Relatively Famous (Famous Series)

by Heather Leigh

  “God damn son of a bitch!” My dad downshifts and tries to get past the tan car but there’s another car in front of us. He slams on the brakes just in time. The tan car, however, doesn’t notice the stopped traffic and swerves into us to avoid rear-ending a pickup truck. The front of the car hits us on my door. My head snaps to the side and then back to smash against the window. I feel a sharp pain in my arm and we’re spinning. The world goes by so fast I can’t see anything. All I can do is hold on and scream. I’m going to die.

  Our car comes to a stop when it jumps a curb and crashes into a utility pole that lines the street. I can hear someone screaming and they won’t stop. Daddy is grabbing me, unsnapping my seatbelt and clutching me to his chest. “Hush baby, it’s okay. We’re okay. Shhhh.” That’s when I realize that the screaming is coming from me.

  I burst into tears and my entire body shudders violently. Daddy is still holding me and kissing the top of my head when I hear the clicking. We both look up at the same time and see the photographer standing outside the car on Daddy’s side, taking pictures of us.

  “Sit here Sydney, don’t get out of the car, and don’t move.” He looks into my eyes so I nod that I understand. My arm hurts, bad. Then I notice that my dad has a big gash over his eyebrow and blood is running down his cheek. He looks down at my arm and a dark shadow crosses his face. I want to tell Daddy that he’s bleeding, but he’s gone.

  My dad jumps out of the car and onto the man with the big camera. He punches the guy in the face, rips the camera from his neck and shoves him to the ground. Daddy slams the camera ferociously into the ground. I wince when it shatters into a thousand pieces across the pavement. He turns back to the man and jumps on him, pinning him down, slamming his fists into him over and over again, yelling and swearing the entire time.

  Two men come running up and grab Daddy’s arms, pulling him off of the photographer. I see blood all over my Daddy and I cry even harder than I had been. Half of his face is covered in cuts and sticky red liquid, and his right hand is swollen and bloody. Daddy is yelling so loud a huge crowd has gathered to watch. People are taking pictures with their cameras. I don’t even look at the man on the ground. I don’t care if he’s okay.

  The crowd has swelled around us when a police car pulls up. People are trying to get to me, but my door won’t open. Strangers are talking to me through the broken window so I start screaming for Daddy. Two officers get out and they put handcuffs on my dad. My dad didn’t do anything wrong! I know Daddy said to stay in the car, but I can’t let them take him, who will bring me home? They can’t just leave me here alone with strangers.

  “Don’t touch my Daddy!” I yell, but when I try to open the car door, my arm won’t work and it hurts so badly I might pass out. I feel something wet and sticky running down my head behind my ear, and I see black spots. My last thought is that I love my Daddy so much, then the awful scene around me disappears as I slip away.

  ****

  Waking up just as dawn arrives, my stomach is churning and I feel terrible. I reach over and rub the faint scar on the underside of my right arm. A permanent reminder of that horrifying day.

  Why am I covered in sweat and shivering?

  From the dream? Or am I sick? I wonder if I need to go to the doctor. This is exactly how I felt when I had the flu last year. Damn, I should have gotten the flu shot that I swore I would get when I was suffering with a 104 fever and was stuck in my bed for four days last winter. Great, I cannot be sick right now. I try to get back to sleep, but it’s no use, I can’t shake the bad dream.

  It was my dad’s worst nightmare. He couldn’t protect me from the crap in his life and it almost killed us both. Dad had a terrible concussion and I had a fractured skull and a shattered arm. I throw back the covers and force myself from bed. There’s a text from Leah time stamped from last night after I had fallen asleep.

  Leah

  Great. What a self-absorbed friend I am. I feel awful that I’ve been too fixated on my own problems to even call Leah over the last week. I get dressed and head out as quickly as I can manage without throwing up. Hopefully I’m not contagious; I don’t want Leah to be sick too.

  Richard hails me a cab since I’m too weak to walk today. Minutes later, I get out at the Village Coffee Bar. I order my Kona and a croissant from Ben, even though the thought of eating makes my stomach feel even worse.

