Starstruck Read online

  Our first stop was the magazine stand. Because the two wanted to read their daily dose of gossip, they dragged me there against my will. Glace’s face was on the cover of almost all the new magazines. She was studying in school for a month and a half. What could they possibly write about her? “Pats, can you explain this to me?” I took the magazine from the stand and showed it to her. “I thought Frio is in hiatus and hiding from the limelight?”

  Patty studied the cover. “Yeah, but you know how it goes. The paparazzi adore Frio. They love to take candid pictures of her when she’d leave or arrive in school. The photographers would sell the pictures to magazines like this for easy cash.”

  “I had no idea.” I frowned. Glace would always seem relaxed when I’d see her. I guess she was used to all the attention by now.

  Patty pinched my nose. “Now you know cutie.” I touched my reddening nose, while she reached behind me for another magazine. She took a quick glance at it and handed it to me. “Here. It contains several facts about Frio. Try to read it so you’d know more about her. You can always ask her yourself, but since I doubt that you’d do that, just study it.”

  The magazine she gave was the one where Glace wore my shirt. I went to the seller and handed ten bucks. After he wrapped it up in this brown paper and gave me the change, I shoved the magazine inside my bag and called Tim and Patty. We went to the cupcake shop next.

  I began to ask about Glace as soon as we were seated around the table. Who better to interrogate than my best friends who were big fans of hers? “So.” I placed my hands on the table. “Can you tell me more about Frio?” I still wasn’t used to calling her that. In my mind she’d always be Glace.

  Tim took a big bite from his vanilla cupcake. He licked the frosting on his hands before replying. “Her mom used to be a celebrity like her.”

  “Used to be? You mean she has a different job now?”

  He shook his head. “Nope. She’s dead.”

  I lowered my gaze. My appetite vanished in a snap. “Oh. What about her dad?”

  He took another bite and chewed slowly. I could almost imagine his brain processing the information, digesting it, and finding a suitable answer to my question. “We don’t know much about her dad. She never speaks about him in her interviews. But we do know that Glace has been living on her own since she was fifteen. She bought a house from her own pocket.”

  “But she’s only seventeen now right? How can she not have a guardian?”

  “I think she has,” Patty said. “But the guardian only visits her once or twice a month. The set-up is really shady. Anyway, no one knows where she’s living now. Before she enrolled in our school, she sold her old house and bought a new one.” My cheeks reddened. I knew where she lived alright. Glace invited me herself. I took a sip from the bottle to hide my discomfort. The soda fizzed and bubbled on my throat. It felt like I drank acid.

  “Want to know more about her?” asked Tim.

  “Sure.” I took a bite from the red velvet cupcake I chose from earlier and let the creamy taste calm me down. It was a good thing I didn’t get fat or I’d have weight problems by now with all the food I ate.

  “Frio said once in an interview that she really loves to swim. She also likes horseback riding. Oh, and drawing,” he added.

  A small bit of cupcake made its way down the wrong passage. I choked and coughed loudly. Patty handed me the bottle of soda. I took a swig before the cupcake killed me. “Thank you.”

  “No problem.”

  I turned to Tim. “You said she liked to draw?”

  He crumpled the remnants of the wrapper that held his cupcake a little while ago. “Yeah. I heard she was good at drawing, though I’ve never seen any of her finished artworks.” He shrugged, taking another cupcake from the box.

  “What kind of subject does she like to draw? Did she say?” I held my breath, waiting for his response.

  “The usual. Scenery, people, those kinds of stuff.”

  “Okay. How about a boyfriend? Does she have one?” I returned the cupcake inside the box. There was no way I’d take another bite.

  “She doesn’t have a boyfriend,” he answered. “Like I said before, everyone suspects that she’s a lesbian because of that. She did mention her ideal partner though. What were her descriptions again Patty?” He turned to our friend.

  “Frio said in her latest interview that her ideal partner would need to have red hair, the most gorgeous set of brown eyes that she’d ever see, a slender body, and a smile that would melt her heart.”

  Tim and Patty exchanged startled looks before turning to me. “Oh my God Dulce!” Tim said excitedly. “You’re totally her type.”

