“You’re not selfish!” I snap. “I know why you acted the way that you did, Drew.”
“I did it because I love you, Sydney.”
“I know. I love you too.”
“I have to be here for another week, how long is Allie staying?”
“I don’t know, she just got here and ambushed me with this phone call.”
Drew laughs. “That sounds like my sister.”
“I know it’s late there, I’ll let you get some sleep.”
“Now that you’re talking to me again, I’ll finally be able to sleep.” Drew blows out a huge breath. “Can I call you tomorrow?”
My heart melts at his question. “Drew, I’m yours, call me whenever you want.”
I can feel him smiling on the other end of the line. “Mine. I like that. I’m going to find someone to investigate the whole eavesdropping thing Syd. We’ll figure it out. I love you babe.”
“I love you too.”
I disconnect the phone and hug it to my chest. Thank God for Allie Forrester. In town for only a couple of hours and she single-handedly fixes mine and Drew’s relationship.
I exit the bedroom and Allie’s head whips up to meet my eyes. She can’t miss the giant smile on my face and her expression turns to delight. Jumping up she hugs me and squeals. “I knew you guys could work it out, you just needed a shove!”
“Thanks, Allie. I mean it. You saved us from letting our stubbornness destroy everything.”
“So, are you coming to the ball with him? Did you ask him?”
“The ball?”
Her face falls. “You didn’t ask him about the charity ball, did you?”
I grimace. “Well, we had a lot of other stuff to talk about Allie. I’ll mention it, I promise.”
She eyes me warily. “Alright, if you promise. I’ll tell you what, you introduce me to Ryker Bancroft and I’ll forgive you.”
I grin at the childlike excitement on her face. “I can do that, and I have an idea you might like.”
Allie is in heaven. We’re hanging out on the set of Quantum Stranger: Zero Effect watching Ryker and his cast mates film one of the big action sequences in front of a massive green backdrop. Leah is beyond flabbergasted that Drew’s sister is this excited to be on a movie set considering who her brother is.
“Yeah, but I hardly ever go to see Drew act,” she explains during a break. “You’re forgetting that I live in Boston, not L.A. or New York. So I’m not around him most of the time. He left to start acting while I still had four years of high school left. It’s not like I followed him to all of his jobs. I may not be impressed by my brother, but I sure as hell am impressed right now!”
“Sydney’s the one who’s never star-struck,” says Leah. “I guess being exposed to all of this since you were a baby pretty much desensitizes you to it all.”
I shrug. “Yeah, that and not having a clue who a single one of these actors is.”
“I guess that would help,” jokes Allie.
Then she nudges me in the side and uses her chin to point to her left. I look in that direction and notice a shirtless actor headed our way. I recognize him, it’s Declan Foster. He came to a get together in Ryker and Leah’s suite last week.
“What?” I ask, turning to Allie. I see her practically drooling over Declan, her eyes running up and down his very toned torso as he grabs a towel off of a nearby table and wipes the sweat out of his eyes.
Okay, he’s hot. I’ll give her that.
“Shit,” Allie says, “He’s coming over here.”
“Hey Leah, Sydney,” he says. “Who’s your friend?” It doesn’t escape me that Declan is blatantly checking Allie out.
“Oh, sorry. Declan, this is my friend Allie Forrester. Allie, this is Declan Foster.” I watch the two of them make goo-goo eyes at each other as they shake hands.
Oh boy, Drew will not like this.
“Dex, we’re all going out tonight. You should come with us,” Leah says.
Great. Here she goes. Trying to get everyone to hook up with everyone else just like she tried to push Adam on me back in New York. Allie’s eyes bug out as Leah speaks and she looks to me for help. All I can do is mouth “sorry” to her.
“That sounds like fun,” Declan says grinning with his perfect white teeth.
The assistant director sounds for everyone to get in their places and he turns to leave.
“I’ll see you girls later,” he says, staring right at Allie as he walks backwards toward the soundstage. He gives her one last smile and spins on his heel, jogging over to his place.
