11:59 am
Stephan Montgomery has a heart after all...
After study hall, Stephan follows me out into the hallway.
“Want to eat lunch with me?” he asks.
“Are you ok with eating with Ethan?” I ask him.
He sighs. “Come on, Scarlett. What is the deal with you and my stepbrother?”
“He's my friend,” I answer, firmly. “Ethan is cool. I don't know what your problem is with him, but you need to get over it. He is your family.”
“He is not my family. He's just the son of the man my mother married.” His voice is bitter. “As long as you eat lunch with him, I won't be there.”
Before I can respond, Stephan storms past me.
Whatever. If he's going to act like a child, I'm not going to follow him.
“Scarlett?” the brunette with the green eyes from yesterday walks up to me. “Hey. I thought I would try again. Yesterday, we got off on the wrong foot. I would like to be your friend. Would you consider eating lunch with me and my friends?”
I want to say hell no, but then I think of Ethan. What he sees in this girl, I will never understand. “I would like that, but only if I can invite my friend, Ethan.”
I see her smile falter a little, but she quickly recovers. “That would be fine. But really, why Ethan?”
As badly as I want to smack her across the face, I don't. “Why not? He is really nice. He's been such a great friend to me... And he's kind of hot.” Hot is a bit of a stretch, but he is nice looking. Any girl would be lucky to be with him.
She thinks about it for a moment. “Yeah, I guess he is kind of cute.”
I follow her towards the cafeteria, and decide to talk up Ethan. “You know, I kind of think he looks a little like Thor.”
She laughs, but I can tell it's fake. “Ok, well, you can grab your friend and meet me at the table. We sit in the direct center of the lunchroom. It's where all the most popular girls and boys in the school eat.”
Like I really care who sits at the “popular” table!
I turn and walk towards the far right, where Ethan and I always sit. He's waiting there for me.
“Hey, Scarlett.”
“Hey. Good news. We're sitting with that cheerleader girl that you like,” I say. “So come on.”
“What?”
“Come on,” I motion him. “Your dream girl awaits.”
After a few seconds, Ethan finally gets up and follows me to the popular table. I want to vomit at the thought of sitting there, but I have to hold up my end of the bargain.
“Hey! So glad you two could eat with us!” The cheerleader scoots down for me and Ethan. I take the seat furthest from her, so Ethan is forced to sit by her.
“Hey, Mona,” he says, shyly.
Mona, why can I never remember that name? Though, I guess I've always been bad with names.
Everybody around the table takes turns introducing themselves to me. I'm glad that none of them ask for my autograph, though I suspect Mona asked them not to scare me away.
Most of the people sitting at the table are either in sports, or they are cheerleaders. Apparently baseball and basketball are a big deal at this school. Only a couple of people sitting at the table aren't into sports, and I can tell by their designer clothing that they must have rich parents.
I wonder why they don't like Ethan. He's the hottest guy at the table, and he obviously has wealthy parents. Their house is next door to mine, right on the beach. A beachfront property, even in a small town like this, costs a lot of money. And I've seen the cars parked there – they aren't exactly driving old beaters. I'm pretty sure I saw his dad driving a Hummer, and his mom has a red Corvette.
Maybe they don't know?
I shake off the thought almost as quickly as it comes. I know that's not the case, because in a small town like this, there are no secrets. There has to be a lot more to the story. Ethan definitely isn't telling me everything.
I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket. I pull it out to see a missed call from a blocked number. There is a voice mail.
“I'm sorry, guys,” I say to nobody in particular. “I have to take this.”
Before anybody has a chance to respond, I get up and walk out of the cafeteria as fast I can. Nobody, not even Stephan or Ethan, has my number. Just my parents, managers, record company, and Alec. I need to know who the call is from.
Ever since my sister disappeared, every time I get a call from a unrecognizable number, I think it's her. I'm usually disappointed, but I never give up hope. I can't. I even hired a private investigator.
Once I'm out of the cafeteria, I keep walking and head out the front doors of the school. Once I'm outside, I put my phone up to my ear, and listen to the message.
“Scarlett, this is Andrew Davis,” I listen. My heart jumps when I hear my P.I.'s voice on the other end. “I have a lead on your sister. I'm not sure if this is just another dead end, but it looks promising. I'm in South Carolina. I should get back in touch with you in a couple of days at the most. Talk to you soon.”
I lean against the side of the brick building and close my eyes. I try to picture Stacy, but when I think of her, I always see the 17 year old version of her. I know that she's 26 now, though. I wonder if she has her own family, if she's married with kids. I wonder if she still looks the same. I wonder if she would be proud of me.
