Fake Star

Chapter Three: The Madness

I looked away; Spencer took the newspaper and sighed, “Sorry, I was out of it…the other day.”

Jake glared at him, “Spencer, I told you a billion times that you are not to attend her birthday party!” Said model winced and bit his lip, “Now look at what you’ve done. You even dragged Iris in your childishness.”

“I’m sorry, really.”

“Well, hold that press conference.” Jake concluded and I stared at him with wide eyes. Why was he making such a racket? It’s not like whether the model was single or not would matter.

I decided to voice out my thoughts, “What the heck’s freaking wrong about it? Heck, Mint had a lot of boyfriends and only Spencer made it into the news. Isn’t he just a model? He’s not even a celebrity.”

But Jake gave me cold glare that sent shivers down my spine. This was probably the first time he sent me that kind of look and immediately, it made me shut my mouth.

“In case you haven’t been informed, Spencer is the sole heir to Kiss Company,” He stated and then he took his phone, clicked a few buttons and showed me a profile of Spencer. “He’s not merely a model. Iris, you are not in London anymore. In here, he’s the star. And he, regrettably, holds the company’s reputation.”

My eyes were scanning his profile intently. He is the stay. He’s currently shooting a film as a supporting role, main model of Kiss Company and not only that, he’s known internationally because of his modeling career. He had walked across many runways, sported all types of branded clothing, and met different artists. He was somebody.

I looked down, “Don’t hold the conference.” I stated before I looked into Jake’s eyes, “I’ll pretend to be his girlfriend.”

“But Iris—” Jake started.

“What’s wrong with doing that? If you let the media talk about it, it’ll eventually die down. Don’t do anything or else what did Spencer do this for?” I argued. “It’s fine.”

“Iris, you don’t have to—” Spencer spoke.

I cut him off, still calm. “But I want to.” I sighed, “Would you please just quit arguing? I said I’ll do it so I’ll do it. Besides, I can benefit from this.”

Jake then raised a brow, “Oh? How?”

“I…I’m thinking about it. Anyway, what kind of host are you Spencer? Where’s my coffee?”

“Oh right. Wait here.” And he scrambled off to the kitchen.

I sighed inwardly. What I had gotten myself into I do not know. All that entered my brain was a few things. One, Spencer is an idiot. Two, Mint is a bitch. And finally, three, I am unlucky for having been associated with the two of them.

My phone was ringing, I noticed as I groaned and put it closed to my ear. After that five o’clock confrontation, I decided to steal Spencer’s bed and sleep for a few hours since I wasn’t able to do that last night. “Iris, don’t tell me you are still in bed.” Jake’s voice seeped from the other line.

“I am.” I replied, still sleepy.

“Wake up! You have a runway shoot today.” He commanded and I blinked for about ten times before it sank completely. And with the realization, I shot up and stared at my phone and saw the clock blinking the time: nine o’clock. “I’m on my way—” But I shut my phone and immediately got off the bed.

“Spencer, do you have female—” I stopped mid-sentence when I found my sister in front of the bedroom’s entrance smiling at me. “What are you doing here?”

She pushed me inside and handed me the attire I had prepared last night and stupidly forgot, “Spency called me. He’s a really perceptive guy, you know.” She then pushed me inside the bathroom that was installed in the model’s bedroom, “Now, go and freshen up. It’s time to take the runway. And with a wink, she closed the door.

I sighed but I followed her anyway. With a few this and that, I was done taking a bath. And right now, I’m tempted to ask the model why he had female shampoos in his room. But oh well, I decided against it; I might even discover some unpleasant things my virgin ears wouldn’t like to hear.

“Are you ready?” Jake came to view as I exited Spencer’s bedroom. I turned to him and blink, silently asking for information and as close as we were, he understood my inquisitive look, “Kate and Spencer went ahead. So, shall we?”

I sighed inwardly, “Yeah. Whatever.”

I totally hated waking up before ten.

Amazing. That was the word that escaped my lips as the show started. There, with a narcissistic smirk, stood Spencer wearing an open blue dress shirt and a black slacks. An indigo necktie hang loosely on his neck while his hands were on his pocket. With a twist and a turn, he was on the roll again and I couldn’t help but stare.

“Iris, please, do your job and take pictures.” Jake reprimanded and I snapped out of my thoughts and followed. I can’t believe myself, really. Ever since meeting him, I always find myself, somehow, being pulled and gawking at him with a daze expression. It had never happened before and I couldn’t help but think that he was probably the hottest guy I had ever met.

Jake shook her head, “Really now, you shouldn’t make a habit out of that.” I raised a brow as I snapped my camera before I turned to him. Another shake of the head and I continued my job, “It’s obvious, Iris. You had been staring at him.” A sigh then followed, “Somehow it makes me wonder if you really like him.”

He turned to me with a blank look but I ignore that stare he was giving me. It was the look that he always gives me when he found out by the mistakes I decided to hide from him. The same look that I hated because it only made our age difference apparent. It was the same damn look that caused me to break away from him, “Now I understand,” He paused, “That was the reason you are pretending to be his girlfriend. You weren’t thinking selflessly. It was just for the sake of that.”

And somehow, my hands froze. I stared at him blankly, letting the thought sink in; he still knew me as well as before. With a serious look, I shook my head and did what I was being paid for.

We stayed quiet for the rest of the runway because nothing can be said. Words would only keep on putting salt on  reopened wounds. It was fine this way because this is how we ended: no words, just a silent understanding that it was over. Only now, there were no tears and that this wasn’t our end. And maybe, from now on, the walls I built around him will reach new heights. It was because he breached them; he forgot the boundaries.

And I knew that things just won’t be the same. He had decided; I knew it from his ever-calculating eyes. He was going to enter the game and it won’t matter if he breaks the rules or not.

But in the end, he was still right. I pretend just for the sake of that, my sick need to be filled with thrills. And living for three years pretending that I was a pacifist, the desire to feel excitement was stronger. And the moment I decided to pretend as the girlfriend, I made a bet, a game.

Façade, we all have it. But the me that I was keeping, only Jake got close enough to know. We played dangerous games—silly mind games, I often called them. But it wasn’t just because I was that, it was for the reason that he loved them as well, and yes, we were sick like that.