I watched from the safety of the grills as Andy and the reporter had a stare down. It didn’t surprise me when Andy won. With the cameraman in tow, they left. I hoped the door hit them on the way out. If that footage made its way online or onto the TV, I was going to die of embarrassment. Again.
Andy joined me, still fuming. “I can’t believe the nerve of that woman. Talk about a cow.”
“Thanks for doing that, you didn’t have to. I was handling it,” I lied. “Sort of.”
“I know, you were about two seconds away from kicking that woman’s butt all the way home. But I thought I might be a gentleman and do it for you. It makes me feel all manly and stuff.” He grinned and picked up his spatula, returning to flipping his burgers.
That’s what I absolutely loved about Andy, he always went out of his way to make you feel good, even if you had been acting like a mute scarecrow. “Well, thanks,” I said, even though it was inadequate.
I hid behind the front area for the rest of my shift. If Pete noticed, he didn’t say anything. I kept busy by doing inventory and cleaning the kitchen until it sparkled with cleanliness. It the health inspector was going to visit, tomorrow would be the perfect time for it.
By ten o’clock, I was completely and utterly exhausted. I went home and could barely find the energy to get out of my car. However, unless I wanted to sleep outside, I was going to have to. I opened the door and hauled my fatigued body inside.
Dad and Jemma were still up, watching television in the living room. It was way after my little sister’s bedtime. “What are you still doing up?” I demanded.
The nine year old looked up at me with sleepy eyes. “I was waiting for you to read me a story.”
I instantly softened. Despite how tired I was, there was no way I could say no to Jemma. I hadn’t spent any time with her lately, I hadn’t even seen her since last Friday.
“Okay, come on. Run to bed and pick a short story. A very short story.” I cast my dad a scathing look for letting her stay up. “She won’t get up tomorrow if she goes to bed this late.”
“I know, I know,” he started. He had the decency to look guilty. “But she really wanted to see you and so did I. So we agreed to wait up for you. I’m glad you’re home.”
Damn it, I never could stay angry for long. Especially when it took so much energy. “I’m glad to be home too. I’ll tell you all about my weekend tomorrow.” I gave him a quick hug before shuffling down the hall. I was half-hoping Jemma had fallen asleep in the time it took me to get there.
But she wasn’t. Instead, she was sitting up in her pink bed with a book clutched between her little hands. I crawled up beside her and waited while she snuggled into my side.
I started reading from where we left off last time. I read two chapters to her before I couldn’t keep my own eyes open. “That’s it for tonight, Jem. I need some sleep.”
“Melly,” she said sleepily. Good, finally she might drift off soon. “Did Mom used to work late all the time?”
“Not really, why do you ask?” I was taken aback by the question, it seemed to come completely out of the blue. We generally avoided all talk of the mother who had walked out one day because she no longer wanted to be our mother. The memories of her were too painful to hold onto.
“I just wondered. I don’t remember much about her and sometimes I’m scared I’ll forget everything about her.”
“You won’t forget about her, Jem.” How did I even begin to explain to a nine year old when I didn’t even understand it myself? “She’ll always be in your heart. Remember, she made you and me. She’ll always be a part of us.”
“Are you going to leave too?” Her little voice was so quiet I almost didn’t hear what she said. I almost wished I didn’t.
“Of course not. I’m never going to leave you.”
“You’re not going to run away?”
I hugged her tight. “Never, ever, Jem. Not for a million dollars. You’re stuck with me, kid, whether you like it or not.” I gave her a smile and kissed her forehead, tucking her in for the night.
Just as I was turning off her light, she whispered: “I love you, Melly.”
“I love you too, Jem. Goodnight.” I stood in the dark watching her settle further into the sheets before I skulked to my room.
I needed to be a better sister to Jemma. Considering I had just spent the entire weekend in another city, I understood how she might be feeling a little insecure. How our mother could have walked away from both of us, was beyond me. I could never leave Jem like that, I could never be the one responsible for breaking her little heart.
But Mom did leave, she left without warning and without explanation. If it was so easy for her, I wondered if it might be that easy for someone else? Someone like Cole Newton. He didn’t even have to walk away, he could just sever all ties with me. It was very easy for a celebrity to suddenly become un-contactable. He could do it to me.
After all, wasn’t Cole running off to Europe all summer for a tour? He hasn’t officially told me that yet but it was all over the media. You could buy tickets to the Two Dimension concerts so it was definitely a done deal. Perhaps Cole was biding his time until then? It would be much easier to hide in Europe, much easier to be distracted too so he didn’t have to think of his guilt.
I changed into my pajamas and threw myself down onto my bed. I didn’t want to have thoughts like that. I wanted to believe that everyone was good and nice, but reality had shown me otherwise. I knew it was normally the people you loved and trusted the most that would hurt you worse than you ever thought possible.
I just prayed and hoped and wished and dreamed that Cole wouldn’t be one of them.
