Page 108 of The Spotlight Effect

“Of course, you’re everything I want.” Alexia sends me a giant smile across our table just as our food arrives and I know I made the right call. She’s everything I could want and more. She’s my dream girl.

“So what next?”

“We make this work.”

LIKE I LOVE YOUS

ALEXIA

Iscroll through Instagram for the millionth time today. I know nothing has really changed, but I can’t help it. After Golden Star announced my EP is coming out, I’ve been reading all the reactions including the negative ones. I keep mindlessly scrolling until I come across a post by ET. I start reading and I can’t stop the shock from taking over my face. They are saying that Grayson may be dating Jazzlyn again because she was seen leaving his home and when they asked her where she was coming from, he said an ex's house. The anger starts to boil inside of me seeing this and I exit Instagram and call Gray. It takes only two rings before he answers.

“What do we owe the pleasure of this call?” Charlie asks, leaning into the camera beside Gray. “Charlie.” Gray pushes him out of the way, so he’s the only one in the camera. “Hey, what’s up?” he asks.

“Did you see ET’s post on Instagram?” His face changes and I know he saw it.

“I was hoping I’d get it fixed before you saw,” he answers. That’s sweet, but him not saying anything makes me slightly upset; I feel like he’s trying to hide things from me.

“Don’t worry, I’ll fix this.”

“How?” I ask.

“You'll see,” he says. Within about fifteen minutes of us hanging up, I’m once again scrolling, and I come across Gray’s Instagram and there’s a video of us making out on the beach, the night he left me there. You can fully tell it’s both of us and the comments are wild. The fact he posted this slightly turns me on.

“Alexia, did you see!” Faith bursts into my living room as if a fire is raging in our backyard.

“Nope, see what?” I ask her as I continue to watch my episode ofGrey’s Anatomy. I can’t wait to go back to school and finally have something to do with my days again.

“Alexia, did you–” Lia comes running in too. Oh my gosh, is everyone on crack today or something?

“No, she hasn’t,” Faith tells her before she can finish.

“Oh my gosh, what are ya’ll on about?” I ask them. Lia rushes and grabs the remote from me, turning my show off and turning on Starstruck. I knew Gray would be on today, but why does that mean I automatically have to watch it?

“So you love her?” the host asks. I look up at the TV, seeing them zoom in on Gray.

“Yeah, I do. I love Alexia Kirby.”

“There you have it on live TV, everyone. Grayson Archer is a taken man and in love.” Without anything else being said, Starstruck goes off, leaving me with only the words of hearing I love you from Gray on live TV.

“He did not just do that,” I say. My brain can’t even begin to think of what just happened? I can’t believe he said that on live TV.

“He did!” Faith cheers.

I HEART MY GIRLFRIEND

ALEXIA

You would think dating a super hot rockstar would be something to celebrate, especially when he is the lead singer of your favorite band. Well, I wish that was the case.

Ever since he posted us making out and said he loved me onliveSpotlight Weekly, I’ve gotten a lot of new people to follow me for the wrong reasons. They all hate me. Like literallyhateme. I feel like the girl who’s dating every young and teen girl's pop crush. The confession is on every magazine, celebrity news program, Instagram, Twitter and more. At least now, my upcoming EP is trending. Unfortunately, with my newfound fame, everyone won’t leave me alone. I think I liked it better when I had “the spotlight effect” or at least that’s what Lia and Astrid called it. I still think it was stupid. Famous by association but I guess that doesn’t have a good ring to it.

I turn the tiny box around in my hand, unsure if I should even still give this to Gray. It’s not a ring or anything but I’m alittle nervous now. I know I shouldn’t let people's comments get to me, but even though I guess I can act like a bitch, sometimes I’m pretty insecure and an overthinker, and what if he doesn’t like me? He could literally date anyone he wants to date and he’s dating me. I know it should make me feel really good about myself, and the fact that she said he loved me on live TV should too, but everything that came with it, I wish it never happened.

I slip the package into my mailbox before I can think anymore and walk away. It’s going to him now so I can’t think about it.

“You’re thinking too much about it, he’s going to love it,” Faith says from her driveway. I sigh and walk over to her.

“I know, it’s just why did he have to say he loved me on live TV,” I say.

---