Page 91 of The Spotlight Effect

“I think it’s just what I imagined,” I answer.

“Yay! I’ll let Daddy know,” Emerson says. Everyone else breaks out into cheers and Charlie hugs me.

“Time for cover art,” Mr. Ryker says.

“I actually already have a concept drawn up for that,” I say. I’ve known what I wanted this to look like for months, I just hope they like it.

“Alright, let's see it,” he says, I stand it, letting Charlie fall off me and pull out my songbook, finding the page with the drawing. I’ve had the same idea for months: the words would be in purple balloon letters with florals in the corners. Dame Ryker takes a few moments to look at it, making me nervous as his face contorts as he does.

Does he hate it?

“I can make this happen,” he says.

PopStar

Be there to pick you up at 8

I readthat message at six p.m. and it’s now seven-fifteen and I’m still laying in bed. I showered when I was home, so I don’t have to do that again, but I do need to do my hair, get dressed, freshen up, and maybe put some makeup on, but I just don’t have the energy. I feel depressed and unworthy. Why should I? I'm some nobody girl from South Carolina who, after one date, probably won’t care to remember.

It’s a terrible way of thinking but who cares?

“Why are you laying on your ass when you have a date!” Lia says.

“Why are you in my room?” I ask in return.

“Because you have a date you aren’t getting ready for,” she answers. I groan, rolling over and covering myself in my blanket. I don’t feel like getting up. I want to be depressed right now.

“Get up, put this on,” Lia demands, as I feel her toss something on me. I push my blanket off me, seeing she has picked out some clothes for me. I grab the clothing pieces, looking over them and seeing she picked out a red mini skirt along with a tight-fitting short-sleeved black top to go with it.

“I thought you could wear your platform heels with it,” she tells me.

“Now that you have clothes out, you have to get up.”

I groan and roll over, getting myself out of the blankets. She’s never going to go away until I get up. “Good, now go to the bathroom and do something with yourself,” Lia tells me as she comes toward my bed and starts moving around the blankets, I’m guessing to make it. I grab the outfit and go to the bathroom to go ready. I freshen up and get dressed before brushing my hair, deciding to put some silver star clips at the top and I spray on the Sabrina Carpenter ‘SweetTooth’ perfume and apply a little makeup, and I consider myself done.

“You're just in time. He just texted saying he was about to arrive,” Lia squeals.

“Did you check my phone?” I grab it from her, opening my phone up and seeing Gray did text me about three minutes ago.

“Don’t go catching an attitude now, you wouldn’t be ready without me,” Lia says. I groan at the truth of it, I’m still not happy with the fact she opened my phone. Lia already has my shoes out, so I slip them on quickly and find my purse because I want to be ready before he gets here. I want to even give him the chance to come up to the house and knock and then my mom will get super happy because I never go out with anyone, and Lia will ask all these questions, but I don’t want that.

I hate thinking about the possibility of it even happening. I know most people would love it because it seems like the gentlemanly thing they should do, but I would give anything for him not to do that gentlemanly thing. I look down at my phone as soon as I feel it vibrate in my hand.

Popstar

I’m here, coming to the door now

Me

DON’T

I tryto reply quickly but I have a feeling he didn’t see it, so I just run out of my room and try to get downstairs and outside as quickly as possible. “I was coming to you,” Gray says as I close the door.

“Yeah, well, now I’m here,” I tell him.

“We should go.”

Gray looks at me skeptically. “Why?” he asks.

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