

Her dad isn’t home when she gets back from the mall, a note on the dining room table telling her he’s out running errands. Not exactly shocking, with the charity event only a few days away. The event Steph was originally sort of looking forward to, since she was supposed to be going with Pete. Now it just makes her feel nauseous even thinking about it. 

Screwing up the note, Steph throws it in the trash before making her way up to her bedroom. The thought of an early night is very tempting at this current moment. 

After changing into something more comfortable and getting into bed, Steph resorts to just using her phone, knowing she likely won’t get to sleep at this hour anyway. However, no matter how many apps she would reopen and close, her brain wouldn’t shut up. The charity ball, her dad, Max coming back and of course, Pete, taking up her thoughts. 

Thinking of the boy makes her eyes shift from her phone to her desk, where her math textbook lies open. Steph was making an attempt to study by herself yesterday before she met up with Pete at Ted’s place. She got a few questions done, but still had a few left unanswered.

Sighing, Steph leaves her phone on the bed before getting up, and sitting in front of her notebook. Picking up her pen, she looks over the equation she was stuck on, hoping this will somehow help. Or at the very least occupy her mind. 

Surprisingly, studying does help, Steph now focused on getting this homework done before her next math class. Maybe proving Mulberry wrong will make this week feel a little less shitty. Of course the knowledge that Pete is a big reason why she’s able to even get this far plays on her mind, but she pushes it down. 

As if the universe hates her, Steph is interrupted by something hitting her window. Brushing it off as nothing, she goes back to the equation, the solution on the tip of her tongue. 

But the noise didn't stop. It was someone throwing things on purpose and they wanted her to hear it. She drops her pen in a huff, looking over her shoulder at the window. 

Steph hesitates for a moment, thinking back to the last time someone got her attention this way. 

It was late last year and her dad had just grounded her for having her phone out in class. Steph was supposed to go to a party that night, but there was no way in hell she’d be able to sneak past her dad. That’s when she heard something hit her window, several times. When she got up to investigate, she discovered it was Max, throwing small rocks. He convinced her to sneak out, claiming she was a coward if she didn’t. 

What if it’s him again? 

What if he’s already done something to Pete and is here to gloat about it? 

Slowly getting out of her desk chair, she inches near the window and peaks through the small gap in the curtain. Once Steph’s eyes catch who it is, her heart skips a beat. It’s not Max.

It’s Pete. 

Then a new panic sets it. What the hell was he doing? 

Opening the window in a rush, Steph looks down at the boy. “Pete! Why are you here?” 

She talks through her teeth, not wanting to yell, but also wanting to make her urgency clear to Pete. This nerd has a death wish. 

“Uh, you left your flannel at Ted’s place, I wanted to bring it back.” His voice wavers, gesturing to the bag slung around his shoulder. 

He came all this way to give back a flannel? Steph doesn’t know what to think. 

Looking around, Steph sighs. “My dad isn’t home so I’ll meet you at the front door. This has to be quick.” 

Closing the window, Steph turns around and goes to leave her bedroom, but her eyes fall on a pile of clothes next to her dresser. Where the flannel she wore to Ted’s sat right on top. 

Spankoffski you little shit.

When she gets to the front door, Steph opens it to glare at Pete. “So you have my flannel?” 

“Well-” 

“What is this about? Otherwise you’re leaving.” She crosses her arms, even though all she wants to do is hug him and refuse to let go. 

“Sorry, I just knew you probably wouldn’t see me if all I wanted to do was talk. Besides, last night you didn’t really give me time to talk..” 

She lets out a laugh. “Sorry for not giving you your time. I was a bit overwhelmed by the fact that the guy who makes your life a living hell was back and was making it his goal to do worse if I didn’t end things.” 

“You think I wasn’t overwhelmed? You dropped several bombs last night then walked away like it was nothing!” Pete argues, the nerd growing annoyed. 

Gritting her teeth, Steph pulls Pete inside and closes the door. “What are you going to tell me? That you feel the same way? That we can make it work? That you can fight back? Pete, I know you’re so much more than what people paint you as at school, but we’re talking about Max here.”

Steph starts walking toward the kitchen, struggling to look at Pete. 

“You’re better off waiting until college to date. You’ll be far away from Hatchetfield and can find someone who doesn’t ask a billion questions about fucking algebra. You also won’t be at risk of being killed by merely looking at them.” 

His footsteps follow her. “I don’t want to find someone in college-”

“Wow, waiting until you have a stable career to find a partner? Very mature.” she quips, pretending to look in the fridge to distract herself.

“Steph, can you please just listen to me?” 

While his voice cracks as usual, there was a seriousness to his tone that made Steph pause for a second. Slowly closing the fridge door, she turns to meet Pete’s eyes again. “Sorry. Go ahead.” 

“I’m fucking terrified of Max, trust me. I know I can’t beat him up or shove him into a locker, that'll just make things worse. I also know I can’t shit talk him to his face unless I want to get beaten up.” Pete starts, before taking a shaky breath. “I will say, by dealing with Max over the years, I've learned how to avoid him. I go the long way to my classes, bring my own lunch to school so there is no need for the cafeteria and I just keep my head down when I’m at my locker.” 

“Okay this is just making me more sad, Pete..” Steph states honestly, wishing she could beat Max to a pulp. “Are you going somewhere with this?” 

Pete hesitates for a moment before finally getting out what he obviously came over to say. “Why can’t we do that? Find a way to be together without Max knowing. Or anyone knowing, really. Unless we want them too.” 

Her heart races at the idea of what the nerd is implying. Obviously Steph wouldn’t be embarrassed openly dating Pete. Hell, she spent the past month publicly pretending to be with the guy. However, the thought of sneaking around just to see each other, even if it’s just to hang out? Steph has to admit, she’s into it. 

As much as she wants to agree in a heartbeat and drag the boy up to her room, Steph stops to really think about how this could work. Max may not be the smartest, but he has a way of finding things out that scares her.

Taking a step closer with a smirk, Steph crosses her arms. “I assume you’ve come up with some sort of plan, Spankoffski? Put some things in that notebook of yours as to how this will go smoothly?” 

Swallowing nervously, he mumbles out two words. “Ted’s place.” 

“Ted’s place?” she cocks an eyebrow.

“Max doesn’t know I’ve moved in with my brother and that apartment is in the opposite direction of my parent’s house. You can come over whenever you want. He won’t catch on if he sees you heading that way after you hang out or when school is over, as it’s on the way to your place anyway. I’ll just walk in the direction I used to go after school then make a turn once I know Max isn’t around. Same goes for when I drive to school. I’ll take the scenic route each day.” Pete explains, hands gesturing as he talks. 