  Leah is shocked when she sees me. “You look terrible, Syd. You need to get more sleep and stop working so hard.”

  “Leah, don’t worry about me, how are you? What happened with Carter? Do you have a minute to chat?” I nod toward my usual table. She looks better than I would after a break up. Well, I’ve never had a break up since I’ve never dated anyone until now, so how the hell do I know what I’d do after a break up?

  “Give me five and I’ll be there.” She watches me from the corner of her eye as I take a seat in the corner. A small bite of gingerbread croissant does wonders for my nausea. Waiting to make sure my tender stomach doesn’t reject the food; I sip my coffee as Leah joins me at the small table.

  “What the heck Syd? This job is going to kill you! I haven’t seen you in weeks. You’re obviously working yourself to death!” She’s furious. I knew I looked bad, but not as bad as she’s making it sound.

  “Don’t be so dramatic, Leah. I think I may be coming down with something. Either that or you’re right; I’ve been pulling twelve hour days for I don’t even know how long. Running every morning, not eating all day, I haven’t exactly been the picture of health.”

  “Well, you should take a day off if you’re sick. You’ll just make it worse by putting in another long day.” My friend is so good to me.

  “What happened with Carter?” I dodge her question and try my best to look concerned and not queasy.

  “Eh, it’s not a big deal. We’ve only been dating a few weeks. He’s great, don’t get me wrong, but he’s boring as hell.” She looks at me and smiles, “He’s all work and work related events. I got sick of competing with his Daddy issues and Carter needing to prove that he can take over the media empire.” She makes a grossed out face, twisting her pretty features into a grimace.

  I laugh. “That’s terrible! You can’t compete with the Media Mogul, that’s for sure.”

  “I don’t want to compete with anyone, Syd. I want someone who puts me as high up on their list of priorities as they are on mine. I’m not going to be number three after a job and their dad.” Leah looks me up and down again. “So, are you going to take a day off or what?”

  “I didn’t come here to have you beat me up for my failure to take care of myself. I came here thinking you were wallowing in misery, but you seem like you could care less about Carter.”

  “Stop avoiding my question, Sydney.” Leah’s glaring at me with her intense blue eyes.

  “You know I have to finish the club for the opening night. There’s not time to take a day off.” I pause, waiting for her to stop scowling before continuing, “I have something to tell you too. I wanted to let you know, the next time I see Drew I’m going to tell him who I am.” I look at her so I can see her reaction.

  Leah doesn’t disappoint, her eyes widen in shock. “You’re going to tell him? Are you sure? You haven’t known him all that long, Syd. I think it’s great, but I want you to one-hundred percent feel good about doing this.”

  I let out a huge breath. “I know I haven’t known him long, but this secret is driving a wedge between us, and I trust him Leah. I think I’m in love with him. Is that crazy?”

  Damn, don’t cry Sydney.

  “What! Are you sure?” Her big blue eyes pop and her mouth falls open. I can’t tell if she’s happy or horrified.

  “Yes, I’m sure.” And I am, without a shadow of a doubt, I’m in love with Drew.

  “Then I’m happy for you,” she says simply, but cautiously. “You guys have a lot to talk about then. When will you see him?”

  “If he com
es to the party, then I’ll see him that weekend. If he can’t make it, then about two weeks from now.” I shrug. I have no idea when he’ll be back.

  “If he’s going to the party with you, then you need to have that talk beforehand,” she says firmly.

  “Why, what does it matter?”

  “Oh, ummm, well, you don’t want to, you know, have that hanging over you all night.” She can’t form a coherent sentence. But it’s a good point.

  “Yeah, it probably would make him happy to finally know my secrets. It drives him nuts that I hide so much and it’s his birthday so I thought it would make a good gift. Plus, he’ll be way less jealous of Adam if he knows why I would never date him.”

  “Uhhh, sure, yeah, good idea Syd. Well, he probably has secrets too.” She says it so matter of fact; it’s easy to believe that I’m not that strange after all.

  Maybe there’s hope for me yet.

