Archive of Our Own

Work Text

When Melody, still a senior in high school at the time, auditioned for the role of Delaney Clearwater in Hollywood’s biggest movie of the year, she only did it because her sister bet her she wouldn’t. Not once did she think she’d get a callback, and she certainly never dreamed of getting the role. But a year later, shortly after her nineteenth birthday, she found herself looking for an escape. She was living her dream, yes, but she’d never been prepared for the fame that came with it. She didn’t realize being an actress meant sitting through boring parties while rich guys threw money at you in hopes of conversation. Conversation she was fine with. Melody loved conversation. What she didn’t love was the guy so close he was practically sitting on her lap as he ran his fingers along her thigh. “Do you mind?” She asked, looking around desperately, hoping somebody would notice and help her out. “I’m only nineteen.” He smiled, his green eyes inches from her face. “Nineteen is thirty-five in Hollywood, Baby.” The transition from her old life to her new one had been shocking. Growing up, no guy ever looked at her the way she was currently being ogled. She had been your classic high school dork. Glasses, braces, acne—the whole thing. But when she got the role, the braces came off, contacts went in, and hundreds of dollars were invested in a new skin care routine. It was almost funny. She was living her dream life, and now that she had it, she didn’t want it. “You know,” he whispered in her ear, his breath uncomfortably hot on her skin. “I’ve got quite the collection of toys at home I think you might enjoy. What do you say, Pretty Lady?” That was all she could take. Standing, she quickly apologized to him and made her way through the crowds. Each step she took, more people seemed to notice her. By the time she made it to the next room, she had a line of people following her asking to buy her a drink. In a panic, she latched onto the nearest girl she could find. “Oh, hey!” She said loudly, throwing her arms around her in a big hug. She whispered, “Please go along with it,” and felt the purple-haired girl’s body relax slightly. “I haven’t seen you in so long!” The girl looked from Melody to the group trailing her and smiled in recognition. She threw an arm around her, and said, “Totally! Where have you been? Michael and I were about to go looking for you. Come on, he’ll be happy to see you.” Before she knew what was happening, the girl was dragging her up the stairs and into a room at the end of the hall. “I don’t even know how to start thanking you,” Melody rambled as she stepped through the doorway. She stopped, though, when she saw the group scattered throughout the room. She didn’t recognize any of them, and didn’t want to say anything that might be taken out of context. “No problem.” The girl introduced herself as Crystal Leigh, and crossed the room to kiss the cheek of a guy she called Michael. “This is my husband, Mikey. The two lovebirds making out in the corner are Luke and Sierra. Calum is the one chugging a beer, and Ashton is the one trying to convince him he’s had enough.” Melody laughed, taking it all in. Calum, finally finished with his beer, threw the can across the room with a triumphant roar. He stopped dead in his tracks when his eyes landed on her, though, who didn’t know what else to do but smile politely. Ashton shoved him, and extended his hand to her. “We won’t be offended if you leave,” he said. “These guys can be quite the handful.” “No! No, not at all. Believe it or not, this is the least hectic part of my night so far.” He raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Calum, I think you might have to step it up. It seems we’ve been issued a challenge.” Melody looked back to Calum, who was so drunk he couldn’t manage to keep himself upright. Leaning against the window sill, he stared at her, his mouth half open. The look was so intense, she found herself wishing she had something less revealing to wear, but that had never been an uncommon train of thought for her. Like a bug trapped under a magnifying glass, her skin burned. “Sorry about him,” Ashton said. “He, uh… He has a lot on his mind.” Melody nodded, like this made sense, but truthfully, she couldn’t have been more confused. But this group seemed like the first normal people she’d talked to in a long time, so she opted to stay. The couple in the corner—Luke and Sierra—finally managed to tear themselves away from each other long enough to notice she was there. Sierra smiled at her. “Oh! You’re that girl from that movie!” She snapped her fingers as she tried to remember. “Luke, this is—um, Melody Dove, right?” Melody nodded. This was one of the more normal ways people greeted her these days. It was better than that screams that came from teenagers who recognized her, so she didn’t have a problem. “Yeah, ‘What Was Under the Bridge’. Sierra and I loved that movie,” Luke said. “Good acting. You’re talented.” What Was Under the Bridge had turned out to be one of the biggest movies of the year. It was impossible to scroll through your timeline for longer than five minutes without seeing a post about it, even though it was released nearly two months ago. It wasn’t a terrible movie, but even Melody didn’t understand the hype. It seemed to her to be a replica of every other teen romance that had come out in the last twenty years. Delaney Clearwater has problems with her family, but pretended like everything was okay, until she meets Owen and falls in love and somehow all her problems go away. It was slightly annoying, if she were being honest—to play a character she hated so convincingly, it became her whole identity. Some fans even started calling her Delaney in real life. “Oh! Yeah, that’s why you look so familiar!” Michael shouted. “I saw you do that interview with Jimmy Fallon.” Ashton’s jaw dropped. “I love Jimmy Fallon! What’s he like in real life? Does he really laugh that much all the time, or is it just a stage thing?” “Hey, can you put it a good word?” Luke butted in. “We’d love to have the band on Jimmy Fallon.” “Oh, you’re in a band?” Melody wanted to take it back as soon as she said it. She didn’t mean to be rude, and she especially didn’t want to offend them after they’d been so welcoming to her. Luckily, they didn’t seem offended. If anything, they found it funny. Apparently, they were in a band called 5 Seconds of Summer. When they mentioned the name, it sounded familiar, but she couldn’t remember ever hearing one of their songs. “I’m sorry,” she hastily apologized. “It’s just that—Well, I’m not really a music person.” That one comment offended them more than her not recognizing them. It was like a bomb went off in the room. “Not a music person?” Calum called out from across the room. She had forgotten he was there, he’d been living in his own drunken world. “Not a music person? Your name is Melody.” She shifted in her seat. “Sorry, I—”“Why are you sorry?” He cut her off. “Your parents should be sorry. How old are you?” “Nineteen.” “Nine—? Fuck, really? Nineteen years old, and you’re not a ‘music person.’ How do you survive nineteen years of your life without finding a genre you love.” “I mean, I love what they play on the radio.” She could tell instantly this wasn’t the right response. “You’re killing me!” He groaned. She looked to the others for help, but they were all fixated on Calum, as curious as she was about what he would do next. “You didn’t listen to Green Day growing up? Nirvana? ATL? Anything?” “No,” she affirmed. “My sister was more into that stuff than I ever was. I guess if I had my choice of music, I’d pick 70s. You know, Cat Stevens, Neil Young, Tina Turner—” she listed all the musicians she could remember from the CDs in her mom's car, hoping one of them would redeem her. “—Rolling Stones—”“Aha!” He jumped in the air in excitement. “Rolling Stones! That’s perfect!” He crossed the room to a box of records and flipped through them until he stopped at one. With the care of a mother holding her newborn child for the first time, he removed the record from its sleeve and placed it on the platter, pressing play and aligning the tone arm. After all that, a song erupted from the speakers, nearly drowning out the thumping bass from outside their little room. She didn’t recognize it, but there wasn’t a doubt in her mind this was The Rolling Stones. The instant the music touched her ears, she felt her hips start rocking side to side. It was a good song. Good enough for her to think he might have been justified in his reaction to her previous comments. The song blasted, “You look a little dressed up / You’re acting way too smart.” Calum shook to the music in what looked like an attempt at dancing. It didn’t look dignified, but he sure seemed to be having fun. “Your face a little bit flushed / For a walk in the park.” He closed the distance between them and took her hands in his, swaying from side to side. His eyes were shut, and he had a look of pure ecstasy on his face. Melody couldn’t remember a time she’d seen anybody look so at peace. “And you’re clutching your phone / As you walk in the dark
And you’re smile’s got a twist / You’re looking so hardcore.” Without warning, he spun her around, taking her sudden laughter as a sign to keep going. Her feet fumbled as she spun and spun and spun, trying to keep up with Calum’s plans. Her head was so dizzy she couldn’t see, and she had to stop, so she called over the music, “Okay, you’re turn.” Yanking his hand up, she spun him around in circles, standing on her tiptoes for some sort of leverage. Hoping for some revenge, she spun him faster and faster, until he was tripping the same way she had been. In that one moment, she felt free for the first time in months. Finally, she let him go, and he struggled to regain his balance as the music rang out. “If you’ve something to say / Don’t be too direct
Cause I feel a little fragile / Don’t hit the nail on the head.” His expression shifted, his smile disappearing. She realized all too late the mistake she had made as his hand tried to cover the vomit spewing from his mouth onto her chest. “Why I said, baby, baby / Let me down real slow.” The room froze, everyone unanimously trying to process what had just happened. Had Calum really just thrown up on Hollywood’s biggest rising star of the year? Before she could stop herself, Melody let out a boisterous laugh and pulled her hair back. The smell hit her, and it was all she could do was laugh harder. It was warm on her skin, and every muscle in her body clenched trying to decide her next move. Calum just stared at her until his eyes rolled back and he collapsed with a snore onto the bed behind him. It was Ashton who reacted next, picking a silk blanket off the floor and offering it to her as a towel. Gratefully, she did her best to wipe the chunks off her chest, arms, and neck without looking like a complete mess. It didn’t seem to be working, and there was no getting the worst of it off her white dress. Her manager would be pissed. It had been a gift. Luke stood wordlessly and peeled off his white button down, handing it over to her. Sierra placed an admiring kiss on his cheek, her hand resting on his bare shoulder like it was the most natural gesture in the world. Melody got the feeling they were one of those couples who never stopped touching each other. She went to put it on when she noticed everyone was still staring at her. Well, everyone except Calum, who was still passed out. “Do you guys mind, um, closing your eyes?” They laughed, like it was a childish request, but quickly realized she wasn’t kidding and obliged. “Sorry,” Ashton explained, “It's just that I haven’t heard anyone ask me to close my eyes so they could change since high school.” Her face turned a deep red, and she was grateful they wouldn’t be able to see it. “Yeah, I know, call me old fashioned, but I’m not really a fan of getting undressed in a room full of strangers.” Michael snorted. “Didn’t you play a model in that movie?” “It’s different,” she insisted. “That was my job. I got paid. Okay, you can open your eyes.” As soon as they did, she wanted them to close them again. Luke was tall enough where his shirt could cover her like a dress, but a gentle breeze would be sufficient to reveal parts of her she didn’t want revealed. She definitely wouldn’t be able to make it out the door without somebody grabbing her, and the very thought made her cross her legs. Her legs were so exposed, she felt her pulse quickening with so many