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Lilly leaves this dangling in the air, the pair of them staring at me, eyes like lasers.
“Umm,” I stammer.
“You have to tell us all about Matthew Barkly,” Lilly demands, fed up with my lack of information. “Tell us everything!”
Amy fishes her phone out of her adorable blue clutch purse. “And while you’re at it, care to explain this?”
She shoves her phone in front of my face and I move it back so I can read it. And then I wish I hadn’t.
Because on her screen is the headline: SOCCER STAR’S LATEST FLING?
And below this utterly terrifying sentence is a photo of me and Matthew at the café yesterday. He’s holding my hand and leaning across the table, looking lovingly at me—
No! That’s not what happened!
I attempt to draw in a breath but can’t.
“Help!” I wheeze.
Amy jumps into caretaker mode, running her hand up and down my back in long strokes while counting my breaths with me.
“In one, two, three,” she croons. I obey. “Out one, two, three.”
We do this five times more before my heart settles enough to take a sip of the ice-cold water that Lilly had fetched for me.
“Thanks,” I mutter, my cheeks burning with embarrassment. Between the mini panic attack and the article—the article!
“Guys! What am I going to do about that?” I point at Amy’s phone like it’s a poisonous snake about to strike.
“So, it’s not true?” Lilly asks, her face dropping with disappointment.
“Of course it’s not true. That’s Matthew Barkly and…me.”
What don’t they understand about this situation? He’s a celebrity, and this article is claiming we’re having some sort of love affair. Oh no, what if—
“What if my mum sees this? Or my Yia-Yia!” I bang my head on the table. This can’t be happening.
Lilly and Amy exchange a shrug. “I’m sure only a few people have seen it.”
My spirits lift. “Do you think?”
Amy bites her lip, her eyes glued to something behind me. I turn my head.
“No! Nat, don’t look.”
And there, on the TV screen mounted above the bar, is that same picture of me and Matthew and the closed caption below reads: “SOCCER PLAYBOY AT IT AGAIN.”
“It’s on the news?” I sink into my chair, shielding my face with my hands. “Why’s it on the news? Are there no wars, floods or fires for them to report on?”
Lilly pats my hand. “He’s newsworthy. And whoever he dates is also newsworthy.”
“But we’re not dating!” I yell. Heads turn in our direction and I groan. Way to not draw attention to yourself, Natalie.
“OK.” Amy’s using her ‘calm the crazy person’ voice and I die a little inside. “So, you’re really not together?”
I shake my head, my hair flying wildly.
“It just looks like you’re dating?”
