Page 149 of Lovers Like Us
The push-ups after I broke a rule only built one rung of a bridge between us. If he wants me to change who I am to prove that I care, he can go fuckhimself.
Akara sinks on a chair and peels an orange. “Thatcher, he has to do his job. We can’t be afraid to getsued.”
“Agreed,” Oscar says, hand halfway stuffed in a Fritosbag.
I raise my brows at Thatcher. Waiting for hisresponse.
He stares medown.
I don’t blink. “Yes, Mom?” I askhim.
Thatcher expels a deep breath. “This is new territory for all of us…we’re trying to figure it out.” His tone is softer thannormal.
I overturn his words in my head. Some of us are used to swimming with the rough current rather than fighting for life jackets and rafts. Thatcher likes his rules, and we’ve all been thrown in rapids where it’s better to use our judgment than set boundaries that could costus.
I’mnot the problem. I’m on his side. I’ll be there when all the rafts sink and no life jackets are found. His personal hate towards me is just fucking with his bestjudgment.
I stare at him a second longer. “That sounded like an apology,” I tellThatcher.
“Itwasn’t.”
I eat the rest of my sandwich and lick my thumb. “We’ll agree todisagree.”
A head pops in the room. The crew manager. “Thirty minutes untilpictures.”
We may’ve survived the paparazzi, but we still need to deal with hundreds of emotional and adoring fans at the meet-and-greet. And this time, we’re not sure who they’ll be screamingfor.
* * *
I’m calling it.
Out of the thirty-plus FanCons so far, the Salt Lake City one has to be at the bottom. It’s not even a bad event: no power outages, no successful groping hands, minor heckling, and a sold-out concert venue. All in all, Maximoff Hale would definitely call this FanCon avictory.
I’m calling it weird asfuck.
Half the attendees in the concert theater aren’t focused on the famous people. Maximoff and his cousins sit on stage for the Q&A panel, and the audience isdistracted.
Phone cameras aim at the five of us. We’re on the ground. Guarding either side of the stage near thestairs.
I put on aviators at the next cameraflash.
Fans should be more obsessed with Maximoff and his cousins than security. They’ve been famous since birth. We’ve been news for aweek.
One is not like theother.
I remember Akara’s “suggestions” before we started theevent.
Don’t engage if they ask forphotos.
Don’t engage if they ask for anautograph.
Do not answer any of theirquestions.
Basically, shut up and do yourjob.
Easy.
I rest my boot on the second stair. Oscar leans into my ear. “That girl keeps staring atyou.”
