(Chapter 22)

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♫Erica♫

I bit into my bread, and chewed. I could feel stares on the back of my head, but when I looked around, everyone quickly looked away again. I looked back down at my cucumber sandwich.

“Hey, superstar,” someone said, clapping me on the back. I looked at quickly, and banging my head against Tyler’s.

“Sorry,” I gasped, rubbing my forehead. “I didn’t mean to –”

“It’s fine,” he replied, smiling. He jumped down onto the seat next to me, chucking his wrapped-up hot dog onto the table. “But I heard you did a good job as Juliet.”

“Thanks,” I said, embarrassed. I tried to change the topic. “But you – you’re an international singing sensation!”

“Not really,” he said, smiling a little, “I think I’m going to quit the entertainment scene, anyway.”

I choked on my bread, and spluttered onto the table. “What?! Why? You’re amazing!”

“Thanks, but it’s really not me. I started way too young. I’m actually twenty, you know, but I missed a couple years of high school, when I went on my world tour.”

“Don’t you like singing?”

He smiled. “I love it. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done.”

“Then why do you want to quit?” I asked, perplexed.

“I can’t sing forever,” he said, biting into his hot dog. “Plus, I want to leave when I’m at my high. I want to try living the normal life. Go to university, get a proper job, and grow old. Singing was fun at first, but after a while…”

He shrugged, and ate more of his hot dog.

I looked down at the table.

He was right. I couldn’t be a model/actress (or whatever I was) forever. I had to settle down, eventually. When I’d drawn out of high school, I remember my friends being totally jealous, and saying how cool I was going to be. But then…they got to be normal. They had a normal life, with high school and homework and parents and boyfriends. Eventually, they had too many things going on that I didn’t know about, and we grew apart, and I was on my own. Sure, I had a couple showbiz friends now – mainly models – but…it wasn’t the same. You weren’t going through high school together. You weren’t unified against “the system”.

I was alone.

I finished my sandwich, and got up, saying bye to Tyler. I was thinking so hard, I kept bumping into people (that’s how my brain works. When I think, I can’t walk).

“Sorry,” I said, to a guy I’d just knocked into – the guy was playing my Mom in Romeo and Juliet.

He flushed, and just walked away. Damn it – what the hell was that? I ran into a bathroom, and locked the door.

Shit.

I checked my bag. Nope. I forgot to pack them.

I took out my blackberry, and slid my SIM card back in.

“Cris?” I whispered.

“Erica? Honey, why are you whispering?”

I checked under the door for shoes. None. “No reason,” I said, talking normally. “I just wanted to ask…can you get me some…you know?”

“What?”

“Only, it’s that…time of the month…”

“Oh,” he said, and I could automatically sense him cringing. Even gay guys didn’t feel comfortable talking about this. “Didn’t you pack any?”

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