Sprinting out of the Darktide Hotel and down the steps so fast she nearly fell over, Jade heard someone yell behind her.
"Hey, wait!"
With the cat in her arms and her phone in one hand, she turned around to see who was approaching her.
“Leave me alone, Finn!”
"Wait! Don't go!" This guy followed her relentlessly down the sidewalk until she stopped under a streetlight.
"I don't want to be in a music video!" Jade yelled.
Finn stopped dead in his tracks.
"What?" he cocked his head. "Are you serious?"
Jade looked at him straight in the eye, shocked that he didn't believe her. He continued to stare at her with an open mouth.
"Yes! I just want to be a normal person who has no idea how to get paid or what to do! I didn't sign up for that when I met you!"
Finn rubbed his nape and looked away.
"Hey, I get Zeth can be a little… demanding but… He's worked a lot to make us a successful band and he's a perfectionist, but he likes you, that's for sure." Finn ran a hand through his hair and sighed, "He just wanted to keep us safe. But you were amazing in the interview. Maybe you..."
"I just did it for my friend, the interview," Jade snapped back, and he seemed annoyed, even lowering his eyebrows, "Sorry. I forgot you don't like being interrupted."
She started to turn back around.
"Wait. Let's talk about this." He pulled her by the arm, and she had to fight to yank away. The cat jumped off her arms and onto the ground, and Jade took a step back to catch it and carry it again.
"What is there to say? I interviewed you, I got my five minutes... Leave me alone!"
She turned to leave again, and he reached out for her shoulder. This time, instead of fighting to get away, she let him hold her.
"That's why I came down here to get you before you left," Finn took Jade's phone from her hand and put it behind his back, "I'm not letting you go until you listen to me!"
"Give me the phone!"
"I said no!" He replied, a little playful but with a certain air of seriousness in his tone, "Let's make this easy, okay?"
She scowled at him but remained where she was. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair again.
"Look, we're going to be professional about this..." He paused and looked around as if worried they were being overheard. She rolled her eyes. "We gave you an interview, private, and you just want to give it away to someone else. Do you know how much we charge per interview?"
"Okay then..." Jade muttered. "How much do I owe you for the interview?"
He smiled a little.
"Don't give away the interview, upload it to your whatever account, but don't give it away."
"You're unbelievable," she rolled her eyes again, huffing.
"No, really..."
"I want to go back to Melody's place," Jade sighed. "Let me go."
"And Melody is your only friend, isn't she?" Finn crossed his arms and looked at her.
"Yes. I don't have any other friends."
"You've got six new friends now, well, maybe five." He said, charming as always.
"My friend is waiting for me, and her cat."
"And I guess you're in a hurry to give her the interview that you got. You! Not her!"
Jade thought for a moment. After all, she did not want to give away her first-ever interview. It was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to her.
"Hey, I can spot someone like me from a mile away," he said, looking her up and down. "Insecure, always obedient, always doing everything for other people..." He shook his head. "You could have been anyone you wanted to be. Now we can be friends, you, me, and the guys."
"Except you are famous and wealthy, and I'm just some girl from LA in Hollow Woods."
"Not anymore," he grinned, and she couldn't help smiling back at him. "Now you're the girl we want to get to know better."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Jade replied with the cat still in her arms, struggling to stop the animal from moving. "You have it all! Fame! Money! Women who would kill to even see you walk by on the street! Why do you want me? I have nothing special about me!" She tried to sound tough, but it wasn't working.
"Well..." Finn scratched the back of his neck again and looked everywhere except into her eyes. "You faint over everything."
"Thanks?" Jade shrugged. "So you think I'm special?"
"You're different," he laughed, but when he noticed her furious expression, he quickly grew serious again. "Or maybe it's because you've never had anything happen to you." He stepped closer.
"Sorry to be normal and not a perfect music star."
"Do you really think a celebrity is perfect? We have flaws." He moved his hands to either side of her face and gently cupped it between his palms, leaning forward. "A lot more than you probably think." She froze. He smiled down at her, a hint of mischief in his eyes. "Besides, you're not ordinary. You're Jade, daughter of Henry." He let his hands fall down to his sides as she stood there, dumbfounded. She opened her mouth to say something but couldn't. "You and I, celebrity and mere mortal, are very alike, Jade. I'm always at Zeth's mercy, and you give away your triumphs," the blond boy told her and with one hand began to use her phone.
Damn!
What was he doing?
"I saved my number, I didn't do anything else," he told Jade and put her cell phone in the pocket of her skirt, leaning down to be level with her. When his handsome face was next to hers, close to her cheek, her heart began to race again. Her breath hitched, and she swallowed hard before meeting his gaze. His green eyes were shining brightly beneath bangs that were pushed back slightly against his forehead by the wind. "What you did for your friend was nice, you interviewed us for her," he leaned back and smiled at her. "But this achievement..." His smile was very warm, sharp but sincere, "It is yours."
"Achievement?" Jade laughed. "What achievement? I passed out, and you guys took me to your room without even asking me!"
"You made Zeth nervous," Finn cocked his head. "Frank and Draco won't stop talking about you. Alex was worried that you left so quickly, and I've never heard Everett talk as much as tonight."
Jade was speechless, not knowing what to say, looking down to avoid those beautiful eyes that begged her for attention.
"Anyway," he continued, "I apologise on Zeth’s behalf for what happened earlier. And I hope to see you again, you can call me whenever you want to, you know?" He waited for her answer, but when she said nothing, he sighed. "Fine, forget it. Go home and forget I even told you this."
Jade felt tears prickling at the edge of her eyes.
This was all wrong.
He was her idol, and yet she treated him so rudely.
But... Was she really that important to them?
"Wait!" Jade shouted before Finn could walk out of reach. "I'll call you! I promise."
Finn turned around and faced her, smiling again.
"Good."
"Thank you for giving me this opportunity."
"I'm glad I could be of service."
"But why did you chase me?" Jade asked, frowning. "Why didn't you just forget about me?"
"Because I needed to save myself," Finn said with a smug grin.
"I don't understand."
Finn lowered his head while giggling, with his hands in his pockets.
"When you look at me like that, Jade, it's almost impossible to forget you." His lips twisted into a sad smile. "There's no way we'd ever forget someone like you, but I suppose I see myself in you. I know what it feels like to be someone's shadow, the ugly duckling..."
"You don't know me." Jade looked away.
"I do," Finn walked closer and put his hand on her shoulder. "Don't give your friend this achievement. If you don't want to end up like me, do as I say..." He took a long breath and shook his head, then slid her hair away from her face. "Post that video on your profile, tag all of us, and show the world that you're the girl that made Monster Mash nervous."
Jade didn't know what to answer right away; she just looked him straight in the eye and nodded.
"I'll think about it."
"Don't think too much then," he patted her shoulder twice. "Take care, Jade. You have a lot to offer the world; you just have to believe it," and then he walked back from where he came from, but not before looking over his shoulder. "Will you call me?"
"I will, really," she replied, and he gave her a thumbs up, then left.
However, once inside the hotel, Finn took his cell phone out of his pocket and quickly called someone...
The waiting tone rang twice, and when he pressed the elevator button, a female voice finally answered.
"Evie? I distracted her as much as I could to buy you some time.” He said, whispering while stepping into the lift, “Please tell me your friend could hack her phone," He bit his lip, then smiled from ear to ear, "Good. Thanks, I owe you one. Upload the video to her account... Yes, yes, also check that she's not a hunter like Zeth ordered, but do the video thing after that."