"Lie to me," he whispered. His face was so close and I couldn't breathe.
"Lie to me and tell me you don't want me as much as I want you. Lie to me and tell me you don't want to press those pretty lips of yours to mine right now. Lie to me and tell m...
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"I'm not going."
"Yes, you are," Lidia grumbled, pulling on my arm to force me out of my front door.
I didn't budge, digging my feet into the ground of my hardwood floor. "Uh-uh, Lidia. Nope."
"You are already cast, Alaska. Do not do this to me. You are to start filming today."
"I will not go."
"Why?" she exclaimed, exasperated. When I didn't answer, her expression turned to one of realization. "Is it because of Rowen Hendrix?"
"Of course not," I muttered, but it must not have been convincing enough.
"Do you want your reputation to be ruined because of one boy, Alaska? Do you want all of this to go to waste?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but couldn't think of anything to say.
"That's what I thought."
She dragged me to her car and together we drove on set, her lecturing me the entire drive there.
"Alaska, welcome!" Elian smiled at me and I pulled him into a hug.
"Glad to be here," I lied.
"Your outfit is already sitting in the dressing rooms. We're filming off set, at the beach, today. We're leaving soon."
"Okay, thanks." I headed towards the dressing rooms, to the one that had my name written on the whiteboard outside of it.
Inside laid a swimsuit on a white chair, with a mirror covering one wall. I hesitantly closed the white curtain, latching it shut.
I glanced back at the chair.
I hated swimsuits.
They were pretty, sure. Other people looked amazing in them, it was just that-
I hated myself in swimsuits, I guess, is more what I was attempting to say.
At least it was a one-piece. It was better than a bikini, even if it still was terrible.
I stepped out of the dressing room with the sage green swimsuit on. It had drawstrings that hung at my hips and a little bit of a low neckline, but not too terrible.
And yet... I still hated it.
I hated the idea of wearing this. I hated the idea of going in front of all those people, in front of Rowen-
Stop, Alaska.
Stop.
I breathed. Slowly.
I forced myself to take a step. Then another. Soon, I was on set, and people were huddling around me.
Fixing my hair. Altering my clothes. Telling me the expressions I were to have on my face, the way I were to say my words.
