Don't Trash the Heartthrob (Rockford High Book 5)

by Victorine E. Lieske

  The thought of Brandon spending the night with someone he hated made her sick to her stomach. Why would he do that? She could only think of one reason, and that meant he was a selfish pig. Her first instinct was right. She should have stayed away from him.

  She texted Jade back.

  Ugh. That was horrible.

  I know, right? I’m so sorry. I kind of liked him, but now… She sent a throwing up emoji.

  That was exactly how Stephanie felt. She suddenly couldn’t stand the smells of food that were coming at her. She glanced once more at the door, but Brandon wasn’t returning.

  What was she doing? Waiting for him to come back? Why would she do that? Brandon was just like Kyle. Willing to do anything for his own selfish pleasure. He told her what Alisha said was all lies, but how could she lie about a video? It was obviously Brandon. And he was after the same thing Kyle was. It made her sick to think about it.

  Was that what she was to him? A challenge? Some sick game to see if he could turn his harshest critic into a fangirl by sleeping with him? She wondered if he even really liked her at all.

  She stood and headed in the opposite direction. She wasn’t going to sit there and wait for him anymore. He could call his aunt for a ride home. She was done being his next target.

  Tears stung her eyes as she walked outside, the cold air blasting her in the face. The sun had already gone down and the temperature had dropped with it. She headed toward her car. When she sat down in the driver’s seat, she texted Jade back.

  I’m leaving the festival. Brandon can find his own way home. I’m done with him.

  Are you okay?

  The words blurred as she tried to respond, her tears filling her eyes and then spilling over down her cheeks.

  I’ll be fine.

  Girl, I know you. You really liked him. You’ve got to be really upset.

  Stephanie took in a shaky breath and let it out slowly.

  Yeah, I am, but I will get through it.

  Call me later, okay?

  K.

  Stephanie tossed her phone into her cupholder and pulled out of the gravel parking lot. On her way home, her phone chimed. She glanced at it and saw it was a text from Brandon. She huffed and ignored it. By the time she got home, he’d texted three more times.

  Hey, just got done. I can’t find you. Where are you?

  Did you leave the 4H building?

  Are you upset? I’m sorry it took so long.

  Did you leave??? I can’t find your car.

  She scowled and stuffed her phone in her pocket. As she walked into the house, her phone rang. It was Brandon. She declined the call and went into her room, slamming the door. No one else was home to hear it, but it felt satisfying, anyway, to make the room shake.

  Another text came.

  You looked up Alisha’s post, didn’t you? I can explain. Please call me.

  Anger swept through her and she pounded out a text back to him as she sat on her bed.

  Jade sent me a link. Said it was important for me to see it. How could you? I can’t even right now.

  I told you, she lied. I didn’t sleep with her.

  Sure looked like you did.

  Can we talk? Please?

  She didn’t want to talk to him right now. She didn’t know what to believe, and talking to him would only confuse her more. She fired back a text.

  Not right now. I need some space. Leave me alone. Don’t call or text me.

  She hit send, and then turned off her phone. Tears filled her eyes again, and she laid down, pressing her face into her pillow. She couldn’t believe how quickly he convinced her that he was a good guy. It was Kyle, all over again.

  Did he make a bet with his superstar friends? Had he been laughing behind her back this whole time?

  She should have known it was going to be like this the second he said he was coming to Rockford. He was a flirt. She knew that even from talking online to him. In person, he was impossible to resist.

  How stupid she’d been.

  She cried for another hour before she fell asleep, not even taking off her shoes.

  Brandon called Stephanie again, only to get the same recorded message that her phone was off. He let out a frustrated grunt and shoved his phone into the pocket of his leather jacket. Why had Alisha posted that stupid video? He was going to kill her the next time he saw her. He no longer cared who her father was. She was dead meat.

  He walked past a food cart selling fried Twinkies. He did a double-take. Was that a thing? He shook his head and kept walking. He didn’t want to call his aunt and let her know what happened. He’d rather walk home than admit Stephanie left him there.

