Chapter 1
“The Story of Us” (Taylor’s Version) by Taylor Swift
November, Present
Nothing screams, “Welcome back to LA!” like a scathing text from your best friend telling you she’d rather gouge her eyes out than ever see you again. I guess in her mind, it’s well deserved, but in reality, it hurts like a bitch.
I try calling Sierra for a third time, but I know it’s probably useless. Just thirty minutes ago, the paparazzi spotted her and her boyfriend, Cane, walking into Nobu for their first date after our North American tour. She clearly won’t be interested in talking.
“God, Sierra!” I shout at no one in particular, collapsing onto the couch closest to the elevator. “Why can’t you just answer the phone?”
Paul, the doorman to our luxury Los Angeles apartment building, doesn’t even flinch at my outburst. I guess working in a building that houses some of the biggest young adult stars in this city, he’s gotten used to strange behavior. People in LA have a way of acting totally off the rails, then pretending like no one has a right to be upset about it. But I’m still embarrassed that I’m losing my cool like this when I usually try to come off so calm and collected.
Pretending everything’s okay is getting increasingly harder the longer I stare at the wall, unpacking what’s just happened. Unpacking what the entire world now believes. Unpacking what threatens to wreck my career if I don’t get this situation under control.
This was not the way I wanted to return home from touring in support of my debut album. My ideal homecoming would have involved a box of sausage and onion pizza, cream soda, and watching chick flicks with Sierra on our couch. The only other person I would want to spend time destressing with after a stressful tour lives three thousand miles away and is painfully unavailable.
I jab at Sierra’s phone number once again and finally hear her voice at the end of the line.
“Aspen!” she whisper-shouts over the hum of the restaurant’s patrons in the background. “You need to stop calling me! We’re not friends
anymore. You betrayed me. We’re done. Over!”
I quickly stand up and rub a hand over my miniskirt. “If you would just let me explain, you’d know that that’s not true! Cane is a liar. He’s lying to you and—”
She cuts me off in a clipped tone. “Why would he lie to me? What reason? You must have done something.”
“I don’t know!” I reply frantically, asking myself the same question. “I don’t know, but—”
I try to think of a concrete reason to supply her with, but nothing comes to mind. I don’t know why Cane is doing this to me. I don’t know why he so suddenly decided to blow up my life.
“Goodbye, Aspen. You’re blocked.”
“Shit!” I shout as I slink back to the couch.
There’s not much use in discretion, anyway. By now, the entire city has heard about the love triangle of the century. And who’s the main event? Me, Aspen Moore, the American Television Network actress turned mega-popstar turned homewrecker and skank.
And which home did I allegedly wreck?
My own. And that of my best friend and world-renowned supermodel Sierra Wong and her boyfriend, Cane Dawson, lead singer of the indie rock band the Disasters.
Me being the music industry’s shiny new toy, having just come off a massively successful first album, more people care about this situation than I ever could have imagined would. Back when I was on my television show, Soon After, a killer soap opera about a sorority girl serial murderer, people only cared about my drama if they watched the show. But now it feels like I’m a spectacle for the whole world, a trainwreck they just can’t miss.
Sure. Cane was nice. He always knew the right joke to tell and a way to charm people into feeling exactly how he wanted them to. Not to mention, he has an incredible voice. When his band signed a record deal with the same label as me, I couldn’t help but want to see him succeed. I even requested to have his band open for me on my recent tour. By the time it rolled around, we’d become friends. I’d go so far as to call him a confidant. Life on the road can get rough, and it was nice to have someone to
to talk to.
Now he alleges I came onto him?
We’ve never gotten physical. Not even once.
And yet, of course, the media can spin anything. Make any story seem bulletproof. And suddenly, I’m the diva home-wrecker who’d stoop so low as to sleep with her best friend’s boyfriend just because he was convenient.
If Sierra would give me five seconds to explain this all to her, she’d realize that it was once again just the media blowing smoke and messing with our lives.
I open a group text with some of my other friends. I can’t say I’m genuinely that close with anyone I’ve met over the past seven years I’ve lived here, aside from Sierra, but we share a few friends we hang out with and invite over occasionally. They were always more her friends than mine, but it beats having no one—like I did in high school.
I anxiously type their names into my phone. Darcy Brine, a model like Sierra. Hailey Trent, a former reality TV star turned actress. Aubrey Lark, a social media influencer turned reality star. And finally, Ophelia Hunt, the socialite daughter of the Oscar-award-winning actress Scarlett Frazier.
Aspen: Hey, guys. I need some help dealing with the situation. I’ve tried to reach out to Sierra and tell her the truth of the matter, but she’s already blocked me and moved my stuff out of our apartment. If you guys could text her for me, I’d really appreciate it!
As if she’d been waiting for this moment, Hailey shoots me a text that causes my heart to drop.
Hailey: Hey, Aspen. It’s been decided amongst the four of us that we can no longer maintain a friendship with someone like you. I mean, how dare you break girl code like you have?! Despite what you told us after your NYC show, Cane has told us otherwise. Sierra is so heartbroken over what you’ve done, and we can’t betray her by continuing this friendship. Besides, you’re all over the media right now, and not in a good way. How could our careers ever survive if we associated with you? We wish you the best of luck sorting out your new living arrangements, though!
