Page 78 of This Side of Beautiful

A fan lunged onto the back of the truck, fingers grazing my calf.

My breath hitched. My foot slid against the SUV’s roof. This time, I couldn’t catch myself and the world lurched. I crashed onto my side, my head barely missing the metal roof.

The crowd gasped. Voices twisted with panic. I squeezed my eyes shut, fighting against the scream clawing up my throat. My hands scrambled for balance, but the surface was too slick, and I couldn’t regain my footing. Goosebumps prickled down my arms.

Fuck. Fuck.

The walls were closing in. My breaths came short and sharp, my pulse a frantic beat.

I couldn’t look. I couldn’t face the danger I had thrown myself into. I needed to get inside the car.Now.But how?

My mind spiraled toward one thought. One person. I needed Landon. He would save me.

I opened my eyes and searched frantically through the crowd. Where was he? My pulse thumped wildly as I scanned the sea of faces. He had to know. He had to know I needed him. Why wasn’t he here?

“Ms. Warner,” a stern voice cut through the noise. “We have to leave now, or you may be arrested for inciting a disturbance. Police have been called.”

I tore my gaze away from the crowd. The driver and a security guard had their arms raised, ready to help me down. Two more men held back the pressing fans, creating enough space for me to escape.

My body trembled as they lowered me to the ground. My sneakers hit the pavement, but my knees buckled. Before I could fall, they guided me into the SUV where Frankie and Jeri were already waiting.

Their wide eyes locked on the mayhem outside. The tinted windows shielded us, but it didn’t matter. The energy still pulsed, the fans still knocked, their faces a blur of hands and shouts. The driver laid on the horn, but the crowd barely moved.

He wiped sweat from his brow. “We might need police assistance.”

“No.” I shook my head violently. “No. The media will twist this.”

Frankie let out a sharp breath. “You don’t hear the sirens? I told you to get down.”

I clenched my fists. “And I have the number one song in the country after three years of silence. That was me celebrating.” My voice was hoarse, edged with something even I couldn’t identify. The rush, the fear, the desperation. My heart pounded like it would explode.

Tears streamed down my face as I jabbed a finger at the driver. “I pay him well to drive, and that’s exactly what he’s about to do.”

Frankie’s nostrils flared. “I can’t with you.”

“Can’t do what?” My voice rose, cracking. I glanced out the window, watching the fans slap their hands against the glass as the SUV inched forward.

She waved a hand, dismissing me completely, as I slid into the row behind them.

“Can’t do what?” My chest heaved. “Huh?”

Jeri leaned closer to the driver, her voice low but firm. “Keep inching forward. Keep honking. No one wants to get hit.”

I twisted toward Frankie, my hands curled into fists against my thighs. “Can’t do what?”

Frankie whirled on me, eyes flashing. “Can’t deal with you when you’re high.”

A sharp laugh tore from my throat. “Then you can’t deal with me ever, because I haven’t used anything since Houston. This is me, Frankie. This is me, high on life.”

Frankie’s expression flickered. Shock, doubt, maybe even regret.

I nodded furiously. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m serious.” But my voice wavered, the tears coming faster. “All I wanted was to have fun.” My body curled in on itself, my arms wrapped around my knees as I rocked. “That’s all.”

Jeri reached out hesitantly. “It’s okay. The car is moving.”

“It doesn’t matter.” My throat tightened. “I messed up. Again. I’m that crazy bitch. It wasn’t enough for me to celebrate in the restaurant. No, I had to cause a scene. On the street. In front of everybody.”

My eyes darted around the SUV. I needed my phone. I needed Landon.

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