  “No way. She was probably describing a model. I’m not like that.” I shook my head vigorously in objection. With hundreds of fans screaming after Glace, someone like me didn’t stand a chance.

  Tim looked me up and down. He sneered. “Whatever cutie. When God distributed beauty, you and Frio must have been in front of the line. It’s too bad that you must have hit your head bad after, because you clearly don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Drop it okay? I’m not really good with compliment guys. You know that.”

  Tim leaned in to give me a huge hug. His fleece jacket felt soft against my skin, but his lean muscular body kind of hurt. “That’s why we love you cutie,” he said. “You’re so modest. You don’t even know how hot you are.”

  “Denise didn’t think so last year.”

  “Denise was a bitch,” he said matter-of-factly.

  I giggled. “Okay quit the hug or people might think we’re together. It would ruin my chances of getting a date.” He immediately dropped his arms and playfully pushed me away from him.

  “Ewww,” he joked.

  “I almost forgot to ask you Dulce,” Patty said. “What happened last time? Why didn’t you make it to practice?”

  My face fell. I neglected to tell them about the whole Denise incident. “Nadia and Denise tricked me,” I explained. “They gave me the wrong address, making me think that I was going to the right place.”

  Tim growled as he slammed his fist on the table. The now empty soda bottle toppled over, rolling to the floor with a weird sound. “That B with an itch will pay, and so will her dirty crony. Nobody does that to our sweet Dulce.”

  Patty guffawed. “Crony? What the hell Tim? You made them sound like bad characters from cowboy movies.” I laughed with her. Tim stared incredulously at us until we stopped. Patty still had a smile on her face when she asked me, “But seriously Dulce, what did Denise want from you?”

  I told them how Denise came on to me, kissed me, and how I found out that she was still together with the captain of the soccer team. Tim shook his head in disgust. “That girl wants to get in your panties Dulce.” He wagged a finger. “Better be careful of her or she’ll break your heart. Again.”

  I snorted. “I had a crush on her Tim. I realized that recently. That was all there was to it.”

  He placed his hands near his face and made a crying motion. “That’s why you were bawling when she turned you down. Because of infatuation.”

  I pushed him playfully. “Oh come on. Even if it was only a crush, she was the first girl I had the guts to ask out. It was pretty painful when I was rejected. As if that didn’t happen to you before.” I rolled my eyes. He pinched my cheek hard. “Ow! What was that for?”

  “Denise turned you down not because she didn’t like you. It’s because she’s an insecure motherfuc—” Patty covered his mouth before he could continue. I glanced around quickly. People were staring at us. They resumed eating after we gave them our sincerest apologetic smiles.

  “Tim,” I scolded in the most motherly tone I could muster. “This is a cupcake shop. Children eat here. Language please.” God, I sounded like my mom.

  Patty lowered her hands, freeing Tim’s mouth. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “I just hate it when you feel down because of what Denise did to you. Still doing to you,” he corrected
. “You deserve better Dulce. I wish Frio will notice you and you’d get together. You’re the perfect pair, plus she seemed to have a crush on you.”

  “No way,” I said.

  “Yes way,” he countered. “She wanted you as her Juliet remember?”

  “That’s different. Right Patty?”

  She smiled crookedly. “She definitely likes you.”

  “I swear guys. You’re not good friends.” I pouted and showed them that I was annoyed.

  A strange noise blared and beeped from Tim’s pocket. It sounded like the opening song of X-files which he loved. He held out a finger and mouthed that he had a call, taking the phone out. Patty and I ceased talking. “Hey.” Tim answered. His voice was deeper than usual. The kind he used when he talked to our classmates or people at school. “I’m with cutie and Patty. Why? Uh-huh.” He nodded to himself. “We’ll be there.” He ended the call, beginning to smile widely for some reason.

  “Who was that?” I asked.

  “No one important.” He stood up. “Let’s go guys. We’re going to a party.”

  “Whose party is it?”

  Tim shrugged, giving us an I-don’t-know-and-I-don’t-care look. He snapped his fingers. “Chop, chop girls. Everyone will be there.” He looked meaningfully at me. “Yes, even Frio.”

