Page 66 of A Necessary Nudge Out of the Friend Zone

Colton frowned. “Can we go somewhere more private?”

“There’s a park about a block away.”

He didn’t have his wig or baseball cap with him, and for a split second he wondered if it would be okay if he left the hospital, but he pushed the thought away. He really wanted to speak to Remi alone. “All right.”

He took her hand, and they maneuvered around the crowd of basketball players toward the doors. Once outside he took in a deep breath. The air here was so crisp, unlike the smog of LA. He would be sad to leave once his father was well enough to travel. He could see himself buying a house here and settling down.

A man approached them. “Colton Drake?”

Before he had time to duck his face, a camera was shoved in it, and out of nowhere a mob of paparazzi accosted them. Behind the mob he saw Liz getting out of a cab, but she hung back once she saw the reporters.

“Colton, are you cheating on Liz?”

“Who is this woman you’re holding hands with?”

“Did you break up with Liz?”

Colton hadn’t even realized he was still holding hands with Remi, and he quickly released his hold on her. He didn’t want to get her involved with any of this. He took a step away to draw the attention away from Remi. As the questions grew louder, passersby began to gather to see what the fuss was about.

“Are you and Liz through?”

“Does it have anything to do with her weight gain?”

What? Anger ignited in Colton with that last question. Liz’s expression grew mortified as she took a step back. Colton didn’t wait to assess the situation. He acted on impulse.

“This is just a friend of mine,” he said, taking a step away from Remi. “We’ve known each other since we were kids.”

He pushed his way through the crowd of paparazzi and people and walked to Liz, pulling her to his side. “Liz and I happy together. And she isnotoverweight. There’s nothing wrong with her. She’s perfect how she is.”

Tears pooled in Liz’s eyes, and he could tell she was desperately trying to blink them away. Seeing her struggle fueled his anger, so he faced the cameras and the crowd that had formed. “This industry is brutal enough. We don’t have to make anyone feel insecure about their weight as well. Let me make this perfectly clear. I’m against any kind of body shaming whatsoever.”

A hush came over the crowd. Colton felt something inside him pushing to continue. “This industry won’t change unless we demand a change. I can’t be the only one who sees this is wrong. If you are with me, stand up and be heard. We cannot allow young people to develop eating disorders because of the impossible standards we put forth. The billboards we see? Photoshopped. No one can look like that. Let’s stand together and fight this.”

A slow clap started near the back of the gathering, but it was quickly joined with another and another. The clapping grew and a couple of people shouted and hooted. The paparazzi didn’t say a word. Colton shot an apologetic look toward Remi, but he couldn’t find her in the crowd. His stomach clenched as he searched and realized she’d slipped away.

There was nothing left to do but take Liz’s hand and walk back into the hospital.

CHAPTER27

Remi sat silent beside her sister and stared out the window of the airplane. Emotions swirled in her, and she couldn’t pick which one to feel the strongest. Hurt, anger, confusion and a hollow deadness all fought for the most attention. Colton had told the world that he had no feelings for her. He’d showed it by stepping away from her, turning his back and walking away. Just friends. Like they’d always been just friends.

She wanted to cry and scream at the same time. She had wondered if he was going to announce his breakup with Liz right there in front of the hospital. But no. He must not have any feelings for her after all. He made it perfectly clear when he dropped her hand and moved away. It made her so angry, she’d ducked out of the crowd and left immediately.

He’d kissed her last night. She was sure he was going to tell her he had feelings for her. But he’d changed so fast when the cameras were on him. Was this how things were going to be? Did she need to stand there and take that kind of treatment from someone who should stand up for her? Or maybe she’d totally misread him last night. Maybe he was the type of guy to kiss and not mean anything by it. And if that was the case, she definitely didn’t want to be around him anymore.

Brooke nudged her leg. “Are you ready to tell me what happened with Colton?”

“No.”

Brooke rolled her eyes. “Come on. It’s been over three hours now. I want to know. Was he a jerk to you?”

Remi sighed. “You could say that.”

“How was he a jerk?”

The last thing Remi wanted to do was re-live her humiliation, but she’d managed to put Brooke off long enough. She wasn’t going to let her stay silent. “You’ll probably be able to see it on the internet when we land.”

Brooke cringed and brushed her hair over her shoulder. “It’s that bad? What happened?”

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