I don’t realize until I’m in her arms how much I’ve missed her.
“Hey girl!” She screams into my ear so loud I think my ear drum might explode. “It’s so good to finally see you again.” She looks as beautiful as always in a mini black skirt and knee high, high-heeled boots. Her light blue top is loose and has cut-outs showing off her shoulders.
I sit down and fill her in on all the drama that’s been going on with Ethan. She doesn’t look too surprised, and I wonder how often she and Chase have actually spoken since he left Minneapolis.
I’m surprised because Mia has spent so much time working on her career; her stance on guys has always been the more the merrier. She serial dates through men as frequently as she buys new shoes. I make a mental note to ask her later for the real scoop because I can’t believe she would hide anything serious from me. Although how serious could it really be? If they’ve been talking it’s only been for the last ten days.
I’m lost in my thoughts when I hear Mia mention her favorite gossip website, Celeb Gossip. She looks at me nervously.
“What?” I ask, still unsure of what was said.
“I was just saying that I saw pictures of you and Zack in Boston.”
What? “There’s photos of me?” I choke it out like I’m going to vomit. My stomach rolls and I look for the nearest garbage can in case I actually do. I can’t believe there are pictures of me on the internet again.
“Yeah…you didn’t know?” Mia’s voice softens when she sees panic fill my face. “I thought you would have known, one of them is actually pretty good. I was saying that you look really happy.”
“How would I know? I don’t check that stuff. Do they know my name?” Of course not, there’s no way some gossip rag would know anything about me.
Her hand covers mine, stilling them instantly. I didn’t realize I was shaking. I close my eyes and breathe deeply. I shake my head, unable to speak. I open my laptop and type the address to the website Mia mentioned and gasp instantly.
“It’s okay, Nicole.” Mia never calls me by full name. Ever. And if she’s doing it now she must notice how close I am to completely losing it.
But it’s not okay. All it’s going to take is one person; one road crew worker or the bus driver, anyone who doesn’t know how important my privacy is to me, to leak my name. And an internet search by anyone will be able to splash my family’s accident all over the place. I don’t want that to happen again.
For months after the accident, news stations, newspaper and magazine reports, and television shows had hounded me about my life, Mark and Andrew, and the accident. It was practically the scandal of the century in Minnesota. Governor’s daughter causes deadly car accident while texting and driving; mom lies to cover it up and take the blame. Even the national media picked up the story at one point and ran with it. And then once the details of the settlement were leaked, everything started all over again. All I had wanted was to be able to grieve and mourn the loss of my family in private, and no one allowed me that courtesy. The thought of the news leaking again…it breaks me.
There are photos of me and Zack backstage at his concert a few nights earlier and then at a club everyone dragged me to afterwards. We hadn’t done anything special, I sat in the VIP section, refusing to dance, but had a great time regardless, drinking a couple of martini’s and watching Chase and Garrett ignore all the female attention. While Jake did the complete opposite.
My head spins as I see the photos like I’ve been thrown into a funnel cloud. I’m dizzy and suddenly nauseous and sweating. How could I not think this would happen? It’s the only thing I can think of. That….and I never should have come.
Zack didn’t leave my side that night. He has an arm around me in one, smiling down at me as he talks to me back stage. He was trying to convince me to go out with them. The other is us leaving the club. His arm is around my waist and I’m smiling up at him as we walk towards the car. I never even saw a photographer. I look enamored with him