I shake my head, and push myself off the wall. No, she would not be proud of the person I've become. I've had less than a stellar life. I let fame and fortune go to my head. But maybe she would be proud of my decision to come here – my decision to get my life straight.
“Is everything alright?” I hear Stephan's voice.
I nod, and wipe the tears away from my cheeks. I hadn't even realized I was crying. “Yeah, everything is... perfect.”
“I saw what you did for him... for Ethan...” he half-smiles. “Even if I don't like him, because of my mom's decision to marry his dad, doesn't mean I don't know he's a good guy. He doesn't deserve the way they treat him. Thank you for that.”
“Wow. Stephan Montgomery has a heart after all.”
“Who would've thought,” he jokes.
3:00 pm
Queen Bitch.
I'm heading out the front door of the school, about to walk out to my car, when I hear somebody yell my name.
“Scarlett!”
I think momentarily about ignoring the person, because I figure it's just going to be somebody asking for my autograph, but I stop anyway. I turn around to see a girl that I sat with in the cafeteria. I think her name was Nicole. Or Nancy, maybe? N something. Or maybe Mary?
“Hey,” I say.
“I'm Demi,” she reminds me.
Wow, I wasn't even close.
“I just wanted to say, it was nice of you to sit at our table,” she smiles. “But next time, you need to understand, that Ethan is not welcome.”
I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes at her. Who does this girl think she is? Regina George? For a moment, I feel like Lindsay Lohan, and can't help but laugh. “Trust me, there definitely won't be a next time.”
“Before you get all judgmental, maybe you should talk to Ethan about this. There's a reason that we don't like him,” she pauses for a second. “Actually, maybe you should ask Stephan. He knows the story better, and you seem to be pretty cozy with him.” She turns around and walks away from me.
What a bitch.
I continue to walk to my car, Stephan is waiting there for me.
“Everything ok?” he asks, noticing the distressed look on my face.
“Yeah,” I say, shaking my head. I quickly decide that Mona is not the girl for Ethan... Now just the convince him of this. “I'm actually coming to your house today. Ethan is tutoring me again.”
Stephan looks a little disappointed. “Oh.”
I smile. “Somebody is jealous.”
He shakes his head. “No, not at all.”
“I'm not into Ethan like that, you know. In fact, I happen to know he's into somebody else,” I say for his benefit. “I'm just not sure the girl he likes is the right girl for him.”
“Yeah, I've tried to tell him,” he sighs. “Mona is the queen of this school, and she is a bitch. I don't see what he sees in her. Or what anybody sees in her, for that matter.”
His voice is bitter, and I couldn't help but wonder what happened between him and her. “So... Are you going to tell me what she did to make you hate her so much?”
“Let's just go home,” he says, opening the passenger side door.
I walk around the car and try to shake it off. Stephan is acting weird. I get in the car, start it, and put on my seat belt. I can't handle not knowing. It's going to eat me alive until I know.
“Sorry,” he says. “I just don't want to talk about it... About her... It's nothing personal.”
“What, is she like an ex girlfriend or something?” Great, now I sound like a jealous girlfriend.
He laughs, bitterly. “I definitely never dated her.”
“Ok.” I say, inwardly sighing in relief.
“Are you ready for tomorrow night?” he asks, as we pull out of the parking lot of the school.
“I am very ready. Tuesday night was so much fun. I still can't believe that was just practice for you guys.” I pause. “Actually, I'm hoping that I can race next Friday night.”
“I don't know, Scarlett,” he says. “It's kind of a big secret, and having you race... It could blow everything.”
“What? Like I'm going to tell everybody about it?” I roll my eyes at him. “I don't even have friends here, besides you and Ethan that is. Who am I going to tell?”
“I don't know... Just, don't tweet about it, ok?”
I can't help but laugh at that. “I haven't been on Twitter since Monday.”
“Me either,” he says, sheepishly. “I had to sign out of it on my phone. I keep getting hate tweets.”
“I wonder why...”
“Seriously, you have some loyal fans. They were threatening my life.”
I shrug. “Guess you won't mess with Scarlett Ryan again.”
Stephan shakes his head. “You should really stop referring to yourself in the third person, Scarlett Ryan. It's kind of creepy.”
I roll my eyes jokingly. “I'm Scarlett Ryan, and I don't have to take this.”
Stephan just shakes his head.
3:15pm
Weird.
