page18 (1/1)

Chapter 18

It was nearly two hours later before Raoul got enough shots he thought he could use I had to do a bunchinto a big red apple That was fake And tasted like dirtAnother pose I had to do involved hanging off Brandon Stark’s shoulders like I was one of those baby rhesus ht that pose was kind of ynistic, because it ihiain, which, considering how mad he was aton someone else entirely – didn’t seem like it would be the best ideaRaoul didn’t take h And Rebecca took me aside and asked if I had a fever‘Because normally you know better than to criticize an art director’s vision,’ she saidI pointed out to her that the es of us, and asked if it didn’t bother her, as a fe to thatShe looked atany kind of medication for your head injury? Because if so they need to up the dosage ’I could sort of see her point I mean, if I didn’t do the pose, they’d just hire so having to sainst Brandon like that Not that he seemed to mind That was the problem My embarrassment aside, I didn’t et over his being -on-the-back-of-Gabriel-Luna’s-Vespa thing, because after about half an hour ofafter this?’I was caught totally caught off guard, and asked, ‘Who? Me?’‘No,’ Brandon said very sarcastically ‘I’uy Of course you ’‘Oh,’ I said ‘I don’t know I guess I’ back to the loft Why?’‘Cool,’ Brandon said ‘Maybe I’ll stop by ’I felt uys, but I knehat Maybe I’ll stop bywhere ood idea where they’d be later too I was positive I wasn’t going to be able to stop the there Not if I knew Nikki Or at least, how she got when guys started kissing her They tossed the anton around a lot in those romance novels Frida – and, OK, I have to admit, I – liked to readWell, wanton pretty ue in her mouthOK My mouthBut what about Christopher? I mean, he was the one I really loved, and I’d never even oncedistance of hiI tried to think up some excuse as to why Brandon shouldn’t stop by the loft later, and finally seized upon a perfect one‘The thing is,’ I whispered, ‘I’ ’Brandon rapher, asked hiht?’‘No,’ I said ‘Tribeca Alternative High School My first day I want to be nice and well rested And, well, you know What with the accident, and all—’‘I thought the school thing was just a PR stunt,’ Brandon saidI jerked my boobs off him in shock ‘A PR stunt? Who said that?’‘Nikki,’ Gwen called, ‘don’t–’‘Well,’ Brandon said, ‘that’s what people are saying—’‘Education is necessary for anyone to grow as an individual,’ I said ‘I’e some day, not as a PR stunt ’ And not just so I can check up onon, and irl, either‘Kelly!’ Gwen yelled‘Nikki,’ Kelly called to ot back in my place, draped over Brandon’s back But I wasn’t happy about it People were saying Nikki Hoas going to high school as a PR stunt? That was terrible! And so untrue! I could see I needed to speak to Brandon’s father, now more than ever He couldn’t keep the truth about what had really happened to Nikki to himself now He just couldn’t It wasn’t fairBut it was really hard to get Mr Stark’s attention, because every ti for the ca at soet him someone else’s phone number, or an espresso Finally, after what see, andso o ho out his cufflinks I was sitting right on the desk in front of him, so I just went, ‘Mr Stark? Can I talk to you a minute?’And he looked down at me, and went, ‘No ’Seriously! Just like that!But I’otten to level forty-five in Journeyquest – for nothing I mean, I’m no quitterAnd not even a billionaire corporate executive who also runs an underground brain-transplant clinic is going to thwart me‘It’s just’ I said in a low voice as everyone around us was gathering up power cords and taking down the blackout curtains ‘Don’t you think what you’re doing is wrong? I ht at lints in thehts, which were being turned off, one by one‘Don’t get rateful for what Doctor Holcoh with my end of the contract But don’t you think Nikki’s friends – her family – deserve to know the truth? So they can mourn her properly? I mean, some people even think she was in rehab last month How unfair is that? I’, they’ll get it It’s just that you can’t go around replacing one person with a coht I know Nikki ht have been a model and all, but that doesn’t mean she didn’t have a unique personality and people who loved her And, I’m not sure you’re aware of this, but soave her with keystroke-tracking software—’‘JESSICA!’ Mr Stark startled lasses caet my coat Is my reservation at Per Se all set?’‘Yes, sir,’ Jessica said, trailing after her boss as he strode away fro downstairs –’It was only then that I realized: Robert Stark alking away fro away fro! As if I was justnot even there! As if I was justjust An airhead model‘But – Mr Stark!’ I called after hi out of his office without so lance at me I couldn’t believe it I couldn’t believe how he’d just walked away like that The one person I thought could help me – or not even nored irl‘Don’t even bother,’ a deep voice behindup at Brandon Brandon was staring after his father with a look I can only describe aswell Not very friendly‘He doesn’t speak to the talent,’ Brandon informed meI stared at him in confusion ‘The talent? You mean’Me I’m the talent‘Or to me,’ Brandon added bitterly, ‘if he can help it He’s much too busy and important ’‘But ’ I shook my head, not sure I understood ‘He’s your dad Of course he can’t be too busy for you ’Brandon gave e look Then he said, ‘You really do have amnesia, don’t you?’And with that, he turned around and walked away before I could say another wordI was onarea to slip into , you were fabulous!’ Rebecca cried‘I wasn’t,’ I said to her My neck still throbbed from the way Raoul had

