by Jen Wilde
My mouth falls open, and I keep my eyes trained on the carpet. If I move, I’ll cry. And the last thing I want right now is for him to see me cry. He’ll just take it as a sign that he’s wounded me, when really it’s just because I’m overwhelmed and don’t know what else to do. Blood rushes to my cheeks, and I feel my hands begin to sweat and shake. But I don’t say anything. Everything I want to say rushes through my mind, bottlenecking and getting stuck in my throat.
Reese turns to leave, but someone is standing in his way. I look up to see Jamie, his gaze locked on Reese.
Reese slaps a friendly hand on Jamie’s shoulder. “Watch out, mate, she’s in a mood.”
Jamie puts the two glasses of Coke on a nearby table, shrugs Reese’s hand off him, and stares him in the eyes. Reese tries to get past him, but Jamie puts a hand on his chest to stop him. “Hang on a second, man. I just wanna see if I understand this.”
He looks at me, his jaw clenching when he sees the tears in my eyes, then looks back at Reese. “So, you insult Tay, basically tell her she’ll only succeed if she puts out, then insult her best friend and take credit for her success. Right?”
“I didn’t insult anyone.”
Jamie rolls his eyes. “You know what? The fucked-up thing is that you really believe that. You really don’t see how what you just did was a dick move.”
Reese opens his mouth to say something, but Jamie holds up a finger. “Then Tay stands up for herself and for Charlie, and somehow that makes her a bitch? Do you see the flaws in your argument, Reese?”
Reese scoffs at him and points a thumb back at me. “You didn’t hear her, man. She was rude.”
Jamie raises an eyebrow. “Oh, I heard. I heard the whole thing. And I gotta tell ya, man, it sounded to me like you were the one being rude.”
I see Reese squeeze his hand into a fist by his side, and my eyes flick over to Charlie, who’s standing on the other side of the room. Mandy is talking to her enthusiastically, but Charlie’s eyes are glued to Reese and Jamie. She knows something is going down. My breathing is getting shallower. I’m furious at Reese, but terrified for Jamie. With his movie star abs and bulging biceps, Reese is big. He could punch Jamie’s lights out in a second.
“You’re asking for it, Jamie,” Reese says. He pushes Jamie, making him stumble backward. Jamie grits his teeth, but doesn’t push back. He stands straight and firm, glaring at Reese.
Reese tilts his head to the side, seeming confused. “What, you’re not gonna fight back?” He smiles.
Jamie crosses his arms over his chest. “Cool it.”
Reese laughs. “What a fuckin’ pussy.” He shoves Jamie again, taunting him. I look on, horrified and unsure what to do. Everyone in the room is watching now.
“Reese!” Charlie yells. “What the hell are you doing? Leave him alone.”
Reese pushes Jamie again, backing him into a table. Jamie’s face is red with anger, and I can see Reese is hurting him.
Reese shakes his head. “Man up.” He slaps Jamie on the face, and that’s when Jamie retaliates.
Jamie shoves Reese. Taken by surprise, Reese tumbles backward, falling into a table and chairs. The table collapses underneath him, and the sound of plates and glasses smashing makes my ears ring.
I stand there, my hands covering my mouth and my eyes wide. Everyone freezes.
Jamie wipes a hand down his face and shakes his head in disappointment. He steps over Reese and reaches a hand down to help him up. “You okay?”
Reese takes his hand and lets Jamie pull him to his feet. Then he swings his fist back and punches Jamie in the face. I scream as his head snaps back, and he plummets to the ground.
I decide to take action.
I hurry over to Jamie, take his hand, and help him steadily to his feet. He glares at Reese, but I press my hands against his chest, which is hard and tensed in anger.
“Come on,” I say. “Let’s go. This party isn’t cool enough for us.” I try to speak with confidence, but my voice is shaking.
Jamie drags his eyes away from Reese and over to me, his expression softening. His right cheekbone is already red from where Reese hit him. I nod toward the door and take Jamie’s hand. Every muscle in my body is tense as we walk away from Reese, but I don’t look back. Charlie is staring at us, concern all over her face, and I give her a thumbs-up to reassure her that we’re okay.
