[A/N]: SORRY FOR THE LONG UPDATE, YOU GUYS! >.<
But anyways, if you fanned me then you would probaly would have already known my reasons for not updating for a few weeks so I won't bore you guys with excuses.
So yeah!
Let's have a little recap on what's happening in this story, shall we?
1) Vincent is being forced to finish his senior by his parents so he can get his attitude in check.
2) Carson is trying come up with the money for her tuition fee at U of T.
3) The two of them are making a deal: If Carson, the girl everybody loves, pretends to be Vincent's girlfriend for two months, enough for people to believe he's changed, then he will pay for her tuition fee just so he can go to Los Angeles to start his world tour earlier.
4) The rest of the boys of Ever After are finishing thier senior years as well just so they won't leave their bro hanging.
5) People are starting to notice Carson because she's now rumoured by the media to be Vincent's "girlfiend".
6) Vincent and Carson are planning to go to NYC so he can offically introduce her as his girlfriend to the press.
7) They're pretty much having a love-hate relationship right now ;D
Anyways!
I promised two chapters but that won't be up unitl tomorrow so bare with me!
-kelly_1231
Chapter Twenty
Tuesday, March 27th.
"Would you stop looking at your watch?" Gracie snapped. "It's not like you have anything important to do now that you've quit your job."
"I just want to be home by six though--"
"Make it nine o'clock, hon."
I shot my best friend the death glare as she burst into laughter. She then linked her arms into mine as we continued walking down Yongue Street to the Eaton Centre. As she did, she just looked up to me with that usual grin of hers. i guess she was enjoying the fact that her best friend had more time to spare now that her schedule had been cleared.
"Look," I protested. "I still need to study for my English test tomorrow, I don't want to--"
Gracie just rolled her eyes.
I sighed. "What?" I snapped.
"You're a straight A student, Carson," Gracie stated. "I don't think one night of shopping with your best friend will kill you."
"Did you really have to drag me here though? In downtown Toronto?" I snorted as I took a look around the crowed sidewalks. Everybody was pushing and shoving each other as they tried to make it to their destinations. "I mean, we could have just went to the Yorkdale or something--"
"I like Eaton Centre better," Gracie replied with a grin.
I grimaced. "Why?" I asked. "It's more crowded."
"Just shut up," Gracie said with a melody-like laugh. "We're just going to shop around, eat some food, have some girl-talk, and then go home, alright? I'll promise we'll be back before eight." She smiled up to me and I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Girl-talk, eh?" I snickered as I looked to the pedestrian light that indicated we only had ten seconds left to cross the street before it turned red.
I seriously need some of that right, I thought to myself.
I looked down to my petite friend. "Think we can make it?" I whispered as the people around us stopped walking, not bothered to risk their chances of getting hit by an insane driver.
Gracie wiggled her eyebrows. We had three seconds left. "We were on the cross-country team for a reason in middle school. Come on" She gripped onto my arms tightly as we made a mad dash across the street.
Almost immediately, cars began honking at us as.
Gracie and I exchanged looks to one another as we threw our heads back in laughter. When we finally made it to the other side of the street, we looked over our shoulder to see a middle-aged woman sticking out her middle-finger out the window. "Crazy, bitches!" She yelled.
"Thank you!" Gracie chirped innocently.
It wasn't till the woman drove away into the distance that I began to realize that I rarely took risks anymore. Me and Gracie crossing the street at the last minute was probably the most adrenaline rush I've ever felt in a long time and it sort of saddened me because it just proved how much I've been missing out in high school.
I didn't like that feeling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"He did what?" Gracie nearly shouted in the food court. Her chocolate brown eyes were wide with shock as her full lips hung in a wide 'o'.
"Lower your voice down," I hissed as I took another bite of my pizza.
After spending nearly two hours at Forever 21 and HMV with Gracie, we were now eating at the food court with the money we had left. I began telling my best friend of the night when Matt called me over to calm Vincent down since he was high on something and the certain events that took place in his bedroom. I was suppose to tell Gracie earlier but I guess it just slipped my mind. However, since the media was constantly talking about Vincent's appearance at New York City on Friday (with me, of course), my brain couldn't help but randomly bring up the memory of my childhood best-friend kissing me that night. Every time i thought of it, I just cringed and I just needed to tell Gracie about it before I went mad.
Gracie heaved out a dramatic sigh. "Well, excuse me if I'm a little surprised of what happened between you two that night," she said. "I mean, the more that you two spend time together the more I'm beginning to think that there's more to this little plan of yours--"
"What are you talking about?" I interjected.
"I mean...." Gracie paused for a moment as she looked up to the ceiling, her nose crunched up as if she was contemplating the right words to say. "I mean, it seems like... you two like each other..."
I nearly choked on the air that I was breathing. If I had been drinking my Coca Cola at the moment, I probably would have spat it in her face.
