{WATTYS 2021/2022 SHORTLIST}{Editor's Pick} {Featured Story}
One girl. Two boys. An impossible choice.
Stella LaFever, a theatre student from California, can't wait to spend a summer in Newport, Rhode Island, with her best friend. She is in despera...
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Chapter Song: Everything Has Changed by Taylor Swift
Come with him?
I unwound my arms from his waist. Looking into eyes that sparkled with hope. "What do you mean?"
"You should come to New York. Audition for parts. You don't need school, Stella. You're already so talented."
"I—I can't West." My hand floated to my throat. "My life is complicated. I need to have surgery in August. And, it might be months before I can sing."
West gave me a heartbreaking smile. "You can heal on my couch. I could take care of you. We could sing and dance together when you're ready."
"Oh, I'm sure Spencer would love that," I said automatically, eyes rolling.
West narrowed his. "You think you'll still be with him? I mean, after the summer?"
His question caught me off guard. Spencer and I had already committed to figuring out the logistics. Granted, we hadn't talked much about it.
"You know he's going to some art program at Oxford, right?"
The monster who lived inside my heart tapped its claws, and pain lanced through my chest. "That's not a sure thing."
West shook his head. "I've heard his parents talking about buying property near campus the other night. They donated a bunch of money, and his dad knows everyone. Spencer might not want to face the truth, but he's going to Oxford. They'll make sure of it."
The Fredericksen's were old money, and Spencer was their everything. A modern day prince. He belonged to the upper crust, the best of the best.
And me? I was far from a princess. I was just a girl who wanted to dance on stage.
Doubt prickled under my skin. It was hard to believe that after all this, Spencer might be the one to leave and not West.
"I—I don't want to get into what-ifs. We'll figure it out. Spencer makes me really happy."
"You deserve more than happiness, Stella. You deserve someone who can be there for you. Who lets you shine. Are you going to wait in San Diego for him to come back home? That program is three years long. And from what I hear, it's intense."
West's words were a trap door beneath my feet. The only thing keeping me from falling through was his grip on my waist.
He took my hands and held them in both of his. "Stella, I will always have a place for you." He pressed my palms to his chest, over the place where his heart was frantically beating. "Right here."
I swore my own heart stuttered.
"I could make you happy, Stella. You know how I feel about you."
