Bad Apple

Chapter Sixteen

A/N: This hasn't been edited yet, so pleasefeel free to point out any errors. I'm sorry if it feels a bit rushed too I really wanted to get this one finished. Dedicated to my newest reader niteowll43.

Hunky rock band bassist, James Burton was last night spotted dining at a Midtown Manhattan Italian Restaurant. The thirty-six year old star entered alone but was pictured getting into a cab with a mystery young woman at the end of the night. Fan Sophie Ericson was eating at the restaurant when she spotted her idol and said, ‘the girl approached his table and they left together.’

The unflattering picture printed underneath was one of me climbing into the cab, my bum practically on show in the loose skirt of my dress. The only person who could have taken that picture was the guy whose taxi we had stolen. And I supposed this was his revenge.

I scrunched yesterday’s newspaper page up into a ball and held it in my hand like I was going to use it as a weapon if things got really bad.

Nova gave me a sugary-sweet smile. “So how exactly are you going to explain this?” She had of course read the stories and used what information she already knew, or thought she knew, about James to hold against me.    

“I don’t have to explain anything to you.” I tilted my chin up an inch so she could see that I wasn’t scared of her.

“That might not work with Ethan though.”

Ethan. I still hadn’t had chance to talk to him. But I knew that Nova would have shoved every newspaper story she could find under his nose and injected her poison. I’d come to the conclusion that she wanted me to stay away from him because she wanted him for herself.

“What have you told him?” I asked in a bored tone as though I didn’t care in the slightest what damage she might have done.

She leaned closer to me across the reception desk where she was supposedly working. “Everything I know.”

Truthfully, I was a little scared about what Nova might have said. If I couldn’t convince Ethan that she was wrong then I didn’t have hope that I would forget about James and get on with my life. I felt like I needed Ethan to do that.

Today was Monday, the day of Marigold’s audition and the day that would ascertain how realistic her plans to switch continent were. I’d already decided that the best thing to do was to concentrate on Ethan and think more seriously about my career options in America. Now all I needed to do was figure out if that was what I really wanted.

I tossed the newspaper ball down so it rolled across the desk and walked away without saying anything else. I could almost hear Nova smirking with satisfaction behind me.

Ethan didn’t answer when I tried to call him which was worrying, but then I remembered that he was probably in one of his college classes. It was barely lunchtime and I had nothing to do. My mum was up in the hotel room under Vile Bruno’s instructions and Anika was with them, apparently helping her to keep practising her lines. Like I had predicted, he had been behind their disappearance yesterday. My weak sister had crumbled and was trying get along with Bruno for Marigold’s sake, even though I knew all she really wanted was for our parents to patch things up.

Just before I could slip my phone back into the pocket of my thin grey jacket, it started to ring. I thought it was Ethan calling me back but I was surprised to find my dad on the other end of the line.

“Where are you?” he asked without even a word of greeting.

“Just about to go out,” I lied, hoping that he didn’t want to see me since James seemed to follow him everywhere.