“I’m okay,” I said.
She studied me, tapping a pencil against her lips with narrowed eyes. “How did your audition go? That was today, right?”
I blew out a puff of air. I might as well tell her. My entire family already knew anyway. “I got the part.”
She dropped the pencil. “I think I’m in shock right now. Are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
She bent down and picked up her dropped pencil. “Why do you look so upset about it?”
“Because it doesn’t feel right,” I admitted.
“Excuse me? How could something like that not feel right? You just had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity open up for you. They’re serving it to you on a gold platter, and it doesn’t feel right?”
I shrugged. I didn’t know how to explain it. “I’m really just worried about leaving Shannon behind. I promised her that we’d go to UNC together. I don’t want to miss out on that.”
“Have you told Shannon that you got the part yet?”
“Not yet. I know she’d put on a brave face for me and encourage me to go for it. She always puts her own feelings aside for others. But this time, I want to put Shannon first.”
“I don’t think this is about putting on a brave face. If you don’t accept this role, you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life. Being noble doesn’t help you or anyone else in this situation. Do you know how mad Shannon would be at you if she ever found out that you got the role and didn’t accept it?”
“It would be a complete uprooting of my life.” Meaning, it would uproot my life with Shannon.
“Ryker, you’re eighteen. You’re supposed to uproot your life right now. Either way, you’re uprooting your life, whether you choose UNC or the film role.”
“I guess that’s true.”
For the first time, I allowed myself to envision what it would be like to accept the role. It would change more for me than just moving out of the state and uprooting my life temporarily. It would mean that I wouldn’t be able to go anywhere without being recognized. Paparazzi might even begin to follow me around. My mind began swirling, and I couldn’t let myself think beyond that.
“Think about how much this could help your family financially. Your dad isn’t exactly rolling in the cash.”
Annie, one of the other servers, came around the corner. “Ryker, you just got a table with four people.”
I shoved my folder back into the pocket of my apron and followed Annie back out to the front of the restaurant. I hadn’t thought about how much I could help my family with the money I could earn from this movie, not to mention the subsequent movies I’d be more likely to be cast in after finishing the film. I basically had an entire film career now because of this one opportunity. Even if I sucked. I knew plenty of actors who were terrible and still got cast in lots of movies.
All of that meant I’d be able to buy my family a bigger house, and Ava and Parker could go to whatever college they wanted. I was lucky enough to have made good enough grades for a scholarship. Parker and Ava weren't so blessed. They both struggled with learning disabilities and needed constant help with their homework. If I had an endless supply of money, I could afford to hire tutors for them to help with schoolwork and therapists to help them deal with the trauma we all had from Mom leaving.
This was bigger than just me and Shannon. It was an opportunity for my entire family to thrive.
I went out to my section and greeted the family sitting at one of my tables. I took their drink order and went to the back and filled four glasses with ice and the various beverages they’d requested.
Aunt Kristen barked some orders to Stan, the guy flipping burgers. She saw me staring at her as she passed me with an armload of dirty dishes, and she pressed her lips together thoughtfully as she dumped the dishes next to the dishwasher.
“I’m going to do it,” I said.
A smile slowly stretched across her face. “That’s my boy.” She threw her arms around me, and I almost spilled the glass of Diet Coke I was setting on a tray.
Now I had to figure out how to break the news to Shannon. I’d be leaving after graduation, and that could mean I would never see her again.
4
Shannon
The bell rang as I slid into my seat in AP Calculus. Mr. Klaton finished writing some equations on the board and turned around to greet the class. I flipped open my notebook to a fresh page and clicked out a tiny length of lead on my mechanical pencil. The sound of the pencil scraping across the page relaxed me as I soaked up the new information. Frantic whispers distracted me from my train of thought, and I glanced over to my right to see the school newspaper editor, Lindsey Beck, talking to the girl in front of her. I caught the tail end of her conversation, and my pencil stilled on my paper.
“No, it’s true. I heard from Camille this morning that Ryker got cast in the Cinderella movie.”
“What, like as an extra?”
“No.” Lindsey leaned toward the other girl, and her platinum blonde hair fell forward, covering her face. Even though I couldn’t see her face, I still heard her words, loud and clear. “Get this. He’s the prince.”
“No way.”
“Camille’s uncle is the movie director. Look up Stephen Christopher online if you don’t believe me. Facts are facts,” Lindsey said, sitting back, crossing her arms. “Not that you need to take my word for it. It’ll be all over the internet any day now. Camille said he accepted the role yesterday.”
Mr. Klaton stopped talking, and I realized he was staring at the whispering girls. “Is there something you’d like to share with the rest of the class, ladies?”
“No, sir,” Lindsey said.
I felt tears welling up in the corners of my eyes, and I shot up from my desk before they spilled down my cheeks. I left my books and my bag where they sat. “Can I go to the bathroom?”
Mr. Klaton handed me a hall pass and jumped back into the lesson.
I felt like I was drowning, and I couldn’t explain why. Shouldn’t I be happy for Ryker? His news was overwhelming and incredible. I frowned as I walked down the empty hall past rows of lockers and posters announcing prom. I pushed open the door to the girls’ bathroom and slipped inside. I locked myself in a stall and took a few deep breaths.