  Chapter 7. Wilder

  “I told you I didn’t want to go Tim.”

  He elbowed me softly on my ribs. I clutched at it while giving him the dirtiest glare I could muster. “Shush Dulce,” he said. “We’re seniors. We’re popular. We need to be here.” I looked at Patty helplessly, trying to communicate what I was feeling. She shrugged and refused to acknowledge me. Typical Patty. She didn’t want to stand up to Tim. The sliding door to the house opened. One of the seniors who I didn’t know by name greeted us with a hug.

  “Hey guys.” Her voice slurred. “I’m so glad you could come. Now that you’re here, the real party can start.” She winked at me and pointed her head to the direction of the house. “Everyone is already here. There’s food in the kitchen. Drinks. What else? There’s a pool at the back. If you don’t have a swimsuit, you can always go skinny dipping.” She laughed, opening the door wide. “Welcome to my home.”

  Tim grabbed my arm and pulled me inside. The blaring music from the speakers somewhere in the house nearly knocked me unconscious. It was a different world altogether. Something I wasn’t familiar with. I managed to avoid this kind of scene all throughout high school. Now I had no choice but to go with the flow. Different seniors greeted us left and right. Some of them were holding their drinks and would stop and stare as we passed by.

  Others looked like a drunken mess and didn’t recognize us because they were too buzzed. Somewhere along the way, Tim let go of my hand and no matter where I looked, he simply wasn’t there. So was Patty. More than fifty people were present, but it felt that I might as well be alone.

  The captain of the basketball team, Kevin, spotted me. He made his way through the wild crowd to get to where I was standing. He offered a drink but I didn’t take it. I might not be a party person, but I knew all too well that it could be spiked. “Hey Dulce,” he said, showing his dimples with a big smile.

  “Hello.”

  “Glad to see you here. You never came to any of my parties, so I didn’t think you’d come to this one.” He ran a hand through his almost non-existent hair. Kevin wore a buzz cut. I shoved my hands inside my jeans pocket. He was good-looking, but he wasn’t a girl so he had no chance with me. Sensing that he was losing my attention, Kevin moved purposely in front of me, blocking my view. “I’m so curious about you. Do you have a boyfriend?” Now that he was nearer, I could smell his strong aftershave. I gagged inwardly. I never liked that smell. I preferred something softer. Like a woman’s scent.

  “No.” I took a small step back. I almost added that he was asking the wrong question. He should have inquired if I had a girlfriend.

  However, my answer gave him the encouragement he needed. Kevin took a step forward. “That’s good.” His eyes gleamed. “Mind if we get to know each other? You’re so pretty, but I heard that you like to keep to yourself. Why is that?”

  “Uhmm, I don’t really know,” I squeaked. My eyes darted for an escape route. Might as well get out of here now before he had other ideas. Kevin stepped closer and took a sip from his cup. Alcohol reeked from it. My feet moved backward automatically. I stepped on someone.

  “Watch it bitch!” the person said. I turned around to apologize and came face to face with my favorite person on earth, Denise. Her eyes widened in surprise when she saw that it was me and my sneakers who stepped on her and her black stilettos. I didn’t know which was more awful, Kevin and his aftershave or Denise and her. Well you knew her. She leaned in for a hug while I ducked low to avoid her. That was when she saw Kevin. Based on her facial expression, she must have figured out that the dude was making his moves on me. Denise arched an eyebrow. “Kevin,” she said with a hint of sarcasm.

  “Denise,” he replied with the same tone.

  Much to my disdain, she placed her arm over my shoulder. “I have to steal Dulce from you.” She used her Queen Bee voice- one that said I know I’m beautiful and you all have to bow down to me. Kevin didn’t look intimidated. Like half the people who attended this party, he was also popular. He crossed his huge arms in front of his chest and stared down at Denise.

  “Dulce and I are having a conversation,” he said.

  Denise removed her arms from me, copying Kevin’s stance. “And I want to talk to her now,” she said. Kevin was about to speak up, but Denise shut him up by saying, “If you don’t want to argue with James, the captain of the soccer team who happens to be your best bro, then you’ll run along now.” She made a get-out-of-here movement with her hand.

