The Star Kissed Collection

by Jamie Campbell

  And wrong. The courageous part of me wanted to burst out and tell them off. I could imagine standing in front of them, setting them straight. The looks on their faces would be classic.

  But I could never do that, especially when all I felt like doing was crying. I would probably open my mouth to speak and find I had no words. That would allow them the opportunity to laugh at me and further increase my humiliation.

  “Did you notice her dress?” One of the girls continued relentlessly. “I’m sure she got it from Goodwill.”

  “Yeah, but not the store, the donation bin.” They all cackled at that comment.

  “Cole will see through her eventually and send her home on a hay wagon.”

  “I don’t know, girls like that will do anything to keep their guy. She’ll probably find something to blackmail him with. Like dirty pictures or something.”

  “Ugh, so low.”

  “The lowest.”

  “I hope she gets what she deserves.”

  “Me too. I hope karma is in the form of a truck to run over her fake butt.”

  Did they really see me as a country bumpkin who would sleep with everyone just to be seen? I wasn’t playing some game with Cole, I really felt like I was falling in love with him.

  And it was none of their business, anyway. Cole had chosen me. He had invited me to spend time with him and put no pressure on me for anything more than a simple kiss. We hadn’t even discussed going any further.

  Cole didn’t have to invite me anywhere. If I was so terrible, he could have stopped calling me. He could have chosen not to give me his new cell phone number when some fans found it and he had to change it. There were several opportunities for him to forget about me but he didn’t. Cole had always been the one pursuing me.

  I wondered how long I was going to have to sit in the stall before they left. Even when their conversation drifted to some other poor girl, I couldn’t walk out. I didn’t want to see their faces and I certainly didn’t want them to see mine.

  Cole was probably wondering where I was. He would have noticed how long I was gone, he was like that. Surely he wouldn’t care about me if I was as horrible as those girls made me out to be? He would want me to stay away if they were true.

  Time dragged by. What on earth were they doing out there? They had ample time to fix their makeup and make sure their clothes were still where they should have been. They would have managed it in half the time if they weren’t complaining about everyone.

  The door finally tapped closed and all the horrible voices were silent. I left the bathroom and skulked back to the bar area, keeping my gaze to the floor.

  “Hey, there you are.” Thank God it was Cole’s voice. If it was anyone else, I may have just ducked out the closest exit. That was still a possibility, I wasn’t fooling myself by thinking otherwise.

  I plastered on a smile and hoped it was enough to hide what I was feeling inside. It was amazing what a smile could cover, especially when you said everything with an upbeat voice.

  “Sorry, the line was so long,” I replied. “I never thought I was going to get to the front.”

  Cole slid his arms around me, pulling me close enough that I could smell his cologne. “I missed you every second. You should have snuck into the men’s room, they are always nearly empty.”

  I leant my chin on his chest so I was looking up at him. “And get caught in the boys’ bathroom? Eww.”

  Cole laughed, the vibrations made his chest move under me. “It is pretty gross in there. But you’re back now, so you feel like some more dancing?”

  I couldn’t refuse those green eyes. I put all my focus on Cole and none on those around us. The moment I looked away from him, I saw the faces of those horrible girls. I could only guess what they actually looked like, which meant every girl looked like them.

  I got lost in the music, trying to let the beat drown out their conversation that was playing in a loop in my head. I had Cole, I was the winner there. I shouldn’t even be paying them any attention. All I knew was that Cole was worth their nasty remarks. He was worth the world to me.

  Chapter Three

  “Don’t get cold,” Cole said as he pulled my cardigan closed across my chest. I didn’t like to say it was him sending the shiver down my spine and not the cold morning air.

  “I’m going to miss you,” I confessed. The private jet was only a mere few feet to my right, waiting to take me far away from Cole.

  “I’ll miss you too.” He kissed my forehead before his lips found their way down to my mouth. I returned his kiss eagerly, never wanting it to end. Warmth flushed through me, I definitely didn’t need my cardigan after that.

