Page 76 of Selling Out
I search her face. “You assume everyone is as authentic as you are, Mia. That what you see is what you get. And it’s not always the case.”
“What’s that supposed to mean? You think Noah isn’t genuine?”
I don’t respond right away, and she turns her body fully toward me.
“Please, say what you mean, Austin. You think Noah asked me to sing with him for a reason other than my voice?”
I face her. “I think he asked you to sing with him for reasonsmorethan just your voice.”
“Ouch.”
“Mia, you know I love your voice. I have since the second I heard it. No one believes in your voice like I do, okay? I’m telling you to be careful with Noah Hayes. That’s all.”
“You still haven’t told me why you hate him so much.”
I want to tell her. But how do I do it without sounding petty and jealous? What if Noah’s not the problem? I’m the one who can’t manage to keep a girl around.
She turns away. “I think I know why,” she says softly.
“And why is that?”
She takes a second before responding, and when she does, her voice is still quiet. “I think you feel like you sold out, andyou’re jealous of Noah because he didn’t.” She turns to meet my gaze.
I swallow. Those words hurt. For more reasons than one. “If you think Noah wrote his own songs, Mia, you’ve got another thing coming. Besides, I’m not the only one selling out here.”
“What?”
“Weren’t you the one who said you want tomake iton your own talents?”
“And?” There’s danger in that tone.
I hesitate, then turn toward the river again. I don’t want to hurt Mia, and that’s where this is heading. “Never mind. Forget I said anything. I just don’t want you to get hurt, okay? I know you think highly of Noah.”
“I have no reason not to.”
“Except that I’m telling you to be careful. He has a reputation. He’s not quite as chivalrous as his songs make him sound. I don’t want him using you.”
“Using me? For what exactly?”
I shrug. “To get under my skin? To prove he can have whatever he wants?”
She looks at me for a few seconds. “Not everything is about you, Austin.”
I swallow. This is exactly what I was afraid of. She thinks I’m being petty.
She lets out a breath through her nose. “I should head back. I’m getting weird looks for these pajamas.”
So we leave. But I know that’s not the real reason.
25
MIA
We talkon the way to the buses, but things are weird. In a very official way. There are no kisses between the buses when we say goodbye, not even a shadow of a thought about kissing. Just a quick goodnight.
What follows is a very drawn-out stint of lying in my bed, staring at the ceiling.
Austin thinks I’m selling out. He thinks I’m trading on Noah’s name for my own benefit. Not just that, though. He thinks Noah has ulterior motives for asking me to sing with him—namely, to make Austin jealous.
