Holly Hearts Hollywood (20 page)

He smiled. “It’s no big deal,” he said, and he carried them into the kitchen. I heard them clatter in the sink and the faucet turn on. “So, did Lacey tell you about her dad? You didn’t respond to my texts.”

“Um, I’m not actually sure what I’m allowed to tell you,” I said cautiously as I walked into the kitchen. Grayson had rolled his shirtsleeves up to his elbows and was scrubbing furiously at a drizzle of syrup that had hardened. Steam was rising from the sink, and it made him look extra-dramatic as it engulfed him.

“Well, that’s great,” he muttered. “She was upset at the party and decided to make me leave early but decides to not call me or tell me why.” He looked over his shoulder at me. “Why you and not me?” His eyes were wide and looked hurt. It was a full-on puppy-dog look.

“I don’t know.” I walked over beside him. I grabbed a dishtowel and started to dry the plates as he finished them. I felt a bump of syrup under the towel, and I handed the dish back to him. “You missed a spot.”

He looked at me wryly and snatched the plate from me.

“Bossy,” he quipped. He picked the syrup off with his thumbnail, rinsed the plate, and handed it back to me. “I’m assuming Lacey has already told you about the tour?” he asked.

“No,” I said flatly, suddenly angry about it again. “She didn’t, and neither did you, may I add.”

He smiled crookedly at me. “Sorry, I assumed Lacey already let you know.”

I picked up the stack of dry plates and put them away in the cabinet. “I guess between the parties and when she woke me up in the dead of night, it slipped her mind.”

“We’ve known about it for over a week! We start rehearsals when we get back from New York.” I made an astonished noise, and Grayson continued. “Shell Shocked is sending us on tour together, as a couple.”

That last sentence made my internal organs hurt. I don’t know if it was because it reminded me so much of my conversation with Mr. Salazar the other day or because Grayson’s relationship with Lacey bothers me. Oh God, did I really write that? Why should his relationship with Lacey bother me? Sure, he kissed me, told me he liked me, and then stayed with Lacey despite all that, but for all I know, Mr. Salazar threatened to torture him if he broke up with her.

“That sounds very corny,” I finally said, after bitterly arguing with myself.

He laughed.

“It sort of is, but I guess the public loves us together. At least we know tickets will sell.”

“I guess so.” I wiped my damp hands on a hand towel. “Grayson, do you think the tour is a good idea?”

I didn’t know what came over me. I should’ve held my tongue since it’s none of my business, but I couldn’t help myself.

“What do you mean?” Grayson asked.

“You’ve only been dating for a couple of weeks, and now you’re going on tour together? That sounds like deciding to get married after the third date.”

Grayson laughed. “Yeah, I know it’s a bit sudden, but what’s the worst that could happen?” He looked at me, his eyebrow raised, as if daring me to tell him to change his mind.

I was about to say something else when I heard Lacey’s voice coming from the television.

Grayson’s eyes widened, and he looked at me. “Is that Lacey?”

We ran into the living room and saw Lacey on TV, looking fully-recovered from last night’s emotional outburst.

“My mom and I ran away from Cornflower Flats when I was eight,” she said. The news anchors leaned forward in their seats, eagerly listening to her. Lacey continued to tell her story exactly as she told it last night. Her eyes only welled up slightly instead of the ugly-girl sobbing she managed with me. I was so proud of her for telling the truth instead of lying like her mom wanted her to.

At the end of her story, the news anchors began to pepper her with questions, and Grayson stood up, flabbergasted.

“I can’t believe she couldn’t trust me with this,” he said, angered.

I was astonished and completely unsure of what to say.

“I’m sorry,” I said feebly.

“I’ll talk to you later, Holly.” He stormed out the door, leaving the guitars behind. I understand why Grayson is upset, but he can’t really be mad at Lacey for not sharing something so personal. Then again, Lacey’s weird. I don’t know why she didn’t tell me about the tour. I wonder if Lacey even wants me to go. Despite all of the parties, I doubt Lacey would want me by her side for all of those shows.

Later, 5:00pm—Home

Lacey called a few minutes ago. When I answered the phone, she sounded breathless, like she’d just run a marathon.

“Did you see me on the news?” she asked with the same enthusiasm a six-year-old would say to her mother after a dance recital. “Did I do okay?”

