Star Crossed Collection

by Campbell, Jamie

  “They did it on purpose?”

  “Of course they did. It resulted in a shot of me holding you after a ‘terrifying incident’. They could conjure up a whole tragic story to go with the photograph and then sell magazines. It’s the kind of thing they do all the time.”

  “How do they get away with it?”

  “Beats me.”

  We tried to shake off the incident as the driver told us everything we would be doing today. Cole’s surprise was a tour of the island. We were going to be seeing volcanos and beaches, and even go in a helicopter. My mind was exploding just hearing about all the adventures.

  And seeing it all was even more amazing. The helicopter ride was terrifying but I had Cole there to reassure me that we weren’t going to die. I don’t think I’d ever told him about my fear of flying, but it was quite apparent in the helicopter as I held on for dear life.

  Hawaii was absolutely stunning. I didn’t think it could get any better and then we’d see something else and I was proven wrong. It was all awesome, but having Cole there experiencing it with me made it more special.

  The tour ended in the late afternoon, dropping us off at the hotel – at the lobby door this time. It was still too early for dinner so we grabbed our towels and lazed by the pool for the rest of the evening. Not even the night time cooled down, allowing us to soak up the warmth until it was dark.

  “Can you smell that?” Cole asked as he sat up on his towel.

  I sniffed the air, trying to get past the scent of my coconut sunscreen. “It smells like food. Like good food.”

  “I’m starving. Want to investigate?”

  I nodded and we threw on some clothes over our swimsuits. Cole tracked the smell like a bloodhound, continually sniffing the air and changing directions. There was music and the din of people talking that helped draw us to the source.

  We stumbled on a luau on the beach. It cascaded down from the hotel, making the area into a huge party zone. There were traditional dancers in grass skirts performing in a line, their faces alight with enjoyment.

  Large fire lanterns lit the whole area, giving it an atmosphere of intimacy and fun. There wasn’t one person there not having a good time and without a smile on their face.

  “This looks like our dinner option,” Cole said, already heading for the buffet.

  I tugged on his arm, stopping him. “We can’t just join the party, we might not be invited. We should check with someone first.”

  Cole laughed. “It will be fine, babe. This is our hotel, of course we’re invited.” He started walking again, dragging me along reluctantly behind him. He may be used to being invited to every single thing on the planet without an invitation, but I wasn’t.

  When I was eight years old, I lost my invitation to Becca Parson’s birthday party. I told my dad I couldn’t go because I didn’t have my invitation. He said it would be okay too, but I refused to go. I understood the rules, I would abide by them.

  But not Cole.

  We both filled a plate with food and found a table that wasn’t already crowded with people. The longer we were there, the more people started noticing Cole. They would stare and then nudge their friends, pointing our way.

  Cole either didn’t notice, or ignored the attention. He ate his food, enjoyed the dancing, and chatted to me happily. I guessed nothing was going to ruin our vacation. This was our time together and it was precious, like Cole had said.

  The dancers encouraged people to join them in learning some of the traditional moves. I pulled Cole onto the dance floor so we could sway along to the lesson. It was difficult just moving our hips and trying to keep the rest of our body in place. We kept failing, but our laughter and enthusiasm made up for our lack of ability. Nobody cared, we were all having too much of a good time.

  And nobody actually bothered Cole. It was like we were anonymous, just a normal couple enjoying a vacation together in paradise. If only we could have stayed there forever. I’m sure we would have been beyond happy.

  The party eventually died down and thinned out as people retreated to their rooms for the night. Cole and I were still wide awake and nowhere near ready to go home. The luau was just too much fun.

  With only a few dozen people left, the band started to pack up. One of the men in the crowd shouted out, “We want music, you can’t go home yet!” Another few of his friends shouted out their agreement.

  The band’s leader was fast to reply. “You’re all welcome to take over the microphone, but we have to go home.”

  The loud man decided to stand up to the challenge. He went to the stage and took the microphone. Without backing music, he belted out a song I didn’t know. Encouraged by his friends, he sang louder as the song progressed.

  He wasn’t that bad, really. I’m sure with music he would have sounded in tune and probably quite pleasing. But without either, he was a bit painful to listen to for too long.

  “How about we go help them out,” Cole whispered in my ear. I looked at him to make sure he was being serious. “We can’t be worse than him.”

  “I don’t sing,” I replied.

  “Yes, you do. I remember karaoke, you killed it. And everyone here is probably drunk, they’ll think we sound perfect no matter what. I mean, they really like this guy.”

  “Are you sure you want to? They’ll recognize you.”

  “They already have. I want to have some fun. Will you do it?”

  There was nobody I wanted to please more than Cole Newton. I would fly to the moon and back for him. If he wanted me to sing in the fading luau, then I would do it. I nodded happily. “I would love to sing with you.”

  He stood and took my hand, leading me up onto the stage when the loud man finished his song. He gave Cole the microphone easily, a little dazed at seeing the celebrity.

  We had forgotten to talk about the song we would sing so we stood silent for a few moments while that sunk in. There was no planning after midnight, not when we were so buzzed from the good food and entertainment.

