Page 103 of My Rock Star Neighbor
Fan3345:There’s no way he’d be dating her.She dresses like she lives at the gym.
She dresses like she has things to do.I am dating her.And I like the way she dresses.
Fan2022:Why are they trying to say it’s real?
Because it is.
Fan450:No wonder they didn’t kiss at the concert.
Fan43045:Wow.He even put in a no kissing clause – that’s how much he’s not attracted to her.
Cybergirl:Maybe she put in the no kissing clause.
Exactly.I’m willing to spend the rest of my life kissing her.
Cybergirl is on our side, though, and keeps writing that everyone knows that fake dating leads to love.
Cybergirl:Why would he fake date her if he didn’t like her?It’s not like he would have trouble finding people to date.
Fan3345:He could date me for real anytime.And now he’s free!
Cybergirl:He’s not free.They’re dating.For real.
It’s also inThe Intelligencer, her own paper.I come out of the bathroom and watch Maddie sleeping, and I worry.Why should she put up with this?It’s hurting her career.Her story breaking the details of the corruption at the Infrastructure Department is on page one, and then on page six, there’s our fake-dating contract.Why does it have to be the same paper?
I email our PR contact at MusEn to put out a statement that we are dating and that we only entered into the dating contract because neither of us wanted to admit we had real feelings for the other.Once we spent all that time in close proximity faking a relationship, we admitted that we liked each other, and we are now dating for real.
People love a happily ever after, right?
Chapter thirty-two
Maddie
Nickwakesmeupwith coffee andThe Intelligenceron a tray.I pick up the paper, and there it is: my article.My byline.Front page.I clutch the paper to my chest.I did it.I broke a major story.I sniff in the smell of paper and ink.
Nick hugs me.“You did it!We need to buy more copies.I only bought ten.”
“Ten copies!”
“Not enough, right?”he asks.
“That seems like enough,” I say.“I think it’s only my family and me.”
“And me,” Nick says.“One of those copies is for me.I’m framing it.”
“Me too.Let’s go to the deli on the corner.I need to send one to my mom.”
“But the fake-dating contract is on page six.”
“Are you serious?Ward released it way before we even met, if he was able to get it into today’s paper.Such a scumbag.”
My phone is beeping with congratulatory texts from my friends.My mom calls.
“Front page, Maddie!This is amazing!”she says.“I’m so happy for you.”
“I’m really happy,” I say.“This is my dream.Front page.I broke a major story about corruption, and now these families should have better housing conditions.”
“I know!You did good.There’s nothing like seeing your dream succeed,” my mom says.“That’s certainly what I felt with my company, and I’m glad you’ve found your dream.Sometimes I worry that your sister just adopted my dream without really confirming that this is what she wanted.”
