by Jen Wilde
“The fandom is going nuts right now,” I say with a smile. “So many Firestoners are asking me if I’ve met her yet.”
“I bet they’re all so jelly,” he says sarcastically. “They, like, literally can’t even.”
I gasp dramatically. “Jamie Garcia!” I nudge his arm with my elbow. “Don’t make fun of them!”
He nudges me back. “I’m just kidding. You know I love Internet people, too.”
“You know you’re the only weirdo in the world who calls them ‘Internet people.’”
“That’s what we are. People who live in the Internet.”
Someone taps on a microphone near the stage, making me jump. I slide my phone back into my pocket and stand on my toes, hoping to see Skyler up ahead.
“Hey, everyone,” a voice says. I spot a short guy standing in front of the stage, holding the microphone. He’s wearing a lanyard and a SupaCon T-shirt like all the other staff members I’ve seen running around.
Suddenly, a cluster of people form around the signing table.
“I think Skyler’s leaving?” Jamie says, raising his eyebrows.
“To everyone still waiting, I’m really sorry,” the guy on the mic says, “but we’ve run out of time. Ms. Atkins has a flight to catch that she’s already running late for.”
Gasps and moans fill the room. Some are annoyed at Skyler; others are ready to defend her.
I’m just in shock. “Wait, what?”
Jamie looks down at me, but I avoid his gaze. He opens his mouth, but no words come out. He must see the devastation in my face. “I’ll be right back.” He walks down the line and starts talking to one of the staff.
“What the hell?” a voice says from beside me. I turn to see the girl whose spot in line I was watching while she went to the bathroom. She looks at me in confusion. “What happened? Did I miss something?”
I nod solemnly. “Skyler’s leaving. She has to get to the airport.”
Her face falls. “Oh.”
I huff out a sigh. “I know.”
She shuffles from side to side and chews on the inside of her mouth, then holds out a hand to me. “I’m Josie. Thanks for holding my spot, though I guess it was pointless in the end.”
I shake her hand and offer the politest smile I can muster, which is hard when I’m feeling so disappointed that Skyler’s leaving. “No worries. I’m Taylor.” I don’t know what to say after that, so we both just stand there, looking around.
“I’m really bummed now,” Josie says. “Skyler’s my favorite author.”
I slouch my shoulders. “Same. I can’t even process this.” We start talking about our most cherished moments in the books, but it still doesn’t cheer us up.
Josie checks the time on her phone. “Well, I guess I better get back to my booth if there’s not going to be a signing.”
“You have a booth?”
She beams. “Yeah! I’m in the Artists’ Alley selling my books. Come check it out if you’re in the area.”
I grin. “Awesome! I will.”
Josie leaves just as Jamie returns, frowning. “I tried to find out if Skyler would be coming back at all this weekend, but the guy didn’t know. The poor dude was pretty frazzled, though; everyone was getting up in his face.”
I feel tears brimming in my eyes, blurring my vision. I stare down at the box set in my arms, trying to focus on the letters in the titles to stop myself from crying. The crowd starts to move together, and I look up to see the front of the line following Skyler and her handlers toward the back exit.
Jamie leans down and whispers in my ear. “I have an idea.”
I watch him from the corner of my eye. “It’s too late. She’s leaving.”
“Do you trust me?”
I tap my fingers on the side of the box nervously. “Of course I do.” I unzip my bag and gently lower the set inside before zipping it up again.
“Then come on.” He tugs on my elbow and starts pulling me out of the line and away from the crowd. Everyone, including the security guards and event staff, is distracted by Skyler as she makes a quick exit behind the stage.
Jamie takes me to a door marked STAFF ONLY and nudges it open. He peeks inside, then takes one last look at security before stepping into the forbidden hallway, pulling me in after him.
“Jamie!” I scold him. “You’re gonna get us kicked out!”
He looks to his left, then his right, scanning the hall, then crouches to meet my eyes. “We’ll be fine. You came all this way to meet her. And we’re not leaving until you do.”
