Holly Hearts Headlines (Holly Hearts Hollywood Book 2) (26 page)

Whatever. I’m not going to let that old man push me around anymore. The tour is over! The secret is out! Maybe Grayson and I could actually go on a date
in public
.

EEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!

April 28
^th
, 8:00am—Home

Grayson hasn’t called me yet. Maybe he never wants to go out with me again.

Later, 8:30am—Home

Mom says that I just need to give Grayson time to think. She says that boys live in constant fear of not appearing strong and masculine. Since Grayson is currently in a weakened state, he won’t call me until he’s recovered.

Later, 12:45pm—Home

Mom just came back from the mailbox with two big envelopes for me. There are college logos on the envelopes. I’m going to throw up. I can’t open them. I’ll just lock them in a drawer somewhere.

Later, 1:00pm—Home

Why did the letters have to arrive
today?
I’ve been waiting for these for weeks and they decide to arrive the day after the press finds out my secret? This is the absolute worst time for this kind of major life event. The next four years of my life are in those envelopes. My whole future.

I wish we had a fireplace so I could burn them up.

Later, 4:00pm—Home

Have you ever felt like your life was leading up to one singular moment? Okay, that’s a really dramatic statement, but you’ve had those moments, right? Even as those moments are happening, you think to yourself, “Everything I’ve been through has lead up to this.” Whether the lead up to that moment was a few weeks or a few years, you can always sense the finale’s approach.

When Grayson called me earlier and said that he was on his way over, I knew that the moment was approaching. These last few weeks have all lead up to this. My secret is out. My unopened college letters are sitting on the coffee table. My whole life had gone topsy-turvy in a matter of hours, and with Grayson on his way over, I knew that it was time.

Grayson walked right through the front door without knocking. Not because he was a rude jerk or anything, but because I told him the door would be open. I was sitting in the living room waiting for him.

“Did you come over here to dump me?” I asked pathetically.

Grayson blinked and shook his head. He was wearing jeans and a tight gray t-shirt and he looked so good it hurt my chest to look at him. “Dump you? Why would I do that?”

“Because I’ve ruined everything, that’s why,” I wailed.

Grayson quickly stepped across the room with long, gorgeous legs and sat down next to me. His hand was on my back, and he began to rub it gently.

“You didn’t ruin anything, Holly. If anything, you’ve helped me.”

“I have?”

“Yes! I’m free from Lacey and that tour. And now maybe I’ll actually have a chance to do things
I
want to do.”

He swept me up into his arms then, and I nearly started to cry. He just smelled so good, and his arms were so muscly. I was just overwhelmed with emotions and hormones. He let go of me with one arm and picked the letters off of the coffee table.

“Holly, what are these?”

“Admission letters from colleges,” I mumbled into his t-shirt. He smelled like body wash and cologne. His smell is so uniquely him I wish I could bottle it up.

“Why are they unopened?”

“I’ve been too nervous to open them.”

Grayson let me go and looked me square in the eye. “You have to open these, Holly.”

He put the letters in my hands, and I held them like they were snakes that could bite me. After a deep breath, I ripped both envelopes open and pulled out the thick stacks of paper that were inside. I scanned through the printed paragraphs quickly, stunned.

“What?” Grayson asked.

“I got in.”

“Got in? To which one?”

“Both,” I replied. “NYU and UCLA.”

Grayson’s smile was wide. “Holly, that’s perfect! That’s amazing. Those letters couldn’t have come at a better time.”

I could feel my spirits lifting. I got accepted to a nearby college. I wouldn’t have to go far away to go to school. I could stay at home even. I felt the fear of unknown adulthood beginning to vanish.

“Well, this is the perfect time to tell you my news,” Grayson said.

“News?”

Grayson nodded, excitement was all over his face. “This media leak is going to be the best thing that ever happened to us, Holly. I got a job offer today. Well, actually,
we
got a job offer today.”

“We?” I repeated. “You mean you and me?”

“Yes, I got a call from a man named Fletcher Carmichael. He’s a Broadway producer in New York. He’s offered you and me the lead roles in a brand new, original Broadway musical that is set to premiere next year.”

Grayson’s words bounced around in my head like a spilled container of bouncy balls. I shook my head. “I’m sorry, did you just say that they offered
me
a part?”

“Yeah, once the story broke and they knew that it was your voice on that CD they knew they had to have you. See, Holly? It’s perfect. You got accepted to NYU! You can move out to New York with me and be in the show. It’s perfect.”

I sat there and stared at my two acceptance letters. I had applied to NYU on a whim, moreover just to make sure that I gave myself plenty of options, but I never really considered moving there. I loved visiting New York, but I wasn’t sure that living there was for me. I love living in LA. I’ve only just moved here and uprooting isn’t really on my To Do list. UCLA seemed like the perfect option.

I had to fight a sudden urge of irritation. Who does Grayson think he is? Does he really think that I’ll just pack up and move to the other side of the country with him like that? We haven’t been dating that long. I have my own dreams and my own plans. Since when did my dreams include following a boy to the east coast to be in a musical? He didn’t even
ask
me if this is something I wanted. He just assumed.

