Page 39 of Loaded

After gutting me like a wriggling carp, she smiles and waltzes off.

9

EASTON

Iliked Bea before.

I really did.

She was classy, poised, funny, smart, and of course, absolutely beautiful. But now, after watching her up there, it’s like I’d never really seen her, not really. Not who she was inside. When she sat in front of that piano, she camealive.

I’d been looking at a Picasso hanging in a smoky old hotel.

I just saw the masterpiece on display in an exhibit at the Louvre.

What baffles me is, when her song was clearly the best, why didn’t she win? “She was robbed,” I say.

“I agree,” Emerson says. “Do you know what happened?” He turns toward Jake, who’s sitting on his other side. “I’m not a musician, but wasn’t hers the best?”

Jake’s frowning.

“I won’t say anything when she comes down here,” Emerson says. “But I think they picked that other kid just because?—”

“Jingles are strange,” Jake says, “but I watched the people in front of me, and the people over there.” He tosses his head to his left. “They were all voting for her.”

“See?” Emerson shakes his head. “Something weird’s going on.”

“Winning runner-up is still pretty amazing,” I say. “They said there were over two hundred and fifty applicants.”

“And all the finalists were good,” Emerson says. “But still.”

But then Bea’s climbing down the steps near the stage, and she’s walking toward us. We scramble to leave the seats and greet her, but as she gets closer, it’s clear that she’s trying really hard to act like she’s fine when she’s not. I may not know her very well yet, but even I can see that.

“You were robbed,” Emerson says.

She shakes her head. “It’s fine. The competitors’ songs all sounded amazing.”

“Still.” Jake wraps an arm around her shoulders. “Yours was the best. Everyone around us agreed. Maybe next time you’ll actually let me take you shopping before so you look the part.”

Bea frowns. “If they can’t recognize my music because my dress cost thirty bucks at Ross Dress for Less, then they should?—”

“Whoa,” Emerson says. “Your super rich brother offered to get you something nicer and you turned him down?” He shakes his head. “That guy who won was wearing some kind of designer, I’m sure.”

“Versace,” I say.

“Right.” Emerson smacks his forehead. “I forgot we have the king of couture right here with us.”

“Hardly,” I say. “I run the business side.”

“But you’re wearing a Givenchy suit,” Jake says.

“That’s because I never know when I might be photographed,” I say. “There’s an actual designer responsible for curating my wardrobe, and most of it comes from our lines.” I lift my arm. “Like these cuff links.” I can’t help chuckling. “I’m a walking billboard.”

Bea looks pained. I can’t believe I’m standing here talking about our cuff links when she’s been cheated.

“Sorry,” I say. “The point is that all three of us agreed. Your song was amazing, and the real loser today is Jello.”

“That’s true.” Emerson drops to a hissed whisper so loud he may as well have just kept talking. “Doesn’t it violate their duty to Jello? I mean, if this song is worse, won’t their sales be worse too?”

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