“Holy crap!” Allie breathes. “You!” She turns to Leah in fake anger, poking her with her finger, until she grins. “Thanks, I owe you one!”
They burst out laughing until the director calls for quiet on the set.
“You two are crazy,” I mutter under my breath.
We end up in Leah and Ryker’s suite, hanging out before we go to whatever club they’ve picked for us tonight. Leah did the sweep for the listening devices and found nothing, so we’re free to be ourselves for the time being.
Along with Leah, Ryker, and Allie, Declan came over and so did Leslie and Rachel. I’m glad the girls decided to go out with us so I wouldn’t be the fifth wheel.
“Who wants champagne?” Ryker asks us.
A loud round of cheers confirms that pretty much everyone wants some. Ryker picks up the in-house phone and orders a few bottles. They’ve already broken out a fifth of tequila and slammed back several shots. I declined, knowing I have to be at work early to check on a huge delivery.
Allie and Declan are getting cozy on one of the couches, while Leah and Rachel are trying to decide what to play next on Ryker’s iPod. I head into the kitchen to get some water when there’s a knock on the door.
I carefully check the peephole first, determined to do my part to be safe, and see the hotel employee with the room service cart. I unlock the door and let him in, telling him to put the cart in the living area near the couches.
Ryker bounds over and thanks the guy, handing him some money. The employee is a sweaty mess. His forehead is dripping. Either this guy is nervous around celebrities or he’s done way too many drugs before his shift tonight. Gross. Ryker closes the door behind him just as Declan pops one of the corks and starts filling the flutes.
He hands me a glass and my phone starts ringing.
Drew.
“Hey!” I answer, turning my back on the loud noise of my friends drinking and singing.
“Sydney, who’s calling you? Hang up and come party with us!” Leah yells from the other side of the room.
I give her the evil eye and turn away from them again.
“Hey babe, bad timing?”
“You know it’s never a bad time,” I say smiling.
“Ooooh, is that my brother Sydney?” Allie calls out to me, giggling as she takes another sip of champagne.
Okay, tequila shots were not the best idea.
“Why is your brother calling for Sydney?” Declan asks her.
“Sorry Drew. We’re in Leah and Ryker’s suite with a couple of other friends. They thought tequila shots would be so much fun and now they’re all acting like idiots.”
“Your brother is Andrew Forrester?” Declan exclaims in a voice so loud the entire floor probably heard him.
Shit. What is it with alcohol and volume control?
I move further away from the living area and into the dining room.
“Who is that?” Drew asks coldly.
I sigh. “That would be Declan Foster, Ryker’s co-star.”
“Why is he talking to my sister?” Drew’s tone indicates that he isn’t happy with this information.
“Drew, she’s a grown up and he’s a grown up. You can’t interfere. Let it go.”
The girls squeal in delight when OutKast comes out of the speakers and Ryker and Declan put on a dance show for them. I must admit, the boys do know how to ‘shake it’.
“I don’t like it Sydney.”
“I know babe.”
I hear him exhale in frustration. Always the control freak, upset that he can’t manage everything.
“I can’t wait to see you again. I miss you Syd.”
“I miss you too.”
The group cheers as they gather their things to head out to the club.
“Listen, everyone is leaving for the club. I have to get going. I’ll call you tomorrow, well, later today for you.”
“Love you babe,” Drew says sweetly, then does a one-eighty and snarls. “Make sure that asshole doesn’t take advantage of my sister.”
I laugh. “You got it. I love you too.”
Chapter 20
****
“Sydney! C’mon, we’re going to be late to the party!” my friend Hannah calls out from outside the dressing room where I’m trying on a dress.
“Okay!” I answer, rolling my eyes.
She’s always so impatient. Everyone knows you don’t get to a party early. Even if it is just a party at Zachary Houston’s house and his parents are going to be there, it’s still our first real boy-girl party. Hannah said that she thinks that we’re going to play Spin the Bottle and that Nicholas Jensen is going to try to kiss me.