  “You’re still coming to prom, right?”

  “I promised, didn’t I?”

  I nodded. Cole’s promises were absolute. Every time he made one, I expected him to break it. But he never did.

  “You’re going to be late for school,” he reminded me. I glanced at my watch. Damn it, I really was going to be late for school.

  “Call me later?”

  “Try to stop me,” Cole whispered dangerously before giving me one last quick kiss. I tore myself from his arms, because I could have stayed there forever and been content.

  Every step up to the plane was forced and deliberate. My heart was screaming at me to turn around and run back to Cole. My brain was telling me to get to school before I earned myself detention.

  My head won out, surprisingly. I sat in the soft leather seat and checked my seatbelt for the hundredth time. I couldn’t tell if my heart was now racing because I was terrified of flying or because I was leaving Cole. It was probably a combination of the two.

  Whatever it was, it didn’t leave me for the entire duration of the flight. It only took an hour and a half but it felt like much longer. Especially when I was gripping the seat the whole time.

  I landed on the single, lonely airstrip in Meadowbrook where a car was waiting for me. It took me straight to school. I had purposefully left my school bag and everything I needed in my locker on Friday. The sensible part of me came in handy sometimes.

  I took a seat in the back of History class and prayed Mr. Fuller wouldn’t pick on me because I was late. I didn’t need the extra attention. Ever since the incident in the cafeteria, I had received weird looks everywhere I went around town. Even my grandmother knew about it and I wasn’t the one to tell her.

  I made an extra effort to look like I was paying attention, which seemed to appease Mr. Fuller. His all-seeing eyes played over me but he remained quiet and called on someone else to ‘volunteer’ instead.

  The rest of the morning was equally as uneventful. I found my mind drifting to Cole and wondering what he was doing at that moment. He didn’t go to school, he hadn’t been since joining the band a year ago. He was sixteen then and still too young to finish his education but apparently show business waits for no-one. He certainly didn’t mind it. Going to school or being a world famous singer. Hmmm, tough decision. Not.

  At lunchtime, I tried to find Dallas but she was nowhere in sight. I had to brave the cafeteria alone as I tried to make my way through the line without another incident.

  April, the girl standing behind me, lit up like a Christmas tree when she caught my eye. We were in the same gym class and she normally ignored me. “Hey, Melrose,” she said cheerily.

  “Hey.”

  “I bet this cafeteria holds very fond memories for you now. Considering it was where you and Cole Newton, you know, kissed and all.”

  The cafeteria was still the cafeteria. It wasn’t like I put a velvet rope around our table to preserve the scene of our first kiss. I hadn’t even thought about it. Kind of.

  “I tend to think of it more as a place to come for food,” I replied.

  “Cole Newton is pretty yummy.”

  “I guess so,” I said as politely as I could. She obviously couldn’t take a hint that I wasn’t really into the conversation.

  “Do you think he’ll come back to Meadow
brook soon?” She continued. The line was moving impossibly slow.

  “Probably not, he’s pretty busy.”

  “Are you going to visit him? You know, if you need someone to come with you, I know all about Los Angeles. We could go to Disneyland, or see the Ellen Show.” April started to reel off our itinerary like it was a sure thing.

  “I saw him this weekend, actually. I don’t know when he’ll have some time off again.” I said it as nicely as I could but I was tired of having the same conversation with people these days. Girls that had never spoken to me before were suddenly pretending like they were my best friend. I already had one of those and she loved me before Cole Newton did.

  “You don’t need to be so rude about it,” she said, out of the blue. I thought I had been polite, what on earth was she hearing?

  “I wasn’t, I just-”

  “Step away, April,” Dallas interrupted, ducking under the metal bar and standing with us in the queue. “My girl said she didn’t want you to come along. Not as bluntly as I would have said it, but that’s why she’s the nice one.”