We pull into Stephan's house at 3:15, and I'm surprised to see his mom's car is there. She's rarely ever home, especially during the day. Stephan stiffens when he sees her car.
“Should I just go home?” I ask, not wanting to intrude. We definitely aren't at the meet my parents stage... Far from it, in fact.
“No!” he answers quickly. “It's fine. You can meet her. She'll love you.”
“Wow. Stephan Montgomery is introducing me to his mother.”
“Well, I wouldn't introduce just any girl to her,” he smiles.
Damn, his smile should be illegal.
“I hope she likes me.”
“She will. In fact, she already does. She's a big fan. She's never missed a TV appearance with you.”
“Great...” I roll my eyes.
“Hey, I was just warning you.” He takes off his seat belt. “Come on, I'll protect you.”
“Fine. Let me just tell Bob I'll be here tonight and he can take the rest of the night off.” I get out of my car, and Bob is parked behind us. Stephan waits for me at his front door.
“Hey, you can just take off the rest of the night. I'm going to be here all night anyway,” I tell him.
“Ok, Miss Ryan. I will see you in the morning.”
I follow Stephan inside his house. Ethan hasn't made it back from school yet, so I follow him into the kitchen where his mom is pouring herself a glass of ice tea.
“Mom.” She looks up at him, and smiles, then looks over at me. Her glass is full of tea, but she keeps pouring. It is slowly overflowing onto the counter. “This is my friend, Scarlett Ryan. Scarlett, this is my mother, Sarah James.”
His mom finally notices what she's doing and immediately puts down the jug of tea. She wipes up the spilled tea off the counter. “It's so nice to meet you, Scarlett,” she says in a very controlled voice. “I'm a big fan. Um, Stephan didn't tell me that you two were friends.”
“Are you ashamed of me?” I joke with Stephan.
“Would you like to stay for dinner? I know that my husband would be thrilled to have you,” she urges me.
“Sure,” I say, then look at Stephan. “I mean, as long as it's alright with Stephan.”
“Of course it is!” Sarah jumps before Stephan can even respond.
I hear the front door open and Ethan walks into the kitchen. He looks annoyed. “Ready to study?”
“Yeah,” I say. “Nice to meet you Mrs. James.” I turn to Stephan. “You want to study with us?”
He shakes his head. “You two go ahead.”
4:25 pm
Mind your own business.
“Enough studying!” I tell Ethan after only 45 minutes. I feel like banging my head against the wall. “If I see one more math equation I may kill myself.”
Ethan get's a very serious look on his face. “That's not funny, Scarlett. Suicide is not something to joke about.”
“It was just an expression. I'm not actually suicidal. I'm sorry if it offended you, but I promise I'm not going to off myself,” I quickly say.
He sighs. “Sorry. It's just a sensitive subject for me.”
“Why? What happened?”
“I don't really want to talk about it.”
I nod, and decide to change the subject. “So, I was thinking about Mona. She's kind of a bitch. I think you should set your sights on somebody else. Maybe somebody with a personality.”
“And maybe you should mind your own business.” His voice is cold, and very unlike him. “Seriously, don't act like you know anything.”
“I'm not,” I defend myself. “Seriously, get a grip, Ethan. The girl sent her clone to tell me that as long as you were with me, I wasn't welcome at her table. Do you really want to be with a girl like that?”
He doesn't answer.
I get up and gather my things. I'm so furious that my hand is shaking. I'm about to open the door, but Ethan stops me.
“I'm sorry, Scarlett. It's just really complicated, but it's not my story to tell.”
“Stephan?” I ask.
“Yeah,” he says in a whisper. “But, don't ask him yet. Let him tell you when he's ready.”
I nod my head, but don't say a word. Honestly, I think I may be scared to. I walk out of his room.
4:40 pm
The 'L' word.
I walk down the hallway and eventually I find Stephan sitting in his room. He's listening to music, but he has his headphones on so I can't tell what is playing. I sit beside him on the bed, and he looks up at me smiling.
“Hey,” he says, pulling off his headphones.
“Hey,” I repeat. I look around his messy room. It's exactly how I pictured it would be. Posters of classic cars are hanging on the wall, his bed is black, and clothes are spread out across the floor. “No poster of me?” I ask, trying to act hurt.
He rolls his eyes. “I'm not the kind of guy who lusts after what he can't have.”
“Who said you can't have me?” It's a joke. Sort of.
“Um, duh, you did.”
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes.
“Pull out your phone,” he insists.
