“Everyone in town knows that Declan is here,” Zoey points out. “They were probably hoping to find him at some point.”
“So what happened next?” Rylee asks with large, curious eyes.
“Every exit was blocked,” I continue. “I thought he was going to get mowed down for sure. But thanks to some of the super brain I inherited from my mom, I pulled him into a large hardware store and we hid in the supply closet.”
“Wow,” Rylee says.
“And we stayed there until the mob either got bored and left, or were kicked out.”
“So you were stuck in a closet with Declan Hart?” Zoey asks.
“Yeah. I was trapped with a movie star just like my mom was. How bizarre is that? I’m living my parents’ life twice.”
“So…how did you guys go from enemies to friends?” Rylee asks.
“Well, I never said we’re friends,” I clarify. “We’re, um…well, I don’t know. But we’re definitely not enemies anymore.”
“How did that happen?” Zoey asks.
I hang my head. “We’re both idiots.” When I lift my eyes to theirs, I find them both completely baffled. “It was a misunderstanding. Well, two misunderstandings.”
I tell them all about it. When I’m done, they gape at me in total shock.
“Wait.” Rylee holds up her palm. “So he didn’t make fun of you after the…incident?”
I shake my head. “It was all in my head. It’s like I got super embarrassed and paranoid after I destroyed the set and thought he would think I’m a total loser. But he didn’t. He was just goofing off with his friends.”
Zoey and Rylee still look totally shocked by my revelation.
“And he thought you got him booted from the sequel?” Rylee asks.
“Yeah. He thought I was so uncomfortable with the kiss that I got my dad to tell the producers not to ask him back for the sequel. He must have been really hurt by it. But that’s just how it is in the industry. Rejection is part of the job. I feel bad for him. He probably thinks he did horribly in the movie. But he didn’t.”
“Do you know why they didn’t ask him to come back?” Zoey asks.
“No, but it was probably the lack of chemistry and the bad kiss.”
“I thought you and Declan have good chemistry now,” Rylee says.
I lift my shoulders. “I have no idea what’s up with that because it makes no sense. But it doesn’t matter. What’s important is that we’re putting the past behind us and are moving forward. Hopefully we won’t have any more problems in the play.”
“So…” Zoey’s brows furrow. “Does this mean Declan is still the kind, sweet guy you thought he was when you met him on set?”
“Ooh, that’s a good question,” Rylee says.
I run my hand through my hair. “I…well, I don’t know. I mean, we kind of had fun yesterday. Oh my gosh, you have to see the crazy outfit I made him wear.” I grab my phone and tap on the photo. “I got him a new disguise so we could escape from the mall. Look.” I hold out my phone to them.
They take one look at Declan dressed as a pirate farmer and burst out laughing.
I laugh, too. “We had some ice cream from Madame Freezie before we left.”
“So jealous,” Rylee says.
“Yeah, it was yummy. And Declan and I…it was fun.”
Rylee and Zoey exchange a wide-eyed glance.
I hold up my hands. “It doesn’t mean anything, guys! I mean, yeah, I had a huge crush on him seven months ago, but I’m over it.”