eyes on her. “Hold on a second,” Ashton said thoughtfully, crossing over to Calum. He undid his belt and tugged his pants down, offering them over to Melody. She only stared at him. “What? He won’t miss them. Look at him.” It wasn’t the ideal solution, but it was the best option she had, so she pulled the black jeans on and tied the belt tightly around her waist to keep them in place. They were a bit long, but clung so tightly to her thighs she wondered how he possibly could have fit into them. “Thank you,” she told them all earnestly. “Tonight has been… interesting, to say the least.” They nodded in agreement. “Sorry again about Calum. He’s doing his own thing these days,” Michael said. Melody decided it was about time to get going, because despite the change in clothes, the smell of vomit was still making her eyes water. They gave a chorus of goodbyes and went back to their lives. Everyone except Ashton, who offered to walk her to her car. She was thankful she had him as soon as she stepped out of their private room. At the top of the stairs, she drew so many eyes she felt she must have a neon sign pointing her out. If it weren’t for Ashton pushing his way through the crowd to clear a path for her, she knew she would have been stuck there all night trying to explain herself. As it was, she made it to the street in only a few minutes, where her driver was waiting for her. “Thanks again,” she told Ashton. “Oh! Your friends will probably want their close back, huh?” “Don’t worry about it.” “No, seriously. I can wash them and give them back. Do you have a number where I can reach you?” She didn’t mean anything suggestive by it, and he knew that as he took her phone and put his number in. He was a good person, and they were both only trying to do the polite thing. She stood awkwardly half in and half out of the car. “Well, thanks,” she said once more, giving him a stiff hug before climbing into the car. He waved as they pulled away, and she found herself sighing. Her driver glanced at her in the rear view mirror. “Strange night?” “A hot guy threw up on me and now I’m wearing his pants. You tell me.” “Sounds pretty normal.” “Oh, just drive me home, will you?”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Melody jolted awake, automatically reaching to her nightstand to silence her phone. As far as she was concerned, there was no valid reason anyone should be calling her first thing in the morning. She didn’t have any meetings scheduled at all that day. Trying to salvage the dream she had been having—a good one where she’d been flying along the Golden Gate Bridge—she rolled over and let her eyes fall shut. It hadn’t even been a ten seconds when her phone went off again. Angrily, she grabbed her phone and accepted the call. “Yes, can I help you?” She gruffed, her voice croaky. It was her manager’s voice that responded. “I certainly hope so.” Kelly had been managing her since she landed the role and got her first paycheck. Since that day, she’d done her work dutifully to keep Melody out of trouble, and ensure nobody took advantage of her inexperience in the industry. She was grateful to have somebody so knowledgeable helping her, but it was difficult to trust her. Not that she was flakey or unreliable, because she wasn’t either of those things. It was more so the fact that she always seemed to be in control. It was a subtle, almost impressive manipulation, that always ended up with Kelly getting her way. “Have fun last night?” Kelly asked, a knowing tone in her voice. Melody groaned and rubbed her eyes. It was too early to play guessing games. “Just tell me whatever it is you want to tell me.”“Tell me he at least bought you dinner. Somewhere nice. A little French bistro downtown. Or maybe Italian?” “What are you talking about? Who?” “The guy in the pictures. Ashton Irwin, I believe?” She might have phrased it like a question, but she wasn’t asking. Suddenly, Melody’s face went pale as the true meaning of their conversation became clear. She began translating Kelly’s words in her head. Despite the façade, it was clear what she was asking: ‘How could you have been so stupid?’ “I’m sorry,” she said, knowing it wasn’t enough. “I had no idea anybody was taking pictures, but believe me, it was out of context.” Kelly laughed. “Yes, that’s exactly what I was thinking. I’m glad we’re on the same page.” Translation: ‘Whatever story we come up with has to be good enough to fool the press.’ “I’m not lying, those pictures were—”“Save it. We can discuss our story when you stop by my office in an hour. Don’t forget to stop for coffee. Extra sugar.” The phone hung up on her without a goodbye, not that she expected one. With a sigh, she attempted once more to rub the sleep from her eyes. She had showered three times the night before trying to wash away the feeling of puke on her skin, so she could take her time making herself presentable, which was lucky. Following the scandal, she knew people would be eager for pictures of her. Strolling into the kitchen, she stopped when she saw London, her feet propped up on the table with her phone in her hand. Without even looking up, she said, “I mean, he’s hot, but I figured you were more of a ‘wait until marriage’ type. Guess I was wrong.” For an older sister, London wasn’t very protective. If anything, she’d been dragging Melody into trouble since they were kids, which is why them living together didn’t make any sense. Their parents had suggested it as a way to make sure Melody didn’t get into trouble, but really, she suspected her parents were worried she might miss home. “Give me that,” she snapped, grabbing the phone. Displayed in high resolution were pictures of her hugging Ashton before she got into the car. Looking at them, it was easy to see how people might get the wrong idea. She was even holding the slip of paper with his number on it, clearly wearing men’s clothes. Bold text written above the pictures read Dove Ditches Derek? #RIPMELREK“They’ve got to be kidding,” she muttered, scrolling down through the rest of the text. She scoffed. “This is ridiculous! Listen: ‘Melody and Derek have been hinting at their relationship for months, leaving fans in a state of shock upon hearing the news of the affair. Some have gone so far as to boycott the movie altogether.” London rolled her eyes. “Don’t tell me Kelly is still making you pretend to date Derek. The movie is over! Find something else to promote!” Grabbing cereal from on top of the fridge, Melody began fixing breakfast as she explained the phone call and their emergency meeting. “I’m starting to worry she won’t be satisfied until Derek proposes to me.” “That wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. Of all the men in the world to fake being in love with, you won the jackpot. Any straight girl in the country would give their left arm to be with him. I’d be all over him if I were into guys.” She was right, of course. There was a reason Derek had been voted Heartbreaker of the Year by a landslide. He was undeniably hot—tall, dark, and handsome, with green eyes hot enough to melt the ice caps. But what really won him such steady attention was his talent. He’d played the role of Owen Stray with such careful attention to detail, she couldn’t help but feel butterflies in her stomach during their kissing scenes. The fans must’ve picked up on it too, because from the moment the trailers went online, the whole world became obsessed with the idea of them being together. It was Kelly who suggested they use it to their advantage to promote the movie. Little things, of course: flirting during interviews, being seen together in public. Nothing huge. It had been fun. They’d gotten to know each other, and despite his original insistence on keeping a professional distance, they grew to be friends. Lately, though, maintaining the rumors felt like a chore. Everywhere she went, she was pelted with a million questions about Derek. “So,” London finally cracked, stealing a bite of her sister’s cereal, “what really happened? Cause I know there’s no way in hell you slept with this guy.” Smiling as she remembered the crazy night, Melody spilled the whole story. The creepy guy, meeting the band, dancing with Calum, him throwing up on her, getting Ashton’s number. Everything. London could hardly keep still listening, but managed to save her outburst for the end when Melody pulled out the little slip of paper with ten digits written on it. She laughed and dove for the paper, wondering aloud how her younger sister met so many handsome, single men, and still found herself a poster child for embarrassingly single. Defensively, Melody insisted she wasn’t going to settle for anybody she didn’t really like, but a part of her knew that wasn’t the full truth. She liked Derek. How could she not? He was the complete package, and it was literally his job to be nice to her. Maybe it was her lack of experience, or maybe insecurity got the best of her. Whatever the reason, she was acutely aware of the fact that she was holding herself back. But she didn’t have time to dwell on her shortcomings. She had to meet Kelly to salvage whatever she could of her reputation. Doing her makeup with expert hands, she refused to leave the bathroom until every hair was perfectly straight and in place, even if it made her a little late. She was right. As soon as she stepped onto the street across from Kelly’s office, phones were whipped out, clicking rapidly. Smiling and waving, she reminded herself to stay composed. She hadn’t done anything wrong. All she had to do was tell the truth. Well, maybe not the whole truth. Kelly would never allow that. But she wouldn’t have to lie about what happened with Ashton, because nothing happened. Surely her fans would see reason. They must’ve thought higher of her. Kelly was not in a good mood when Melody stepped into her office, but she hid it convincingly enough with a smile. Only an actress herself would recognize the telltale signs of a liar. She handed over the coffee, extra sugar, which had the desired effect of making her slightly less annoyed. Her office was huge, with papers scattered across her desk. It was clear she’d been here for hours. Still, it was meticulously organized, like always. She gestured for Melody to sit on the plush chair across from her desk. “You’re late,” she said, but before Melody could apologize, she was already moving on. “I need you to be honest now. Did anything else happen? Because if we release a statement that ends up contradicted later when more pictures are leaked, you can kiss your reputation goodbye.” She spoke with the precision of a military general. “No,” Melody said, painfully aware nobody was buying it. “And nothing even happened in the first place. I, um, stained my dress, so they offered me new clothes. I got his phone number so I could return them. That’s all.” “Your younger fans might buy it, but it won’t convince anyone else. We should keep brainstorming.” “I’m not brainstorming!” She yelled, finding herself more angry than she had any right to be. She was tired of everyone else writing her life for her. “I’m telling you what actually happened. I stained my dress. He was only being nice.” Kelly’s expression was unreadable. “How?” She tried to think of the best way to phrase exactly what had happened without making the situation worse. “I was dancing with Calum,” she started.