Better Than Revenge

 Chapter 13

Ohmygod. Ohmygod, ohmygod, ohmygod. 

You have got to be kidding me, I thought, staring at my computer screen in horror. 

Christian Ryder and Sophia Hastings: Hollywood’s Hottest New Couple? 

Christian Ryder and Sophia Hastings, the stars of the upcoming teen flick, Kidnap My Heart, are Hollywood’s hottest stars of the moment. Could they also be Hollywood’s hottest new couple? 

Ryder, 21, has assured the public and the press that there is nothing going on between Sophia and him. Sophia, 18, and her manager have also denied the rumors. 

Yet, an inside source on the set of Kidnap My Heart reports that, “sparks fly around Chris and Sophia and they always seem to be together. I smell love in the air!”

Fans everywhere are rooting for Ryder and Sophia and hoping this rumor is true, but for the moment, Ryder and Sophia are keeping their relationship on the down-low. 

“Relationship?” I read out loud. “What relationship? We have no relationship!” 

You had to be kidding me. This was the most preposterous thing I had ever heard in my entire life. How could anyone think there was something going on between Christian and me? Besides nuclear war, of course. Or perhaps World War III. 

“This is absolutely ridiculous,” I muttered angrily, shaking my head. 

“Oh, you’re talking to yourself,” Tori said, mostly to herself as she entered my room. “You must’ve seen the news…” 

“Of course I saw the news!” I snapped, still staring at the screen with a horrified look on my face.

“Soph, it’s not that bad!” Tori consoled, biting her lip. 

“Yes, it is that bad!” I cried wildly. “Look at this! Just look!”

“Calm down!” she exclaimed, walking over to me. 

“I can’t calm down!” My hand twitched as I read all the blogs and articles on our “new relationship”. 

“Just try!”

“How can you expect me to even try to calm down? Are you seeing this?” I demanded, pointing at the computer screen. 

“Well, yes, but—” 

“Look!” I screeched. “Look! ‘Secret Relationship.’ ‘Hot New Couple.’ ‘Lovebirds.’ ‘On-and-Off-Screen Love.’ It’s… disgusting!” 

“It’s not that bad!” she repeated, shooting me a look.

“Yes, it is!” I insisted stubbornly. “This couldn’t be any farther from the truth!” 

“That’s how Hollywood is, Soph!” Tori pointed out. “Rumors, rumors, rumors! You have to get used to it!” 

“Why can’t it be some other rumor?” I groaned, slamming my head on my desk. “Why can’t they accuse me of starting a cat-fight or something?” 

“This kind of rumor is juicier. People love this stuff.” 

I sighed irritably. “This is why I hate people.” 

Tori rolled her eyes. “Soph, you wanted this. You wanted to be an actress. You knew what came with it. Now you have to deal with it.” 

I scowled. “Ugh, I hate it when you’re right.” 

“I’m always right.” 

“Stop before I hit you.” I wasn’t in the mood, clearly. This had left me in the worst mood ever. 

She just grinned. “What’re you going to do now?” 

I shrugged. “What can I do? The rumors out there now. We even denied them on Janet Wilde and that didn’t help us.” 

Tori groaned loudly. “Ugh, I wish I was you. This is no fair.” 

“I would totally hand over this part of my life if I could, Tori,” I told her, completely seriously.

“I know.” She sighed longingly. 

My phone rung suddenly and I reached for it. When I saw the caller ID, I made a face at it.

“Aren’t you going to answer it?” 

“Nah,” I said, placing the phone back on my desk. 

“Why not?” 

I shrugged wordlessly. 

“Ohmygosh, is it Ryder?” she asked excitedly. 

“Yeah,” I replied casually. 

“Answer it!” she shrieked. 

“No,” I said, giving her a look. 

“Soph!” she cried dramatically. “You can’t leave Christian Ryder hanging like that.” 

The phone stopped ringing and I smiled. “I believe I just did.” 

She whined loudly. “Why would you do that?” 

