“Yeah, the winners get ten thousand dollars and a chance to audition for a label,” I explain. “If we make it to the finals, you should come and watch us win. It’s at The Garage.”
“The bar?” Kenny asks, biting her lip.
“Don’t worry, I can put you on the guest list,” I say. “I take it you don’t have a fake?”
“I could have a fake,” she frowns. “I could havetwo.”
“Do you?” I ask, raising a brow.
She turns away from me. “No but—”
“I’ll put you on the list,” I say, letting out a low laugh. “They won’t ID you.”
“When is it?” she asks.
“It’s after exams so you have no excuse not to come,” I say. I’ve covered all the bases. She’s trapped. “You’ll be there, yeah?”
“I mean as your groupie, I kind ofhaveto be there, don’t I?” she grins, relaxing against the headboard. “Okay, shh, stop talking now, I don’t want to miss anything.”
“You’re not one of those girls that talks during movies, are you?” I whisper.
“Ifyoudon’t stop talking, I might be,” she murmurs, a tiny smile spreading on her face.
Almost Famousis one of my favorite films, and yet, as Kennedy leans closer to me as the minutes pass by, her hand so fucking close to mine, I find it nearly impossible to pay attention.
“Any questions so far?” I ask, well aware of the fact her hand is brushing against mine.
For fuck’s sake. What is she doing?
“No,” she whispers, taking a shallow breath. “No questions.”
“‘Kay,” I hum as she shifts beside me, her body heat radiating onto me, but I don’t want to move. Not yet. “Are you—are you comfortable?”
“Mhmm,” she hums as her chest rises just a little. “Are you?”
“Yea—” I clear my throat. Fucking hell. “Yeah, I’m good.”
“Good,” she whispers, pausing for a second before adding,
“You uh—you don’t smell like cigarettes today.”
“Didn’t smoke,” I reply, my throat suddenly drying despite the fact I’ve been chugging a Gatorade.
“You should quit,” she says, her voice so fucking faint but loud at the same time. It’s all I hear. “You’ll live longer.”
“Afraid I’ll die?” I ask, peering down at her, the movie lighting up her face. “Worried you’ll miss me?”
Kennedy turns her head slowly, her big eyes looking up at me. “Do you—” She stops mid-sentence as her phone rings. She flips the screen. “Oh my God!” She hits the space bar before hopping out of the bed. I frown, watching her hesitate before answering the call. “Hi, daddy!”
Her father? I thought he never called.
“School’s going well, I’m just planning Homecoming right now with—” She stops, pacing back and forth in front of me. “Yeah, I know that but I’m also working as the Student Liaison Offi—” She pauses, her face falling. “No sir, I haven’t yet, I was going to start this weekend.” She closes her eyes. “They just opened applications like a couple of days ago, I—” Her jaw clenches as she turns away from me. “Three? Daddy, I don’t have time for—” A beat. “Yes, I understand sir but—” Her voice cracks. “I’m sorry, please don’t yell at me, daddy, I’m—”What the fuck is going on?“No, it’s fine. I can um, I’ll make time, I’ll just uh—rearrange a few things.” Another pause. “Okay, yes. How—” She clears her throat. “How are you—” She takes a shaky breath. “Oh, that’s fine, I’ll just um...talk to you later then. I love yo—” She stops, ending the call.
“Hey,” I whisper, standing up. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s great,” she says, turning around as she wipes under her eyes. “It’s nothing really, I’m fine.”
“Why do you always say you’re fine when clearly you’re not fine?” I swallow, my gut clenching as she tries to catch the falling tears. “What happened?”