  April huffed and went to say something in retort but was shushed by Dallas. I loved her so much. April cast her attention to the food and turned her back on us. There was kind of no storming away from a lunch queue. No matter how much you wanted to.

  Dallas grabbed a tray and joined me, pushing into the line. Nobody dared to say a word about it. “So, Rosy, I don’t believe you have told me one thing about your hot weekend with Mr. Superstar. Spill.”

  I giggled. “I haven’t seen you, Dal. Where were you hiding when the bell rang?”

  I could have been mistaken, but I’m sure I saw a faint blush to her cheeks. “I may have been talking with a certain boy who had promised to take me to the prom.”

  “Dax? I thought he hadn’t asked you yet.” We seriously needed a catch up, not just a few minutes in the cafeteria line.

  Her smile spread from ear to ear. “He asked me yesterday when we went to a roller derby. That’s right, I said roller derby. Those chicks are cray-cray.”

  I couldn’t stop laughing, my sides were even starting to hurt. The thought of perfect princess Dallas at a roller derby with two teams of the toughest types of chicks? The image was priceless.

  “Why did you go there?” I asked, gasping for breath. People were starting to look at me, the crazy girl who couldn’t stop laughing.

  “Dax said it would be fun. We made a promise to do something different for each date. And that was definitely different.” Dallas started laughing too as she saw the funny side of it. “You should have seen me, I was wearing high heels. I’m surprised they didn’t sacrifice me to appease the roller derby gods or something.”

  We shuffled along the line as we caught our breath. After paying for our meals, we found a table in the back where we could laugh without fear of judgment.

  “Are you going to be here this weekend?” Dallas asked as we calmed down.

  “Probably. Although, I might have a shift or two at work.”

  “How about Saturday morning?”

  “I think Creepy Pete has me working nights.” I tried to recall my roster but all I could remember was the feeling of dread I had received when I saw my shifts. The details were a little fuzzier.

  “Great! We can go prom dress shopping,” Dallas said happily, like it was already a done deal. “I think I might wear a tiara, my head is totally the right shape for a tiara. What do you think?”

  I wasn’t aware there was a certain shaped head. “I think if you want to wear a tiara, then you should wear one.”

  Her face lit up as she clapped her hands together excitedly. “You could wear one too! We could be tiara twins.”

  That was never going to happen. “Maybe. Although, I’m not sure I have the right shaped head.”

  Dallas studied my head, sizing me up for a sparkly gold crown. She eventually shrugged. “We’ll have to try them on. I’m sure there’s a tiara for everyone.”

  She launched into a long discussion about dress colors and the advantages of wearing winter shades over spring shades. I spent the conversation trying to work out what that meant. Apparently blue was better than pink or something.

  I wouldn’t normally be excited about the upcoming prom, but Cole said he would attend with me. The fact that he would be there to accompany me made all the difference. It wasn’t so much that it would make all the other girls unbearably jealous – because it would – it was the fact I would get to share the night with him. We could be an ordinary couple for one night with no paparazzi and no crazy fans.

  The rest of the day passed by painfully slow. My big weekend and early morning start was wearing on me, I could barely keep my eyes open and brain focused on the task at hand.

  It wasn’t any better when I started my shift at Burger Nation. I had asked Creepy Pete if I could have a different shift but he seemed to delight in punishing me so he wouldn’t make the change. I should have called in sick. I would have done if my guilt wouldn’t have killed me.

  “I saw you on TV,” Andy, the best burger-flipper in town, said as I cleaned the stainless steel benches. “So you’re really dating that Third Degree guy?”

  “Two Dimension,” I corrected, although I’m pretty sure he mispronounced on purpose. “And yes, we’re together. Cole is just a regular guy at heart, don’t ever believe what they say about him in the media.”

  “You mean he’s not a mega-wealthy Grammy winning singer?” Andy’s hand shot up to cover his mouth as if scandalized by the fact. I couldn’t help but laugh and swat at his arm. Andy always brightened up any shift at Burger Nation.