And sure, I haven’t really figured out what my dreams are yet. I don’t even know what I’m majoring in. But I don’t want my dreams and goals to be decided for me simply because some producer in New York with a pretentious name decided to offer me a role in a show when he’s never even
met
me.

But I couldn’t tell that to Grayson. I know that you’re supposed to be open with your partner when you’re in a relationship, but I knew that he wouldn’t understand if I told him all of that. So I simply said, “Well, I’ll have to think about it.”

“Think about it?” Grayson echoed with a baffled look on his face. “What is there to think about?”

“A lot, actually. My family, moving, my future. This isn’t a decision I can just make on the spot.”

Grayson shrugged. “I guess. It was easy for me to decide.”

“Well, that’s because Broadway has always been your dream.”

Grayson looked at me. “I really need you there with me.”

For a moment, my heart melted a little bit. This is super important to Grayson, and if he wanted me there then he must really like me.

“They want
both
of us in the show,” he continued. “Or not at all. I can’t do it alone.”

Then my heart re-hardened a bit. “So you only want me there because otherwise they won’t cast you?”

“That’s not the only reason!” he protested.

“Oh really?” I said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. I rolled my eyes so hard I practically sprained them.

“Obviously if my part in the show is dependent on you being there too then it is important, I’m not going to pretend that it isn’t. But I genuinely want you there, Holly. You’re the only person I’ve ever really told about my dream. It seems like fate to have you there on that stage too. Holly, this show is new to Broadway. That means we could have a cast recording and potentially be nominated for a Tony Award. We’d make history. We would be the
original
cast
.

“And I know we haven’t been together long. But you and I have something special, and I think we both know it. Now we finally have the freedom to explore our relationship together. And I think that this opportunity will actually make us even stronger together.”

I got to tell you, I’m a sucker for impassioned speeches. Grayson’s little speech made my heart turn a little gooey.

“I still have to talk to my mom about it,” I said finally.

Grayson kissed me on my lips, and I melted like I was a side of butter at Red Lobster during Lobsterfest. “I have to go,” he said. “But can I take you on a date tomorrow night?”

“A date?” I repeated. “Like a real date? At a restaurant? With other people around?”

Grayson smiled. “Yes, a real date.”

And then I kissed him again, and I wouldn’t let him leave until I had gotten my fill.

Later, 4:15pm—Home

Now what am I supposed to do?

Later, 6:30pm—Home

Mom picked the typical mom routine with the phrase “Do what makes you happy” and “It’s totally up to you, honey. I’ll support you no matter what.” Seriously, the one time I really needed her to
tell
me what she wants me to do, and she won’t do it. It would just be so much easier if she made the decision for me. I just need her right now to be a mom and say “No, Holly you can’t move across the country with a boy you’ve only started dating so you can be a Broadway star. Now go do the dishes.”

Because that would make my life a lot easier right now. When I was in elementary school, if I didn’t feel like going to a sleepover I would just have my mom “pretend” ground me so I could get out of it easily. “I can’t, my mom won’t let me,” is the best excuse of all time.

I’ve only just moved here. I packed up my whole life and started over. Do I want to do that again? Do I
need
to do that again? And Broadway is Grayson’s dream
not
mine. Then again, I don’t even know what I want to do with my life. For all I know musical theatre could be something I’m really good at. If I don’t try this show, I’ll never know.

I think that this might be a part of growing up. It is really scary, and if I think about it too much I start to develop a facial rash, but I can’t run away from my fears. The future is going to happen whether I like it or not. All I can do is put on a brave face and make the best decisions I can. I’m going to make mistakes and that’s okay. I’ll never figure myself out if I don’t at least
try.

Then again, I could just lock myself in the room and watch
Criminal Minds
until I fall asleep.

Growing up sucks.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

As always, I have a lot of people to thank. It truly takes a village to make publishing a book a reality. First and foremost I have to thank my fearless agent, Terrie Wolf. Thank you for all of your tireless support! Obviously, huge thanks must go to the entire team at Swoon! Thank you to my fabulous editor Georgia and to every fantastic person on her team who helped Holly discover her dreams! I’d be nothing without support from my fellow authors, so major thanks must go to Precy Larkins and Kelly Oram whose support has been greatly appreciated. Thanks must also go to my YA Club partners-in-crime! Thank you, ladies! There are people in my life who’ve been cheerleaders and champions for me and I must thank them from the bottom of my heart! Thank you to Amanda German, Meredith Jeffers, Ian White, Sam Wilkes (that candle you gave me has very long lasting powers), Bridget Dougherty, and Emily Mohney. Thanks to my family for their love and support! And last, but most certainly not least, my eternal love and thanks must go to the great love of my life, Phillip Hashem. I wouldn’t be where I am now without you, babe. Thank you for loving me and the fictional characters who live in my head.

KENLEY CONRAD

Kenley Conrad is the YA author of the Holly Hart series. Her books
Holly Hearts Hollywood
and
Holly Hearts Headlines
are currently available. Kenley lives in Phoenix, Arizona, and is constantly amazed that she hasn’t yet burst into flames from the heat. She has two cats, and she has also been listening to the same Stephen King audiobook for over a year. She enjoys binge watching Netflix with her boyfriend and taking long walks to the refrigerator.

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