Part 13 (1/2)

Chapter 20.

Gossip Fest

”Can you believe this night?” Scarlett leaned back in the pa.s.senger seat of Jane's Jetta and put her bare feet up on the dashboard. Her laid-back demeanor was at odds with the seven-hundred-dollar dress that she was wearing on loan from some new designer. The cool April breeze blowing through the half-open windows felt great, especially after standing around in a jam-packed club all night. Scarlett was beyond tired but at the same time newly energized, because she was finally alone with her best friend . . . unmiked . . . and br.i.m.m.i.n.g with important topics to discuss.

”So where do we start? Sophia or Gaby?” Jane said. She, too, seemed ready for a marathon gossip fest.

”You mean, the crazy person posing as Gaby? Cuz that girl is definitely not Gaby.”

”Do you think Madison brainwashed her? Or Trevor? Or both?”

”I think it might be her new publicist, Annabelle. She was at the party tonight. Short, curly brown hair, leopard-print dress. She was hovering over Gaby like a mother hen.”

”Oh! Annabelle Weiss. I saw her name on the guest list. OhmiG.o.d, I told Gaby to sign with her, didn't I?”

”Yep.”

”G.o.d. Well, anyway . . . I noticed Annabelle talking to Trevor a lot. And Veronica Bliss. And she was hanging around Topher Gant, too. Hey, I wonder if she's also his publicist? And maybe she arranged for him and Gaby to come to the party together? I heard publicists do that, to make sure their clients get into the magazines.”

Scarlett frowned. ”You mean, like, fake that two people are dating so they'll get more press coverage?”

”I guess?”

”Ew.”

Although . . . Scarlett realized that Trevor was doing something similar with her and Naveen (who was at the party tonight and who Dana kept ordering her to talk to). And that Scarlett was allowing it to happen. So what, exactly, did that say about her?

They pa.s.sed the intersection of Sunset and La Cienega, and Scarlett was startled to see a gigantic image of herself on a billboard, wearing a hot pink bikini and lying on a gigantic Photoshopped bed of peppermint candies. The line WHO'S your FAVORITE FLAVOR? was spelled out across the bottom in huge red letters. Cla.s.sy. It was part of PopTV's new ad campaign, with each of the four girls in a different-color bikini against a different candy-theme background . . . because the ratings weren't high enough already?

”Seriously, I can't believe what a b.i.t.c.h Gaby was to us tonight,” Scarlett mused out loud. ”I'm definitely gonna have to have a little talk with her ASAP.”

Jane nodded. ”Me too.”

”And what's up with Madison? She looked pretty stressed about having her 'baby sister' around.”

”Yeah, I'm soooo glad my baby sisters aren't like Sophia,” Jane agreed. ”She was like Madison two-point-oh. Hopefully she's not here for long!”

Sophia had been quite a terror at the party, slamming back shots and flirting with anything with a heartbeat. Madison had stayed glued to her side all night, whispering furiously in her ear, no doubt telling her to cut it out. Which didn't seem to work too well.

”Sophia's proof that Caleb's not a cheater, though,” Jane added.

”Come again?”

”He didn't even look her way when she made the moves on him. Twice. He didn't seem to notice Gaby's new, uh, a.s.sets, either. I'm just saying.”

”Hmm.”

Scarlett knew that after their breakup, Jane had wondered if Caleb might have been cheating on her at Yale. Which, in Scarlett's humble opinion, was a very likely scenario. Although maybe he had changed since then? ”How are things going between you two, anyway? Are you guys in love again, or what?” Scarlett said, hoping that the answer was no.

”Who said I'm looking to fall in love? I just want a nice, stress-free relations.h.i.+p for a change.”

”So you're happy?” Scarlett asked, hiding her oh really? expression. Because, really? She doubted Jane was able to be with a guy she truly liked and not fall in love.

”Definitely! Caleb is exactly what I need right now. It's just low-key with him, no pressure. Like tonight. See how I'm going home with you instead of with him? We're not like one of those clingy couples that need to be together twenty-four/seven.”

Scarlett laughed. ”Hey, watch it. It just so happens that I'm a real catch. And if Liam wasn't out of town, I would so stand you up for him.”

”Ha-ha.”

”So what does Braden think about you dating Caleb?”

”Braden? Um . . . well . . . I haven't mentioned it to him.”

Scarlett raised an eyebrow. ”Oh? Aren't you guys in touch? I mean, have you heard from him since he took off for Alaska or wherever?”

”Banff. Yeah, he emails a couple of times a week, but . . .” Jane's voice trailed off uncertainly.

Scarlett turned and stared at Jane, who was driving with one hand and twirling her hair with the other. Hmm. Jane was obviously still hung up on Braden. Which might be the real reason why she wasn't madly in love with Caleb?

”Janie, have you ever told Braden how you feel about him?” Scarlett asked her gently.

”What? I spent the night with him! I think that's pretty clear.”

”Okay. First of all, I've hooked up with plenty of guys that I didn't have feelings for. Sometimes hooking up is just hooking up, ya know? You can't expect Braden to read your mind.”

Jane seemed to consider this. ”Well, what if that's just it?” she said after a moment. ”What if he just hooked up with me and doesn't actually have feelings for me?”

”Yeah, he doesn't care about you, Janie. That's why after losing his best friend and having the media drag his name through the mud, all because of you, the guy is still sending you emails twice a week.”

”Whatever. I don't want to think about him anymore.”

Scarlett laughed. ”Right. Like I believe that. I think you and Braden need to get really, really drunk and confess your true feelings for each other.”

Jane grinned. ”Yeah, that sounds like a healthy start to a relations.h.i.+p. Besides, why are you saying this stuff about Braden? I thought you didn't like him.”

”I like him fine, except for his commitment issues.”

”Commitment issues?” Jane started twirling her hair again.