Page 86 of Anyone But the Superstar

‘Ugh, that sucks.’ There’s riffling, like she’s checking her purse. ‘I don’t have any on me, but I have some Motrin in my room. I’ll get it for you when we arrive.’

‘Thanks.’

The rest of the ride downtown is quiet.

Except for the constant throbbing of my head that weirdly echoes the one in my heart.

‘Here.’ Amanda emerges from her hotel room bathroom, two pills in her outstretched palm.

I toss them back with a long chug from one of the room’s bottles of water. ‘Thanks.’ I check my phone again, even though I know Jack isn’t due to land for another hour.

‘Why don’t you stay here until Jack arrives?’ Amanda offers, kicking off her heels. ‘It’s better than waiting alone in your hotel room.’

She must read the hesitation on my face because she picks up the remote. ‘We can watch a movie neither of us are in and be mean and judgy about the actors in it.’

That gets a small laugh from me. ‘If you don’t mind.’ Distracting myself for a while might help my headache and keep me from doing what I really want to do – call or text Anne.

‘Not at all.’ She sits on the end of the suite’s sofa, legs tucked under. ‘What should we watch?’

Setting my phone, screen up on the coffee table, I take theother side of the sofa, releasing some of my tension with a long sigh. ‘You pick.’

Liz

‘Felix didn’t come home last night.’

Mike stares at me from his spot on the chair opposite the condo’s couch.

‘You’re right. He’s a grown ass man.’ I toss the phone I’ve held in my hand since I woke at five in the morning onto the cushion beside me. ‘I’m sure he’s fine.’

Mike turns on his side, his front and back paws crossed.

‘But, you know, it’s weird.’ The foot resting over my knee vibrates. ‘For someone who had proven himself to be such a nice guy, it’s odd that he hasn’t texted or called like he said he would.’

Then again, he hadn’t seemed himself last night.

‘Maybe I should text him?’

Mike remains motionless in the morning stream of sunlight coming in through the windows.

‘Yeah, not a good idea.’ As much as I’d like to simultaneously ask if he’s okay and chew him out for leaving with his co-worker last night, it would reek of desperation. Plus, I’d already asked if he was okay, and he said everything was fine.

My foot shakes faster, remembering how Felix ignored me, spent more time talking to Amanda than me, then sent me home alone under the guise of having to meet with his manager.

Fuck a duck.

With a large yawn, Mike stretches and gets to his feet.

‘Is this how my mother felt during all those years with Stanley?’Sympathy for my mother, which I haven’t let myself feel much of this past year, wells up inside me.

Bounding from chair to coffee table to couch, Mike settles in next to me, his warmth immediately stilling my foot and soothing my inner agitation.

Maybe the whole emotional support animal isn’t such a stretch after all.

My phone dings and it’s embarrassing how fast I grab it.

This is your warning

Fuck a huge fucking duck. I stare at my brother Chase’s text, wondering how things went from great to shit in the matter of a day.