“Because I don’t want to talk to him,” I said simply. 

“But I did!” 

“That’s not a good enough reason for me to put up with his annoying voice, Tori,” I said, shaking my head. 

“His voice isn’t annoying!” she cried. “It’s sexy.” 

“Eww. No.” I wrinkled my nose. I wasn’t enjoying this conversation, at all. 

My phone rang again and I sighed in annoyance. 

“Answer it!” Tori insisted. “And put it on speaker!” 

“Why would I do that?” I exclaimed. 

“So I can hear!” she replied with a pleading look on her face. “Please?” 

“You’re going to say something stupid if I say yes,” I pointed out. 

“I promise I won’t!” 

I raised my eyebrows at her. “Really now?” 

“I promise!” she cried, nearly jumping up and down from her excitement. “Please?” 

I sighed. “Fine, fine!” 

“Yay!” 

I answered the phone with, “What do you want, Christian?” 

I put it on speaker just as he replied. “Well, hello to you too.” 

Tori looked like she had died and gone to heaven. “His voice is so hot,” she mouthed to me, fanning herself. 

“Stop talking. What do you want?” 

“I can’t answer that question if you want me to stop talking,” he pointed out, feeling the need to be a smart-ass, it seemed. 

“You just ignored my request anyway, so what does it matter? Just answer the question.” I took a deep breath, trying to control myself. 

“Why should I?” he retorted. 

“I’m just going to hang up if you don’t,” I told him, rolling my eyes. 

“That’s true,” he muttered. “Fine. I was calling because I need you to meet me at my trailer before we start filming today.” 

“Can I come?” Tori whispered to me, poking me in the ribs. 

“No,” I mouthed back to her before replying to Christian. “Why?” I said, my voice raising an octave. “What reason could I possibly have to have to spend even more time with you?” 

“Frank said he needs to meet with the both of us,” Christian explained. 

I gave my phone a what-the-heck look. “Um, last I heard, he was your manager, not mine.”

“I know that,” he snapped. “He just told me that he needed to meet with the both of us.”

“Why?” 

“How am I supposed to know?” 

“You’re the one who called me,” I stated irritably. “You should know.” 

“I’m just the messenger. Don’t shoot the messenger...” 

“If I had a gun, I would,” I said, and I really meant it. Well, no, if it weren’t illegal, I would.

Christian sighed in impatience. “Just get over here.” 

“You know, I don’t think I will now,” I replied, smiling obnoxiously. 

“If you don’t, then we’ll just find you,” he told me. 

“Stalker much?” I asked, sharing a look with Tori. 

“Frank was the one who said to tell you that!” he said in his defense. 

“Sure,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Well, whatever. You don’t even know where I live. And I don’t feel like dealing with you or your stoner manager, so I’m going to have to decline your offer. Bye.” 

And with that, I hung up. 

Tori grabbed me by the shoulder and shook me. “Why would you say no?” she asked incredulously. “You should’ve said yes! And brought me!” 

“No!” I snapped, shaking her off of me. “I spend enough time with him as it is! I’m not going to spend any more than I have to.”

She groaned loudly. “You must hate me.” 

“Of course,” I replied sarcastically. 

She pouted, flopping down on a nearby chair. “My day has officially been ruined.” 

I pointed to my computer screen. “Join the club.” 

She rolled her eyes. “Quit wining about that.” 

I opened my mouth to protest when she interrupted me. 

“Hey, do you want some breakfast? I feel like making pancakes…”

How could I say no to an offer like that? “Sure.” 

She grinned and skipped to the kitchen. I went back to my computer and stared at it in disgust. I was never going to get over this… 

About ten minutes later, there was a knock at the door. 

“Soph, can you get that?” Tori called from inside the kitchen. “I’m full of pancake mix…”

I sighed. “Yeah, fine,” I yelled. 

Getting up slowly, I casually made my way over to the door. Whoever it was could wait. It was early and I was tired. I wasn’t in the mood to hurry. 

I answered the door and when I saw who it was, I immediately slammed it shut. 

