Paper Hearts

by Ali Novak

  “Sooo…” Asha said. From the way she was bouncing her knee, I knew she was working up the courage to ask him a question. “Is it true? Are you guys going to be in an episode of Immortal Nights?”

  “Yeah,” he answered. “Three actually.”

  “WHAT?” she exclaimed, and I flinched at her volume. “Ohmyfreakinggod!” She collapsed back into her seat, waving a hand in front of her face.

  Boomer glanced up and gave Asha a causal once-over before diving back into his game. “I think you may have killed her,” he said.

  “I’m sorry,” Alec responded, his brow wrinkling with concern. “Should I not have told her?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Give her a minute. She’ll be fine. Probably just fandom overload, both Immortal Nights and the Heartbreakers together. This is like a dream come true for her.”

  “She’s a bit obsessed, but we love her,” Boomer added.

  “Oh please,” I said to him. “If Alec had driven his F12, you would have jizzed yourself.”

  Boomer looked me dead in the eyes and said, “Without a doubt.”

  Alec barked in laughter. “I take it you’re into cars?”

  “Correction—he lives for cars. Honestly, before I met Boomer, I didn’t know the difference between a coupe and a sedan,” I explained. “He was so horrified by my lack of knowledge that he had to educate me before we could be friends.”

  “Well, yeah. I couldn’t associate with someone whose dream ride was, and I quote, ‘a blue one.’ That’s just embarrassing.” Boomer hesitated, but then asked Alec, “Do you really own an F12?”

  At this, Alec rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s my dad’s car. This is going to sound totally lame, but he insisted we drive it to the ball. He likes…making an entrance.”

  But Boomer didn’t think it sounded lame, and the boys chatted about cars until we reached his house. He was in and out before the song on the radio changed, returning with a backpack slung over his shoulder. Five minutes later, we were on I-5 North. My blood rushed in anticipation. I was on my way to Rose! After four years of thinking I would never talk to her again, I would hopefully get the chance tonight.

  I never questioned if Alec knew where he was going, and he didn’t ask for directions. He seemed confident enough as he weaved through the traffic, and that was refreshing. Since Boomer was the only one who owned a car, he always drove, but he also had the worst sense of direction. The guy couldn’t get from Point A to Point B, even if it was a straight shot between the two, so I was always the designated copilot.

  Twenty minutes into the drive, Alec pulled off the highway and I frowned.

  Where are we going? I nearly asked, but as soon as the question formed in my head, I realized we were in Los Feliz, a neighborhood known for celebrity residents.

  “I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to grab a few things.” Alec rolled down his window as he pulled up to a gated underground parking lot. He punched a code into a keypad on the wall, and the gate slid back. “You guys can wait here or come up,” he said as he steered his car into an open stall. “Doesn’t matter. I won’t be long.”

  “We’re definitely coming,” Asha said, throwing open her door. There was a feverish look in her eyes, like this was every Christmas she’d ever experienced rolled into one giant holiday.

  I unbuckled and got out, although with less enthusiasm. I felt… Was strange the right word? This was Alec’s apartment. Not his dad’s or his mom’s. He actually owned his own place. Which was understandable since he was eighteen and had plenty of money, but it made me feel out of my league. He was only a year older than me, but suddenly those three hundred and sixtyish days felt like decades.

  Asha hooked her arm through mine as we crossed the garage toward the stairwell. “This is so unreal,” she whispered. “Alec Williams just invited us to his apartment.”

  “You really need to work on your quiet voice,” Boomer said from behind us. “Everyone can hear you, including the guy who invited us to his apartment.”

  I peeked at Alec, who was a few steps ahead of us, keys swinging in his hand. If he’d heard, he made no indication.

  Asha snickered. “Of all people, you’re one to talk.”

  Boomer grinned and gave her a playful shove. “That may be true, but that doesn’t make you any less creepy.”

  The elevator ride to Alec’s apartment was silent with one exception: Asha was humming to herself. I caught her eye and shot her a look, which was supposed to say, “Can you please act normal?” But she just offered me a mischievous smile and carried on. It was only when we reached his floor that I recognized the tune—a Heartbreakers song.

