Page 52 of Glamour & Gumballs

So, I walked another minute with him before twisting my foot and crashing to the ground. Did it look like a realistic fall?

Probably not.

But I’d been genuine enough with the other guys that no one would believe him that I’d pretended to fall.

Hopefully.

“Are you okay?” Julian crouched beside me as I rolled to my ass, grimacing at the “pain” in my ankle.

“I’m fine,” I said. “Just need to give this a minute before I put pressure on it.”

He didn’t look sold.

I rubbed it lightly, still grimacing.

A few minutes passed in awkward silence before he spoke again.

“I don’t want to be out here too long,” Julian said. “People will get suspicious.”

“That’s fair. Can you help me up?”

The look in his eyes told me he was finally starting to get suspicious of my plan and my pain.

But when I draped my arm over his shoulder, he stood up, dragging me to my feet with him.

“Thanks,” I said, leaning heavily against him so my back pressed against some of his front.

My fingers brushed the back of his hair lightly, and he jerked away.

“You’re fine,” he said, stepping back.

I didn’t have a problem staying upright, of course. I wasn’t actually wounded.

“I’m going back to the shelter. See you there.” His voice was clipped, and he strode away from me.

Perfect.

I crouched down, scooping some sand into my hand and lifting it to my mouth. Gently, I rubbed it over my lips. They needed to look a little swollen, to make people think I’d been kissed.

When they felt hot, I was satisfied, and headed back down the path until I found the branch of it that led to the beach.

It only took a minute to strip my shirt off and take a dunk in the water. Since the sun was shining for once, it was deliciously hot out, so my sports bra and shorts would dry quickly. My hair would take longer, so I tied it up in a ponytail after washing it. The ponytail was part of the plan, anyway.

After draping my shirt over a branch to dry, I strode back down the beach and headed to camp again, ready to watch the chaos unfold.

I saw a massive golden bird land down the beach while I was walking, and curiosity had me speeding up.

Molly, the pretty blonde girl from the first season, met me partway down the beach. Large but delicate golden wings hung off her back, reminding me that she’d mated with the fire guy, Cam.

She looked much more comfortable than I’d ever seen her on the show, and was wearing a pair of leggings and a t-shirt.

I raised my eyebrows when I saw her, careful not to greet her with a hug. I wanted it to be clear that I’d washed my scent clean. “How the hell did they talk you into coming back here?” I teased her.

She laughed. “They didn’t. I packed a few things to make your trip a little more comfortable. Any way to stick it to the Society for dropping us here.”

I smiled. “I can appreciate that. Thank you. Nice wings, by the way.” I gestured to her golden feathers. “How is it, being a fae?”

She shrugged. “Could be worse.”

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