  “Okay, some things are true.”

  “I hope he treats you well or I’m going to have to teach him a lesson. Tell him that from me, will you?”

  “Melrose!” Pete bellowed from the front counter. “The soda machine needs refilling.”

  Andy gave me an apologetic look before I threw the cloth into the sink and headed to the serving area. Pete was standing in front of the soda machine, his sizable belly pressed against the counter. His chubby finger was pressing the on switch over and over again.

  “It needs a refill,” he said again, at least two octaves lower this time.

  I checked the machine, it was full of everything it needed – just like I expected it to be. “It doesn’t need refilling, it needs to be fixed.”

  “It’s not going, it has to be empty.”

  I opened the compartments in turn and showed him so he could see with his own eyes. The soda machine had been playing up forever, he was just too cheap to spring for a repairman to look at it.

  I bit my tongue so I didn’t say something that would only get me into trouble. I counted to twenty-three before Pete closed the lid and stared at me. “There is still some room left, fill it up.”

  He left me standing there as he found something else to do away from any hard work. I did as I was told, too tired to even argue.

  The machine still didn’t work with the additional items. Gee, who could have predicted that? I turned the thing off and counted to ten before turning it back on again. All the lights blinked a few times as it whirred to life. I grabbed an empty cup and tried it. I got a full soda. And the machine lived to fight another day.

  Andy winked at me through the serving hole in the wall as I rolled my eyes at Pete’s cheapness. One day he was seriously going to have to spring for a repairman. Or, heaven forbid, a new machine entirely. I’m sure the current one came over on the Mayflower.

  The counter was starting to get crowded so I jumped on a register to help out with the serving. I didn’t want Pete coming back and telling me to do some other horrible task. I had already put all the trash out, mopped twice, and scraped grease off the grill.

  Through the crowded restaurant, the sounds of a commotion filtered louder than the usual voices. I stood on tiptoes trying to see through the wall of heads. I couldn’t see a thing.

  People started moving as the commotion made its way th
rough to the counter. It wasn’t the few bawdy teenagers I was expecting to see. Instead, it was a reporter with a big television camera pointed directly at me.

  Chapter Four

  I felt like a deer caught in headlights. My brain said to get out of there, my feet said they were staying where they were, and my sensible said to get back to work because I had a job to do.

  “Miss Morgan,” the female reporter started as she jostled for space in front of me. “Tell me what it’s like dating the world’s most eligible bachelor. It must be quite thrilling.” She shoved the microphone in my face.

  “I, uh-”

  “How did it feel being chosen to get up on stage during their concert? Did you dream that it would lead to dating Cole Newton?” That damn microphone was back. “Come on, honey, give me something. Don’t you want to enjoy your fifteen minutes of fame?”

  My mouth had completely gone dry as I stood there like an idiot. Pretending there was a staircase under the counter and doing a fake walk down to hide underneath the registers was looking like a pretty good option. A dorky option, but one nonetheless.

  “What do you say to the rumors you are only dating Cole Newton for the money? Do you see him as a way of leaving this… place?” She scrunched up her face at the last word, like it tasted horrible on her tongue. I bristled at the question but I still couldn’t speak. All I could think of was that the camera was right in my face and it was recording every single one of my awkward moments.

  Suddenly, two hands landed on my shoulders from behind. I jumped, craning my neck to see Andy standing tall right behind me.

  “She has no comment to make. Now, get out of here,” he said with authority. I didn’t know Andy could be so serious, I’d only ever heard him joke around before. “Now! I said go, this is private property and you’re not here for a burger.”

  “Just one comment,” the reporter insisted. “Come on, give me something I can use. I didn’t come all this way to Hicksville for nothing.”

  Andy’s hands on my shoulders pulled me backwards and pushed me toward the kitchen. I went like a zombie, happy I didn’t have to order my feet to move.