Fame ***

I pulled down the bottom hem of the short dress I was rocking, totally prepared to knock Niall off his feet. The color of the figure-hugging number brought out the color of my light blue eyes, and it accented my curves quite well, showing off how thin and fit I was. I couldn’t have made a better purchase, really, even if it had been five hundred twenty-three dollars.

I slipped on a pair of strappy heels, which made me a good four inches taller than I naturally was, and fluffed up my hair a bit to make sure it wasn’t falling flat, despite the large amount of hairspray I put into it. But, looking toward the events I hoped would happen later that night, I made sure the hairspray formula was one that wouldn’t tangle my hair or make it feel like sticks.

One of the major reasons I wanted to move up the fame ladder so much was that I still had to do shit like that myself. I’d asked Heather about five hundred times to find me a hair stylist and makeup artist, but she said I wasn’t high-profile enough for anyone to care. It was frustrating, and it pissed me off, and I couldn’t wait until I didn’t have to do that shit by myself.



When I entered the party, I could feel everyone’s eyes turn toward me. Some of them burned with irritation or hatred, probably the few stars I’d had run-ins with in the past, but most stared with awe. Not that I blamed them. I was hotter than all of them put together, and I was very aware of it.

As I passed, some of the celebrities whispered to one another. “I bet she’s here for Harry.”

“He got photographed leaving her apartment with wrinkled clothes and messed up hair. Not hard to figure out what they were doing.”

“I heard it’s really serious already.”

But what the losers didn’t know was that they were wrong. They could never have guessed that I was heading straight for the short blonde across the room from my curly-haired fling.

As I approached, he turned his sea-blue eyes toward me, totally confused. His friend next to him, Louis Tomlinson, raked his eyes over me and nudged Niall with his elbow in approval before disappearing into the crowd.

“Hi,” he stated awkwardly. “Lilah, right?”

“Of course,” I responded, knowing very well that he knew my name, and he was only saying it to keep from sounding nosy or creepy. “The performance was incredible. Your solo was totally my favorite part.”

He gave me a small smile, revealing a mouth full of clear-colored braces. With all his money, I had no idea why he didn’t get Invisalign, but I guessed it wasn’t any of my business.

“Thanks,” he replied. “Um, are you….uh, are you looking for Harry? ‘Cause he’s-”

“I’m not looking for Harry,” I interrupted. “Harry and I…didn’t really have any chemistry.” I almost ended my statement there, but once I remembered they were best friends, I added, “He’s a really wonderful guy, though. Very sweet.”

“He is,” Niall agreed. “So what are you going to be doing next? Anything planned?”

“I have a couple of scripts I still have to read over.” I brought my hand up to my face and studied my perfectly manicured nails for a second. “It’s just a matter of which one I pick, which one speaks to me more.”

Niall nodded uncomfortably before I felt a hand on my arm. And when I turned to find a pair of familiar green eyes, I could feel the blood drain out of my face.

“Hey, Lilah,” Harry greeted in his deep British accent. “Can I talk to you for a second?”

“Sure,” I answered cordially, working to keep my composure.

Before I had the chance to bid him any kind of goodbye, Niall got swallowed by the crowd, like a piece of food getting engulfed by an amoeba. God, I wanted to kill Harry. Did he not understand that I wasn’t interested in pursuing him anymore? He didn’t fit the plan I’d made for myself. A story that he’d cheated on me wouldn’t bat a single eyelash on anyone. Not even his little nine year old fans.

But Harry’s eyes didn’t look friendly or conversational or lustful in the least. He just looked overwhelmingly pissed. “You know, I heard rumors that you were that kind of girl, but I’d hoped they were just lies.”

“And what kind of girl is that?” I questioned, keeping the smile pasted on my face in case any paparazzi snatched pictures. I just hoped the lens couldn’t pick up my ever-narrowing eyes.

Harry let out a sharp breath and stuffed his hands into his pockets. “I know you only took me back to your flat to get it on the front page of the gossip magazines and get a stir going. And I think that was pretty shitty of you.”

“Oh, please,” I scoffed through my fake grin. “You can get any girl in the entire world in your bed. Don’t pretend that I hurt your feelings. And, for your information, I didn’t know there were photographers around my home. They’ve been told to leave before, but they don’t listen all the time. I just stopped and sent you home because I didn’t feel what I thought I would.”

Harry looked so angry that he could hiss as he leaned over and muttered, “That might fool other people, but it doesn’t fool me. And maybe I can find a rebound, but Niall’s more sensitive than me. Stay the fuck away from him, or I swear that I’ll find a way to end your career.”

“Careful who you threaten, Mr. Styles,” I snapped. “You underestimate the power I have in Hollywood.”

“No, I think I understand it perfectly,” he replied with a smug, pompous look on his face. God, I wanted to smack him, get rid of all that snobby energy that he was radiating. “I’m serious. I better not see you talking to Niall again. I won’t let you break him. He’s too good inside.”

“I’ll do what I want. And you have no right to pass judgment on me. We made out, but that doesn’t mean you know anything about me.”

What irritated me more than his annoying attitude was the fact that he didn’t even hear my last statement. He’d already started making his way through the throng, probably to find Niall what he’d said to me, as well as my reactions to those statements.

I could only wait around and hope that I made Niall interested enough to ask around for my number so the ball could get rolling. Maybe he wouldn’t believe what Harry had concluded about me. Maybe I’d already made a good impression.

I hated more than words could express that Harry had figured me out so quickly. Most stars still didn’t catch on to what I did, even though I’d known them for years. The only downside of my plan of getting close to Niall would be that I’d have to continue dealing with Harry.

“Lilah!” a slightly familiar voice exclaimed before the tiny brunette popped into my vision. “God, it’s been so long! How have you been?”