When had Ryker found out? And why hadn’t he told me? I’d had to find out from idle gossip in math class. That meant Ryker had been keeping it from me. I’d texted him Saturday night, asking him how his audition had gone, and he’d been pretty vague in his response. Did he already know then and had consciously decided to keep it from me? Why would he do that? Lindsey had said that he’d accepted the role on Sunday. A day after his audition. Did he accept as soon as they offered the role to him, or had it taken him a while to decide? It hurt my heart that he hadn’t reached out for me to help him decide.
Ryker would be flying out to California. Probably as soon as we graduated. He had such a bright future.
The bathroom door opened, and I heard hushed voices.
“Shhh. Come on. Follow me.” A soft moan was emitted from the girl who was talking, and I covered a gasp when a male voice responded.
“I can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to kiss you, Tabby.”
I'd recognize that voice anywhere. I stayed inside my stall, frozen in shock at what I was witnessing. The sounds of lips connecting sounded from the back corner of the bathroom, and I could tell the couple was moving into the handicapped stall. Tabby giggled, and the stall door bounced on its hinge.
Rage fumed inside me. I’d had a bad enough morning as it was, and my patience had completely run dry. Tabby Lewis was a member of the group called the MGs, short for Mean Girls, at Sweet Mountain High. She’d rightfully earned her placement in the group. And I had been the recipient of her pointless wrath more than once. Tabby wasn’t fond of my nerdy tastes and had been extremely vocal about it over the years.
I opened the door to my stall and then swung open the unlocked door of the handicapped s
tall.
“Austin!” I had to fight to keep from letting my voice get too shrill. He stood with his hand buried in Tabby’s jet-black hair, and complete shock registered on his face at being caught. “What are you doing?”
His jaw went slack as he realized there was no way he could talk himself out of this situation.
I was such an idiot. I’d ignored all the red flags with Austin. I should have known better than to trust him long ago. “You couldn’t get what you wanted from me, so you go behind my back with someone else? Well, excuse me for standing up for my boundaries. If you’d been worth keeping around, you would have respected that.”
“Oh, no. A lovers’ quarrel.” Tabby smirked. “Don’t let me come between you.” She slipped out of Austin’s embrace.
I glared at her as she left the bathroom and then turned my attention back to Austin. “I should have seen it coming because I knew you were a lying jerk. But Tabby? Really? She’s horrible, Austin.”
Austin shrugged. He didn’t have a shred of remorse on his face. He only looked a little uncomfortable at getting caught.
“You don’t care, do you? I’m such an idiot.” I groaned at my own stupidity. I should never have trusted Austin. But I’d wanted to prove to myself that I could stay in a relationship—that I was better than my dad, who gave up when it got tough. But this was too much. “We’re through, Austin.”
Before he could respond, I turned on my heel and left the bathroom. As I walked the hall back to math class, I breathed out the rest of my emotions and put on a mask of control. I needed to get back to learning if I wanted to keep my scholarship to UNC. I didn’t have the luxury of being sad when my grades were on the line. I slipped back into my seat and fought to keep my focus on the lesson for the rest of the class period.
When lunch rolled around, I met up with Ryker at our usual table.
“Hey, Ryker.”
“What’s up, Shannon?”
“I heard Lindsey Beck saying you got cast in the Cinderella movie.”
He looked at me with shame written heavily on his features. “Shannon, I—”
“It’s okay,” I insisted.
“Shannon, I’m so sorry.” He reached out and touched my arm.
“You have nothing to apologize for. You were following your dream. I think it’s incredible, and I want all the good things for you. I just wish you’d told me.”
“I didn’t know how to tell you,” he said quietly. “I’m sorry that I waited. I thought I had more time before word started spreading. How did Lindsey find out anyway?”
“Camille told her. I’m guessing you talked about it with her?”
“No. I’ve only told family members. But her uncle must have told her.”
My shoulders relaxed. I hadn’t thought of that. Of course, her uncle would have told her that her schoolmate was cast. Knowing that Ryker hadn’t been going around school, sharing his good news with random people before telling me made me feel better.
I stabbed a fork into my chicken parmesan and twisted some pasta around before shoving it into my mouth.
“Why is Austin sitting with the MGs today?” Ryker asked, his eyes across the lunchroom. Austin usually sat with us.
I chewed and swallowed my food before answering. “We broke up after I caught him making out with Tabby Lewis in the girls’ bathroom this morning.”
Ryker’s eyebrows shot up. “Are you okay?” he asked gently.
I shook my head.
Ryker got up and circled around the table to the side where I sat. He slid an arm around my shoulders. “I’m sorry, Shannon. I know you really wanted it to work out with Austin.”
I nuzzled into Ryker’s warm embrace. He smelled incredibly good, and I felt safe next to him. It had been a long time since Ryker had hugged me. He’d gotten pretty buff since the last time we’d hugged—his weight training class had certainly paid off. I had to admit, it was a nice surprise. When was the last time I’d seen Ryker with his shirt off? I couldn't remember.
