Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82271 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 411(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
I start to go after him, but Suho holds me back. “I’ll talk to him.”
I do a double take. “You’re the worst person to run after him.”
“No.” Eric sighs. “Tough love, that’s Suho, let him go.”
So I do. I let Suho go after Rae, and I crumble.
The group really is going to be done right before our third album, because I fell in love. It’s my fault.
Because I fell for someone who understood me and held my hand.
I chase after him but it does nothing but make him more angry as he turns around and yells at me. “I’m always the last to fucking know! I’m the leader of this group. My sister?” He screams. “My sister? You’d do this? You’d go this far?”
I know cameras are most likely going to be on us now that this broke out into the media and sure enough a production crew shows up and starts filming. I say nothing. I can’t find words as TestME all stand by my side. Kai, Jay, and Lucas slowly come and surround me, and we just sit there on the grass, both groups suddenly together, no anger, nothing, just sadness and desperation.
Rae stops dead in his tracks right when Suho reaches him, he turns around and screams. “Who the hell do you think you are! You should have told me!
“I tried!” I yell back, “But every time I just, it didn’t, I don’t know what to say, do you even realize how often I’ve just wanted to hold her hand in public without people taking pictures? Or to tell you I kissed her when I was sad and she comforted me? That she held me when I cried? Helped me when I was lost? I was so lost and I couldn’t tell you so I told her, she’s been my best friend, so no I didn’t tell you, how do you tell your other best friend that you did the one thing, you shouldn’t do!” I’m confessing it all.
And it’s all on camera.
I get up and walk away from SWT, I start packing knowing full well, this is the end.
And I was the one who wrote it.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Ari
I know something’s wrong the minute my phone starts blowing up, and it’s not from Sookie, it’s from the press, and then from management.
And CEO Siu.
Hands shaking, I answer. “Hello?”
“You’re fired.” He sighs. “I don’t want to, but I’m dealing with not just a legal mess right now with SWT and this show on top of Sookie, he’ll be kicked out of SWT just so you’re aware. I expected better from you, had you told me we could have managed this, but I don’t see the band coming back from it, we’ll salvage what we can for their comeback. Sookie’s already packing and on his way back to the dorms to do the same. Please turn in your ID and laptop while you leave set. We’ll do the finale for the show with TestME instead of SWT, I’m currently getting Grace to take them back to the dorms but I want to give Sookie ample time to pack up his belongings before they get there. Lay low. You’ll get six months severance.”
The phone goes dead.
Numb. I’m wondering what happened.
Then I see Sung-Bin, he walks up to me from catering and shakes his head, then hands over his phone.
It’s me.
It’s me and Sookie.
Making out, touching each other.
The group’s lawyer.
The leader’s sister with the youngest.
I accidentally drop his phone onto the grass then pick it up and hand it back. “I’m going to pack my things.”
“I can make it go away,” he whispers. “If you let me, I can make it go away.”
I straighten my spine. “The last thing I want, is for Sookie to go away.”
“The scandal.”
I turn on my heel and charge him. “The damn scandal of loving someone for years? Is that it? The scandal of having to sneak around because it could break his career and mine? All because we’ve loved each other that long? You want to make that go away. No. Thank. You.” Tears stream down my cheeks. “Do you even know how low Sookie must be right now? Yes, we got caught, it was inevitable, but what’s so wrong about this? What?”
“For starters you work for his company, he’s not allowed to date, he’s young, you’re four years older, you have to understand how this looks.” He shoves his hands into his stupid trouser pockets and I want to rage.
I point my finger at him and then drop my arm. “You’re not worth it. You’re a nice guy but I would rather suffer alongside the man I love than have you fix it with your money. Congratulations, at least the show’s gonna be a hit.”
I leave and start walking to my room, pissed off and ready to find Sookie, it’s out so that means no more secrets, I’m close to the house when I see him on the ground outside the house, unresponsive.