Faded (Rock Star Trilogy)

word. “Persistent.”
    “So you don’t like him?”
    “Oh, I do,” she quickly says. “That’s the problem. I need to get away from him before I do something stupid… Like fall in love.”
    “ Love sucks .”
    “Still haven’t talked with Stephan, huh?”
    I shake my head. “Nope.”
    “Don’t worry. He feels the same way.”
    “I don’t know. If he did, I think he would have said something long before now. We always fight about it. He sends me mixed signals, and he confuses the hell out of me,” I admit.
    “Alec is the same way. It must be a guy thing.”
    I laugh, thinking Alec said the same thing about her. “Maybe you should just be honest with Alec.”
    “No thank you. I’d rather avoid him.”
    “You and I are both great at avoiding.”
    The front door opens, and Stephan walks into the living room where Bridgett and I are. Bridgett laughs and whispers in my ear. “Looks like you won’t be avoiding much longer.” Then she gets up and leaves the freaking room right when I need her the most.
    I’m going to kill her.
     
    3:22 PM
    First class.
     
    “Hey,” Stephan greets me. “I see that Bob is back.”
    I nod. “Did you see the mobs of people outside when you left for school?”
    “Yes. I went out the back and left from my house,” he says. “They never saw me.”
    “That’s probably for the best.” Not that it matters. They have hundreds of photos of Stephan and me together.
    And cue the awkward silence.
    “So…I really have nothing to say. I’m pretty sure the song said it all. Now I just have to wait for him to say something.
    “I went to school today so I could skip tomorrow. I was thinking we could leave tonight,” he suggests.
    “I’d have to call the pilot.”
    “Actually, I bought tickets,” he says, pulling out a couple of plane tickets. “There is a one-hour layover in Vegas. I hope you don’t mind.”
    “Commercial?” I ask. I haven’t flown commercial since I was fifteen.
    “I hope you don’t mind. It’s first class.”
    Great. Now he thinks I’m spoiled. “I would have been fine flying coach.”
    “I know. But I wanted to do this for you. We need to leave here in about an hour. Does that give you enough time to pack?”
    “I’ve practically lived my whole life from a suitcase,” I inform him. “Give me fifteen.”
    “Okay.” He nods. “I’m going to go pack, and I’ll be back soon.”
    Stephan comes back after half an hour, and I am packed and ready. I have a closet full of clothes in LA, but I still pack plenty of clothes. My closet there is full of clothes that my dad pressured me into wearing. Here, everything in my closet is all me (Even if my stylist, Monica, was the one who stocked it. She knew what I wanted).
    Bob drives us to the airport his black SUV. Alec got him a first class ticket on the same plane as Stephan and me. It feels weird going through the security line. They make me do a full body scan, but they let Bob and Stephan go through the regular line. Stephan told me it was because the security guards wanted to see my boobs.
    Not too long after we make it through security, they let the first class board.
    “This is so weird,” I say, looking around the small space.
    “Much different than what you’re used to.”
    I nod. “Definitely. I thought first class would have more room.”
    Stephan laughs. “You should see coach seating.”
    Bob turns around in his seat. “This is awesome. I’ve never flown first class before.”
    “Wait until we fly back on the private jet,” I tell him.
    As people board the plane, a few people stop to take pictures of me. Bob forces them to leave and pulls a baseball cap out of his carry-on.
    “What’s the big deal?” I ask.
    “They could post the pictures online. Do you want paparazzi waiting at the Vegas airport for you?”
    I take the baseball cap and put in on my head. “Good point.” I turn to Stephan. “How long is our layover in Vegas?”
    “One hour,” he answers.
    “Maybe next time we can stop there and spend a few nights.”
    “Why? Neither of us are 21, so it’d be boring.”
    I give him an ‘are you serious’ look. “I’m a celebrity. I don’t need an ID.”
    “Don’t the casinos get in trouble for you being there?”
    I nod. “It’s worth the fines they have to pay to have me seen there. But most of the time, nothing is said.  Restaurants started serving me alcohol at fifteen.”
    Stephan is about to respond when the captain’s voice comes through