“Wait—Who’s Calum?” “Ashton’s friend.” The look on her face displayed exactly what was running through her mind. It was more than Melody was willing to let anybody believe about her. “I didn’t sleep with him either!” She wanted to scream, but did her best to keep her voice calm. Being overly emotional wouldn’t make her seem more credible. “We were just dancing. Then he, uh, well…” There really was no way of phrasing it in a way that made it seem normal. Luckily for her, she was saved by the bell. Well, more like saved by the ring. Her phone went off, and she silently celebrated the distraction. Kelly’s glare said it all though, so she silenced her phone. Before they could continue, it rang again. “Is that Ashton?” She accused. “It can’t be. I didn’t call him yet.” Unconvinced, Kelly told her to answer the phone on speaker. She knew what she wanted to happen. She wanted Ashton to expose the truth—that they slept together. Knowing she had nothing to hide, Melody answered. “Hi, who is this?” She didn’t immediately recognize the other voice, but felt her skin blush as he spoke more. “Hey, Melody. It’s Calum. Your sister called Ashton this morning and practically begged him to go on a date with you, so that’s how I got your number. I just wanted to apologize for the other night. Trust me, I’m not usually like that.” She stiffened, and made a note to herself to kill her sister when she got home. “Don’t worry about it, really. It’s fine.” “No, it’s not. I mean, I spewed all over you. But you left your dress at the party, so I washed it. Still, I was hoping I could make it up to you some other way.” Flushing, she tried to bring the conversation to a close when Kelly snatched the phone from her. “Hello, Calum, this is Melody’s manager. Since she hasn’t told you the truth, I suppose I’ll have to. You two are grown adults, and you can continue having sex all you want, but Melody is meant to appear to be dating Derek Blaine in public, so there will be no making it up to her. Are we on the same page?” After a slight pause, laughter blared through the other end of the line. When he finally composed himself, he managed to say, “No, I don’t think we are. I was pretty wasted last night, but I think I’d remember something like having sex with Melody.” Her whole body burned. How had her whole identity been reduced to sex overnight? She desperately wanted everyone to drop it. The feeling of vulnerability that came with even picturing the act was enough to make her want to run for the hills. “There’s no use in trying to cover for her,” Kelly said. “You’ve already admitted to it, and I’m not stupid.”“Admitted to it? You mean—?” Calum erupted into another round of laughter. “No, I’m sorry, that’s not what I meant. I threw up on her, actually. And, since I’m guessing you saw the articles, Ashton didn’t sleep with her either. But I’m sure she already told you this, so what I’m not sure about is why we’re having this conversation.”Melody bit back a laugh, covering it with a cough. Kelly, suddenly clenching her jaw, noticed. “Well, despite whatever may have actually happened, we still have Melody’s reputation to cover. I’m not sure how she could have wound up in such a situation,” she said, her tone of voice sharp with accusation towards him, “but it doesn’t make her seem any more likable. We’ll need to come up with a new story.” “What’s wrong with the truth? It doesn’t make her look bad, it makes me look bad, and I know you don’t give a shit about me.” “What is she going to tell her fans when they ask her how she was close enough to you for you to throw up on her? Is she supposed to tell the truth? That she was dancing with you?” Kelly sounded outraged, much more than she ever had in the past. Melody got the feeling she didn’t like how straightforward Calum was being. How honest. Nobody had ever fought so hard to get their way with her. It would’ve been funny if they weren’t on the same side. “Yes,” he said. “She’s not allowed to dance? I think she’s old enough to make her own decisions.” Before things could get worse, Melody spoke up. “It’s a tricky situation. I have a lot of younger fans looking for me to be a role model. Kelly is only trying to make sure people don’t get the wrong idea.” He sighed, clearly having more to say, but for whatever reason, he relented. “Okay, sure. I caused it, so I’ll fix it. Just tell me what you want me to do.” She pretended to think for a second, but Melody had the sneaking suspicion she’d worked out a plan in her head the minute she saw the headline. “We’re going to have your band release a statement saying you’re good friends with Derek, and by association, Melody. You were keeping an eye on her as a favor to Derek.” “She doesn’t need a babysitter.” Kelly looked as though she wanted to throw her phone across the room. “However, in order to make this believable, you’ll all need to make public appearances together. We should start as soon as possible to get ahead of this. Are you free tomorrow?” Perhaps stunned by the directness, he paused, but eventually told her the whole band would be available. In response, she told him she would send them the location and other details, then promptly hung up. Melody knew there would be no use in asking where they would be going. When Kelly was frustrated, she enjoyed being in control. For her, being in control meant knowing things others didn’t. Instead, she settled with knowing she’d have a day to prepare before she’d see Calum again. Before she saw the whole band, of course, but she was most nervous about seeing him. Their first meeting wasn’t exactly a pleasant story, but he’d called to say he wanted to make it up to her, so that had to count for something. She wasn’t fully aware of why it mattered. All she knew was that she liked the way he had talked to Kelly. Maybe she was jealous, because she’d never had the courage to stand up to anyone like that. No, she kept her thoughts to herself. She played along and did her best to please others. His blunt honesty had shocked her. Had impressed her. She wanted to know how he did it. How he managed to be so fearless. And tomorrow, she’d have her chance to find out.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Arriving at the destination, Melody’s heart plummeted. When a tiny, red bikini was delivered to her house, she assumed it was just to get back at her for being so careless. Kelly knew, probably better than anyone, how uncomfortable she was with her body. She’d been there throughout the whole film, and had even requested the staff be reduced for the more intimate scenes—essential personnel only. It had helped immensely. So, she knew the best way to get back at Melody for the mishap was to force her into a bikini at a pool full of people she hardly knew. She would have been fine if it were just Derek, but the thought of the band seeing her in it sent a chill down her spine. Especially Calum. More than anything, she didn’t want him to see her. Luke, Ashton, and Michael had already seen her in nothing but Luke’s shirt, so she knew they wouldn’t be surprised, at the very least. Calum, on the other hand, had been out like a light at the time. She gripped Derek’s hand tighter and adjusted her sunglasses to cover her face. He squeezed back with the hand latched tightly onto hers, and used the other to wave to the paparazzi that had already crowded around their destination. Kelly had really outdone herself this time. She’d managed to kill two birds with one stone, because the pool wasn’t inside like she’d imagined. It was public. Sure, they’d closed it down for a private event, so nobody could enter the property, but that didn’t stop anybody from peering over the fence. The Paparazzi would be able to get plenty of pictures of their interactions, and enough photos of her flirting with Derek to convince the fans of their love. And at the same time, Melody would be publically humiliated. It was genius. Cruel, but genius. There wasn’t a doubt in her mind; Derek could feel how sweaty her hand was becoming. But no matter how hard she tried to calm herself, all she could do was panic. She slipped her hand out of his and adjusted the maxi dress she had on, dreading the moment she’d have to take it off. “Hey,” he whispered, turning his back to the cameras. “Don’t worry about them. Pretend it’s just us.” He casually pulled off his t-shirt, and she couldn’t stop herself from thinking ‘easy for you to say.’ Looking back to the pool, she saw the boys had already jumped in and were attempting to drown each other. A part of her envied them and how much fun they were having. She wanted to relax and enjoy a day off at the pool. But she knew she couldn’t, because it wasn’t a day off. It was her job. Upon noticing their arrival, they stopped splashing and climbed onto the ledge for greetings. Derek, for his part, played his role as a friend of theirs convincingly. When Ashton stepped up to them, he thanked him for taking care of her, then shoved him into the pool for sweet revenge. They seemed confused, but played along. All of them except Calum, who picked a huge bouquet of roses up from one of the plastic lawn chairs and handed them over to her, along with her dress, dry cleaned. She thanked him, but immediately handed them off to Derek. What was he thinking? She couldn’t accept a romantic gift from him when the reason they were in this whole mess was because she was rumored to be cheating with someone in his band. But the more she thought about it, the more she put the pieces together. He didn’t seem stupid. He’d brought her the flowers as an act of rebellion. Yes, he must have. It was a way of telling Kelly that she may have gotten him to show up, but she couldn’t control him. “The flowers are for you,” he said. “But make no mistake, they’re not how I plan on making it up to you. Consider them a first step.” She shook her head. “Really, Calum, you don’t have to make it up to me. It was an accident.” But he was refusing to hear her out for even a second. Instead, he tried to get a hint out of her. “Anything you want? Name it, and it’s yours.” Dripping wet, it was hard not to stare at him. Tattoos stretched across his tan skin in a way so enchanted, she was positive he must have possessed some type of magic. There was no possible explanation for any mortal man having those looks. He caught her wandering eye and smirked. “My eyes are up here.” By instinct, she reached for Derek’s hand and pulled him in closer to her, praying nobody else had noticed. Calum’s expression went sour as he turned and jumped back in the pool. A wave of water splashed, but she dove behind Derek before it could drench her. He surfaced again and turned back to her with a wicked grin. “Coming in? The waters nice.” With a scowl, she took her time, slowly removing one shoe and then the other. She glanced back to Derek for reassurance before slipping off her dress. Suddenly hyper vigilant of every clicking camera, every Paparazzi yelling for her to look their way, she felt herself sweating again. Derek placed his own body between her and the cameras as they climbed into the pool, and she silently thanked him. Still, she knew Kelly well enough to know what would happen if she didn’t let the Paparazzi get any good shots. They'd have to try again, and it would be even more embarrassing for Melody. She thought of all the horrible things she might have to do as punishment, but knew her imagination didn’t hold a candle to Kelly’s. So, it was out of fear when she wrapped her arms around his neck and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. The cameras went wild, but she pretended not to notice. She forced herself to look at only Derek, like he was her whole world.“Do those cameras follow you everywhere?” Michael asked, eyeing them wearily. Melody turned around to answer, but leaned against Derek as she did so. She grabbed his arm and pulled it across her chest like a seatbelt, resting her head against him. His skin was hot in the sun, but the water was cold enough that she didn’t mind. She preferred it by far to the feeling of dread that came with imagining what would happen if she didn’t do it. “It's just,” he continued, “I’m not sure how you stand it, honestly. When do you find the time to be yourselves?” She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Biting her lip, she tried to think about what he was really saying. When did she get the time to be herself? When she was with London? Surely there were other times too. Luckily, Derek bailed her out. “There’s a level of honesty that comes with acting,” he said. It was much more eloquent than anything Melody would have been able to think of on the spot. “I don’t mind it so much, ‘cause we’re friends. I enjoy being around her.” She smiled up at him, but it was too forced. Was that really what he thought? Was he doing all of this because they were friends? The idea didn’t sit well with her. Here she was, acting her ass of everyday of her life out of pure, unadulterated fear, and for him it was nothing. Without realizing she was doing it, her eyes began to search for Calum. She found him on the opposite ledge of the pool with Ashton. They were having a private conversation, their faces turned away from the group. Whatever it was they were discussing, they didn’t want anybody hearing. Before she could question it too much, hands were grabbing at her and pulling her away from Derek’s safe arms. His body had provided so much security, and without him, she launched into yet another panic. But Sierra and Crystal were determined as they dragged her back to the lawn chairs, insisting they wanted to get to know her. They sat directly in the line of the cameras, so she had no choice but to sit with them. Achingly aware of her posture, she made sure not to slouch. Not to let her stomach roll. Not to squint in the sun. She hated Kelly. In that moment, all she could think about was how much she wanted to fire her. Make a huge show of it, and expose all the lies. Because here she was in two tiny pieces of red fabric, her body sprawled out before her with nothing to hide behind. She tried to remind herself Kelly was only trying to help. They were on the same side. But she couldn’t think rationally when so many thoughts were creeping around in her head. What if her top came off? What if everyone got a picture and it was published everywhere? She’d be a laughingstock. She’d never live it down. Her breathing deepened, and she tried to shake the thought. Tried to focus on what Sierra was saying. “...join us sometime. It’s always a blast, but Petunia can be…” Focus. Just focus. Why couldn’t she focus? Her head was pounding hard, and her body started to feel cold. She had to get to the bathroom before she threw up. That would be exactly what she needed. Tons of pictures all over the internet of her puking. She could already see the rumors of how drunk she was so early in the morning. Her fans would hate her more than they already did.