FAKE DATE WITH THE HOCKEY CHAMPION

ELIJAH'S POV

"She knows Connor hates me, but she dates him anyway, and she's my step-sister. I guess it's convenient for her," I sparked, stomping my feet in a fit of rage.

"Pookie, do not give any attention to this matter. I already told you Connor would dump her soon, just like the others. I know him," Cathy said, rubbing her hands on my head sweetly.

I was angered Anna had made a fuss at the party and drawn attention to herself. It was exactly why I didn't go anywhere with her, or let her ride with me to school, but my dad always insisted she did.

Ever since she moved into our house with her mother, my father had always gone on and on about treating her like my baby sister, but gosh!

Yet everyone asked why I didn't like to have her around me. She had the worst sense of dressing, always looked tacky, wore those absurd glasses, and was unable to drive a car at nineteen. Those were more than enough reasons for me.

She stayed up all night studying, knew everything about history, math, physics, and chemistry, yet couldn't hold a decent conversation without being uncomfortable and shy around people. For a girl from Florida, she was greatly odd.

"I can't believe you let that weirdo piss you off like this," Cathy said, seeing I was still lost in thought.

"Back then in high school, no one ate at the table with her. They called her the night owl, because she had those weird-looking glasses and couldn't see clearly without them," she said with a mocking tone.

Cathy Mclerkin was my girlfriend, the prettiest girl in school, every guy's dream, with the body of a goddess, and she was mine. There was no way I was going to share her with anyone else. I had something Connor could never have; the thought of it excited me.

Connor could have Anna if he wanted. I had no business with it. He could take her away from my house also, so I wouldn't have to drive her to school every day or hear her weird laughter.

All I could think of was Connor having the last laugh, which meant I had lost to him. He was already leading with more points, because my girlfriend was his friend and now he was dating my stepsister. I felt cheated.

I received a text from my father, asking if Anna was with me. I ignored it once more. It was the fourth message in two hours.

I hated how they always asked me about Anna's whereabouts. For God's sake, I wasn't her guardian, and even if I was, I was sick of it. She was exhausting.

I saw how everyone looked at her weirdly the moment she walked through the door. I was embarrassed.

I still couldn't figure out why she had come here, or why she had chosen those tacky clothes.

When Father told me for the first time that I would have a step-sister, I was excited. I looked forward to seeing her. Every day my excitement grew, until they finally arrived.

When I saw her, I was disappointed. Everything about her blew me off: how she smiled weirdly at me all the time. I had never seen her angry at me, ever!

I could do the most bizarre things and she would try to make excuses for my actions. I hated it. She was weak and too tolerating.

"I need to go home now. I bet my dad would be worried about my whereabouts, especially because I didn't take Anna home," I said to Cathy, trying to convince her that we needed to leave. I would have to drive her to her suite before heading home.

---

ANNA'S POV

I stayed up, peeking through my window at intervals, hoping to get a glimpse of his car, but I would have to stay up longer if I wanted to see him.

I had snuck in without my mom and stepdad finding out I had been gone for some time. I was convinced I had succeeded in tricking them into believing I had been in bed all night.

I sighed heavily, leaning into my reading chair, staring at the colorfully painted wall. It brought back memories of how I had been welcomed into this house.

My eyes drifted to the picture frame sitting beside my laptop, holding a photo of me, my mom, and my stepdad. We had taken the photo back in Florida, when we had our first date together.

I was only fifteen years old then, and I never knew he had a son as unkind as Elijah. My mom had assured me he was a sweetheart, but he was always a jerk to me.

And then I felt my heart squeeze in sharply. The whole drama that had happened earlier flashed before my eyes. I thought deeply about Connor, his plan for me to be his girlfriend. I doubted if I could play along perfectly, if he was playing me or having his payback for our little fight days back.

Then I remembered that kiss. My stomach fluttered; my lips moistened. It was my first kiss, from an unexpected end, but it felt good.

I shook off the thoughts of kissing Connor. It was cheating, and I couldn't cheat on Elijah.

Despite the fact that we weren't dating yet, I still needed to be faithful to Elijah. He would come around someday, and I was willing to wait. It didn't matter if I had agreed to date Connor for the show.

He would definitely weary of Cathy soon. She wasn't the type to remain committed; she was a serial dater, and soon I would have Elijah to myself. He would be mine.

Just when I was about to fall asleep, I heard that familiar sound: the sound of his car engine running in the distance.

I jumped to my feet, grabbed my phone, and ran downstairs, excited to see him walk by, to see his handsome face and bask in his aura.

With everything that had happened earlier today, I ordinarily should be angry with him. I should stay in my room, read a book, and stay off his path, but it was difficult. I still wanted to see him walk by with his face hard as a brick. I didn't care if he ignored me like I was invisible.

I put my hair up in a mini ponytail. I had short hair, so it wasn't a big deal. I looked prettier with my hair up, so my mom said.

I stood by the kitchen sink, pretending to get a cup of water, so I could see him get in and steal a glance at him.

I waited until it felt stupid. He never came through the door; it was almost like he was trying to avoid