Page 103 of The Spotlight Effect

“Your song is viral!” Lia squeals.

“I know,” I state, rubbing my eyes open. God, I wish I had chosen to stay in the dorms instead of choosing the free route of living at home.

“And you’re this calm?” Faith asks.

“It’s called internal panic,” I tell them and toss my bedding to the side, slightly hitting them.

I get out of bed and go over to my closet to pick an outfit. “How are you just calmly getting ready?” Lia asks.

“It’s Saturday. I haven't been home in a while and I want a calm day. Me and Faith are going out to go shopping for spring fling dresses, so if you and Astrid plan on going places, ask Stephan to drive you,” I tell Lia and take the outfit I picked to the bathroom.

At least I can be alone and get ready in peace.

Looking in the mirror before getting ready, I know everything is about to change, and the only thing I want to change right now is my heartbreak. I should have never fallen in love.

I exit the bathroom and find Lia and Faith waiting outside for me. “What the hell,” I say, looking at them both.

“Are you okay?” Faith asks. I give her a look because, no, I’m not. What kind of question is that? I walk past them and into my room to find my TV on and Hollywood News is playing. No good ever comes from these shows.

“Recently, we’ve gotten more of a glimpse of Alexia Kirby’s talent as she posted herself singing two of her original songs. They topped all the charts and even caused a reaction out of the person who may have caused her to post the songs. Grayson Archer.” The end of the women’s words caught my attention. A reaction from Grayson?

Did he say something?

Did he watch my videos?

What reaction does she mean?

“What is she talking about?” I ask Faith and Lia as they look back and forth at each other.

“He posted a song about you,” Faith tells me.

“How do you know it’s about me?” I shrug.

“It’s titled your name. It’s on Instagram and TikTok,” Lia says.

They must be joking, right?

I pull up Instagram on my phone and search Grayson’s Instagram and the most recent post is a video. I sit down on my bed and click on the video. “This is a song I just wrote about someone special to me. I see they wrote their own songs, and I figure she deserves more than a phone call explanation. This song is titled Alexia,” Grayson introduces the song and begins playing. Even his beginning lyrics match well to mine since the first words to Spring Break are…

“Oh my god, I don’t want to be dramatic but I wanna confess feelings I’ve been holding onto.”

The song is very sweet and he’s explaining what happened and how he feels. Replying to my songs is definitely a gesture and it’s no secret about any feelings between us now. It’s a sweet gesture and I almost want to forgive him, but a song isn’t enough.

I’m going to spring fling alone and not that I care about the dance itself. I normally don’t go to school events, but I’m actually excited to go, and the one time I am excited, I have no date.

“Okay, so dress shopping, what colors are we going for?” Mom asks as she moves around the kitchen.

“I want pink, maybe,” Aaliyah replies as she scrolls through her phone.

“I’m thinking blue,” Faith follows.

“I’m just picking a dress I love,” Astrid answers before sipping her drink.

“And you, Lexi?” Mom asks, considering I didn’t answer on my own.

“Maybe purple.” I shrug, staring at the cabinets.

I don’t really care what color dress I wear but I guess if I have to go, I can pick a good color and purple is my favorite. “Lexi, I thought you were excited?” Faith asks, putting her arms around me.

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