The mall was alive with its usual chaos—annoying salesmen trying to get you to try their strange products, popular music echoing faintly from the arcade and other stores, the air thick with the smell of pretzels and perfume samples. Students from your school wandered in packs, some whispering, some openly staring. It was always like this when you and Jace were around. He was the golden boy everyone wanted to be near, and you… well, you were the one with a calculator always peeking out of your backpack, not literally, it’s just something Jace says to tease you about whenever you begin to talk about school because you’re nervous and have nothing else to say.

You guys always hung out at the food court, practically your usual routine after school.

“Hey, I gotta talk to you about something..”

Jace leaned back in the plastic chair across from you, his soda straw hanging lazily from his mouth. His messy hair caught the glow of the overhead lights, his grin as easy as always. Jace confesses he has a crush on someone. But instead of just telling you who it is, he ropes you into a plan: a fake date at a cozy Italian restaurant, the very place where Jace knows his crush will be dining.

”What’ddya say? Care to be my stand in?”