Kiss & Sell (26 page)

“You sure you’re okay with this?”

Was I ready to have my first Homecoming dance exploited by some crazy reality show?

“Let’s get this show on the road,” I answered.

“Okay people, let’s take it from the top of the stairs,” a crew member yelled out across the living room.

“I’M SO SORRY
about all of that,” Ryder apologized once we were inside the stretch limo that MTV had rented for us.

After we’d finished filming at my house, and the crew had gotten the shots they needed for the show, Ryder and I had jumped into the car that was waiting outside, and headed to a restaurant two towns over for dinner before the dance. It was a good thing they’d gotten us a limo, because the cameras followed us inside and taped us as we made small talk and joked around.

It was interesting being on this side of a reality show. I’d always been a fan of the programs in the past, mostly because I was dying to see what it was like to live a celebrity’s life. And I know everyone says it’s scripted or that reality TV isn’t really reality at all, but I didn’t buy it. What I was beginning to see is that it’s real—to a certain extent.

Like, they’d have us start talking and if one of us said something that was funny, one of the producers would ask us to say it again to make sure they had it. Or if they felt like our conversation was getting a little stale, they’d “Suggest” topics for us to talk about. Some of these included celebrity breakdowns and comebacks, what we thought really went on at high school dances and whether the vampire thing was totally dead in its coffin.

Now that we were finally in the car alone and on our way over to the school, we found ourselves falling into a comfortable banter. One that didn’t include any of the previously mentioned topics. Instead, our conversation turned to Ryder, his work and the many rumors that were flying around about him.

“Did you really kiss your male co-star when you auditioned for
A New Dawn
?” I asked, unable to hide my desire for a little dirt. “I was looking for it on youtube, but couldn’t find it. Perez Hilton swears he’s seen it, though. So, what’s the real deal?”

“You went all you-tubular on me?” Ryder teased. “If you
must
know, there
was
a lip-lock and it
was
between me and a co-star. But it
wasn’t
who you think it was.”

“Who was it?” I practically shrieked with delight. “Come on, tell me. I promise I won’t say anything. I already kept this whole night a secret, which made my friends all pissed at me, by the way. I think I deserve something for keeping my lips zipped.”

I crossed my arms and pouted jokingly, while giving him my best version of puppy dog eyes.

“Aw, don’t look at me like that,” Ryder said, looking pained. “Fine. But it’s not in my nature to kiss and tell. Even if it was an acting thing.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. Spill!”

Ryder laughed and then looked around the empty limo dramatically before leaning over and whispering the name in my ear.

“No
freaking
way!” I screeched, causing Ryder to throw his hands over his ears. My mouth dropped open as I tried to picture the scenario that was now in my head. “Was that….”

“Awkward?” he finished for me. “A little, but that’s how it is when you’re doing kissing scenes. It’s just a job. And not nearly as romantic as it seems.”

I shot him a disbelieving look. no way him and his co-star had stopped ca-noodling when the cameras had been put away. The scene was practically famous among people my age and even earned “Best Kiss” at the MTV Movie awards. Even
I
wasn’t stupid enough to think you could put on a performance like that and
not
enjoy it just a little bit.

I totally loved Ryder, but even
he
wasn’t that good of an actor.

“Seriously,” he insisted. “When you’re shooting stuff like that, it’s really clinical. You’re given directions on where to put your head, how soft or hard to kiss, and when to hit your marks. You’re concentrating so much on everything you have to do, that you forget you’re even kissing someone in the first place. It’s not as fun as people think it is.”

“And what about you? What happens if someone buys your first kiss, and you think he’s kind of cool and cute—but you aren’t really sure if you like him? if you
go through with the kiss, wouldn’t you question whether you only did it because he
paid
for it? Or what it would’ve been like if it had happened organically? Do you really want your first kiss to be like a business transition?”

Huh. When Ryder put it in those terms, he sort of had a point. Did I really want my first kiss to be with someone who happened to have saved up enough of his allowance to buy my affections, instead of because he liked me?

But the alternative was that I might never be kissed if I didn’t go through with it. And if I had to go through the rest of the year watching everyone couple up but me, I might have to claw my eyes out or bite the bullet and join a convent already.

To be honest, I wasn’t sure which would be more painful.

“Saved by the bell, I guess,” he said, interrupting my thoughts. Ryder was pointing outside the car, and I turned to see that we’d arrived at the school. The limo slowed to a stop about 100 feet from the gymnasium and I watched as my peers passed by in their dressiest duds. A group of kids chatted excitedly, making jokes and fooling around as they walked toward the front doors. I felt a pang of sadness and guilt as they stopped to take a group picture, capturing the moment with their phones.

I suddenly realized how much I wished McCartney and Phin were there. If we’d shared a limo like we’d planned, we could’ve taken silly photos and giggled as we whispered secrets about how cute our dates were. But instead, they’d gone on without me, and my night hadn’t been the same without them.

No wonder I haven’t been kissed yet. I’m sitting here in this ginormous car with a date who’s more famous than Kim Kardashian’s booty, and all I can think about is how I wished I
wasn’t alone with him
.

“You okay?” Ryder asked, picking up on my silence.

I forced a smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Just wondering if my friends are inside.”

Ryder looked through the back window at the MTV van that had parked behind us. “All we’ve got left to do, is tape our pre-dance thoughts, and then we can find your friends and get our groove on,” he said, flashing me a dazzling smile.

“Pre-dance thoughts?” I asked, confused.

“Like a confessional. It’s where we talk to the camera about our expectations, what we’re feeling, that sort of thing. Then, we’ll do a wrap-up session after the dance and that’ll be it,” he said. “Don’t worry, the producers will prompt you with questions and you won’t have to answer anything you don’t want to.”

