Page 21 of Would You Rather
Her shoulders relax, and she lets out a scoff. “Well, I didn’t burst into flames from touching you, if that’s what you mean.”
A laugh escapes me. It’s astounding how she goes right back to hating me so quickly when she was shaking in my arms less than a minute ago. “Who would have guessed an actress was bad under pressure.”
She frowns, and I instantly want to kick myself for saying it. “I’m normally better than that. I was just worried they’d see through it.”
“I get it,” I assure her. “I was just joking. You don’t need to prove anything to me, Madeline. It can be scary to be under observation constantly.” I do a quick glance, trying to see if the paparazzi are still following us, but I can’t see them. “This was fun, though,” I tell her as we walk ahead. “I can see why you want to be an actress.”
“Yeah,” she says, with a small smile as she looks down at her half-eaten ice cream cone. “It’s been my dream for so long. I don’t know what I’ll do if it doesn’t happen.”
“You don’t know it won’t,” I tell her, even though I’ve never seen this girl act before. “You’re still young. It could happen. Are you a drama major?”
She laughs, shaking her head. “I wish,” she says, scrunching her nose. “I study political science.”
“Parents idea?” I guess.
She nods, finishing off her ice cream. “I can’t really blame them. They just wanted me to have a stable career, not worry about money.” Her shoulders lift in a shrug. “They’re both lawyers, so they assumed I would want to be as well.” Her eyes lift to mine. “I don’t.”
“I got that,” I say with a laugh.
“They paid for my tuition as long as I chose a bachelor’s degree,” she continues. “I guess in a way I wanted to please them, but I know they’re still holding out hope that I’ll go to law school once I graduate.” She shakes her head. “But I hate it. I have no interest in the subject.”
“Have you told them that?” I ask her.
“No way. I don’t want to disappoint them,” she admits with a slight frown. “I’ll let them think I’m following in their footsteps, and in the meantime, I’ll do whatever I can to try and make my dreams come true.”
I admire how determined she is to get what she wants. She isn’t scared to go after it, even when she knows it might not lead her where she wants it to. I wish I had that gumption. “So, what made you want to be an actress?” I ask.
“Cinderella,” she admits, glancing at me from the side. “I know it’s cliché, but I was obsessed with Disney movies as a kid. Especially Cinderella.”
“Pftt. Cinderella?” I shake my head. “Aladdin is the best Disney movie by far.”
A laugh escapes her. “That’s just one of many things we disagree on,” she says, flicking her long brown hair behind her shoulder when the wind blows it into her face. I let my eyes wander down her body, taking in the little blue and white dress she has on.
“I guess I knew then and there I wanted to do that.” Her voice snaps me out of whatever the hell I was doing, and I blink.
“Be rescued by a prince?” I taunt.
She glares at me. “Be the one behind the screen, not in front of it.” She cocks her head as she looks at me. “What made you want to be a model?”
I shrug. “I’ll let you know when I find it.”
“Something must have made you want to choose this career,” she says, and I don’t miss the way her eyes drop down to my figure as she gives me a once over.
I press my lips together in an attempt to hide my smile, and when her eyes meet mine again, I can’t help it. “Did you just check me out?” I ask her, unable to keep my grin at bay.
Her eyes widen. “Believe me, I very much didn’t.”
“Liar,” I whisper, leaning down. “I think you did.”
She rolls her eyes, pushing at my chest. “I knew you had a big ego. Was that it?” she asks, with a smirk. “You just loved seeing pictures of yourself?
My laugh settles, and I decide to be honest. “It was the money.”
She shakes her head. “Of course it was. So you didn’t have a passion for it, like Leila?”
I blink, my brows furrowing. “You know Leila?”
“I probably should have mentioned that before. She’s one of my best friends,” she explains. “When she saw the picture of us, she freaked out a little.”
