CODY’S POINT OF VIEW

Seeing my younger sister cry over school is the one thing I detest more than anything else.

The living room was softly lit by the lamp last night, but the warmth of the light was insufficient to dispel the chill that surrounded me. I saw her as soon as I entered the room—a frail figure curled up on the couch, her shoulders trembling just a little. She was moving so quickly that it seemed like she didn't want me to see her trying so hard to wipe away her tears. However, I had witnessed.

I took a cautious step closer and said, "Hey." Her eyes met mine, still flecked with sadness. She escaped into silence with a heaviness, as though words had previously deceived her.

She spoke at last, barely raising her voice above a whisper, after what seemed like an eternity. "It was Penelope Brierton." I got chills just hearing the name. Untouchable, fearsome, and ruthless, Penelope was a wildfire in combat boots. Not surprisingly, she had singled her out.

All hesitation vanished in that instant. A protective instinct swelled to the surface, and I felt a fire burning inside of me. "What did she do?" With a sharper tone than I meant, I asked.

She answered in a shaky voice, "She made sure everyone knew... everyone laughed." I clenched my fists because I knew I couldn't let such behaviour continue unchecked, and every word felt like another stab to my heart.

My blood boiled at the mere thought of Penelope's unrelenting cruelty. I inhaled deeply as I pictured the impending confrontation. I wouldn't leave my friend to fight this battle by themselves. I nodded with a heart full of resolve. It took hold as I got ready to face the wildfire.

I'm standing across the courtyard now, looking down at her. Like she owns the place, Penny leans back against the wall. Perhaps she does. As I get closer, everyone around her becomes quiet and separates like waves.

Boredom makes her look up. "Well, well. The knight is in dented armour.

With my jaw clenched, I say, "I need to talk to you." "By myself."

Her amused dark eyes flicker. "Is it just me, or are you always this intense?"

It's related to my sister, so don't bother her. You don't bother her. beginning right now.

She grins more broadly. Or what? Will you strike me?

I don't wince. "Simply stop."

As if I were a stray dog that had wandered into her kingdom, she tilts her head and watches me. Then she shrugs slowly. "All right. I'll back off, but only under one restriction.

"What?"

"You follow my instructions. Anything I desire. Don't argue.

I blinked. "Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack."

"Why?"

Her smile is not amicable. To put it simply, I'm bored. Additionally, you have potential.

My instinct tells me to leave. However, I can see my sister's terrified and embarrassed face in my head. I tightened my jaw.

"Agree."

She gives one mocking clap of her hands. "Excellent. Carry my books, please.

I despise her. I do.

Apart from... The more time I spend running errands for her, sitting next to her at lunch like her bodyguard, and receiving questions from my friends and glares from her crew, the less certain I am about Penny's true identity.

Something about her seems strange. Something brittle under all that steel.

One week in, she hands me a flyer between classes. “Pack a bag. You’re coming with me.”

“To where?”

“Weekend leadership retreat. sponsored by the school. Fake team-building, trust-falling crap. You'll adore it.

I look at her. "Why?"

"Because I stated so."

I nearly said no. But then I remember: forced proximity. I might be able to figure her out at last.

The retreat is located in a huge, ancient lodge that creaks like it's haunted, deep in the woods. Additionally, the same cabin is assigned to us. Naturally.

She doesn't even appear startled. "It must be fate," she smirks.

We quarrel all the time about who snores, which bed to take, and how much toothpaste is "stealing". However, Penny begins to speak at night when the fire is low and everyone else is asleep.

not giving commands. I'm not kidding.

Talking.

With her eyes on the fire, she tells me, "I used to move a lot." "Never stayed long enough to establish friendships."

"That's why you behave as though everyone is your enemy?"

She gives a snort. "That's preferable to being the girl that people abandon."

Something changes within me. It's real, but I have no idea what it is.

Then comes Derrick Crenshaw.

After we return from the retreat, he corners me during lunch. The lacrosse team captain and king of impromptu threats was Penny's ex.

"Stay away, Penny," he says. "She doesn't require any more work."

I retort, "You can't threaten her."

He gets in my face, and just as things are about to get ugly, Penny gets in the way. "Enough."

She locks the door after dragging me into the art room later that day.

"New plan," she says. "We are currently dating."

I blinked. "What?"

"Fake dating" to prevent Derrick from interfering with my affairs. It also helps my... circumstances.

"What circumstance?"

She doesn't respond. "Are you in or out?" is all she says.

I should decline the offer. Leave. However, I didn't.

"All right. However, I'm not feigning love for someone I despise.

Penny smiles strangely at me. "I'm glad you no longer despise me."

That phoney relationship turns out to be more genuine than either of us had anticipated. In the hallway, we begin to hold hands. During assemblies, she leans in close to me. It's like watching a wall fall apart, brick by brick, when she laughs.

Then I hear her conversing with her guidance counsellor.

"I must demonstrate my stability. for the inheritance. The lawyers are keeping an eye on me, but my grandmother left everything to me.

unexpected inheritance. An examination. Was that all there was to it?

I go up to her. "So I play your game? Simply a prop to help you perform flawlessly?

"No," she says, her voice breaking. Yes, initially. However, that is no longer the case.

I'm not sure what to believe. I turn to leave.

Days go by. She seemed to be asking for something but was unsure of how to express it, based on the way she looked at me.

I am surprised by my sister. "You ought to speak with her. Penny isn't as horrible as she seems.

So I do.

The vacant schoolyard was bathed in a golden hue as the sun hung low in the sky. The fading echoes of the chaos and laughter that had filled the halls moments earlier surrounded her as a lone figure on the old stands. She was still there, lost in thought, her back hunched slightly as she gazed off into the distance, even though the world had wound down.

I couldn't help but feel a familiar mix of trepidation and resolve as I got closer. "You still want me to pretend to be your date?" In an effort to lighten the situation, I asked.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she looked up, then narrowed slightly as though considering her options. It depends. Are you still acting fake?

I sat down next to her, our separation gone. A sense of seriousness pervaded the atmosphere, laden with unsaid words and feelings. "Not anymore," I answered, my voice steady but my heart pounding.

She looked at my face for a moment, as though she was looking for the truth in my eyes. Then something changed. Initially hesitant, her hand found mine, but as her fingers slid through mine, a feeling of warmth grew between us. Like a missing puzzle piece falling into place, it felt profound and straightforward.

We were surrounded by silence, but it was cosy—filled with promise. Then, with hardly a whisper in her voice, she broke it. "I'm afraid."

Her vulnerability struck me. That fear had swirled like a storm in my chest, and I had experienced it too. Before I could question myself, I confessed, "So am I."

I wasn't leaving, though, in spite of my fear. Not now. I inhaled deeply and gave her hand a light squeeze, bringing us both back to the present. The future was uncertain but alluring, and we were on the cusp of something exciting and new. The world around us vanished as we sat side by side, leaving only the two of us, entwined in a moment that seemed predestined to alter everything.