Faded (Rock Star Trilogy) (10 page)

“You two are boring. Why don’t you sit with
other people
? Maybe try to converse?” he suggests. “At least
pretend
like you like it here.”

“Who w
ould I talk to?” I ask him. “Everybody here either hates me, or they’re obsessed with me.”

“Sit with the people who hate you,” he quickly says. “That is an absolute genius idea
, Scarlett.”

“It wasn’t my idea.”

“Of course it was. Now, go, mingle. And take Stephan too.”

I roll my eyes. “Come on, Stephan. Peter won’t leave us alone unless we do what he says. Let’s just get this over with.”

Stephan grumbles, but he agrees. We walk over to the “
popular table
”.

“Hey, guys,” I greet them. “Mind if we sit with you?”

Mona snarls her nose. “You can, but not him.”

I force a smile. “I’m not sitting here without him, and if you let him sit here, you’ll be on TV.”

I can literally see stars in Mona’s eyes. “Fine. But he’s not allowed to speak to me.”

Stephan looks at me, and I can tell it’s taking every ounce of his strength not to smack Mona across the face. The feeling is mutual.

Mona scoots down so I can sit beside her, and on the other side of her, Ethan is sitting. Stephan squeezes in beside me. By the way he’s flexing his jaw, I can tell he’s way pissed about us sitting here. I feel bad. I should have stood up to Peter. I guess after doing what I’m told for so long, I still haven’t learned how to stand up for myself.

“So,
Scarlett
,” Mona starts out. “Are you excited about your reality show? I mean why wouldn’t you be? It’s awesome! Your life is like a dream.”

More like a nightmare
. “It’s a documentary,” I correct her. “And it sucks having cameras follow me around 24/7. I like my privacy.”

“It seems like a small price to pay
. I mean, you’re Scarlett Ryan.” Mona flips her dark brown waves behind her back. “So you’re best friends with Alec Torch, right? Rumor has it he’s been staying at your house. What is he like?”

“He’s annoying, especially in the mornings, and he spends more time in the bathroom than I do,” I answer truthfully.

She giggles. “So are you two sleeping together? I bet he’s pretty wild in bed.”

Her question makes me angry, and I fight to keep my voice at a reasonable level. “One,
STEPHAN is my BOYFRIEND
. He’s the only one I am interested in
sleeping
with. Two, your question is really inappropriate. And three, Alec is my best friend. I’m not sexually attracted to him now, nor will I ever be.”

Mona starts to say something, but Ethan cuts her off. “So, Scar, how is the new CD coming along?”

“It’s good,” I say, grateful at the subject change. “I find out soon if the record company is going to approve my new songs.”

“Why wouldn’t they approve it?” Of course Mona had to jump back into the conversation.
God forbid if she isn’t the center of the universe for two seconds.

It’s really none of her business, so I just give her a half-truth answer. “It’s just
a standard protocol. Their name goes on my CD, so they like to know what’s going out.”

“Seems like they wouldn’t care so much, considering how many awards you’ve won and CD’s you’ve sold. Every time I’ve tried to see you in concert, you’re
always
sold out. I just figured you could record anything you wanted. They’re lucky to have you.”

Wow. For once, what Mona says
actually makes sense
. Why would they deny me? They have
no reason
to. But if they do, then I have options. Like Bridgett said, find a
new
record compan
y…
Or at least pretend that I am trying to.

Then, an idea hits me.

It doesn’t matter what the record company thinks. It’s what my FANS think
.

I feel much better about my upcoming visit with Barry Stevens. I know that even if it doesn’t go well, it doesn’t matter. Who cares what he thinks?

Okay, I still care. Obviously I want him to like
my
music, but if he doesn’t, it isn’t the end of my career. And now I’m glad we came over her
e…
  I just wish Mona wasn’t so cold toward Stephan. I wonder how she can be that way toward him,
knowing
that he’s her brother.

Maybe I could get them talking though. It’s really worth a try.

“Hey, Mona, did you know that Stephan is into racing?” I ask her.

She rolls her eyes. “Everybody knows that. It’s so stupid and dangerous.”

I ignore her comment. “He’s also a really good surfer. He taught me how to surf, but I’m still not very good at it yet. I still have a long way to go. But I can totally stand up on my board.”

Neither Stephan nor
Mona replies, so I take that as my cue to continue talking.

“I really think you two could be
friends
if you put your differences behind you.”

“
Scarlett,
that’s enough,” Stephan says angrily, before getting up from the table. He turns to me one last time. “Don’t follow me.”

He leaves the table, and Mona is smiling, obviously satisfied that he’s leaving.

“Much better.” She smirks. “And I wasn’t even the one who made him leave. Even better. Great work, Scarlett.”

“You are ridiculous,” I tell her and the
n drop my voice to a whisper. “He’s your brother. You really shouldn’t treat him like that.”

“Shut up about that,” she whispers back.
Her eyes glance around the table to make sure nobody heard me.

“People are going to find out eventually,” I say at a normal
level and get up from the table. Peter and the rest of the camera crew follow me. It feels like the first day of school all over again, and I just want to be alone.

I walk out to the front of the school and lean against the side of the brick building. I put my head in my hands.

“You’re not thinking of leaving, are you?” I hear a voice. I look up to see Ethan leaning up against the building beside me.