Chapter Five
As I walked through the school gates, I was still troubled by the conversation I had with my father that morning. I had tried to alert him to the fact Jemma was thinking about our mother and it was making her all wonky.
Dad just said she would grow out of it and she was going through a faze. I didn’t believe that. When someone you love walks out, they leave a hole in your soul. You can pretend it didn’t hurt or that it closes over, but it never does. Nothing can fill that hole except the person that left it. I knew that from experience and it made my heart ache to think of Jemma suffering that same kind of pain.
I tried to shake it off, making a plan to give Jemma extra attention so she would at least know for sure that I wouldn’t leave her. If Dad wasn’t going to do anything, I guessed it was up to me. Again. That seemed to happen a lot.
“Cat got your tongue, Melrose?” Scott, a guy from my grade said as he and his mates passed me in the corridor. Apparently his words were hilarious. I didn’t have a clue what he was talking about so I just ignored him and kept walking.
“Headlights!” Another guy yelled.
“More like stunned mullet.” What on earth was going on?
“Even my one year old brother can talk.”
“Do they serve Mute Burgers at Burger Nation?”
I spotted Dallas’s beautifully welcome face in the crowd as she weaved her way to reach me. Instantly, she gave me a sympathetic look. “Oh, Rosy, are you okay? You’re really brave to come to school today.”
Did I step into the twilight zone? Perhaps I was so tired last night that I was still asleep and dreaming everything? That would make more sense than my current reality.
“Dal, what’s going on?”
She let out a laugh. “Denial is a good way to deal with things like this.”
“I’m not denying anything, I seriously have no idea what’s going on. Enlighten me, please?” I watched as the expression on her face went from sympathetic to confused to concerned to realization.
“You really didn’t see it?” She asked, like it was the most unbelievable thing in the universe.
“See what?”
Her eyes bugged out of her head for a second before she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She didn’t say a word until she had pushed me into an empty classroom. “Just pre
ss play.”
I took her phone and pressed the button. The face of the reporter from last night’s shift filled the screen. My stomach instantly filled with dread over what I was about to see.
There was silence in the room except for the reporter’s tinny voice coming from the phone.
“It seems teen heart throb Cole Newton from the band Two Dimension is not so lucky in love. When confronted today about her alleged gold digging, Melrose Morgan was tightlipped to say the least.”
The scene cut to me at Burger Nation. I was standing there as still as a statue with eyes as wide as saucers. I looked like a complete tool. Now, I got what the other students were joking about.
The reporter’s stupid big head was back. “Could an affair with the world’s biggest superstar be her meal ticket out of the fast food joint? Most certainly it is. Our exclusive sources close to the country girl have told us Miss Morgan will do anything for money. Her family are desperately poor after her mother walked out and disappeared a number of years ago.”
Oh no, she seriously didn’t just go there. My shaking hand hit the stop button. I gave Dallas back her phone before I threw it against the wall like I wanted to. If only it was that easy to destroy the story.
Dallas took me in a hug, knowing no words could make me feel any better. I didn’t care what the woman said about me, she could call me a gold digger until the cows came home because I knew the truth. And, more importantly, Cole knew the truth.
But my mother? How could she throw the worse thing in my life right into my face? Most people in my school didn’t know my private life and I liked it that way. I didn’t want people knowing our family had been so terrible that our own mother couldn’t even bear to stay.
The world spun around me as I tried to comprehend how bad it was going to be when I stepped out of the classroom. I had glimpsed some of it, would it get worse? Like I even needed to think about the answer to that: yes, it was going to get worse.
My own phone started to ring in my pocket. It was Cole’s assigned tone. “It’s Cole.”
“Well, answer it,” Dallas urged.
I wasn’t sure if I was ready to speak with him but my finger hit the accept button, making up my mind for me.
“Hey, Mel, it’s Cole.” He always announced himself, like I didn’t have caller ID. I normally found it adorable.
“Cole, now’s not really a good time.” My voice had a shake in it which I desperately didn’t want him to hear.
“I figured as much,” he continued, his tone full of concern. “I saw the news this morning, how are you holding up?”
“I’m not a gold digger.”
“I know that. I was talking about your mom. I’m really sorry they went there.”
I couldn’t stop a small smile reaching my lips. Cole understood, without me even having to explain. I really loved that about him. “I’m sorry too. The reporter barged into my work last night. I didn’t want to say the wrong thing so I said nothing. And now she’s showing the world how horrible I am.”
“Don’t worry about. Someone else will do something stupid today and they’ll move onto another story. Was she the only one hassling you?”
“Besides my whole school? Yeah.” I tried to joke but it didn’t really sound funny.
“I can send a security guard to stay with you? They’ll be able to keep any reporters away. Kids too, if you’re nice to him.” Cole’s joke came off better than mine. He was being really sweet and I wanted him to make it all better but it wasn’t going to be that easy.
“I don’t need a security guard, but thanks. I think I need a cave to hide in for a while.”
