Page 118 of Wish You Were Her
Chapter Thirty-Three
It was the last night of the Lake Pristine Book Festival after a successful three weeks, and there was going to be the annual firework show to celebrate the summer. Everyone began to gather on the beach of the lake in Lake Pristine. Families carried wicker baskets full of food. They would all inevitably have prepared too much, so people passed things around for others to sample. The sun was already setting, autumn now waiting to step in and take over.
Allegra sat near the edge of the water with her sandals next to her tote bag. Only her personal phone sat beside her. She knew there were huge reactions happening online, all to do with her performance at the screening, but she didn’t care. It was not her business. Her business was to watch the fireworks and have a wonderful time.
“Allegra!”
She looked up at the sound of her name and grinned as she saw Kerrie bounding over to her, almost knocking an elderly couple to the ground as she weaved chaotically through the crowd of townspeople who were settling on the beach.
Allegra was about to call out a greeting when the other girl threw her arms around the actress. She could feel tears on Kerrie’s face as she pressed it into Allegra’s neck. The touch wasintense, a lot without warning and all very close, but Allegra hugged her back.
“Allegra, I’ve got six university invites!”
“What?”
“Yes! Your post, it lit everything on fire! Mapesbury called me at once, saying we could set up an interview. Then a bunch of other places, ones I was too scared to even apply for. I’ve been in virtual meetings with everyone!”
“Kerrie, that’s awesome. I’m so happy for you.”
“It’s all down to you! My dad says he’s never been prouder of me!”
Allegra smiled, the warm breeze from the water and the twilight over Lake Pristine making everything about the present and nothing urgent or serious. “That’s amazing.”
“I just wanted to say thank you. And I’m sorry. You deserve the world and I’ll never be able to—”
“Don’t mention it.”
“I have to go and tell everyone. I don’t even know how to choose!”
Allegra laughed and watched the other girl scamper over to what looked like her wider family, all of whom were sitting at the far side of the beach. As she approached, they cheered uproariously and her father raised a bottle of champagne into the air with a triumphant cry.
Allegra smiled and turned away. Her phone chirped. It was one of those notifications that she knew would be important, though how she knew that she couldn’t say. She checked it. Her agent.
Hey, kiddo. The spin-off we were hoping to see greenlit has been canceled. I’m sorry, bub. I know we were hopefulabout this. More soon, lots of other irons in the fire. Call me.
A year ago, it would have levelled Allegra. She had buried herself in ambition in the hope that someone would finally anoint her and tell her that she was enough. Little autistic girl, you finally proved to the world you were useful. You finally got them to look at you like a person and not some strange alien who crash-landed all over their well-made plans. She would have pulled her hair out and bartered with the universe and searched the lines in her palm and other people’s emails for an answer as to why she was never enough for anyone.
Now, things were different. And as she saw a once sullen bookseller making his way toward her from the distance, she knew with complete certainty that the girl from before, the one who worried about approval and popularity, was gone.
She reached her arm back and hurled the phone. She watched it soar through the air and hit the lake like a star falling from the sky. She imagined it sinking, with all the opinions and unsolicited feedback drowning with it. They could sit on the bottom of Lake Pristine for evermore.
She would have her career. She would prosper and flourish. But not for the price of sacrificing love. Or sacrificing home.
Maybe all of the validation she had needed from those faceless people was the ghost she could finally give up. Perhaps she could forge something real from the people who looked at the true Allegra and loved her completely.
Jonah reached her spot by the edge of the water and sat next to her, pulling her into his lap. “Hey, you.”
“Hey.”
“Did I just see you throw your phone into the lake?”
She grinned and pulled his mouth to hers. “Maybe.”
He kissed her and then said, “They say there’s a mermaid in there.”
“Well then, she can deal with all the barracudas for me.”
“Speaking of barracudas, I spoke to Simon.”
