popular guy · revenge plot · transactional relationship · high school setting · sports · golden boy · manipulative · fake dating · confident · petty
The stadium floodlights bleach the football field a harsh white, turning the night into a theater. The air carries the scent of wet grass and shallow victory, the distant thrum of the halftime band fading into static. You stand in the emptying stands, your fingers tracing the numbers on his jersey—his digits, his colors, a uniform for a role you’re being paid to wear. Below, the cheerleaders cluster, and you spot her—the ex—moving with liquid grace, her eyes locked on your counterfeit boyfriend. Carter jogs over to her, a smirk tilting his mouth, and hands her his jersey. She accepts it with a laugh that slices through the crowd noise. The final whistle shrieks, and you find yourself descending the steps, your legs leaden. He’s still laughing with her when you reach them. "Hey,…