Stuck Up Meets Crazy. [COMPLETED]

TWELVE

"Wow, you have to see this," Dianne says, sliding her phone across the counter. Liza hands her friend a glass of wine before picking up the phone. The moment her eyes land on the black-and-white photo of Xander and Cara goofing around in front of a camera, she feels her blood start to boil. She thought she knew heartbreak when Xander ended things with her, but it turns out the real heartbreak is watching him move on. "Didn't you guys break up, like, two months ago? He sure got over you quickly," Dianne mocks.

"Shut the hell up." Liza shoves the phone back into Dianne's hands, harder than necessary, and stalks away. Dianne smirks, satisfied that she's managed to get under Liza's skin.

Liza heads to the living room where she left her phone. She picks it up, scrolling through her contacts before dialing a number.

"Hello," a husky voice answers on the other end.

"Don't hello me. I look like a complete clown online while Xander's out here flaunting his new bitch, and it's all your fault." Liza's voice is sharp, tinged with the kind of anger that comes from hurt.

"It takes two to tango," Mark, her manager, responds calmly.

She ignores his irritating statement. "I told you to dig into the new girl. What've you got?"

"She's a bartender at Gisele's—"

"Wow, Xander really downgraded. But that doesn't help me. Everyone's going to eat up some sob story about how an average bartender is dating one of the richest men in America. They love to romanticize poverty."

"I slipped the bar owner some cash, and he spilled everything. Apparently, Xander paid to have a night named after Cara."

A slow smile spreads across Liza's face. "So, she's a whore? Perfect."

---

"Holy shit, this place is massive!" Cassie's eyes widen as she takes in the sprawling pool, then turns back to Cara. She quickly joins her under the shade.

"Right? I told you," Cara says, enjoying the awe on Cassie's face. It's the same look Cara had the first time she saw the house. There are still parts of it that leave her in awe.

"And you get to live here? You lucky bitch." Cassie playfully nudges her.

"Hey, I'm a pregnant woman," Cara says, rubbing her flat stomach with exaggerated care.

"Shut up," Cassie rolls her eyes and settles beside her.

"And I only get to live here for nine months. But I've got a plan." Cara winks.

"Oh no," Cassie groans. "Whenever you say you have a plan, it's never good."

"Just listen." Cara pauses, lifting her glass of juice and taking a long, slow sip, purely to annoy Cassie.

"Are you going to talk or what?" Cassie urges, exasperated.

Cara lowers the glass, smirking. "See? You're interested. I'm going to milk this celebrity lifestyle for all it's worth. After I sign his stupid contract, I'm supposed to get a decent chunk of money. We can use that to start building our own house. I'm going to make sure my face is in every magazine, whether that asshole likes it or not. I'll give acting another shot, and before you know it, we'll be rich." She pauses, taking another sip. "I'm going to make us rich. And then you'll have to quit your job. Sam, the baby, you, and me—we're going to be okay."

Cassie looks at her best friend, a big smile spreading across her face, eyes already glassy. "Not a horrible plan." She nods.

"Told you." Cara winks.

"Celebrity life isn't easy, though. You should be careful."

"I'm not looking for easy. And you're technically going to be a celebrity too. I'm going into acting, you're going into modeling. Those legs can't go to waste."