Someone Else's Fairytale (40 page)

“This is the clip with the aliens invading right?”

“Yeah, isn't that interesting? I guess the director had connections with some aliens or something. It's all real.”

“Is it now?”

“But if you ask me, the aliens aren't the best actors.”

“Well, let's see. Let's roll it.”

The scene shifted to Jason, huddled in the dark with Corey Cassidy, next to the anthropology building, only it wasn't supposed to look like an anthropology building. I did notice, though, that their breath did not fog the air as they gasped with wonder. Lights shone across their faces as they watched something descend in front of them. The scene shifted to a bulbous craft, touching down, blasting the ground with gouts of what looked like dry ice. Definitely not anything that would actually slow down a descending spaceship.

Jason looked at Corey, who looked back. “They mention this to you in the evacuation order?” he said.

And the scene cut back to Jason on the set of
The Tonight Show.
Everyone burst into thunderous applause. I went back to my reading.

“So do we ever get to see the aliens?” the host asked.

“Hey, go watch the movie.”

More applause.

“All right, all right. Last question.”

I glanced up to see Jason sit up straight, as if bracing himself to be grilled.

“Are you seeing anyone?”

Lori nudged me.

“No comment.” He grinned.

“Look, you can't say 'no comment' and then smile like a cat who just ate a canary.”

“I never share my personal life.”

“Maybe, but I think we all know the answer, don't we?”

The whole audience booed. Jason's grin widened and he laughed.

“See?” said the host. “They know you're not available.”

“Not even remotely. But I'm not divulging any details, sorry.”

“Oh. My.
Gosh,”
squealed Lori.

My netbook chimed. Mom was calling on Skype. I went back to my room, away from the television noise, and answered it. “Hey.”

“Things are going well?” She smiled at me.

“Hmmm?”

“I just saw your boyfriend on television.”

“Oh, right. I think so. He's telling the world about me, kind of.”

“I
know.
He never says anything like that in interviews.”

“I wouldn't really know.”

“Well, I would. Not that I can blame him for letting it slip.”

“Uh, thanks.” I brushed that comment aside. Now was a good time to tell her I'd be in
New York
for the summer, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Despite the fact that I'd be there with Kyra, and that Jason wasn't a married man buying me off, I still felt embarrassed to admit that he was renting me an apartment. “Are you coming out for graduation?” I asked instead. It seemed innocuous enough.

“Am I invited?” She blinked in surprise.

“Um,
yeah
. You remember how you gave birth to me and all that?”

“Well, sure but-”

“Of course you're invited. You're my mother. But it's okay if you can't come. I know how it is with work-”

“When is it?”

I clicked over to the calendar. “Second Saturday in May.”

“I'll be there!”

“Okay... great.” I had the feeling this was supposed to be another mother-daughter bonding moment, but I just had the overwhelming sense that I didn't get her. She'd never cared about school before. What had changed? Then it hit me. “Mom, Jason can't make it. His movie opens in
Australia
that day and he's going to the premiere in
Sydney
.”

“Oh... Well that's okay, right?”

“Yeah, but just so you know.”

She smiled, brightly, but I could see it was forced. “I'll still be there. You'll be doing a speech, right?”

“Yeah, yeah.” It was official now, I was the class valedictorian.

My cell phone rang.

“That him?” she asked.

I looked. “Yeah.”

“Then I'll let you go. Bye!” She cut the connection.

I picked up my phone. “Hello?”

“I love you.”

“Nice interview.”

“Yeah? You okay with me talking about you?”

“I don't think it'll make your fans any less aggressive.”

He laughed. “One more day of interviews, then I'm coming home.”

I felt guilty all over again for missing the premiere of
That Day,
but the timing was awful. I had two big projects due for school, and since I never interacted with him in public, it'd just be me sitting in the back of the theater, though I knew Jason would have liked even that. “I miss you,” I said.

“Miss you too. I know it's late. Just wanted to call though. And I emailed you the info on your
New York
apartment.”

“Yeah, about that-”

“Please, let's not argue.”

“It's just-”

“I wanted you guys close. It's right by my hotel.”

“Jas-”

“C'mon, you wouldn't pick for yourself, so I picked. Just let me be nice to you for once.”

“You're always nice.”

“You never let me spend money on you.”

“Because-”

“You don't want to get used to it?”

“Sure. That's part of it.”

“Why not? You still have reservations about the future?”

“Okay, you're right. Let's not argue.”

“I love you.”

“Love you, too.”

“Night.”

