Page 76 of The Final Rose

“Oh,” she squeaks. “I’ve never been someone’s favorite.”

“Congratulations.”

To my surprise, Vera laughs. “You see what I’m telling you? We are the only ones who care about what’sreallygoing on here. They,” she points out, “care about narrative.”

“And that’s why we are in this mess, Vera. Because people won’t care that Callie and I fell–” I hold my tongue and breathe through my nose. “They won’t care about the feelings between Callie and me. They will make this ugly. Callie will be a homewrecker. You twelve will be the victims and I will be the heartthrob.”

“And that’s why we need to change the narrative.”

“Change the narrative?” I ask skeptically, but Vera is smiling.

“Yes. We’re going to play producer, Sebastian Riggs.”

I chuckled for the first time in twenty-four horrible hours. Vera has a lot of faith and sometimes is infectious. I open my mouth to ask how we are going to play this game she proposes, when the bedroom door opens without notice.

I fly off the bed as Maya and Abby arrive. “Hmm, girls, I just came to talk to Vera–” I scramble to find an excuse.

“Thank God you are both here.” Abby closes the door after them.

“We don’t have much time. They are coming for you soon, Sebastian.”

“Coming for me?” I ask, frowning.

The two girls look at Vera in alarm, and I don’t understand what’s happening.

“Abby just heard from Devi,” Maya explains. “Someone blabbed. They know.”

The icy feeling goes down my spine. My dry mouth finds a way to ask. “About what?”

Abby looks at me like I’m insane. “You and Callie!”

I look at Vera, and she lifts a shoulder. “I said I haven’t told Anya. But I had to tell the girls. It was only right for them to know.”

I don’t have time to think that we four are supposedly dating just to fulfill a contract. Maya is talking fast. “The entire crewis on high alert. Adam Cork got the tip before it all blew to the wind. I don’t know if he can do anything about it.”

I falter. Adam Cork? The fucking showrunner knows?

“Sebastian, you don’t get it,” Abby says with a gulp. “Everyone knows.”

“Everyone who?” I ask again, because it can’t be true.

“The entire country. And whoever else watches–”

“I don’t understand.” I shake my head, interrupting her. “The season is not even aired.”

“The good news is that I don’t think they have Callie’s name,” Maya says, ignoring my line of questioning. “Devi said someone from the crew was having an affair with you. He never used Callie’s name. I don’t know if that means Adam Cork is putting a lid on it—"

“Since when are you so close to Devi?” I shake my head. I have no idea why it matters right now, but my brain is scrambled as it is.

“Abby is,” Maya replies like it answers all my questions. “The season will fall before it’s even in the air. They all—”

She never has time to finish, though. Anya bursts into the bedroom, her eyes fixed on me.

“Riggs, with me.”

21.

Callie

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