And Mr Stark hates h, truthfully, I wasn’t sure that was such a bad thing ‘So you’re a little rusty,’ Rebecca said with a shrug ‘You hit your head! That we should all look so good after concussion And Bob Stark hates everybody Uh, this is ringing –’ She held out the cellphone, no doubt about dinner I realized I hadn’t followed her directions and called as soon as I’d gotten to the photo shootI let it go to voicemail ‘I’ll call her back,’ I said I didn’t think I could handle my mom and all her questions – and concerns – just then‘Great,’ Rebecca said ‘Now, Kelly and I want to take you out for dinner to celebrate the SI gig We got your favourite table at Nobu We’ll htunless Brandon wants to colanced over my shoulder at Brandon, as already on his way to the elevators‘Uh, Brandon’s got other plans,’ I said ‘And actually, I’ to head back to the loft and crash, if that’s OK I ot school in the —’‘Say no more,’ Rebecca said with a smile ‘We’ll do it another time Tomorrow afternoon, after the Elle shoot, perhaps ’‘Tomorrow?’ I stared at her ‘We have a shoot tomorrow?’‘Honey, you are booked solid all this week,’ Kelly said, thrusting Cosabella into ht now Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider this going-back-to-school thing? Because it’s really cutting into your availability—’‘No,’ I said ‘I o to school’ I wanted to How else was I going to find out if Christopher was into et an education?Kelly shook her head ‘This school thing’s gonna killinto her headset, ‘No! I told you! She’s not available until after three p m What part of three p reat,’ Rebecca said to ion and eastern philosophy at NYU, you know If she can do it, you can Although, how sht Fashion Cafe would ever take off?’‘U about, ‘I should go’‘Of course you should ’ Rebecca tookarea ‘Girls! Nikki has to go!’And, like ic, a few seconds later, I had been stripped of my ethereal dress and stilettos, and was back inback don – by myself, this ti Rebecca had handedto give you this ’And she’d passed me a bronze-leather tote , it was so heavy‘What’s this?’ I’d asked curiously‘Hon,’ Rebecca had said with a laugh ‘It’s your purse! You dropped it the day of the accident I’ve been holding it for you Your life is in there Your Sidekick, your cellphone, your credit cardshold on to it this tiht, honey?’Now, in the li into my lap and marvelled at what I found thereI’d suspected before But now I knew for sureI was richNikki Howard had a platinuold Mastercard, a platinum Chase bank card for quick ATM withdrawals, tons of cash (four hundred and twenty-seven dollars’ worth), and a chequebook that said she had three hundred and six thousand, six hundred and thirty-two dollars and eleven cents in her savings account, and twenty-two thousand dollars in her current accountAnd that was just as in her bank account Who knehat she had invested? Because I found a business card for a Smith Barney investment adviser that was tattered and looked well usedI was freaking loaded Not enough to buy myself out of my Stark contract But I could help my parents out if they ran into proble Nikki’s neatly balanced chequebook) was check out her cellphone But, like the onefor the Sidekick The batteries of both were dead fro, so it wasn’t like I could turn them on to check (and even if I had, I wouldn’t have been able to tell myself Only the Commander would have been able to know for sure) But I suspected they, like Nikki’s laptop,paranoid But waking up in soirlThe rest of Nikki’s bag seemed to contain only makeup and half empty containers of acid-refluxto know I had soot to the loft was order some takeout for dinner (which I could now pay for – and I didn’t feel guilty about using Nikki’s money, because after that photo shoot, I felt like I’d earned it), strip off o to bedAnd now I could pay the delivery guy And pick up a bagel or whatever for breakfast onBut when I arrived at the loft five minutes later, I saw my plan for a quiet dinner and a nice bubble bath in Nikki’s jacuzzi go down the drainpretty much literally Because when the elevator doors opened to let me and Cosabella out into Nikki’s place, a dozen people – including Lulu and Brandon – yelled, ‘Welcone corks and rushed to hug ht Especially since the person hugging me the hardest turned out to be Justin Bay