crossed at the light. Before they reached the other side, a van full of teenagers screeched to a stop and the door flew open.
“Zack Dylan!” One of the girls ran from the van and was nearly hit by a cab as she raced toward him. She screamed, waving her arms at him. “It’s Zack Dylan!”
“Zack! Wait for us!”
Zack and the bodyguards stepped onto the sidewalk and the girls surrounded them. They managed to reach in and touch Zack, tug at his shirt and put their hands on his arms and shoulders. The moment was easily one of the most out of control since the competition began, and Zack waved them off. “Hey, I gotta go! Sorry!”
“Just one picture, please, Zack?” Half the group was screaming, and as he and the bodyguards continued toward Starbucks, the girls stayed close. Zack could see where this was going. The girls would follow him into the coffee shop and he’d never get the chance to jump on Skype.
“You’re drawing a crowd.” The bigger of the two bodyguards turned to him. “What do you want to do?”
“I say you take a few pictures and get rid of them.” The other bodyguard shrugged. “You wanted to do this.”
The guy was right. Zack stopped and turned to the girls. As he did, the bodyguards took up their places on either side of him. “Okay, come on.” He found a smile that had become practiced in recent weeks. “Let’s take a picture?”
Again the girls screamed and squealed, but once he began taking photos, they quieted down. Each of the girls wanted a single shot, and then there were several group pictures. The girls had their hands all over him, and one of them leaned in to kiss his cheek before the nearest bodyguard put his hand up. “That’s enough. We have to go.”
The girls waved and squealed as he walked away. “Marry me, Zack!” one of them shouted. He could still hear them as he entered the coffee shop. One of the guards stayed outside. He couldn’t keep the public away, exactly. But he could try.
Zack checked his phone. He was ten minutes late at least. He took a table in the back corner, opened his laptop, and frantically logged in to Skype. “Hurry,” he whispered. He was still catching his breath from the commotion outside. “Be there, Reese. Please.”
After the first ring, she picked up, and like that he was looking into her eyes. “Hey . . . sorry I’m late.”
“It’s okay.” She didn’t seem angry. But her expression was so sad he could barely look at her.
He could sense the crowd gathering outside. The girls remained, and more were joining them. So far the bodyguard had kept them at bay, though Zack could hear the commotion building inside with the employees. Zack shut all of it out and tried to focus. “Reese, I’m sorry.” Their connection wasn’t perfect. She was probably using the Skype app on her phone. But it was better than they’d had in weeks. He had to hurry. “The video piece, that’s not how it is.”
Reese hesitated. She looked down for a long moment and then straight at him. “You kissed her.”
“It was a crazy night. She pushed me. I . . . I didn’t mean it.” He kept his voice low. People behind the counter were watching. “Reese, the whole thing lasted only a few seconds.” His words tumbled out, one on top of the other and he caught himself. Excuses would get him nowhere. Especially since at some point he’d have to tell her about last night, too. He pushed his fingers through his hair and breathed out. “I’m sorry. It was my fault. I was wrong. I . . .” Another sigh. “I’m sorry.”
Tears shone in her eyes, but she didn’t break down. “Thanks. For saying that.” So many details remained, but clearly she wasn’t interested. “Zack, I need to tell you something.”
His heart slammed against his chest. Outside he could hear the girls squealing his name, and inside, the workers had formed a half circle, whispering and staring at him. Zack was glad he had his back to the wall. No one else could see the computer screen. “Try to understand, please. I’ll fly home tomorrow if you want.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I don’t want that.”
“What, then?” Time was running out. If the girls got past the bodyguards, his conversation would be over.
“Zack . . . I’m moving to London. I leave in three weeks.”
“What?” The room began to spin, and Zack had to grab the edges of the table to steady himself. “Reese, don’t do this. Not until I get home so we can talk.”
“I’ve made up my mind. I already gave my word.” Until this point she had sounded strong. Now her eyes welled up. “It’s over.” Her voice cracked and she shaded her eyes. He’d done this to her, hurt her this way. Zack would’ve given anything to climb through the screen and take her in his arms.
“Reese, don’t! It’s not over.” He lowered his voice. Already everyone in the place was listening. He had no privacy, but he didn’t care. “I love you.”
She wiped her eyes with her knuckles and looked at him again, to the deepest places of his heart. “I’ll always love you. But it
Lines began to run horizontally across the screen and the sound crackled. He shifted the laptop a few inches each way. “No, Reese . . . you can’t do this. Please . . .”
“I already did.” Her tears spilled onto her cheeks, but she remained composed even as the connection grew worse. “It’s over. Don’t text me. It’ll be . . . easier that way. I can’t—”
The screen went dark. At the same time the bodyguard keeping watch inside stepped up. “We need to go. Just got a call from Gaines. Rehearsal starts in five.”
“Not yet.” His fingers flew across the keyboard, desperate to bring Skype back to life. He was too late. The signal was gone. Zack held his breath. He could’ve thrown his laptop through the window. Instead he had to smile. Devastated and in shock, unable to believe what had just happened, he gathered his laptop and followed the bodyguards out onto the sidewalk.
Like an actor playing a part, Zack smiled and waved and paused for photos with a crowd that had doubled while he was in Starbucks. He kept his easy grin in place while he crossed the street and returned to the practice hall. For the next hour, he danced with the group and acted excited about the upcoming show. But his broken heart was in Kentucky.
Only Zoey seemed to know something was wrong. She was still his dance partner, and though the two of them had been awkward since last night, she looked worried. She caught up to him during a five-minute water break. “What’s wrong? Tell me.” She hesitated. “You’re mad.”
“I’m not.” He took a long swig of water and stared at her. “Reese broke up with me.”
Her expression fell as if she were genuinely upset for him. “Can you . . . Will you try to change her mind?”
“Yes.” He held her gaze, keeping control on his anger. “As long as I’m breathing.” He turned and walked back to the dance floor. He had no right being mad at Zoey. None of this was her fault. He hadn’t seen his friendship with Zoey coming, let alone the attraction he’d felt last night. And by the time he realized how the producers were playing the situation, it was too late. He could only blame himself for the video segment and the kiss. Both kisses.
For all of it.
The kickoff show happened in a blur, like something from a dream. They performed their numbers and sat through a painful few hours while ten contestants were eliminated. The whole time Zack wanted to stand up and volunteer. A ticket home would mean he could start piecing his life back together. He was kept, like everyone expected, and when the final cuts were made the remaining ten erupted in hugs and celebrations. Zoey wrapped her arms around his neck, but he quickly turned and hugged someone else. He’d given the producers enough footage.
As the show ended, they signed a new set of papers, promising a portion of their earnings over the next three years to the show. Then they were escorted to a waiting Mercedes Sprinter van and taken to Del Frisco’s on Avenue of the Americas for a private dinner. After that they attended a front-row performance of
Zack felt numb through all of it. They sat him next to Zoey, but Zack might as well have been on a deserted island. His body was merely going through the motions. He kept smiling. Kept laughing. But he couldn’t keep track of the conversations around him. Couldn’t pray.
As if God Himself was back in Kentucky with everyone else he loved.
