Danica was dumbfounded at what Troy had just said. She gulped before asking, ��Just what is the plan, Troy?" If she knew Troy well enough, she should know that he wasn��t implying something else. If he did, he wouldn��t ask her in that way. Besides, why would he ask her to be his girlfriend in the first place? He didn't even ask her out back in their high school days when she actually wanted him to.
Troy took a deep breath and started explaining, ��The fans adore you. So I'm sure you will be loved by them. Believe me, the life of a celebrity is pleasant if you know how to enjoy it. Also, it will help to boost my channel even more than before if you pretend to be my girlfriend in front of my viewers.��
Arching an eyebrow, she asked, ��So you want me to be your fake girlfriend?��
Troy grabbed her hands in his, staring into her eyes. ��For now, I want you to pretend to be my girlfriend.��
��How long will this last? Will it affect Aziel��s life along with mine? Will it be over before the summer vacation ends?�� she interrogated after calming herself, trying to understand the situation. Fake or not, she would have to be Troy Kingston's girlfriend in other's eyes; it was no small issue anymore.
��Well, I promise it will all end before the summer vacation ends,�� answered Troy, rubbing circles on her hand with his thumb in assurance. ��Aziel will get a better life, don��t worry. I won��t let any harm come to you or Aziel.��
Removing her hands from his grip, Danica got up. ��It��s dinnertime. Let��s go and eat. I am sure everyone is at the dining table by now.�� Being late was just an excuse; all she wanted was to get out of his room so she could finally breathe properly. The room temperature started feeling unbearably hot from the second Troy asked her out fakely.
Troy followed close behind as she walked out of his room and asked, slightly confused, ��Everyone?��
��Yes. I told Trevor that we will have dinner together, come what may. It sucks that our group lost the bonding.�� Soon they reached the dining hall.
��Well, everyone has their busy lives now and after you disappeared without a word, everything started to become ugly for me��for all of us,�� he said quietly, but it was heard by everyone at the dining table because of the quietness.
Danica averted her gaze, unable to match Troy��s stare, and pulled a chair for herself, next to an empty chair, which was occupied by Troy soon enough.
��This is your favorite pizza,�� Gabrielle said with a smile and passed it to Danica. ��I know we have to maintain our diet, but today is a cheat day. Everyone has to eat pizza with extra cheese.��
��I promised Dani, so I have to eat. But if I gain any weight, I will never let you live this down,�� Trevor let out, taking a slice in his plate.
Danica rolled her eyes, hearing him. Trevor had always been whiny about his eating habits, yet somehow, she was glad that that didn't change, considering how many changes came in between everyone's bond.
Danica took a slice on her plate and passed it to Troy, who mumbled a small ��Thanks��. Aziel was quietly sitting next to Hernan, still sulking. The pizza on his plate was left untouched.
��As much as I am loving this get together, why is our Aziel quiet?�� Hernan asked, and Danica glanced at Aziel. He was still looking at his older sister with almost teary eyes.
��I��I am not hungry.�� With that, Aziel stormed off from the dining area, leaving everyone else in an awkward silence until Troy spoke up.
��You scolded him, didn��t you?��
��What can I do? It is his fault.�� Danica started eating as others continued too. Danica did feel guilty about Aziel leaving the dining hall, but her anger wasn't that easy to melt.
��But he didn��t do it on purpose,�� Troy pointed out.
��But he did mess up,�� she said to him.
��He is hungry. The poor kid.�� Hernan sighed.
��I will give him the pizza later on. Don��t worry,�� Danica informed Hernan, who nodded.
��Well, what did you guys think of so far?�� Trevor asked, hinting towards the ��Tronica�� situation.
��They have to pretend to date.�� As soon as Hernan said that, Trevor arched an eyebrow in amusement.
��Really?�� Gabrielle asked, excitement lacing her voice. ��Dani will be Troy��s girlfriend?�� She had wanted this to happen for so long.
Troy cleared his throat and spoke up, ��Fake girlfriend, Gab. And she didn��t agree to it yet, so don��t shout it out to your fans just yet.��
Gabrielle mumbled in an upset tone, ��Okay.�� She further spoke after pushing a few strands of her behind her ear, ��I have to go to shoot in New York for a week, so I will be leaving tomorrow morning.�� Gabrielle was starting to hate her busy schedule, now that she actually had someone to spend time with, except Trevor.
Danica took another bite of her pizza slice and said, ��We didn��t even have a girls�� night.��
Gasping, Gabrielle said excitedly, ��I know, right? You know what? Let��s have a sleepover after tonight. We can chill out. I will sleep in the jet tomorrow.��
Biting her lips, Danica said, ��Sounds good to me.��
��Just don't play any loud music. The rest of us need our beauty sleeps,�� said Hernan, earning a playful smack from Gabrielle on his shoulder.
Everyone chatted for some more time before heading to their respective rooms. Danica was on her way to her bedroom to serve dinner to Aziel. Troy stood in front of her out of nowhere, making her gasp.
��Troy,�� she breathed out.
Troy grinned, seeing Danica slightly scared due to his sudden appearance. ��Well, I wanted to say that I am still waiting for your answer. Also, it was not Aziel��s fault. He didn��t do it on purpose, so go easy on that kid.��
Danica nodded and walked past him. When she entered the room, she saw Aziel sitting on the bed, pulling his knees up to his chest. His head was down in sadness. Her heart clenched seeing him like this. She placed the food on the coffee table and poked Aziel. ��You know, sulking will make your handsome face get wrinkles at a young age.��
Aziel looked at Danica, his eyes glinting in delight seeing her talk to him. Instantly, he pulled her into a hug. ��I am so sorry, Dani. I love you the most.��
Smiling brightly, Danica ruffled his hair and hugged him back. ��I love you too, silly. I was just angry. Try to be very more careful next time, okay?��
��Okay.��
___
��Why did you disappear three years ago, Dani?�� Gabrielle asked the question everyone was dying to ask Danica. The two of them were lying next to each other on the bed, having their girls�� night. They gossiped a lot, and it was already three in the morning. ��You have no idea how much we all missed you. When you disappeared before the prom, it felt like a part of us was snatched away. It really hurt.��
Danica let out a deep sigh. She couldn��t hide away from the truth anymore. She had to tell her friends why she disappeared. ��I am so sorry, Gab.��
The more Gabrielle listened to Danica's tragedy, the more ashamed she felt of herself. How could she not be there for her when such a horrible thing happened to her? Also, she couldn't believe someone would do that to her dearest friend.
