#famous(66)

Why had I let myself get my hopes up? It was only a matter of time before he realized I’d just been a bout of temporary insanity. Though he’d be too nice to ever put it that way. I’d never known someone as nice as Kyle. As determined to see the good in people. Even crappy, bitter people like Jessie . . .

. . . and me?

The thought made the hole a little bigger.

I rolled onto my back, scooting up the bed to find a cool spot on the pillow, and opened Flit. I searched the hashtag from the show. When I’d looked earlier with Mo, people had been saying nice things about the segment. And they hadn’t even shown me in the last dress; they were saving the “reveal” for the dance. Maybe seeing some of them would cheer me up a little. Or at least distract me.

@DancerLolo918: OMG @attackoftherach_face’s

FACE in that yellow dress! #laughing #ugly

#FriesWithHomecoming



@NeedaThneedHQ: where’s that third

dress from it looked hot #dressenvy

#FriesWithHomecoming



@Hadleytron: It’s official. I’m more in love with

@attackoftherach_face than @YourBoyKyle_B

now. #FriesWithHomecoming



Apparently flits were still coming in, but already I was bored. None of them were enough to distract me from the nervous need to constantly refresh my texts.

Then, miraculously, one came in. But the number wasn’t familiar . . .

(From 781 . . .): Rachel? It’s Emma, I got yr number from Gabi Ruiz.



My stomach turned to jelly and slid around my insides gelatinously. Why would she text me? Unless she knew about the kiss. Cautiously, unsure what to do, I texted back.

(To Emma): Hi. Yeah, I’m . . . me.



(From Emma): Cool. I don’t know how to say this, but I didn’t want you to get hurt. I know the show is gonna try to push you guys together



(From Emma): Kyle and I are hanging out again



(From Emma): We agreed it made more sense not to let anyone know, coz of the show. But I wanted to tell you. It wld be so unfair if YOU didn’t know.



Seriously? I’d been starting to think Emma was better than the company she kept—after all, she gave me a pep talk in the parking lot, instead of a locker makeover—but this kind of mean-girl head game BS was as pathetic as anything Jessie had pulled, just on the opposite side of the passive-aggressive continuum. I almost laughed out loud in relief—I’d been legitimately worried for a second. But this just felt desperate. And it meant I definitely didn’t have to feel at all guilty about anything I’d done—

. . . then another text came in.

(From Emma): <img loading . . . >



There was a picture of Kyle, smiling and holding a Tupperware toward the camera. He was wearing the same outfit he’d had on at school. So it was definitely from today. That had to mean Emma was the something that came up . . . the reason he’d canceled on me . . . the girl he was actually into.

(To Emma): Thanks for the heads-up. Don’t worry, we’re just playing along for the show.



(From Emma): Cool. He kinda implied that. I just wanted to make sure you knew so you didn’t get hurt. He is pretty cute after all.



(To Emma): Ha ha.



(From Emma): Obviously don’t talk about it at school, we can’t have anyone know, in case they leak on Flit. Maybe don’t even talk about it. He already feels so bad that he can’t be honest about us, reminding him would just make him feel worse. The producers are really pressuring him to “sell it” with you.



(To Emma): Sure. I get that.



It still seemed weird how insistent she was about me not saying anything, like maybe she was lying about something. But what would she be lying about? That picture proved she’d been there this afternoon—she might even be there right now. Mary had made my family sign dozens of documents—releases, nondisclosures, contract stipulations. Why shouldn’t she have made Kyle sign a few that I hadn’t seen? Maybe one about who he was allowed to appear with in public, say—or who he wasn’t?

I could feel my body sinking into the bed painfully, like all my limbs had been weighted with stones. How could I have been so stupid? Of course he wasn’t into me—we’d only spoken because producers thought I could be their reject Cinderella. For all I knew, the kiss was something Mary came up with. “Make her think you actually like her so we get some good shots of her looking enamored at the dance.” I couldn’t even blame her; I’d watch that show too.

Worse, it had worked. I’d believed in it. Believed in him.

God, I had been so wrong about everything. The idea made me so frustrated I wanted to scream.

I stared at my phone screen, eyes half glazing over. A new Flit notification had popped up.

@EHSSoccerFan: @attackoftherach_face if

things don’t work out with @YourBoyKyle_B,

would you go out with me?

#FriesWithHomecoming

You know what the great thing is about Flit? No one can tell what you’re actually thinking or feeling, they only know what you decide to tell them.

@attackoftherach_face: @EHSSoccerFan only

if you like bowling. I have a strict policy against

anyone who doesn’t understand the beauty of