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  I nodded my head.

  She mouthed a big “Oh,” and turned her head away.

  Tony’s phone rang.

  That was quick!

  With a jolt, he jumped back and grabbed the phone from his pocket. It continued to ring as he stared at it. Finally, after a few more seconds, he took a deep breath and answered it. “Hi, Mom. Yeah, I saw the news.” He ran his hand through his hair and opened the front door, then quickly shut it.

  We could hear people yelling and cheering outside. Cassidy ran to the window and peeked out. “Holy cow!”

  “No, Mom, that wasn’t anything . . .” Tony paced a moment in the room, and then headed into the kitchen. “Look, she’s—No! Mom. I know, okay? I know . . .” He closed the kitchen door behind him.

  “Um.” Roger cleared his throat. “So, is he in big trouble now? I didn’t know—I didn’t mean—”

  “I know that.” I tried to smile to reassure him, but it didn’t work.

  “Really, we had no idea he was this Jackson guy until today, anyway,” Darlene cried from her seat. “Honest—”

  “I know. Don’t worry about it,” I almost snapped. “Look, I didn’t know who he was either, okay? He came to tell me. He knew he was going to get in trouble for it—he knew it, and he’s prepared to deal with it.” Okay, so not to this extent, but they didn’t need to know that.

  “I am really sorry.” Cassidy turned from the window. She looked like she was going to cry. “Is this what celebrities have to deal with?” She jabbed her thumb behind her, pointing outside. “It’s like the whole neighborhood is out there! How did so many people find out so fast? And the news—how did the news pick it up already?”

  Roger smiled ruefully. “Well, you can thank modern technology for that. The Internet is an amazing tool. It probably only took a couple of minutes to download and send that video off to the news station. They obviously didn’t waste anytime putting it together.” He shook his head. “Poor boy. If I’d have known he was going to go through all that” —he waved toward the TV— “I would’ve kicked everyone out of the yard.”

  “I know what you mean.” Cassidy groaned. “Could I have been a bigger spaz, seriously?”

  I stood up. Their talking was beginning to bug me. If they were quiet, maybe I could hear what was happening with Tony.

  “Well, I for one thought it was very romantic,” Darlene added.

  Cassidy gasped. “Oh, I know! I bet Claire—”

  I lost it. I walked out of the room and into the kitchen, then shut the door behind me.

  Twenty-Two

  A Sad Crush

  “Well, I’m willing to make that sacrifice . . .” Tony’s back was to me, and he was standing firm. “Yes, she means that much to me—that’s why I did it! I know I’ll have to quit, okay? I was fully aware of the consequences when I did it.” I watched as he paced a moment, staring at the window. “What? No!” he yelled. “Like I set that up for some big publicity stunt. You know, I think you’d be smart enough to realize that. Wait! Look, I’m sorry. I had no idea so many people would witness it. Honest. I didn’t even think anyone was there—and I definitely didn’t do it because our song is topping the charts—no matter what you think!”

  Clearly frustrated, Tony whipped around on his heel. He jolted when he saw me. Our eyes locked, and he took a deep breath and took a step toward me. He held out his arm, and I gratefully walked into his lopsided hug.

  I wrapped my arms all the way around him and held on. If I could have given him my strength right then, I would have. I wished I could go back in time and take all this from him. I could hear his strong heart rapidly beating within his chest. He clung to my shoulder a moment, his whole body vibrating as he answered, “I love her, Mom.” I felt his hand softly trail through my haphazard bun and then down to my shoulder again. He heaved another sigh. “Yes, I know . . . I know . . . Believe me, I definitely didn’t expect this sort of a wakeup call.” He took another deep breath, and I felt him place a kiss on the top of my head.

  I smiled a tiny, secret smile.

  Tony flinched and tensed up, his whole body going rigid. “Are you sure?” he almost whispered into the phone. His voice was so thick with emotion that I froze too. “Um, okay. That’ll be hard. That’ll be really hard. I don’t think we need to—” He stopped and listened. I closed my eyes and started pleading for some divine help. I hated to feel him experience this because of me—it was stupid.