  Someone, please. Kill me now.

  My face turned impossibly hot, but the embarrassment was quickly replaced with surprise when Alec unlocked the door to his apartment, and we all filed inside.

  He flipped on the lights. We were standing in the kitchen, and my first thought was: This is small. Small, but nice.

  Past the island countertop and bar stools was the living room. A sectional couch and matching chair were centered in front of one of those fake, electric fireplaces. Above the mantel hung a flat-screen TV. The far wall had what looked like a floor-to-ceiling window, but the curtains were drawn, hiding whatever view Alec had of the city. The remaining wall was covered by a huge modular bookshelf. Some of the cubes held books, but judging from our conversation about To Kill a Mockingbird, they were for decoration. The other compartments displayed vases and glass bowls and other accent pieces.

  I don’t know what I was expecting—maybe a penthouse bachelor pad—but this was definitely not it. The space was cozy and warm, and I liked it.

  “Well,” Alec said. He gestured vaguely in the direction of the living room and then shoved his hands into his pockets. “Make yourselves at home. I’ll be right back.”

  Boomer had no reservation about doing just that. He plopped down on the couch and pulled out his Game Boy. “Alec’s not half-bad,” he said, glancing at me over the back of the couch.

  I shot him a look. “Well, thank God he has your approval.”

  “I have to pee,” Asha announced, starting down the hall in search of the bathroom. I suspected she wanted to see the rest of Alec’s apartment and was being nosy, but I said nothing.

  Once she was out of sight, I wandered over to the fireplace to inspect the row of picture frames arranged along the mantel. I didn’t need an explanation to figure out the first was of Alec and his sister. Vanessa had the same gray eyes and nearly white hair Alec did, and their noses were identical. The siblings were standing at the edge of some desert ridge wearing hiking gear and smiles of accomplishment.

  The next frame held two pictures of Alec with his bandmates: Oliver Perry, JJ Morris, and Xander Jones. The first was of them laughing and sitting around a campfire, and in the second they were in what looked like a hotel pool, chicken fighting. Something about the two snapshots was startling. I’d only seen the Heartbreakers in magazine spreads and on posters, so it was strange to see them in such casual settings, like they were regular teenagers and not celebrities.

  The fourth photograph was also of the band, but standing in the center of the group was a brunette with a streak of blue in her hair and a nose piercing. My stomach twisted when I saw Alec’s arm around her shoulders, but she was holding hands with Oliver, and I remembered Asha telling me he was dating a photographer named Stacy or Sara something or other.

  My gaze slid to the last picture of Alec and a beautiful blond woman who could only be his mother. Her head was thrown back in laughter, and Alec, who looked like he was two or three, was propped on her hip. The smile on his face matched his mother’s joy, and I smiled to myself. Toddler Alec was adorable.

  Out of nowhere, a funny ringing filled the room. At first I thought it was Boomer’s game, but he always played with the sound off because it drove Asha crazy. I turned
in a circle, trying to find the source of the noise, until I noticed the computer on Alec’s desk had lit up. Someone was calling him.

  “Hey, Alec?” I shouted down the hall. “Someone’s Skyping you!”

  “It’s probably Vanessa,” he yelled back. “Can you answer it? I’ll be out in a sec.”

  “Sure thing!” I rushed over to the computer.

  The incoming call was from someone named DoubleJMan. I had a feeling it wasn’t Vanessa, but I slid into the chair and answered anyway. It took a few seconds for the call to connect, and when the camera finally blinked into focus, Alec’s sister was not on the other end. Instead, there was a guy with dark-brown, almost black, hair. The first thing I noticed was that he was shirtless. And he looked very good shirtless, all buff and muscly, with an armband tattoo twisted around his bicep. His face was just as recognizable as Alec’s, and I knew who he was in an instant—JJ Morris, drummer for the Heartbreakers.

  I was as awestruck as when Alec first revealed his identity, but somehow, despite the uncomfortable flutter of nerves in my stomach, I managed to lift my hand in a hesitant wave and say, “Ah, hi.”