I pull Jamie out the door and into the hallway. “Are you okay?”
He nods. “I’m fine.”
I stare at him squarely in the face. “That guy is a Neanderthal. I’m so sorry he did that to you.”
He drops his gaze. “It’s not your fault. It’s his. And mine. I was trying so hard not to fight him. You know how I feel about macho dicks. But I couldn’t just do nothing, either.”
I realize I’m still holding his hand and let go. “He could have beaten you to a pulp.” I feel my blood boiling and clench my fists at my side. “Ugh. I wish I could jump into a DeLorean and go back to ten minutes ago and stop that idiot from ever opening his ignorant, cocky mouth.”
I glance at him, and he’s watching me, the corners of his mouth pulling up slightly.
“What?”
He laughs, but flinches in pain when his cheek moves. “I’ve never seen you so pissed before. And yet in all your rage, you still managed to slip in a movie reference. You’re good.”
I laugh, shaking my head loosely. “You didn’t need to do that, you know. Step in when Reese was being an asshole. I was fine.”
“You weren’t fine. I saw the look on your face, and I never want to see that look again.” His jaw clenches.
I let out a long exhale. “It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve been called a bitch.” I’ve lost count of the times people have called me a bitch or a snob, misinterpreting my shyness or lack of eye contact as disrespect or rudeness.
“Just because it’s happened before doesn’t make it okay.”
“I know. And even though you didn’t need to step in”—I pause, making eye contact with him—“I’m glad you did. You said everything I wanted to say, but couldn’t.”
“I don’t know.” He grins. “I think you got a few good verbal punches in yourself.”
“Thanks,” I say. “Hey, you wanna call it a day? I’m pretty wiped. I just wanna go to our hotel and watch a movie or something. And we should put some ice on your cheek.”
He smiles. “That sounds perfect.”
CHAPTER 10
CHARLIE
After Tay and Jamie hurry out the door, I walk up to Reese, who’s sulking alone at a table in the corner. I told one of the execs to call security, but he just shrugged it off. Reese gets away with his douchery yet again.
“Hey,” I say, taking a seat next to him. “What the actual fuck?!”
He raises a hand to silence me. “Not now. I don’t need to hear a lecture from you.”
I roll my eyes. “Too bad. I don’t need to see you picking fights and punching my friends, and yet that’s exactly what you did. If it were up to me, you’d be outside on your ass with your VIP badge confiscated. What the hell is wrong with you? Jamie and Tay didn’t deserve any of that.”
He doesn’t look at me. “Pfft, that chick is strange. And he’s a prick.”
“Yeah, because you’re such a decent dude.” I stare at the empty beer bottle he’s clutching in his hand. “Are you drunk?”
He shakes his head, and his eyes widen. Slightly red and unfocused, they give him away. It’s clear that this isn’t his first drink.
He hunches over the table and stares at me intensely. “I miss you, Charlie.”
I almost fall off my chair, I’m so surprised. “Um, what?”
“I miss you.” He pulls his chair closer to mine, and I give him a perplexed look. “Charlie, breaking up with you was a huge mistake. I should have never let you go.”
I cross my arms and lean back, feeling very skeptical of his intentions. “Then why did you?”
He rubs a hand over his
face and leans back in his chair. “I’m an idiot. Obviously.”
I scoff. “At least we agree on that.”
“I’m being serious.”
“Did it sound like I was joking?”
He groans and shakes his head at me, his blond locks falling in front of his eyes. He blows them back and puts the empty bottle on the table. “Charlie, I’m trying to tell you that I want you back.”
My jaw drops. I don’t know what to say, so I just stare at him, trying to search his face for the truth. I glance at the party on the other side of the room, making sure no one is overhearing this very strange conversation. If people found out about what he just said, I’d never be able to escape Chase.
“Charlie.” He reaches a hand over the table, opening his palm for me to take. I don’t. “Come on. I made a mistake.”
“Mistakes. Plural. And you just added a huge one to the list with what you just did to my friends.”