“I saw! You looked great! Do you think it worked?”

“Yeah, you were totally right! People are saying I’m
relatable
and brave! No one has ever called me brave before.”

“Well, you are brave, Lacey. And you don’t have to hide your past.”

“Thanks, girl. Has Grayson talked to you?”

I looked over at the abandoned guitars. “Uh, yeah. He came by earlier. He seemed pretty upset that you haven’t talked to him.”

Lacey sighed. “I was embarrassed. I thought he wouldn’t like me anymore.”

“You thought he wouldn’t like you because of your past? What kind of a guy would be mad at a girl for being abused?”

“I don’t know. Why hasn’t Keller called you yet? He got mad at you for no reason.”

My heart sunk. We may be just friends, but we fight like boyfriend and girlfriend. Only I don’t get to make out with Keller, so I only get to experience the negative aspects of dating someone. “Whatever, I’m not going to overthink it. When he’s ready to talk, I’ll be ready to listen.”

“You’re taking this easier than I would.” Lacey covered the receiver and said something to someone nearby. “Gotta go, I have to argue with my mom for a little bit about today’s interview, and then I need to call Grayson.” I felt a stab of guilt in my gut at the mention of Grayson’s name.

“That sounds like a good plan. Be careful, he’s mad.”

“Ugh, men,” Lacey groaned, hanging up.

Ugh, men
is right—especially when you’re dealing with boys. Somehow, I doubt college guys could be any better.

THINGS TO DO:

1.
  Pay phone bill! V. important

2.
  Call Jennifer and ask her about Spanish homework.

3.
  Call Grandma and Grandpa and reassure them I’m not a brainwashed California vegan.

Later, 9:00pm—Home

I guess today is “Randomly Show Up at Holly’s House” day. Keller walked into my bedroom a little while ago. Luckily, I‘d already put on a bra and some lip-gloss, so I was presentable. I was just…surprised when he walked through my bedroom door without so much as knocking.

“Whoa,” he said when he came in; his eyes swept the walls as he took in my shelves of collections. “What are these?”

My brow furrowed. “My collections. I’ve told you about them, like, a lot.”

He nodded and pushed his glasses up his nose. “Oh, yeah. Right.”

“What are you doing here?” I asked, a little weirded out by his sudden entrance and still kind of mad at him for being rude on the phone the other day.

Keller ran his hand through his silver hair and sighed. “I wanted to tell you I’m sorry I got mad the other day, and I forgive you.”

I balked. “You forgive me?” I repeated.

He nodded. “Yeah, for going out with Grayson and Lacey when you know I don’t like them.” I was stunned. I didn’t know what to say. But it ended up being all right because Keller went right on talking as if my opinion didn’t matter at all. “Anyway, I know you have to get ready for your trip, so I’ll leave you to it. I just wanted to say that in person.” He stepped across the room, around a pile of books, and gave me a quick side-hug. “See you soon!” he said, and then he was gone.

He didn’t even wait to see if
I
forgave
him.

The nerve of some people.

March 9
^th
, 2:30pm—Venice Beach

I should be packing my bags right now, but instead I’m on the beach, trying not to get sand in my eyes. I’m supposed to be buying last-minute travel toiletries at Target instead of trying to figure out the most comfortable way to lie on a towel and write at the same time. But Lacey decided to celebrate her successful interview, her making up with Grayson, and her purchase of a brand-new bikini with a beach trip.

I was sleeping in, as I felt I deserved it and didn’t feel like packing, when Lacey called. “Beach trip!” she screamed into the phone, which successfully jolted me from sleep.

“Beach?” I repeated. “But we have to go to New York tomorrow.”

“What a better way to prepare for New York than to visit a California beach? Besides, I got a new Dolce & Gabbana suit, and it wouldn’t hurt to have a couple pictures of me in the paper this weekend.”

“Okay, I need about an hour to get ready.”

“I’ll be there in twenty minutes,” Lacey said without pause. I walked out of my room, sleep still in my eyes, and almost butted heads with Ivy.

“Where are you going?” Ivy asked, her voice way too chipper for my taste.

“Um, the beach?”

Ivy’s eyes widened. “Can I come? I’m so bored, and you’re leaving tomorrow—without me, by the way.”

