Paparazzi Girl

18. Media Circus

"You think?"

"She any competition for Stella?"

Was she? Could she be?

Xavier raised his brow slightly as his head turned from side to side, "Not really. Stella and I vibe more. Kat makes more sense but I've never liked sense anyways. Stella is the one I want."

It was his first time openly admitting that.

Before Tyler could respond, Xavier's mom butted in, surprising him. She had been listening the whole time, "Xavier, be nice. She's probably just a big fan of you work. You do work hard. She just has respect for your ability to act."

"Mom, have you not noticed my cell phone bill lately? I mean, she's sweet. But she's huge on communication."

His mom grinned widely as he snuggled her fingers through Xavier's hair playfully, "Who's Stella anyways?"

Xavier's eyes widened as he switched his glance over to Tyler, who was waiting for him to give his response, his lips twitching slightly.

What could he tell her? That he thought maybe he could be in love with her? That he hasn't been able to stop thinking about kissing her? That bringing her to his hotel room had sprung thoughts he could no longer get rid of? Her hair on his pillow, her warmth molding together with his.

Panic arouse in his stomach as he shrugged out the thoughts in his head. "The girl that played the scene with me the day of the rehearsal. You remember?"

It was a good enough explanation. Better than what he was thinking.

"Oh, yeah. The pretty blonde right?"

Xavier smiled as he nodded, something intense flying through his gut. He didn't want to admit how good it felt to talk about her to his mother. It felt nice. Real. She really was a pretty blonde, and he wasn't sure if he'd want her any other way. Her eyes stuck to his memory like a scar that would forever live with him. They were so beautiful. She was so beautiful.

He heard a small sound and quickly realized it was Kat still on the line.

"Hey, how long do you think it will be until we get to Kat's hotel?" He asked his mom as he turned off the mute button.

"In around five. We're just a block away or so."

He flew the phone over his ear before speaking, "We'll be there in a few minutes."

* * *

A swarm of bodies engulfed the mall's food court as Kat quickly took a seat next to Xavier before anyone else could. She wasn't hiding her crush on him at all. Cute.

Emily, Cain, Flex, and Anny - part of the main cast - circled around the table, everyone having grabbed their own food. It had taken forever for everyone to chose what they would eat. When it came to food, their taste blended terribly with each other. Especially Kat. Kat was on a health streak, along with no red meat, soda, or pastries. No wonder she was so thin.

"Can you believe how long that took?' Kat complained. All she had was a plain salad on her plate. Xavier glanced at her.

Anny shrugged, her short, light brown hair framing her heart-shaped face as it reached up to her chin. She seemed like a person Xavier would enjoy hanging out with someday. She was casual and didn't dress up all barbie. Flex flung his arm around her as he whispered something into her ear. They looked like twins almost, since they had similar hair color and the same hazel eyes. But the way they looked at each other said something else. There was definitely something going on between them.