“Fine. Mistakes. I’ve made mistakes. But I’ve learned from them, and I’ll never do anything like that again.”
His hand is still out, and I still don’t take it. I furrow my brow, still wondering if this is for real or if it’s some horrible practical joke. “Are you being serious right now?”
He nods. “Yes. I should never have treated you like that. I was out of control. I wasn’t used to all the attention, and I gave in to it. It was wrong. I’m sorry.”
As much as I’ve wanted to hear him apologize, it’s still hard. I close my eyes and take in a deep breath. When I open them again, he’s looking at me like he used to when we first started dating. He’s looking at me like I’m the only girl in the world.
I remember the first time he looked at me like that; we were in the middle of an intense scene in The Rising. It was the first day of filming.
We were running from thousands of zombies, down a closed-off Sydney street. My heel broke, and I plummeted to the ground, ripping a hole in my jeans and scraping my hands and arms. He stopped running, came back, and crouched beside me, wrapping one of his big, muscly arms around me and helping me up. His bright blue eyes were full of concern and care for me.
Looking back now, I see it was such a cliché, but it won me over instantly.
And then the roller coaster began.
Falling in love with Reese was like a tornado; everything around me was spinning, and there was nothing to keep me steady. So I got whisked off my feet. First love is crazy enough, but being in the public eye amplifies that crazy by a million. Sometimes I wonder if that was what doomed us: all the attention. It was a mistake to be so open about our relationship from the start. The public scrutiny and constant watchful eyes of camera lenses got to us very quickly. It made me shrink, and Reese expand. I spent more time at home, trying to avoid the spotlight, while he drank up the attention—even tipping off paparazzi to where we were going for dinner. It wasn’t the first time fame poisoned a relationship, and it won’t be the last.
“Charlie,” he says, pleading with me. “Aren’t you going to say something?”
Six months ago, this might have been enough. My heart was still broken then, and I thought he was the only thing that could put it back together.
But not now.
“Look, Reese, I really don’t think you want me back. I’m not even sure if you ever truly loved me.”
He clenches his jaw, and hurt flashes in his blue eyes. “How could you say that?”
“I can say that because I really believe that if you loved me, you wouldn’t have done what you did. You wouldn’t have paraded around with another girl while we were still together. You wouldn’t have put me through all that heartache and humiliation. And you would have treated me better. Much better.”
“Seeing all that tabloid shit hurt me as much as it hurt you.”
I scoff. “Doubt it. I was the one who turned on the TV to see you making out with some slut.” I pinch the bridge of my nose between my thumb and forefinger and blow out a frustrated exhale. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.” Slut-shaming is something I’ve been on the receiving end of more than once. I’ve even spoken out against it publicly, and yet here I am contributing to it out of anger. This guy brings out the worst in me.
“You have every reason to be pissed.” He finally slides his hand off the table, accepting that I won’t take it. We’re awkwardly silent for a minute, and then he can’t wait any longer. “Charlie, do you want to be with me, or not?”
“No.” I say it before he even finishes talking. My answer is quick, but certain. I don’t even have to think about it.
“But what about us? What about Chase?”
I raise an eyebrow. “What about Chase?”
“Everyone wants us together. The fans, the studio. Us being together will make everyone happy. We’ll be the most famous couple in the world.”
I glare at him, disgusted. “I don’t care about that. It won’t make me happy. You don’t treat me the way I deserve to be treated. You never did. And you just proved you don’t care about anyone else, either. Anyone who goes around throwing punches only cares about himself. I have zero interest in getting back together with you.”
“Come on,” he says. “What are you afraid of?”
“I’m not afraid. I know what I want, and it’s not this.”
He reaches out and takes my hand.
I pull it away. “Don’t. You don’t get to hold my hand anymore.”
He shakes his head and smirks. “Fuckin’ hell, Charlie. Since when did you become such a prude?”
I clench my jaw so hard it hurts. “How are you not getting this? You cheated on me. You humiliated me. You constantly belittle me. And five minutes ago you beat up one of my best friends. Saying no to you doesn’t make me a prude, Reese. And if you think it does, then you need some serious help.”