“Seems like a lot on your part.” Steph scoffs. 

“You’re worth it, Steph.” Pete looks at her softly. “I would have told you that last night, but you were in a bit of a rush to leave.” 

She feels her face grow warm at his words. The more confident Spankoffski gets, the more she struggles to hide how flustered he makes her. 

“Have you talked to Ted about this? I mean, if we do go ahead with this plan of yours, I think I’ll be coming over a lot. Don’t want your brother to start hating me because I’m always around.” Steph can’t help but smile, hand reaching for Pete’s. 

He intertwines their fingers. “Who do you think gave me the idea to sneak around?”

“Of course it was his idea.” 

Pete laughs. “Probably some of the only advice I’ll ever take from him.” 

There’s a small beat of silence as the pair just stand there, Steph getting used to the feeling of Pete’s hand in hers. They’ve done this so many times before, but it somehow feels different. It’s no longer for show, it’s for comfort. It’s because they both really want to. 

“But your parents. They’re going to be very happy once they hear we broke up. If they catch on that we’re not actually over, they may do worse than vacation in Clivesdale for a few weeks..” Steph starts, unsure why she’s still finding reasons to prevent this from happening.

It feels like she doesn’t deserve it, this much effort.

After all, every reason why they can’t be together without making someone angry or disappointed is her. If Max wasn’t in her circle, the jock wouldn’t give two shits who she decides to be with. Then there’s Mr and Mrs Spankoffski, who decided to ditch town the second they found out their son was dating her. Not to mention her dad. If he had a normal every day job, he wouldn’t care who she brings home to meet the family. 

“Fuck them.” Pete simply says.

That really takes Steph aback. “Excuse me?” 

“Sorry. Ted again..” Pete adds. “But he isn’t wrong. I don’t care what they do anymore. If they find out, what are they gonna do? Kick me out of the house I no longer live in? I should have moved out the second they started being weird about the particular girlfriend I need in my life..” 

Steph looks down at the ground. “So have you told them?” 

The boy scratches the back of his neck. “I may have left an angry voicemail about how they got what they wanted last night. I wasn’t really thinking..”

“Not getting your hot chocolate on time angry?” Steph smirks. 

He huffs at that. “If you have time to flirt, you have time to make my fucking drink! My blood sugar can get very low..”

She lightly hits his chest with a soft laugh.

Pete moves his hands to rest on her waist. This feeling was definitely new. “So, what do you think?” 

“Well according to the town all I do is sneak around anyways. May as well live up to my reputation.” Steph shrugs, allowing herself to relax into Pete. 

“So, is that a yes?..” his voice cracks. 

Steph smiles, rolling her eyes. “Yes, Pete. While being a thing in secret after we spent a whole month pretending to be a couple in front of our friends and family is fucking ridiculous, I’m in.” 

A grin immediately spreads across Pete’s face, his hand leaving her waist to caress her cheek. That familiar warmth returns to Steph’s face, heart racing as her eyes glance at his lips. 

Then a car pulls up outside, immediately making her stomach drop. 

“Shit, my dad is already home.” Steph whispers, softly pushing Pete away.

Now startled, the boy looks at Steph like a deer in headlights. “So he also already knows about the break up?”

She’s now gently shoving Pete toward the back door in the kitchen. “Oh please. As soon as he saw Max was back he knew things between us would be over.”

“What if we just say I was here to help you study?”  Pete rambles out, stumbling backwards. 

Steph shakes her head. “I don’t want to risk him telling anyone about how you’re still helping me with school. Max would eventually find out and that’s this plan fucked up already. Change my name in your phone and text me. Okay?” 

Pete hesitates, but eventually nods. “Alright. I’ll text you when I’m back at Ted’s.” 

Just as Steph hears Solomon’s keys in the front door, she quickly pulls Pete in to kiss his cheek before pushing him out the back. “Looking forward to it, Spankoffski.” 

The last thing Steph sees is Pete’s flustered face before closing the door, the look making the girl smile to herself. 

This new plan is already a lot more fun.

Chapter Text

Early the next morning, Pete decides to make one final trip to his parents house to pick up the last of his things before school. He already has some boxes packed in his car, now just grabbing the last few things and throwing them in a backpack. 

While he doesn’t necessarily need the stuff he’s planning on taking back to Ted’s, the thought of his comics and collectibles getting thrown out simply because his mom and dad are upset with his choices did not play well in his mind. 

Not to mention he wanted to grab a few more of the clothes Steph was looking through when they first started their plan. Even if she can only wear them while at the apartment, Pete still wants Steph to have a few things to choose from. 

As he places the last of his belongings in his bag and zips it up, he feels a presence in his old bedroom. 

“Peter, what on earth are you doing?”

His stomach drops. 

Forcing himself to turn around, his parents stand in the doorway, looking around at the now empty room. 

Clenching his jaw, he moves his attention back to his packed stuff. “Welcome back. Hope the trip was relaxing enough for you.” 

“Peter–” his mother starts, in her overly sweet tone that now makes his skin crawl. 

Throwing his bag on his back, Pete pushes past them. “I’ve moved in with Ted. Don’t expect us at any more of your family dinners.”

That’s all he feels like saying to them. That’s all the energy he has to say to them. 

“Ted? You cannot live with him!” his dad retorts, storming after Pete. “Where is your brain at lately? You are a smart kid, Pete. We will not have you mess up your life just because we didn’t approve of a girl you only dated for a freaking month!” 

This causes Pete to scoff as he continues to walk through the house. 

His father then grabs his arm, forcing him to stop. “I will not allow you to go down the same path as your brother!” 

Pete pulls away from his grasp. “I’m living with him. Not becoming him.” 

“He was just like you, you know? Smart, polite, an all round good kid. He was on track to do great things after college, but then a girl came along. He got hurt and he lost focus. He lost his drive. He lost himself. ”

The teen’s face falters slightly, thinking about Ted. 

“Is it that Jenny person you sometimes bring up?” He hesitantly asks. 

Mrs Spankoffski sighs. “Yes. She was a sweet girl too. Always a pleasure to have around. Perfect wife material. However, she was only a friend to Ted, but I know my son. He wanted to be more, but never asked her that question. Unsurprisingly, she moved on. Left Ted all alone and moved to Clivesdale with some random dropkick of a man..”

She then moves closer to Pete, grabbing his hands. His mom holds them close to her chest, looking up to meet his eyes. 

“Since that day, I’ve made it my mission to make sure you boys find some good girls who will look after you and not run away. You only deserve the best. ”

Pete shakes his head, pulling his hands from her grip. “We don’t need your help. If you really want us to be happy and to find the right people, you’d stay the hell away.”  