I throw the dress over my arm and step out of the dressing room where Hannah is bursting from excitement. I’m nervous too, but at least I know how to play it cool.
“Jeez, Hannah, you need to relax. You’re gonna look like a dork if we get there and you’re all freaking out and everything,” I tell her as I step up to pay for my dress.
The saleslady gives me an uptight look that I recognize. She doesn’t think I can afford to shop here just because I’m a kid. Huffing, I hand her my Black AmEx and watch her eyes narrow as she reads the name.
“Evaid Productions?” she asks. “What is that supposed to be?”
Every. Time.
I told Daddy to just get me one with my actual name on it, but he said we can’t ever have stuff in our own names. We have to use my parents’ production company on all of our credit cards. They combined their names to make their company; Eva and Reid, Evaid. I have no clue why it can’t have my name on it, something about safety, as usual.
“Robbie!” I call out to my bodyguard. He’s always nearby, even if you don’t see him.
“Yes Miss Tannen?” he asks, startling the saleslady.
Ha!
“Can you help me with my purchase?” I ask sweetly, turning to the lady and giving her a nasty look.
“Is there a problem?” Robbie asks the woman.
“Well, this credit card is for a company and clearly this young lady isn’t old enough to work there.”
Wow, not many people are willing to speak like that to Robbie. He’s too scary looking, even though I don’t think he’s scary at all.
Robbie whips out several I.D. cards and hands them to the lady. She flicks through each one and I watch gleefully as her face drops and her cheeks turn red.
Every. Single. Time.
“S-s-sorry, Miss Tannen. I didn’t recognize you,” she stutters.
I sigh dramatically. “It’s fine. I hope if I come in again, we won’t have a problem?”
Hannah’s mouth drops open at my attitude. She wouldn’t dream of speaking to an adult this way. Normally, I wouldn’t either. I’m just sick and tired of adults treating me like an idiot just because I’m only twelve. I spend more time alone than I do with my parents. It’s like I practically raise myself sometimes.
“No, not at all.”
She rings me up for my dumb dress and we leave the store, heading back out into the busy mall. As usual, Robbie melts into the crowd behind us, unseen but still there.
Hannah and I giggle at the lady from the store.
“I can’t believe you did that!” she exclaims.
“Well, I did. I’m sick of adults treating me like a baby. I don’t need her questioning me.”
Impressed, Hannah stares at me in awe. I’m used to being stared at by now. Kids at school either fall all over themselves to be my friend, watch me all the time out of the corners of their eyes but never approach me, or treat me like dirt because they’re jealous. Always one of the three. Sometimes I wonder if anyone is my real friend or just my friend because of my parents. When we were all younger, no one cared who I was. Now that we’re all old enough to understand things like fame and money, I’m not so sure who I can trust.
Hannah grabs my arm and stops, pulling me over to a store window. She points out the rows of sparkling diamonds, gushing over them. “Oh my God! Look Sydney, they’re stunning!”
I’ve never been impressed by jewelry, so I just cross my arms and wait for her to finish drooling. As she goes on and on about platinum and white gold and the sizes of diamonds, I get a bad feeling. Like someone is breathing on my neck.
I twist my head around and scan the crowd. Nothing. I’ve been having this sensation a lot lately. A creepy pins and needles feeling goes up and down my spine in waves. It feels like someone is following me everywhere, and instinctively I know it’s not Robbie that I’m sensing.
Shaking it off, I turn to Hannah. “Let’s get out of here, I’m bored.” I refuse to admit to anyone that I’m scared of a boogeyman that I can’t even prove exists. Robbie would notice if there really were someone back there, right?
Robbie pulls the SUV into Zachary Houston’s long curving driveway and stops in front of the massive mansion to let us out. His dad is some kind of big deal special effects guy for action movies and his mom is an agent or something like that.
I take Robbie’s hand and let him help me down from the Range Rover so I won’t trip getting out. Hannah and I took a long time getting ready at my house. I wasn’t going to screw it up by falling on my face before I even get inside.
