Page 59 of The Love Raffle

“To remind myself why I’m doing this,” Amber said in her chair. The light-up mirror gave a brightened impression of herface. The yellow light bounced off her eyeshadow in sparkles. She sighed and reached for the tiny picture in its frame.

The young her had missing teeth and wore pigtails. Time had caused its color to fade, but her smile was still vibrant. “That even though it’s a pretty crazy way to have my first interview, it’s okay because I earned this. I did work, didn’t I?” Amber had Levi’s words in her head. What he’d said in that narrow bathroom two weeks ago. Granted, he had seemed out of sorts, but she knew he meant everything.And he had a point.Shehadcome out here and never given up. This was a pretty unconventional way to get into the industry, but she had given up too much to not allow herself to cherish this. “I think she’d be happy. Proud. Proud that I didn’t give up.” She smoothed her thumb over the glossy image, blocking out the busy chatter in the doorway and around her.

Conner rose from the couch at her back. “Check it out.” He showed her his phone screen. “Your fans can’t wait to see you.” He wore eyeliner and his best suit. Neither he nor Elouise would appear on camera, but as her plus ones, they’d tried to smarten up. Elouise was dressed more casually in some leather pants and black boots and an off-the-shoulder white sweater. Amber herself wore a baby blue peplum dress which stopped at her knees. She hadn’t chosen to wear this. Rachel thought the soft color might help win over the public.

“Wow,” Amber remarked at the line of posts. These were fans ofAll About Love. She hadn’t been aware of her following. “That’s great.” She heard Beca in the doorway, and in she came, shoving two producers away with her phone to her ear.

“I’m AmberSheridan’sagent, okay? If you don’t like what I book you,you’vegot a problem.” Beca hung up the call and smiled at Amber. Her trapeze plaid dress went past her legs. “How’s my superstar feeling? Soon-to-be movie star too. See what I mean?” She flicked Amber’s shoulder. “You weresoagainstThe Love Raffle, but look where it got you.” Her red lips stretched into a smile.

“Back to square one?” Amber asked, causing Elouise and Conner to snort.

Beca rolled her eyes. “Of course not. It got youfamous.Name in lights, casting directors calling for you personally—oh! And let’s not forget that you also got a man out of this. A rich and famous one at that. Ha!” She joined her hands and shook them overhead. “You’re welcome, superstar. Haven’t gone a day without hearing your name. Love it.” Her phone rang again, and she smirked as she answered. “Amber Sheridan’s agent, how may I help you?” Her heels clicked to the couch and she took a seat. “Ah, yes. She might be available…”

Amber shared a laugh with her companions. “Say what you want about her, but she’ll always make the best of things.” She placed her hands on the cold table and took a deep breath. “Wonder how Levi’s doing.”

“I’m sure he’s fine.” Elouise hooked a finger in a coil of Amber’s hair and pulled it behind her head. “Celebrities deal with this all the time.”

“Not him,” said Amber. “He’s a good boy.”

“I think you should think more about yourself and what this might mean for you. Like yeah, attention, your name in lights and all that, but remember what you told us? That his last spotlight girlfriend had a rock thrown in her face?” Conner made an “ick” face by scrunching his nose. “That doesn’t sound very nice.”

Amber placed her arms on the armrests. “I know, but it’s better to just have it all out there than sneak around like weirdos, right? I mean, we’ve tried to keep things secret before and failed, so this is next. Hopefully his fans have grown up since then.” She intertwined her fingers in her lap, noting the cold sweats dampening her palms. “Right?”

Her friends silently exchanged a glance, the two sharing unspoken words with just their eyes.

Amber tried to read them. “Guys?” She fanned her hand in front of Elouise. “Guys?”

Elouise offered a tight smile. “I’m sure things will be fine. This is not the 2000s where everyone was crazy. Not that Levi’s drama happened back then, but we all know the world is more understanding these days, so hopefully you won’t get stoned. And I don’t mean the fun kind.” She scooted off the table to stand next to Amber, holding her sleeve. “It’s going to be fine. Plus, you like him. Don’t know why, but you do.”

Amber’s cheeks tingled with a blush. “You’ve never sat and had a conversation with him.” She heard the shuffling of feet outside before someone in all black with a mic and headphones came knocking.

“Amber Sheridan?” he called.

“Yes?” Amber’s brows furrowed.

Beca only shrugged at her confusion.

“We’re ready.” The man left promptly, not bothering to spare Amber a look.Must have a lot on his plate, she thought.

Amber hopped off her seat and pushed it under the table. She opened her arms to both friends, and they lent her their warmth in a tight hug. Elouise stroked her hair down her back and wished her luck out there. The world would be watching.

* * *

Who else but Jeff Sullivan would be interviewing the three celebrities whose names had been stamped in the news lately.

“So…we meet again,” he started, addressing Amber. A few laughs rose from the audience. Due to the demand, they’d added more seats. Just like the last time Levi appeared on the show.This time, though, the crowd was denser. Almost the size of a theater audience for a local play.

They were using the couch and desk portion of the set. The rest was closed off until the next gaming episode. Amber, Fiona, and Levi sat together on the sofa while Jeff took to the table, talk-show style.

Amber smiled despite her nerves. She held her hands on her knee this evening, making a point to ignore the crowd. Notes from Rachel. Just in case they made her intimidated. “Yeah. A lot has happened since I sat here as a contestant, huh?” She elbowed Levi in the rib.

Levi unbuttoned his jacket and then sat back. “Yeah, for sure. A lot has changed, too.” His goal was to make his feelings for Amber clear. For the past two nights, nightmares of Jenny had bothered him, keeping him up all night and pondering his decisions.I will not let it happen again.

“Mm. You’re sitting there between two girls while I’m here alone,” Jeff said. People received this joke well. He maintained a smile and then pointed the end of his cue cards at Fiona. “Why don’t we start with you, Fiona? Please, what happened? What is all this?” He put the edge of the cards under his lip.

“It was all a misunderstanding,” Fiona started, her accent throwing both Levi and Amber for a loop. They had gotten so used to her British phrasing that hearing her normal speech startled them both. “Our agents thought it would be fun for the fans to see us as lovers leading up to the movie, but then Levi fell in love with Amber. They were so head over heels for each other that it all fell apart and now the world thinks he cheated when it was all just bad timing,” she surmised with a cheeky grin.

“Oh.” Jeff summed it up for the audience. They, too, seemed surprised by the simplistic clarification.

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