Total pages in book: 181
Estimated words: 177690 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 888(@200wpm)___ 711(@250wpm)___ 592(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 177690 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 888(@200wpm)___ 711(@250wpm)___ 592(@300wpm)
“Gavin! Are you out here?” A shrill voice screams in the vicinity of the door to the gym. There are several other voices with that one, though quieter and not as annoying. That one is clearly Bella. The bitch.
“Be right there!” He calls out over my shoulder. “Guess I better be going,” Gavin says, studying my face.
“Your public awaits, dude,” I lamely joke.
“See you around Moth-girl,” he jokes back and his finger brushes a lone strand of my hair off my face and he touches his index finger to my chin. It’s a simple thing and it’s nothing like a kiss, but I know I’ll cherish it for the rest of my life regardless.
“Yeah see you around,” I tell him, but there’s no point. He’s already turned around to join his buddies. Walking away from me and going back to forgetting me forever.
I realize I’m tired of people walking away from me. Everyone has and I’ve just taken it. From now on, I decide I’m changing.
Here on out, I will be the one to walk away. No more standing around waiting for people to realize I’m worth sticking around for. Nope. No more. They won’t get the chance to leave me and make me feel sad.
Because I’ll already be gone.
one
casey
“Iced Raspberry Cheesecake latte!” the lady yells out and I move back up to the counter. This is my secret addiction. This delicious concoction is the only thing keeping me sane lately. It gives me fuel to get through the day and the ability to stop myself from choking the stupid out of others.
“Thank you,” I tell the barista, handing her the money. She gives me my drink and instantly moves on to the next customer. I mean they’re busy, but would a return thank you be so much to ask for?
I glance at the clock on the wall and feel a moment of panic. I can’t afford to be late this morning. I work as a make-up artist on movie sets. When I left high school, I had one thought. I was getting away from Freemont. I was going to work my way through cosmetology school and I was going to own my own shop one day. I was on track for that, working at one of the best salons on Rodeo Drive. I was putting money away, and gaining a great reputation. It was getting to the point where I had a list of regulars and new clients coming in to request me.
One small thing changed the direction of my plans. One of my regulars came in, in a panic. She was a former actress, who was trying to revive her career after taking years off to raise her daughter. She received a last minute offer to guest star on a morning news show. She didn’t want to trust their makeup artist and since I had done the makeup for her new headshots, she came to me. Working her in, made her grateful enough that she demanded I do her makeup at all her jobs. That began a career I never saw coming and one I truly love.
Now I have a list of several producers, directors, actors and actresses who all request me. I pick and choose who I work for and when. I’ve met some amazing people and people that others wish they could meet—who aren’t as great as I hoped they’d be. My latest job was on the set of Aden McIntyre’s latest film, Dreams of Love. Aden is one of the biggest names in Hollywood—or rather he was. He took some time off, there were whispers he had a nervous breakdown. I’ve talked to him enough that I don’t think that was it. But he’s having trouble coming back. This will be his third film in five years and there’s rumors that if this one doesn’t hit, he may be done. Which isn’t good for a lot of reasons and the main one is that this set has been riddled with accidents and problems. The latest one being Aden’s stuntman’s parachute failing to open. He got the backup one to work but he missed the marked spot for landing and got tangled in power lines. He’s alive, but he’s not in great shape. Production was halted until a replacement was found. Today is our first day back on the set, and being late is not a great way to start it.
I’m making my way through the crowded streets. I think it might be one of life’s greatest mysteries that the streets can be empty up until the moment you are in a hurry, then people seem to congregate and delay you. After pushing my way through, and yet only getting about ten steps ahead, I decide to cut through a back alley and across the park. I’m rounding the corner when I slam into a solid wall—of muscle.