“Don’t need our help?” His father scoffs. “Then why are you acting so rash? Upset that Lauter girl likely dumped you for someone on the football team? Upset she didn’t stick around so you’re taking it out on the people who were right? You’re acting like a fool, Peter.” 

Peter grits his teeth. “The break up was fucking mutual, okay? Cause guess what? Her father doesn’t approve of me! We hated that we were putting each other through hell with our parents' opinions, so we called it quits.” 

“Then why move in with Ted?” his mother asks, not addressing the confession. “What is the reason?” 

“Because he was here. He was here when you two ditched me and didn’t pick up the phone. He was here when you told me you didn’t know when you'd be home and he was here for the break up. I know he isn’t a person to look up to. I don’t want to work at CCRP. I don’t want to chase down married women when I am older. What I do want is a family member who won’t skip town just because I’m dating a person that doesn’t fit their fucking vision board.” His voice cracks at the end, coming to the realization of how he just spoke to his parents.

Mr Spankoffski just glares at him. “Maybe it will be for the best if you’re not under my roof anymore.” 

Pete’s mom focuses on the floor, obviously not wanting to go against her husband's words. 

“Well at least we agree on something.” Pete replied dryly. “I need to get to school.”

He decides to leave then and there, not having another word to say to them. 

When Pete is finally inside his car, he sits in silence for a moment thinking about his actions. There is no going back. No changing his mind if Ted does something wrong. This is it. 

Taking a final glance at the house he grew up in, Pete sighs and drives away, knowing he won’t be back for a while.

____________

Once school is done for the day, Pete returns to his new bedroom and drops the belongings he took from his parents house with a thud. Sitting down on his bed, Pete pinches the bridge of his nose as he thinks back on the conversation from this morning. 

“Thought I heard a moody teenager in here.” Ted suddenly quips, the man leaning against the door frame. “What’s up? Lauter already back out of your sneaking around plan?” 

“Why aren’t you at work?” Pete shoots back.

“Clocked off early. If you must know.” Ted chimes with a scoff. “Are you going to be like this all the time?” 

Pete immediately sighs. He is not in the mood for his usual back and forth with Ted. Plus, he knows he shouldn’t really take his anger out on his brother. After all, he’s the reason he’s even able to get away from his parents. 

“Mom and dad are back.” 

Ted’s demeanour changes as soon as Pete shares this, the news making the man groan.  

“So they’re finally home, hey? Let me guess, they felt terrible for leaving their precious Petey home alone and tried to convince you to stay with them?” 

Pete shakes his head. “Not really. Told them I was moving in with you and they tried to stop me. When I refused and stood up for you, dad told me he doesn’t want me living under his roof anymore.” 

His brother rolls his eyes, the conversation clearly bringing up old memories. 

“Of course, because who’d want ya to move in with the Spankoffski screw up? He works an office job so he must be struggling in life!” Ted states sarcastically, clutching a hand to his chest. “Whatever. Kinda shocked you didn’t cave to their wishes, but thanks for having my back. Would’ve loved to see the look on the old man’s face after you did that.” 

Pete just nods with a slight smile, deciding he wasn’t going to bring up Jenny. Whoever she was, their relationship changed Ted and it would feel mean to mention her now. 

“Well, at least you don’t have to put up with their crap anymore, little bro.” He gives a light punch to Pete’s shoulder, making the younger sibling flinch slightly. 

Ted then looks at his phone, smirking to himself as he shoves the device back in his pocket. 

“Enough about them, I’m going to Charlotte’s. She needs help and Sam isn’t home, so she’s come to me.” 

As hard as it is to admit, Pete’s almost grateful his brother used a poor metaphor. He’d much rather that than have Ted go into great detail of what he’s actually doing, otherwise he’d really start to question his moving choice. 

“Will you be out late? Or staying over?” 

While he was just asking that question to see if he needed to lock up the apartment before going to bed, the shit eating grin on Ted’s face makes Pete think his brother took it another way. 

Pete gives Ted a look. “What?” 

“Oh, nothing. You’re just wondering how long you’ll have the place to yourself for and whether or not I’ll be coming home tonight. I’m sure it’s got nothing to do with the girl you can only see in the comfort of this apartment..” Ted casually says, throwing his hands up in defense as he talks. 

The boy would be lying if he said Steph wasn’t in the back of his mind when his brother said he wasn’t going to be home, as it would be the perfect opportunity to spend alone time with the girl. Not that he’d tell Ted that. 

On the other hand, Pete does not want to come on too strong with this new relationship. The last thing he wants is to freak Steph out by constantly texting her about when she’ll be coming over next. 

“Shut up, Ted.” Pete’s voice cracks. “It may be awhile until she comes over. Max probably has them doing all kinds of shit after school now he’s back and she can’t get away.” 

His brother scoffs, starting to walk away. “You two are young, Pete. She’s likely clawing at the walls to get here.”

Pete rolls his eyes as he follows his brother to the front of the apartment, wanting to lock the door behind the older man.

“To answer your question, I’m staying the night. Take out menus are on the fridge if you need 'em and I’ll call if anything changes.” 

Ted then opens the door, but stops before he walks out.

“Well hello there, Steph. I was under the impression you’d be causing havoc with Max Jägerman!” The man announces sarcastically.

The mention of her name causes Pete’s heart to skip a beat.

In the doorway stands Steph, who cocks an eyebrow at Ted before meeting Pete’s eyes, her expression softening. It’s been weeks since they started hanging out, but the girl giving him that look still makes him a nervous wreck.

His brother sighs. “Well, have fun you two. Stay safe and all that crap. Don’t screw this up, Petey!” 

Steph walks into the apartment as Ted leaves, the couple now alone. 

“What was that about?” she scoffs, looking at the door. 

Pete scratches the back of his neck. “That’s on me. He suggested that I was going to invite you over because he wasn’t going to be home tonight and I told him you probably weren’t free because of Max. I just didn’t want to be too clingy or annoying straight away and for all I know you were with Max–” 

His rambling stops when Steph places a hand on his chest, smirking as she looks up at him. “You think too much, Spankoffski.” 

All Pete manages is a small noise at her action, which only makes the girl smile more. She backs away, putting her backpack down. 

“And I wasn’t with Max. If I ever am with that jerk, as soon as you text me to come over, I am here. Perk of having a strict dad is that I can always use the excuse that he demands I come home at once.”

The mention of her dad makes Pete think about his own father, his face dropping at the thought of the conversation. How they were still so against Steph and even tried to make her the bad guy with their “break up” pissed him off all over again. He almost wishes he said more in her defence before he left the house for good.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Steph asks, tone laced with concern.

After a small moment of hesitation, Pete looks at the floor. “My mom and dad are home.” 