“Night.” We hung up and I went back out to the front room. The commercial break was over and Gigi Malone, of all people, was being interviewed about another movie she had coming out. “She is crazy,” I told Lori.

“I can't believe you know these people.”

“Me neither. Random, right?” I sat back down in front of my book. “She is messed up, and she's got a thing for Jason.”

“Well who-” Lori bounded to her feet and ran out of the room to the bathroom.

“You okay?” I called after her.

I heard the sound of her retching.

“Whoa, Lori?” I said. I got to my feet.

“Sec.” The toilet flushed and the sink ran. A moment later she opened the door, her expression grim. “Well, guess that kind of gives it away, huh?”

“What? You're pregnant?” I was half joking.

She gave a sheepish smile.

“Really?”

“Yeah.” A broad smile spread across her face. “But we aren't telling anyone yet, so keep it quiet, okay?”

“Charles knows?”

“Oh yeah. He was there when I took the test. I think he's even more excited than I am.” She came back into the living room and sat on the couch, beaming.

Lori pregnant? That made my head spin. “Congratulations.”

“I know, I'm doing this out of order.” She shook her head. “But, it's kind of cool like this. It's an adventure.” She bit her lip. “Sorry... I know you didn't love having an unmarried mother.”

“Different situation.”

“You're not judging me?”

“I'll leave that to Matthew.”

"Yeah, I won't be telling him about this."

"But Charles is supportive?"

"Oh yeah. I mean, we were already talking about marriage, and this just makes it more certain. We'll make it formal
after
the baby and graduation and starting our new jobs and all that." She shrugged.

She didn't know the details, but she knew her long term future was secure with Charles. Despite my background, I envied her right then.

“This is going to be
so cool,”
Kyra was bouncing in her seat next to me on the plane. “You are the
best.”
We were on our way to
New York
and had just taken off from
Albuquerque
. The passenger on the other side of me, a middle aged man with a laptop case not all the way under the seat in front of him, shot Kyra an annoyed look.

And I wanted to throw up. This was all wrong. Kyra and her issues aside, Jason was paying more for this apartment than I'd paid in three years of rent on my house.

“You okay?” Kyra asked.

I tried to nod, but she wasn't stupid. I shook my head. “I'm nervous.” I forced a smile. “I hear you're a real handful.”

It was meant to be a joke, but she didn't take it that way. The bouncing stopped. Her shoulders slouched. She turned to look out the window. Her hair was done up in two pigtails silhouetted against the powder blue sky outside.

“No,” I said. “Okay, bad joke. I'm sorry.”

She dismissed me with a flick of her chin.

“People pick on you a lot?” I asked.

“What did Jen tell you about me?”

“Not much.”

“Liar.”

“Hey, come on. I don't lie to you. She's worried about you, and she's got you a catering job-”

“And she hates Nate.”

“Nate your boyfriend?”

“Yes.”

“I know nothing about him.”

Kyra turned her head enough that I could see one made up eye, looking me over. “He's your age.”

“What?”

“You really didn't know that?”

“Are you serious? How long have you been together?”

“Two years, almost.”

“That's not legal.”

She smiled, amused. “Ten years from now, it won't matter.”

“You sure you'll make it ten years?”

“Why not? You think I'm too young to know?”

“Well, yeah. The odds are against you.”

“Everyone thinks-”

“Okay, look, I'm not everyone. I was raised by a woman who started out like you, seventeen and in love. When she was your age, her relationship seemed like a fairytale to her and it was all going to work out. Suffice it to say, it didn't. I wouldn't wish my childhood on anyone.”

“I'm not pregnant.”

“Fine, but even if she'd had me three years later, or four, it wouldn't have mattered. She never grew up. Same problems.”

“And my guy isn't married.”

“No, but he's too old to be looking at you.”

“Jason is way older than you and my dad is way older than Jen.”

“Yes, but Jen and I aren't jailbait. We're grown women with degrees who know how to do stuff like pay bills and support ourselves. We're adults. You're not there yet.”

Kyra scowled at me and I realized that I'd said the wrong thing. I wasn't an expert on teenagers, but I was pretty sure they didn't like being called little children. Still, I was being truthful. That had to count for something.

“What's Nate do for a living?” I asked.

“Right now he's a mall security guard.”

“Okay.”

“But he's going to be a doctor.”

“He in med school?”

“No, he's still working on college.”

“Where.”

Her gaze darted from my face to the seat in front of her to the airline magazine tucked into its pouch. “This online program.”

“Stop right there. You're not talking sense. That's fairytale logic, not real world logic. He's not going to be a doctor.”