Is This for Real

Chapter 36: Double Trouble

TORI'S POV

I put on a pair of skinny jeans, a striped, loose sweater, and a pair of Uggs. Pattie is going to drive me to school because Chaz has a basketball game and I want to watch him play.

"Are you ready?" Pattie asked through my closed door.

"Just a second," I replied. Then, I piled my brunette locks on top of my head and secured a hair tie around it. Good, now my hair is in a bun and will stay out of my face.

I walked out my room, got in Pattie's car, and she drove me to school. I told her I'd text her when the game is over. Then, I walked into school and into the gym to see the teams warming up for today's game.

Chaz's team, the Hurricanes, were down by one basket in the third quarter of the game. Chaz quickly passed the ball to one of his teammates, he dribbled down the court, and one lay up later, the game was tied at 30.

I saw some flashes. The first thought that came to my mind was that paparazzi had found me, and that wouldn't be good. Then I saw that it was just some parent taking pictures. A wave of relief washed over me.

That was, until I saw a few more people come inside holding large cameras.

They whispered to each other and walked closer to me. "Tori, can we get a picture?" one of them asked. I quickly flashed a smile.

"Are you here to see your boyfriend play?" I didn't want to answer that one because I don't want them to know all about my personal life. It's my personal life for a reason, you know.

The paparazzi was moving in closer to me right now, making me very uncomfortable. Flashes were about blinding me right now, and my brain couldn't process what they were saying because they were all shouting at once.

"Hey! Get away from my girlfriend!" I'd know that voice anywhere. It was Chaz. "Can't you see that she doesn't like this! Can't you see that she's panicking!" By this time, he'd ran out off the court, through the paparazzi, and was standing right next to me.

"Come on," he whispered in my ear, "let's get out of here." Then, he grabbed my hand, pushed through the throng of paparazzi, and we walked out of school and into the parking lot.

"Chaz, thank you," I said when we were safely in the parking lot and away from the paparazzi.

"Any time," he said. "I couldn't stand seeing you that uncomfortable, so I had to do something about it."

His lips collided with mine. "I love you," he said as he pulled away.

I just kissed him back as my reply. He knew that that meant that I love him, too. So, he kissed me back.

Then, we walked to his car. He skipped his game to drive me home and to make sure that I'm safe.

***

"Tori, what's this?" Pattie asked me the next morning when she, Justin, and I were eating breakfast. She showed me a page in a magazine. It was an article about Chaz's basketball game...written by paparazzi.

"I went to Chaz's game last night, and I saw a few flashes. I thought that they were just flashes from some parent's camera. That was, until people with large cameras started filing into the gym. It was the paparazzi," I said.

"They followed you?" Justin asked with anger in his eyes.

"I don't know if they followed me. All I know is that they showed up. Anyway, they were shouting questions at me and invading my personal space. Since Chaz saw this, he ran out of the game. He yelled at the paparazzi, took my hand, we ran through the paparazzi, and out into the parking lot. Then, he took me home."