  Chapter 25

  Three days later, I feel a lot better. I find that if I eat a little in the morning with my coffee, that my stomach stops roiling almost immediately. I’m still more tired than usual, but interestingly, I must be sleeping deep because I haven’t had any more bad dreams. I keep my run short this morning, not wanting to push myself too hard, but I’m afraid that if I give up my exercise then the bug I caught might take over.

  I drag my sorry ass to the club, and spend the morning directing the placement of tables and booths for the main room. Happy to snag one of the long leather booths to sit on, I rest my weary body. I’m about to take a big sip from my water bottle when I hear my phone ringing from my bag. Frustrated, my hand finds it just as it stops chirping. Missed call from Drew. I dial him back as I get up to find some privacy.

  “Hey sexy girl, how are you? Feeling any better? Need me to call that Jeff guy and tell him what an ass he is?”

  I had told Drew the other night how I hadn’t been feeling well, so it was a good thing he hadn’t been in town or he would have caught it too. He blames it on the stress from Jeff forcing the launch party to happen a month sooner than it should have. He’s probably right, but I don’t tell him that. He’d kill Jeff if he knew that.

  “Yeah, still tired, but much better. My stomach seems to have calmed some. And no, please don’t call Jeff; I need him pissed at me like I need a hole in my head. I miss you so much,” I tell him, my heart speeding up just from talking to him.

  “I miss you too baby.” His seductive voice makes me ache for him to be inside me. Even this sickness hasn’t dampened my sex drive, and it’s been too long since I’ve seen Drew. “So, I finally got Chad to give me a definite for next Saturday.”

  “And...” Silence. “Drew! Stop keeping me waiting.” I can’t believe I’m actually stomping my foot in frustration like a petulant teenager.

  “And he managed to alter the schedule so I’ll be finished out here by that morning. I have a flight that lands in New York at 5pm on the 8th and I won’t have to come back out here the following week either.” I can hear his excitement mixed with apprehension through the phone.

  “So that’s great! Right? The party doesn’t start until 9; the celebrities don’t start arriving until 10 or so. You should be here in plenty of time to make it. I’m just sorry that you’ll be on a plane on your birthday.” I roll my eyes as I mention the celebrities. It’s just so ridiculous.

  “Actually, I’m hoping we could meet at your place and go together. I wanted to see you before we go.” Good, I can tell him about my parents in private at the same time.

  “That’s perfect. Just so you know, Leah made me promise that I wouldn’t revoke her invite just because you’re coming with me, so we’ll see her there. She doesn’t want to ride with us though, she’ll feel too much like a third-wheel. Her words, not mine.” I laugh.

  He chuckles, “Yes, that’s fine. As long as we’re alone before we go to the party.”

  I hope he isn’t thinking we’re going to have time to fool around. Not that I won’t want to, but I’m sure I’ll already have my hair and makeup done, and I need time to talk to him without him distracting me with his sinful body and skilled hands. “We will be, don’t worry. I’m so excited, Drew. You being there is going to make this potentially shitty night so much better, so long as you don’t actually throat punch Adam that is.”

  “I can’t make any promises about that, Sydney. He needs to keep his hands and disgusting thoughts to himself. I just hope you’re glad that I’m there with you at the party,” he says sadly.

  “Sydney! We need you over here!” The booming voice of my foreman, Greg, is echoing across the entire club and I see, Bethany Williams, an assistant from the firm, gesturing for me to come over.

  “Drew, I’m sorry, I have to go. They’re calling for me. Thank you so much for agreeing to go with me. Tell Chad thanks too.”

  “I will baby, you’re welcome. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. I have a late night of work today.”

  “Okay, bye.” I end the call and stuff my phone in my pocket, a huge smile on my face. Finally, things are getting a little less gloom and doom for me.

  Chapter 26

  I don’t know how I found time to leave the club, but here I am on the 4th floor of Bergdorf’s, shopping for dresses with Leah again. I told her I wouldn’t go unless she agreed to use a personal shopper because I refuse to stomp all over the store to find dresses for the opening of Verve.