  “Alec,” he said. “You’re much prettier than I remember. And ginger. Did you color your hair?”

  I inhaled at his greeting. “I’m not Alec,” I said, although it was obvious he was giving me a hard time.

  This made him smile, and he leaned toward the computer. “Hi, person who clearly isn’t Alec. Do you make a habit of answering other people’s calls when they’re not around?”

  “Do you make a habit of calling people naked?” I shot back.

  “Half naked,” JJ corrected, and he lifted himself from the chair so I could catch a glimpse of the sweats he was wearing. “But if you want me to lose the pants, I would be more than—”

  A high-pitched squeal drowned out whatever inappropriate, dirty thing JJ was going to say. I didn’t have to turn around to know Asha was back from the bathroom.

  “Holy shit, that’s JJ!” She pointed at the screen as if it were a one-way video chat and he couldn’t see her ogling him. I was tempted to end the call right there and save myself whatever further embarrassment was coming my way, but JJ seemed to find the whole situation amusing.

  “Hey, guys!” He motioned to someone offscreen as he tried to contain his laughter. “Get over here. Looks like some crazy fans broke into Alec’s apartment again.” Three second later, a girl with an aqua streak in her hair moved into view and took the open spot next to JJ. A guy with brown curls and bright-blue eyes appeared behind her, placing his hands on the back of her chair—Oliver Perry. Asha produced another earsplitting noise at the sight of the Heartbreakers’ lead singer.

  “Oh my God,” she exclaimed, repeatedly hitting me on the shoulder. Before I could tell Asha to stop, that she was going to give me a bruise the size of Texas, or explain to JJ that I most certainly had not broken into Alec’s apartment, the girl spoke.

  “She’s not a crazy fan,” she said. “You’re Felicity, aren’t you?”

  What. The actual. Hell. “Um, yeah.”

  The girl smiled as if knowing my name wasn’t creepy at all. “Hi, I’m Stella.”

  With narrowed eyes, JJ glanced from Stella to me and back again, trying to figure out what was going on. “Wait, you two know each other?”

  “Nope,” she responded. Behind her, Oliver was playing with her hair, and she leaned back against him. “We’ve never met. Hence why I introduced myself, Einstein.”

  His eyebrows squished together. “Then how do you know her name?” he asked, voicing my own question.

  “She’s the girl from the masquerade ball, duh.”

  Alec told Stella about the ball. He told her about me. I was interesting enough to tell someone about! I made myself take a steadying breath.

  JJ scratched his head and turned to Oliver. “You know what she’s talking about? What ball? I swear, nobody tells me anything anymore.”

  Oliver flicked the back of JJ’s head. “Yeah, because you’re a loudmouth,” he answered, but I could tell from the look on his face that he also wasn’t in the know about the ball. JJ scowled and attempted to swat his friend back, but Oliver dodged out of the way with a smile.

  “She’s talking about the Children’s Cancer Alliance masquerade,” Asha blurted out, clearly excited to contribute to the conversation. “It was a charity event, and hi, I’m Asha. I just want to say, I love you guys so much. Your new album is amazing.”

  A satisfied smirk flashed on Oliver’s face. “Thanks, Asha,” he replied. She grabbed my arm when he said her name, and I flinched as her nails dug in. “So glad you liked it.”

  Asha couldn’t manage a response. She looked dazed—lips parted, eyes glazed over. It was the same way girls at school looked when Eddie Marks paid them any attention, but this was ten times worse. Oliver had clearly perfected the art of making girls swoon.

  A beat passed without anyone speaking, so JJ took advantage of the silence and returned the conversation to me. “So, Felicity, you met Alec at a charity ball?” He sounded casual, but from the way he scooted his chair closer, I could tell he wanted more information.

  I nodded. “Um, yeah. He spilled his drink on me.”

  “Are you serious?” JJ exploded with laughter.

  Oliver’s lips quirked. “Smooth.”

  Crap, maybe I shouldn’t have told them that.