  Cole winked and started singing, holding the microphone between us so we could share it. He had to bend down a little for his voice to be picked up.

  I listened for a moment to get the song before joining in. It was If You Love Someone by The Veronicas. It wasn’t a song I thought he would choose, but I loved it. It was one of my favorites and I knew all the words by heart.

  It wasn’t a duet but it didn’t matter. Our voices tuned together, singing at the top of our lungs. This song was all about telling someone you love them and not holding it in. There was no way I could do that with Cole. Every time I looked at him I wanted to profess my love and I couldn’t hold back.

  The small audience spurred us on, yelling out their approval as we sang. I had absolutely no stage fright this time, it was like I was supposed to be on that platform.

  It felt amazing. Not only singing with Cole, but also being able to entertain the people. They were having such fun just listening and watching us. Who wouldn’t want to have that effect on people? Strangers, at that.

  We ended up singing six songs for them. Cole and I took it in turns to choose the songs. We danced together as we sang, playing up to the audience when we had the opportunity to. It was the most fun I’d had in ages.

  The hotel staff closed us down after that. Apparently we were getting too noisy and boisterous. We were told to go back to our rooms, the guy grinning as he issued the order. I think he was enjoying our concert too.

  We walked back to our room, hand in hand. It felt like a night that shouldn’t end. It was too perfect, too much fun. Sleeping would mean we were missing out on enjoying it all.

  Cole took the first shower and I had the second one. We curled up in the bed together, Cole’s arms around me. His hugs were spectacular. As I snuggled closer to him, my eyes couldn’t stay open a moment longer.

  I finally slept.

  Wondering what we could do tomorrow to top today.

  Chapter Four

  The rest of the vacatio
n was like a whirlwind. Every day we did something even more amazing. Snorkeling, swimming, relaxing, massages, a day at the spa, museums, and everything else Hawaii had to offer.

  Before we knew it, we were flying home again. Cole and I were both as tired as could be. The vacation was supposed to be relaxing, and it was, we just fit a lot into that one week. I still had a week before school started, but Cole had to dive straight into his album launch.

  We said goodbye on the airport tarmac. Being without him now was going to be weird, like it was after the summer we spent together. I would have to adjust to normal life again, go back to not being a celebrity.

  I had seven free days ahead of me. I should have been excited but I couldn’t help but feel worried for Cole and the band.

  Tomorrow was release day and the album had to go well, otherwise Ten Minutes of Winter were going to make a mockery out of them. They already thought they were the best band in the world after winning Album of the Year at the Major Music Awards. Having a successful release would shut them up.

  When I woke up the next day, my stomach was in knots. The first thing I did was go and grab my copy of the CD from the store. Cole had already given me a copy but I wanted to support them, and the best thing I could do was buy their album.

  I didn’t have my usual ritual of listening to the CD. I’d already heard it a bunch of times so the newness of the songs had worn off. Instead, I put it on in the living room while I did some cleaning. Dad and Jemma had been alone in the house for a week and neither of them believed in cleaning like I did.

  While I vacuumed, I had the television on with the sound off. I had it switched to the entertainment channel which was full of Two Dimension news. Every time they flashed a picture of Ten Minutes of Winter on the screen, I booed at it. It was Two Dimension’s day, they shouldn’t be mentioning the other band.

  Overall, it seemed like the album was receiving positive feedback. Nobody really panned the songs so that was good news. Hopefully all their millions of fans remembered to buy it so the sales numbers could get the album high in the charts.

  And it was all about the charts.

  That number one spot was so difficult to achieve and it was currently being held by the band that should remain nameless. If Two Dimension could knock them off, then they could claim the title of the world’s best band again.

  I put the vacuum cleaner away and turned off the music so I could listen to the television. The skinny reporter was talking about Cole, showing pictures of our Hawaiian vacation that the paparazzi took.

  Cole looked great, even in the grainy pictures. I looked okay, not like the perfect models but good enough. I never liked photographs of myself so I preferred to stare at Cole instead. I could look at him all day long.

  “Hey, that’s you,” Jemma said as she joined me, pointing at the screen. “My sister’s on TV again. I can’t wait to tell people. You’re famous.”

  “I’m not famous, Cole is famous. I just happen to be in the pictures, nobody is paying attention to me.” I flopped down on the lounge and Jemma flopped next to me only a second later. “So tell me what you did last week. You know how I spent my time, I want to hear all about your amazing week with Dad.”

  “I saw Mom, nearly every day.”

  “You did?” My insides instantly churned into a mess. Any talk of my mother did that, it was my learned response to her name. “What did you do with her?”

  “She came around every day and we’d do something different every time. On Monday we went to the park and had a picnic. On Tuesday we went to the museum. On Wednesday we had lunch at a café. Thursday we went shopping and she got me this dress. And on Friday we went to the movies.” Jemma reeled off the days on her fingers, satisfied when she reached her pinkie.

  “It sounds like you had a big week.”

  “I had so much fun, Melly. Mom is so nice, and she has a really great laugh. Her hugs are warm and she calls me Jems.”