  He exited the fairgrounds and crossed the street. After checking his phone for directions, he headed south. It was dark, but the street was well lit with streetlamps. Hopefully it wouldn’t take him too long to walk home. It was cold out.

  Why hadn’t Stephanie let him talk to her? He would have explained. That video was just a stupid prank. Yes, he’d been drunk, but he hadn’t slept with her. And he probably never should have left that video on her phone, but Alisha deserved it. She was being such a snob that night. He was just trying to mess with her.

  He rubbed his forehead as he jaunted across the street. How was he going to get Stephanie to listen to him? He wasn’t that kind of guy. Sure, he’d made mistakes in the past, but he wasn’t a heartless jerk. He wasn’t about to hurt Stephanie. He’d do anything to protect her.

  His phone rang and he jumped, startled at the sound. Was she ready to talk? He pulled his phone out, only to see it wasn’t Stephanie, but his manager. “Talk to me,” he said.

  “Alisha took the post down, but I can’t guarantee you won’t find copies of it floating around. We’re working on finding them and getting them down, but you know how things spread on the internet. It’s a mess.”

  Brandon exhaled. “Thanks for working on this for me.”

  “Sure. But you know, if you hadn’t made that video in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened.”

  “I know.” He had no energy left to be mad at Rex. The man was right, anyway. Brandon knew he’d messed up big time. He was done with the party scene. For good. It only screwed up his life.

  “I’ll call you later.”

  “Okay.” He hung up with Rex, then checked his location on his phone. Only two miles left to walk. He sighed and pocketed his phone. This had turned out to be one really crappy day.

  Chapter 27

  Stephanie opened her locker door and a note fluttered to the floor. Another one. She sighed and picked it up. She knew who it was from. She’d gotten one a day for the past three weeks. Her fingers shook as she unfolded it.

  Hey, Vlogger Girl,

  I hope you had a nice Thursday. Mine kind of sucked, but that’s okay. I found out that I totally bombed my chemistry test and have to retake it. This public school thing is harder than I thought it would be. But I am getting an A in my speech class, so that’s good, right? I think my teacher has a crush on me. Don’t tell anyone. She’s ancient, like in her thirties, but she laughs at all my jokes, and blushes when I wink at her. Maybe that’s why I’m getting an A???

  My dad and mom are officially back together. I honestly don’t know what to think about it, but it is what it is. I think my mom is happier, so that’s good. And my dad is flying here to take me to a Packers game this weekend. At least he’s making an effort. I can tell he’s really trying. We even talked on the phone for two hours last night. Color me shocked.

  My arm is getting better. I start physical therapy next week. I’m a bit scared because I know it’s going to hurt, but it’s necessary. I’ll grit my way through it. You’ll be my inspiration, Vlogger girl. I know how much you want me to wrap my arms around you. Wait—did I really just write that? Oh, man, that was sappy and stupid. Just ignore that. I know you hate me right now.

  Speaking of you hating me…are you ever going to forgive me for being dumb and drunk and making a stupid video on Alisha’
s phone? You know the truth now about that whole thing, so I’m not going to say it again. I just want you to know I am sorry I made that video in the first place. I was dumb. But it’s never going to happen again. I totally gave up drinking. You know that, right?

  Anyway, I think my speech teacher is watching me write this. She keeps giving me sideways glances. Or maybe she’s flirting with me???? I’d better stop. She no longer looks flirty. She looks mad.

  Have a good Thursday evening. I know you have your play practice after school. You don’t know this, but I sneaked into the theater yesterday to watch rehearsals. You are as amazing onstage as you are on your Vlog. Keep going like this and you’ll find yourself on Broadway soon. You have an amazing singing voice. How come you never told me that?

  Okay, I really have to put this away now. The teacher is giving me the stink eye.

  Love,

  Brandon

  She stared at the last two words on the page. He always signed his notes Love, Brandon. At first, it made her mad. Who was he to say he loved her? But over the last three weeks, she’d softened. She touched the words, the imprint of his pen causing an indent in the paper.