"What?" I nearly shouted. "We do not like each other! We literally insult each other every time we see the other person!"
Gracie held up her hands up in defence. "Whoa, let me explain--"
"I mean, Vincent is annoying as hell," I replied coldly. "We gets on my nerves and I--"
"--want to rip out his organs and feed them to the hounds," Gracie finished off.
My eyes were narrowed as I stared at my best friend. "Well, that's a little too extreme..."
Gracie rolled her eyes. "Look, i'm just saying that you two are acting like you're in elementary school," she stated. "Remember how guys would literally annoy the living shit out of the girls they liked when they were younger?" Gracie raised her eyebrows at me. "That seems like you and Vincent right now--"
"Oh, please," I responded. "We're not in fifth grade anymore--"
"But you two are acting like it!" Gracie pointed out.
"We are not..."
"Yeah, that must explain your constant bickering to each other." She rolled her eyes again. "Just admit, Anna Carson, you have a crush on Vincent Gray again."
My face immediately warmed up. "I do not!" I replied almost too quickly.
Gracie raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh, really now?" She questioned.
I stared at my friend for a few seconds before breaking away my gaze from her. "Look," I began while looking at my surroundings. "I would know when I guy likes me. I've dated so many before. If Vincent really did see me as more than a friend he would have probably did something by now to get my attention or something..."
"Maybe Vincent realizes that the only way to even get your attention is to put up a fight with you--"
I snorted. "You're getting the wrong idea, Grace."
"Am i?" Gracie challenged. There was a hint of seriousness in her voice.
Turning my head slowly to meet my friend's gaze, I realized that Gracie was still looking at me with raised eyebrows. "You two are so in denial," she said.
"We do not like each other that way," I insisted.
"I bet Vincent is only doing this plan of his to get closer to you--"
I opened my mouth in protest but I immediately closed it shut when I recalled that moment when Vincent had told me that when all of this was over that he was hoping we would still be friends. Maybe, this was Vincent's way of trying to befriend me again. But then again, all he probably cared about was getting back his good reputation so his parents could send him back to Los Angeles to start his world tour with the band. Yes, that was most likely his main priority-- not getting close to me again.
Gracie's eyes widened. "You see!" She cried as she slammed the palms of her hands onto the table. "You can't even deny that!"
I rolled my eyes. "We do not like each other," I said once more. "That's that."
"Okay."
"I'm serious."
"Alright."
I shot my best friend the death glare before shoving the crust of my pizza into my mouth.
Gracie laughed. "Can I ask you one question though?"
"Shoot."
"What made you have a crush on Vincent when we were in ninth grade again?" She asked slowly. "I mean, I've always wondered since you never went in detail..."
I started chewing slowly as I began to recall that year.
I swallowed down my food.
"Carson?"
I looked up to my best friend and shrugged. "I-I just did..."
"You thought he was cute?"
"Yeah...."
"Do you still think he's cute...."
I chuckled. "Ugh, he literally looks like an Abercrombie & Finch model, Gracie," I stated.
That was probably one of the things I would have never said to Vincent up front considering the fact that it would have boosted his ego even more. However, every time i saw him, that thought was always at the back of my head. Though, I try to deny it but even I coudln't seem to do exactly that. I mean, he was attractive...
Gracie grinned. "You see!" She cried out loud. "You do like him! You think he's attractive! That's literally the first step into falling in love with somebody--"
"That doesn't mean anything!" I insisted. "Just because I think someone's attractive doesn't mean I automatically like them."
"Yes, it does!"
I rolled my eyes as I pointed to a guy seated a few tables away from us. He had short choppy caramel-coloured hair and he had grayish blue eyes. He looked to be in college and he was pretty decent looking. "You see that guy over there," I gestured towards him so Gracie could take a look. "That's guy pretty hot but I don't like him."
Gracie took one glance at him and sighed. "That's different though," she explained. "You don't know him but you know Vincent."
I threw up my hands up in the air. "This conversation is going absolutely nowhere, we might as well just stop--"
"Hello, ladies," a smooth velvet voice said from behind me. Someone put her delicate hands on my shoulder. "Nice to see you again... Anna, right?"
Gracie grimaced. "Do we know you?" She asked.
I looked up slowly and my eyes were immediately narrowed in confusion. Standing beside me was a girl around my age with red hair and sunglasses covering her eyes.
Last time i checked, I didn't know any gingers.
Just as I was about to say something, my eyes trailed down to what the girl was holding. My eyes immediately widened in surprise when I saw that familiar Gucci bag hanging on her arm. Only someone who didn't spend enough time in downtown Toronto would have brought such an expensive object to a mall where it could easily be snatched away. My eyes then was brought up back to the girl's face as she slid down her glasses to reveal icy grey eyes.