I shake my head. “No way. I’ve missed enough school already. And I am missing tomorrow. I need to be here so I can learn.”

“You’ll pass either way,” Ethan says with a shrug. “Even the school will take bribery in the form of a new gym.”

I laugh. “That wasn’t me. It was MTV. I can’t imagine that they will get any interesting footage here, though.”

“I don’t know. That conversation in the lunchroom was pretty entertaining.”

“Glad you thought so.”

“Hey, Scarlett, I have a question…” he hesitates.

“What is it?” I urge him to ask.

“Are Stephan and Mon
a…
brother and sister?”

I remember the cameras in front of us, and my eyes get huge. How can I answer him with them standing right there?

“Be honest. I know that you know somethin
g…
”

I sigh
. “Mona made me promise not to tell. I want to tell Stephan, but it’s not my place to. I feel stuck. What would you do in my situation?”

“I don’t know, Scar, but I think you should tell Stephan.”

“Why me? You know now too. Why can’t
you
tell him?”

“Because Mona told you, not me,” he answers. “Besides, I really don’t think Mona would have told you unless she wanted Stephan to know. I think she
wants
you to tell him.”

“How do I even tell him? It’s not something I can just casually bring up at dinner. ‘Oh pass the salt, by the way, Mona is your sister.’ It’s a sensitive subject.”

“I don’t know.” Ethan pushed himself off the wall with his foot. “But I’m sure you’ll come up with something.”

3:07 PM

The death of me.

When I get out of school, I check my phone to see I have a text from Stacy. My heart jumps in anticipation.

Stacy:
I think it would be good for you to come over and see Anna. I haven’t told her yet, so she will be surprised. Expect lots of screaming. The cameras are ok.

She sent another text with her address.

“Want to go with me to see Stacy?” I ask Stephan, as we leave the school.

“I think I should just go home today,” he answers. I think he’s still mad about the lunchroom. “Since it’s your first time meeting your niece, I think it’s something you should do alone. I’ll go next time.”

“Ok
ay.” I nod. “By the way, I’m sorry about earlier in the cafeteria. I want to explain why I acted like that, but I can’t right now. But we need to talk soon, okay?”

“You don’t need to explain,” he quickly says. “I forgive you. It’s not a big deal. I know that you’re just trying to make good television.”

“That’s not what I’m trying to do.” I feel kind of angry. Does Stephan really think that little of me?

“Maybe next time, you could try not to do it at my expense,” he says angrily, as we pull up at his house.

His words sting, and I feel like crying. I’m not sure how to respond, so I don’t.

“Look, just give me a little time. I just need to clear my head. I’ll see you later.”
Stephan gets out of my car before I can say anything, and I sit there for a few seconds before moving.

What the hell just happened?

I’ve never seen Stephan overreact, especially with me. Did he really think that I would
use
him for entertainment?

I decide
not to ponder it too long. Right now, I am going to go see Stacy and Anna. Stephan would have to wait. I am not going to let
anybody
ruin my good mood.

I guess Stephan isn’t as perfect as I thought.

Just as I put my car in reverse, the passenger door opens. Stephan leans his head inside.

“I’m sorry. I don’t think you used me, and I shouldn’t have said that,” he apologizes, and then shuts the door.
And just like that, I am no longer mad at Stephan. I could never stay mad at him.

As I am backing out of Stephan’s driveway, my phone rings. It’s Alec.

“Hey,” I answer.

“Hey, Scar. I heard you’re going to see your sister Stacy this afternoon,” he says.

“Yeah.”

“You never told me about her before,” his voice sounds a little sad. “I’m surprised you didn’t trust me enough.”

“I’m sorry. It’s not that I didn’t trust you. I just didn’t like to talk about it. I was really hurt when I thought she ran away, and I didn’t really want the press running some bogus story about her. I really wanted to keep her a secret. I guess I thought if I was good enough, that Stacy would come back somehow.”

“So you have a niece?”
he asks.

“Yes. Her name is Anna
, and she is nine years old. I haven’t met her yet, but I get to today. I’m very excited. Stacy told me she is a big fan.” I can’t help but smile at that. She really will be excited to see me.

“T
hat’s awesome. Maybe when you go on your Christmas tour in a few months, she can come see a show or two.”

What? Did he just say Christmas tour?
“Alec, what do you mean
Christmas tour
?”

“It’s just a month long tour. You’ll do a few shows
— LA, Vegas, Miami, and a few other big cities,” he explains. “I thought I told you. It’s to promote the new single. You’ll sing a few Christmas songs and some of the stuff from your new album.”

“New single?”
I question.

“Well, as soon as your record company approves the material,
and they
will
, we’re going to get the single ready.”

“I thought we we’re waiting for the summer to tour,” I protest.

“Oh hush, you’ll only miss like a week of school, two weeks tops. And then you can finish your senior year before you go on a long tour, I promise.”

“Alec, you are going to be the death of me.”

“You know you love me.”

I sigh. “Of course I do.
But don’t push your luck.”

“I’m going to get things ready for Barry tomorrow, so I will talk to you later. Be home at a decent time. You’re crabby when you don’t get enough sleep.”

I roll my eyes, even though he can’t see. “Goodbye, Alec.”

4:14 PM

OH MY GOD!

I park my car on the curb in
front of the small apartment building. As I get out of my car, Peter and the rest of the camera crew rush in front of me. I glare at Peter.