Now That I've Found You - Kristina Forest Page 0,54

you a million times? The girl you cried on my shoulder about? Great! That’s just great!”

“What do you care?” she yells, following after me out into the empty hallway. Now I see why no one came into the bathroom to disturb us. One of the Aliens Attack Earth 4 cast members is giving a drunken speech onstage, and everyone has their phones out to record him. “The only reason you never liked Celia is because when I was with her, it meant that I was spending time away from you. Do you know how exhausting it was being your only friend? To watch you get cast in lead roles at McKibben and have to pretend to be happy for you, like I wasn’t jealous?”

Now she’s crying too. The two of us standing in the hallway, sobbing in front of each other.

I don’t have time for my messed-up past with Simone. I have to find James Jenkins.

“I can’t do this right now.” Or ever. I turn away and head back toward the dance floor.

“I don’t know why you’re here, but you obviously don’t want people to know that you are,” Simone calls. “Imagine what people would say if they heard Evelyn Conaway’s granddaughter was out supporting James Jenkins. That Evie Jones finally made a public appearance again.”

I freeze and then spin around. I slowly breathe in and out, trying to keep my voice level. “You wouldn’t.”

“There you are.”

A warm hand smoothly slides around my shoulders. I look up to find Milo by my side.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” He takes in the expression on my face, the tears rolling down my cheeks. He looks from me to Simone, who is now staring at us, openmouthed.

“You’re in that band,” she says, pointing at him. “I’ve seen that video of you singing to the tourists in Times Square.”

Milo smiles tightly, nodding. “That’s us.”

“What are you, her boyfriend or something?” She stares at his hand on my shoulder. To me, she says, “I thought you had a rule about dating people in the entertainment industry.”

Milo makes a little noise and looks down at me. While his face remains impassive, I can tell that he’s thinking, So that’s what it is.

“We’re not dating,” I say, even though she doesn’t deserve an answer and has no right or place to bring up something I told her in confidence.

I pull on Milo’s arm. “Come on, let’s go.”

“But I don’t get it,” Simone continues, looking at Milo. “No one wants to work with her anymore. She’s basically a pariah. Why would you hang out with her?”

Milo frowns hard at Simone, and his fingers spread and tighten on my shoulder.

“It’s not worth it,” I say, continuing to pull him away, focused on getting to James’s VIP section.

“What the hell is wrong with that girl?” Milo asks, glancing over his shoulder. “And why were you crying? What happened?”

I don’t even have a chance to answer him before I hear Simone yell my name.

“Evie, wait!” she shouts. “Let’s take a picture together! You and me and your new friend!”

She’s shouting on purpose. She knows I don’t want to be recognized. Milo and I haven’t even made it out of the bathroom alcove when Simone grabs a nearby party photographer and points directly at me.

Loudly, she says, “That’s Evie Jones, Evelyn Conaway’s granddaughter. Remember, from Mind Games, the one Paul Christopher fired? I want to get a picture with her. Come on, Evie, let’s take a picture together for old times’ sake!”

The party photographer turns to me, confused. But just the mention of my name is enough bait. Slowly, he grins at me and lifts his camera.

I turn to Milo and say one word: “Run!”

Chapter Fourteen

We run to the exit, and the party photographer is right on us.

“Wait, wait! Just one picture, Ms. Jones!”

Milo bursts through the door, grabs my hand, and pulls me outside with him. A bunch of paparazzi are standing on the sidewalk, smoking cigarettes and waiting for grand celebrity exits. They startle at the sight of us.

“Who are they?” one confused photographer asks, but we keep running before they even have a chance to figure it out.

Behind us, I hear the party photographer say, “Apparently, that’s Evie Jones, the one Paul Christopher fired.”

Then all chaos breaks loose. And of course at the moment we need him, Adrian is nowhere to be found.

“Ms. Jones! Ms. Jones! Evie, can you tell us where you’ve been all these months?! Who’s the guy?”

I run faster than I’ve ever run in my entire life.