He Only Pretended to Like Me

"Ryan Collins had been chasing campus queen Madison Carter for six months—and getting rejected every time.

Then one day, he came to me.

“I heard Madison wants anything you have. So… can I pretend to date you? I just want to make her jealous.”

I should have said no.

I’d loved Ryan for five years, and this was only the third time he’d ever spoken to me.

But I agreed.

Soon, his fake pursuit started feeling dangerously real—gifts, dates, waiting for me after school, even a breathless kiss outside my house.

For one foolish moment, I thought maybe he meant it.