I stifled a smile as he wheezed to a stop, then began a dramatic stretching routine, his attention continually darting to her. “Have you ever talked to her?”
“Of course.” He bent forward in an attempt to touch his toes. “Twice.”
“You talked to her twice?” I sat crossed-legged on the bench. “What did you say?”
“She was running in the hall.” He sat down next to me, his breathing hard. “No running in the halls.”
“That’s right,” I nodded, the signs visible and large, because running in the halls was undoubtedly the gateway to hell. “You told her to stop running.”
“I yelled at her,” he affirmed proudly. “Two different times. NO RUNNING IN THE HALLS!”
“Okay.” I patted his arm. “Calm down. People are going to think you’re yelling at them.”
We sat there for a moment in silence, the warm sun pleasant after the morning’s chill. I watched the girl, who looked a couple of years younger than Wesley. “I think you should talk to her again.”
“Should I ask her if she has a boyfriend?” He perked up at the thought.
“Maybe not right away.” I watched his profile, his attention straight ahead, his mind working. “Let’s come up with a plan. A courtship.”
“To be my girlfriend?”
I shrugged, wondering what a relationship with Wesley would look like. “Is that what you want, a girlfriend?”
He nodded. “My brother says girlfriends are the BEST.”
I’m sure he did. I tried not to chase down the question, a little fearful that I might start pumping Wesley for information about Cash. This was, out of our four visits together, the first time he had mentioned him. “They can be nice,” I said carefully. “If you find the right one.”
“Becky is the right one,” he said emphatically. “I am in LOVE with her.”
Likely. The girl nodded her head along with whatever she was listening to.
“Let’s start with baby steps,” I suggested. “Why don’t you…” I looked around. The campus was, as much as I hated to admit it, gorgeous. We sat in the shade of a large oak tree, with a view of the basketball courts and open law. Azalea bushes bordered the area, and a nature trail off to the right would take us past the pool, koi pond, and the tennis court. “There.” I pointed at a bed of daisies that surrounded the fountain. “Pick her some flowers and take them to her. Introduce yourself and give them to her.”
“No.” He blushed and covered his face with his hand. “Too embarrassing.”
“It’s not embarrassing.” I tugged at his arm. “It’s easy.” This coming from a woman who was secretly spending time with her crush’s younger brother because she didn’t have the courage to apologize to him. “Just say ‘Hi, I’m Wesley. I brought you some flowers.”
“And then?” He peeked at me through a crack in his fingers.
“And then see what she says. And if you run out of things to say, you just say. “Okay, have a nice day. I’ll see you soon.”
His hands fell away from his face and he repeated the end phrase, the words thicker and slower but would do the job nicely. He was a cute kid, blessed with some lethal genes, even if he did have an extra chromosome.
“Want me to help you pick the flowers?”
He pushed to his feet. “I can do it.”
I crossed my feet at the ankle and watched as he marched over to the bed of bright white daisies and carefully unearthed a few, their roots still attached as he gathered them in his palm and then looked at me. I gestured him forward and held my breath, watching as he stopped beside her and waved. She looked up, then pulled her headphones off, taking her crown along with it.
I couldn’t see her face but could see the big smile that took over his. And when he knelt to one knee and presented her with the flowers—my heart bloomed with hope for the two of them. It was so sweet; the moment made even more so when he stood, lifted both hands in the air and cheered his entire way back to me. She turned to watch him and clapped both hands in the air above her head, and there was a moment when I envied their unabashed celebration. The real world would tear them to shreds but at that moment—I almost believed in love.
24
MTV Gift Bag* Contents
- Limited Edition Beats by Dr Dre Headphones
- Sardina Bath Robe by Sferra
- DJI Mavic Pro Drone
- White Desert’s ‘Greatest Trip’ to Antartica
- GG Marmont Small Leather Matelassé Shoulder Bag
- Kindle Oasis
- Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey
-Yeti Rambler Insulated Tumbler
- Mophie 3-in-1 Wireless Charger
- Apple Watch with 3G
- Nintendo Switch Lite
- Oculus Quest All-in-One VR
- Avalon Eiderdown Winter Comforter
- Electric Hydrofoil Surfboard
*Bag is given to nominees only. Nominees must pay taxes on the value of the gifts. If nominees would rather donate the bag to charity, please let MTV know two weeks before event.
25
#redcarpetready
The MTV Movie Awards was the first thing I was a diva about. I wanted a ticket to the actual event, and I wanted to be seated somewhere near Cash. I told Vidal that I needed to talk to him, to smooth things over after our failed date and that video where I picked him apart. I insinuated that I wanted to apologize to him, and Vidal picked up the football and carried it all the way to the goal line.
I don’t know why Vidal wanted us to make up. Everything positive in my career—literally everything—had been kickstarted by negativity with Cash. But that was Vidal. He was uncomfortable with anyone disliking him—or anything associated with him, which was probably why he was so obsessed with making his clients popular—his zest at an unnatural, almost psychotic level.
“He just got back from the UAE,” Vidal said, pulling at the ends of his bright white sleeves, getting them to lay properly beneath the green velvet jacket he had pinned tight to his chest. “You can ask him about that. He stayed at that hotel with the world’s longest pool.”
I yawned and nodded as if I didn’t know every excruciatingly perfect detail of his trip—from the camel ride at sunset to the hot tub and champagne on the balcony of his six-thousand square foot suite. NetJets had sponsored his flight, the return leg done while sprawled on a leather couch, a sleep mask playfully crooked over one eye, the other connecting playfully with the camera. #Jetlag.
“And don’t forget your red carpet rules.” Vidal’s piercing gaze focused on me. “Please behave. I had to pull major favors for your seat.”
“I’ll behave,” I promised him, and I meant it. It wasn’t just his reputation I needed to protect. I also wanted to get on better footing with Cash. As I had grown closer with Wesley, I had become increasingly uncomfortable with the turbulent history I shared with Cash. I leaned forward and brushed my cheek against Vidal’s, careful not to get my bold red lipstick on him.
“You look beautiful,” he said, giving me a proud smile. “Sizzling. Don’t let the man fall in love with you.”