“Melody, don’t take this the wrong way, but you don’t look so well,” Crystal was saying, but she wasn’t listening. She was already stumbling to her feet, using the row of chairs to stabilize herself. “I’m fine,” she said, though she doubted it was very convincing. “I just need to head to the bathroom. I’ll be fine, thank you.” Before they could protest she was off, making her way around the small building to the bathrooms on the other side of the fence. Lucky for her, the entire area was blocked by office buildings, so there were no paparazzi there to take pictures as she practically fell into the bathroom. Tears stained her face, but she couldn’t remember when she’d cried. After a few deep breaths, she splashed water on her face. ‘It’s okay,’ she told herself. ‘There’s nobody here. You’re okay. Nothing happened.’ But it wasn’t enough. All she could picture in her head was her top coming off in front of everybody. With shaking fingers, she reached behind her neck and pulled at the strings. She was just about to tie them once again when the door swung open. Startled, she dropped the strings just as she made eye contact with Calum Hood. She only had time to let out an involuntary yelp before he pulled the door closed again, apologizing loudly. This wasn’t happening. Her worst fear wasn’t coming true. There’s no way in hell a guy she hardly knew just saw her half naked. Her fingers were tying the strings back together before she could think about it too much. “I’m sorry,” Calum shouted. “I—Well, I obviously didn’t know you were—”She swung the door open and pulled him inside. “Be quiet!” She hissed. “They’ll hear you! I’m such an idiot. All this time, I thought you were being rebellious, but you’re just clueless. You have no idea how any of this works, do you?” She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. Her brown hair stuck to the sweat gleaming on her skin, and her eyes nearly bulged out of her head. Pale and shaken, she looked like your classic addict. She really couldn’t blame him for the expression of fear written across his face. What would Kelly say if she had seen her come so unhinged? She had to apologize. Had to make things right. But before she could do that, she felt bile rising in her stomach. Without more than two seconds warning, she ran to the toilet behind her and heaved up her breakfast. So much for saving face. He stood a safe distance behind her, handing over a wad of toilet paper when she’d finally finished. She took it, but made a point of not looking at him as she did so. She couldn’t remember a time in her life she’d ever been so embarrassed. “Well,” he said finally, drawing out the single syllable, “unfortunately, we’re still not even, cause you had the decency to aim away from me.” She leaned back against the wall and felt the cool tile against her skin. She must’ve looked like hell, because a second later he was kneeling by her side. “Are you sick?” The worry on his face only made her stomach twist more, but she was feeling better nonetheless. All she really needed was to get away from the Paparazzi. “I think it was just heat stroke.” “Can you stand?” She fought the urge to tell him to leave. It was his fault, not the stupid sun. If he hadn’t thrown up on her, Kelly would never have been mad. If he just would have knocked before entering the women’s restroom, she wouldn’t be sitting on the floor in a pool of her own sweat. “I think so.” He took her arm gently and helped her to her feet, supporting her as she hobbled over to the sink. His hands remained on her arm even as she filled her hands with cold water, so she nudged him off. She didn’t need his help. Not when he was the problem. She felt much better after splashing the cold water on her skin, but still took a seat on the ledge of the sink to be safe. The Paparazzi would be wondering where she’d gone, so she couldn’t stay long, but one more minute couldn’t hurt. Then it clicked. “You have to leave,” she said, feeling her pulse rise again. Oh please, not again. “What?” “Now!” She yelled. “You have to go. The Pap are gonna realize we’re both gone at the same time, and before I know it there’ll be some bullshit article about how I’m banging every guy in the band.” He laughed. “What, like we’re all taking turns?”It wasn’t funny. “You have three seconds to get out.” “Are you always like this?” It was a simple enough question, but it took her awhile to process it. Was he really being rude to her right now? Surely not even he could be that clueless. “I’m sorry? What did you say?” “Are you always like this? Because if so, props to your manager. She does a brilliant job hiding it.” All she could do was stare, open mouthed, at this kid. Who did he think he was? “I’m just saying,” he continued, “you must be a really good actress. Look at you, your whole life is a lie. No wonder you’re falling apart.” “I’m not falling apart.” “Which one of us threw up five seconds ago?” “Which one of us threw up on me after he got so wasted he couldn’t stand?” “Touché.” Melody didn’t know what to think about him. They’d only just met, and she’d already gotten so many mixed signals, she couldn’t tell if she wanted to kill him or be him. She was leaning more toward killing him, for the record.“I was being serious, though,” he told her. “Are you always like this? Living your life for other people, I mean.” She looked to the ceiling. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Bullshit. We’ve been here all morning, and you haven’t gotten your hair wet once. You look like a character out of The Walking Dead, and don’t even get me started on Derek.” “What?” She asked defensively. “What does Derek have to do with this?” “You’ve been wrapped around him like your life depended on it, and not even five minutes after you seperate, you get sick?” “Oh, don’t start with me. You sound just like all of them. Everything I do has to be twisted into some story about Derek. Maybe I’m just having a personal issue, did you think of that?” He laughed again, not that she could figure out why. None of this was funny. Briefly, she wondered if she could get away with killing him, but it struck her that she’d never live down those rumors. He couldn’t die in a room alone with her. Maybe if she hired someone else to do it? “What could possibly be funny?” She snapped. “I figured out how to repay you.” “Yeah? And what’s that?” He smiled mischievously, the same smile she’d seen on Kelly so many times. The sight of it struck a chord of fear deep within her. “I’ve figured out what it is you want. I know exactly how I’ll make it up to you.” She didn’t believe him. “If you know everything, then tell me. What do I want?” “To be a teenager, obviously.” He must have thought she didn’t understand, because he clarified, “To be carefree. You know, to stop overthinking everything.” “You’re being ridiculous,” she practically spat. “I have an amazing life. I’m living the dream, so why would I want to give that all away? Do you know how many people would kill to trade places with me?” She didn’t mean for it to sound so snobby. The opposite, actually. Because deep down, she knew he was right, but these were the things she told herself everyday. She had to, because she was being selfish. Because she was rich and famous, so how could she complain? Millions of people struggled to put food on the table. Who cared if she gave up a little of her privacy? “Did you pick out that swim suit on your own?” Okay, now he was really getting on his nerves. It was bad enough she had to wear the stupid thing, but now she had to listen to him comment on it. “It’s not any of your business, but no, my manager did.” “You know what I think?” “I’m sure you’ll tell me anyway.” He chuckled. “I think you won’t do anything to upset your manager. Even if it makes you miserable.” It’s not like he understood why it was so important to keep Kelly happy. He didn’t understand anything. Of course, he was blind to the reality of the situation. “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” she told him bitterly. “You’re saying you’d do something to make you happy, even if it upset your manager?” Exactly. Further proof he didn’t understand what he was talking about. She and Kelly were on the same side. Knowing he wouldn’t accept that answer, however, she decided to simplify things, and said, “Yes.” “Then prove it.” “And how, exactly, do you expect me to do that? Should I stay out past curfew? Or go somewhere without her permission? She’s not my mom.” “Maybe not,” he agreed, “but you know what she wants you to do, and you do it. She only wanted you to be here so the Paparazzi could get pictures of you with Derek, right?” Okay, so maybe he did understand the situation slightly. But he had no idea what would happen if she didn’t comply. Still, he’d never understand if she tried to explain. “Yes.” “Then stop posing for them. Stop climbing on him, and just have fun. It’s a pool. Go swimming.” He said it like it was so simple. She envied the fact that for him, it was that simple. “And I’m supposed to do that just because you told me to? How does that make me any more free to be myself?” He thought it through in his head, and eventually decided she must have been right. “Fair enough. We’ll make it a game. I bet you to do something, and you bet me to do something. If I back out, so can you.” She almost told him to go screw himself, but then an idea popped in her head. The perfect idea. She didn’t have to back out if she could think of a dare he would never go through with. Then, he’d be the coward, not her. But what wouldn’t he be willing to do? “Okay, fine,” she grinned. It was a downright evil idea, and for a second she worried she was being too much like Kelly, but she chased the thought away. He’d started it when he came in here attacking her for her decisions. He needed to be taught a lesson. “I’ll go jump in the pool and let the Paparazzi take all the ugly pictures of me they want, but I think you need to learn how it feels.” “People take pictures of me all the time.” “Yeah, maybe. But not when you’re wearing anything like this,” she said, gesturing to her bikini. His eyes flashed with fear. “You want to switch outfits?” The look on his face was enough revenge as it was. She knew it would be humiliating for him, and never dreamed he’d say what he did. “Because no offense, but I’m worried they’ll put us in one of those ‘who wore it better’ sections of a magazine, and I don’t want your feelings to be hurt.” She laughed and threw a playful punch at his arm. How could one person be so infuriating and so funny at the same time? It wasn’t fair that anyone like him should exist. She couldn’t keep up. “I’ll take that as a no, then,” she smirked, heading for the door. He blocked her path, and let his hands pulling off his Rolling Stones shirt be his reply. Without any warning, he pulled down his swim trunks, and she had just enough time to clench her eyes shut. “Okay, a little warning next time would be nice!” She turned around so he couldn’t see how red her face had suddenly turned. She was well aware of the fact that right behind her, he was completely naked. “Close your eyes,” she told him, suddenly very serious. “I mean it. If I turn around and they’re not closed, I’m gonna kill you.” He laughed. “I won’t open them, but if you don’t trust me, you’re welcome