  “Mom, I promise—” His arm came alive, and he began to rub my shoulder. “Look. It doesn’t have to be . . . there has to be something else. Okay, fine . . . fine. I give up. Does Dad want this?” His hand stopped. “All right. Fine. Give me a call when you know something . . . okay . . . okay. It might be awhile before I can get home . . . Yeah, they’re outside. The whole place is packed . . . I know. I’m sorry. I hate it too. Mom, don’t cry—come on, Mom! Don’t cry. Look, I’m really sorry, okay? . . .

  Okay, get your other phone . . . Love you too. Bye.”

  Tony ended the call. With a huge breath, he wrapped his other arm around me, and we stood together silently for a full minute before he commented into my hair, “Man, this bites. Why doesn’t anybody talk about the bad stuff that goes with being a celebrity?”

  I hesitated a moment before I asked, “What’s going on?”

  He let out another sigh and pulled me in closer. “I guess the news was announced over the intercom at school right after it was broadcast. The whole faculty knows now. Mom’s really upset by it, too. Her phone’s already ringing off the hook—everyone’s congratulating her and asking for my autograph. My mom’s kind of shy around strangers, and this sort of thing really stresses her.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said softly.

  “Yeah, well, I never thought about what would happen to my family if word got out. I guess I know now. My dad’s already talking about heightened security for us everywhere—my school, the university, definitely the house—it looks like it’s going to get bad.”

  Oh my gosh!

  “There is good news, though. They’re willing to discuss me staying in the band.”

  What? I gasped and pulled back a bit so I could see him. He didn’t look happy.

  “Personally, I think they’re crazy, but my mom may have a point. I mean, I can definitely see it from her side.”

  “See what from her side?”

  He chuckled suddenly and grinned down at me. “She’s worried about a rebellion.”

  “Rebellion?”

  “Yeah.” He shrugged. “Apparently we’re bigger than she thought we were. I mean, by the evidence outside, it would seem Northanger Alibi is pretty popular.”

  “Well, yeah. Hello? You’ve written—wait a minute! You wrote that song, didn’t you?”

  Tony nodded like it was no big deal. “Yep. I wrote them all.”

  Holy cow! “Anyway, of course you’re huge. I usually only listen to country—with a little bit of rock and pop—but this song has totally got me hooked. It’s really, really good. So what’s the deal? Why a rebellion?”

  “Not from me or the band. She thinks the fans may start a riot if they pull me out. You know—hate mail, phone calls, eggs thrown at the house—that sort of thing.”

  I gasped again. “Would people really do that?”

  “I don’t know. Depends on how mad they are, I guess. Personally, I think it would be harder for my parents to face paparazzi everywhere than a few angry fans.”

  “But what if you told everyone it was your choice to leave the band?”

  Tony got quiet for a moment, and he watched me. “Do you want me to leave?”

  No. “Do you want this life?” I asked him, uncertain what he was thinking.

  “I’m happiest when I play. But I can play anywhere.”

  “Yeah, but who’ll be there to hear you?”

  His phone rang, and I stepped back as he answered it. “Hello? Oh, hey, Coach. What’s up? Is the game still on?”

  I grinned as I watched Tony liste
n. His hair was a bit messed from all the times he’d run his fingers through it. I stood up on tiptoe to straighten it, but Tony stepped back from me, his hand raised in a cautionary gesture.

  My eyes flew to his. Something was happening.

  He closed his eyes and nodded. “Okay. Thanks for letting me know. All right. Bye.” He muttered something under his breath as he hung up the phone. “Well, that was great. Awesome, actually.” He looked like he felt far from awesome.

  “Now what?”

  He tried to chuckle, but it came out as a snort. “I just got fired from volunteering at the Y.”

  “What? Are you kidding? Why?” Oh my gosh! He loves those kids!

  Tony looked like he wanted to throw something. I had never seen him so hurt and upset at the same time. “It appears that due to my elevated status” —he held the phone up to look at it and shook his head— “I pose an unnecessary risk to the children.” He closed his eyes again. “I’m kindly asked not to come back, or to come to any games.”

