Celebrity Status [1]

2.) Family Reunions

I hurried through the house faster than I thought was physically possible. Hurrying outside towards the driveway, I saw Jackson and started running faster before pushing myself into his arms and burying my face into his shoulder.

He laughed a little bit and hugged me back tightly. "Hey, kiddo."

"I missed you so much," I mumbled as happy tears started falling down my face and seeping into the cloth of his shirt.

"I missed you too," He responded.

"I'm going to kill you later, though." I threatened him, but still not letting go.

"What'd I do?" He asked with feigned innocence.

I pulled away from him and slapped his surprisingly muscular arm. "You're an ass," I accused him as I wiped the last of my tears from my face.

"Are you crying?" He teased me with a smile.

Again, I slapped his arm even though I had quickly realized that it hurt me more than him, and it had no effect on shutting him up. "Shut up, I missed you."

Jackson laughed, not even bothered by me trying to hurt his arm. "You grew your hair out." He said, lightly tugging on a few strands of my hair for emphasis.

"And you got buff." I observed.

He wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we walked back towards the door. "Chicks dig it."

I rolled my eyes but it was nice to know that he hasn't changed much. The same flirty, gross Jackson that used to hit on all of the girls in high school. "I bet they do."

"So why are you mad at me again?"

We walked into the house and around to the huge living room, then sat down on the huge couch with his arm still around me. "Well, I don't exactly remember saying, 'Hey, Jackson. I'm at the airport and I'm really sweaty and ugly right now. Can you please send your extremely hot friend to come get me?'"

Jackson laughed again when he realized why I was irritated with him. "Okay, one- you did say that first part. Two- Kale offered. And three- He's not my friend. He's my friend's brother."

I sighed and leaned back into the couch thinking about how attractive Kale was, my body just gave up on holding me up anymore. "He's still extremely attractive."

"So you're moving on from Ryder-"

I shot up from the couch, feeling reinvigorated at the thought of my favorite celebrity. "Oh my gosh! Ryder West!"

Jackson raised his eyebrows at me. "What about him?"

"He lives in Hollywood!" I reminded him. "I read it in on his Wikipedia bio, what if I meet him? I'd die."

Jackson faked a gasp, indulging my dramatics. "He could live in this very neighborhood."

"You really think so?" I asked hopefully. I knew that he was mocking me but I was being completely serious. I started planning out what I would say or do if the situation arose where I would meet Ryder West but just the thought of it was too much to handle. I was sure that if I was ever to meet Ryder West, I'd just faint and that'd be that.

He let out a bark of laughter. "You're insane!"

"No I'm not," I defended myself. "He's my boyfriend."

"Your boyfriend?"

I nodded to confirm what I'd said. "Yes."

"Who's your boyfriend?" Kale asked, coming into the room from the kitchen. I got so excited about reuniting with my brother that I had totally forgotten that Kale was still here.

"Ryder." Jackson said with a snicker. I hope that he knows that there are thousands of girls around the country that have fallen in love with him. I wasn't as weird as he thought that I was, he just wasn't exposed to my level of fangirling. They were out there though.

"Ryder West?" Kale asked with an amused smile as he handed Jackson a Pepsi and opened a can of his own. He sat down on the other side of Jackson on the couch.

I nodded. I didn't want to show him my crazy fangirl side, but he had already heard so much that I might as well embrace it. If he really did live next door, he'd be getting to know my crazy side anyway, so why try to hide it? "Yep."

"Does he know about your relationship?" He asked me slowly. He clearly already knew the answer to that very stupid question.

"Not yet," I admitted.

"Right, okay, that makes sense then," Kale said slowly.

I gave him a dirty look for disrespecting my delusions and turned to Jackson.

"So where's the tent?" I changed the subject so that we could stop talking about how crazy I was starting to sound.

"In the garage," He answered. "But we can't campout tonight."

"What? Why not? This house is an amazing fort building house." I noted, making my disappointment very clear with a pouting frown.

"Tomorrow night," He suggested and then he offered me a smile and added, "Tonight, we're going to a party."

"A Hollywood party?! I don't have anything to wear," I immediately started to panic. "I-I can't go to a Hollywood party with real celebrities."