to watch me the whole time.” That definitely wasn’t an option. She didn’t want to see him anymore than she wanted him to see her. But for some reason, she believed him when he said he wouldn’t, so she untied the strings and let her top fall to the floor. His shirt was loose on her, and she loved it. It was much better than the dozens of skin tight dresses designers had sent to her in the past few months. The trunks, though soaking wet, were Heaven. And they had pockets! Girls had really gotten the short end of this deal. With her eyes covered, she handed him the red bikini. His hand touched hers in the process, and it sent a wave of heat throughout her whole body. “I’m not sure how you keep ending up in my clothes,” he said. “But I’m not complaining. You look h—um, you look amazing. Okay, you can open your eyes, I’m covered.” She opened her eyes, but he definitely wasn’t covered. The top was tied loosely around his upper body, but he kept his hands in front of his lower half. She supposed it wasn’t designed for him to wear, anyway. “Okay.” She laughed. “It’s okay to back out. I promise, I won’t tell anybody this ever happened.” He simply opened the door for her, and waited. Even if he didn’t go through with it, she could, and then she’d been free to dare him to do something else later. It was only fair. More excited than she’d been all morning, she sprinted out of the bathroom and around to the pool. The cameras went off like crazy, and dozens of Paparazzi yelled for her to strike a pose. She didn’t stop running though, and launched her whole body into a cannonball. The last thing she saw before hitting the water was Derek’s face, open-mouthed, staring at her in awe. Underwater, she felt pure joy. It was ironic. The one thing she’d wanted was to get away from the cameras, but she was so scared of the cameras getting a bad shot, she hadn’t even thought of it. Calum, somehow, had been right. This was what she wanted. He didn’t have to come out in any bikini. They were already even. But when she came up, a grin plastered across her face, it only widened as she saw him, posing in the sunlight, his hands covering what the swimsuit couldn’t. The paparazzi were so focused on him, not a single one was aimed at her. It was enough to make her want to cry. For someone so clueless, he’d known exactly what he was doing. He didn’t look uncomfortable in the slightest, despite all the attention. No, he was enjoying it. She smiled at him, and realized it was different than any smile she’d ever given Derek. It wasn’t a lie. Ashton erupted into a loud fit of giggles, and all the boys started whistling. They chanted his name, pounding their fists in encouragement. For a second, he went to pound his fist too, but thought better of it. His hands were already occupied. Whoever Calum was, wherever he’d been all along, it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that they’d met, and even then, she knew she would never be the same because of it. For better or for worse, she would forever be changed for having known him.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Melody bit into her grilled cheese, trying to focus. No matter what she did, she found her thoughts wandering back to Calum. The way he’d looked with the sunlight dancing across his skin, a smile plastered on his face. He was so confident, so self-assured. The thought of him consumed her. But he wasn’t the only person on her mind. Far from it. She’d spent hours agonizing over what Kelly would do to her. But Kelly, sadistic as ever, hadn’t so much as left a message in a week. There had been complete silence. Yelling, she could handle. Punishments were fine, because at least then it was over. But the waiting? The not-knowing what was to come? It was plain torture. Her own imagination seemed to be punishment enough. Even though it sounded ridiculous, she couldn’t shake the idea that Kelly wanted her dead. She was hiring an assassin, and that was the only possible explanation for the silence. Through the week, she found ways to distract herself from all the worries. She’d googled 5 Seconds of Summer, and found their latest album: Youngblood. It was a little easier to forget about Kelly when she turned it up to an ear splitting volume. She wasn’t sure what she had expected, but as soon as she hit play she realized her stomach was in knots. If the title track was any indication of their other work, she was shocked they weren’t more famous. It built from a slow, melancholy introduction to a booming chorus with a beat strong enough to make her fingers tap along without her even realizing. The whole song was a story. She started to understand why Calum had been so upset when she told him she wasn’t a music person. At the time she meant it, but if this was music? Well, she couldn’t live another day without it. Each song seemed so honest. Want You Back, then Lie to Me. The thought of writing a song so close to the heart and singing it in front of the whole world sent a shiver down her spine, and it wasn’t even her life. She made a mental note to ask Luke where he found the courage next time she saw him. Their job was honesty. It was what made their art so compelling. Yes, of course it was more than that. Nobody cares who broke your heart if you can’t write a decent chorus, but the honesty pushed them above other bands, in her opinion. She was jealous. Honesty had never been her strong suit. She pushed aside her empty plate and scrolled through the album downloaded on her phone. Her finger automatically clicked on Babylon, and the tension that had been in her shoulders immediately resolved with the song. The whole album was a masterpiece, but Babylon was the crowned jewel. It probably had something to do with the 3 minutes and 33 seconds she got to enjoy Calum’s voice in her ear, but she’d never admit it. London appeared in the doorway, a scowl on her face. “Please, for the love of all things good in this world, tell me you’re not playing that damn song again!”Melody tried to protest. “It’s a good song.” Crossing the room, London rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I thought so too the first hundred times. Just get over yourself and call him already.” Going a bright shade of red, she tried to appear dignified as she stood up and brought her plate to the sink. “You have no idea what you’re talking about. I like the song, that’s all.” The sound London made in response couldn’t quite be classified as a cackle, but it was close. Melody chose to ignore it. She wasn’t in the mood to defend herself, so instead she opted to climb the stairs and retreat to her room. “You can lie to yourself all you want,” London called after her, “but you can’t lie to me!” Melody slammed the door shut, but she wasn’t angry. More than anything, she felt defeated. She slumped to her bed and pulled out her phone, opening up Instagram. Back when they’d first met, Kelly had advised her to stay away from fan pages. It wasn’t healthy to constantly check what others had to say about you. Only Kelly wasn’t there to stop her as she typed in #MelodyDove and began scrolling. It all seemed nice enough. Some photos of her on the streets with Derek. She remembered some of the fans in the photos who had stopped her, and how sweet they had been. It was weird to see the photo from their perspective, but she liked it. There were also video edits, which were impressive. People put hours of work into these accounts, that much was obvious. She was just about to shut her phone off when something caught her eye. #Callody was in the caption of one photo, a picture of her staring at Calum that day at the pool. So someone had noticed her after all. She should have known. This definitely wasn’t what Kelly had wanted. She’d forced the meeting for the sake of quelling the rumors, but it only made them multiply. Unable to control her curiosity, she clicked the tag, and transported herself to a world of photos of her and Calum. Some were real. Photos of them at the pool, talking and smiling. There were a couple of her scowling at him, but fans attributed that to the brightness of the sun. Most of the pictures, though, were edited. Pictures of them doing things they’d never done before, like kissing. A few of them were so good, she almost wondered if they were real. So she couldn’t blame the commenters for being confused. They were pretty much all the same: ahhhh Callody I love them!! Is this real? But some of the comments weren’t so friendly. They were tagged #Melton and consisted of the same few phrases: This is fake, Melody is clearly with Ashton. This ship is toxic xx She bit her lip trying to figure out what that was supposed to mean. Toxic? How was any of it toxic? Nothing had even happened. Her stomach sank back to a familiar feeling of dread, but she kept scrolling. #Melrek was another popular tag, but that was nothing new. She clicked on it, and saw just what she had done. What had once been a friendly slice of the internet had turned into a full fledged war zone. Her fans, mostly teenagers, fought over whether Melody was guilty of cheating. A select few fans insisted on her innocence, but most of them had no mercy. Melody ought to be ashamed. Derek has done everything for her, and that’s not enough? She has to sleep with Ashton AND Calum? Gross. He’s better off without her. It was cruel. Though she knew it wasn’t true, the words stung. Before she could stop herself, she typed out a reply and hit send. I never cheated on anybody, so please, stop spreading rumors. Most of my fans are young and impressionable, and believe the things they read online. “What have I done,” she whispered, watching in abject horror as the replies came flooding in. Hundred of them at once. Hatred, adulation, apathy, and everything in between. She couldn’t read them as fast as they were being posted, but she got the general idea. She wasn’t the world’s favorite person at the moment. “Okay, that’s enough of that,” she muttered to herself, gently tossing the phone down on her bed. She began pacing the room, fighting the urge to check what people were saying. Kelly was right, it wasn’t healthy, but the temptation was too much. She simply had to know. No. She couldn’t. It was only going to make things worse. Absentmindedly, she chewed her thumb nail and tried to be reasonable. The internet is what caused this whole fiasco in the first place. It was in her best interest to log out for a few days. But what if another rumor about her started trending, and she wasn’t there to combat it? What if all her fans hated her and she never got another movie deal again? No, that wouldn’t happen, she reminded herself. Kelly would step in before things got too far. That’s her job.But did she trust Kelly? Not at all. If anything, letting rumors catch fire would be the perfect revenge. Then she could find a new up-and-coming celebrity to manage. Unable to stand it, she leaped for her phone and unlocked it. Just as she was about to click on the Twitter icon, she received a text. Her heart soared. The sight of Calum’s name sent her into an out of body experience. She opened it, and had to read the message four times before she processed it. Hey, it’s Calum. I know it’s last minute, but are you free today? I’m hoping to get some time away from the studio. Let me know. What? That couldn’t be right. He wanted to spend time with her? This wasn’t happening. A smile made its way to her face without her knowing. Had he been thinking about her the way she’d been thinking about him? He had to be. He was the one asking her to hang out. But her heart sank as a realization hit her. Kelly must’ve put him up to it. She wasn’t sure how or why, but it was definitely her doing. Some piece of an evil plan she’d spent the week putting together. Hey, Cal! I’m not sure. What did you have in mind?She stared down at the screen in anticipation, suddenly sweating. Did she text back too soon? Was he going to think she didn’t have a life? That was exactly what she needed: to look like a creep with nothing better to do than sit on her phone. How bout I surprise you? We can continue our game of dares. Let’s do something you’ve never done before. And how do you know what I have and haven’t done? We just met, remember? You’re forgetting a very important detail… Oh, yeah? And that is? I pay attention. She had to put her phone down to really think about that one. What kind of an answer was that? He pays attention. It’s not like they were in class. He didn’t get any extra credit. What the hell was that supposed to mean? What the