“Oh.” the girl brushes a strand of hair behind her ear. “Did they have much to say?” 

Sighing, Pete slumps down on the small couch in the apartment. “They were the exact same. Stubborn, claiming they know what’s best for me, making crappy assumptions about you–” 

Steph sits next to him, placing her hand on top of his. Pete feels himself relax slightly, taking a slow breath.

“When they heard I was moving in with Ted, they weren’t happy. Told me some story about a girl ruining my brother’s life, but it just made me want to leave more. My dad had it. Said he didn’t want me in the house anymore anyway. So hope I’m right about living here, otherwise I’m fucked.” 

She nods, listening intently. “Shit, Pete..”

“Sorry, I didn’t want to put all this on you–” his voice cracks.

He then feels a gentle touch to his cheek, Steph turning his face so their eyes meet. “I want you to talk to me, Pete. That’s the whole point of this. ”

Goosebumps immediately prickle his skin at that. It’s still a struggle to believe that this is real and not some insane dream that he's eventually going to wake up from. 

“I don’t think I’ll be going back there anytime soon..” he admits. 

“Proud of you.” Steph then drops her hand from his face, laying it in her lap. “Sure as hell couldn’t pull something like this with my dad. He’d kill me.” 

The girl sits back into the couch, picking at her already chipping nail polish. Pete has noticed Steph mainly does this when she’s stressed, making the decision to reach over and interlock their fingers. 

“Now you talk to me.” 

Steph sighs. “Dad is on my ass about the charity gala, again . Telling me that I better not pull anything now that I’m going with Max.”

Pete gives her hand a squeeze. “What did he say?” 

Rolling her eyes, she starts mimicking the mayor of Hatchetfield. “I know you, Stephanie. You will not make a fool out of me at my own event over that Spankoffski boy! At the ball you better stand there, smile and shut up.”

A silence hangs in the air after that, Pete trying to find the right thing to say. 

Whenever Steph mentions how her father speaks to her, it makes his stomach twist in a way that leaves him feeling a mixture of sympathy and disappointment. Especially when Steph talks about it so easily, making it obvious how often Solomon repeats himself. 

After a beat, he turns to her with a shrug. “Does that mean you don’t have to mingle with the rich jerks of Hatchetfield? You know, if all you need to do is those three things..” 

Steph’s once annoyed expression now curls into a smirk. “You are smart, Peter.” 

“But the standing still part may make it difficult for you to sneak out though..” Pete adds, making her laugh.  

“Shut up..” she says lightly, giving him a small nudge. 

Her eyes then soften, thumb tracing the inside of his palm. 

“Wouldn’t be so bad if you were still the one taking me. We could have just found a dark corner to hide in while everyone tries to out bid each other on hideous crap.” 

Pete smirks. “And I’m so good at finding corners to hide in.” 

The girl next to him once again cracks a smile, rolling her eyes. 

“I’m supposed to be mad at my dad, stop making me laugh.” 

Steph tries to calm herself, sitting up from the couch to grab her backpack. She looks through it for a moment before pulling out her notebook. 

“Speaking of you being smart, can I pick that brain of yours? This one equation is bugging me and if I don’t have these questions done by tomorrow, Mulberry will give me a detention and then my dad will be mad at me for that as well.”

Pete grabs the book from her hands, resting it on his lap. He looks at what she was stuck on, but can’t help to scan over everything she had done herself before asking him for help.

She must notice him looking at her work, a groan escaping her lips. “What? Did I get them all wrong? Of course I did. Fuck. ” 

He cuts her off, a soft smile growing. “No, not at all. I mean there are a few mistakes, but you got the majority of these right, Steph. Some of these you did using steps I haven’t even shown you yet. Did you do some research for this homework, Lauter?”

This comment makes her face turn red. “Whatever. It was late one night and I didn’t want to call you at three in the morning asking you for help. So I turned to google. Who doesn’t make snarky remarks by the way..” 

He cocks an eyebrow.

“So why not go to google for the one you’re stuck on?” 

Steph gives him a look, reaching over to grab the book from Pete’s hands. “Well if you want me to leave and ask google ..” 

Pete immediately shakes his head no, keeping Steph’s work in his grasp. “I’ll help!” 

“That’s what I thought.” She smirks. “Besides, I tried looking it up but that was useless .” 

Giving a small laugh, Pete stands up from the couch. “We can study in my room. Ted has a bunch of crap on the kitchen table and all my math stuff is in there anyways.” 

“Study in your room? Do you use that line on all the girls?” Steph jokes, grabbing her bag. 

Pete rolls his eyes with a smile, leading the way to his bedroom. “Only the ones I fake dated for a while..” 

This earns a laugh from the girl as the pair walk into the bedroom, Steph’s gaze falling on the bags and boxes Pete brought in earlier.

“This all your stuff from your parents?” 

Pete nods as he opens up his textbook. “Most of it. Couldn’t really bring everything as this room is a bit smaller, but all the important things are in there.” 

“Including all the clothes you told me you don’t really wear anymore?” Her eyebrow raises as she glances at one of the boxes.

Placing his math book on the desk, he looks up. “Well I wanted to give you some options.” 

The comment causes Steph to meet his eyes, a slight blush rising to her cheeks. Crouching down in front of the box, she pulls out a Hatchetfield High chemistry club sweatshirt. 

“You really are a nerd.” 

Pete gives her a look as she puts it on. “Are you just going to call me names or should we solve this question?” 

“Okay, Peter .” A knowing smirk plays on her face before moving to the desk, taking a seat. 

Sitting next to her, Pete grabs a pencil and looks over the equation left unanswered in Steph’s notebook, starting to show her the best process to work through it.

____________

Steph lightly sighs as she finishes the question. “How come when you explain it, it makes so much more sense?” 

A soft laugh escapes Pete’s lips as he watches her write the final number down.

“I’m a nerd, remember?”

Leaning back in her seat, the girl gives him a playful nudge. “Yeah you are.”

Steph goes to stand up, but Pete gets an idea. He places a soft hand on her arm, stopping her from moving any further.

“Yes?” she questions, slowly sinking back into her seat. 

He looks at the textbook, pointing out the next equation. “I know Mulberry said we only need to do the first ten questions, but now that you know how to do it..” 

Steph scoffs. “You expect me to do work we weren’t even assigned?” 

“Look, you want to be able to do these by yourself, right? So you don’t have to ask me or google for help?” 

She nods along, but he can tell Steph is still unconvinced. 

“I mean, it would also mean you could prove your dad wrong..” 

Her lips curl into a slight smile, looking at the textbook.

“ Fine, but I’m only doing one more. I only just understood it as you went through it with me. Not really in the mood for a headache..”  

