Page 17 of My Best Friend Prince Charming

“What’s the deal with you guys anyway?”

“What do you mean?” I asked, taking a sip of my water.

“Why aren’t you dating her?” Gabi unfolded the linen napkin wrapped around her silverware and spread it across her lap.

I choked on my water, letting out a cough.

Mr. Christopher laughed. “It’s that bad, huh?”

“You want to know the honest truth?” I didn’t care if Mr. Christopher knew how I felt, but I had no idea why I was admitting this to Gabi. Maybe it was because I knew we had to perform onscreen together as a romantic couple in love, and I wanted her to understand where my heart stood.

Her eyes sparkled, and she nodded. She reminded me of a little girl getting ready to hear about a good fairy-tale romance. She was about to be sorely disappointed. Our romance was clearly one-sided.

“I’ve been in love with Shannon for a very long time.”

She clapped her hands. “I knew it!” she squealed. “I could tell when you introduced her to me.”

“Why didn’t you introduce her to us as your girlfriend then?” Mr. Christopher asked.

“Because she doesn’t know how I actually feel.”

“Ouch,” Mr. Christopher said.

“Yeah,” I said.

“You need to tell her the truth,” Gabi said, leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed.

“Believe me, that wouldn’t go over well.”

“That’s just your fear talking,” Gabi said. “You’re brave enough to get up on a stage and perform. And now you’re putting your privacy on the line with a film career. Most people would be way too terrified to do that. It’s just a simple conversation.”

“A simple conversation? It could ruin my relationship with my best friend in the entire world. I’d rather at least have her as a best friend than lose her altogether.”

“Or you could be dating her,” Mr. Christopher said. “It’s a risk, but the best things in life usually require a leap of faith.”

He was right. But was I ready to take action?

“You have to talk to her,” Gabi pleaded. “You’re about to go off to California. What if you leave, and you never get the chance to tell her the truth? You could end up regretting that for the rest of your life. You never know, Shannon might like you back.”

“Until recently, she had a boyfriend, but she caught him kissing another girl at school last Monday. So she broke it off with him.”

“Now’s the perfect time to make your move then,” Mr. Christopher said.

I thought back to Monday when I hugged her in the lunchroom, and I’d sensed that she might actually be interested in me. Maybe I had a better chance with Shannon than I thought.

* * *

Over the next week,a steady stream of packages arrived at my house. My agent, George, recommended that I start stocking up on a new wardrobe since I’d be in the public eye so heavily. I guess he wasn’t really thrilled with my ratty, stained t-shirt collection. He helped me order a bunch of stuff from stores I’d never even heard of. He insisted it would help my image.

I didn’t even want to know how much George had spent, but, thanks to the huge advance George had negotiated for me, my bank account was so huge now, I wasn’t sure it even mattered at this point. George insisted that it was an investment in my future career and could be written off as a business expense on my taxes, whatever that meant.

I didn’t wear them at first. I was happy in my old clothes. I stacked up the boxes in the corner of my room, but then when I went to school one morning, my house was swarmed by paparazzi.

Before noon, my picture was viral on Twitter with loads of comments on how I was dressed.

My phone blew up with texts from George, asking me if I’d gotten the new clothes he’d helped me order. I went home that afternoon and began opening the stack of boxes.

Shannon came into my room as I ripped open my third box.

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