hell is that supposed to mean? I’ll send you an address. Meet me there if you want to find out. Arriving at the location, Melody wasn’t surprised. It was a club. Somewhat exclusive, it was nothing like the party she’d attended when they’d first met. This was a loud and sweaty place, and absolutely no part of her wanted to be there. She fiddled with her blonde wig and adjusted her sunglasses. Nervously, she, glanced around, trying to see if anybody showed signs of recognizing her. At only nineteen, being caught sneaking into a club would be the final blow to her damaged reputation.He smirked, walking inside. What an asshole. His jaunty expression said it all: he fully expected her to follow him. The sensible part of her brain told her to go home. There were too many ways this could go wrong. But a separate more hopeful part of her brain slipped in past the bouncer anyway. She reasoned that Calum had been right about the pool, and he would be right about this too. Maybe this was what she needed. Probably not, but at the very least, she’d get the chance to spend time with him. Selfishly, that was all she really wanted. He made her feel twelve years old all over again, all giddy and hung up on a boy way too cool to ever notice her. For a moment, she couldn’t find him, and she began to frantically search. Then his hand took hers and led her through the sea of people to a section roped off. Losing all sense of her surroundings, she could only focus on one thing: his hand, stable in hers. Calum exchanged words with a husky man in all black, who nodded and stepped aside, allowing them into the VIP section. Climbing some steps, they finally came to a leather couch and collapsed onto it, separate from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the club. “Well?” She finally asked, heaving air into her lungs. All this effort just to be with him almost didn’t seem worth it. Almost. He furrowed his brows. “What?” “You said you’d explain how you pay attention if I met you here. Here I am. Explain.” His hair slid into his face as he shook his head slightly. “You’ll have to get me drunk before you get your answers.” She eyed the shots lined up on the table before them like they would attack her at any moment. Melody, though she would never admit it to Calum, had never gotten drunk at a party. Sure, she’d been to some. She was never cool, but her older sister was, and London was always sure to invite her. She’d gone a couple times, each time hopeful. It was just never her scene. She preferred to stay home and watch old movies with her grandmother. So as she sat next to Cal, her skin stuck to the leather couch, she couldn’t help but imagine what else had happened on this couch. The whole room was poorly lit and dangerously loud—anything really could’ve happened on this couch. “It’s not going to hurt you,” he said suddenly, snapping her back to reality. “What?” “The alcohol. You look like you’re gonna be sick and you haven’t even drank yet. One drink won’t hurt, you know.” He said this knowingly, like he’d once been her. She supposed he probably had. Realizing an opportunity to take the attention away from her, she excitedly shifted the topic. “You became famous when you were pretty young, right? Younger than me?” She kept her eyes locked on him, refusing to let him ignore the question. She expected an answer. He sighed, glancing at the room around them. Only 23, Calum suddenly looked 40 years older. It was in his shoulders, and the arch of his brows, and the weight that seemed to be wrapped around his whole body, bringing every last part of him down. Even his lips looked heavy as he opened them to speak. “Well, we’d been posting videos online as a band since 2011. We’d gotten plenty of views from people around the world, and to us that meant famous. It was more than anybody else our age had done. But by 2012, One Direction had started promoting us, and everything changed.” Melody blinked. “You’re friends with One Direction? I was in love with them when I was younger!” He made a sound like a laugh, but it was weighed down. Something was on his mind, so she decided to shut up and listen. It was the least she could do. “They’re a great group of guys, that’s for sure. All of a sudden, the whole world seemed to be paying attention to us.” “Yeah.” Melody nodded in understanding. “I know what that’s like. Your whole life changes overnight. It’s especially hard being so young, trying to figure out adulthood and responsibilities.” “That’s the thing,” he said, biting into his lip. His expression took on a hollow quality. “We weren’t trying to figure out adulthood. I was 16. The only thing I was trying to figure out was if I could balance soccer practice with band rehearsals.” All at once, Melody seemed to understand. This was why he had decided to help her experience fun. To help her be careless and young and reckless. He hadn’t gotten to be any of those things either. Without thinking, she picked up a shot glass and poured the clear liquid into her mouth. Sputtering, she coughed and spit every last drop in front of her. Unfortunately for Cal, that happened to be where he was sitting. While she panicked and tried to think of a way to talk herself out of this one, Calum laughed. Not like he had earlier. No, real laughter. His eyes squinted and his cheekbones rose. He looked 16 all over again. “Not much of a drinker?” He smirked. “Nobody told me alcohol was so disgusting. People actually pay to drink that stuff? Gross.” She picked up some mini napkins and used them to dry off his shirt, apologizing profusely. It looked expensive. Knowing her luck, it probably was. Before he could stop her, she was insisting she’d pay for a new one. It was the least she could do. He laughed again, reaching for her hand suddenly. The simple touch was enough to stop her rambling and give him time to speak. “Relax. I promise, it’s not the first time that’s happened, and it won’t be the last. It’s okay.” She wasn’t hearing a word he was saying. Her mouth agape, she stared at his hand holding hers. The last time a boy had held her hand had been 8th grade, and Tommy Braddock had not been nearly so smooth. He pulled his hand away and reached for another shot glass. Handing one off to her, he kept another for himself. “Fair warning, it doesn’t taste great.” She punched him in the arm. “But you’re gonna love it eventually. Just pretend you’re drinking NyQuil.” Before she realized what she was doing, she said, “I’ve never had NyQuil. My nana didn’t trust modern medicine.” The way he looked at her changed as he slowly began shifting the pieces of the puzzle together. She felt incredibly stupid. Here she was, sitting with a rockstar in the VIP section of some club, talking about her grandmother. She was nothing compared to the thousands of older, hotter, more experienced girls who would give anything to be his.What chance did she have? None, because she had no idea what she was doing. He only invited her because he wanted to fill some void from his childhood. It didn’t mean he would ever want her the way she wanted him. He counted down from three, and together they each took a shot. She managed to swallow it this time, but not without screwing up her face in repugnance. He laughed watching her, and her cheeks flushed. “It’s not funny!” She shouted over the hustle and bustle of the crowds and the music. “Stop laughing at me.” His cheeks were red too as he insisted, “I’m not laughing at you in a bad way. I just can’t remember the last time I’ve met anyone like you.” She didn’t like the sound of that. In fact, it broke her heart to hear those words. Out of spite, she reached for another shot and downed it, doing her best to stop herself from being too nauseated. This one wasn’t as bad, because she had been expecting it. But she knew he was wrong. That wasn’t a taste she would learn to love. She just wasn’t like him, and she never would be. “Okay, okay, slow down,” he warned, standing with a sudden resolve. He offered his hand to help her up, and after a minor roll of the eyes, she took it. “I didn’t take you here so you could throw up on my shoes, even though I guess that would be payback.” “No way! You threw up on my chest! That’s way worse. I still can’t forget the feeling.” She shivered just thinking about it, and he pretended not to notice. “Anyway,” he continued crossly. “Like I was saying, I brought you here so you could see how the other side lives.” She raised an eyebrow, following him across the dance floor. They were weaving through the crowd until they found themselves directly in the center, surrounded by hundreds of sweaty bodies. She had to scream to hear her own voice. “The other side?” He could no longer hear her, but he didn’t seem to mind. He simply mouthed the words “Follow me” and began the most ridiculous dance she’d ever seen. Rotating his hips, he did something with his shoulders that made his whole body resemble a snake shedding its’ skin. Laughing, she shook her head furiously, mouthing “No” over and over. He pretended not to understand and kept going with his dance. Finally, she understood. He looked downright mental, and not a single person (with the exception of Melody) even noticed. Suddenly elated, she nodded at him to show she had deciphered his message. There was no paparazzi here. Not a single fan asking for pictures. Nobody here knew—or cared—who she was. With a weight lifted off her shoulder, she began to copy his dance. Twisting her hips and jiggling her shoulders, she let out a care-free laugh. Somehow, he’d been right. After talking to him tonight, Melody started to realize they had much more in common than she’d originally thought. Of course he knew how to help her. He was her. Giggling, he laughed at her again, and this time she didn’t mind. She may not have been like any of the other girls who liked him, but it didn’t matter, because neither was he. Just as she was starting to get comfortable with the feeling, a hand landed gently on her shoulder. She pulled apart, and saw a girl no taller than Napoleon himself. She smiled, twirling her blonde hair around her finger and grabbed Calum by the collar. She began rotating her hips in a much more feminine way, pushing herself closer and closer to him until they were pressed against each other. His expression changed as he placed her hands on her hips, pulling them closer. Melody was suddenly aware of the fact that she was no longer supposed to be watching. She turned away, trying her best to orient herself. Before she could locate the exit, sweaty hands had clamped onto her hips, pulling her closer. She found herself held against somebody’s bare chest. Turning quickly, she pushed herself away from him. He looked too drunk out of his mind to know what he was doing, and kept dancing with a stupid, smug look on his face. Grossed out, she shoved him aside and tried to dodge any further contact as she made her way toward the door. Finally free from the crowd, she looked around and realized she wasn’t near the door at all. Instead, she’d found herself face to face with the bar. Too many red, puffy faces were lined up ordering drinks. She felt miserable, and fought the urge to call London. Freedom wasn’t supposed to be this lonely. Prince Charming wasn’t supposed to be so damn horny. “You alright?” A voice asked her. Melody looked up to see a bartender, a towel thrown across his shoulder, looking at her expectantly. He was young and thin, flamboyantly dressed. “Your wig’s a little titled, honey.” Trying her best to straighten it, her throat closed up. It was bad enough to be feeling so shitty, but on top of that, someone could recognize her? The tears came of their own accord, streaming down past her sunglasses. “Oh, no, honey, come here,” he said sweetly, helping her over to the other side of the bar. She climbed across the counter and fell directly onto the floor, awkward, but thankful to finally have a boundary between her and everyone else. “It’s okay, you can stay down there. Come on, let’s get those sunglasses off of you.” “No!” She swatted his hands away, her adrenaline pumping. “No, I’m sorry, no. Thank you, though. I’d just rather keep them on.” He gave her a questioning look, but decided to accept it, going back to serving drinks. She was grateful. The cold tile felt nice, and as always, it was good to have some privacy. Looking in her reflection in the glasses, she straightened her wig and hat. This was okay. If the bartender didn’t recognize her, surely nobody else had. She would be fine. “Hey, have you seen a girl over here? Blonde hair, sunglasses, floppy hat?” The voice belonged to Calum. Melody perked up. The bartender shot her a sneaky glance as if to ask ‘should I lie?’ Melody shook her head, and the bartender, although hesitant, told the truth. Within seconds Cal had slid over the bar and was at her side. He smiled, clearly riding out a wave of euphoria from whatever he had done with that girl. Oblivious as ever, he didn’t notice the bitterness on Melody’s face, and instead asked the obvious question. “So… why are we down here?” She crossed her arms over her chest. “You might like being felt up by strangers, but I don’t, okay?” He looked apologetic, and she almost felt guilty for snapping at him. He was only trying to help. How was he supposed to know what would happen? Besides, it wasn’t even that big a deal. She was a celebrity. Strangers grabbed her all the time. But that didn’t make it any less uncomfortable. “I can make it up to you,” he told her, determined as ever. He didn’t see that she didn’t want him to make it up to her. It wasn’t his job to fix everything. Without another word, she grabbed a bottle labeled Jäger from the bottom shelf, smiling as an idea popped into her head. He eyed her suspiciously, but took the bottle and opened it nonetheless. “For every article of clothing the other person takes off, you drink,” she said simply. Before he could protest, she slipped off both her thigh high boots, flaunting her socks victoriously. He caved, taking a swig and passing the bottle to her. Undoing his belt, he smirked, and she downed her share. This Jäger stuff didn’t taste nearly as bad, but that didn’t mean it tasted good. She hoped she looked dignified. She hoped she looked like the blonde girl from earlier, cool and sexy and rebellious. They took turns like that until Calum was struggling to slip off the leather pants clinging to his body. She giggled, clutching the bottle like a newborn child. Fortunately for her, she’d come in a disguise, meaning plenty of accessories littering the floor. While Calum was almost naked, she still had her lace top, leather skirt, wig, hat, and earrings, not to mention everything underneath. Taking one last drink, she burst into laughter. Before she knew it, everything had started to turn fuzzy. The bartender looked back to them and growled. He looked like a bear. Bears were cute. They lived in Alaska. Why was he so angry? Maybe he ran out of fish. “I’ll help you find more fish,” Melody told him helpfully. That didn’t seem to make him very happy. Without really knowing what was happening, Melody let Calum help her to her feet. He collected all their belongings and left some cash on the bar. By the time they made it out the door, Melody could barely keep her head up. Every time she remembered to hold it up, it fell again. This was not a feeling she particularly liked. Something within her was sounding the alarm, trying to warn her that she was vulnerable.“Shhh, I’m fine,” she told herself. “I’m with Calum Hood. He’s in a band.” He shook his head and started walking down the sidewalk. It had already gotten dark outside, so nobody seemed to notice them. That was good, thought Melody, because she didn’t want people to see her like this. Why not? She couldn’t remember. “We should get dressed,” he said, trying to juggle the assortment of clothes in his arms. She nearly slapped him. “No! No, we certainly will not do that. That would be cheating, and I”—she made a series of pointless gestures with her hands as she spoke—“don’t cheat. Never ever.” With that they continued their walk. Well, he walked. She ran ahead to the bridge before them, stumbling and dancing and mimicking the snake-shedding-its’-skin thing from earlier. Giggling, she probably looked rabid. It didn’t matter. She was free. Whatever it was that made her worry so much all the time had been forgotten. What was it? “You wanna know why you like me so much?” She called out to Calum in the darkness. She could just barely see his silhouette beneath the street lights. “Enlighten me.” “Because you want to take care of me.” He stopped in his tracks. “Yeah? And what does that mean?” “Don’t feel bad,” she slurred. “Everyone does. I mean, all it takes is one glance at me to know I’m helpless. I’m not sexy or exciting. I’m not that blonde girl you danced with. You liked her because she took the lead.” Calum didn’t respond to any of this, so Melody kept talking. It seemed like the thing to do. She tore the hat and wig off her head, unable to remember why she had been wearing them in the first place. The glasses, also, were thrown as hard as she could into the river beneath her. “Look at me!” She announced, spreading her arms in the air as if she were addressing the whole world. “I’m terrified of everything. And I have the body of a diving board. You don’t want to sleep with me, Cal, you just want to help me. But that’s okay. I don’t want to sleep with you either.” He laughed. “Ouch.” “No, not that you’re ugly or anything. I’d just be too scared. There isn’t a thing in this world I’m not afraid of. Bugs. People. The government.” He squinted at her. “Have you never gotten drunk before?” She nodded. “I’m so sorry. Look, you’re gonna regret this tomorrow.” Before she could tell him she wouldn’t, her skirt started vibrating. After a long battle with her waistband, she unlocked it. “Helloooooo?” The voice on the other end didn’t seem to like that at all. She was saying something, but whatever it was, Melody didn’t care. “Fuck you,” Melody spat. “All you do is make me miserable all the time! I never even liked you.” Calum went to grab the phone out of her hand, dropping the handful of clothes. He chased after her, whispering for her to stop talking. “Shut up, Calum! I’m gonna tell her! You wanted this, didn’t you?” “No, I didn’t. Give me the phone. Melody, I’m not joking. Give it to me before you—”Too late. With one swift motion, she smashed the phone on the pavement, laughing hysterically the whole time. “There. I never liked that thing anyway.” He looked nervous, shifting on his feet and biting into his lip. “You are really going to hate me tomorrow.” She shook her head, closing the distance between them. “You wanna know something?” “I think you’ve said enough, actually.” “I let everyone think they’re helping me, because it makes them feel better about themselves. I sell a fantasy. But it’s not me. I’m not happy. Do you get it, Calum? I’m not happy.” He nodded somberly. “Come on, let’s get you home.” She pushed herself away from him, shaking her head violently. “No, no, no! I don’t want to go home. I want to be with—” Before she could finish her thought, she was falling back over the railing of the bridge, into the stream beneath them. Splashing about the water, she struggled to figure out which way was up and which was down. There was another splash, and then someone was dragging her to land. On the muddy shore with the weight over another person on top of her, breathing heavily, she gave into another fit of giggles. The other groaned. “What the hell is so funny?” She didn’t answer, and he rolled off her, sighing as she continued to laugh into her hands. He couldn’t help but crack a smile at the sight of it. Her disguise had been washed away in the water, leaving her with soaking brown hair down her back and a smile centerstage on her face. She was more herself than she’d been in months, even if these days, she hardly remembers that night. It was one Calum could never forget. “Stop staring at me you stalker,” she slurred, crossing her arms in an attempt to keep out the cold. There was a noise above them, and he suddenly clamped his hand over her mouth. She squirmed and pushed and even licked his hand, but it stayed put. Finally, he held a finger to his lips and she caught on. He crept up the hill to see what had happened on the bridge above them. When he finally returned, he was carrying all the clothing he’d dropped before they fell. “There’s a cop parked up there. Probably waiting to catch somebody drunk driving on their way out of the club.” Melody lit up at this news. “That’s fantastic! We can ask him for a ride home! I’m freezing.” “No, we can’t,” he told her. “You’re drunk, underage, and a celebrity. If you get arrested your manager is gonna kill me. Take off your clothes.” Even in her intoxicated state, that last sentence felt a little off. “What?” “You’re freezing. Take them off. You can wear my clothes, don’t worry, they’re dry.” She blinked. “Oh, right,” he smiled. “I forgot. Melody Dove doesn’t change in front of people. Fine, I’m turning around, just hurry up.” It took her awhile to finally pull her eyes away from his back. She peeled off the wet clothes and left them in a pile. His loose shirt and jacket were enough to cover her decently, warming the chill in her bones, and her boots kept her legs plenty safe, so she offered him his pants.It seemed unfair that she be fully dressed while he had to wait in the cold in his underwear. He agreed, and slipped them on. Sitting on the grass, their backs against the cement wall of the bridge, Melody felt she could stay there all night. Her brief bath in the below freezing water had sobered her up quite a bit, and now she was acutely aware of his shirtless body next to hers. He pulled a box out of his pocket and took out a cigarette, lighting it up. She groaned. Slowly placing the death stick between his lips, he smirked at her. “What, am I gonna get cancer?” It was her turn to roll her eyes at him. “Look, I know you’re a grown man and you know the risks of smoking, but it’s gross. If you wanna smoke, do it on the other side of the bridge.” He looked at her for a few seconds, seemingly trying to decide if she was being serious, before finally putting it out and tucking the carton away in his pants one more. They sat in silence for a while, until Melody decided she couldn’t take it anymore. She announced a game of truths to get to know each other. Just to balance out all the dares they’d done. He waited for her to go first, and listened attentively as she spoke. Something in the way he kept quiet each time she thought she was done made her continue on. Before she knew it, she’d told him things she never wanted anybody to know. How she had been quite the ugly duckling as a kid—this made Cal chuckle—and how she’d been bullied plenty in school—this made him stop. She opened up about how crazy it had been to go from being the dorky, friendless classmate to America’s sweetheart overnight.She told him about all the kids she’d known in school, and how they all tried to get in touch with her now and pretend they’d been best friends. She even admitted, to her own surprise, that she didn’t really know who she was anymore. When she was finally finished, she rested her head on his shoulder. It seemed like a friendly enough gesture, but she was really just looking for a way to avoid making another second of eye contact with him. It was unbearable. “Your turn.” His voice came out low. “Okay. What do you want to know?” “Whichever story you don’t want me to know.” In the end, he decided to tell her about Stella. They met at a concert. She didn’t seem to have any idea who he was, and was stunningly beautiful. He got her number.They talked and flirted via text for weeks until finally sleeping together. The way Cal made it sound, waiting weeks to have sex with a girl was not his usual style. He was really into her. Even though she knew this story could only end badly, she found herself clenching her jaw each time he said her name. They dated in secret for six months, during which time she hung out with the rest of the band. After all that time, Luke came to Calum with some pretty big news. She tried to sleep with him. Apparently, she had recognized Calum when they met, and devised a plan to meet Luke through him. She’d been after him the whole time. After that, Calum was pretty much done with dating. It was almost a whole year ago, but he’d kept his distance from romance. “Why?” Melody cut in, finally lifting her head to look him in the eyes. It startled him. “Because one girl turned out to be using you?” He looked away. “You wouldn’t get it.” “Try me.” They stared at each either, neither wanting to be the one to cave first. Finally, he came clean. “I don’t want a relationship. I want to sleep with girls I don’t know and never call them. I don’t want to learn their name or their pet’s name or what they do for a living. I already have friends. I don’t need more.” Melody rolled over on her side, facing away from him. “You’re right. I wouldn’t get it.”

