spotlight. (book two of missing melody) // katy perry

sixteen.

{Katy's POV}

Surprise? I read Shannon's reply to my tweet, rolling my eyes as I look at her sitting next to me on the couch. I take a sip from my cup of coffee, the taste lingering inside my mouth before I let the beverage travel down my throat and into my empty stomach. I turn the television on, trying to ignore the fact that my stomach's rumbling. I don't want to eat right now.

"I heard that." Shannon looks at me, her eyes flicking to my stomach for a moment.

"Don't starve yourself, Kate." She says, her voice low and sympathetic.

"I don't. I just don't feel like eating right now." I shrug, wanting to end the conversation there. But Shannon clearly has a different thought. She keeps bugging me, pleading for me to let something inside my system.

"Not even nuggets?" Her eyebrow raises, taunting me. I ignore her, setting my attention back to my phone.

"Kate, there's something clearly not right about this. Are you sick?" Shannon asks, placing her hand on my forehead as she looks at me worryingly. I swat her hand away, not wanting her to do that. I kind of find it annoying.

"Cut it out. I'm not sick, okay? I'm totally fine." I reply, still not looking up from my phone as I continue to scroll through my Twitter mentions with furrowed eyebrows.

"No, you're not fine at all." She concludes as if she knew everything.

"I'm fine, okay? Stop." I look up from my phone, staring at her with all seriousness. She blinks, her face blank at first but then quickly changes into an irritated one. The petite brunette sitting next to me sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose with her fingers as she closes her eyes.

"You know what, fine. If that's what you want, then so be it." She mumbles angrily, standing up and walk away from me. She grabs her purse, ready to leave.

"Wait." I stop her. "Don't leave me, please." She stops moving, making me internally sigh in relief.

"Look, I'm sorry. If you really want me to eat, fine. I'll just grab my keys and let's head out to get some nuggets. Happy?" I stand up, forcing out a smile as I grab my keys from the coffee table.

"Very." She winks, stepping outside and head towards my car. As soon as my car starts, I turn the radio on, wanting to forget the pain that has been drowning me for as long as I can remember.

Across the ocean, Across the sea

The radio starts playing. I blink, my breath caught up in my throat.

Starting to forget the way you look at me now

I keep a straight face, trying really hard to keep my attention towards the road. I don't want to seem like a crazed woman, crying randomly just because a song starts playing on the radio.

It's just a song, I remind myself though I know it isn't just a song. It's Chloe's song.

"I want the song 'Be Alright' to be played on my wake someday." She randomly told me before, as I recall.

"What?" I ask, surprised at what she said.

"I mean, it practically says everything I want to tell those people who would be attending my wake. I want to tell those people who cared enough to actually be there that everything's gonna be alright, even if I'm not there anymore." She shrugs, her gaze fixed on the star filled sky as she places her hands underneath her head. I stay silent, not knowing what to respond.

"You should try that Cookie Butter McFlurry thing. Bonnie said it's good." Shannon says, taking me away from space and back to Earth. I nod, sighing as I ease on the gas pedal. I turn to the right, pulling over McDonald's parking lot. I turn the engine off, stepping out of the car as Shannon does the same.