We start running down the hall. The walls are an off-white color and completely bare, and all I can hear are our shoes colliding with the floor. We turn a corner just in time to see the back of Skyler’s head, her flame-red hair swaying as she hurries up a set of stairs with her handlers.
“There she is!” I gasp. Suddenly, I don’t care how reckless this is or that we could get kicked out—I have to meet her.
I’m so close.
If I miss my chance, if I chicken out now, I don’t know how I’ll find the courage to face next year. I’d never tell anyone, but the thought of moving to LA with Charlie and Jamie, away from home and my family, terrifies me.
We keep running, but two security guards walk out of a room up ahead.
Jamie skids to a stop. “Change of plan.”
“What do we do?”
He takes hold of my hand. “Run!” We spin around and run back the way we came. We turn the corner again just as three event staff members enter from the signing hall.
“Shit!” I whisper.
Jamie pushes me into a nearby room, and it isn’t until we’re inside that I realize it’s the men’s bathroom. “God, it stinks in here!”
His mouth turns up into a crooked smile, and he puts a finger to my lips. “Shh!”
The bathroom door starts to open, and once again he’s pulling me out of the way. We jump into the nearest stall, and Jamie swings the door closed and locks it as quietly as possible.
A cheerful whistle fills the room, followed by the sound of a man relieving himself.
I cringe and step as far back as I can without touching the toilet, hoping my trench coat isn’t dragging on the floor. We’re squished in tight, Jamie and I, our bodies pressed against each other unavoidably. He’s thin, but tall and broad, and I’m just wide. My cheeks warm into a blush, and I try to look anywhere but at him, even though I can feel his eyes burning into me.
The bathroom door opens, and the whistling fades into the hall. I let out a relieved sigh.
“You know,” Jamie says, still looking at me, “if we weren’t in a pee-soaked toilet stall right now, this would be kind of romantic.”
I roll my eyes and push him out of the way, unlocking the door and peering out. “Well, it is a pee-soaked toilet stall. And I need to get out of here before the stench makes me puke.”
We sneak out of the bathroom and hurry down the hallway. I don’t breathe again until we’ve made it safely back into the signing room, which is still emptying of Firestone fans. “That was so stupid of us, Jamie. Getting caught could have got us banned from SupaCon for all eternity!”
“I would have taken the blame,” he says. “It would have been so worth it if you had met Skyler.”
“That’s another thing,” I say, stopping to take my backpack off. “Skyler would not have appreciated being chased backstage by a couple of weirdos. I mean, she could have had us arrested for stalking or harassment or something!” I unzip my bag and make sure the box set isn’t damaged from all the running.
I look up to see Jamie deep in thought. “I didn’t think of that.”
I stand up and throw my backpack over my shoulder.
He sighs. “Sorry, Tay. I just really hate seeing you disappointed. Besides, you never do anything reckless. Think of it as an adventure! Taking a risk every now and then is good for you.”
I start walking, and he follows. “I don’t do risk. I’m a teacher’s pet who hates confrontation
and fears authority of any kind, remember?”
He laughs. “How could I forget? Come on, all your favorite heroes are adventurers! Indiana Jones, Marty McFly, and I seem to remember Bill and Ted had quite the excellent adventure.”
I narrow my eyes at him and smirk. “Bill and Ted’s and Marty’s adventures involved time machines. And I wish I had one right now so that I could go back to fifteen minutes ago and sucker punch you before you had a chance to drag me back there.”
Jamie, doing his best Bill voice, says, “That would be most nontriumphant.” I burst out laughing.
He grins most triumphantly, happy that I’m no longer annoyed at him. “All that adventuring made me hungry. Let’s go grab some food. There’s supposed to be a cool diner around here somewhere.”
CHAPTER 4
CHARLIE
“Hi there! What’s your name?” I ask with a friendly smile and my pen hovering over a poster for The Rising. The girl on the other side of the table is starry-eyed and smiling so wide I can almost see every one of her multicolored braces.
