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“All right, people, eyes peeled for the target,” I urged my friends and then did a double check on the status of my makeup with a compact I pulled from my purse. It wouldn’t be good to be flashing my acne scars in front of a legit makeup artist. Everything was in place, except for a small fold in the collar of my white Prada blouse.
Technically, it was my mom’s. And technically, she didn’t know that I’d sort of borrowed it for tonight. It would be back in her closet before she even noticed it was missing. And she always did say first impressions were everything. Alanis Nori had great taste and she would notice something like that.
If I could just pin her down for two itty bitty seconds.
I scanned the crowd near the entrance. The Hilton conference rooms were the fanciest rooms we could get in Rock Valley. They were probably a far stretch from anything Hollywood had to offer, but it was golden for a Midwestern girl like me. Thick, red carpet stretched under my pumps. The ceiling was lined with gold trim. At least a hundred people were packed in beside us—most of them probably members of the film crew. Waiters carrying silver trays darted between the crowd, offering food and beverages to anyone in their path.
“So, what’s this movie about, anyway?” Beth snatched a shrimp cocktail from a nearby waiter holding a silver tray. She stared down at the expensive appetizer with a cocked eyebrow, distrust evident on her face as she poked at the red sauce inside the cup. “And why is the shrimp freezing cold?”
“Cold shrimp with cocktail sauce is the only way the stars eat it,” I said in a hushed voice, looking around to make sure no one heard her. “And according to Dad, it’s a soccer movie. He said it’s our generation’s Bend it Like Beckham.”
She wrinkled her nose. “What’s that?”
“Some ancient movie,” I said with a shrug. “I looked it up on Wikipedia. I guess it was popular back in the day. Who knows why?”
“Who’s Beckham?” Charlotte asked, biting her lower lip. “And what does bending have to do with soccer?”
A deep and throaty chuckle sounded behind us. We all spun to find the source. As soon as I laid on him, my heart jumped into my throat. Leaning against the wall was a boy about our age, maybe a year older, dressed in black jeans and tee. His dark blond hair was just long enough to be tousled artfully, as if he’d made a habit of running his hands through it. He had a sharp and perfectly sized nose, a jawline that even Henry Cavill would’ve been jealous of, and a slender, athletic shape. One of his black tennis shoes rested on the wall behind him as his light blue eyes scanned over my friends and finally settled on me with an amused glint.
“Beckham’s only one of the greatest soccer players of all time,” he said with a pained frown, still making eye contact with me. Nerves bounced around in my stomach, but I couldn’t look away. “And if you don’t know Beckham’s signature move, you don’t know soccer.”
I couldn’t help but bristle at his comment. There wasn’t really a good reason for it. I’d never claimed to know anything about soccer. In fact, I was pretty sure I was allergic to anything that involved a ball hurtling at my carefully contoured face. But the way this boy was looking at me—so arrogant, like a major know-it-all—made me want to put him in his place.
“Who cares about Beckham?” I asked, taking a step toward him with fire bursting in my veins. “I’ve heard this movie is going to blow Beckham’s movie out of the water.”
He chuckled again and rubbed a hand over his chin before taking a step toward me. Amusement flashed in his eyes as he leaned down to my eye level and arched a single eyebrow. “Oh, yeah? Who’s starring in this movie, if you’re so sure it’s going to be that great?”
My mouth flapped uselessly open and then shut. I glared at him, wracking my mind as fast as I could. I could’ve sworn Dad had mentioned who at some point. Some famous stars and some up-and-coming actors. Their names escaped me. I really didn’t care. Working on the makeup team was my only goal—not schmoozing with a bunch of kid actors.
“I’m not sure, but I’ve heard he’s really talented,” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.
He laughed again and another jolt of annoyance went through me. I’d had enough of that.
“Look
, why don’t you just go back to hiding in your corner and let me find who I’m looking for?”
He tilted his head to one side, his eyes flashing. “Yeah, your target. I heard you talking about it. Who do you work for? TMZ? OK!? I thought people like you never left the big cities.”
I pressed a hand dramatically to my chest. Part of me was kind of flattered that he thought I was old enough to be a journalist for a gossip magazine. The other part was really grumpy with the tone he’d taken with me and my friends.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but none of the above.” I emphasized every word and then turned my back on the gorgeous boy who was threatening to make my girly hormones break out into song.
It was time to get back to my original goal. My dad was still parking the car. I had exactly three minutes to find Alanis Nori and convince her to let me onto her squad before he’d somehow find the only other lawyers in the place and trap me in mind-numbing conversations with him.
“Come on, guys.” I nodded at the others that I was ready to move along, but the guy jumped in front of me, his eyes narrowing.
“National Enquirer? Star? Come on. Which do you work for?” A frown worked its way on his face as he took a step back. “Or maybe your speed is more Teen Vogue?”
“Uh...so totally wrong.”
So what if I had the newest issue of Teen Vogue sitting on my nightstand at home? Something about the way this guy was harassing me made me want to deny ever picking up a single magazine in my life. I huffed and stepped aside, but he stepped in my path again, the intensity never leaving his face.
“Dude, back off.” Hunter puffed out his chest and took a step in the guy’s direction. Charlotte held tightly to his arm, as if she were worried about a fight starting up. Hunter never would’ve started a fight, but he could definitely finish one. “We have a right to be here. Her dad’s the lawyer for the school they’re shooting the movie at.”
Immediately, the tension went out of the guy’s face. A little line appeared between his eyebrows as his eyes darted back to mine. “You’re Ray Black’s daughter?”
Despite my surprise that anyone outside of my dad’s circle of nerdy lawyer friends knew his name, I stood a little taller and nodded sharply. “Yep. I’m Lexi Black.”