  “Tony, they can’t do that! They can’t! Why is everyone freaking out about this? I don’t get it. They’re treating you like you have some sort of disease.”

  He tried to grin but failed miserably. He tugged me back to his chest. “You look like you want to kick the coach’s butt.”

  “I do!” I stomped my foot. “You have no idea.”

  Tony chuckled and then sighed. “Man, I’m gonna miss those kids.” He paused a moment and then sighed again. “But you’re wrong about one thing.” He slowly rubbed my back as his voice went quiet. “I do have a disease. It’s called fame.”

  “Tony, I’m so sorry,” I whispered.

  ***

  By the time he left, it was well after midnight. Even then, there were camera crews all over the place. I made the mistake of waving goodbye to him from the door.

  Of course I didn’t realize it was a mistake until the next morning when pictures of me, still in my messy bun, were splattered all over the newspapers. By the time I came down the stairs at eight o’clock, there’d already been four or five reporters knocking on the door for interviews and about half a dozen phone calls. Everyone wanted to know who I was. This was something I hadn’t thought about, but being the girlfriend of a high-profile celebrity was serious news, apparently.

  I jumped when the phone started ringing the second I put bread in the toaster. Without saying a word, Roger walked over and calmly ripped the cable out of the wall. He then walked back over to the couch and flipped the channels. King5 was reporting live during their morning show.

  “So, who is this mystery girl who has stolen Seattle’s Jackson Russolini’s heart?” A picture of me waving goodbye was splattered onto the screen. “We don’t know, but it seems as though he may have lost more than his heart to her. Jackson was seen leaving her house in the early hours of the morning, folks. And doesn’t she look pleased that he stayed so long? Of course, wouldn’t you, if you were her?”

  Ugh! I thought I was going to scream.

  The screen switched to video footage of Tony arriving at his house last night and being bombarded by microphones and cameras. “As we reported yesterday, Tony Russo, the son of the directors of the Northwest Academy, Ilene and Jonathan Russo, is also front man to the new teen band Northanger Alibi. Sources say that Tony, aka Jackson Russolini, has been keeping a low profile here in Seattle for some time. They say he grew up here and has, until recently, been the assistant coach for a soccer team—”

  Roger switched the TV off, and I blinked back to life. My cell rang, and I was happy to hear Tony’s deep voice on the other end.

  “Hey, you. How are ya hangin’ in there?” he asked.

  “Um, I could be better.” I pulled out my almost-cold toast and started buttering. “But other than that, I’m okay. You?”

  Tony chuckled. “Missing you.”

  Aw! “Me too. Want to come over and make me better?”

  “Yes, but I can’t. I’m calling to let you know I have a flight scheduled for takeoff in about two hours, but I promise I’ll stop by the second I get back in.”

  “What? Where are you going? When will you get back?”

  “I’ve got an appointment with my agent and publicist—they want to decide what to do with this. Plus, it looks like my record producer wants to talk to me about making more music videos since my cover’s blown and we’re such a hot topic right now. They want to release them while there’s still a buzz.”

  “Oh. And your parents? Are they—are they okay with everything?”

  “Yeah, right. No, I mean, they still love me, but they’re mad. Their phone hasn’t stopped ringing since yesterday. Someone had the nerve to call at three o’clock this morning. They’re taking it pretty hard, but they’re adamant that I stay in the band as of right now and go to California. So I guess that’s a relief—well, sort of. Kind of like a double-edged sword.”

  I tried to sound brave, but I really didn’t want to be left in Seattle alone. I know he didn’t mean it that way, but that’s exactly what was happening. “Well, that’s good for you, though.” I cleared my throat and put brightness in my voice when I asked, “So, any tips on fending off the paparazzi?”

  Tony chuckled. “I wish I had some. I don’t.”

  “Is there something you wish I wouldn’t talk about? Something you don’t want me to say—or reveal?”