“Cara,” she says, but it comes out more like a giggle than a name. “You’re my all-time favorite YouTuber. I’ve seen all your vlogs so many times!”
“That’s awesome! Thank you for watching!” I wink at her and start writing a sweet little note on the poster, adding my autograph at the bottom. A bright flash of light takes me by surprise, and I look up to see Cara holding her phone up, taking a selfie with me. I look at the camera, smiling just in time for the second flash to go off.
“Here you go, Cara,” I say as I hand her the poster. “Thanks so much for coming! Enjoy the movie!”
Cara looks like she is about to explode into a burst of confetti and fireworks. She hesitates, like she wants to ask something. And then she just lets it blurt out: “Are you and Reese back together?”
My heart stops.
It begins.
I swallow hard, all too aware that Cara—and Mandy and a few other girls within earshot—are watching me, waiting eagerly for my answer.
“No, but we’re still good friends!” I say with my realest fake smile.
Cara gasps. She looks so happy, and it’s hard for me to watch. “If you do get back together, will you get married?”
I have to stop myself from gagging. “Oh.” I laugh awkwardly. “No, we’re just friends. Definitely no wedding bells. Besides, I’m only eighteen! I don’t even know if I want to get married.”
Cara opens her mouth to ask another question, but I have to stop the madness before it becomes too much. “Thanks so much for coming, Cara!”
Cara grins before walking away in a daze.
I feel a tap on my shoulder and turn around to see Mandy looking down at me. “Five more minutes, then we have to go. You’ve got three interviews for The Rising, then the cosplay contest and promo party before you’re done for the day.”
I nod, but I can’t help but feel guilty. I lean on my elbow to scan the line of people wanting their posters and merchandise signed. There have to be at least one hundred people still waiting excitedly. This is the first time I’ve ever done a fan event, and I don’t want to disappoint anyone.
I look up at Mandy, who is eyeing me knowingly. She sighs and pulls out her phone. “Okay, I’ll let them know we need to push it back another thirty minutes. But that’s it!”
I give her a grateful grin. “Thanks, Mands!”
Mandy waves the next person forward. This girl is around the same age as me, with jet-black hair tied into a long braid and bright red lipstick.
“Hi!” I say.
“Hi,” the girl says, her lips twitching. “I’m such a huge fan! I’ve seen all your videos! And I saw The Rising last night; it was so good!” She’s speaking so fast I can hardly keep up.
“Wow!” I beam as I take her poster to sign. “Thank you so much for all your support. I’m so glad you liked the movie! What’s your name?”
The girl doesn’t answer. She’s not even looking at me anymore. Instead, she’s looking up, way over my head. Her mouth is hanging open in shock. “Is that … Reese Ryan?”
My stomach drops to the floor.
No.
I really hope the girl is mistaken, but then the others in line behind her start to squeal. Scream. Cry.
The full Reese Ryan effect is spreading right before my eyes like magic.
Or the plague.
“Shit,” I utter under my breath. Slowly, I turn around in my chair, dreading seeing his face even while I search for it.
He’s looking down at me from the second-floor balcony, flashing a toothy smile while waving to his adoring fans.
Every muscle in my face wants to glare at him, to give him a look that would turn him to dust right here and now. But I quickly remember that I’m supposed to be nice to him, and I offer him the warmest smile I can muster.
I can do this, I think.
I am an actress, after all.
He blows me an obnoxious kiss and winks at me, and I shoot imaginary death rays at him from my eyes.
He is actually enjoying this.
I suck in a deep breath. Just pretend, I tell myself. Pretend it’s Opposite Day. Or Bizarro World. Yes, that’s it. I live in Bizarro World, where people say hello instead of good-bye, day is night, and I still think Reese is a good guy.
But, if this truly was Bizarro World, Reese would be easy to get along with. He would be a kind, caring, genuine guy instead of a gigantic phony with narcissistic tendencies and a tiny penis.
