The photographers started calling my name as soon as we got outside. A thousand flashes went off as Tori pulled me toward the Town Car.
"What happened with Kyle? Did you two break up?"
"Are the rumors true? Did he cheat on you?"
"Are you two taking a break?"
"Knock it off!" Tori hollered. "Just let us get to our car!"
She managed to push me through the throng and to the car. We both collapsed inside, exhausted.
"Please get us out of here," she asked the driver.
We sped off into the early morning light. I kept my sunglasses on and my hood up so Tori couldn't inspect me.
"How are you dealing with that?" she asked, motioning back toward LAX.
I shook my head. "I have no idea. Kyle made it a lot better." Saying his name made me choke up, so I was relieved that I had my sunglasses on.
But of course, this was Tori I was dealing with. She put the divider up and turned back to me. "Lo?" She patted my knee. "Talk to me. Where's Kyle? When I got your text to pick you up, I assumed you meant both of you. What happened?"
"I broke up with him," I said, and tears spilled traitorously down my cheeks.
"But I thought you guys weren't even really together," she said, trying to be comforting.
"We weren't." I sniffled.
She handed me a tissue, and I honked my nose into it.
"But?"
"But I still broke up with him." I blew my nose again. "His dad offered him a position with his company—if he agreed not to see me anymore."
"Did Kyle take it?"
I shook my head. "He said… he said he wanted to stay with me." My words came out in puffy little sobs.
Tori patted my knee again. "Aww, that's sweet, Lo. That's really nice."
"I know. He even said he'd q
uit being my escort before we left—but he hadn't told me that before."
"So he was just with you because he wanted to be with you?"
"Yes."
"I think I like this Kyle," Tori said.
"But that's exactly why I had to let him go. I can't ruin his life, Tor. I can't make him miss out on a great opportunity because… because… I'm selfish." I collapsed into tears.
Tori pulled me into her arms and shushed me. "S'okay, Lo. It's okay."
I pulled back and continued to ugly-cry. "N-n-no, it's not. His father forbid him from being with me. And it made sense. Because it makes sense. Then my mother showed up, and she freaked out when she saw him. She asked me for more money—"
"Ugh! I knew she was gonna do that!" Tori fumed.
"And when I said no, she freaked out even worse. She threatened to blackmail me." I tore off my sunglasses and wiped my face. "It's such a mess. I was trying to do the right thing. That's all I was ever trying to do, I swear."