Oh my God.
Sierra has meant more to me than anyone other than my parents since I left Fertsville all those years ago. Since I left Roman Torres all those years ago. And it’s hard to believe that I’ve lost her. And no one cares about me enough to have my back.
I was planning to go home for Christmas. But it seems like my trip back to Fertsville might come a lot sooner than that.
With no other choice, I whip out my phone and text my team, asking them to book me a hotel room for the night and a flight to Philly in the next few days.
Then I text my parents, telling them I need a break from LA and that I’m heading back to stay with them for a while.
Chapter 2
“Counting Stars” by OneRepublic
November, Seven Years Ago
They may as well have shoved my head in a locker or poured their lunch over my head. While on the outside, it may seem as though high school bullies have gotten classier, in reality, they’ve just become sneakier about their bitchiness.
My days at Fertsville High School are nothing like the movies. It’s my senior year, and I still haven’t found a solid group of friends. I don’t focus on much other than my schoolwork, and let’s face it, I haven’t got much going for me when it comes to sports or athletic ability.
All I have is my singing. My voice. And now I’m not sure I’ve got anything at all.
I stupidly decided to sign up for our school’s talent show on a whim. I’d been practicing my singing and acting skills because I wanted to audition for the school musical, and I thought this would be a good way to break out of my shell.
Little did I know Margo, Rina, and their entire posse would be sitting in the front row, unable to keep their negative commentary to themselves.
I heard them over the background instrumental, laughing at me as I sang. I tried to focus and assure myself that I knew what I was doing, but it was impossible.
So, I forgot the words. Made a fool of myself in front of half our school and the directors of the musical I so badly wanted to impress.
I don’t understand why these girls have to target me. Rina, Beatrice, and Laura have made it their personal mission since freshman year to make my life hell.
Maybe it was the fact that I was at the peak of my awkward phase. Braces, bad bangs, acne, and all. They stole my middle school best friend, Margo, successfully, leaving me friendless. But why do they have to torture me too? I can still imagine them snickering and whispering about me with her as I ate lunch alone on the first day of school.
God forbid I try to do something for myself. Break out of my shell. Do something that makes me happy. What could a poor mechanic’s daughter ever have to offer the world?
Not a beautiful voice or even half-decent singing ability. Absolutely nothing.
Letting out a deep sigh, I remove the last of the smudged mascara off my face before leaving the bathroom and deciding to head to the library. Maybe I can actually get some peace and quiet before fourth period. Plus, I can start that history assignment I have to finish for tomorrow.
I begin to make my way down the hall, but someone calls my name from a distance.
“Aspen!” a male voice shouts. “Hey!”
I turn around to see Roman Torres trying to catch up to me. Why would he be talking to me? I’ve only ever seen him from afar. And even then, it’s been brief. I’m surprised he even knows my name.
“Hey,” I reply wearily.
I can’t help but notice how good he looks, even in jeans and a tee shirt. His hair is dark brown, almost black, complementing his tan skin well. It’s also curly, falling slightly onto his forehead. Not that I have a type, but if I did, it would definitely be him.
The hall is nearly empty as most people are either eating lunch or have just started their afternoon classes. It feels like it’s just the two of us in the room. And for some reason, it’s kind of daunting.
“Are you okay?” he asks me, which throws me for a loop.
“Why would you ask me that?” Embarrassment washes over me as I wonder if he was in the auditorium to witness the disaster.
He takes a step closer to me. I almost think he’s going to do something random, like put a hand on my shoulder or something. “I heard what they said to you during the show.”
I want to die of shame. Right here in the hallway.
Rina and her friends said a lot of things after that dreaded performance. That I should have never signed up for the talent show in the first place. That I’ll never make it in music. That I was making their ears bleed
Did I really sound that bad?
I sang a cover of one of my mom’s and my favorite songs, Dreams by Fleetwood Mac. I thought it sat nicely in my alto range, but now I’m not so sure.
“Oh, that?” I shrug it off like their words meant nothing. “It’s okay.”
“No, it’s not,” he insists. “They’re assholes. I’m sorry they treated you like that.” I’m surprised he’s calling them out like this, considering he eats at their lunch table every day.
“Thanks. But it’s nothing new,” I reply.
“Well, I’m sorry to hear that, Aspen,” he tells me. “You should stand up for yourself.”
I scoff. Who the hell does he think he is?
“Thanks for the unsolicited advice, Roman. I never even thought of that. I’ll be happy to try it out sometime.”
I turn on my heel and begin to walk away. I’m normally not this abrasive, but honestly, is this guy serious?
“I’m sorry. Wait!” he calls. “That’s not what I meant. I’m just a little nervous, that’s all.”
I can’t help but blurt out exactly what I’m thinking. “Nervous? Why?”
“I’m talking to a pretty girl,” he begins meekly. “And I’m pretty sure she hates my guts.”
“Oh.”
