My Secret to Keep

Photographic Evidence

Griffin shut his locker, jumping when he found his sister waiting behind it. "Shit, Star. You scared me." His ever constant crowd of groupies hovered across the hallway, and the buzz of their gossiping voices filled his ears like bees- the hive only growing louder when Starling edged closer to him so she could speak without being heard.

"You know what scared me today?" she said, her voice eerily monotone. It made him nervous. Starling wasn't the type to show out when she was truly angry. You knew she was hurt beyond measure, broken almost, when she shoved her emotions down into a void only a few could reach. His heart fractured a little. Once, he'd been among those few.

"I'm sure I don't," he replied, nudging her with his shoulder to prompt her to start walking. They had one class left in the day, and despite the fact he would be excused if he was late, he didn't want to earn a reputation for acting entitled.

"I'll let you guess. It's first name starts with a G, and it isn't you."

Griffin stumbled and looked at his sister with alarm. "Gillian is here?"

"How do you not know this?"

His hands curled into his fists, and he wanted to slam one into the cinderblock wall. He might've done it if not for the hundred smartphones pointed at him, ready to capture any indiscretion and upload it to social media for the world to see.

Shit. Shit. Shit. 

He should've known anything that would drive Starling to seek him out in public had to be bad. And Gillian Shaw showing up within a 500 hundred mile radius was terrible. Something had happened between his sister and Gillian, something Star refused to talk about, and he could barely tolerate working with the actress. Of course, according to the world and Hollywood, he and Gillian were halfway to the altar, never mind their ages.

"How the hell could you not know the other half of Griffian or Gillin or whatever the hell they call you two these days was here?"

"Because I didn't Star. She must've snagged the female lead in Southern Secrets. They told me she was on the shortlist but promised to tell me if they picked her."

"I'm assuming there are going to be supporting actors on this show. Is every celebrity going to enroll in this damn high school?" Starling's silky, honey curls bounced with every step she took, and his lips slowly slanted into a smirk. When they were younger, he would've reached out and tugged on one of the springs, earning a slap and a laugh in return.

"If that happened, at least your senior year would be easy," he replied, stopping to sign a photograph thrust in his face.

"I got his autograph," the girl shouted to her more demure friends, and a chorus of squeals overwhelmed the buzz for a few seconds.

"I've got to go before people start posting crap on social media." She bit her lip and cast anxious looks over her shoulder. "There will be a rumor I'm dying of some tragic disease by this time tomorrow."

Griffin couldn't stop the laugh that burst from his lips. His shadow of humans grew quiet as they tried to hear what their god found so funny. "Why a disease? Do you really think that little of me?" He didn't mean to let his voice grow serious.

"No you idiot," she whispered, "I mean that because of me. No one would believe Griffin Anders would stoop so low to speak to someone like me unless I dying. They'll probably say it was on my Make a Wish list."

"Starling," Griffin said, her name little more than a sigh. "Don't be like that."

"Shut it. Just make sure your hag stays away from me, got it?"

With Starling's exit, the crowd around him pushed in closer, and he wanted to call her back. No matter how famous he became, he never grew used to the way strangers felt as though his profession made him public property. No one pushed it to the point of being called out, but with every step, fingers fluttered against his body, each one replaced by another before the touch became identifiable.

"Griffin!"

He came to a halt as Gillian rushed to him, her expensive, blonde hair rippling around her heart shaped face. The girl wasn't his type by a long shot, but even he had to admit she was stunning. Skin smooth and polished, body slim with hints of womanly curves, and a smile that rivaled his own, Gillian Shaw wielded her physical assets with the precision of a surgeon, forcing more than one director to cast her when her acting skills for the role had come into question.

The sight of Hollywood's hottest couple standing inches apart from each other must've been too much for someone in the crowd. A scream rang out, and a student went dashing down the hallway for a nurse.

"I'm okay," came a weak voice from the ground. "Just got dizzy."

Gillian ran her hand along his arm, sending a tingle across his body that had nothing to do with desire. "Let's skip this next class."

"No. I promised I'd act like a normal student. No special privileges."

"That's what normal seniors do," she whined. "And I'm not really asking..."

The warning bell rang, and with a frustrated grunt, Griffin grabbed Gillian's arm and hauled her into the nearest bathroom- which thankfully, was a single stall room reserved for handicapped students.

"Oooh," she cooed, placing her hands on his chest, "I like where your mind is at."

Griffin clicked the lock on the knob. He'd learned long ago bathrooms were not private sanctuaries after one of his fans asked for his autograph at the urinal. Inhaling, he willed the pounding in his temples to fade, as he removed his costar's hands.

"Stop. I don't want you anymore than you want me. Why are you even here? I thought we agreed we'd take a break from filming together after Without the Stars."

"No, you told me we were taking a break. I never agreed to that, and why should I? We're fire in anything we do together. Hell, the production company threatened to pull funding from the project if I wasn't given the lead role when they learned I was interested. We're bankable."

"Is that all you care about?"

She fluffed her long hair and shrugged. "What else is there to care about? I'm in this business to be wealthy, and unlike the men in the industry, my options will dwindle every year I age. We'll both be lucky to make the transition from child actors to teen actors so you bet I'm going to take every opportunity I have."

"I have my career mapped out," he fumed. The final bell rang, and he wanted to scream. His first day and he was missing class. "Don't drag me down your path."

Gillian's delicate features snarled together, making her look feral as she jabbed her manicured finger into his chest. "You know as well as I do that's not how it works. Besides, all it takes is one word from me, and your perfect future is toast. If everyone out there learned that their clean cut, all-American Griffin Anders had dirty secrets, they'd cut you loose faster than you can say 'action.' You owe me."

She was going to play it like that then. He'd wondered when his debt would be called in. Now, he had to figure out how long she intended to collect on it.

"Fine. Just leave Starling out of whatever you're planning."

Her blue eyes darkened. "Whatever. She's nothing."

"What do you want from me?" The words were heavy. Tired and weighted. Griffin was resigned to his fate. The only other option was the truth, and he was still searching for it.

Gillian grinned and opened the door. The sound of a dozen phones snapping photos went off like tiny bombs, and he didn't flinch when her soft hands went around his neck, tugging his head down so she could capture his lips with hers. He moved with her, sliding his teeth along her bottom lip as she pulled away. This kiss would be seen around the world.

"You already know the answer," she whispered in his ear before stealing another kiss. And another piece of his soul.