Better Than Me

Chapter 4

A/N: Hey guys, sorry for taking so long to update! Between schoolwork, two jobs, two clubs, and my personal life, I have a lot on my plate right now, but I do love sitting down and writing this so I'll still be updating!

For those of you who have read Better Than Revenge, a warning - this will be pretty different from the original.

I don't really like the first draft, partly because I wrote it when I was 14 and partly because it's a first draft, so I'm using the most recent draft from 2 years ago instead.

I've kept the names the same to avoid confusion, but there will be plot changes and content changes.

The plot/content changes are most evident starting from this point on.

Hope you guys enjoy this new version!

***

Chapter 4

It was all over the tabloids the next morning: "Christian Ryder embarrassed by Mystery Girl on Hollywood Tonight," and "Who is Ryder's Mystery Girl?" The only upside of the whole fiasco was that a lot of the attention was on figuring out who this girl was and not so much on me.

Alright, that might have been wishful thinking on my part. There was still a lot of emphasis on my very public roast – a lot more emphasis than I would have liked.

Videos of my unfortunate appearance on Hollywood Tonight went viral. Clips of my mortification were retweeted and shared hundreds of thousands of times. While I normally loved that kind of attention on social media, this wasn't the kind of attention I liked. I liked the kind where girls told me how much they loved me, not how much they loved the girl who kept insulting me in front of a live audience and all of America. 

"This will smooth over before you know it," Frank said. "For now, just focus on your work and the media will forget this ever happened."

"Until it's convenient for them to remember it again," I said.

I shifted in my seat, which was made of only the finest black leather – or so I assumed – wondering if taking the limousine was really necessary. I loved taking the limo for flashy events, but for a trip to the recording studio to check out a friend's new work? That just made me come across as a douche.

"Don't worry." Frank didn't even look up from his phone. That was how unpreoccupied he was with my struggles. "By then, you'll have done something new and even dumber to make them forget about it for good."

Wow.

"Thanks for the support," I said sarcastically. He had a point, but still.

He didn't even say anything in response. His fingers simply kept typing away on his phone.

A few minutes later, we'd arrived at Ocean Way Recording. The limousine pulled up behind another limousine that looked like it was getting ready to leave.

"You coming inside with me or are you just gonna sit there and play with your phone?" I asked Frank. I felt like my mother. That was still what she said to me when I visited her and didn't pay attention to her the entire time.

"I'll be inside in a minute," he said, still not looking up from his phone. He kind of worried me when he did that, honestly. Sometimes he made moves on my behalf without telling me, and his moves weren't all ones I considered good.

"Alright." I wasn't going to sit around and wait for him to decide to return to this realm. "I'll see you in a few."

Just as I grabbed the door handle, Frank said, "Wait. I've got her."