  Kevin looked at me like a lost puppy before glaring at Denise and walking away. I sighed in relief. One problem down, another one to go. Denise turned back to me. She flipped her hair like nothing happened. “Hey babe. I missed you. Where have you been hiding these past two weeks?” Someone shoot me now please, I thought.

  “I was practicing for the play.” The lie rolled out of my mouth smoothly. I was getting good at this pretending stuff.

  A girl passed by with several bottles on her hands. Denise grabbed one. She took a swig from it before smiling to me. “I thought you’d never speak to me again.” She sounded relieved.

  I shrugged. “Whatever. I’ll forget about that but don’t expect me to be friends with you.” The smile on her face was replaced with a frown.

  “I told you I’d break up with him for you.” She stood closer to me so nobody else would hear the conversation. The music was loud anyway so I didn’t see the point. Her voice was drowned out by the loud beat. Denise’s cinnamon scent made my stomach rumble. I only ate half the cupcake for dinner. I was starving. Miraculously she heard it too.

  “There’s no use conversing with an empty stomach,” she scolded. Denise dragged me to the kitchen where only two people were present. They were locked in an embrace, shoving their tongue inside each other’s mouth. Denise snapped her fingers, grabbing the couple’s attention. “Get out of my sight now,” she said authoritatively. Knowing better than to argue with the Queen Bee, the two darted out without a second glance. “Sit down Dulce. I’ll serve you,” she said sweetly, facing me with a smile. Denise picked up a paper plate, together with a plastic spoon and fork. Meanwhile, I sat on the chair next to the table. “Do you want spaghetti?”

  “Give me anything.” She filled the plate with chicken, pasta, bread, and mashed potatoes before serving it in front of me. I had to admit that being taken cared of once in a while felt good, but I didn’t say it to her or she might get the wrong idea. I knew she was only doing this because I was annoyed and mad at her for treating me like a fool. I took a bite from the chicken and chewed slowly.

  She watched me eat like I was some sort of entertaining TV commercial. I didn’t think it was necessary to talk. I continued con
suming the meal. Denise served me soda when the meal was almost consumed. I downed it in one go. My stomach felt warm after drinking. What kind of soda was it? It tasted off for some reason. She served me another cup, and like the first one, I consumed it in one go.

  By the fourth cup that I drank, my vision became weird. Everything was moving in slow motion. The house was tilted at an angle. It was really strange. My lips felt dry. I became thirstier even though I knew I had one too many drink. What kind of soda was that? I glanced at Denise. She seemed very satisfied with herself.

  “Whyyyy you happy Dennniiisee?” My voice slurred. I shook my head, trying to get rid of the dizziness.

  “Because I can finally have you.”

  “Whaaa you meaaan?” I face-palmed myself for sounding like a complete idiot. What was happening to me? I stood up from the chair and swayed back and forth. My legs were like jelly. It didn’t follow my commands like it was supposed to.

  “Want more drink Dulce?” she asked. I nodded. It was strangely satisfying. The more I consumed the drink, the more I craved it. She gave me another serving of the soda from earlier. Denise helped me drink it all, and by the time I finished the cup, my lips were curled in a silly smile. She touched my face and kissed me lightly on the cheek.

  “Let’s do body shots babe.” Her voice was low. Alluring. She pushed me to the wall where I leaned for support. My body wasn’t agreeing with me. I was basically brain dead as I watched silently while she produced a bottle of tequila from somewhere, a sliced lime, a shot glass, and salt.

  Denise walked to me, smiling mischievously before licking my neck. I made a sound that was a cross between a no for objection and a moan. She grabbed the salt shaker which she placed on the table near us and started to pour a small amount of the white stuff on my neck where she licked me. All the while I stood helplessly, locked inside my own body.

  The funny thing about being drunk or whatever was happening to me, which I realized after her tongue glided sensuously along my skin, was that you see and experience everything. Your brain and body might not have the capacity to stop the other person from what they were doing, but you remembered every stroke, every word, and every feeling. Trust me. I know.