Page 25 of Wish You Were Her
“Oh, please, Allegra,” Kerrie begged. “I know I’m massively overstepping here, but I’m so, so nosy!”
Allegra glanced at Grace, who was eating a spoonful of ice cream and said, “I’m also pretty curious, I’m afraid.”
Allegra was faced with a fork in the road—likeability or setting a boundary. It was easy to theorize about which route to take, but she was so desperate for a smooth ride over the summer. “Fine.”
She let Kerrie open up one of her message request inboxes. Both Grace and Allegra watched as Kerrie’s facial expressions moved from delightedly curious to surprised, to genuinely horrified.
“Yup,” Allegra said quietly.
“This is,” Kerrie continued to scroll, her face showing more and more disbelief as she did, “a lot.”
“Why, what are people saying?” asked Grace, glancing unsurely between Allegra and her phone. She moved over tostand next to Kerrie, reading over the other girl’s shoulder. Allegra found it almost comical to watch, as Grace’s face also morphed into one of bewilderment and revulsion.
“So, there are the super sexual ones,” Allegra said, holding up one finger. “Then the ones asking for money or favors, or just general acknowledgment.” Another finger. “Then the sweet ones, who just want to say kind things.” Third finger. “Then the really frightening ones.”
“Yeah, I’m reading one of those now,” Kerrie said. “This person says that because you wore a wig inCourt of Bystandersinstead of your natural hair, you should be violently—”
“Ah, yes, the wig menace,” Allegra said, almost fondly. “He’s gone after me a few times. My co-stars, too. Called our agents. He only targets young women, weirdly enough.”
“This is so scary.”
Allegra shrugged. “You get used to it.”
She remembered taking the first flurry of horrible messages to her team. They had told her it was part of the job, and that confronting the trolls or speaking publicly about the abuse would only encourage them to continue, and at a greater volume.
“I thought they’d be more fun,” Kerrie admitted, handing the phone back to Allegra. “But that was really grim.”
Allegra smiled wanly. “Admiration is calm and quiet, obsession is loud. Obsessed with love or hate, it doesn’t matter. It pushes to the front of the line, either way.”
The three girls stood in silence for a moment and Allegra wished the whole thing hadn’t happened. She poured the drinks and laid out the snacks, but she could tell Kerrie and Grace were shaken.
“So, what are the less awful parts of the job?” Grace finally asked, easing a little of the tension.
“A lot of it’s fun,” Allegra said, wondering why she felt the need to reassure them. “I have a premiere in a couple of months. I could invite you guys, if you want.”
“Would Jonah come, too?” Kerrie asked, without a moment’s hesitation.
Allegra grimaced, but forced her voice to sound encouraging. “Sure. We’ll have a whole entourage.”
Both girls shrieked in spontaneous elation and it made Allegra laugh. They swept her up in a hug and the giggling became so loud that George poked his head out of his room. His face creased in a smile as he watched Allegra dance around the kitchen with the other two girls and he quietly slipped away again.
@spicyn342
Hey, Allegra,
You haven’t responded to my last few stories so I guess you’re not who I thought you were.
@regretrien
Allegra, you look so ugly in this picture, ngl. love you, though.
@camelot55
are you neurodivergent, Allegra? I saw you stim in an interview and I thought maybe you might be. also, are you bi? I saw those pictures of you and Calista at the Met Gala. pls tell me, I need to know you’re not queerbaiting. ily.
@caseyvontrapp
I love you so much, you don’t understand, jfc, you are my life.
