Breaking Stars (The Celebrity 2)

Celeste stopped in the doorway and turned to pin me with a serious look. “The best things in life aren’t always easy, Tatum. But they’re worth fighting for. I’m scared to death you’ll never get over this thing with Paige if you stay here and give up.” And just like that, she walked out, leaving me in the office alone with my thoughts and her words echoing in my mind.

She was right, which thoroughly pissed me off. I wanted to toss something after her or punch something, but I buried my head in my hands instead. I’d really screwed things up with Paige. Even if I did get my shit together and work on my future, how could I do that and still include her in it?

Paige probably didn’t even want me at this point; she probably hated my guts. But Celeste was right—losing Paige would ruin me if I let it. A girl like that was worth fighting for, and it was time I took a turn in the ring.

The Land of Spectacular Lies

Paige

“Hi, Mom,” I said into my cell phone as I settled onto the couch. I’d slept most of the day away, my mind filled with dreams of a place that suddenly felt achingly far away.

“Hi, honey. How was your night? Did you sleep okay?” she asked, although I half wondered if she already knew the answer.

“Once I finally fell asleep, yeah. Actually, I just woke up not too long ago,” I said, glancing over at the wall clock that read 4:42.

“Well, that’s good. You’re probably mentally exhausted. Do you want me to come over?”

Seeing my mom sounded so appealing, but I needed more time. “I do want to see you, Mom, but not just yet. I need to figure some things out first. You’ve seen all the reports about rehab and stuff?” I squeezed my eyes shut with the ridiculous notion.

She sighed. “There are some paparazzi camped outside the house. They’re relentless. I lost it and yelled at one of them the other day, but they wouldn’t believe me.”

“What happened? What did you say?” Curious, I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees.

“They were asking me all these horrible questions about your battle with drugs and alcohol and suicide. I told them that you simply needed a break, but when they asked me where you were, I couldn’t answer, and so I think I made it all worse. I’m sorry, honey. I was only trying to help.”

She sounded exhausted too. It was one thing for the stories to affect me and my day-to-day life, but when they affected my family, it stung. I hated the way they got dragged into anything that had to do with me. If I lost sleep over anything, it was things like that.

“Mom, you didn’t make anything worse. Don’t worry about it. You know they’re going to say whatever they want to make money. Just don’t talk to them anymore. They aren’t worth your energy.” I tried to believe my own words, but it was easier to give advice than it was to take it.

“Paige, I’ll come over anytime you need me to. Just let me know, okay? I’m dying to see you. Your sister is too,” she added, sounding happier at the notion.

“That sounds really nice,” I said, meaning it more than she knew. The thought of being with my family was incredibly comforting. “I’ll see you both soon. I miss you.”

We said our good-byes, and I hung up the phone. Reaching for my laptop, I started scrolling through all the false reports and pure guesses being reported as fact as to my whereabouts. I stopped reading the articles after I realized it wasn’t doing me any good. There were only so many lies you could attempt to absorb about yourself before you wanted to run outside and show them all the true meaning of crazy.

Because I hadn’t been seen for weeks, rehab was a natural assumption. Although I didn’t entirely blame the press for that, I completely blamed them for their horrific reasoning for it. The tabloids reported that I couldn’t handle Colin’s infidelity and that I was too embarrassed to show my face in public. They claimed that I’d tried to overdose on pills, and one even quoted me as saying I wanted to “make the pain go away forever.”

The most frustrating part for me was that in all t

he years of being famous, I’d never once made a spectacle of myself. I’d never handled myself badly or acted like a girl who couldn’t live without her boyfriend. So it pissed me off for everyone to be so quick to believe I was suddenly pathetic, weak, and self-destructive.

Was there no loyalty anymore? Had nothing I’d done counted for anything? Apparently not when it came to selling magazines or online ad space.

A swift knock at my door startled me, causing my breath to quicken. Since the lobby hadn’t called up to inform me that I had a guest, I knew it had to be Quinn.

“Come in,” I shouted from my comfy spot on the sofa. I glanced behind me to see my best friend burst through the door and run in my direction.

“My God, I’ve missed you!” She plopped herself into my lap and wrapped her arms around me, her blond ponytail swishing from side to side.

Squeezing her back, I choked out, “I missed you too. Now get off me.”

She glanced at my laptop screen before reaching over to slam it shut. “Don’t read it. It’s all total horseshit pulled out of thin air.”

“Pretty hurtful horseshit,” I muttered.

Her mouth dropped open. “Paige Agatha Lockwood, did you just swear? Why, I never!” she said in a thick Southern accent.

“I did, but I didn’t enjoy it,” I said with a pout.