Later that evening, I couldn't quite bring myself to openly wear the sweatshirt with Theo's name and jersey number emblazoned beneath the Kingsbridge crest. It felt way too much like I was territory being marked. But thus far, his plan had worked, so rather than dump it in my room, instead I wore it unzipped, the lapel folded over to hide the fact that it was his. It smelled like him, though, and as much as I hated to admit it, that wasn't such a terrible thing. A hint of his cologne and the scent that was decidedly Theo—mown grass and autumn air—was at least better than sweaty gym bag or old, musty laundry.

On my way to the library, I scrolled through my Instagram notifications, grinning like a fool at my screen. William had liked three of my more recent pictures. Not the one with his brother, though. That one was blowing up after Theo had regrammed it. After a snide I give it two weeks before he realizes she's trash from Emma, though, I'd stopped looking at the comments.

Instead, I scrolled through all the pictures tagged #ClamBaked, the hashtag from Connor Weatherington's beach party. I hated the way my stomach dipped every time there was one of Madeleine and William. Worse, I hated the one that Madeleine had posted this morning, of her and William huddled together on a piece of driftwood, in front of a bonfire. He was grinning down at her as she smiled at the camera, both of their faces etched in gold and perfect. The caption was what drove the knife into my stomach, though: Be mine ❤️

It was an awful mix of panic and stomach-twisting envy. Panic that maybe I was too late and had to act now or never. Envy that she had the guts to post something like that, and doubly so because it was about someone like William. I'm pretty sure if I ever posted something that cheesy, Emma would rake me straight over the coals. Knowing her, she'd probably summon an army of trolls to take me down, too. But from Madeleine, it wasn't cheesy. It was longing and romantic and perfectly fit the vibe of her page, where all her shots were filtered into a soft, feminine palette of pale-hued pretty things and people. William fit right in, with his perfect face and handsome smile. They looked like they fit together, and that stirred my envy into something more potent.

Stomach still twisting, I scrolled back to my page, where Theo's picture was still steadily racking up engagement. It wasn't a particularly pretty pic, but it was fun. It looked like we were happy. More importantly, it looked like we were real. But we weren't, and that gave me hope. Maybe Madeleine's post was just a super public version of a vision board, trying to manifest what she wanted from the universe. That, or she was keen on tricking her followers into thinking she dated guys like William who perfectly fit the aesthetic of her rich, pretty life.

Or maybe I just had to stop thinking about this altogether.  Envy—of, if I was honest, jealousy—wasn't going to do me any favors. Scrolling some other girl's flawless Instagram was absolutely not going to make me feel better about myself. Especially when she was attempting to lay claim to the guy I had my eye on too. For the barest of moments, I considered blocking her so I wouldn't be tempted to doom-scroll her profile. But then I had a vision of Theo's reaction, of the way he'd shake his head in utter disbelief and demand, "What the hell were you thinking, Emdubs? Could you be any more obvious?"

It made me smile and swipe away from Madeleine's profile.

My phone was still in my hand when I pushed open the usual study room door and found William standing, waiting for me.

"Hey." He smiled, then to my utter surprise, leaned in for a hug. "Heard you guys had a rough game this weekend."

I was so shocked that I stood still, as stiff as a board, and didn't lean into his soft, gray sweater. I wasn't even able to enjoy the hug and savor the smell of him the way I'd daydreamed of doing so annoyingly often. It was over so quickly that by the time I'd processed what was happening, he'd released me and returned to his side of the table. That didn't stop my heart from hammering, though, and I could already feel the flush climbing my neck as I took the seat across from him.

I guess Madeleine's wish hadn't come true just yet, and I both hated and loved the evil little spark of glee that ignited in me. Reality 1, Instagram 0. For now.

"How did the chapter summary go?" William asked, flipping open his history textbook.

Forcing myself back to the present while attempting to slow my still-racing heart, I focused on the actual tutoring rather than my tutor.

"Well...if I'm being honest, I probably could've done a better job." I turned my laptop around so he could inspect it. "I didn't have as much time on the bus as I'd thought."

For the barest of moments, William's expression darkened. "That wouldn't have anything to do with my brother, would it?"

I bit my cheek—hard—to keep my grin in check. It was working, and something deep in my stomach relished the way William's eyes had locked onto my face, awaiting my reply. I forced a shrug. "He's a fun bus mate."

William's jaw tightened. He scraped a hand across the back of his neck, then exhaled. "Listen, Ellie. I don't want to sound like a jerk, but Theo...he's just not a good idea."

I tilted my head. "Really? He seems pretty great to m—"

"He goes through girls faster than a swipe on Tinder," William interrupted, his hand coming to rest halfway across the table, towards mine. "So just...keep that in mind. I don't want him breaking your heart."

As if realizing it was being discussed, my heart skipped a beat at its mention on William's lips.

"Yeah, like you care what happens to my heart." I joked, dropping my attention to my notes to try to calm the butterflies swirling in my stomach.

"Ellie."

William's tone had me looking up at him, my pencil paused mid-twirl around my finger.

"I know this is gonna suck to hear, but he's not serious about you." His brows creased as he held my gaze. "You should find someone who is."

I almost said, "I already tried that, but he turned me down." Instead, I leaned a little closer and said, "Oh yeah, someone like who?"

But rather than freeing me from this charade with Theo by leaning towards me and saying, "someone like me," William leaned away.

"Someone better. Which means just about anyone, if we're talking about Theo." He turned to my chapter summary.

I don't know why his words made me frown, but they did. Maybe because Theo had been nothing but nice to me that weekend, cheering me up after our loss and offering to help me improve. Or maybe it was because the mere thought of my own older brother so cruelly implying that anyone else would be a better partner than me had my stomach curdling. It was mean enough to say about anyone, but downright callously cruel to say about your own sibling.

Jaw set, I zipped up Theo's hoodie.

"Thanks for the warning," I said, relishing the way William's eyes fell to his brother's embroidered name. "But I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself."

His eyes lingered on their shared last name, and when he finally dragged them up to meet mine, Theo's plan crystallized in my mind.

"He doesn't let just anyone wear his sweatshirts or pose for his Insta, does he?" I asked.

The clench of William's jaw muscle answered my question.

This time, I didn't fight my smile when I shrugged. "Then I guess you don't have to worry about my heart anymore. Because I think he's pretty serious this time." I leaned my elbows on the table. "Now, aren't you supposed to be teaching me about the lead up to the Civil War?"

I only learned how much the sweatshirt stunt had really bothered William when Theo sent me a text a few hours later, as I was brushing my teeth before bed. It was just a screenshot, but it had me grinning around my toothbrush anyway.

You gave her your sweatshirt?

Is that a crime, Mr. President?

Stop playing with her.
She doesn't know your rep.

What rep?

Stop being a dick.

Soooo would this be a
bad time to tell you that
I'm gonna make it official?

I'll believe that when I see it.

I was looking for the smirk emoji when another text from Theo came through. So...we official?

Sure thing, boyfriend, I replied.

**A/N: The way I had Olivia Rodrigo pretty much playing on repeat last summer while I wrote this...😅 But this one especially I imagine as having jealousy, jealousy for a soundtrack and is inspired by alllll those too-good-to-be-true IG profiles out there. I think we all know someone like Madeleine with the perfect IG to match their so-called perfect life, and I just knew in my bones that Ellie would be the kind of person to feel a little gleeful when the picture-perfect online life didn't exactly match reality.

What did you all think of William's reaction? Is he playing right into their trap, or does he have something else up his sleeve?

As always, if you enjoyed it, please take a moment to vote and comment!**