Actress in Disguise

Chapter 6

Chapter 6~

"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath. He totally did not just say that out loud in front of the entire school! I was supposed to keep a low profile and attract the least amount of attention possible!

Everyone's eyes were glued onto me. Some had their mouths hanging open. The rest were either murmuring to one another, or gasping in awe.

"Th-that's rubbish," stuttered the wavy haired brunette, finally cutting the silence. "That?" She eyed me up and down in disgust, before crossing her arms over her chest.

Damn it! What the hell am I supposed to do at a time like this?!

My eyes worriedly wandered over to Beth, hoping she would say something, but she looked hesitant. Come on! Say something!

"Right?" asked Tyler with a smug expression on his face. "You said you were Jessica Raymond's cousin."

I chewed viciously on my bottom lip, as I thought about what to say next. The crowd was filled with whispers, and their eyes were all focused on me eagerly.

But what in the world can I say? If I answer with "yes" then there's no doubt they won't leave me alone for the rest of the school year! I can't attract too much attention. That's pretty much why I decided to settle with the "nerdy" appearance in the first place! It will only be a matter of time until they find out... But if I say "no", I'll be thought a liar...

"Yes, I'm indeed her cousin," I stated. I'm thinking too much. There's no way how they can possibly find out, as long as I pull this off nicely...

**

"OMG! Are you like, the rumored Caroline Smith?!" screeched a high pitched voice. I slightly flinched, before turning around to face whoever just screeched in my ear.

"Yes?" I replied uncertainly, as I studied the redhead in front of me. Her frizzy hair was tied up in a messy bun, and her light gray eyes were staring into mine, eager and hopeful.

"Like oh my gosh!" she shrieked. "I'm like, Jessica Raymond's biggest fan, ever! She's just like, so amazing!"

"Yeah..." I let out awkwardly, not really knowing how to reply to this. People just kept coming up to me today, ever since what happened this morning.

Her eyes widened and slightly glistened, before she continued. "You're like... her cousin, right? So can you like, please let me meet her? I love her so much! And my life would be like, totally complete once I meet her, and I can like, die in peace!"

Oh god, did I mention how much I hated the way she talks? Well, it's killing my ears...

"Umm..." I began awkwardly. "She's quite busy you know... Being an actress and all that..."

Her smile faltered slightly, but she quickly redeemed her spirits. "Oh, that's like, totally understandable! But can you please, like get her autograph for me, if possible? And I have a message for her. Please tell her that Lisa Bernard is like her biggest fan ever, and that I will always continue to support her no matter what. She's like... absolutely amazing, and like the best. I'm really looking forward to her new movie."

"Yes, yes of course," I beamed at her. "I'm sure she will love your message."

"Thank you so much! You're like the nicest!" Her face lit up, and her beautiful large eyes shined brightly. She then quickly glanced at her watch. "Oh it's this late already! I gotta like... Totally get going to my next class! See ya' tomorrow!" And with that, she spun around, and hurried off. I watched as her back disappeared down the hall. Smiling, I turned to leave for lunch. She just made my day. It sure feels nice knowing there will always be people supporting you...

"Caroline!" screamed Beth as soon as she caught sight of me entering the cafeteria. "Everyone's crowding at our table..." Her forehead slightly creased from worry, but I could see her eyes were wide from excitement.

I glanced over at our usual spot, and immediately knew what she meant. Our table, that was usually empty, was now flooding with students. Some were even fighting and shoving one another off, just to get a seat...

We walked over to the line to get our lunches, and once we did, Beth and I headed over to the table. As soon as we approached, the crowd erupted into cheers and gossip.

"Are you Caroline Smith?!" screamed a blonde girl, excitedly.

"I heard all about you!" added another.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe I'm actually talking to Jessica Raymond's cousin right now!" a brown haired boy exclaimed, as he jumped up and down excitedly like a fan girl. Beth let out a slight giggle at the sight.

"I totally love Jessica Raymond! She's the best!" cried a redhead.

"You're her cousin? OMG!"

"I own every one of her movies!"

"Can you get her autograph for me?"

"Please let me meet her!"

The entire table started screaming at me all at once, trying to grab hold of my attention. It was absolutely crazy, but nothing I wasn't used to.

"Damn," I heard Beth murmur in my ear, as we settled down in the two empty seats, especially reserved for us.

"But are you really her cousin though? I don't remember her ever admitting that she had a cousin named 'Caroline Smith', " stated one of the brunettes.

I tensed, and I could tell, so did Beth.

"Yeah," agreed another. "I don't think she ever said anything about her cousin...."

There was an uncomfortable silence, before the table broke into series of murmurs. They all started whispering to one another. Everyone seemed doubtful.

I nudged Beth gently, asking for help. She glanced at me hesitantly for a second, before clearing her throat awkwardly. When no one paid any mind to her, she cleared her throat even louder, which caught their attention. Their mouths stopped moving, and they all focused their eyes on Beth.

"That's true, indeed... I can understand why you guys would be doubtful," Beth began. "The truth is, Jessica Raymond didn't want anyone knowing about her cousin...."

There was a long pause of silence. Please believe her! I silently prayed inside my head, as I glanced worriedly to my best friend.

"But why?" someone finally broke the stillness. I groaned. Not another question!

"How should we believe you?" asked another.

"Well umm..." Beth stuttered. "She didn't want anyone to know because... Her cousin has ill health, and- and she can't take too much shock, so umm, it would be bad if people knew, cuz you know... all that attention would be bad for her..."

The students all nodded understandingly in unison. "She's so kind and thoughtful!"

"Wow, she's nice to her family..."

"That makes sense."

"So she didn't want you to go into shock?"

"Are you feeling better now? Poor thing..."

"Yes she's a great person...." I smiled feebly, going along with Beth's lies. "I'm feeling much better now, thank you for your concern."

"But how are we supposed to believe you?" called out one of the boys. Seriously?! Not again!

"Well, umm... Since I'm no longer ill, Jessica Raymond will be announcing it tonight," I said. I'm not liking this one bit. It's just more and more lies, and I'm attracting more and more attention, which is a bad sign.... However, this is the only way now. Since I started it, I must continue it.... No turning back.

A few gasps followed, but they stopped questioning me at least....

**

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