“Okay,” I agreed uneasily. “Where do we do this?”

“You stay here and I’ll do mine in the van,” he said. He hesitated before reaching out and placing his hand on mine softly. “You’ve been really great through this whole thing. I know how hard it can be the first time you have cameras in your face 24/7. I’m impressed. You’re handling it like a pro.”

“Good to know all those episodes of the Kardashians are coming in handy,” I answered jokingly. Even as I laughed, I was very much aware of the fact that Ryder was still holding my hand. And I would’ve done just about anything he asked as long as it meant I got to hold onto him longer. “Now I know how the celebs feel.”

“You have no idea.”

Ryder squeezed my hand and exited the limo with a lingering backward glance, leaving me with a tingly feeling inside. But before I could enjoy the feeling, a producer appeared at the door and motioned for a camera to be set up inside. Once again, the bright lights were directed at me and I put on my game face.

“Okay, Arielle, why don’t you start by telling us how the night has been so far,” the guy behind the camera said.

“Um, well, everything’s been great. Dinner was really nice and it’s been so much fun getting to know Ryder better. He’s a really nice guy and easy to talk to. And this limo is…well, it’s bigger than my room!”

“That’s great. now, why don’t you talk a little about what you’re looking forward to tonight.”

“Let’s see. I guess, just hanging out with my friends. You haven’t met them yet, but they’re really great. McCartney and Phin, those are their names. McCartney’s going with this guy, Zack? He’s a soccer player and I think she really likes him, even though she plays it off like it’s no big deal. And Phin’s going with,” I paused as I searched my brain for the info. “Actually, I’m not sure who he decided to go with. But it doesn’t even matter who he takes, he’ll be so goofy that he’ll be our comic relief for the night.”

I couldn’t seem to stop my rambling, so I just continued, unloading everything I’d wanted to talk to my friends about all week. Before long, I’d even forgotten that everything was being caught on film.

“You know, originally I was supposed to share one of these,” I motioned around the cabin. “We had it all planned out and everything, but then I had to back out because…well, because you guys were going to be taping everything,
and I had to sign that paper saying I wouldn’t tell anyone, and you made it clear that I couldn’t even tell my two best friends. To be honest, they’re kind of a little ticked at me right now, on account of the broken plans and all. So, I guess I’m just hoping they’ll overlook everything and that we can all still have fun tonight. I want our threesome back. They’re the best friends I’ve ever had and nothing’s worth losing them.”

When I finished, I took a deep breath, feeling like I’d just purged myself of all of my worries. Confessionals had nothing on these camera sessions.

The producer stared at me, his jaw slightly ajar in what I assumed was part awe and part shock. I felt my cheeks start to heat up. I was beginning to think that maybe there was such a thing as too much information.

I cleared my throat. “I mean…I’m looking forward to hanging out with Ryder and dancing with my friends!” I started over, this time in my most perky, I’m-a-teenager-with-no-problems voice.

“Thanks,” the producer answered, slowly. “I think we got it.”

And then they were out of there so fast, you’d think the car was on fire or something. I felt bad about going all oprah on them and spilling my guts like that, so I slid across the seat and followed them out into the parking lot to apologize. The last thing I wanted was to be portrayed as a psycho on national TV.

Only, Phin and McCartney were suddenly right there in front of me. I almost tackled them right then and there, I was so happy to see them. Then I remembered that they were still upset with me and looked away guiltily. My gaze fell on the camera crew that was still walking away, confirming that I had the worst timing
Ever
. I turned back to my friends and could see that this was going to be so much worse than the limo thing.

“Hey guys,” I said weakly. “You just get here?”

Even if McCartney hadn’t been wearing smoky eye makeup that left her looking dark and edgy, I would’ve still been intimidated by the harsh glare she was sending my way. And one glance at Phin showed me that he wasn’t far behind McCartney in the anger department.

“I’m so glad you’re finally here!” I said, taking a step toward them. Phin and McCartney’s dates stepped around them, and then stopped when they saw the three of us in a standoff. “If you want to wait a minute, Ryder will be finished and we can all go in together.”

I was praying they’d say, “Of course! Let’s go get our party on!” but I had a feeling that was just wishful thinking on my part. Instead, my friends gave me the stink eye, and promptly turned on their heels and walked away without a word.

“So, I guess that’s a no then?” I muttered, my excitement fading. Then, I took off after them to try and apologize. “Come on you guys, don’t go! If you let me explain…”

But they were already too far away and I couldn’t exactly ditch my date before we’d even gotten to the dance. So, with a final look at my friends, I headed back toward the limo and my date.

Ryder was leaning up against the MTV van watching the whole thing. If I hadn’t been so completely horrified that he’d seen my friends reject me, then I would’ve noticed how incredibly hot he looked standing there like that. When I got close enough, I could see the concern on his face.

“Everything alright?”

I shook my head no, but said weakly, “Yeah. I guess. It wouldn’t be a dance without a little drama, right?”

“Sounds about right,” he said. “Wanna talk about it? I’m not sure you know this, but I’m pretty good at the drama.
I’ll kick your butt for kissing my girlfriend! You never should’ve been named Homecoming King! How was I supposed to know she was really my cousin?
see?”

I raised my eyebrows at his impromptu performance.

“Hey, I’ve been a brooding teenager in two different TV shows and three movies. I can
do
drama,” he said with a wink. Then he handed me my purse, which I’d left in the car when I’d scrambled out of there to run after the producers. I smiled at Ryder as I placed the strap onto my shoulder and then took his outstretched arm. “Why don’t we head on over and you can tell me all about it on the way?”