To Catch a Falling Star

3- "I'm Not *That* Narcissistic."

Seb's POV

I woke up alone in my hotel room, dazed and slightly confused as to where I was and why I wasn't back in my room in the house I shared with my mom in Los Angeles.

Then it all came flooding back to me: the scandalous news reports, my mom's disappointment, my manager booking me a room in an apartment building in a quiet seaside town until everything quieted down.

For a moment, I payed in my king sized bed, letting it all sink in.

It wasn't too bad. Give it time, and it'd blow over. The police would investigate, discover I had been set up. My mom would come around. The paparazzi would lose interest.
As long as I stayed out of trouble—

Trouble.

The events of last night surfaced in my still-sleepy consciousness and woke me fully.

How I'd gone out on the balcony to smoke some weed to calm my nerves, only it'd been laced with God knows what. And even worst, I'd been caught by a teenaged girl, no less. And although the paranoid high had long since faded, logically I knew I wasn't too far off base in assuming a random girl could easily give away information on me for free, let alone for a bribe from the media, and smoking weed was the last thing I needed in the news after last week's scandal.

I groaned as I recalled the date I'd promised her in return for her keeping of my little secret. That had definitely not been half logic. Now that I was sober, I'd just head over next door later offer her a normal bribe; like cash.  Right after I took a long, hot shower.

Just as I was meandering into the bathroom, my cell rang. Sighing, I grabbed it off the nightstand to see my manager, Cole, calling.

"Hey," I greeted monotonously.

Cole was a nice guy, especially as far as managers go, and I was grateful that he even put up with the whole scandal debacle, but it was 7am, I was coming off a bad high, and I really just wanted to take a shower and drown out all my worries, including the fact that I had to encounter the girl from last night again, who probably thought my ego was gigantic considering I'd presumed she'd do anything for a simple date with me. I swear it was the weed talking. I'm not that narcissistic, alright? Just because I'm a movie star...

"Listen, Seb," Cole said, dragging me out of my thoughts. "You know how I wanted you to stay out of the media? Well. Change of plans—

—You're gonna need a date for tonight."