"Holy shit, Elizabeth!" Harper gasped, grabbing my arm as soon as I was behind the till. I sucked in a breath and gave her a tight smile.
"It really sticks out like a sore thumb, eh?" I asked awkwardly, getting to work decorating some cupcakes.
"Hell yeah! Did James give it to you?" Harper asked teasingly. I sighed and nodded, shoving my hair behind my ears.
"More like forced it upon me. I mean, it was sweet but he really doesn't have to buy me things." I muttered, pressing the fondant leopard spots onto the banana creme cupcakes. Harper joined me a moment later wearing her staple pink rubber gloves.
"What else has he bought you?" Harper wondered. I knew she was my friend and was being genuinely curious, not just trying to get information out of me for a magazine, but the question still made me uncomfortable.
"Just this, but that's already too much by itself. He'd already ordered and paid for the watch because he knew I wasn't going to want to accept it. At this point it wasn't an option for me to say no." I shrugged, letting out a puff of air and continuing to decorate cupcakes as a bell signalled someone coming inside.
"I'll handle the cupcakes, you go get that." Harper suggested. I nodded, pulling off my gloves and fixing my hair as I went to the front.
"Hello! What can I get for you?" I asked kindly, approaching the two teenage girls, who were looking around the shop with matching expressions of dissatisfaction on their faces. When they saw me one of them sneered, the other frowning.
"We don't want anything from you. We just want you to admit that you're only with James because you're a fame whore, and we want you to stop thinking you're some sort of celebrity just because he fell for your little act." The one on the left said. It was all I could do not to let my jaw fall open. The girl on the right nodded, crossing her arms and cocking a hip.
"I'm sorry... that you think that about me. But I can't change your mind even if it's not true. I'm with James because we care about each other. Fame is the last thing I want. The only thing I get out of this relationship is happiness." I replied after a moment. The girls snorted and one of them rolled her eyes.
"Whatever. We know what you're really doing, and we just thought you should know that nobody likes you. We all know your stupid little act." Left hand girl smirked, crossing her arms. I sucked in a breath, feeling it catch in my throat. There was a lump in my throat and my stomach felt empty, and I felt familiar tears in the back of my eyes.
"If that's all you have to say... Uh, please leave now." I said politely, wiping my sweaty hands on my apron. The girls smiled triumphantly and walked out, mumbling rude remarks under their breath. "Have a good day." I called after them, my voice cracking. The door banged shut behind the girls, and I slowly pulled off my apron, setting it on the bench and walking around to the seating area, taking a seat at one of the small tables in the corner.
My face itched with hives, which always happened when I was really upset. I ran my hands over my face, resting my elbows on the table in front of me and slouching over. The bell tinkled again, but I kept my head in my hands and tried to breath deeply.
"Lizzie? What are you doing?" I held my breath hearing his familiar voice. What was he doing here?
"What... what are you doing here, James?" I asked, turning to face away from him so he wouldn't see my red face and my wet eyes. I refused to let the tears fall, but they were still there no matter how much I tried to make them leave.
"I thought I'd come visit you at work, maybe take you to lunch on your break before I go in to the studio. Babe, why are you out here?" James asked, pulling out the chair in front of me and dropping his phone and keys on the table. I glanced around at him and watched his worried face fall into one of desperation.
"Oh, my god! What's wrong?" James panicked, grabbing my hands and touching my cheek. I sighed and shook my head slowly, blinking back the tears.
"Nothing, just not feeling too well this morning." I lied through my teeth. James pursed his lips and raised his eyebrows, clearly not believing a word I said.
"Babe, we both know that's not true. What really happened? Was it those two girls who left when I was coming in?" James asked, suddenly something clicking in his head. He snapped back to look me in the eyes, his face falling. "What did they say to you, Liz?" James asked quietly.
"That I was a fake, and a fame whore, and that nobody likes me. They literally came in here just to tell me how much they hated me." I choked out, a tear slipping down my cheek. I wiped it away furiously and pulled my hands away from James. He frowned, his face hardening. James grabbed his phone and walked outside, pressing it to his ear. Before he stepped outside, I heard him say, "Brad, hey-" and then the door closed.
I got to my feet and wiped my eyes to make sure no makeup had smeared, then I went back to the counter, pulling my apron over my head and tying it around the back. My phone dinged, and seeing as the store was empty I grabbed it and saw a twitter notification.
@TheVampsJames: It makes me sick how people can find it in themselves to personally attack the people close to me simply because they can. I am furious about the way some of you have treated @ElizabethW01. Can't you just accept that she makes me happy?
I sighed and put my phone away, wiping down the bench and arranging the display cases and straightening the menu board. James returned a minute later, his face flushed and his hands in his pockets.
"I have to get to the studio to finish up some recording, but I'll come pick you up tonight and we can figure out something for dinner, alright?" James asked. I nodded slowly, letting him hug me and give me a kiss on the cheek before leaving the store, setting the bell off behind him. I resolved that I would call Joe tonight before James came to my flat, and try to sort this all out. Try and get out of my contract. Because no matter how much my feelings were hurt, I knew that the hate was harming James' reputation more than it hurt me.