  Jealousy burned in my belly. I wasn’t sure who exactly it was directed toward. I was jealous that Mom got to spend so much fun time with Jemma and I rarely got to. But I was also jealous that Jemma had spent time with our mother and it was enjoyable. She was getting to know Mom better than me and that burned a little.

  I pulled Jemma in for a hug. “I’m glad you had so much fun. Maybe we could do some cool things this week, just you and me. I’ll make up for the time when I was away.”

  “Yeah! Let’s go to the waterpark.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Pushing all my emotions down was difficult but I had to keep a handle on the situation. There was nothing I could do now to shield Jemma from the pain of our mother leaving again. If she left tomorrow, it was going to hurt more than anything else in the world. I’d done my best and my mother had persisted.

  What I needed to do was make sure Mom didn’t leave for a second time. She needed to stay now, she had reeled Jemma in and there was no way she could hurt the kid.

  We watched TV for a while longer but I couldn’t sit still for too long. I left Jemma and picked up my cell phone, taking it outside so Jemma couldn’t hear.

  I dialed someone I didn’t think I ever would – our mother. “Hello, Melrose. I’m so glad to hear from you.” Her voice was warm and gentle, I wanted to trust her like Jemma did.

  “Hi, Mom. I’m back from vacation and thought I’d say hi. So, hi, I guess.”

  “I’m so happy you did.”

  “Jemma told me you had a fun week.”

  “We did. Oh, Mel, that little girl is amazing. I love being around her so much.”

  “She is amazing. Um, I was wondering if you wanted to do something this week? You know, with me?” I couldn’t believe I was asking. And I definitely couldn’t believe I was actually nervous about hearing her response.

  “I would love that. How about we have a girls’ day out? We could go to the salon, maybe get our nails done? After that we could get some lunch.”

  I agreed and we made plans for tomorrow. It was time I made an effort to get to know the woman. Even if it was just so that I could shake some of the unresolved feelings I had toward her. Holding onto that pain couldn’t be healthy.

  “Melly, come look at this,” Jemma called out from the living room. I hurried to see what the matter was, hoping there was nothing bad involved.

  She was pointing at the television with a look of horror making her mouth frown. When I saw Ten Minutes of Winter on the screen, I knew it wasn’t going to be good news.

  The band were being interviewed by an entertainment reporter. They were in the studio so it was an organized appearance, the reporter didn’t just catch them in the street on their way to somewhere important. They had gone there on purpose for the interview.

  “Anyone can tell their songs are all taken from our last album. Two Dimension are stealing ideas from us, proving that they are washed up and over,” one of the band members said to the reporter. The woman nodded, as if she completely agreed with what he was saying. That same woman had interviewed Two Dimension only a few days ago and she couldn’t stop gushing about how much she loved them. What a traitor.

  She was serious when she spoke with them. “How does it feel to have them taking those things from you?”

  “I feel sorry for them. Clearly their time is over and now they’re trying to pretend they can still be cool. It’s not right stealing all our ideas, stealing is never allowed.”

  “What are you going to do now? Is there going to be legal action involved?”

  The guy nodded solemnly, as if this wasn’t some big joke. “We’re discussing that with our lawyers now. Whether we do something will be in consultation with them.”

  “What message do you have for your fans?”

  He looked directly down the barrel of the camera. “I want all our fans to boycott Two Dimension. Don’t buy their album, don’t go to their concerts, don’t follow them on social media. We need to send them a message that they are over.”

  My phone chirped wit
h a call. It was Cole, I kind of hoped he hadn’t seen the interview. I knew it would have hurt him to hear the accusation.

  “Hello?”

  “Hi, babe,” Cole replied. “Have you seen the news today?”

  I played dumb until I could work out how much he knew. “Some of it. Your album is doing really well. The reviews are all positive. That’s good.”

  “Yeah, it was all going well until Ten Minutes of Winter said we stole everything from them.” I could hear the hurt in Cole’s voice and it pained me. I wished the whole thing with their rival band would just go away. I guessed wishful thinking wasn’t going to work.

  “I saw that too. I’m sorry.”

  “We’ve stolen nothing from them. We don’t want to. They have different styles to us. They are completely different. We don’t want anything of theirs.”

  “I know. And your real fans will too. They won’t listen to them.”

  “And now they’ve asked everyone to boycott us? Why would they do that?”

  “Because they’re worried about their own popularity. They are trying to put you down to make themselves look better. Bullies do it at school all the time. They don’t realize that it doesn’t work, that it actually does the opposite over time.”

  “We don’t have time to spare while we wait for that to happen. This is show business. One week is about all we have to turn things around, otherwise they will get exactly what they want,” Cole said, sending a shiver down my spine.

  One week wasn’t very long. But things did move fast in his business. If nobody bought the album in a week, it would plunge off the charts and never be heard of again. That could potentially end the band’s career, Cole’s career.

  “What can I do to help?” I asked. Whatever he needed, I would give it to him. He wasn’t going to go through this time alone. I would be with him throughout it all.

  To the end.

  Cole sighed. “I don’t think there is anything you can do right now. We’re waiting for Scott to give us some direction at the moment. He’ll guide us forward.”