The twisted love

Hit, Fall, And Tumble

I’m a girl with blue eyes, blonde hair, and a smile that can light up any room. I go to Glendale High, and I’m just an ordinary girl—except today, I’m at my Aunt Lacey’s house.

My mom, Amy, works at a preschool in South Bend, but I’m staying with Lacey for the night. Lacey’s on the phone when I walk into the living room. Her eyes go from cold and strong to dark and sad in less than a minute.

“Yes, I’ll tell her. Do you want her to stay with me for a few more nights so you can get settled?” she says into the phone. “Mm-hm, okay. Love you.”

I’m packing my bag, getting ready to head home. “Who was it, Lacy?”

“I don’t know. You might as well start unpacking because you’re staying a few more days,” she says, fiddling with her keys. “Can you ride your bike down to Walmart and pick up some groceries?”

I give her a look. “Are you seriously changing the subject? And yes, I’ll go. Do you want Subway or Ben’s Pretzels?”

She looks at me, still fidgeting with her keys. “Ben’s.”

I head upstairs to grab my bike key. When I pick it up, I feel how heavy it is. Confused, I glance down to see that I’m holding maybe forty keys. Shaking my head, I head back downstairs.

Lacey calls from the kitchen. “Ben’s!”

I unlock the bike chain, grab my bike, and pedal toward Walmart. It’s only when I get there that I realize I left my basket at home. Frustrated, I pick up a rock and throw it at the wall.

Thud.

“Holy—” a girl’s voice says. “Baby, wake up!”

My stomach drops when I see the blood. My mouth goes dry. I grab my phone, about to call 911, but then I freeze. What if they think I did this? I look at the girl crying and, without thinking, pull the guy off the ground. He’s heavy, but I manage to put his head on my shoulder and carry him to my bike.

I completely forgot about the groceries.

When I get to the hospital, a doctor walks over to us, asking what happened.

“I don’t know,” I mumble.

“Well,” he glances at me, “we’ll need a police officer to investigate.”

“Actually, I just remembered,” I say, a lie slipping off my tongue. “We were working on a house. He was hammering, and I was in the kitchen fixing the sink. Then I heard a loud bang, and when I came back to the room, he was on the floor.”

The doctor raises an eyebrow. “Any more lies?”

“W-what do you mean?” I smile nervously.

He returns my smile with a hint of amusement. Just as I start to relax, I hear a voice from the door.

“Police! Open up!”

The door flies open, and officers burst in. “You’re under arrest for the murder of Mr. Khen,” one of them yells.

I freeze. “Wait, look, I know this looks bad, but I promise, it’s not what it looks like! I got mad, I threw a rock at the wall—I didn’t see him there! Please, don’t arrest me.”

The officer snorts. “Yeah, right. You threw that rock pretty hard for him to end up in the hospital.”

I’m at a loss. What do I do now? I’m only sixteen. Why is this guy so important? Before I can ask, the doctor speaks again, as if reading my mind.

“He’s the prince,” he says, then looks at the officers. “He’s fine, just a small concussion.”

“The prince…?” My mouth goes dry. I stare at the unconscious guy, my mind going blank. “I didn’t know…”

The officer’s face hardens. “Not our problem, miss.”

Before they can cuff me, Khen stirs, his eyes fluttering open.

“What happened…?” His voice is the hottest thing I’ve ever heard, sending a shockwave through my body.

I don’t even think before I blurt out, “He’s my boyfriend!”

The officers stare at me like I’m crazy. Then they stand a little straighter, their faces turning serious. One officer, a tall guy with a deep voice, steps forward.

“Oh my…” He stammers, bowing his head. “I-I didn’t know you were dating Mr. Khen.” He pauses, clearing his throat. “I’m sorry, your… Your Highness.”

The Lie

Mr. Khen looks up at me, and thankfully, he says nothing. The doctor—whose name I can’t for the life of me remember—studies me with a curious expression.

“Okay… well, he seems fine, so you can take him home, Your Highness.”

I nod and smile, taking Mr. Khen’s hand. “Thank you, sir.”

We head toward the parking lot, but before we get far, Khen tugs me closer, stopping me in my tracks.

“Okay, look,” he says, his tone sharp but not unkind. “I know dang well you’re not my girlfriend. So… who are you?”

My stomach drops, and I feel the color drain from my face. Crap. I need to think fast.

“I… you’re right, I’m not your girlfriend,” I admit, my voice shaky. “But can’t we just… pretend?” I glance up at him nervously.

He narrows his eyes, running his tongue over his lips. “Why would I pretend to be your boyfriend?”

Why can’t he just agree? My throat feels dry. “Uh—I don’t know…” I clear my throat and let my gaze drift to the row of cars behind him. “My mom’s been on my case about getting a boyfriend lately, okay? So maybe you could pretend for a little bit?”

He snorts, then bursts into laughter. “That’s your excuse? Really? That’s funny… but you don’t even know my name. Actually, I still don’t know yours, sweetheart. So how about we start there?”

I look at him and see the smirk tugging at his lips, his eyes dancing with amusement.

“Uh… my name’s Izaki,” I manage to stammer, blushing as my gaze drops to his chest.

“Isaki?” he repeats, mispronouncing it.

“No—” I correct him slowly, emphasizing each syllable. “I-za-ki. Izaki Himatia. But…” I hesitate, then glance back up at him, “…you can call me Iza.”

He tilts his head, a slow grin spreading across his face. “Iza, huh?” His voice dips just enough to make my pulse jump. “Yeah… I think that’ll work.”

Pretend For Now

I’m officially insane.

Not only did I lie to the police, but now I’ve convinced a literal prince to pretend to be my boyfriend. And not even for a good reason — for my mom. The worst part? I think he’s enjoying this.