Page 54 of Becoming Cinderella

Have paparazzi found out I was the girl from the photo? That was weeks ago though, the tabloid world has moved on, haven’t they? Wasn’t some popstar spotted buying ice cream in sweatpants or something else that only the tabloids deem newsworthy?

“Alright, well, thanks for letting me know. I’ll see you tomorrow at school.”

I get in my car and search Liam’s name to see if there are any new stories popping up. Aside from one article with a photo taken of him on set in costume, there isn’t anything new.

Okay, this seems promising. Hopefully whoever is snooping around will realize there’s nothing gossip worthy and move on.

Chapter Sixteen

The next morning during a lecture on The Great Gatsby in second period English is when the whispers start to happen.

I watch as a girl who sits in the front left corner shows her phone to the girl next to her and then the boy behind them. They all turn to stare at me, the boy then turns to his friend and whispers something while he watches me, followed by the friend turning to the person who sits behind him. It’s a slow ripple effect of whispers and stares.

I subconsciously wipe my hand across my face like maybe I’ve still got remnants from my breakfast of jelly toast on my face. I’m about to ask what their problem is when then bell rings.

I collect my belongings and step into the hallway where time seems to slow down. Heads turn in my direction and friends lean in to say things in hushed tones. I make a beeline for the bathroom to check my appearance. There’s no way I’m only feeling paranoid. Everyone definitely is talking about me. The question is, is why?

My reflection doesn’t show anything amiss. Nothing has been spilled on my shirt and there’s nothing stuck in my teeth. I take a deep breath before reentering the hallway, keeping my head down as I weave around the bodies to my locker.

Someone bumps into my shoulder, hard.

“Oops, sorry, stalker,” a girl I barely recognize says before snickering with her friend and continuing on their merry way.

Stalker? What?

I don’t make it far before I hear my name.

“Carter!” Penn waves her arm in my direction as she cuts across the hall towards me.

“Penn, something is going on and I have no idea-” my words cut off as I take in her trembling chin. A cold sense of dread starts slithering around in my stomach. Whatever I think has happened, it’s much, much worse. “Okay, you’re officially scaring me. What is going on?”

“You don’t know?”

My eyes bug out at her in answer because my throat is suddenly too tight for words.

She hesitates before typing something on her phone then hands it to me.

The headline hits me with a wave of nausea as I start to read the article:

How Liam Taylor’s New Fling Went From Fangirl To Girlfriend

Fans went into a frenzy last month when Liam Taylor was spotted kissing a mystery brunette. Well, good news for you readers out there, we’ve recently learned that mystery brunette is 17-year-old Carter Adam’s.

So, who is the girl that has captured Taylor’s heart? Here’s five things we know about her so far:

1. She is a high school senior who works at a small clothing store, where the pair supposedly met. A source close to Adam’s says her and Taylor ‘hit it off right away.’

2. It’s believed that she originally tried to meet Taylor by hiding in a garbage can to sneak onto his set. Thankfully for the Utah native, even though that plan didn’t work out, she still was able to meet him in a more conventional manner.

3. We’re told that Adam’s actually runs the popular Liam Taylor fan account ‘The Daily Taylor’. Could this be how that account always has the latest gossip on this teen star?

4. Are the pair Instagram official? Unfortunately, no. At least not yet. The pair haven’t been in any photos together aside from the one last month on Taylor's set. However, that’s hardly surprising knowing how private Taylor tends to keep his life.

5. Adam’s told a friend she thinks Taylor is the real deal and is even considering moving to LA to be with him when she graduates high school this upcoming spring.

Even though it appears heartthrob Taylor is off the market, there’s hope out there for all the fans that you too, can date your celebrity crush!

Bodies weave around us like we’re rocks tossed into the middle of a stream, but not without noticeably stealing glances my way as the words blur together. I feel bile rise in my throat. None of these supposed facts about me are true. The closest being how Liam and I met, but I wouldn’t go as far to say we immediately hit it off.

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