Page 101 of Anyone But the Superstar

‘Now.’ Mother shimmies in her seat, her face lighting up expectantly as her eyes roam over the screen as if trying to see past me. ‘Where is Anne?’ She purses her lips. ‘You didn’t let me talk to her last time.’

Merde.

I run a hand through my hair, flinching when the move pulls on the swollen skin around my eye. ‘She’s, uh, not here.’ I point to the ceiling as if she can see it. ‘I’m back in the hotel.’

Recrossing her arms, my mother settles back into her seat. ‘And why is that?’ She looks more upset over this than her addiction going public.

‘Because she isn’t who she said she was.’ My tone less concrete and more petulant than I’d like.

She discounts my reason with a roll of her eyes. ‘Neither are you half the time.’

I shake my head, unwilling to budge on this. ‘This isn’t a movie, Mom. Sheliedto me.’

‘I lied to you.’ Mom shrugs. ‘You still love me, don’t you?’

My breath leaving me on a gasp of surprise, I choke out the words. ‘Of course I do,Mãe.’

‘Well?’ she asks as if she’s proved her point.

‘This is different.’ My fingers grip the phone harder. ‘ElizabethAnne Moore is different.’

Instead of asking about what I mean, she shrugs. ‘Love is love,coração.’ Looking off to the side, my mother’s lips curl as if lost in a happy thought before meeting my eyes again. ‘Just because your current movie is pretending love is all hearts and flowers doesn’t mean that’s the way it is in real life.’

In the smaller screen in the corner of my phone, my expression remains as mutinous as I feel. ‘I never said I loved her.’

‘And I’ve never once called you dumb—’ she lowers her hands, palms up ‘—but here we are.’

‘You think I’m dumb?’

‘What’s that movie you like so much, the one with Tom Hanks?’

I frown, failing to keep up with my mother’s train of thought. ‘Forrest Gump?’

‘Sim, that one.’ She points at me. ‘That quote I like.’

I sigh, suddenly realizing why she brought up my favorite movie. ‘Stupid is as stupid does?’

She nods softly. ‘Um ótimo conselho.’

Hunching over, I switch hands holding the phone so I can use my left hand to hold my head up by the sidenotbruised and swollen. ‘So you’re saying I’m not dumb, I’m just acting dumb?’

Mother smiles, her dark lips a stunning contrast to her bright, knowing smile. ‘Why don’t you think it over and tell me,meu filho?’

Liz

‘Why are men so dumb, Mikey?’ I cuddle the uncomfortable sack of bones closer and bury my face in his soft, leathery skin as one of Felix’s movies plays on mute on the hotel suite’s television.

Having settled things with my mother, she left me to decide whether or not I want her to call my father, or if I should bite the bullet and ask Trish and Rose for another meet-up to see my sister. That was two days ago.

Instead, I tried to distract myself by sightseeing with my family, my thoughts still filled with a dumb, handsome, Hollywood douchebag who broke my heart.

Mike allows my hug for ten seconds before wiggling free and sitting up on his haunches. He drops his head to one side, eyes narrowed on me.

I feel judged. ‘What?’

He tilts his head the other way.

‘Um, you’re supposed to be onmyside.’ I rest my hand over my heart. ‘Ilove you. Felix only tolerated you.’ At Mike’s continued stare, I flop back on my pillow. ‘All right, so hesavedyou, too.’