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Chapter 22

The Elle shoot was a snap co, I at least had a little bit of an idea what I was supposed to be doing now Plus, I didn’t have to sainst anyone this time, or wrap myself around anyone else’s physical person (such as Brandon Stark) This ti I still had to sowns I earing flowed right I swear, every twoover to adjust a fold or sh I don’t particularly care about fashion, I sort of get it now I mean, about why other people care about it, and why it’s interesting and sort of important to some peopleThe truth is, fashion can be sort ofwell, funI know! I never ‘got’ fashion before Clothes were just things you threw on to keep froowns – that were at this shoot were so gorgeous, I actually caught ine where you’d WEAR a bright red long dress trimmed with dyed black ostrich feathers with a neckline that plunges to your sternum I mean, except maybe to the OscarsBut I couldn’t help but be curious about who’d designed them – which surprised the people at the shoot, because they said I should have knoithout asking, just by the feel and look of themBut then Kelly reminded them quickly of my head injury (which the hairstylist, Vivian, had already found) And then they all wanted to talk about that ( to run in the sa it until Saturday)Anyway, they all took great pleasure in telling owns at the shoot, and other favourite designers of Nikki’s as well And I have to ad Like, even otten a kick out of the story of Miuccia Prada, a feoods co ‘Miu Miu’ one of the thirtyto the Wall Street Journal), with an estimated fortune of 1 4 billion dollarsAnd Coco Chanel, who popularized the little black dress for wo the only fashion designer ever to azine’s 100 Most Influential People of the Twentieth CenturyAll this – plus the lecture the ave me about the dark circles under my eyes, thanks to my lack of sleep, and the fact that(but I couldn’t exactly pick up in the middle of a fashion shoot), ing and wrenching and holding et owns – was enough to keep my mind off what had happened in school earlier that day with Christopher The fact that I nearly passed out several tiht, and that I could barely move helped tooThe truth was, I don’t kno Nikki did it I was supposed to stare off into the distance as if I was gazing at a far-off star (when really what I was looking at was a piece of paint peeling off the rafters on the ceiling) while NOT thinking about how I couldn’t breathe and my feet hurt and how tired I wasand, oh yeah, how everyone saw ht like I was the drunk one, not uy I’d actually like to be dating by the way doesn’t know I’m alive?No, I mean, literally doesn’t know I’m alive He thinks I’m dead, and I can’t tell him I’m not And he isn’t too iht just be the only guy on the planet who’s notHow can anyone concentrate on looking beautiful when all that is going on around the isn’t easy Modelling is actually really hard Modelling is ACTING You have to ACT like you’re actually enjoying yourself, when the truth is, every single inch of you is hurting and uncomfortablemost of all your heartIwith exhaustion when the art director, Veronica, said, ‘I think that’s all we need, Nikki You can go now ’I swear I nearly ripped that last couture gown off, I wanted to get out of there so badly‘you’ve got the Vogue shoot to me as I ran down the steps to the lio out tonight,’ she shouted at et some sleep! You looked awful today ’‘I won’t!’ I slammed the limo door behinda stop before we go to the loft,’ I said to the driver ‘The computer store on Prince and Greene ’The driver looked at ht o’clock, Miss Howard ’‘I know,’ I said ‘The store is open late on Thursdays ’I sank back against the leather seat and watched as we glided along Park Avenue,there ‘gazing at a far-off star’ that I couldn’t take Nikki Howard’s Stark-brand hot-pink laptop to school tomorrow for Christopher to set up , it was just too e I mean, seriously – hot pink?And for another, how could I be sure it didn’t have so software built into it hich Stark Enterprises atching my every move online? No I needed a whole new, non-Stark computer Just like I needed a new, non-Stark cellphone on which to talk to my parentsI’d pick up both on the way home Thank God the Apple store was open until nine on Thursday nightsAnd I had Nikki Howard’s platinu rich and famous after allEspecially when you’re rich, faastore a few blocks away fronizes you the minute you walk in Even late as it was, there was a queue But when you’re Nikki Howard, I’et treated differently froht over to otten ten feet into the store, and I heard the usual buzzing that started everywhere I seeo He asked if he could help ht there while he went and got itAsNikki seriously sucked sometimes, it could seriously rock at other times I had my new laptop and phone and was out the door ten raphs laterIt was as I aiting for the li around and pick me up (he’d been forced to circle while I shopped due to the number of mounted cops in the area) that I heard a voice behindto see another autograph hunterand was shocked to see Gabriel Luna instead‘You!’ I criedHe looked as surprised to seeme?’ he asked in that adorable British accent But he was shere?’‘I live just up the street,’ he said ‘I’d ask what you were doing here, but it’s obvious ’ Always the gentle ‘Here, allow et one at this corner, you know ’‘No, I have a ride,’ I said ‘He’s just circling But thank you ’‘Oh,’ Gabriel said ‘So you’ve recovered fro in a rush the last ti out my chin, ‘That wasI wasn’t evenGabriel, I don’t even drink Seriously, you can ask any of the bartenders Next tio to Cave, have them pour you a Nikki ’He blinked at me ‘A what?’A Nikki It’s just water ‘And I was only trying to get Brandon out of there I mean, Brandon’s just – we’re friends ’‘Oh ’ Gabriel stared down at me He looked confused ‘I see ’‘I’m not who you think I ahts of the liht, but co I needed to get off aht I just did it because Lulu threw a surprise welcome-home party for me a

nd I didn’t want to hurt her feelings because she’s been really sweet to ht and do homework That’s my wild, crazy life Really ’‘Look,’ Gabriel said, his expression unreadable ‘Don’t be angry I know I come off as a bit of a prat soirls we ran into the other day The ones ere chasing us They look up to you I worry you don’t realize that ’‘Well, I do,’ I said Was that traffic light ever going to turn green? Then I shot hi at that club at two in thee I wrote the other day To see if he thought it would work as a dance‘And? Did he like it?’It was hard to tell in the glow from the s of the co a little ‘He loved it actually He played it on the spot It brought the place down Everyone adored it ’The li out from behind the wheel‘I’ht behind one of those tour buses’‘That’s OK,’ I said ‘Could you take this?’ I took the huge boxes from Gabriel and handed them to the driver, who hurried to put them in the boot Then I turned back to Gabriel and said, ‘Well, here’sblack limousine with raised eyebrows It had attracted the attention of quite a few people on the sidewalk as well, many of whom had stopped to stare at it, and me too‘I owe you a ride,’ I reo’‘Not tonight,’ Gabriel said with a funny little half-s to hold you to that ’He could not have shocked me htly, barely brushingjust inches fro?’‘The naling fro ht,’ he said ‘It’s called “Nikki” ’And then he was gone, disappearing into the hordes of people who’d gathered on the sidewalk to stare at me and my limo