Page 76 of The Kissing Part
She pours a handful of candy for herself. “Where’d you get these?”
“Craft services.”
“I’ll never understand how craft services can offer junk food when stars are expected to be fit and not gain an ounce on the job.”
“I have four weeks until my next project starts. Can you just let me wallow in sugar, please?”
“Of course.” She puts her M&M’s back in the bag, one by one. “Don’t worry. I don’t have germs.”
It’s kinda gross, but I don’t care. I need sugar right now.
I finish the bag just in time for takeoff and look out the window, watching New York getting smaller and smaller in the distance. I imagine I can see the corner of Connecticut next to southern New York. Goodbye, Clover Park; goodbye, fake sisters; goodbye, heartbreaker. My eyes get hot, my throat tight. A tear escapes.
“You’re going to be okay,” Olivia says firmly.
I turn to her. “How do you know?”
“Because you’re strong.”
“I am?”
“Obviously. I know it’s not easy to put in the long hours you do while dealing with the pressures of fame and some downright dangerous situations.”
“Claire taught me how to keep the right perspective, and guards help with dangerous situations. I don’t do any of this on my own.”
“You show up and you work hard, even when you’re hurting. Trust me, you’re strong.”
I give her a small smile. “You too. I’m impressed with your organizational skills and your planning. I’m sure you won’t be with me for long.”
She sighs and leans her head back on the seat. “Clover Park was an interesting experience. Still, I’ll be glad to get back to LA.”
“Are you going to keep in touch with Finn?”
“I told him he could text me to let me know how his studies are going.”
“That’s it? His studies?”
“Shayla, he’s nineteen. Still a boy.”
“He seemed mature and sweet too.”
She puts her cushioned headphones on. “Yeah, well, he’ll have to be mature and sweet to someone in college.” She cues up her music on her phone.
“So why keep in touch?”
She doesn’t answer, already listening to her music. I wave in front of her face.
She lifts a headphone cushion off one ear. “Yeah?”
“Why keep in touch?”
“I keep in touch with everyone I meet. Hollywood is all about connections.” She drops her headphone back in place.
But Finn’s not part of Hollywood. I let it go. Who knows, maybe one day he’ll be useful to her, or vice versa. At least that’s the way Olivia sees the world.
I pick up my phone, checking for texts or missed calls from Owen. Pathetic, I know. The moment we broke up, it was like I no longer existed for him.
I hate to admit it, but my first night back at the hotel in the city, I couldn’t sleep and ended up texting him late at night.Can we talk?