With a sigh, Steph picks up her pen and starts working out the problem herself, Pete leaning back in his chair as she solves the question at her own pace. Every so often her eyebrows would furrow from confusion, but managed to get back on track after a few moments. Her painted nails drum against the wooden desk, humming to herself as she writes in her notebook. 

After about five minutes, Steph looks at her finished attempt with a groan. “Whatever. I tried.”  

Since Pete spent the entire time watching her work, he doesn’t even need to look at the page. He simply stares at Steph, gaze gentle.

Steph examines Pete’s expression. “What?” 

“You got it right.” 

Once the comment leaves Pete’s mouth, Steph’s eyes light up. She looks over the equation once more. 

“I did?”

He simply nods, heart swelling at her reaction.

Steph crosses her arms, a smirk plays on her lips as she continues to stare at her work. “Well then, soon I won’t even need to come to you for help. Hell, I may need to start tutoring you, Spankoffkski..” 

When she moves her eyes back to Pete, he finds himself now glancing at her lips. 

Without a second thought, Pete brings his hand to caress Steph’s cheek, the action causing her smirk to drop into an expression much more soft. Before his brain has a chance to talk him out of it, Pete gently pulls Steph in, his lips finally meeting hers. Almost instantly the girl kisses him back, a sense of relief washing over Pete as his heart begins to race. 

At this current moment, all that occupies his mind is Steph.  

Gentle hands are suddenly on his sweater, Steph drawing the boy in closer as she smiles against his lips. He struggles to remember what they were even doing before this. The only thing Pete is certain of is that he should have kissed Steph a lot sooner. 

Breathless, Pete pulls away after a few seconds already knowing his face would be an embarrassing shade of red. Too flustered to look at Stephanie, he drums his fingers on his lap.

“Thought you said you wouldn’t actually kiss me if I solved some of these questions on my own?” Steph quips, a playful smirk growing. 

Unable to think properly after what just happened, the comment leaves the boy confused. He just sits there for a moment, trying to work out what she was referring to.

Suddenly, the memory from when they first started planning their fake relationship hits him.

This is exactly how he claimed their “first kiss” happened. Where he also went on to say he’d really keep a respectful distance when Steph worked out something by herself while they studied. 

Pushing his glasses up his nose, Pete’s face somehow becomes warmer. “Oh, right..”

“Was this your plan all along?” Steph teases, kicking his chair with her foot. “Trick me into studying so you could kiss me?” 

His eyes grow wide at that. “What? No!” 

With the shake of her head, Steph presses a small kiss to his cheek. “You’re still so easy to mess with.” 

“Very funny.” Pete sighs, trying to hide his smile. 

Closing her notebook, Steph leans in and kisses Pete’s lips once more. She keeps it short, pulling away to meet his eyes. 

“I don’t know. I actually think it was pretty sweet. Now I can really look forward to doing homework with you.” 

All Pete can do is kiss her again, homework being the last thing on his mind. 

Chapter Text

As Steph looks in the mirror, she can’t help but grow even more annoyed at her father. Moments from now she’ll be standing amongst the richest names of Hatchetfield at the charity gala, who are only attending to flaunt how much money they have. No one there will  actually care about St. Damien’s. They only want to boast about the dollar amount they contributed to the event. This, on top of the usual stares and whispers made about Steph, is going to be hell. 

She should have been going with Pete, making this entire night bearable. Instead, Max Jägerman currently waits downstairs at her house, where Steph has been stalling for the past ten minutes to go and join him. Thinking of Pete, her fingers smooth down the fabric of the green dress the boy had chosen for her a few weeks ago. 

Since their first kiss, the past few days have been everything to Steph. Sure, it’s not the ideal scenario to constantly be sneaking around just to do something as small as kiss, but it’s worth it. Steph just wishes Max would butt out of her love life so they wouldn’t need to do anything like this. 

“Stephanie, we are leaving the house now. Do not make me come up there and drag you to the car!” 

Her father’s voice booms up the stairs, making the girl close her eyes in frustration. 

After taking a deep breath, Steph grabs her bag before walking toward the foyer where Solomon and Max stood. She refuses to look either of them in the eye as she leaves the house, getting into the car her dad had hired for the evening. There was never a rule that she had to make conversation with the jock, so all her attention was on her phone as the other two sat either side of Steph, not making any effort to talk amongst themselves either. 

“I will be taking that away as soon as we get there. I cannot imagine who you would be texting anyway, seeing as the Spankoffski boy is out of the picture.” Solomon breaks the silence, making Steph roll her eyes. 

In a moment of built up annoyance, she turns her phone off and shoves the device toward her dad in a huff. 

“Just take it now. Wouldn’t want to cause a scene out the front of your precious charity ball.” 

With a clenched jaw, Solomon takes the phone from his daughter and places it inside his jacket pocket.

“I do apologise about her, Maxwell. She can never make things easy.” 

The jock sighs. “Tell me about it.” 

Steph holds her tongue at the comments, a variety of thoughts going through her head. She couldn’t think of anyone worse to be stuck in a car with. The fact the pair think she’s the difficult one because she doesn’t like being told who she can and cannot date or bring to a stupid event is almost laughable. 

After what seems like an eternity, they pull up to the venue. Solomon tells Max to exit the car first, leaving the two Lauter’s alone. Steph forces herself to look at her father, where she meets his cold eyes. 

“Do not make a fool of me tonight. You will be nothing but polite to those attending and if I hear so much as a whisper of negativity about you from someone, forget about seeing your phone again.” 

All Steph can do is nod, just wanting to get this night over and done with. She’ll just stand there and say nothing the entire time until she can find a time to sneak away, which should hopefully only be a few hours into the gala. As for right now, Steph will just put on a happy face for the rich snobs of this crappy town and hope their comments aren’t too unbearable. 

Soon the pair are out of the car and walking inside the building, some guests already inside. Solomon is quick to move away from his daughter, a fake smile plastered on his face as he begins to greet everyone close by. 

Rather than waiting by the door to watch her dad pretend to care about who he was currently talking to, Steph walks further inside, taking everything in. The venue was decorated perfectly, everything around the girl seemingly expensive and fragile. Steph is almost worried to stand near any of it in case she breaks something, which would definitely piss off her dad. 

Her eyes fall on the people already standing around the room, drinking from their champagne flutes. Sheila Young plays with a waiter's tie, clearly trying to flirt with the poor man who is likely being paid minimum wage to be here. The Monroe’s are also in attendance, Gerald’s focus mainly drawn toward the horderves currently being walked around while Linda’s gaze is fixed on Becky Barnes, one of the nurse representatives from St. Damien’s. 