  The shopper put several dresses in our sizes in a room for us to try on. I insisted on us sharing a fitting room, otherwise Leah would try to sneak out and roam the department for dresses on her own.

  “Syd, this party is going to be the biggest club opening in over a decade. Several entertainment magazines plus the Post and the Times said so.” Leah unzips another dress and puts it back on a hanger. “Apparently it’s the hottest party in town if you’ve can get on the list, which is next to impossible.”

  “Leah!” I shoot daggers at her. “Stop telling me this stuff! You know I don’t want to hear anything printed about any of that crap. It’s just making me more nervous.”

  “Okay, okay!” She tries on a black lace Dolce & Gabbana mini-dress and I zip it up for her. “But you know, Adam has done several more interviews and he mentions the club every time. He has the hots for you, girl.”

  “Jesus Leah! I asked you to stop! And he doesn’t have the hots for me. He never even suggested that he was interested in me that way. Not once. All he’s doing is bringing very unwelcome attention to me with all of this shit.”

  “Okay, sorry! He doesn’t even know your last name so chill out. It’s not like anyone’s going to figure out who you are.”

  “Leah, you and I both know that the press is nothing if not persistent and could find out who I was in a heartbeat if they had even just that tiny bit of information.”

  “Yeah, I know.” She twirls in front of me in the D&G. “Well? What do you think?”

  “Wow! That’s the one. It’s perfect.”

  She’s so gorgeous in the dress that the celebrities will pale in comparison.

  “I need to be hot so I can find a new man, Syd.”

  For God’s sake! Leah’s always on the lookout for a new guy. I hope she chooses better this time.

  “Every guy there will be worshipping at your feet if you wear that, Leah.”

  And they will. I mean, in just her regular jeans and T-shirt, she has dozens of admirers at the café. They come in every day under the guise of wanting a coffee, then they either ask her out or sit around and stare at her. She always says no to their requests for a date. She says it’s bad business to date customers.

  I fall in love with a black and white botanical print, silk, belted A-line by Jason Wu. It has a crisscross plunging halter in front and is backless to just above the bottom of my spine. The fluted hemline shows off my toned legs. It’s the sexiest little dress I’ve ever worn.

  We let the shopper bring us dozens of shoes to wear with our dresses. Leah tells me that comfort is not a priority for Saturday,
so I somehow end up with silver 4” Jimmy Choo sandals with a thick silver chain for an ankle strap. Leah goes all out and ends up with a 5” Giuseppi Zanotti black calfskin sandal, with gold metal leaves that wrap around the top of her foot and ankle.

  She tried on so many I was about to stab her with a stiletto. I have so much other stuff to do besides shoe shopping that I nearly cry with relief when she picks out the Zanottis. When Leah suggests accessory shopping and I give her a look so venomous that she shrinks back in fear.

  We get in the car with only our shoes. The dresses will be tailored and sent to our homes in two days. “Do you think Drew knows how to dress for one of these things? Should I call him and let him know…” I stop when I notice that Leah is giving me an incredulous look. “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

  She rolls her eyes. “Sydney, I think he knows exactly how to dress for the party. That’s one thing I’m sure you don’t have to worry about.”

  Her dry tone makes me feel kind of stupid, but I’m not sure why.

  “Yeah, he has money and obviously knows people. He’s probably been to a lot of high class functions, rubbing elbows with celebrities.” I make those annoying little air quotes around the word celebrities.

  Leah and I laugh our asses off the rest of the way home. Somehow, I get the feeling we are laughing at different things.

  Chapter 27

  Even though last five and a half weeks dragged on endlessly, it seems as though I blinked and it’s already March 8th. How did it get here so fast, when every day seemed to never end?

  I spend the morning pacing my bedroom which makes me so anxious and edgy that I decide to go for a long run to relax. I’ve been feeling much better physically, so I want to get back into my exercise routine. I pop in my ear buds, crank up Radiohead and put in some miles.

  I devote my run to thinking about the conversation I’m going to have with Drew later. A conversation I’ve never had with anyone. Ever. I’m nervous, but I’ve also accepted that this has to happen.