“You’re too beautiful to hide. Put your head up and ignore everyone. Everyone that loves you knows the truth and that’s all that matters. If there’s anything I’ve learnt in this business, it’s that.” There sounded like a lot more to that story but it wasn’t the time to ask what it was.
We clicked off after our goodbyes and I tried to take his advice. After all, I had a full day of school to get through and it was only day one.
I took a deep breath and walked with Dallas to my locker. With each step, I ignored everyone around me. In my head, I went to my happy place – hanging out with Cole. I hoped that memory would get me through the entire day.
Unfortunately, it didn’t even get me through my first class. As Mr. Rogers droned on about mathematic equations and how we would always be able to apply them to everyday living, my eyes kept going to my phone.
My cell was on silent, which was a good thing, considering the calls were coming in every few seconds. All were from numbers I didn’t know and my voicemail was filling up fast.
And then there were the text messages. The number of unread messages continued to climb by the minute, nearly doubling every time I looked. I tapped into a few and instantly wished I didn’t. The messages weren’t of support, they were mostly messages of hate toward me.
You should die.
You don’t deserve Cole Newton.
I wish an elephant would sit on you and you would die a suffocating butt death.
The messages went on and on until I finally turned my phone off. I had to give it to the senders, they were quite creative in the ways I should die. Apparently being with Cole was enough of a crime to warrant some slow and unusual demise.
I tried not to think about it, or to let the messages replay over and over again in my head. But it was impossible, not when it seemed like the entire world was against me. I could count on one hand who still liked me and that was a depressing thought.
I don’t know how I managed to get through the day. Probably by looking at my feet and avoiding gazes. I didn’t dare turn my phone back on.
Dallas followed me back to my house when the final bell rang. We were supposed to be doing our homework together but neither of our minds were on the task at hand.
“It can’t be that bad, give me your cell,” Dallas said, holding out her hand until I complied. She turned on the phone and I waited with dread at seeing how many calls and messages I had missed since that morning.
Mostly, I didn’t want to know. I would rather keep the phone off forever and pretend like the mean people in the world didn’t exist. That was Plan A.
Dallas’s mouth hung open as the phone booted up. She held the screen up for me to see. I had over four hundred missed calls and seven hundred new messages. I was surprised my phone even had enough storage capacity for that level of activity.
“Just delete them all,” I said, sighing as I flopped onto my bed.
She was frantically tapping the screen. “I’d like to but the calls keep coming in. I can’t do anything before another one starts it ringing again.”
She eventually gave up and turned the cell off again, handing it back. The thing was useless to me, it wasn’t like I could even dial out between rings. The incoming calls were too close together.
“This is a nightmare,” I pointed out uselessly. The situation pretty much spoke for itself.
“How’d they get your number?” I shrugged, I didn’t have a clue. “Can I use your computer?”
“Since when do you ask?” Now, it was her turn to shrug. She jumped off the bed and booted up my laptop. I watched her click through dozens of websites before the curiosity got the best of me. “What are you doing?”
“Finding out what happened. Check this out.” She leaned away so I could see the screen over her shoulder. A website had gone up, declaring me enemy number one for all fans of Two Dimension. They posted my photo, cell phone number, email address, Facebook link, and Twitter name.
“How did they even get those details?” I asked, never expecting an answer.
Chapter Six
“Maybe it’s someone you know?” Dallas suggested. A horrible feeling in my gut started to spread throughout my body. Someone I knew? Who would hate me enough to publicly expose me?
But to have all those details that weren’t easily accessible, it had to be someone that knew them before it a
ll started. Anyone at my school would know my email address, and my cell phone number was in a bunch of places around the school.
“I guess my suspect pool is down to a couple of hundred,” I moaned. “That has to be better than the world at large, right?”
Dallas patted my arm. “There, there. Look on the bright side, you’re famous!”
I gave her a look, seriously? If that was what being famous felt like, the Kardashians could keep it. They could keep all of the internet trolls, all the paparazzi, and all the public scrutiny. I didn’t want any part of it.
“Do you think we can get the website taken down?” I asked, trying to think of a strategy that would return my life back to normal. If there was even a chance of that.
“It’s freedom of speech, isn’t that covered by the constitution or Declaration of Independence or something?” She scrunched up her nose at having to remember. Unfortunately, she was probably right. People could say whatever they liked, it didn’t mean you could censor them just because you didn’t like it.
Plus, the chances of finding the website owners was probably nearly impossible. There were no names on the site and only a generic email address.
I could feel eyes burning onto my back. Turning around, Jemma was standing in the doorway. She looked upset, her little face twisted into a grimace. “Jem, what’s wrong?”
She hurried in and jumped onto the bed, draping her arms around my neck from behind. Her mouth was right next to my ear as she hugged me. “They were really mean today.”
I slid out of her arms so I could face her. “What happened? They were mean to you?”
She nodded her sad little head. “They said you were a gold digger. What’s a gold digger?”
“It’s someone who dates someone else because of the money they have. But it’s not true, Jem, you can’t believe anything they say.”
The Star Kissed Collection Page 12