More people slowly fill up the venue, Steph becoming more tense by the second as the guests meet her eyes. Crossing her arms over herself, she keeps a polite smile on her face as the residents of Hatchetfield move past her. While their stares remain blank or somewhat judgemental, they don’t say a word to the girl, which is what Steph prefers. 

Audio feedback from a microphone then echoes around the hall, meaning her father is about to give yet another half-assed, bullshit speech about how amazing it is the community came together for a good cause. It also means she needs to make her way on stage to be next to her dad, so she can be used as a human prop for the family part of his monologue.  

Once she stands in front of everyone at the charity ball, it’s as though all eyes are on her even though her father is the one currently speaking. All Steph can think about is Pete. How if he was there, she would have just found him in the crowd to help calm her nerves. She thinks about what else he would have done to make this event easier. His accidental funny quips making her laugh, sneaking away somewhere to get away from everyone, the boy likely finding a way to bring up some nerdy interest which would have her listening to every word. If Pete was with her tonight, she would have someone to go to when the whispers and stares got too much, but he isn’t there. All because of Max. 

The sound of polite applause snaps Steph out of her thoughts, not even realizing she zoned out for the entirety of her father’s speech. Solomon now directs his plastered smile to his own daughter, gesturing for her to follow him off the stage. 

As soon as they are away from the guests and alone, he grabs Steph’s arm to pull the girl to a halt. 

“Have you been drinking? You seemed awfully out of it on that stage. Though I never appreciate your usual eye rolls and poor body language at events like this, I would prefer if you were still somewhat receptive when the wealthiest names in Hatchetfield have their eyes on you!”

Fighting the urge to roll her eyes, Steph pulls away from her father’s grasp. 

“No. I haven’t been drinking. I’m just doing what you told me. I stood there and shut up.” 

After this she storms off, ignoring the way Solomon calls out after her. 

As Steph walks away she spots Max, who currently boasts about the last time he scored the winning point at a Nighthawks game to a small number of people. Gritting her teeth, she shows no interest in wanting to join the conversation, being quick to get past the group. 

Making her way to locate some food, she overhears a conversation between Roman Murray and the woman he brought along as a date. The man scoffs, looking toward the Jägerman boy. 

“Word is he wasn’t even supposed to be back in town yet. Apparently he begged his father to let him come home early from that football program because the other students attending were treating him poorly. Cowardly way to go about things if you ask me and I believe his father feels the same way..”

It’s as though everything around Steph went silent after hearing that. The rich man’s words echoing in her head. 

Suddenly Steph no longer has an interest in finding food. All she can think about is how Max Jägerman is a massive hypocrite who can’t handle what he has put others through for years. Looking toward the jock again, he currently gives a cocky smile as he receives praise from the people surrounding him. 

Her nails dig into her palms as she’s reminded that he’s the reason Pete isn’t here. Why everything they do has to be behind closed doors now, to avoid Pete getting hurt. How he just stands there, smiling, acting as though nothing has happened. 

She’s had enough. 

Putting on a smile, she politely moves into the group and looks at Max, his smile faltering at the sight of the girl. 

Steph places a hand on his forearm. “Mind if I steal him away for a moment?”

As the group give a small nod and start talking amongst themselves, Steph drags Max to a quiet part of the building. The boy complains as he's pulled along, but she is far from caring. Once they stop, Steph releases her grip and crosses her arms. 

Max glares at her. “What the hell, Steph!?”

“Just wanted a little chat with my plus one.” 

He waits for her to continue, growing impatient. 

“How was your time away? Realised you haven't really talked about it much. Missing the guys who were also a part of the same program? I mean, you were all there for the same reason, surely you would have made a lot of friends..” 

Was this mean? No doubt. However, this doesn’t even compare to the shit he’s put Pete and his friends through.

Max avoids her eyes, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Didn’t waste my time making friends. I was stuck with a bunch of losers anyway. They fucking wish I would let them hang around me.”

She cocks an eyebrow. “So what I overheard Roman Murray talk about was a load of crap then? That you asked your dad if you could come home early because the other guys at this stupid football program were giving you shit? Not Murray’s words exactly, but I can gather what happened. Word gets around town fast, so you may as well tell me the truth now before the story gets twisted..”

An uncomfortable look appears on the boy's face before a frustrated groan escapes his lips. “They wouldn’t shut up about how crappy Hatchetfield was! Made me out to be some backwoods loser just because I’m from a small town. Anything I did, anything I said, I was treated like the laughing stock of the entire fucking group. I got sick of it! Wasn’t going to stick around and let them mess with me. I’m Max fucking Jägerman!”

Steph rolls her eyes at his outburst, not saying a word. 

Sensing her judgement, Max clenches his jaw. “So what? You’re still upset about Spankoffski so you're going to tell the whole school that I’m a little bitch? Some form of stupid pay back? Or you gonna try and black mail me into letting you get back with that loser? I don’t give a fuck, Stephanie.” 

“Okay. Whatever.” She scoffs. “Face it, Max. If I overheard that conversation, good chance other people did. Plus, Roman had to find out from someone. Think it’s a bit late to keep this story quiet. I just find it interesting that you couldn’t put up with a few jerks for a month, while the kids you've been putting through hell for years still manage to rock up to school every day. Would have thought this whole thing may have acted as some form of brutal wake up call to change. Yet you came back to Hatchetfield, and started treating everyone the exact same way. Why is that?”

With his fist clenched, he stares daggers at Steph. “Because I wanted to prove I’m not a fucking coward! That’s all I got from my dad before I went back to school. That I should have stood my ground. Acted like a man. So that’s what I’m doing here. Don’t want anyone to think they can mess with me.” 

Steph lets her guard down slightly at the mention of Max’s father. It’d be hypocritical of her to not be somewhat understanding, as she remembers all the lengths she would go to just to get her own father off her back. Not that this reasoning excuses any of his actions. She’s still mad as hell at the jock standing in front of her.

“And acting this way in the past made you and your dad super close, right?” Steph states, her tone sarcastic. 

“What the hell do you want, Steph?” Max snaps. 

She thinks about Pete. How she wants him and others at school to feel safe. To catch a fucking break for once. 

“Back off. Stop being so damn controlling over everyone and everything at school. As who knows, maybe if you act like a decent human being for once, when everyone does find out why you really came home early, you may be met with a sliver of sympathy. Because I can tell you right now, if you keep being a dick, people will only give you hell for it.” 

This earns a scoff from Max. “You expect me to be friends with a bunch of losers and nerds? Not a chance..” 

“I never said you had to be friends with them. Just leave everyone alone. Focus on the people who continue to hang out with you despite what you’ve done.” 

Steph has no idea where all this has come from. She’s just sick of letting things slide and should have said something a long time ago. 

