Chapter 3 The Deal

Zarek's POV

“Pass the ball, Z! Bend your knees!” Coach yelled

I caught the ball and threw it toward my teammate without looking, the ball hit his chest and he stumbled backwards immediately..

Shit.

“Jesus, Zarek!” my teammate yelled at me shouted.

“Time out” coach said.

The coach blew his whistle from across the auditorium but I ignored him, letting my eyes followed the ball as it bounced across the floor, but my mind wasn't on basketball.

It hadn't been since last night.

Serena was dead.

My sister was dead.

“Maybe you should take some time off court." The coach whispered to me as he walked past.

I almost laughed, if only it were that easy, I had barely slept last night and everytime I closed my eyes, I saw Serena.

Her laugh, her stupid attitude and the way she annoyed the shit out of me just because she knew exactly which buttons to press.

She was gone forever now and somehow, everyone expected me to show up this morning, with the neatest uniform and then act like the golden star I was supposed to be.

That was what my father would want.

No crying nor show of weakness nor scandals.

My father had spent our entire lives making sure Serena and I understood exactly what was expected of us.

But Serena had always been the one who pushed against ever rule he created and now she was dead, I wouldn't blame her for trying to die, my family was prone to drive you to madness.

Now, I didn't know whether my father would mourn her or be furious that she had given him one more problem to deal with.

Probably both.

The doors at the far end of the auditorium opened and my eyes glanced over Instinctively.

Wren Hale.

The scholarship girl who had somehow managed to be standing beside my sister's dead body when everyone else was still drinking champagne.

My jaw tightened.

Of all the people I expected to see this morning, she was nowhere near the list.

She stood at the edge of the auditorium, hugging several books against her chest, she looked exhausted like she hadn't slept either, her brown hair was tied into a pony tail.

The second our eyes met, she started walking towards me.

Great.

Exactly what I needed.

When she stopped a few feet away, I wiped the sweat from my forehead with back of hand,

“It's you again." I said, studying her. "If you need me to sign your shirt, you'll have to wait in line with the other girls.”

She scoffed and if I didn't know better I'd say she just rolled her eyes at me. "Didn't your sister die?" Her voice was sharp.

My jaw clenched as well as my fist but the goal was to remain calm. “What is your problem?"

“It's just…" she looked towards court. “If my twin died, I wouldn't be at practice."

I stared at her. "Well, everyone isn't you.”

She opened her mouth but seemed to think better of whatever she wanted to say.

Then she reached into her bag. ”Here."

I looked down at her hand and there was a flash drive and a crumpled piece of paper. "And what would you have me do with that?”

"I know you believed someone killed Serena.”

Did I believe my sister would kill herself even though it seemed like it? Absolutely not.

"I know you'd want to find out who or how and why?”

I looked away from her, scoffing in amusement. “And even if I do? What does that got to do with you?"

She blinked, trying to find her words. "Don't you see? I'm already involved as it is, I need to clear my name and the only way to do it is to find out how she really died.”

That made much more sense.

Considering that all the school authorities would sweep this under the rug.

I glanced at her and the at the note before reaching for it.

My eyes scanned the writing and for a moment, I forgot how to breathe.

I hadn't even read the content before crumpling it back.

"I found it with her,” she said. "Last night."

I cocked my head. “You kept evidence from security?”

"Because I'm already a suspect. If I hand them something that has my name all over it, I don't know what they'll think.”

"So you came to me?"

“Did I make a mistake?"

She didn't look like a murderer.

Then again, neither did half the people in this school.

"And the flash?”

“I didn't open it.” her voice became calm.

That made me look at her properly, her gree eyes staring back at me and then I could see how scared she actually was and I couldn't deny that she was right.

My sister was found dead, stabbed and no one knew how or why and my father cared more about himself and what this would cost him than anything.

A group of girls walked past us and whispered to themselves, my eyes narrowed and so was every other people in the auditorium.

"Fine. But we can't do this here."

Her brows lifted, "Do what?

“Whatever this is.” I handed the note back to her. “If we're going to find out what happened to my sister, we're not going to have half the school watching us.”

She nodded. "We could be discreet, I'm good at keeping secrets…

“No, Four Eyes. Not you.” I interrupted and she frowned slightly.

“Well there no way the school would think you and I would cross paths.."

" Or should they?”

I was more amused with how completely blank her expression had gone.

“Whatever is going on between us now needs to look completely different from what it actually is.”

“I don't understand.” her forehead creased slightly.

I knew exactly how Ashford worked, the students were fueled with the latest most unbelievable gossip that made the most illogical sense.

“We make them believe there's another reason.” I added.

Her eyes narrowed and I gave her a small smirk. “you comforted me after Serena's death.”

She crossed her arms loosely. “Okay..?":

“And somewhere along the way, you fell for me.”

Her mouth fell open almost immediately, "Excuse me?”

"Fake dating.” I said.

Her mouth fell open and she stared at me like I'd finally lost my mind. "Are you serious? No wait, you aren't, right?”

"Unfortunately, I am.” Then I extended my hand. “It'll keep everyone distracted while we look for whoever killed my sister.”

She looked down at my hand then back at me. “This is insane."

“If we want this to work then yeah, we'd do something insane."

She hesitated, like she thought of something before placing her hand in mine.

“Deal?” I tightened my fingers around her warm soft hands and for the first time since Serena died, I felt like I was doing something other than following my father's rules.

Not sitting around waiting for someone else to tell me what happened to my sister.

I was going to find out.

Even if I had to pretend to fall in love with the one girl everyone thought might have killed her.

“Deal." She replied.