Faded (Rock Star Trilogy) (14 page)

Friday, October 31

7:26 AM

An un-dead, dead person.

It’s officially Halloween.
Which means I have to get up twice as early to fix my zombie makeup.

I ended up buying a black tutu, red fi
shnet stockings, and a white tank top. I splashed red food coloring on my tank top, and ripped holes in the tutu and tank. Bridgett volunteered to wake up early to do my zombie make up. She said she used to do the make up for her drama class in high school, and had done her “fair share” of zombies. So I trust her to make me look like an un-dead, dead person.

After my
makeup is dry, I put on my four-inch black stilettos.

“How do you walk in shoes like that
every day? I would break my ankle if I tried.”

I shrug. “I don’t know. I’ve just always worn them, even when I was performing on stage. Heels make me feel confident.”

“I don’t get it. They’re just shoes.”

“I know. It’s silly. But they make me taller, my posture is better, and they make my butt look amazing. Maybe it’s the way other people look at me
when I wearthem.” I try to make her understand. “I guess the easiest way to explain it is like thi
s…
I haven’t always had confidence. So, Stacy told me to fake it. She said the longer you fake it, the more natural it feels. Once day you will realize that you’re not faking anymore. The heels just help remind me that
I am one fucking awesome bitch
.”

Bridgett nods. “I had a teacher tell me that onc
e…
She said to look in the mirror everyday and tell yourself ‘I’m beautiful’. After a little while, you’re supposed to start believing it. I tried it. It didn’t work.”

“
Well, you’re crazy not to believe it. Because you are beautiful.”

She rolls her eyes. “Whatever. You’re the beautiful twin. I’m the nerdy twin.”

“Bridgett, we are
identical
. Most people can’t tell us apart,” I shake my head at her. “The only reason why you think I’m more beautiful is because I have confidence. I’m telling you, if you had confidence, between me and you, we could take over the world.”

She smiles, and for once I think she actually understands what I’m saying.

“So, who are you going to be for Halloween?”

“
I’m not,” she says. “We aren’t going anywhere, so what’s the point? At least you get to dress up for school.”

“Sometimes it’s fun to dress up for no reason at all,” I shrug.

The doorbell rings, and I know Stephan is going to be waiting downstairs. I’m surprised he actually rang the bell today.

“How do I look?” I ask Bridgett.

She looks at me. “Like a slutty zombie.”

“That was exactly
the look I was going for! If you change your mind about the costume, I bought an extra outfit for you. It’s sitting on your bathroom counter.”

“I won’t,” she promises.

As I walk into the hallway to head downstairs, I see Alec coming out of his room. He lets out an extremely girly scream when he sees me.

“You scared th
e shit out of me,” he says. “No offense, but if you really were a zombie, I’d kill you.”

I laugh. “Hey, see if you can talk Bridgett into dressing up for Halloween. I bought her the same costume as me. She needs to do something fun.
Oh, Mona’s having a party tonight. You two should go.”

“Are you going to come?” he asks.

“Nope,” I say as I head down the stairs. “Stephan and I are going to go trick or treating with Anna.”

“You guys are boring!” Alec yells after me.

I just laugh, and make my way to the front door. When I open the door though, it isn’t Stephan standing on the other side. It’s my dad.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” I ask him. About that time, the documentary crew pulls up, and runs toward us. I guess they don’t want to miss this.

“Am I not allowed to visit my only daughter? And why are you dressed like a corpse?”

I roll my eyes at his comment. “I am
not
your only daughter, and you fucking know it.”

“For all we know, Stacy is dead,” he says. “And why is every other word out of your mouth the F-word? Have you been hanging out with Alec again?”

“Stacy is very much alive, and so is your
granddaughter
.” I cross my arms over my chest. “You have some nerve coming here. You’re not invited, and I want you to leave.”

Alec and Bridgett both come downstairs when they hear me yelling, and my dad looks between Bridgett and me.

“How?”

“Does
how
really matter? And you fucking knew. How could you take me, and leave her?” I ask, and then shake my head. “It doesn’t even matter now. You and Mom are monsters, and I’m glad she didn’t have to grow up with you two as her parents.”

“I made you
who you are!”

“No. You controlled me, manipulated me, lied to me, and used me for your own personal gain. I’m just sorry that it took me so long to tell you to fuck off.”

“Scarlett, we can work this out.”

Stephan walks up behind my dad.
Seeing him makes me feel one hundred times better. His zombie make-up is awesome, so I know his mom must have done it.

“No, we can’t. Now please move so my boyfriend can come inside,” I demand.

He moves out of the way, and Stephan walks inside. “Seriously? This is your boyfriend?”

“Yes! Not that it’s any of your business.”

“You’re ruining your career. That is my business.”

“No it isn’t!” Ugh, does he
ever
give up? “I fired you, remember. Bridgett is my new manager. You’re cut out of my life forever. I don’t want to see you.
Ever
again
.”

“You can’t be serious
,” he says, angrily. “I’m your father. You can’t just fire me!”

“I can, and I did. Now leave before I call the cops.”

He stands there for a few seconds, but when he sees that I’m serious, he turns to walk away. “Goodbye, Scarlett. Don’t call me when your life is in ruins, your career is over, and you’re broke, because I won’t give a shit.”

“You never did.” I slam the door and let out a frustrated scream. Seconds later the door opens again, and Peter and the rest of the camera crew walks inside the house.

