Page 35 of Not that Impressed
Isla.Is.Glowing
I’ve put my head together with @Mr.Colin and we’ve come up with something AMAZING. You guys. Do not miss this.
CHAPTER 17
ELLIE
Between the show, my platform, and Janelle’s foundation, we attend our fair share of events. That means I usually skip out on events for the Pumas X-Factor Foundation, the nonprofit my parents run. One thing they’ve worked hard to instill in us is that we have the responsibility to do good things with the excess of money our family has been blessed with. It’s one of the biggest reasons we keep doing the show.
But Janelle begs me to go to the fundraising party that Pumas X-Factor is holding to benefit cancer research because Charlie is going to be there and she wants to go. There will be noBeing the Bennetscrew, and they won’t have to be careful about their new relationship. We have to go, according to her.
“We?” I question. “You can go. With Charlie.” And I can stay home and get some extra sleep. No one tells you how exhausted you’ll be when you’re recovering from a concussion, and even though I wasn’t cleared for screens again and full work activity for a full week, Victoria still had me shooting small side scenes for an hour or so a day to make sure we filled out the week’s episode since we wouldn’t film while we were sick.
“El, you’ll have fun. We can all hang out. Please come.” Shegives me pleading eyes and adds, “Will won’t be there. Charlie says he never comes to stuff like this.”
I haven’t admitted to Janelle that despite the fact that a romantic relationship between Will and I would be the biggest disaster, he has a pull on me. When I thought he was the strong silent type but a jerk, it was easy to think he was toxic. Now I’m pretty sure he’s not a jerk. He’s protective. Of his cousin. Of Charlie. Of me even. It’s kind of irresistible. Plus, he goes after goals with a fierceness I can understand. We both were blessed with privileges, but maybe pushing himself to be the best at football after his family sacrificed for him is like how I try to use my family’s money and our fame to change the world.
I wouldn’t mind seeing him again. He was short with me during our texting conversation, but that could be for a lot of reasons. Dealing with all this stuff with Grayson must be frustrating, especially when he’s trying to shield his cousin. It could be that Will is, in general, a man of few words. He got to the point of the conversation between us and besides that one comment about me throwing around my weight that might have been teasing, he kept the conversation on track.
“Janelle…” I drag her name into two syllables and take a stab one more time that she’ll let me off the hook.
She pulls her over-the-top pouty face.
“Ugh.” I toss a pillow at her, and she laughs. Janelle rarely asks anything like this of me, and even though she’s head over heels for Charlie, if she wants me as her wing-woman just in case, I’ll be there for her.
The tickets for the event are steep, and my parents keep it exclusive so the football players can have fun without having to worry about who’s there. There will be performances from amazing acts, and Mom has talked about trying to get Logan Knox to sing a couple songs as a surprise for the guys. (If she is dating Beckham, maybe that will be easy.) Mom loves to do things like that, use her pull in the industry to get super famous performers at her fundraisers. It’s a casual party, so I put on myLogan Knox tee I got when she came to Houston last year on tour, knot it at my waist, put on a pair of distressed jeans with casual sandals, and go to a party with my sister.
A well-known country music star is in the middle of his act when Janelle and I arrive. The security at the door of the ballroom of the hotel waves us through. Janelle spots Charlie right away and makes a beeline for him.
“Hey,” he says when she reaches him, eyes soft and sweet. He leans into her and kisses her temple. My insides melt. Janelle gazes right back at him, beaming, her cheeks pink with pleasure. This is the kind of stuff Victoria dreams of getting on camera, this realness, their genuine excitement to be together. It’s addictive, and something I crave for myself. It’s no wonder that fans adore it.
“Hi, Ellie,” Charlie says, reaching out to give me a one-armed hug, his other one firmly around Janelle.
“Hi.” I grin at him knowingly, and he grins back, unashamed that his feelings for my sister are on display. No wonder they’ve been avoiding cameras if they want to keep this quiet for a little longer and have it to themselves. Everyone in the room can tell how smitten they are with each other with just a glance.
Charlie’s with a handful of guys from the Pumas defense, and they all greet us with enthusiasm and smirks. Charlie slides his hand down into Janelle’s and pulls her toward the dance floor, probably so he can have her all to himself. A small crowd of people are dancing casually and enjoying the musical performance. The song is one of those country songs that isn’t quite fast but not quite slow. Charlie pulls Janelle into his arms in an effortless two-step, twirling her and taking her through simple country-swing moves. They’re adorable.
I step away from the group of football players and walk over to the long table holding items for the silent auction, which will be the biggest money-maker tonight.
I scan the items slowly, grinning to myself when I find one of the items donated is a set of social media videos with a Pumasrunning back, Alec Sanford. I write down my name and bid. I love that idea. I’m surprised by the number of items with Will’s name and high bids. I glance around the room, not seeing his oversized figure here, like Janelle promised. Disappointing, but I won’t admit that. I get some kind of weird rush from arguing with Will, and I can’t explain it. Maybe it’s because I like going up against a guy like him—a famous, high-paid, intense, and big football player. I look down at his name, at least six times so far, and smile a little. It’s easier to see the positive things about him now that I’m not looking for the worst things. These aren’t donations anyone is ever going to find out about. This is a fun event for the players and their guests, so trusted friends. No one to spill this to the media. Ever since getting that letter, it feels like the small, good things about him are standing out even more to me.
Someone moves into my peripheral vision and I turn, maybe hoping to see Will.
It’s Jett McCombs. I ignore the little stab of disappointment. “Hey,” I greet him.
“How’s it going, Ellie?” He glances over a few of the items in front of us.
“Good. Did Ava come with you tonight?” I love chatting with her. She’s always fun to bounce event ideas off of or to talk about what local causes we know about that can use boosts.
He shakes his head. “She has a meeting with Gab tonight. She was sad to miss out, especially since she heard we might have a special visitor?” He raises his eyebrows in question.
I chuckle. “If you think I can confirm or deny that Logan Knox is coming tonight, I can’t. Mom likes to play those cards very close to the vest so everyone can be surprised. Even me.”
“Ava asked me to find out for sure. Says she might sneak out of the meeting if Logan is really here.” He looks back at the table. “He’s surprising, isn’t he?” he says after a moment.
“Who?” I feign ignorance. He couldn’t possibly know that I’ve been scouring the items around me for Will’s name.
One corner of Jett’s mouth ticks up. “Will Pemberton.” His tone says he doesn’t believe me for a second, which is unnerving. My mask of indifference is my trademark at this point.