Ha.
Now I really am smiling.
I wince from the loud screams echoing behind me and wave up at my ex-beau. He winks at me again and points to the left, toward a set of stairs, then disappears.
Please don’t come down here.
Please don’t come down here.
Oh God, please don’t.
He comes down the stairs like he’s running a sprint.
He is loving this.
He struts toward me, waving and blowing kisses to the fans like he’s on a late night talk show. With each step he takes, I want to run more and more.
Reese picks up his pace, running toward me and sweeping me up in his arms, spinning me around like we’re in some cheesy rom-com.
He puts me down, but keeps his hands planted firmly on my hips. “How’s my little Charlie?”
Ew.
I hold my fake smile and remove his hands from my hips as playfully as I can. “I’ll be much better if you never call me ‘your little Charlie’ again.”
“Oh, someone is sensitive today,” he says, keeping his own fake smile glued to his face. He spins me around to face the cheering crowd and drapes an arm over my shoulders. “Smile for the fans!”
I smile. And wave. And think of all the ways I could completely annihilate him in front of everyone if I really wanted to. A swift elbow to the ribs would do it. Or a knee to his groin. Oh, how sweet that would be. But no, I have to think of the fans. And my career. The Rising 2.
And then the chanting starts.
“Chase! Chase! Chase!”
That’s our ship name. The first time I heard it, about a year and a half ago, I thought it was cute. I wore it proudly like a badge of honor, like it proved we were destined for each other. It made me feel validated somehow. Worthy. Now it just makes me feel like a fool.
But still, I smile. And wave. And pretend it didn’t take months to put the million pieces of my heart back together after what he did.
One of the fans starts running toward us, and then everyone follows. Suddenly I’m having flashbacks to the stampede scene in The Lion King.
Mandy appears in front of us. “Time to go!”
Reese takes hold of my hand while security and staff huddle around us and shuffle us up the stairs and back into a private room. The moment the door closes, and Reese, Mandy, and I are out of sight, I pull my hand away from his.
“What a rush!” he says as he pushes his hands through his sun-kissed hair.
I give him the
full force of my glare. “What the hell was that?”
He shrugs. “What?”
“What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t supposed to come until tomorrow?”
“The studio thought it would be a good idea to do the interviews with you today and interact with the fans.”
My shoulders drop. “Great.”
Mandy’s phone rings, and she walks out of the room to answer it, leaving Reese and me alone. I sit in one of the two chairs ready for the upcoming interviews. A tall poster for The Rising stands proudly next to me. The image is of Reese running, his jeans and flannel shirt torn and bloodied. I’m right behind him, slightly back in the picture to let the audience know that he’s the star.
I remember that day. Trying to run in skinny jeans, a push-up bra, and a crop top three sizes too small in the Australian summer heat while the director yelled at me to “run sexier.”
But even with all that, it was still the most fun I’ve ever had. It doesn’t get much better than playing make-believe for a living.
I notice Reese watching me, so I pull out my phone and start writing a text.
911. Reese. Here. Now. FML.
I hit SEND in the group text and look up to see Reese still staring at me.
“What?”
He raises an eyebrow. “Your hair is pink.”
I run a hand through my hair self-consciously. “Yeah, I had to do it. I got a guest role in a sci-fi show, and they wanted an ‘Asian girl with dyed hair’—original, I know—but I liked it, so I kept it.”
“What show is that?”
“Starscape.”
Reese doesn’t even try to hide his condescending smirk. “Well, any role is a good role, right?”
I roll my eyes. “Actually, I’m the first Chinese Australian actor to work on that show, so that’s pretty epic.”
He nods, but he seems distracted. “Cool.”
I go back to pretending I’m doing something important on my phone. Neither Tay nor Jamie has replied yet. They’re probably busy having a blast while I’m stuck with him.
Reese walks over and sits next to me. I can feel him watching me still, so I drop my head slightly and let my hair fall in between us, blocking him from my sight.