“So you can update my Twitter again?” I ask, shaking my head. “No way.”
“Seriously. I promise not to update your Twitter, Facebook, or whatever other social network you have...”
I pull out my phone, and hand it to him. “If you're lying, I will cut off your balls.”
He grabs my phone, and gives me a serious look. “That's not funny.” He scrolls through my phone, and then holds it up to me. It's the tweet from Monday.
@RockStarScar: I have no clue who @Stephan_Montgomery is, but I can assure you, I will NEVER be in his pants.
“Why try?” he asks, smiling. “You obviously don't want me.”
“Fine...” I click at my phone and then hand it back to him. He smiles.
@RockStarScar: I take back what I said about @Stephan_Montgomery. I have every intention of getting in his pants.
He clears his throat.
“Oh my gosh, Stephan! Are you blushing?” I joke with him.
“Just because you want me doesn't mean I want you,” he says, smiling. I know he's joking, but he's trying to sound serious. “I am not easy. I don't give just anybody the golden ticket.”
I laugh when I realize that he quoted what I told him the first day. “Who says I won't work for it?”
“Ooooh, you play dirty,” he raises his eyebrow at me. “But, two can play at that game.”
My phone vibrates in my hand, and I look down to see the tweets pouring in. I turn my phone off and set it on the desk beside his bed.
“Whoa,” he says with disbelief. “Miss High and Mighty Rock Star is turning off her phone? Whatever will you do without your adoring fans telling you how awesome you are every five seconds?”
“I guess I'd rather listen to you tell me how awesome I am.” I flutter my eyelashes at him.
He throws a pillow in my face.
“HEY!” I throw it back.
He looks at me, and I swear I can see desire in his eyes. He moves closer to my mouth, and says, “I think you already know how I feel about you.”
“It's still nice to hear it out loud.” I never once look away from his lips, which are literally inches from mine.
“No matter what I feel, I'm not going to tell you after knowing you four days.”
“I've told you more about me in these four days than I've ever told anybody else.” It's the truth. I've never been close to anybody, at least not since Stacy ran away.
“I at least have to take you out on a date first. Then I can kiss you.” He pulls back, but I'm actually not disappointed. I smile, and have no idea what to say. Nobody has ever said anything that sweet to me before. I think I can definitely get used to small town guys.
No, it's not just small town guys. It's Stephan.
“I think I may be in love,” I joke.
He laughs. “And I definitely won't say the L word for a really long time.”
“Are you scared of love?”
“No,” he shakes his head. “I'm just realistic. I won't say it until I'm one hundred percent certain that it's true. I don't think the word should just be thrown around. It kind of means less if you do.”
“I've never been in love,” I admit.
“Me either.” He hesitates, then says, “Unless you count my car, and I'm definitely in love with my car.”
I laugh, thankful that the subject was lighter. “You have a serious problem.”
“You're telling me. There is this blonde rock star who won't leave me alone. Seriously. I think she's stalking me.”
“I can leave,” I say, getting up.
“NO!” He pulls me back down onto his bed. “I kind of like that you're always around.”
“You should! You invited me!”
He shakes his head. “No, my stepbrother did, and then my mom asked you to stay.”
“And what if they wouldn't have asked me to come over?” And I am officially one of those girls. You know, the kind who fishes for compliments.
He smiles. “Well, I guess I would just have to ask you myself.”
It took everything in me not to let out a girly squeal when he said that. Wow. Could Stephan Montgomery be anymore perfect?
Probably not.
7:00 pm
Dinner with the James's.
When I was invited to dinner, I expected take out – pizza, Chinese food, maybe even Indian food. What I did not expect is an actual home cooked meal. I don't think I've had one of those... ever.
Spread out across the table is true southern comfort food – fried chicken, mashed potatoes (or taters at Stephan's mom calls them), cornbread, and gravy. I'm also pretty sure there is nothing on this table that my nutritionist would approve of. I decide that this weekend, I'm getting a gym membership.
“Wow, Mrs. James, this looks amazing,” I compliment her, as she hands me a huge plate of food.
“Call me Sarah.” She winks.
Stephan's mom is cute. She looks like somebody you would see on The Real Housewives of New Jersey, but she has real southern charm. It was a weird combination. I could even hear a little bit of a southern accent, if I wasn't mistaken.
“Where are you from, Sarah?” I ask.
“I'm from Atlanta. I moved here when I married Stephan's father,” she answers proudly. “What about you darling? You always live in Los Angeles?”