  “It wasn’t entirely his fault. I wasn’t watching where I was going, and—”

  “Hey, I’m here,” Alec said, emerging from the hall. “Is it Vanessa?” He glanced down at the screen. “Oh. Hi, guys. What’s up?”

  A wicked grin slowly built on JJ’s face. “You have a secret girlfriend.”

  “Not a secret,” Stella pointed out. “He told me.”

  “We’re not dating,” I added quickly. I didn’t want Alec to think I’d been telling his friends anything untrue. “We hardly know each other.”

  “But he invited you over,” JJ said. He waved a finger at me like he thought I was trying to fool him. “Alec never invites girls over.”

  “It’s not like that,” I started to say.

  But JJ wasn’t listening. He spoke over me to Alec. “No wonder you didn’t tell me about her. She’s totally bangable.”

  The flush of humiliation was instantaneous. I peeked at Alec, and to my relief, he was just as red as me.

  “Jeremiah!” Stella exclaimed. “Why do you always have to be so vulgar?”

  “Ugh, how many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? Just because you know my first name doesn’t mean you get to use it,” JJ complained. “And besides, I wasn’t being vulgar. I was paying a compliment.”

  The two bickered back and forth, and I decided to use their distraction as my opportunity to escape. “I’ll let you talk to your friends,” I whispered to Alec.

  Alec answered with a stiff nod and refused to meet my eyes. His cool behavior made my throat tighten, but I did my best to ignore the sudden change in his attitude. I vacated the computer chair so he could sit down.

  “Come on, Asha.” I grabbed her wrist and led her out of earshot, wishing we’d stayed in the car.

  • • •

  “Hey. You didn’t happen to see a Wi-Fi password written down anywhere, did you?” Asha asked. She’d taken a spot next to Boomer on the couch and was scrolling on her phone.

  “No, why?” I responded, barely glancing in her direction. My attention was fixed on Alec, who was talking with his friends in hushed whispers. I couldn’t hear what was being said, but from the gestures he was making, he wasn’t happy.

  “I need to update my blog,” she said.

  That caught my attention.

  “But you only post on Thursdays.” I narrowed my eyes as I studied her. She was too focused on her phone to reply, so I pushed away from the armrest I was perched on and
went to see what was so important. “What are you looking at?”

  “Do you like this filter”—there was a pause as she changed the effect—“or this one?”

  I frowned, not sure what to make of the picture on her screen. In it was a lone toothbrush inside a toothbrush holder or whatever they were called, and that was it. It wasn’t even one of those fun colorful brushes shaped like SpongeBob or a Disney princess to get little kids to brush their teeth.

  “What’s so cool about a boring old…” I never finished my question. Realization made my stomach roll, and I wanted nothing more than to crawl under the couch and hide there for the rest of eternity. “Please don’t tell me that’s a picture of what I think it is,” I whispered, “because that would be all types of creepy.”

  “Alec’s toothbrush?” Asha smirked. “Totally is. Saw it when I was in the bathroom. I also got a shot of the shampoo he uses. Head & Shoulders for men, in case you were wondering.”

  No. No, I wasn’t.

  “Are you joking right now? Because honestly, I can’t tell.”

  Asha’s eyes gleamed as she shook her head. “Nope, and I snuck a picture of JJ, Oliver, and Stella when we were Skyping. This next blog post is going to get massive hits. I know my fans expect something IN-related, but since the Heartbreakers are going to be on the show, this will be the perfect tie-in.”

  “No!” My sudden outburst startled Boomer. He glanced up from his game to peer at us, and I quickly lowered my voice to a whisper. “You can’t blog any of this, Asha.”

  For the first time since the start of the conversation, she looked up from her phone. “Why not?”

  “Because it’s a total invasion of privacy!”

  She frowned. “It’s a toothbrush, Felicity. Not his diary.”

  My gaze shot to Alec. Thankfully he was still at the computer. I couldn’t imagine his reaction if he found out Asha had snooped through his belongings and taken pictures. What if he gets so mad he decides not to drive us to San Francisco? I couldn’t let that happen.