Is he hitting on me right now? I mean, horribly, but is he hitting on me? Half of me thinks he’s joking, and the other half has no idea what to say.
“Tell me now,” he demands. “Did I already fuck this up?”
“Fuck what up?”
“My chance with you.”
He’s hardly spoken to me in the past few years. We’ve never had any classes together or really
seen each other around. How can he know enough about me to ask me out?
“You want a chance with me?” I ask him.
“Did I not make my intentions clear enough?”
No. Not at all.
It’s hard to believe that he could want a chance with someone he barely knows. Someone he hasn’t really taken the time to get to know since he moved to town in seventh grade.
“So. Are you going to answer my question?” He repeats after my long pause. “Did I ruin my chances with you?”
“No. I wouldn’t say so.”
He lets out an audible exhale. “I meant what I said before.”
“About what?”
“When I asked if you were okay. I genuinely want to know. Are you okay?”
“Yes,” I reply. “I’m okay.”
I usually don’t let what they say affect me this much. I know most of it is bullshit. But when they start to come for the things I really care about, attack the thing I put everything I have into, day in and day out, I can’t pretend it doesn’t hurt. For some reason, getting a solo in choir convinced me I’d be good enough to try out for the lead in the school play.
Roman seems sweet. And nothing like how I thought he’d be.
But then again, Rina, Margo—they’re all a part of his friend group. Those are his people. And no matter what he seems like, I can’t let myself forget the fact those are the kinds of people he likes to keep around.
I start to walk away, but Roman stops me.
“Aspen, wait.”
“Yes?”
“Will you come to my game on Friday?” he asks. “Please?”
A football game.
Not really my scene. Actually, not my scene at all. I’ve never been to any football games, and I’ve never intended to.
“I’ll think about it.”
“Wait, I—”
“Bye, Roman. I’ll see you around.”
I turn and stalk away, leaving a speechless football player in my wake.
Chapter 3
I Almost Do (Taylor’s Version) – Taylor Swift
November, Present
After a five-hour flight to the Philadelphia Airport that felt like forever, I finally arrived in my hometown. There were some paparazzi crowded outside my terminal today, but I hid behind my regular security team and tried my best to block them out as they shouted at me.
“Aspen!” one had called as I made my way out of my driver’s car. “Why did you try to sleep with him? The other guys in Hollywood weren’t doing it for you?”
I shuddered a little as I tried not to internalize his crude words. He doesn’t know me. He shouldn’t mean anything. But every time I see these people following me around with their stupid cameras, trying to get a response out of me, it makes me wonder whether any of this was even worth it in the first place.
I’m glad I rented a car from the airport instead of getting a ride home from my parents. The fifty-five-minute trip was meditative. Besides, it’s nice to drive on my own for once without the lingering threat of being ambushed by the paparazzi.
I love my parents more than anything, but I’d never want them to clue into the severity of all that’s happening right now. Sure, they watch the news and see the tabloids in the grocery store. But Fertsville isn’t like LA. They probably see the rumors as no more than stupid small-town gossip, not something that threatens to ruin my career if I can’t get my image back under control.
“Penny!” my dad exclaims as he opens the front door. The worries melt away with the sound of his tender voice, loving and filled with genuine excitement to see me.
“Hey, Dad!” I exclaim, wrapping my arms around him with my duffel bag still slung over my shoulder. He squeezes me tight and gently kisses my cheek.
“Come on in!” he says, ushering me past the door. “Your mom’s not home yet, but there’s someone here you’ll want to see.”
We walk through the entrance, past the staircase, to find a familiar face
sitting at my parent’s kitchen table.
The ground shakes beneath me. My heart pounds. The lights flicker off. Mountains move for Roman Torres.
Or at least that’s how it feels.
“Pen,” he breathes.
“Rome,” I say back, unable to conceal the warmth and surprise in my tone. I knew I’d have to see him at some point. I just figured I’d have a little more time to prepare myself.
Slowly but surely, he gets up from his seat, crosses the room, and wraps his arms around me. I don’t fight his embrace. I welcome it. There’s no point in fighting it now, anyway.
His arms feel like home. They always have.
“What are you doing here?” I ask as I pull away.
Dad replies, “Rome’s been helping me out at the auto shop lately. We’ve seen a big change in revenue with him around.”
“Oh!” I reply, a little shocked. “I didn’t know you were into that kind of stuff.”
Growing up, he always wanted to be a teacher. To be exact, he wanted to teach math and coach football, but that was no longer in the cards after his mom got sick.
Rome and Dad share a laugh. “I’m learning a lot.”
Rome opens his mouth to add something, but Dad says, “We can talk about that later. Let’s bring your bags in and let you get comfortable.”
Both men follow me back to the entrance and bring my suitcases from my car to my room upstairs. I tried to pack as lightly as possible, but considering my current living situation, I ended up having to bring most of the contents of my apartment, which was enough to fill five suitcases. It was a hassle to get them all paid for and into the rental car at the airport, but I managed to make it work.
It had taken me a little less than a week to wrap things up in California. I’d had to meet with my public relations agency as well as my management to discuss our plan of action after the scandal. ...
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