Jane Torres.
"Hi," I said awkwardly. "Um, what are you doing here?"
"Ah, well," Jane explained as she took the seat beside me. "We were filming by a location near the mall and I usually come here to take a look at things. However, I usually do so in disguise." Jane pointed to her red wig. She then looked at Gracie and grinned. "Jane Torres--" she held out her hand. "Nice to meet you, Gracie."
Gracie looked shocked as she shakily shook the actress' hand. "H-How do you know my name?" She asked in disbelief.
Jane smiled innocently as she took of her glasses. "You were Erik's fling from a few weeks ago, no?"
"I-I guess..."
"Yeah, well, you were all over Twitter when those pictures came out," Jane said. "And besides, anybody would recognize that bright pink hair of yours--"
Usually, Gracie would have been insulted by that comment but she didn't utter a single word. She just sort of stared at the actress like she was star struck or something.
"Um, anyways," I interjected. I looked at Jane and tried to be civil with her. "What's your movie about again?"
"It's an action film about gangs and stuff."
Very descriptive, I thought.
Jane then heaved out a heavy sigh. "Goodness gracious," she said dramatically. "I'm really thirsty." She brought out a twenty dollar bill from her pockets and handed it to my best friend. "Could you be a dear and get me diet Coke, please?"
"Sure!" Gracie chirped as she got up and took the money. As she turned around to head to the nearest fast food chain, I could immediately feel the tension growing between me and Jane. Once my best friend was out of sight, Jane immediately took the seat in front of me and stared me down with her icy eyes.
"Look, Anna--" Jane spat out my name like it was poison. "-- I know what you're up to."
My face dropped.
Did she know about me and Vincent's little plan?
"Ugh, i can explain...." I replied awkwardly.
"You don't need to," Jane cut me off. "I know that you're only dating Vincent so you can get his money. You're just a gold-digger, alright? You don't deserve him. He could do so much better than desperate girl like you." She looked me up and down like I was hobo or something.
I blinked. "Excuse me?" I said. "Desperate? I am not--"
Jane leaned closer so that i could smell her minty breathe. "Your whole life history is already on the Internet, hon," she said with a raised eyebrow. "Everybody knows about your family's financial problems and how you probably can't afford to go to University."
My face hardened but I didn't say anything because it was true.
"And oh," Jane continued. "Doesn't it seem pretty ironic how an aspiring musician like yourself is now dating the most famous rock-star right now? I mean, it seems to me that you're trying to pull some strings in the music industry through Vincent Gray, no?"
I rolled my eyes. "So what are you trying to imply?" I snapped. "That I'm trying to get Vinent's money for University and have a music career through him too?"
Jane tapped my nose. "That's right, hon," she responded. "And I'm determined to break you two apart." She sent me sinister smile.
My eyes widened. "Is that so?" I challenged.
"Oh, i know so."
I forced a smile. "That's amazing to know, Jane," I said. "It really is. Tell me more." The amount of sarcasm in my voice was enough for Jane to look at me with revulsion.
"Bitch," Jane muttered.
I grinned. "You don't know me well enough to make such a statement," I responded.
Jane continued staring me down.
I laughed out loud as I got up from my seat. "Look," I said. "I can tell that your just jealous that I'm dating your ex but--"
"Jealous?" Jane echoed as she stood up as well. "Hon, I am not jealous of you. Do you know why?"
"Why?" I asked crossing my arms. "Is it because you think you're better than me?"
Jane shrugged. "I'm afraid so."
I stared the actress standing in front of me and almost had the sudden urge to slap her.
Did Jane Torres honestly have the audacity to come over here and insult me like that? I mean, yes, I didn't have a lot of money in the world but just because I was associated with a guy of a higher class doesn't mean that I was a "gold-digger."
Me and Vincent made a deal.
The money he would give to me in two months would be after I came through with my end of the bargain which was to help him convince the entire world that he had changed. We weren't even dating. I wasn't asking anything more than Vincent had promised.
I looked at Jane and smirked. "Well, just remember this..." I took two steps towards the actress and held her gaze. ".... I may be poor compared to you but right this moment, I have something that you don't: Vincent Gray. He is my boyfriend. He got over you, sweetheart. I think it's about time to move on."
Jane mouth hung wide opened as I turned around.
Gracie was walking towards me with the drink in her hands and I immediately took the drink and the change from her and gave it to Jane myself. "Nice seeing you again," I said sweetly.
Jane held her chin up high. "Likewise."
I smirked one last time and turned around.
"Did something happened?" Gracie asked curiously as we walked away from the crowded food court.
I laughed as I linked my arms with her. "No," I replied. "But I'm having a feeling something will happen eventually."
Gracie grimaced. "Why?"
"Because I now have Vincent's ex-girlfriend officially hating my guts."