I sighed and thought about the pros and cons of having Ivy on such an outing. “Fine, but only if you help me pack for tomorrow.”

“Deal.” Ivy nodded.

Twenty minutes later, Grayson drove up in his pearl-white Escalade. My heart skipped a beat when I saw him. I think it’s because of the whole Mr.-Salazar-threatened-me-and-my-friends thing. Lacey stuck her head out the window and shouted, “Whoo-hoo!”

Seriously, she said
whoo-hoo
. I thought only college girls on spring break made noises like that. Grayson, of course, was chilling in the front seat with his aviator shades on. He wasn’t wearing a shirt either, only his swim trunks. Who does that? Won’t the cops pull him over for indecent exposure? Although, judging by how nice his abs are, they’d probably give him an award or something for looking so good.

So, Lacey had her head out the window, her bleached smile flashed, and she was starting to say something when she saw my sister. The smile fell.

“Hey, Holly,” she said cautiously. “Who’s this?”

“Um, this is my sister, Ivy. You’ve met before,” I reminded her. “At Grayson’s barbeque.”

Ivy, in a completely uncharacteristic move, stood there silently and awkwardly smiled. She looked like she wanted to throw herself off a cliff. Lacey, however, who always seems to wear her emotions on her sleeve, didn’t disappoint. She promptly curled her upper lip.

“How charming,” she said in a way that conveyed it was anything but charming.

“Nice to meet you,” Grayson chimed in from his spot in the driver’s seat, even though they’ve already met too. “Hop on in!”

Ivy, who is one of the most annoyingly energetic people I know, shuffled over to the car like a zombie. She wasn’t like this with Grayson, but maybe it’s because he’s a guy, and she’s comfortable with guys. Lacey is pretty intimidating, even more than Ivy can be when she’s PMSing. The ride over to Venice Beach was painfully awkward. Lacey, to her credit, tried to start up conversation with Ivy but to no avail. Ivy sat there looking ridiculously uncomfortable on Grayson’s leather seats. It was even worse when we got to the beach.

I don’t know if you’ve ever been to Venice Beach, but it can be a little weird. Just about every other storefront is selling medical marijuana. As we walked down the boardwalk, with bodyguards of course, Lacey and Grayson signed autographs, but it seemed like every Rastafarian wanted to talk to me about
bringing down the government, man!
Ivy looked like a deer caught in headlights. Ivy doesn’t like to be around people she considers “weird,” which is stupid since Mom is almost as weird as everyone in Venice Beach.

After Lacey and Grayson untangled themselves from their adoring fans, we trekked down to the beach where I proceeded to try not to vomit as they chased each other around the surf and made out. All for the benefit of the cameras, of course. They do, after all, start rehearsals for the tour in a few weeks, and they need as much media exposure as they can get.

At first, I tried to sunbathe in my Betsey Johnson tankini, but the wind kept blowing sand in my eyes and up my nose. I felt like I was in that scene from
The Princess Bride
where Buttercup falls into the lightning sand. If only Cary Elwes was nearby to rescue me. Instead, I flipped over onto my stomach, although I had to push my hair out of my eyes every fifteen seconds.

When Grayson went to get everyone some lemonade, Lacey came bouncing over. Every pair of eyes on that beach followed her. With her aquamarine bikini and messy-sexy hair, she looked like she belonged in the Victoria’s Secret swim catalogue.

“Having a good time, Holly?” she asked.

“It’s a bit windy,” I admitted.

Lacey plopped down next to me, sending little bits of sand flying in the breeze.

“Can I talk to you about something?” she asked.

“Yeah, sure,” I said. “What’s up?”

A couple of weeks ago, if someone had told me that Lacey would be confiding in me, I would’ve broken a rib from laughing so hard.

Lacey paused and considered her words as she slipped on her Gucci sunglasses. “Well, things with Grayson are great, despite our little disagreement the other day.” She looked at me seriously. “I really like him, Holly. I’ve never liked anyone as much as I like him.” I felt a little woozy then, but it might’ve been from the heat. “But,” Lacey continued, “Grayson has this huge fan base, you know? I mean, his fans are like,
crazy
about him. And they don’t like that I’m dating him. I’ve been getting some…rather horrible tweets. I hate social media,” she spat.