The Downside of Popularity

14|Busted

Alina
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Everyone was going crazy.

Now the question here was, why did everyone have to go nuts today of all days?

First, it was Jake with his crazy deal slash proposal that I was going to ponder upon later in the day, and now it was my family. 

Like, did the Universe wake up on the wrong side of the Milky way today and decide it would be fun to mess up with my life? And if that was the case, dear Universe... I'm sorry I always have reasons to ruin your perfect alignment of everyone's lives, I promise I won't do it again. Please stop with the jokes because they are no longer funny.

The realization that everyone except you had the right and freedom to go bananas whenever they felt like was never funny, or comfortable.

I knew for a fact that my life had taken a wrong turn on the way to Broadway the second mom dropped her fork on her pasta and said, "So Lina, when will you be bringing your celeb boyfriend over to meet your parents?"

I managed to force a chunk of  pasta down my shut throat and stared at everyone at the table with bulging eyes.

"Erm, boyfriend? I don't have-I don't have one," I stuttered.

Brynn sputtered into her glass of orange juice releasing an amused chuckle and Terry rolled his eyes like he thought I was telling a lie—which I wasn't—while mom and dad stared at me like I was the craziest person on the planet.

"Seriously honey," mom spoke up. "How long did you think you could keep such a big thing a secret?"

My heart pulsed. It had barely been three hours since Jake asked me to be his girlfriend— I mean, pretend girlfriend —and yet somehow my entire family knew about it.

How was that even possible? Did they really know about Jake and I or were they speaking of something else?

"What boyfriend? I'm keeping no secrets mom," I said in an almost perfect, confused and suprised tone. I really wished it was cause none of them looked like they were buying it.

"But it's all over the internet," Brynn started, digging her lie detector eyes through mine—boring her way into my mind "Why would anyone bother to stir a rumour about you in the first place?" She continued, placing emphasis on the words 'anyone' and 'you' with the expression of someone who had just thought of the most ridiculous and impossible scenario on the Planet.

I huffed, anger pulsing it's way through my veins, as I enunciated every word,"I-don't-have-a-boyfriend." At least not one that was official...

"That's a total waste of time for me," Terry said to Brynn, ignoring me like I was invisible, a bit of green vegetable stuck on his incisor .

Brynn nodded her head in agreement, "Besides, you're like a nobody compared to who they're pairing you up with."

Brynn's last words fueled every ounce of anger in me. My knuckles turned as white as snow as I held the edge of the dining table tightly, biting hard on my lip until I could faintly taste metal. But just as quickly as it had come, my anger deflated when I recalled her first sentence.

"What's all over the internet?" I asked, sitting straight to prepare myself for the news I was sure would be terrible and would cause an end to my quiet and peaceful life.

"Do you really have no idea Luciana or are you trying to play dumb?" Dad questioned, throwing me one of his disbelieving stares.

"Well I don't think she can deny the fact now because we have proof," Mom quipped, taking a sip of her fruit cocktail.