Olivia wanted to do a cheer. Jackson was standing up for her – and he thought she was beautiful!
‘I don’t want to have to pretend to be single any more. We’ve kept things quiet for long enough, but we are certain about how we feel.’ Jackson grabbed Olivia’s hand and she thought she might turn into jelly. ‘Now we want to celebrate being together – and this is the perfect way to do it. I want to be a normal teenage boy, with a normal teenage girlfriend.’
Olivia could see the store assistant hovering around the pickles, trying to listen to their conversation, but she didn’t care.
‘You are not normal.’ Amy pointed at him, her sleek silver phone flashing under the fluorescent lights of the supermarket and her coffee threatening to spill over the flimsy plastic lid. ‘You are a mega-star with millions of fans who think that you are available. If you go out there as a couple, it could end your career!’
Jackson squeezed Olivia’s hand. ‘If that happens, so be it.’
Olivia couldn’t believe that he would be willing to give up everything for her. ‘You shouldn’t –’
‘I want to,’ he cut her off.
‘Well, then.’ Amy turned to Olivia with a cool stare. ‘What about you? Are you ready to be universally hated by girls everywhere for stealing Jackson away?’
‘Uh –’ Olivia hadn’t thought about that.
‘There will be threads online called We Hate Olivia Abbott and groups scrutinising every little thing you wear.’ Amy was leaning closer and closer. ‘They won’t leave you alone until there’s a break up – and being in the spotlight is one of the quickest ways to make that happen. Are you sure you can handle this?’
Olivia gulped. I can handle the existence of vampires, but what about the wrath of an army of haters? Olivia remembered how crazy Jackson’s fans were at his book signing in February.
Jackson looked at her, his eyebrows creased. ‘I don’t want to put you through anything horrible,’ he said.
She paused for a moment, but knew she didn’t want to pretend any more. ‘And I don’t want to date in secret any more,’ Olivia replied. ‘Amy, I think you’re overreacting and I won’t be scared into staying silent because of a few unhappy people.’
Jackson’s face broke into a huge grin.
‘We’ll deal with it, if and when it happens,’ she finished.
Amy did not look happy. She stared at Olivia, but Olivia refused to back down. She stared right back. The sounds of the hubbub going on in the supermarket around them faded away.
Amy opened her mouth, about to speak, when the shrill of her phone made Olivia flinch. It made Amy jump too, her arm jerked up and the lid of the coffee cup slipped off.
Then several things happened at once.
The froth of the coffee sloshed towards Olivia.
She tried to step away and stumbled.
Jackson started to pull her backwards.
But it was too late. With scalding heat, the coffee splashed right down the delicately layered folds of Olivia’s dress.
‘Oh, my goodness,’ Amy gushed. ‘I’m so sorry!’
Olivia looked down at the brown mess that was spreading in a stain across the beautiful pink chiffon. Her gorgeous dress; the biggest night of her life! And now it was ruined. She tried to hold back her tears.
‘How could you do that?’ Jackson demanded, grabbing the paper napkin out of Amy’s hand and dabbing at Olivia’s ruined skirt.
‘It was an accident,’ Amy insisted, holding up her hands. ‘I didn’t mean to.’
Olivia knew it was the truth but it still stung that Amy had got her way.
‘There’s no way I can walk down the red carpet like this,’ Olivia said. ‘It’s over.’
Just then, a young man with a goatee and a clipboard rushed over. ‘We are go. We are go. Jessica has arrived. Jackson, you’re up now.’
‘We have to get moving,’ Amy said to Jackson and Olivia wished she could disappear.
‘Wait –’ protested Jackson. His blue eyes looked pained.
‘No, go,’ Olivia said. ‘You can’t miss your moment.’
‘I don’t want to go without you,’ he insisted.
‘You have to,’ she whispered.
‘Are you sure?’
Olivia didn’t trust herself to speak again, so she nodded.
She watched Jackson being escorted away down the aisle with a horrified, apologetic look on his face.
My fairy tale has shattered, she thought miserably.
Ivy stepped around a display bin of multi-coloured sponges.
Wham! Someone ran straight into her – a person-sized flamingo-coloured blur.
‘Hey,’ Ivy started. ‘Watch where you’re . . . Olivia?’
The pink blur was her twin sister. And she was crying.
Ivy grabbed her by both shoulders, forcing her to stop. ‘What happened?’
‘My dress!’ Olivia spread out her dress to reveal a big upside-down u-shaped brown stain.
‘Oh no!’ Ivy gasped. While pastels weren’t her thing, her sister’s outfit was amazing. Or had been amazing.
‘And Jackson’s been summoned to walk the carpet.’ Olivia sniffled. ‘Alone.’
Ivy didn’t say another word and just wrapped her arms around her sister in a hug.
‘Thanks,’ Olivia said, pulling back. ‘I’m going to see if I can wash it off or something, so that I don’t miss the whole premiere.’
‘Do you want me to come?’ Ivy offered, knowing how upset Olivia must be about missing her chance to go public with Jackson.
‘No, don’t worry,’ Olivia said. ‘You go find our dad and make sure he’s not lost in the pet food aisle, wondering what’s happening.’
Ivy nodded. ‘See you inside?’ Even though Ivy wasn’t going to do the grand entrance, she and Olivia had arranged to sit together in the cinema. Olivia wanted Ivy there for moral support.
As Olivia nodded and hurried away, Ivy started marching up and down the supermarket aisles, looking for her dad. Just in front of the rows of checkouts, she spotted Jackson and Amy, hovering by the door, with a crew member peering at his watch.
Jackson waved her over. ‘Have you seen your sister?’ He tried to step towards Ivy but Amy was blocking his path back into the store.
‘I saw her; she’s a little upset,’ Ivy admitted.