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Melody woke with a yelp to the feeling of a bird pecking at her toes, swatting wildly at the animal. It flew away, and she noticed Calum staring at her from a few feet away. He sat on the grass puffing away at a cigarette. She rolled her eyes. “Morning,” he said, putting out the cigarette and flicking it into the dirt. She bit back disgust as she stared at it on the ground. He seemed confused. “What’s the matter?” She knew he didn’t really want to know, and so she simply said, “Nothing. Good morning.” “And she’s back,” he said with a bitter laugh. “I’m gonna miss Drunk You. She’s way more honest.” “God, you can be so--” Her anger almost got the better of her, but she bit it back, standing up and stretching. “Nevermind.” “Just tell me.” “I said nevermind.” “I heard you.” “Then drop it,” she snapped, pulling a twig from out of her hair. She had been about to say ‘irritating’, but he didn’t need to know that. Afterall, she was wearing his clothes, and her memory of the night before was hazy at best. It was best not to make him mad. A part of her wished she was with Derek. Things were so much simpler when he was around. He never pushed her to say anything, unlike Calum, and he understood the industry inside and out. It was easier with him. “Shit,” she said, remembering Derek. “Shit, shit, shit, shit.” Calum looked at her again, one eyebrow raised. “Am I at least allowed to ask what’s wrong?” “Kelly is going to kill me. I have a fan panel with Derek this morning,” she explained, rambling at a record speed. “For the movie. I have to go now. Damn, what time is it? I’m probably already missing it.” “Okay, slow down,” Calum said, getting to his feet. “You can’t go yet; your clothes are still soaking wet. If anybody gets pictures of us together, your manager really will kill you, right?” Her breathing was getting faster as she thought more about the situation. Kelly wouldn’t be the only one who’d be angry if she missed the panel. The fans would be devastated. How could she have been so stupid? She got caught up in trying to spend time with Calum, and forgot what was really important: her job. “Hey,” he said softly, stepping closer to her and touching her arm. “It’ll be okay. I’ll go try to borrow somebody’s phone. You just wait here for me to get back.” “I can’t just do nothing,” she said, her heart beating out of her chest. He didn’t understand what would happen if they didn’t pull this off. Her career was on the line. Everything was on the line. He stared at her for a second, his eyes looking her up and down. After a brief moment’s silence, he sighed. “Melody, I promise you I will get you to that fan panel undiscovered. Just, please, wait here. I’ll borrow somebody’s phone and call Ashton to pick us up. It’ll be okay.” Her heart still raced, but she nodded in agreement. If anything, she found comfort in how calm he managed to keep his voice. It was impossible to know if she could trust him, but she had no choice. So she sat in the grass and watched Calum leave. Calum was only gone five minutes when Melody had decided he was never coming back. There was something in her that wouldn’t settle down--wouldn’t listen to reason. She whispered softly to herself and did her best to breathe deeply, but the fear remained. Eventually, somebody would see her, and a huge scandal would blow up. There would be no avoiding it. After what felt like years, Calum returned, carrying a large, furry rug on his back. Melody stood and wiped the tears from her eyes. “You’re back.” He smiled, and revealed what exactly he was hauling along with him. In his hands, he held a full-body gorilla suit, complete with a mask. “Nobody would let me borrow their phone, I’m assuming it’s because I’m half naked and look homeless. But I found enough cash in my pocket to buy you this.” “You’re kidding.” “Nope,” he said, grinning. Melody got the feeling he was secretly loving this. He handed it over, and she quickly slipped it on, quietly complaining about the itchy fabric on her skin. Dressed as a gorilla, she couldn’t help but be embarrassed, but she smiled. This could actually work. Together they made their way up the hill to the top of the bridge. Cars zipped back and forth, and they weren’t waiting long before a taxi pulled up beside them. Melody could feel the driver stealing glances at her through the rear view mirror. Was he suspicious of who she was? Did he recognize Calum? These questions flooded her mind and made her sweat, but she managed to sit calmly as they drove to her house. Calum smiled the whole way, eventually paying the driver and climbing out of the cab. He held the door open for her, and they waited for him to leave before she took off her mask. “It’s nearly impossible to breathe in that thing,” she told Cal. “But it worked, didn’t it?”She had to admit he was right as they made their way through security and up the driveway. Melody was acutely aware that her house wasn’t as clean as she would’ve liked it to be considering she now had company. He didn’t seem to mind though. “Melo? Is that you?” A voice called from upstairs. London bounded down the stairway and stopped in her tracks when she saw them. She laughed. “Do I even want to ask?” “I’d prefer if you didn’t,” Melody replied, making her way upstairs and walking briskly past her sister. “Would you mind talking to Calum while I get ready for the fan panel? It starts in half an hour.” Melody didn’t stick around to wait for an answer. She rushed to her bedroom, found an outfit a clothing company had sent her months ago, and hurried to the shower. Looking at herself in the bathroom mirror, she bit back a laugh. A gorilla costume. Somehow, that had worked. She peeled it off and eagerly hopped in the shower. Not even 10 minutes later, she made her way back down the stairs, brushing through her soaking hair. London and Calum were deep in conversation about some band Melody had never heard of. She herded them to the garage, and just on time, they arrived at the venue. Derek looked from her to Calum, then back to her. He raised a subtle eyebrow, and Melody could tell he was curious as to why she had brought him. “It’s nothing,” she assured him, as they all made their way through the crowd of interns to the stage. “Don’t look so worried,” Derek whispered to only her. “This’ll be fun.” She nodded, swallowing the lump in her throat. She knew it would be fun for him, but for her, any public appearance was pure terror. Just as they were about to step out from behind the curtain, a hand tugged on her arm. She turned to see Kelly, steam coming out of her ears. They smiled at each other, pretending nothing was wrong. “Make me proud out there,” Kelly said, honey dripping from her voice. Then, quieter, “If you can’t sell this romance, you can kiss your career goodbye.” Melody’s stomach turned, and she nodded. “Of course.” The second they made their way on stage, fans erupted into screams. Melody fought the urge to run for her life, and waved at the crowd, beaming happily. They took their seats at the center, making light banter. “Sorry we’re late everybody,” Derek said. Melody looked to her side and saw Kelly’s eyes on her. She did her best to shrug it off. “You know how it is, Derek couldn’t decide what to wear,” she said, earning a laugh. She could sense Kelly nodding in approval at her. Everything was going to be okay. She was trained how to deal with the media, and the cameras on her were nothing she wasn’t used to. The fans lined up and the questions came pouring in. Most of the questions were ones she had expected. Things like who she was dating or if she liked anybody. Some of them were rude, but Derek never failed to come to her defense and cover her when she stumbled over her words. Slowly but surely, she felt herself relaxing. They were doing this. Eventually, though, one question caught her off guard. An older woman approached the microphone, holding her daughter's hand. Melody couldn’t help but feel a tinge of pain as the woman asked, “What do your parents think of your success?” Her mouth fell slightly open and she blinked a few times before she found her words. “Well,” she said. “I was raised by my grandmother, actually. My parents died in a car crash when I was three, but I’d like to think they’d be proud.” Without hesitation, Derek gently placed a hand on her arm. “They are.” The crowd sounded as if they had just seen an adorable kitten, and Derek placed his hand back in his lap. She felt guilty using her parents death as a way to manipulate the crowd. It was something she’d always avoided talking about in public, and for good reason. Her whole life seemed to belong to the public. Just one thing she wanted to belong to her. They went on answering questions for a while, playfully teasing each other back and forth. More and more, however, the questions started to be about Ashton and Calum. Though all of them were pointed at Melody, Derek took the lead in each one, making up stories of fun memories he had with the band. Each story was more detailed than the last, and even Melody found herself believing them. The crowd seemed to be growing frustrated, and sweat appeared on Melody’s brow. Kelly’s words rang in her head, and she knew it wasn’t a bluff. She found herself playfully ruffling Derek’s hair, touching his arm, and coming up with any excuse to touch him. The fans ate it up, but still, her fear grew. Taking a grounding breath, she reminded herself that she was an actress. She pretended to fall in love with him for months while they filmed the movie. How hard was a couple hours? So when a fan asked if they felt comfortable around each other, Melody decided to prove it. She climbed into his lap and answered the rest of the questions from there, balancing herself with an arm wrapped around him. Before she knew it, the panel ended, and Derek walked with her backstage. Kelly greeted her with a smile and pulled her in for a hug, congratulating her on her success. She pulled away to see Calum glaring at her. “What’s wrong?” She asked before she could stop herself. She realized she really wanted to know what had upset him, but his reply stung. “What’s wrong?” He repeated. “What’s wrong? Fuck, Melody, I wonder what could possible be upsetting to me.”She stared at him for a second, taking it all in. Derek shifted his weight next to her, standing up straighter. “You’re mad at me?”He bit back a bitter laugh. “Bingo.” “Why?” Before he could say anything, Kelly cut into the conversation. “Melody is protecting her career, and if you cared about her well-being at all, you would be supportive of her decision.” “I would be if it was her decision!” He snapped at her, struggling to keep his expression neutral. “Calum, that’s not fair to--”He spun back to Melody as he continued, “What happened to the woman I’ve been getting to know this past week, huh? What happened to her? You answered one question honestly, Mel. One. And it had nothing to do with him.”“Calum--”“I just don’t understand what you’re so afraid of. I mean, fuck, you’ve only got so long to live and you waste all your time hanging off him like a fucking prostitute.”Derek took a step in front of her, pushing Calum back slightly. “That’s enough,” he said, surprising everyone with the rigidity of his tone. “Just…” He said. “Live right now, and be yourself. It doesn’t matter if it’s not good enough for someone else.”With that, he walked away, and Melody was left feeling like she had been hit by a truck. She knew he meant everything he said, and that was what hurt the most. “You okay?” Derek asked, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it away, looking up at him with new eyes. “No,” she said honestly. “I’m not.”