“Perfect timing,” Peter says, smiling. “Maybe we should have an overnight crew here. We don’t want to miss anything.”

I crinkle my nose at the thought. “No need to record tonight. Stephan and
I are just going trick or treating with Anna.”

“What about Mona’s party?” Peter asks, obviously disappointed.

“What about it? I want to spend Halloween with my niece. But I think Alec and Bridgett are going,” I say. “You can go with them.”

“You’re no fun,” Peter says. “But we’re still going with you. We don’t want to miss anything.”

“It’s okay,” I shrug. “Anna really likes being on camera.”

“Do you feel like going to school?” Stephan asks, obviously concerned about me. But I’m over it. I’m sick of my parents. I’m not going to let them get me down.

“Yes. We should probably go.” I grab his hand, and we walk to his car. “Let’s just not talk about my parents, okay?”

“Whatever you want, Scar. But I’m here if you
need to talk.”

5:17 PM

Because you’re not in love with me…

School is
fun. Everybody is dressed up — zombies, vampires, superheroes, animals, cartoon characters, cupcakes, et
c…
All of the costumes are unique. Even a few of the teachers dressed up. It has been great to keep my mind off of what just happened with my dad.

But I
am most looking forward to trick or treating with Anna. The truth is, I never got to go as a kid, and I think that it will be a fun experience. I’m glad Stephan is going with me. I can’t wait for him to meet Stacy and Anna.

“Do you think your niece will let me steal some of her candy?” Stephan asks as we drive to their house.

“You are not eating her candy!” I laugh. “But I will buy you some of your own as long as you behave.”

“That sounds an awful lot like a bribe.”

“It is,” I admit. “Just keep in mind that Anna is nine years old. You probably shouldn’t say fuck around her.”

“I’ve been around children before.
I know how to behave.”

“You’re going to love her. She’s seriously the sweetest girl ever. In fact, she’ll probably have a crush on you
.” I laugh. “She’s a little boy crazy.”

“Oh, you might have some competition,” he jokes.

“She also loves my music. She has posters of me on her wall. And she decided after meeting me that she too wants to be a rock star.”

“Isn’t that every nine year old
’s dream?”

I shrug. “Maybe. But she wants to be like
me
. It’s a good feeling.”

“You do realize that you’re a role model for a whole lot of n
ine year olds out there, right? You are a rock star.”

“Really?” I’m actually surprised that he says this. “I always
thought people saw me more as a sex symbol.”

“Oh, that too. I’m sure there are lots of guys who jack off to pictures of you.” He shakes his head. “And now I want to kill
every one of them.”

I laugh. “Don’t be jealous. They are getting off to pictures of me. You get off to the real thing.
Or, you wil
l…
eventually.”

“Oh right. Because you’re not in love with me.”

I shake my head. “I thought the
L
word was like a dirty word to you.”

“Right. Let’s just drop it,” he says angrily.

“You’re the one who brought it up.”

“Well, maybe we should talk about it then,” Stephan says as we pull up to the curb in front of Stacy’s apartment.

“Okay. But not right now, Stephan. I want to enjoy tonight with Anna and Stacy, and I don’t want to fight right now.”

“Fine,” he says, getting out of my car. He shuts the door a little harder than necessarily.

And I thought girls were the only emotional one
s
…

6:03 PM

I’m Scarlett.

Before we can knock on the door, Anna opens it. She’s wearing a long blonde wig, a pink dress, and a pair of high heels.

“You look scary, Aunt Scarlett,” she says and gives me a big hug. Once she backs away, she looks over at Stephan. “Is he your
boyfriend
?”

“Yes, he is.”
At least for now
, I think. He’s probably going to “talk” to me soon, which can only mean one thin
g…
He’s going to break up with me, and when he does it’s going to break my heart.

But he’s worth the heartbreak.

“Who are you supposed to be?” Stephan asks her.

She
grins big. “I’m Scarlett, silly!”

Stacy comes to the door and opens it up further. “Come in, you guys.”

We walk in, and Anna is starts dancing and singing one of my songs. I’m surprised that she actually knows the dance from my music video.

“She’s been so excited to show you her costume,” Stacy says. “She has been you for the past two years now.”

“How long did it take her to learn the dance?” I ask. “She’s actually pretty good.”

“I think she started on it Tuesday night after you came over.”

“Wow.”

“Yeah. She broke up with her little boyfriend at school
.” She smiles, amused at Anna. “She’s convinced that she is going to be a rock star.”

Peter has his camera on Anna as she sings, and I can’t help but
smile. I’m glad he’s boosting her ego. Maybe he’s not all that bad.

“Considering who her aunt is, I say the odds are in her favor,” Stephan says. “By the way, I’m Stephan.”

Stacy and he shake hands. “I’m Scarlett’s big sister, Stacy. It’s nice to meet you. But, be warned, I know how to use a gun. And if you hurt my little sister, I will not hesitate to hurt you.”

I smile to myself. I’m glad she’s saying this. Because I’m pretty sure he’s about to break my heart.
Maybe he will think twice about it.

“I won’t,” he promises. “If anybody is going to be hurting anybody, it will be her hurting me.”

Stacy winks at me when Stephan looks away. I know it’s her way of telling me that she approves. “Anna, you ready to go trick or treating?”

“YES
!”

9:11 PM