Charlotte released us from the hug and grinned madly. I giggled into my hand at the sight. She wasn’t usually so bouncy. That was my role.
“Did you see the news this morning?” She waved her phone in front of us, but moved it too quickly for me to see. “Oh my gosh, I about died when I saw it. I can’t believe we met a real, live, movie star. I thought that party had been a total bust. But we just didn’t know. And then you spilled shrimp sauce on your shirt. But he was there for that, too, wasn’t he?”
I squinted at her, trying to understand her babbling rampage. Giving up, I leaned over to look at her boyfriend standing behind her with his hands stuffed in his jean pockets.
“Hunter, can you translate for your girl?”
He shook his head and grinned softly. The boy was country, from the rodeo buckle holding up his Wrangler jeans to his blue flannel shirt. His hazel eyes shone with fondness as he draped an arm over Charlotte’s shoulders.
“What Char Char is trying to say is the guy we met the other night at your dad’s work party is one of the actors in the movie they’re shooting.”
“Wait.” I held up a hand. “Who? What are you talking about?”
Charlotte’s eyes grew wide as she finally stopped bouncing. “The boy. The one that thought you were the paparazzi.” Her eyes darted around the busy hallway before she leaned in closer to whisper. “The one you...kissed.”
“No way!” Beth exclaimed, finally shoving her phone back into her pocket to give Charlotte her full attention. “Really? Let me see.”
I froze, my entire body stiffening. She couldn’t have meant Zane. That was insane. It just wasn’t possible. Laughter bubbled out of my mouth before I could stop it. I bent over at the waist, slapping my knee like that was the funniest joke I’d ever heard.
“You guys almost had me going. You’re good.” I pushed past them and went to my locker. It wasn’t much further down the hall. The bold green locker door swung open before my friends could surround me again.
“Lexi, I’m not joking.” Charlotte crossed her arms, hurt entering her eyes. “This isn’t a prank. It’s on the RockValleyBiz Instagram account. It’s legit.”
RockValleyBiz was the notorious gossip site of Rock Valley High. No one knew who ran it, but I suspected a few of the most popular girls in my class had their hands in it. I’d seen them whispering over the posts at parties, but hadn’t been able to fully infiltrate their circle.
Yet.
I was working on it.
“Let me see that.” Beth grabbed Charlotte’s phone and her gaze darted over the screen as if she were reading a major newscast. Her eyes grew wider the further she read, until finally, bright red spots appeared on her cheeks. “It’s true, Lex. Take a look.”
“Yeah, yeah, okay.” I quirked an eyebrow and took the phone delicately from Beth’s hand.
Now, they were all in on the joke. If that was how they wanted to play it, I’d give in and let them have their laugh. Zane wasn’t some famous actor. Famous actors didn’t hide in the shadows at parties. His dad worked on the film, just like mine.
Except, when I finally looked down at my phone, there was a picture of Zane. And it wasn’t from the party. It was him, looking absolutely dashing in a sleek black suit with a white t-shirt underneath. He had his arm draped over a gorgeous girl with jet black hair. And they stood in front of a white screen, as if they were attending a red carpet event.
“What the...?” I scrolled down to the description as fast as I could and read aloud. “Are up-and-coming Hollywood royalty expected at Rock Valley High? With the new shoot for Kicked starting soon, keep your eyes peeled for the star, Zane Rees. Zane is the son of the famous actress Maria Irving and it looks like he’s got acting chops of his own. Does any girl have a chance of pinning this bachelor down? Doesn’t seem likely with all the broken hearts left in his wake.”
My hand shook as I scrolled back up and stared at his photo. Sirens went off inside my head. It wasn’t a joke. Not even close.
That was what I got for not cyber-stalking a boy. Of course, he was the son of a movie star. And well on his way to becoming his own star. A guy didn’t have the right to be that gorgeous without being in the same line of business as Brad Pitt and K.J. Apa. The masterful curve of his jawline should’ve clued me in. Or the way he acted when I didn’t react to his name.
He’d left some very specific information out of his introduction...
“I’m guessing he didn’t mention anything about it.” Charlotte gently took the phone from my hand and tucked it in her pocket. She and Beth were both watching me carefully. Hunter must’ve smelled the girl drama in the air and booked it for his own locker down the hall. Smart man.
“Do you really think I’d be able to keep something like that a secret?”
My gaze darted between their stricken faces. They both shook their heads, not a moment of hesitation between them. Everyone knew I was horrible at keeping secrets. This would’ve been impossible to keep on the down low.
“Maybe he didn’t tell you because he didn’t want that to influence you.” Beth took her massive purple Bose headphones from a pocket in her backpack and strung them around her neck with a shrug. “It can’t be easy, with girls falling at your feet all the time.”
I closed my locker door with a sour expression. “Yeah, right.”
No guy I’d ever met had