I shake my head. “I'm actually from Seattle. I moved to California when I was 10. I think I like it here the best though. It's nice to get away from the big city.”
“What made you choose Hope?” she asks.
I feel my face grow warm. I chose it simply because of the name – Hope. I haven't had hope in a long time. But I'm certainly not going to say that to her.
“I threw a dart at a map,” I joke.
Everybody laughs and thankfully that is the end of that conversation.
I enjoy every moment of my dinner with Stephan's family. His step dad isn't there, but I figured he was working late. I couldn't remember the last time I ate dinner with my parents, and we never ate at home. My dad likes me to be seen in public as often as possible. He isn't happy unless I grace the cover of all the gossip magazines, and tabloids. Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to have normal parents. But, that isn't going to happen.
After dinner, Stephan walks me home. He kisses me on my cheek. It is the best kiss I have ever received. And I actually go to bed at a decent time. I am very much looking forward to the next day.
Friday, September 11
7:00 am
Good Distractions.
I wake up with Friday by Rebecca Black stuck in my head. Seriously, it is the most annoying, yet oddly catchy song in the history of music.
I quickly get up, and get ready for the day. I'm excited because, today IS FRIDAY, which means the races are tonight. I'm more than excited about it. I have no idea what I'm going to wear, but I decide I will stress about that after school.
I ride with Stephan again, which is quickly becoming part of my normal routine.
“You look good,” he says, looking at my legs. Today, I'm wearing a short jean skirt.
“I'm up here.” I try to sound offended, but I'm mostly turned on. I like it when Stephan looks at me like that. I will wear short skirts everyday as long as he continues.
“I'm pretty sure you're down there too.”
I try not to laugh, but I can't help it. “Oh my god, Stephan, you are my favorite person. Seriously.”
He smiles, and I swear I feel my stomach drop all the way down to my feet. “The feeling is mutual.”
Deep breath, Scarlett.
WOW.
Yeah, I'm pretty sure I like Stephan a 100 times more now.
“You ready for the races tonight?” he asks.
I nod, still trying to catch my breath.
“Wear something sexy. It'll distract the other drivers,” he winks.
“Will it not distract you?” I flutter my eyelashes at him.
He thinks for a second. “On second thought, you should probably wear baggy sweat pants and a t-shirt.” He pauses. “Actually, you'd still be distracting. You're just too damn hot.”
“Ok, well I'll do my best to look hideous.”
“Hey, I don't mind being distracted. You're a good distraction. If I crash and die, I will die happy.”
I put on my best serious face. “Don't crash your car before I get a chance to drive it.”
“It's a good thing you're pretty, cause if you weren't, I'd make you walk home from school today,” he says, as he pulls his car into an empty spot.
“So what if I didn't have my looks anymore? Like maybe my face gets burnt in a fiery explosion...”
He shakes his head sadly, “I'd have to dump you.”
I laugh, because I know he's joking. “You know, Stephan, we actually have to be dating for you to dump me. And I'm pretty sure you've never asked me to be your girlfriend.”
“That hurts, babe.”
I roll my eyes and get out of his car, laughing the whole time.
12:03 pm
I just want you for your body
At lunch, I get a call from Alec, so I decide to skip lunchroom drama and just talk to him instead.
“Hey, gorgeous,” Alec greets me.
“ALEC! I seriously miss you!”
“Me too,” he says sadly. “But hey, I'm coming next week! I'm going to hand deliver your car.”
I let out a squeal. “Oh my gosh! I can't wait! Seriously.”
“I should be there Friday, so don't make plans! You're mine the whole weekend.”
“I actually have plans on Friday night,” I say. “But you're totally invited!”
He laughs. “Do you already have a high school boyfriend?”
“No,” I say quickly, then add, “Not yet.”
“Yet?” I can practically see him rolling his eyes through the phone. “Tell me about him.”
I sigh dreamily. “Oh, Alec, he's amazing. You will love him. He's super hot. But he's so much more than just a pretty face, and nice body. He makes me laugh. He actually listens to me. He doesn't like me because I'm Scarlett Ryan, Rock Star. He likes me because I'm Scarlett Ryan, Person.”
“I can't wait to meet him! And if he breaks your heart, tell him that I will hurt him.”
I laugh, because Alec is small. “He's twice your size!”
“Fine. I'll have my bodyguard hurt him. But hey, I have to go. I can't wait to see you next weekend!”
“Me too! Love you!”
“You too.”
I hang up, and jump when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see Stephan standing there. I feel my face turn red. “How long have you been standing there?”
