Song for the start of the chapter!
My foot bounced to a song that blasted through my headphones as I waited for the teacher to come into class. I was early to school today, not sure how that happened, but it did. I smiled, realizing I liked this song Miles sent me this morning which meant Miles was quickly learning my music taste, and I liked that. No one had ever done that before, and it meant a lot.
"What the hell is this?" Zoe asked, slamming a newspaper on my desk. She moved her hands to allow me to see Miles and I on the front cover.
I pulled my earbuds out as I looked at the photo. He had such a determination in his face, but I was a dear in the headlights, looking as confused as ever. The image was cringy and I wished they picked a different one. "This really isn't a wonderful photo," I pouted.
"That's all you have to say? What you have been doing?" she asked, looking hurt that I didn't share this juicy information with her.
Our outing hit the news in record timing, I didn't think it would come out so fast. Miles warned me it might be in the news, but I didn't believe him. It was only Wednesday, and we went to dinner on Friday, that was only a few days ago but now here we were in class and Zoe deserved an explanation. To be honest, there were so many times I wanted to share details, but Camden was always around at the most inconvenient times. "Remember the sprained wrist at the skate park?"
She nodded in silence.
"Kit Keen accidentally did that to me. He felt bad, so he took me to dinner."
She looked awestruck, not believing it, but honestly, I couldn't either. Why would someone as famous as Miles be interested in me? "I'm speechless, Isla. Wait, did you know who he was before this all happened?"
I shook my head as she burst out laughing. "Of course this would happen to you. You're hanging out with a massive pop star, but you don't even like pop music nor know who he is," she said as she wiped a tear from her eye.
I chuckled at the humor in the situation. "You're right. Just my luck."
"Does he know about your taste in music?" she asked with a smirk.
"Yeah. And he likes it."
"Are you sure he's telling the truth?"
I nodded at her. I believed him when he told me he liked my songs and asked for recommendations. "I'm just as amazed as you are."
"You have to spill girl, are you dating Kit?" Zoe asked as she sat down in a seat next to me that wasn't hers.
A guy that normally sat next to me walked up to us with a frown. "Excuse me?" he asked Zoe, wanting her to move from his seat.
Zoe gave him a look as if what he did was rude. "Find somewhere else to sit," she commanded him.
Without another word, he scurried off to find some other seat, reminding me that Zoe could have such force behind her words.
Quickly, Zoe turned back to me, ready to continue this conversation. "Ok, so are you dating him?"
No. I didn't know him well. Isaac was the last time I would run into a relationship. For now, and probably forever, we were just friends. Miles was only that, and that was probably the best thing for both of us. "No, I'm don't think so." And I was ok with that. I knew it was only time until he moved out of this town, and I didn't want to get my heart crushed when he did that. Staying friends was a safe option, especially when I just got out of a relationship myself.
"What? You don't know? Isla, are you getting played?" she asked with concern.
I trusted Miles. He wasn't a player. For right now, we were only friends. "We're just friends."
"But you want to be more," she said, wiggling her eyebrows at me.
Yes, he was cute, but I knew he would get his fill of me and this town and leave at some point. We were just two completely different people. If I was only a friend, this would protect my heart and I needed that since I had so much heart break already.
"Ok, enough talking," the teacher said in a tired tone as she walked into the class.
"This conversation isn't over," Zoe said as she pulled out her books.
I smiled, I expected as much.
By the time lunch came, I couldn't help but notice as people pointed at me and whispered things to their friends as I walked across the cafeteria. Suddenly I was the most popular person in the school again, but for reasons that were better than the last. Memories from my last soccer championship filled my mind like an overflowing tub, and I couldn't help but feel worried they would remember that just when they seemed to forget about it.
I sat down at my normal lunch table with Zoe and within minutes the table was full of people wanting to talk to me.
"How do you know Kit?" one guy asked me as he unpacked his lunch.
I had never talked to him once in my life but now I was the IT news, and he had to know. "We're friends."
"Is he really as mean as everyone says?" another person asked.
Kit was nothing but nice. These people seemed to know everything about him, but yet they knew nothing about him at the same time. They didn't know his favorite food, or how he asked for songs I recommended. They just knew what the news pumped out and that wasn't the real Miles I knew. "No, he's kind."
I pulled out a textbook, hoping they would catch the clue that I didn't want to talk to strangers. They didn't want to be friends with me, they never wanted to in the past. They were only interested because of Kit, and once Kit left, which was bound to happen at one point or another, they would leave too.
I looked at Zoe with a frown, and she frowned back at me as if thinking the same thing. We wanted them gone. We liked our quiet table for a reason. "Ok, go away. That's enough questions," Zoe said to the group around us as she shooed them with her hands.
They looked disappointed, as if this was the worst news they heard all day. I nodded at them, as if confirming what Zoe said. "Enough questions. The shop's closed," I said, finding my voice, which didn't happen often.
"Really Isla, way to be a party pooper," one girl spat as she stood up from her seat and walked away with an attitude in her step.