  He hesitated for a minute and then mumbled, “You know, I’ve been hiding so long that as hard as this is, it’s nice to have it all out in the open now. I don’t think there’s anything you can say that’ll hurt me, or freak me out or anything. So, just go with what you’re comfortable saying. I totally understand if you want to deny ever knowing me—now that I understand—but as far as we’re concerned, this is all up to you. I already made my stand to the world when I came to your house yesterday, and I’m still happy with that decision. I always will be, because no matter what happens, I’m so grateful I was able to show you how much you mean to me.”

  A huge wave of relief washed over me. I was happy to hear that he didn’t have any regrets. It was the most awesome feeling in the world to still be loved. In fact— “Tony?”

  “Yeah?”

  I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and whispered, “I love you.”

  He inhaled sharply. “Are you serious? Did I just hear you right?”

  I grinned into the phone and turned around. “Yeah, I love you, Tony Russo.”

  “Sweet!” he hollered. “When I get back, we are so celebrating!”

  I giggled. “Have a good time—miss me forever.”

  Tony paused and then said, “Come with me. I’m serious, come with me. Come to California. Have you ever been?”

  “What? No. I’ve never been.”

  “You’ll love it. Say you’ll come!”

  My heart pounded in my chest with excitement before I mentally pictured my mom’s face. “I would love to, but my mom would kill me. Then she’d kill Cass, then Darlene and Roger, and then she’d probably come after you, too.”

  Tony sighed. “Ah, well, if she’s going to go after everyone, then I better not push it. I mean, if it was just me, I’d say come anyway—but to jeopardize everyone else, I guess I’ll just wait until I get home. Text me your e-mail addy, okay? I want to shoot you e-mails and texts and everything else.”

  “Okay. I will as soon as we hang up.”

  “All right, I’m outta here so you won’t forget. I love you, Claire Hart. Take care, and don’t maim anyone unless they deserve it, okay?”

  I giggled. “I never do!”

  “Well, at least wait until I can be there to watch. I need to know what methods you use.”

  “Bye!” I rolled my eyes.

  “Bye.” He chuckled just before I heard the phone click.

  I love you.

  Twenty-Three

  The Final Blow

  “What do you mean you’ve got an interview with King5?” I nearly hollered into the phone at Jaden. “Why are they interviewing y
ou, anyway? You hardly even know me!”

  “Not going to interview me, did interview me. And why are you freaking out? I’m your best friend, remember? I figured they’d want to hear your side of the story.”

  What in the—? “Jaden, are you for real? You don’t even know my side of the story! You’re messin’ with me, right? You’ve called me up to play a joke on me, because I know there’s no way you’ve gone and done an interview about me—posing as my stupid best friend—on live TV. Even you wouldn’t be that stupid. So, ha ha. Joke’s over. You can come clean now.”

  “Come on. What’s got your panties all twisted, anyway? It was no big deal—all they wanted to know was some of the things you’re interested in—you know, that sort of thing.”

  “Shut up! You really did an interview today?” I’m gonna kill him! I’m gonna string him up across some live wires and—

  “What is the big deal? The lady was nice—and hot, by the way. She really wanted to know about you, so I just opened up and told her a few things.”

  My voice grew ice cold. “Like what?” He better not have said anything about kissing me—

  “Oh, I don’t know.” I could almost hear the shrug. “I told them that you like Old Navy, Orange Julius smoothies, Twilight—you know, that type of thing.”

  “You are such a dork, you know that? A total dork! Why’d you bring up Twilight? What has that got to do with anything?”

  “I don’t know. You like it.”

  “Look, tell me everything you said. I want every word.”

  “Nope.”

  “No? No?” Okay, now I was really gonna strangle him. “What do you mean no?”

  “I mean, you gotta see the interview yourself. It’ll be on later tonight.”

  “Jaden, you better have only said extremely wonderful things about me, or I’m gonna—”

  “Yeah, yeah, I know, you’ll kick my butt.” He chuckled as though this were all a game. “So, uh, when you see how great I did—and since it’s all over the papers that your boyfriend won’t be back for a couple of weeks—you wanna thank me with a kiss?”