She stepped in front of the microphone and said, ‘I’m so surprised, but happy.’ Jackson gave her a huge, proud smile and Olivia knew that this might be her only chance to set the record straight about her and Jackson.
‘I know some of you might be disappointed by the video that you saw earlier – believe me, that took me by surprise. But so did falling for this wonderful person.
‘At the beginning of the year, I was a nobody – just a Jackson fan standing at the barriers when a film set in my home town was being shot. Then, in a blur, I had a role in a movie and a mega-famous boyfriend. It was totally overwhelming, but the best feeling ever.’
She smiled at Jackson and there were a few faint sounds of ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’ from the audience. The pink taffeta girl was grinning now. ‘We never meant to mislead anyone, but it was all so new that we didn’t want any more pressure on our relationship.’
She stopped, not sure if there was anything else to say.
In the pause, someone called out, ‘We love you, Olivia and Jackson!’ The old lady with the tiara clapped and nodded while the girl in pink whooped and cheered.
Next to her, Jackson applauded and winked.
‘Thank you so much for this award,’ Olivia said. She saw Harker standing in the wings giving her a thumbs up. ‘There’s just one more thing I have to say. A big “thank you” to my sister, Ivy. We are complete opposites, but she is the best person I know, and more people should be like her. Without Ivy, I wouldn’t be here today. We all need family, right?’
The auditorium exploded in applause, and Olivia felt so much better. Jackson scooped her up in a huge hug, which just made the audience cheer even louder.
When the noise settled, Jackson whispered in Olivia’s ear. ‘You have to announce the next award.’
Olivia nodded.
He pressed an envelope into her hands.
Olivia looked out at the audience, which had more welcoming faces now, and said, ‘I’m honoured to be able to present the next award: the Brightest Star award.’ The nominees were all written on the back of the envelope. ‘The nominees are: Beverly Bonds, Naomi Coleman, George Morrow . . .’ She had to take a deep breath before saying the next name, ‘Jessica Phelps, Mark Richter and Emily Tipman.’
As she fumbled with opening the envelope, a hush fell over the audience. She could see Harker watching from the side of the stage.
This was the biggest award of the night, and Olivia felt sure about who was going to win. She pulled the little card out of the envelope to confirm it.
‘Jessica Phelps,’ she read out and the audience burst into even louder applause.
Blonde hair flowing, Jessica floated out on to the stage. She’d changed her outfit and was wearing a long red dress with diamond studs and an amazing diamond choker. She looked classy.
Too bad she is everything but classy, Olivia thought. But she smiled and clapped along with everyone else. Jackson handed Jessica a trophy, and over his shoulder, Jessica gave Olivia a pointed look.
Jackson broke away and leaned over to the microphone. ‘Before we hear from our winner, let’s watch her tribute video.’
He kept clapping and turned to watch the big screen. A familiar face appeared.
‘Hi, I’m Charlotte Brown. You don’t know me – yet – but I’ve got a secret to share with you.’
Olivia was stunned. She looked at Jackson, but he seemed just as confused.
‘I have a special tribute video to show you about my new friend Jessica. I want people to know the truth about your favourite movie star.’
Charlotte’s face disappeared and a grainy shot appeared of Jessica in the Meat and Greet. It was obviously filmed on someone’s camera phone.
Olivia snuck a glance at Jessica, who was beginning to look concerned.
Jessica’s voice rang out clearly, thanking a fan.
‘You guys are the reason that I do what I do, and I love you all!’ She gave the slightly overweight girl a hug.
‘I heard you were going to star in the movie of Eternal Sunset,’ said the girl.
‘Oh, I would be honoured just to audition for that role,’ Jessica said sweetly.
The girl beamed.