I had a sudden urge to invite him to go swimming. I stifled a giggle.
Where had that thought come from? I was officially losing my mind.
5
Ryker
Shannon snuggled into me as I held her. I sat in shock. I hadn’t expected her to respond this way. I told myself that she was just having a rough day and needed some comfort, but I couldn’t help but hope that it meant she was interested in me as more than just a friend.
As sad as she was that Austin had betrayed her trust, I couldn’t help but feel triumphant. I’d been waiting a very long time for Shannon to see Austin for who he really was, finally. I’d overheard him bragging about his newest conquest more than once in the locker room. Tabby was far from being the first girl he’d pursued while he’d been dating Shannon.
It took all I had to keep from beating in his face most days. And I wasn’t sure Shannon would even have believed me if I’d told her the truth. Austin was an expert at putting on the nice-guy face. He was always high-fiving guys in the hall, taking time to talk to the shy kids.
From the edge of my vision, I felt eyes on me. I turned to see a couple of freshman girls staring in my direction, whispering to each other. One of them nudged the other, and they giggled. They came up to our table and put a piece of paper and a pen in front of me.
“Hey, Prince Charming,” one of the girls said. “Can I get your autograph?”
“Um, sure.” I unwound my arm from around Shannon and picked up the pen and signed my name. This was so weird. It felt like I’d just stepped into the Twilight Zone.
“Me, too,” the second girl said, producing her own paper and pen. I signed her paper and handed it back to her. They left, giggling and waving their newly autographed papers to a table packed with freshman girls.
“Well, that was interesting,” Shannon said, grinning at me. “And so it begins.”
“I’m not sure how I feel about it, honestly,” I admitted. “I mean, what if I’m really bad at this?”
“You’re going to do great. You’re a natural on stage, obviously, or Mr. Christopher wouldn’t have asked you to audition. Do you think he doesn’t know what he’s doing? He’s been making movies for a long time.”
“I guess that’s a good way to look at it.”
For the rest of the lunch period, a steady stream of freshman girls appeared at our table.
After getting my autograph, a bubbly girl with bright red hair pulled back in a ponytail said, “We just want to make sure we get your autograph before you leave for Hollywood and become uber-famous. We may never get another opportunity to see you without bodyguards surrounding you.”
I laughed. Bodyguards? I couldn’t imagine that this Cinderella movie would go so well that I’d end up needing bodyguards.
“You just have to make sure you don’t forget us.”
“Of course. I’m sorry . . .” I paused, my cheeks burning. “This is really embarrassing,” I said, “what was your name again?”
“Oh, it’s okay. You don’t have to feel embarrassed,” she gushed, laying her hand on my arm. “I’m Kenzie.” She pointed to the shy-looking girl next to her. “This is Sara.”
“Well, I promise I won’t forget you,” I said. “And I’m not sure how famous I’ll be. They may kick me out after the first week on set.”
“Aw, I’m sure they won’t do that! I saw you in our Cinderella musical here at the school,” Kenzie said. “You were incredible.”
“Well, I appreciate that. Maybe there’s actually hope for me after all.”
Kenzie and Sara burst out into infectious giggles like I was the most hilarious person they’d ever met.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Shannon’s face. I wasn’t sure how she was going to handle all this attention the girls were giving me. But she was smiling without a trace of jealousy. Was it so bad that I wished she’d at least look a little jealous? Because that would have meant that she was attracted to me and wanted me to focus my attentio
n on her. Or that she would have felt threatened by these girls. I thought that maybe she’d felt something when she snuggled into me just now, but maybe I’d imagined things. I’d sure enjoyed having her that close to me. She smelled like vanilla and heaven.
“This may be a dumb question since you probably already have this all figured out, but do you have a talent agent yet?” Kenzie asked.
“Not a dumb question at all,” I said. “I do not have a talent agent, actually. I’m looking for one, but I don’t really know where to start. I figured I was just going to email Mr. Christopher and ask him if he could recommend one.”
“My uncle George is a really good talent agent. He lives in Hollywood, right in the middle of everything. If you want, I can give you his information.”
“Totally,” I said. “Let me see your paper.” I scribbled my email address on the bottom of the paper I had autographed. “Shoot me an email with his info, and I’ll look him up online to see if he’ll be a good fit for me.”
Kenzie’s face brightened like I’d just handed her a trophy. “Sure, I can do that!” She took the paper back from me. A group of four girls crowded in behind her, and she backed away to let them step forward.
For the next couple of hours, girls—and even some guys—swarmed me, asking for autographs. It was like some of the people had seen their friends getting autographs, and they wanted to join in on the fun or make sure they weren’t missing out.
When I got to study hall in the library, I sat at the table where Shannon was already sitting with her books spread out in front of her.
“Hey,” I said, scooting my chair up closer to the table. “It was really fun at first to have so many people asking for my autograph, but I’m starting to get overwhelmed by it.”
“I know I wouldn’t like it,” Shannon said. “There’s a reason I’m always hiding behind my books.”
“Hey, that’s not a bad thing. I really like that about you.”
My Best Friend Prince Charming: A Sweet YA Romance (Sweet Mountain High Book 6) Page 3
