Page 109 of Faking It

If only she knew I just lied to her face.

Chapter 40

Ana

I can’t believe it’s only been three days. It feels like three weeks.

Sitting in a dark room for hours on end can it make the time seem longer, I guess. My mouth feels weird from not uttering a word for so long. I clear my dry throat, then reach for the bottle I’d kept stored on the floor. It’s empty, which means I’m forced to leave this room.

Which means I might run into Tori.

I don’t want to see her. Those puppy-dog eyes, I don’t want to see them. That deep sadness, I don’t want to feel it. I don’t want her to see that I lied to her three days ago.

When I told her I needed time to get over what she did to me? Yeah, I can’t imagine getting over something so serious. I’m not ready to forgive and forget.

Not until this nightmare is over.

Not until I get my life back.

But if I don’t get some water soon, I’m going to die of thirstbefore I get my life back. Like it or not, I’m going to face her. Damn that Airbnb site for not having any available bookings for the next two weeks.

With a sigh, I leave the room. Silence follows me down the hallway and into the kitchen. My stomach rumbles, and I step into the room, as if in protest to my fourteen-hour fasting. I grab a bottle of water and ignore the food. I’ll order takeout or something. It feels weird to eat her stuff when I’m mad at her—

“Hey.”

I suppress the‘damnit’that tries to fly out my mouth. My eyes meet the wall above her head. “Hey.”

“I stopped by your room and noticed the door was open,” Tori replies. “There’s something I need to tell you.”

My eyes shift from the wall to her face. There’s no puppy-dog look, just deep sorrow. “What is it?”

She turns her phone to me, her expression crumbling. “It’s fromStudio One.”

“Say no more.” It’s no surprise, especially after Tori got the first rejection call two days ago. I knew all those jobs would be going down the drain. No production company will want to attach themselves to me.

I drop my body onto the kitchen stool, suddenly feeling so weary. I’m sick of fighting. Sick of trying. What’s the use if it all comes crashing down?

“I swear to God, Ana, I’m going to fix this. Mark my word.”

With a gentle flash of my hand, I push myself to stand. “Think I’m going to lie down for a bit.”

Weariness from the entire ordeal pushes me into a deep slumber once I lie down. A hard shove on my shoulder rouses me sometime later. Bright light fills the bedroom windows, which means I’ve been sleeping all night. Squinting at the harsh glare as Tori throws open the curtains, I turn my head to meet her gleeful expression. “You need to sit up.”

“I’mlyingdown,” I point out grumpily. “Isn’t this better?”

“Not with the kind of news I’m about to give you,” she replies. “Please.”

Grumbling yet curious, I push up to a sitting position, tucking my legs underneath me, staring up at her expectantly.

“Are you ready?”

I shoot her a blank stare.

“Logan and Margaret retracted their statements,” she announces cheerfully, dropping her phone in my lap.

Electric tingles cover my body as I stare down at the paused video on the screen. “They went live half an hour ago. It’s already up on ANON’s page with half a million views and counting.”

Like the docu-film, I have no interest in watching this. “Just give me the Cliff Notes version. I can’t stand to hear their voices ever again.”

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