The boy hesitates for a moment before he groans. “Fine. I’ll back off. I know you’re just saying all this shit because you have a thing for that loser still, but whatever. Date Spankoffski for all I care. It’s your own reputation you’ll flush down the toilet, but I’ll still be on top. If anyone tries to change that, I’ll just beat the crap out of them.”

Steph can’t even hide her smile, grinning like an idiot as the jock continues to glare. She somehow got through to Max Jägerman of all people. Sure, if it weren’t for the whole football program situation she wouldn’t even consider talking some sense into him, but that doesn’t matter. Max said he’ll back off. That’s all she can focus on. 

“I’m sure you will. Well, this was a nice chat, but I’ll let you get back to your bragging. Can’t let anyone miss out on your stories about a high school football team..”

Rolling his eyes, Max leaves without another word. Now that she’s alone, Steph lets out a sigh as she leans her back against a wall. It was still surprising she managed to get through all that without being heavily berated or just plain ignored. 

Her gaze falls to the window, wanting nothing more to leave through one of them now and hope her father doesn’t catch her. However, when she looks outside, Steph immediately notices a person wandering around the grounds, making clear attempts to find a way into the building.

Just as Steph is about to brush it off as the homeless man from down the street, another glance makes her eyes widen. 

It’s Pete.

Rushing back through the main hall, she catches a glimpse of her father who is currently sharing a drink with a group of guests, not even noticing that his daughter is close by. This means Solomon will likely be tipsy in no time, which works out very well in Steph’s case. Once she’s at the front entrance, Steph gives a final look over her shoulder to make sure her dad still isn’t looking, before slipping outside. The cool night air makes her shiver, Steph wrapping her arms around herself as she starts walking toward the area she last saw Pete. 

Steph just hopes she is the only one that has seen him so far. As if another person spotted him and called security, that would definitely get her grounded.  

Eventually Steph finds Pete by a decorative fountain, eyeing one of the windows as if he has the ability to make a twenty foot jump. 

“I think you could make it.” Steph jokes, making her presence known to the boy.

This startles him, Pete turning around quickly causing the gravel under his feet to crunch. Once he realises it’s Steph, his shoulders immediately untense. Now that he stands facing the lights illuminating the fountain, Steph is taken aback as her eyes scan over the boy standing in front of her.

He’s wearing a suit.

“Pete, what are you doing here..” She struggles to find more words, her brain still trying to catch up with what was currently happening. 

Shuffling on his feet, he lets out an awkward laugh.

“Well I was just having a quiet night in, you know, trying to unpack my stuff to get settled into the new place, when I found the box I had this suit in. Then, because of course he did, Ted catches me staring at it for a bit too long and starts to bug me until I explained myself.”

He then sighs, as it’s clear Ted got on his nerves tonight. 

“After I told him, he wouldn’t shut up about how I should have gone to the charity gala anyway and that I shouldn’t have given in so easily to Max and the mayor’s demands. He then said some other stuff which I do not want to repeat, but other than that, I kind of agreed with him. As you know I still wanted to take you to this stupid ball, even though it’s boring and sucks, but we had a whole plan–”

A soft look appears on Steph’s face as her hands find the lapel of Pete’s suit, pulling him in for a kiss to cut his words short.  

After a few moments, Steph breaks away to meet Pete’s eyes. “You look good, Spankoffski.” 

Pete becomes flustered, running a hand through his hair before bringing it to her waist, drawing Steph closer.

“You look good.” 

This makes Steph smirk. “Thank you. Shockingly, a dork picked out my dress..” 

“Very funny.” Pete quips, unable to hide a smile. 

As her fingers trace the details on his jacket, she thinks back on his story. “So you decided to follow Ted’s advice again? Starting to think you actually like your big brother..”

“I never said that I didn’t like him! Just that he can be an asshole sometimes..” He defends himself, voice cracking as he does so. 

Steph laughs, gently hitting Pete’s chest. “I’m just messing with you. I’m glad you’re here.”

A silent moment passes, Steph relaxing into Pete’s embrace as his hand moves to the small of her back. The loud noise from inside is only a soft hum outside, making the girl feel much more at ease. She shivers once more, the breeze still cold.

This makes Pete pull away, taking off  his jacket. “Here.” 

He then places it over Steph’s shoulders, the warmth immediately making the girl feel better. Grabbing at the material, she pulls the jacket to sit more comfortably over herself as a blush comes to her cheeks.

“Thanks..” 

Steph then rests her head on Pete’s chest, just wanting to be as close as she can to the boy. A soft smile grows on her face as she feels his arms wrap around her, his hand gently playing with her hair. She could quite easily spend the rest of the night right here, even though it wouldn’t be the smartest idea.

The sound of the main door opening causes Pete to pull away, his body stiff as he moves them behind the fountain. It completely slipped Steph’s mind to tell him about what happened with Max. That they don’t need to sneak around anymore. 

Then again, if it’s her dad, they should definitely hide. 

However, the people leaving were the Monroe’s. Linda was mid drunken ramble to her husband, the only thing Steph was able to pick up on was something to do with Becky Barnes. Once it was clear the couple didn’t see them and were heading toward their car, Steph gave Pete’s arm a reassuring squeeze. 

“Think we’re okay.” She whispers, before turning to face the boy again. 

Pete breathes out a sigh of relief. “Maybe it was a bad idea for me to come here..”

With a shake of her head, Steph cuts him off. “Pete, we don’t have to worry anymore. I know this sounds like a stupid lie and you may not even believe me, but Max said he’d back off.”

Unsurprisingly, he looks unconvinced.

“Look. Long story short, Max lied about why he’s back so soon. Sounds like he actually got a taste of his own medicine while he was away and couldn’t handle it.” she explains. “After a little chat, we agreed he should leave everyone alone. Can’t see him skipping down the halls with the chess club anytime soon, but this is a start..”

Taking a moment to process, Pete eventually nods. 

“So no more hiding?” 

Steph smirks. “Nope. Even though we were only at this for a week, it’s going to be nice to finally be ourselves around other people. No more stupid plans or stories. Just the truth.” 

He smiles at her softly, his body seeming to relax as the girl speaks.

“Have to admit, I was starting to struggle with Richie and Ruth. They would not stop pestering me about how I was feeling each time we saw you around school these last few days..” 

Steph laughs softly. “You know they’re just going to pester you about your love life now, right?” 

“Honestly? After a month of coming up with lies to cover my ass, I do not mind telling them a few things we actually get up to.” 

She sighs. “You’re right. Think I will be having many sleepovers with Brenda and Stacy..” 

With a final glance at the building she was standing in moments ago, Steph places a gentle hand on Pete’s arm.

