Co-Star

Chapter 11

"Katherine, I understand your anxiety -"

"Do you even want to listen to what I have to say?"

John melted further into the armchair, his body almost dissolving into the white velvet as he pressed his fingers together.

"I understand, but think about the implications -"

"What implications?" I demanded. "I went out with a friend on a day off. Nothing happened. I was fine."

You weren't supposed to go out without informing us first," my publicist, Alexis, said, his voice laced with seriousness. "You could have been seriously hurt. I know you want to act like a regular teenager, but you can't. You could be in danger, and we can't have that."

I raised my chin and shoved my hands into my pockets.

"No, I'm going to do what I want to do," I said. "I'm tired of having to hide."

"What if we told you 'hey, we could cut the number of people who come to your friend's concerts in half'?" John shrugged with his hands folded in his lap, his expression dead serious.

I folded my arms. I wanted to shrink into myself. The small room, filled with my managing team, my assistants, and my mother, enclosed around me like a cage, the lights shining from the ceiling making sweat bead across my forehead. My bare shoulders starting to quiver from the fear and the anger that wracked my body. The fear that my entire career, and someone else's, could be over with just one or two words from the management team. The anger that I couldn't do one simple thing without backlash and threats.

"Okay," I mumbled, acting on the pleading look from my mother. "I won't do it again."

John, Alexis, and the rest of my team let out relieved breaths, and the quiet mumbles of conversation started up again while I sat down.

~

"I am so done with today," I groaned as I flopped down into the makeup chair.

"Tell me about it," Lucy replied from her seat right next to me, tapping away on her phone while the makeup lady applied her foundation. "Aren't we starting out on the ballroom scenes today?"

"Yeah." Sighing, I looked over at the rack of dresses in the corner of the trailer. They were all elegant ballgowns, every color of the rainbow, and all for members of the cast. The guys' suits were on a separate rack.

My thoughts wandered to how Caleb would look in a suit. Damn, the boy was already hot enough...

Shut it, Katherine, I groaned to myself. Not the time.

"Speaking of Caleb -" Lucy raised her eyebrows. "What was that with you two yesterday?"

"I didn't mention him." I glared in Lucy's direction, raising my head for the makeup lady to spread blush over my cheeks.

"Well I did," Lucy shot back. I stuck my tongue out at her. "You two went out together? In public?"

"Shut it, Luce," I mumbled. I prayed that my cheeks wouldn't start to turn pink, and let the makeup artist start applying red lipstick. "It's not like we went on a date. We went out for coffee to escape the stuffy hotel."

"Oooh, that's not what the tabs are saying."

Lucy's teasing tone made me almost flinch out of my seat.

"What?" My voice sounded like I might throw up. Dammit. To hell with Caleb.

Lucy handed me her phone just as the makeup lady scolded her for talking so much.

Multiple magazine covers flew up on an Instagram post that Lucy had been looking at.

Caleb Von Henderson and Katherine Morrison, DATING?

Next to the headline was a photo of Caleb grasping my hand with a smirk when I tried to push him away the day before.

We definitely looked like a couple in that photo.

Why Katherine Morrison and Caleb Von Henderson is a ship to DIE for: ten fun facts!

Who is Caleb Von Henderson? Ten questions you may have about Katherine Morrison's new boyfriend -

I stopped, rolled my eyes, and groaned.

"You do know these are the tabs talking, right?" I said to Lucy as I scrolled down through the comments. "They make up stuff to get whatever they want."

The comments were just as bad as the headlines.

OMG Caleb is soooo hottt

🔥🔥 that boy is FLAMIN

Damn right he is.

Wow I didn't expect THAT when I woke up this morning.....

Geez Caleb finds someone new every week ;) ;)

Bi panic is finding both of them smoking hot 😬

I smirked at that comment. Hell yeah. Bisexuals unite. Nice to see that not everyone was a hormonal straight teenager.

"See? It's entertaining!" Lucy's exclamation snapped me out of my thoughts. "You can't tell me that it's not cute to see you two together."

"I guess you'll be disappointed then." I winked at her and sat to wait while the hairstylist finished tying up and spraying my hair into a fanciful, bejeweled braid.

"Move your head to the side for me, dear," my hairstylist said with a smile.

I did as she asked, and furrowed my brow when she stood in front of me, adjusting strands of hair that fell into my face.

The sleeve of her jacket had fallen down to reveal a string of tattoos, all oddly familiar to me. Most were designs of demons, flowers, and skulls, but there were a few odd symbols scattered throughout, like one of a mermaid tail, or another of a seahorse snuggled between flowers. Huh. Could she be...?

"Nice tattoos," I commented, relaxing my expression with a small smile.

She shot me a look and pulled her sleeve down in one fluid movement.

That gave me all the information I needed.

"Been to Acron lately?" My voice lowered to a murmur. "I hear the weather's been nice."

My hairstylist grinned.

"Nice to see another mer around here," she murmured into my ear.

"Same here," I muttered back.

I couldn't help the pit that sank to the bottom of my stomach.

Why would a siren be on set of my movie? They were always along the coast. Never in big cities.

Unless....

I shot Lucy a look out of the corner of my eye, hoping that she had witnessed my interaction.

From her wide eyes and worried furrow between her brows, I knew she had.

A/N:

This is unedited.... ugh I rushed a lot. Please ignore any spelling or grammar mistakes, I did this on my phone. Be prepped for some cute scenes incoming ;)

xx

M.R