Page 33 of Her Dark Angel

“And here I was thinking we were finally getting along,” she murmurs.

I drag my lip ring between my teeth and smirk. “Don’t get used to it, little devil.”

11

KINSLEY

1975

10 years old.

Filming a television show is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I’m on set for so many hours that my feet get sore and my eyes feel heavy. But Mommy and Daddy just tell me to eat more candy and I’ll feel better. It works… most of the time.

At first, Mommy didn’t want me to eat so much, but she gave in quickly and allowed me to have whatever I wanted as long as I kept an eye on my weight, however you do that.

One time, Mommy gave me this weird piece of white candy I had to take with water. She told me it would help keep me awake, so I took it because I trusted her. And she was right. It felt like I was on a rollercoaster for the rest of the day, and I eventually crashed when we left to go to the hotel that night. Now, I take one of Mommy’s special candies every day and it helps keep me awake.

I have made lots of new friends filming the show. Especially Travis. He’s cute and funny. We have lots of things in common. We enjoy reading the same comic books and listening to rock music. Mommy doesn’t let me listen to much rock music, so when we’re on a break, Travis and I will find a quiet place to sit and listen to rock music on his cassette player. He is now one of my best friends, and I’m going to miss him when we finish filming. I doubt we’ll get to see each other often, but I’ll try.

“Here, I made this for you.”

Travis lifts his eyes from the superhero comic book in his lap to meet mine. He looks between me and the colorful beaded bracelet in my palm. “You made me this?”

I nod. “I made one for myself too. I know you like red, green, and blue, and my favorite colors are pink, orange, and yellow, so it made sense to make a rainbow.”

Travis reaches across the dark blue suede couch in his dressing room and plucks the bracelet from my hand. I giggle when he slides it on his wrist.

“Sorry it’s a little big.”

He shakes his head, blonde curls flying around his face. “Kin, I love it. I can just grow into it, which is okay since I never plan to take it off.”

My heart squeezes at his words and a smile forms on my lips. “Ever?”

Travis reaches over to hold his wrist next to mine. Our matching bracelets are slightly too big for our small wrists, but are now a reminder of our friendship. “Never ever. I promise.” He settles into the couch and turns his attention back to the comic book. “Should I keep reading aloud or do you need to go back to your dressing room?”

I glance at the clock on the wall above us. “I can stay for another ten minutes.”

Travis smiles, the dimples in his cheeks deepening. “Trust me, the story is about to start getting good.”

“Kinsley!”

My head snaps up at the sound of my name being called from the doorway of my dressing room. Reggie walks into the room, his stomach round and protruding. He’s holding an ice cream cone in his hand and a big smile covers his oily face.

I sit up from where I am lying on the couch and watch as he walks further into the room and plops down next to me. He extends the vanilla ice cream with sprinkles on it toward me.

“For me?” I ask, looking around the empty room. Mommy and Daddy had to leave for a little while to run some errands while everyone on set took a lunch break. After I left Travis’s dressing room, I decided to lie down on the couch and draw on pieces of paper until they returned.

Reggie nods. “Yes, sweetie. I thought you might like a treat before we go back to work.”

I smile and take the ice cream cone. It’s warm in my hands from where he was holding it, but as soon as the cold ice cream hits my tongue, I just about melt into the couch. Ice cream is my favorite dessert. Specifically, vanilla ice cream with sprinkles. “Thank you, Reggie.”

“It’s okay, my sweet girl. Anything for you.”

I jump slightly when his hand touches my thigh. His skin is warm and clammy, but I don’t tell him that. It might hurt his feelings and I don’t want to do that to Reggie. But I also don’t want him touching me. I don’t tell him that either since he’s the director. I don’t want to make Mommy and Daddy look bad.

“Kinsley,” Reggie says as he scoots closer to me on the couch. I lick the ice cream onto my tongue and look up at him. “I’m happy to bring you ice cream every day like this.”

“Really?” I smile wide, excited at the idea of getting to eat this every day, along with all the candy I want.

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