“I’ll be out here in the car the entire time, Miss Tannen, you have my number,” Robbie says. He gets in the SUV and pulls it off to a parking area on the side of the garage.
“Oh my God, this is so exciting!” Hannah gushes.
She takes my hand and we head toward the front steps. The cold tingle returns and spreads from my neck up into the back of my head, making the fine hairs stand on end. Slowly, I turn around and look across the huge yard. Once again, I don’t see a thing. I know someone is out there watching me. I’ve spent twelve years growing up under a microscope, so it’s become a sixth sense for me to feel other people’s eyes on me. I wish I could block it out, but I can’t. It’s a blessing and a curse.
“Syd, are you coming?” Hannah asks, tugging on my hand when she notices that I’ve stopped dead in my tracks.
“Yeah, let’s go.” I exhale and walk into the house.
An hour later we’re all hanging out in Zach’s backyard, dancing to Jennifer Lopez and eating pizza. It’s dark out, but Zach’s parents have the area around their pool all lit up for the party.
“I can’t believe you actually kissed Nick Jensen!” Hannah whispers in my ear.
“Yeah, Sydney! What was it like?” asks our other friend Natalie. “He’s so cute!”
I just smile at them. No way am I going to stand here and tell them about kissing Nick. That would be totally uncool and embarrassing if he overheard us.
“That’s so unfair, Syd!” Natalie whines. “If you were our friend you would tell us!”
Smirking, I walk away. “I don’t kiss and tell,” and head toward the pool house where the bathrooms are.
I’m almost to the door at the far side of the pool when the icy fingers of fear slide down my back once again. Even though it’s March, this is southern California so it’s still warm out. I shiver when the goose bumps break out on my arms. That feeling is back, someone watching me. I turn and scan the backyard. Except for my friends horsing around and dancing on the opposite side of the pool from me, there’s no one.
I grip the doorknob to the pool house and just as I turn it a man steps out from the shadows and presses against me.
“Hi Sydney, I’ve been watching you,” he gr
owls into my ear. The man stinks, like garbage and my Daddy’s liquor cabinet. He clutches my arm and spins me around to face him, winding his disgusting arms around me.
Scream Sydney!
I scream so loud that Robbie could probably hear me from the front of the mansion. The man’s eyes get wide and he tightens his hold on me, dragging me toward the side of the house.
“Stop yelling,” he hisses. “You know you belong with me.”
I thrash in his arms, making it difficult for him to move and hold on to me at the same time. When he loosens his hands to readjust, I fall to the ground, slipping out of his grasp.
“Sydney!” I hear Mr. Jensen calling from somewhere.
Standing up, I kick the man in the shin with my new Fendi wedges and run toward the house. Just as I reach Zach’s parents, I see Robbie streak past me into the dark yard. Crying, I look back as Mr. Jensen pushes me behind him and see Robbie punching the creepy, stinky guy.
Robbie ties the guy’s hands with some rope that one of the Jensen’s employees brings out and yanks him toward the front yard. As he passes me, his bloody face hung low where I can’t see it, he whispers, “I’ll always be watching you.”
****
I shoot up out of bed and my eyes dart around the dark hotel room. Relaxing some, I rub my hands over my face.
Jesus.
It’s that creepy stalker feeling been having for over a week now. That’s why I had that dream. Last night when we left for the club I felt it, and then again when we got back to the hotel. I haven’t felt it in years, but the fact that it’s back is not good.
Maybe it’s just paranoia from the fact that someone is recording my conversations or that paparazzi have been snapping photos of me without my knowledge. But I know deep down that I’m just fooling myself thinking it’s a reporter. When I get the feeling that I’m being watched, I’ve never been wrong, and it’s never a good thing.
Light is coming through the edges of the heavy silk drapes in the hotel bedroom, so I know it’s morning. I check the clock. It’s already seven. I may as well go and get a run in before Allie wakes up. I have to do a little work on the club too, so I need to get moving. I didn’t drink last night, unlike everyone else, so I feel pretty good.
Absolutely Famous (Famous Series) Page 13