Super Model's Daughter

Chapter Two

   “He’d be crazy if he didn’t,” Char said with a friendly smile as they heard a small car horn from outside in Ava’s long, circular driveway. “Ooh! It’s eight PM sharp! That has to be your very special—and very hot—date!”

   Ava giggled and grabbed a fuchsia Fendi clutch. “Thank you for being my Tillie fill-in today, Char!” she said as they bolted down the grand staircase. “Remind me to repay you for that.”

   Charlotte waved away her comment. “Oh, please. Being your best friend is payment enough!” And she wasn’t lying. Although to most people at school Ava was a very self-centered brat, on the inside, she was a caring best friend. And she was also Char’s best friend—and one that Char didn’t want to ever lose.

   “Thanks,” Ava said at the bottom of the stairs, squeezing Charlotte in a hug. “You are awesome! Alright, well, you better get home. See ya!” They walked outside and Char called her personal chauffeur, Owen, to come pick her up from Ava’s.

   “Hey, Lyle,” Ava said sweetly with a thousand-dollar smile once she saw Lyle and Will. “Hey, Will. Got a big concert tonight, huh?” she asked Will nicely, not wiping off that smile.

   Will nodded and waved.

   “Well, we better get going, then,” Lyle said, crossing arms with Ava and walking over to Will’s BMW. He politely opened the door to the back of the expensive car for Ava, giving her an “after you” hand motion.

   “Thank you,” Ava said timidly and sat down. Lyle sat down beside her. “So, you wanted to talk to me?”

   Lyle smiled and nodded. “Well, yeah, but not now. Later. Let’s just enjoy tonight, all right?”

   Ava tried to contain her excitement and wanting to know what Lyle had to say to her. Of course, it’d be something great. Something she’d been wanting to here for almost twelve months—an exact year. Nothing could make tonight ruined for her, not even paparazzi. Wait, paparazzi…

   Oh, crap, paparazzi! Ava thought, trying to hide her face in her straightened red hair.

   Lyle chuckled. “Don’t let them get to you. They probably want pictures of Will anyway. Just give them what they want. Smile, and that way you won’t look as pathetic.”

   Ava tried not to be offended by that. Did Lyle just call her pathetic? Whatever, Ava thought, I’m going to take his advice and enjoy tonight. And also his advice about smiling. She picked her head up and smiled out the windows of the BMW—not big, toothy smiles, but little closed-mouthed smiles.

   Then she noticed a man beside someone who looked strangely familiar. They were running along the sidewalk beside the road, snapping candid pictures of Ava and Lyle. These two men weren’t focused on Will at all—they were taking pictures with their cameras pointed directly at Ava. One of the men’s cameras moved from his face for a second. And right then, she knew who the men were.

   Earl and Reggie.

   She looked away from Earl’s sickening, sleazy grin and turned to the left window of the car, where fortunately, there were no familiar people.

   Lyle must’ve noticed Ava’s uneasy look on her face, because he looked down at her with a concerned expression. “Are you alright, Ava?”

   Ava nodded, trying to hide the fact that there was a creepy stalking cabdriver following their BMW. She shook the thought out of her mind and grinned at Lyle sweetly. “I am fine…I think.”

   “You think? Do you need a SmartWater?” Lyle asked nicely, placing his hand on her back.

   Ava shook her head, faking a giggle. “No…really, I’m good. I don’t want to drink too much tonight, ’cause then I’ll have to pee…”