“Let’s get out of here. My dad finished all his speeches a while ago, so he won’t need me for the rest of the night. And if he is looking for me, it’s not like he can call to see where I am. He has my phone.”

She shares with a smirk, this probably being the first time in her life she doesn’t care that the device isn’t currently with her. 

All Steph cares about right now is spending time with the person she has been thinking about this entire evening. 

Chapter Text

“Are you sure you want to be studying right now? I don’t mind if you just want to watch your friends..” 

Pete gestures toward the football field, looking at Steph. They currently sat on the bleachers as the cheer team practiced for the upcoming game, having been there for a while now. The couple have been looking at their science homework, Pete getting through the questions a bit quicker than his girlfriend.

The girl pulls her attention away from the team, brushing him off.

“No, it’s fine. It’s nice to have something to do while I watch, as shockingly, cheerleading isn’t exactly my thing. I just feel bad that I have been blowing off the girls lately because of all the crap we have been dealing with.”

She then smirks, kissing his cheek.

“But now that’s finally over, I can go back to hanging out with them as I usually would without feeling on edge with their questions about you. No more fake stories or changing the subject. I can be as annoying as I want and they’ll just want to know more, even if they still tease me about dating a complete dork.”

This makes him blush, looking down at his textbook in an attempt to hide it. 

“Yeah, I have to admit Ruth has been a bit too invested in our relationship, so I am hoping someone asks her out soon so she doesn’t have to live vicariously through us. Richie doesn’t seem to care as much, I just think with Max being less of a jerk now he’s not as scared to go into the locker room after games, so he has you to thank for that.” 

Steph gives a small smile. 

“I know it sounds horrible, but thank god for what happened at that stupid football program. If it wasn’t for that, we wouldn’t even be sitting in the same football field right now..” 

Pete gives a nod, thinking about Max as he continues with his homework. It’s been about a week since the charity gala and things have definitely been a lot different. The jock obviously hasn’t suddenly befriended everyone in the school, but the quarterback backing off and leaving people alone has shown a major difference in the dynamics at Hatchetfield High. A change that feels good.

Other than not getting shoved into lockers or to the ground on a daily basis anymore, the obvious perk for Pete is the ability to date Steph out in the open, without the need to fear for his life. It was ridiculous that this was something he had to be worried about in the first place, but now that Max is acting like a normal human being, doing something as small as holding hands in the school halls is the most exciting thing in the world. 

“Okay, the way you’re looking so deep in thought right now makes me nervous you don’t know what this homework is asking us to do. If that is the case, we are fucked..”

Steph’s comment snaps him back, making him look at the girl with a smile. 

“No, I know what we’re doing. I was just thinking about us. Thinking about you.” 

His answer makes her face twist into a smirk as she gives the boy a playful nudge.

“By all means then, think away..” 

As Steph turns back to her homework, Pete does find himself thinking about the girl again. How he still can’t believe someone like her would even give him a second look, let alone date him. It felt like a weird dream. 

“Can I ask you something?”

He asks after a beat of silence.

The question makes Steph look up from her work, giving a small nod to Pete.

“What made you realise you actually liked me and it wasn’t just an act for our plan? As I’m still trying to wrap my head around the fact you even asked me to help you out in the first place..”

Her pen taps against her notebook, face deep in thought. 

“Firstly, we have detention to thank for the reason I asked you. Secondly, it was a whole bunch of little things you did that finally made me realise. Standing up for me with your parents, checking in on me when it was absolutely pouring down with rain, picking out my gala dress, taking the time with me when it comes to homework. You’re also fucking hilarious, even when you don’t mean to be. I feel as though I took a little too long to realise, embarrassingly..”

A soft smile appears on Pete’s face at her answer, thinking back on the past few weeks they have spent together. 

“Don’t worry. With our parents and Max to worry about, it was a bit hard to focus on anything else..”

Steph’s gaze is sincere as reaches forward to rest her hand on the nape of his neck. 

“Let’s not think about that anymore, okay? Sure, Max is doing the bare minimum and our parents still suck, but at least we can just be ourselves now without someone being on our case.”

She gives him a small kiss before pulling away.

“Now let’s get back to the other reason I’m keeping you around which is helping me get a passing grade so my dad doesn’t take my phone away again..”

With a shake of his head, he smiles. 

“Of course, that’s what I’m here for.” 

As Steph follows along with Peter, he can feel the girl begin to stare at him more and more as the minutes pass. This eventually makes the boy stop writing. 

“Thought you said you wanted to study..”

He quips, meeting Steph’s eyes. 

“I do! But now I’m wondering how you knew you liked me. Don’t just say because you’re Stephanie Lauter as I will dump you..”

Adjusting his glasses, Pete smiles thinking of all the little things that happened which slowly made him realize what he felt was way more than a simple attraction.

“Well, you’re gorgeous, but you already know that. Much the same, there were a lot of things that made it very easy to fall for you. The way you were there for me after everything that happened with my family? You could have easily pulled the plug on this whole thing as soon as my parents started acting like jerks, but you stayed. I like how you put up with me rambling about my nerdy crap that would usually bore anyone else. That you push yourself to be better? Even after all the shit people assume about you? I admire that. You’re really smart, Steph and you shouldn’t let anyone make you think otherwise.” 

A knowing smirk grows on her face as the boy talks.

“I do like when you ramble about nerdy crap..”

Pete looks at her, tapping his pen against the textbook.

“Well if you like it so much then why don’t we finally get this homework done?” 

Steph rolls her eyes, but the smile doesn’t leave her face. 

“Fine. Only because I got a C the other day and that’s the first time in a while my father wasn’t called about a failing grade. He was called because I had my phone out in class but I’m not changing myself completely..”

This makes him smirk, cocking an eyebrow.

“Texting a boy?”

Steph sighs, starting to write in her notebook again.

“Well I was trying to, but the guy I’m seeing is a complete dork who refuses to use his phone during class..”

This girl.

“The same guy helping you study right now?”

Steph looks up with a grin.

“No, different boy. This one knows what a belt is..” 

Rolling his eyes, Pete gives a look toward the person sitting next to him on the bleachers. He tries to hide his smile, but fails. 

Steph then rests a hand on his arm, a small laugh escaping.

“It is fun messing with you, Spankoffski..” 

Rather than giving a retort, Pete gently cups her face to pull her in for a soft kiss. His thumb brushes over the girl's cheek, heart racing at the fact they were out in the open right now, but he didn’t care. 

All he cared about was Steph. 

After a few moments the girl pulls away, their eyes meeting in a soft gaze. 

“Never thought I’d say this, but thank god for detention..”

Pete smirks, brushing a strand of hair behind Steph’s ear.

“Dork.”

Steph quips, before pulling the boy in for yet another kiss.