  Three weeks ago, she would have said it was impossible for him to love her. But the notes kept coming, every day, even when she ignored him in the hallways, wouldn’t answer his texts or calls, and had basically shut him out of her life. Anyone else would have taken the hint and given up. But he didn’t. He was waiting for her to forgive him.

  She drew in a breath as she realized this. Why was she being so stubborn? She believed him about Alisha. At least, she wanted to. And these notes he’d been leaving for her…they were somehow intimate. He was sharing private information with her. Things that she could really hurt him with if she made them public. But his notes just proved that he trusted her.

  She wiped a tear off her cheek. Was she crying? That was stupid. She folded up the note and was about to stuff it in her backpack when she smelled Brandon’s cologne. Did the note smell like him? She sniffed it, but it just smelled like paper.

  “Hey.”

  She whirled around to find Brandon standing behind her. Gah, he must think she’s an idiot, smelling his note. Heat tinged her cheeks as she tried to ignore the fact that she just made a fool of herself. She swallowed. “Hey.”

  “I see you got my note.”

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  Brandon hooked his thumb in his jeans’ pocket. The one that wasn’t in a sling. He looked like he was studying her. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” She was completely fine. It wasn’t like a movie star that she’d been shunning the past three weeks was standing right before her, looking like a gorgeous Greek god or anything. Not at all intimidating. She was fine.

  “So…do you mind if I walk with you to the auditorium?”

  Rehearsals. Right. That’s what she was doing right now. Going to the auditorium. “Okay,” she managed to say between gulps of air.

  He fell into step beside her. As they walked, several students yelled at Brandon, high-fived him, or just stared at him. His first day of school, the news finally broke that he was indeed the actual Brandon Travers, and he was going to be finishing his senior year at their high school. Brandon had stopped wearing his hat, and the kids at school were starting to calm down about it.

  He leaned closer to her. “You’ve been reading my notes?”

  She nodded, feeling a bit stupid.

  “Are you ready to talk to me?”

  She glanced at him and his blue eyes took her breath away. Yes, she was ready to talk to him. To forgive him. To marry him and have little baby Brandons running around. She wiped her hands on her jeans and nodded again. “Can we talk after rehearsals?”

  He smiled at her, and her world shifted. “Yes. I’ll wait for you.”

  Those words shouldn’t have caused an avalanche of feelings to pile up inside her stomach, but they did. She smiled back at him. “Thanks.”

  She had a hard time concentrating during the rehearsals. Luckily, they were working on a few scenes where she wasn’t onstage, so she was able to catch a bit of a break. When six o’clock rolled around, she was ready to talk to Brandon.

  She exited the auditorium with Jade. She didn’t have a part, but she was helping with the lights and backstage stuff. When Jade saw Brandon in the hallway leaning against the lockers, she elbowed Stephanie. “I guess I’ll see you later.” She mouthed “Call me” as she walked backwards down the hallway. Stephanie had told her what happened, and Jade was all for a makeup session.

  Brandon came up to her. “Want to go eat?”

  “Yes. I’m starved.”

  He smiled and shifted his weight. “Okay, good. Because the whole time I was watching you guys rehearse, my stomach was making terrible noises.”

  They started down the hallway. “I just have to get some things out of my locker.”

  “Okay. But I’m driving because my mom finally shipped my car here and it’s sweet.” He wiggled his eyebrows.

  “What is it with guys and their cars? I don’t get it. It’s just a car.”

  Brandon staggered backwards like she’d just punched him in the gut. “Don’t say things like that. You could kill me with that kind of talk.”

  Stephanie laughed. “You’re such a dork.”

  His grin widened. “And you always know how to wound me.”

  She stopped at her locker but didn’t open it. Instead, she faced Brandon. It felt good to be joking with him again. Talking, like nothing had happened. But something had happened. She couldn’t pretend it hadn’t. She twisted her fingers together. She had to get this out before she backed out of it. “I’m sorry I didn’t let you talk to me that day. I probably should have. I was just upset and thinking you were exactly like the kind of guy I wanted to stay far away from.”