“Damn it, Sophia,” Christian yelled from outside the door. 

“Keep your voice down,” Frank hissed from beside him. “People might recognize you.” 

“Hey, you know how to fix that problem?” I said to them through the door. 

“How?” Frank asked curiously. 

“By leaving. Goodbye.” 

“We didn’t come all this way just to leave,” Frank retorted. 

“I beg to differ, since I’m not opening the door,” I said right back. 

“Soph, who’s at the door?” Tori called. 

“No one!”

She walked over to where I stood. “How come you slammed it shut? I could hear it all the way from the kitchen.” 

“Because she hates me,” Christian replied. 

Tori’s eyes went wide. “Is… is that who I think it is?” 

Dear God, how did she recognize his voice? That was beyond creepy! 

“No,” I answered quickly, knowing very well that if she found out it was exactly who she thought she was, she would let him in, in a heartbeat. 

“Yes it is!” she cried wildly. “Let him in!” 

“No,” I screeched. 

“Yes!” she cried again. “Come on!” 

“No,” I snapped, standing in front of the door.

“Sophia, you’re being totally rude!” she hissed. “Let them in!”

“I don’t want them in our apartment,” I hissed right back. 

She sighed. “Come on! They’re just going to keep bothering you!” 

“I don’t care! I’ll ignore them!”

“Then they’ll bother you somewhere else!” 

“Ohmygod, you’re the only one who’s bothering me right now!” I said, rolling my eyes. 

But she did have a point. They would only keep bothering me. 

Reluctantly, I opened the door. Christian and Frank both glared at me as they strode in.

“Oh, sure, come in,” I said sarcastically. 

“We weren’t going to give you a chance to slam the door in our faces again,” Frank told me.

I just scowled at him. “What do you want? Let’s just get this over with.” 

“I have a bit of a favor to ask of you,” he began slowly. 

I looked at him warily. “What kind of favor?” 

“A favor that will ultimately favor you, as well,” he replied. 

“That doesn’t answer my question.” 

He sighed irritably. “Well, I assume you’ve seen the news.” 

I narrowed my eyes. “Yes…” 

“I got to thinking, since they are already sure that there’s something going on between the two of you, perhaps you should—” 

“No,” I cut him off immediately. “Not happening.” 

“You didn’t even let me finish,” he said incredulously. 

“I didn’t have to. I knew what you were going to say.” 

“What was I going to say, then?” he challenged. 

“You were going to say that Christian and I should pretend to date for the public. And my answer is the same. Not. Happening.” 

I was revolted at the very idea. How could he suggest such a thing? 

“But why not?” 

“Because I don’t want to!” I snapped. 

“Name me a reason,” he demanded. 

“It’s already bad enough that I have to pretend to like him at the very end of the movie where Emma and William fall in love,” I said, making a face. “I don’t need to fake being in love with him at any other instance. It’s not happening.” 

“At least consider it! What do you think, Chris?” 

“Well, I don’t know,” Christian began. “I guess I—” 

“No! It’s not happening!” I screeched. 

“Sophia, please,” Frank said, shaking his head in exasperation. “Just—” 

“No!” I snapped venomously. “And I swear to God, if you go the press with some story about us being a couple, you will regret it.” 

Frank was seething. “I won’t.” 

“Good,” I said, glaring at him. “Now, if you don’t mind… leave.” 

“You’re kicking us out?” Frank asked incredulously. 

“Yes. now get out.” 

When they didn’t move, I resorted to having to push them out myself. 

And just for good effect, I slammed the door in their faces again.

***

It took a lot of effort to get this out in 3-4 days, as promised.. BUT I DID IT! I'm so proud of myself. :') At least, I think it was 3-4 days...

Just let me have this one, guys.

Anyways. I hope you guys liked it. 

Next chapter is fun and sets up the scene for a very, very important part of the story. :D

It'll be up in 3-4 days, as usual. (I WILL stick to this schedule!)

VOTE.COMMENT.FAN. :)