I stand up, done with this conversation for good. “I’ll get your manager. You need to go back to the hotel and sober up.”
I walk away in a huff, trying to maintain my composure for the partygoers.
CHAPTER 11
TAYLOR
Jamie sticks the key card into the slot and swings the door open.
I dump my backpack in the hall and start exploring our room. Jamie and I are Charlie’s tagalongs, so the three of us are sharing a studio suite in a fancy-shmancy hotel a block away from SupaCon.
It’s a simple but luxurious room, with a flat-screen on the wall, a couch and coffee table by the window, and two double beds. Our suitcases sit on the beds, having been brought up by the concierge earlier.
Jamie drops his shoulder bag on the couch and stretches. His T-shirt lifts slightly, exposing his lower abdomen and that sexy V some guys have. I try not to stare. I try really hard not to stare.
“You and Charlie take the beds.” He sinks onto the couch and pats it. “I’ll take the couch.”
“What?” I ask, looking at the two big beds. “Don’t be silly. Charlie and I can share. We share the same bed at sleepovers all the time.”
He picks up the TV remote and shrugs. “Up to you. I don’t mind.”
I sit down on the bed, but my coat makes an offensive scrunching sound, and I stand back up again. “I’m going to get changed. This trench coat looks awesome, but it’s not too comfortable.”
“Cool. I’ll find something for us to watch. You want something to eat? We could order room service?”
My stomach rumbles at the mere mention of food. “Yes. Definitely.”
He reaches over to the coffee table and picks up the menu.
“I’ll have—”
“Let me guess,” he says with a crooked grin. “Vegetarian club sandwich with fries and extra ketchup.”
I cock my head at him. “Yes. And a—”
“Coke. Vanilla, if they have it.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “How the hell do you know all that?”
He laughs. “It’s what you always get when you order room service at a hotel.”
“I know that, but how do you
know that?”
“You told me. Like a year ago, after you went on that trip to Sydney with your mom and sister.”
“Oh,” I say. “I don’t know whether to be impressed or worried that you remember that.”
“Impressed,” he says. “Definitely impressed.”
I shake my head and pick up my suitcase, heading into the bathroom.
When I come out, I’m swimming in comfort, wearing loose-fitting yoga pants and an old Jurassic Park T-shirt I got for Christmas one year.
Jamie is lying on the bed, one arm behind his head and the other holding the remote.
His mouth stretches into a grin. “Look what’s on.”
I turn to the TV and see Queen Firestone’s snow-white face and gasp. “Firestone One!” I clap my hands and jump up and down. “Yes!”
“Come sit with me,” he says. “Room service is on its way.”
I climb onto the bed, stretch out next to him, and sigh. “Look at this.” I gesture to the room. “We’re in a fancy hotel room. My queen is on the TV. Club sandwich on its way. And two more days of SupaCon awesomeness ahead. It doesn’t get any better than this.”
He glances at me, his lips curving into an uneven smile. “Agreed.”
I sit up, my eyes glued to the TV. “This is my favorite part!”
Jamie and I start quoting the lines, doing our best Queen Firestone impressions.
“I am queen,” we say, our expressions smoldering and voices low. “And I will not lose twice.”
I clutch my hands to my chest and fall back onto the pillow. “I can’t believe we didn’t meet Skyler today. We were so close!”
“I know. I’m shattered.”
“Shattered doesn’t even begin to describe it. I’m pretty sure I’m scarred for life.” I say it with a smile, but I’m not joking. Missing my chance to meet Skyler is heartbreaking. I felt like my whole future was dependent on it, and now I’m lost.
Jamie frowns. “It’s okay. You’ll get another chance. Maybe she’ll come to Oz for the premiere of Firestone Five.”
My hope lifts. “You reckon?”
He nods. “It could happen. She’s due for a trip Down Under. How about this—” He turns onto his side and props himself on his elbow, looking down at me. “Next time she comes to Australia, you and me will road trip to whatever city she’s in and camp out in line to be the first to meet her. Sound good?”