I shrugged. I had been called worse before. "Yeah, that's me, Isla Party Pooper Maas. That's my name," I said as all the other people at the table left.
Zoe chuckled at me. "Wow, Isla Party Pooper Maas, you know how to clear a table."
"One of my many talents," I said with a small smile as my phone buzzed.
"Are you mad at me?" Miles texted.
I smiled lightly, feeling excited that he was still texting me. For whatever reason, he still wanted to talk even after I knew about his secret. For now, I was still interesting. "No," I responded quickly. "Why?"
"You haven't been as chatty since dinner on Friday," he replied.
It was the truth; I hadn't been as chatty because I was still trying to wrap my mind around the fact that Miles was famous and wanted to hang out with me. I didn't understand it and I couldn't help but feel a little guarded as I sent him messages.
As soon as I got home that Friday night, I read almost everything I could about Kit Keen, needing to understand why he was here in Redding, with me. Every news article painted him as this terrible person, but when I was with him, he was none of that. One side of him had to be fake and I was worried that the side of Miles was the fake.
Instead of letting my worries consume me, I put my phone down and looked at Zoe. "You like Kit Keen's music, right?"
She nodded proudly. "I have been following him for a solid year and a half. I loved his music when I first saw it on YouTube."
"What do you know about him?"
She shrugged. "You probably know more, after all, you actually know him," she said as she drew circles with her fingers on the table, stalling.
I shook my head. I was sure I didn't. Everyone seemed to know more about him than I did. "I have only known him for a little over a week and a half. Please share what you know," I begged, feeling completely in the dark about Miles Kit Keen.
She nodded as she took out her salad from her backpack. "He's so talented. He rose to fame almost overnight after some manager found him on YouTube," she gushed. If I didn't know any better, I would say she was in love with this man she never met.
"How long has he been famous?"
"Like radio famous, maybe eight months? But he released his first album a year ago."
"Ok. And what else do you know?"
"He just signed a new record contract in LA. Last I heard, he was living in a fancy apartment there, but I guess they were wrong," she said with a smirk. "Redding though, really? Nothing happens here."
I know. I didn't understand it either. "Do you know anything about his personality?"
She frowned, her light, airy personality turned serious for a moment. "Look, I don't know if this is true, but it's all over the gossip magazines."
Wanting to hear everything she said, I leaned closer to her. "Some say that he's stuck up, mean, aggressive, and a partier. Haters started a movement called 'Too Keen For Me' because of the air he gives. People say that he is too 'cool' to hang out with the normal people and that he has problems with alcohol and women. They say it is only time until he spins out."
Headlines about these topics flashed in my mind as I remembered reading about them, but I didn't want to believe them because the Miles I knew was none of that. From the time we had been talking, all I could see was that he was a genuinely nice guy and someone that I wanted to spend time with.
"But something tells me you don't think that's true," Zoe said as she eyed me.
I shook my head. "No, I don't see it. "
"And that's why it's terrible to gossip," Zoe said as she took a bite of salad.
"But you love it," I said as I poked her with a smile.
She smirked, knowing I caught her red-handed. "Maybe just a little."
I laughed as I looked at my phone again. I didn't want to keep him waiting any longer. "Sorry. I'm still sorting out some thoughts before I jump in again." I quickly texted him back.
All the articles that I read the past few days ripped into Miles. I couldn't believe people could write such terrible things about people. They didn't know him. But then again, I didn't really know him either. But when I was with him, I didn't want to believe any of those words. He gave me no reason to believe that he was any of those things, at least I think so.
"And are you ready to jump?" he texted back.
I nodded at my phone as I texted. "Yes."
"Earth to Isla! Hello?" Zoe said as she waved her hands in front of me.
I shook my head to clear it. "What's up?"
"Your name was just called over the intercom."
Great. Fear took me, wondering what I did now. "Awesome," I said sarcastically as I stood up from the bench I sat at. "I'll see you in class." I waved to Zoe as I left the lunchroom.
She threw a sympathetic look my way as I walked out of the room.
People looked at me as I walked down the hall. Whispers about me were almost suffocating. Once again stories about me were spreading and it was enough for me to send me into a small panic. I shoved my hand in my jean pockets as I kept my head down, not enjoying this attention. After the soccer championship last year, I was all anyone could talk about. People knew me as he crazy psycho girl that went ballistic after the match. I just barely survived those rumors; I couldn't live with more.
I walked into the office and smiled at the lady behind the counter. "Hello?" I asked her.
She smiled at me. "Your sister has requested that you take her home."
Everly stood up from the seat she was sitting at, looking white and clammy. She looked fine this morning, so something must have happened at school. "Hey champ, ready to go rest?" I asked as I put my arm around her.
I threw a smile at the secretary and with that we left the office. "So what's up?" I asked as we went out of the school building.
"I'm cramping too much," she said with a frown. "I already vomited."
I nodded as I guided her to the car. "I'm sorry. Let's get you home," I said to her, knowing that her period cramps were nothing to mess with.