Both Jackson and Kale found my panic amusing, and started to laugh. "You'll be fine. I'll take you to get a dress and all that girly stuff. The party is at eight, so we have time."

"But there are going to be people there!"

Kale nodded in agreement. "Yes, there usually are people at parties."

"You know what I mean," I mumbled, not really appreciating his sass when I'm internally (and externally) freaking out. "Like, important Hollywood people."

"Come on, we should probably get you to Stacy," Jackson tells me, standing to his feet. "I have a feeling that this is going to take a long time."

I followed him along with Kale because we were apparently about to leave. "Who's Stacy?" I asked him.

"She's a tailor. So, I don't have to go dress shopping with you," Jackson admitted.

"Gee, I'm touched," I muttered but I'm also excited to get a new dress. My brother is totally loaded so it'll probably be a really nice dress too. And thinking about it a bit more, I wouldn't want to go dress shopping with Jackson anyway, that'd be pretty weird.

"Well, I'll get home and start getting ready." Kale said, then looking over at me. "I'll see you tonight."

I sighed. "Yeah, I guess so."

He smiled once more before turning and heading towards the gray house. I sighed, staring at Kale walk away, and then grabbed Jackson's arm.

"Did you see that smile? Damn, I could eat that boy." I whispered.

Jackson frowned, looking disgusted, and led me over to his black Bentley.

"At least this crush is realistic." He muttered as he backed out of the driveway.

"Uh, I don't have a crush. I have a boyfriend." I reminded him.

"Yeah, well you definitely haven't lost your crazy."

I smiled at him. "Why, thank you." After a small silence, I spoke again. "So what's the party for anyway?"

"Tommy's birthday party."

My jaw hit the floor faster than the speed of light. "Tommy Kidder?! The number one country singer in the nation, Tommy Kidder?" I stupidly asked him.

Jackson chuckled. "Yeah, why?"

"Are you kidding? I'm going to Tommy Kidder's birthday party. This. Is. Insane."

"You're such a teenager." He muttered.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mr. Jackson Thorne, I'm not used to meeting the world's most famous singers and actors. So excuse me if I'm just a bit starstruck."

"You haven't even met anybody yet." He said.

I rolled my eyes. "Hardly the point."

He gave up on trying to reason with me. "Okay then."

The car was filled with a comfortable silence for a while and my thoughts couldn't help themselves as they drifted I towards Kale. We will make gorgeous babies someday. With his baby blue eyes and adorable, soft lips. They can have my wavy blonde hair. Our girls will have my thin, fit body and the boys will have Kale's muscular, toned, tanned, sexy, hot body. Now, I just need names. Natalie for a girl, that's my middle name. And for the boy...

"Hey, Jackson." I said. "What's Kale's middle name?"

"Why?" He asked slowly, giving me a strange look.

I shrugged. "Just curious."

"Uh, Dennis, I think."

"Really?" I wondered with wide eyes.

"I think so. Why?" He repeated.

"That's Ryder West's dad's name!" I loudly realized.

Jackson shrugged. "It's a common name."

"It's a sign!"

"It's a sign? Just because Kale's middle name is the same as Ryder's dad's name? What exactly is that sign of?" He asked.

"I don't know, but it wouldn't have happened if it wasn't a sign. We're meant to be!"

"I'm confused," Jackson muttered. "You're meant to be with Kale or Ryder?"

"I don't know yet," I admitted to him. Maybe both, I think to myself but that sounds really dirty and my brother doesn't need to hear that side of me, so I keep it in my head.

"Amazing. I didn't think it was possible for you to get even more crazy."

I stuck my tongue out at him childishly as he pulled into a parking lot, to a cute white building with cursive pink letters saying "Stacy's Boutique" on the front.

I smile, feeling overwhelmingly excited about how today is going to unfold. "I've never been to a boutique before, that sounds really fancy."

"I go next door to get my suits tailored." Jackson explained as we walked into the store. The inside was so pink, it was almost blinding. It was an open space with one of those circle bench couch thingys in the center and dress displays all over the place. When the little bell rang above the door, a short, older lady came out of a back room with a giant grin on her face.

"Jackson, hello, darling!" she said, hurrying over to him and engulfing him in a huge hug.

"Hey Stacy" Jackson greeted her.