He smiles. “Long enough to know that I'm hot, but so much more than that.”
“Gah!” I want so badly to hide my face.
“I can't believe it. Scarlett Ryan has a crush on me!” He jokes with me.
A crush? Really? Is this what a crush feels like?
“Please. I just want you for your body. What I feel for you is strictly lust,” I say, looking him up and down very slowly. His jeans are tight today, and I like them.
My phone vibrates in my hand, and I look down to see Andrew Davis, my P.I., calling.
“I have to take this.” I turn and walk away from him. I don't want anybody to hear this conversation. I'm not sure why I don't, I just don't want him to think that it's stupid, trying to find Stacy.
“Hello,” I answer.
“Hey, Miss Ryan. I have some good and bad news for you. But I think we need to have this conversation in person,” he says. “Are you in LA?”
“No, I'm in Hope, Florida.”
“Oh,” he hesitates. “Well, I'll be getting on a plane. Can I meet you tomorrow morning?”
“Yeah. I'll email you my address.”
“Ok. See you then.”
I click end on my phone just as the bell rings. I don't have time to think about the conversation we just had.
8:55 pm
First date.
The races don't start until 11 that night, but Stephan wants to take me out to eat before the races. He says that this definitely counts as our first date (which means he can finally kiss me). I am definitely ok with that.
“You look beautiful,” Stephan tells me as I open the door.
Tonight, I am wearing a short white dress. It does look good. It hugs me in all the right places and it shows a lot of leg, which I know Stephan likes. I'm also wearing a pair of four inch, hot pink stilettos, so my butt looks awesome.
“Thanks,” I smile. He's wearing a pair of dark denim jeans. They're tight, just like I like them, and he's wearing a white, button up shirt, with a black dinner jacket. He's wearing his black Chuck Taylor's, which is what he always wears. “You look pretty hot yourself.”
We walk out to his car, and he opens the door for me to get in.
“You're spoiling me,” I tell him as I get inside.
“You deserve it, Scarlett,” he says, shutting the door.
As he walks around the car, I can't help but let out a little squeal.
I know I say 'wow' a lot, but WOW. I can't get over how extremely wonderful and perfect Stephan is! He is seriously raising the bar when it comes to guys I date. No guy will ever be able to measure up.
He gets in the car, and starts it up. He looks over and smiles. “Wow. I'm taking Scarlett Ryan on a date.”
I laugh. “If you're nice, maybe I'll let you take me on a second date.”
On the way to the restaurant, Stephan asks me a ton of questions. It is nice, somebody actually trying to get to know me, and not just dating me for the publicity.
“When is your birthday?” he asks.
“July 27.”
“Leo?”
I nod. “Yep.”
He laughs. “Figures. It must why you're so stubborn.” He doesn't give me time to ask him a question before he starts asking me more questions. “Favorite band or singer?”
“That changes daily,” I answer. “Today it's Ke$ha, yesterday was Scissor Sisters, tomorrow who knows?”
“Ke$ha?” He crinkles his nose. “Have you ever met her?”
“Just in passing,” I say. “Music awards, and other red carpet events. She's kind of weird, but that is why I like her music. It's unique.”
“Well, I suppose I should be glad you didn't say Justin Bieber.”
“He's really talented,” I defend him. “I have a few of his songs on my iPod.”
Actually, I have them all, but I don't tell him that.
“Do you ever listen to me?” I ask him.
“I have your album, Jaded,” he admits. “But that's the only one.”
I smile. “That one is my favorite. It was the first CD I ever released.”
“How does it feel to have all your dreams come true?”
I think for a minute. “Well, at first, it is amazing. People paying money to see me perform, asking for my autograph, taking my picture... It feels surreal. But then people start telling you what to do, and you have an image to keep up.” I shake my head. “Then you realize, your dream... it's... not at all what you pictured. I get sick of people telling me that I'm too fat, too thin, or that my boobs aren't big enough... You know my record company won't even let me dye my hair. It's in my contact. I feel like I have no control over my life. THAT is why I'm taking a break.”
“I think your boobs are fine.”
I throw my head back and laugh. “Wow, out of all of that, that is all you got out of it?”
“What can I say? I'm a guy, and you do have nice boobs.”
“Tell me, how are you single? You should have all the girl's swooning,” I joke.
“You think I say this to all the girls?” He shakes his head. “No way, only you babe.”
“So, Stephan, tell me... What is your dream?”
“I don't know yet,” he answers. “I'll let you know when I figure it out.”