  He opened his mouth to say something, but she put one finger over his lips. “Wait. I have to say all of this before I lose my nerve.”

  They were alone in the hallway now. Brandon gave her a slight nod. Her finger still rested on his lips. They were softer than she’d expected, and it was sending crazy electric pulses through her. She slowly removed her hand.

  “I was upset with myself for falling for another guy who used women.” She rushed ahead when she saw his lips part again. “I assumed you were like that because of that video, and because of your reputation online. But I’ve gotten to know you better these last few weeks. The letters you’ve written me…” She paused, emotion swelling in her throat. She couldn’t cry. Not right now.

  When she got a hold of herself, she continued. “You’ve opened up to me. You’ve been raw with me. Allowed me to see the person inside of you.” She looked down at the floor. “The real Brandon Travers who isn’t a movie star. He’s just a regular guy who has problems and feelings, like everyone else.”

  Brandon hooked a finger under her chin and tilted her head up so she would look at him. His gaze was so intense, a shudder ran through her. “Can I speak now?”

  She had lost the ability to say anything else with his stunning blue eyes gazing into her own. She nodded.

  “I don’t blame you for getting upset. You were hurt in a way I can’t even imagine. It makes me crazy to think about, actually. You don’t know how hard it is for me not to go make a fool of myself by beating up this Kyle jerk.” He paused and clenched his jaw. “But I’m restraining myself because I’m injured, for one, and because I know that’s not what you want.”

  His fingers grazed over her cheek, catching a tear she’d let fall. Why was she crying? It was so stupid that she was crying, but she couldn’t stop.

  He caressed her cheek. “I’m not the same guy you saw in that video. I’ve changed. I’m not going back to that life.”

  Her heart jumped and she stared at him. “You’re not going back to Hollywood?”

  His lips pulled down into a frown. “I have to go back there. That’s my job. But I’m not going to be that person again. That life is over.” His gaz
e softened and he inched closer. “I hope you can believe me.”

  She nodded, her throat dry. “I do.” He had told her so much through his letters. He’d opened up to her. She knew he was telling the truth.

  “And I hope you know I would never, ever hurt you.”

  “I believe you.”

  He swallowed, and his fingers gently touched her lips. “I have something to ask you.”

  “Yes.” The word was out before she even thought about it, but she knew she meant it. She could see he wanted to kiss her. And she wanted it, too.

  He cocked his head to the side. “Yes, I can ask?”

  “No. Yes, you can kiss me.”

  “No, yes? You’re confusing me, Vlogger girl.”

  She wrapped her arms around his neck, bringing his lips to hers, almost touching but not quite. “In case this isn’t clear enough, I’ll spell it out for you. I want you to kiss me, Brandon Travers.”

  He chuckled, his minty breath brushing against her lips. “You don’t have to tell me twice.” He pulled her to him with his good arm and kissed her.

  She closed her eyes as the sensation of his lips on hers washed over her, sending electric currents through her. She’d thought about kissing Brandon ever since he arrived in Rockford, but she never could have imagined how it would feel to actually kiss him. If they gave out awards for it, he’d get the highest one. She felt like she was falling down a long tube, with no bottom in sight. But it was a pleasant feeling. Like floating. Or falling in love.

  He teased her lips with his, then pulled back and smiled. “This is nice, but it’s not what I was going to ask you.”

  She let out a gasp. “What?”

  His smile widened. “I just wanted to know if you would be my girlfriend. But I kind of liked your assumption better.” He leaned in again, his lips brushing against her own.

  She got lost in his kiss. Lost in the way it felt to be so close to him. She didn’t want to let go. When she finally pulled back, she rested her cheek on his shoulder. “Yes.”

  “Yes, what?”

  “Yes, I’ll be your girlfriend, Brandon Travers.”