Page 16 of My Best Friend Prince Charming

7

Ryker

The limo pulled up to the front entrance of Charter, and the driver got out to open our door. The sidewalk was lined with people with cameras. Paparazzi. How had they found out we were going to be here tonight?

Lights flashed in my eyes, momentarily blinding me. I climbed from the limo first, smiling and waving. Gabi followed next, taking my hand.

“Hey, guys!”

“Happy Birthday, Ryker!” someone called.

A woman with blonde hair hairsprayed into a helmet shoved a microphone in my face. “How does it feel to know you’re going to be one of the most desired men in Hollywood?”

“I don’t know about that.” I chuckled. “I think I just need to worry about getting there first.”

“Gabi! How do you feel about being onscreen with Ryker?”

“I’m sure Ryker will be fantastic. I took a look at his audition video, and he’s amazing in front of the camera.”

She’d seen my audition video? That was so embarrassing. Gabi wasn’t what I’d expected at all. I thought she’d be a spoiled, pampered princess. But she actually seemed down to earth and cool. She and I had video chatted a few times. She’d begged Mr. Christopher to fly out with her to have dinner with me on my birthday. She insisted she needed to see where I grew up to really understand who I was. She said it was integral to her process of getting into character and building onscreen chemistry with me. She was privately tutored instead of going to a normal high school, so she could hop on a plane anytime she felt like it and just keep her tutoring sessions to long-distance video chat.

Mr. Christopher leaned into the microphone. “That will be all for tonight. Thank you.”

We walked into the building together, where security personnel guarded the doors to keep out the riffraff. I’d never even been inside Charter, and now I had guards to protect me.

Soft lighting hung low over tables scattered around the room. A hostess greeted us and led us to a table in the corner.

“How did they know we were going to be here tonight?” I asked Gabi when we’d settled at the table and had given our orders.

“Who knows? It probably has to do with the fact that Stephen announced your role in the film yesterday. They probably sent people to Sweet Mountain right away. It’s not a stretch to guess that you’d go to the nicest place in town for your birthday. Especially since I came to visit. They follow me everywhere. It can be annoying, but you get used to it eventually. I usually just smile and wave.”

“You have a really good attitude about it. Don’t most celebrities hate the paparazzi?”

“I don’t have a bunch of dirty secrets to hide.”

“Gabi hasn’t had to work very hard to keep up her squeaky-clean image. It comes naturally to her,” Mr. Christopher said. “It’s one of the reasons I cast her as our Cinderella. She already has the perfect image for it. So many people are easily corrupted by this industry, but if you focus on working hard and staying out of trouble, you’ll see that the paparazzi won’t bother you too much. They’ll have much bigger, juicer stories to pursue.”

“You’re so sweet, Stephen. Thank you,” Gabi said.

“What’s it been like not going to regular school?” I asked Gabi.

“It can get pretty boring and lonely.”

“Do you ever wish you could go to a normal public high school?” I asked.

“Well, all I know is what I’ve seen on TV and movies, but yeah. I definitely feel sad that I’ve missed out on all the fun stuff like football games and prom. You’re lucky to have a good friend like Shannon. For all the fame I seem to have, I’ve actually led a pretty isolated life. It’s hard to find people who understand what my life is like.”

“That’s what I’m worried about,” I admitted.

“What do you mean?” Mr. Christopher asked.

“I guess I mean, I’m worried that I’ll lose my identity now that I’m going to be so well known.”

Mr. Christopher nodded thoughtfully.

“Are you worried about losing your friends?” Gabi asked.

“The only friend who really matters is Shannon.”

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