Star Power (5 page)

“Your dad? I don't understand,” Charly said, looking at Nia for an explanation.

Nia shrugged. “It's simple really. Since we're twins, our parents divvied us up so we wouldn't feel cheated of attention. My dad focuses on Mya, my mom focuses on me, so, in a way, we're pretty close to having the lives of only children—I guess. Both of them parent us though.”

Charly nodded, then flipped the book back over, and gulped. Mya and Nia had been identical in every sense of the word before: bad hair, worse clothes, and all. She turned the page until she got to their individual student pictures, then noticed that Nia didn't have a scar then. She wondered what happened. What had made Mya transform into one of the beautiful ones, and Nia delve deeper into Yuckdom? She closed the cover partway and looked at the year. It had only been a couple of years ago. “So when did you—”

Nia took the yearbook from Charly, and put it back in the bookcase. “Don't you have to go to the pharmacy? I thought that was so important.”

“See. I thought you'd understand,” Charly said, smiling. She was glad her plan to drive Nia batty enough to make her want out of her space had worked. “I knew you were the only one I could ask to do this favor for me.” She got off the bed. “You'll take me then, right? Otherwise, I'm stuck here until”—she shrugged—“who knows?”

“Okay, Charly.” Nia caved, grabbing an awful-looking purse from the desk chair, then took out keys. “You're difficult,” she said, a slight smile parting her lips.

Charly breezed past her, snatching off the camel-colored bonnet, then headed to the bedroom door and opened it. She shrugged. “Sorry, I couldn't help it. That bonnet's been killing me since I saw it, and, trust me, it's been killing you too. You just don't know it,” she said, looking over her shoulder, her hand still on the knob. “And I've heard that I'm difficult a lot.” Nia's smile grew wider, then her eyes lit. She reached up and touched her now-exposed dusty-looking brown hair, and slid her hands over it, smoothing out a ponytail. Charly didn't think her statement warranted that much glee. She knew she was right when she realized Nia's focus and grin wasn't for her, but were directed past her. She turned back around, and almost jumped. A guy was standing in the hallway, and she hadn't heard him approach.

“Hi,” he said, first looking directly at Charly, then he glanced at Nia, giving her a quick wave and an even quicker half-grin that bordered on politeness, not want. He turned his attention back to Charly, smiling wholeheartedly. “I heard you guys were going to make over the mayor's office. I just wanted to see if there was anything I can do. I can help with the set.”

Charly quickly looked over her shoulder again, and saw that Nia's face still held interest. She turned to the guy and sized him up with one indifferent swoop of the eyes. He was average height, had a fresh haircut, a brilliant smile, and that was it. There was nothing about him that screamed hot boy or remarkable. His looks, style, and magnetism scored a whopping zilch to Liam's off-the-charts record of extraordinary fineness. She shrugged. She just didn't get what was so magnificent about him that was obviously attracting Nia. She beckoned Nia to come closer. “I'm not sure. Nia, what do you think?” she asked, when Nia was by her side. “Can the show use . . . What's your name?”

“Trent. The name's Trent,” he told her with a smile. “Nia can tell you I'm a good guy. I can be pretty handy.”

Charly looked at Nia for confirmation, then paused. In less than a second Nia's smile flatlined. Quickly, she turned back to Trent to see what had happened, and she locked eyes with Mya, who had somehow made her way in front of him.

“Oh, it looks like you're going somewhere,” Mya said. A smile was pasted on her face while she nodded toward Nia and the keys she had in hand. “I wanna roll.”

Charly ping-ponged her eyes between the sisters, and she could tell from Nia's expression that Mya tagging along wouldn't be good for her plan. She didn't know what the tension was between the sisters, but she could feel it, just as she knew she'd get to the bottom of it. “Maybe next time? The cameramen will have to ride, so there won't be any room because of their equipment,” she kind of lied. Yes, they'd be following, that she was sure of, but they'd be in a separate car.

C
harly ran into the pharmacy, headed straight to the candy aisle, selected a pack of gum, then made her way to where the stationery was located. She needed to buy time and, also, a notebook. She'd taken up the habit of taking pictures of all the shots she wanted to remember, but she couldn't bring herself to use the Notes app in her phone to recall words. Putting pen to paper just felt better to her. Ever since the last English class she'd taken, she couldn't help it. There she'd learned more than words and proper verses improper use, and how much of an educated crab her teacher had been. She'd been taught the art of note taking and how writing things down helped her to remember. This time, she needed to keep track of her to-do and must-do lists, and conceive of a way to accomplish getting everything done for Nia. That would require sketching a hierarchy. She had to start with imagining the finished product, and then work backward from there to accomplish it, she decided, not letting herself be wooed by the dozens of notebooks in front of her, tempting her with color or design. She shrugged and picked out one small enough that she could carry in her bag, and headed to the checkout. She whipped out her phone while she was standing in line and scrolled through her contacts.

“Rory? This is Charly,” she said, after dialing. “I need you. Where are you?” She moved up as the line shortened to just one person in front of her.

“Sista. Sista. Sista. A sista's in East Jesus, right now,” Rory said, with noise clanking in the background.

Charly reared back her head in wonder and walked in front of the cashier. She put her items on the counter, then covered the phone. “Excuse me, miss?” she asked the older woman, who looked to be in her sixties. “Can you please tell me how to get to East Jesus? How far is it from here?”

The cashier, who'd already begun to ring up Charly's gum and notebook, looked at her like she was Satan himself. “East Jesus?” She fingered a cross on her neck. “You tryna be funny, child?”

Charly shook her head, then looked at her watch. She'd been in the pharmacy at least five minutes, which was enough time for her plan, she thought. “No, ma'am, one second.” She turned her attention back to her phone. “Rory, you did say you were in East Jesus, right? Where's that?”

Rory started laughing. “Girl, East Jesus ain't a real place. It means I'm out in the middle of nowhere. Unless you gonna come scoop me, I won't be back until tomorrow, I guess.”

Charly apologized to the cashier, told Rory to text her the address, and disconnected the call. She paid for her stuff, took her bag, then sped out of the automatic door. Rory wasn't any help, she realized, when she'd jogged to the car and hopped in. “Sorry, it's not ready yet,” she lied to Nia. “Seems there must've been other prescriptions called or brought in or something. They said it could be at least an hour.” She reached into the bag and pulled out the gum. “Have some?”

Nia shook her head. “An hour? I don't know, Charly. I have so much to do.”

Charly snapped her fingers as if she just had a thought. “Research, right? Well, there's a mall right there, so there has to be a bookstore in there, right? You said you need to go to the library.”

Nia exhaled, then drummed her hands on the steering wheel. “No, I said if I had to go anywhere, it'd be the library.”

Charly laughed. “Same difference. Let's go. I need to check out some design ideas anyway. I can check out a couple of magazines while you get your books.” She looked at Nia, then pouted. “C'mon, Nia. I never get to hang out with just girls. It'll be my treat. I get a nice per diem,” she said, teasing and elbowing Nia as if she could really impress her with her daily allowance, as she liked to refer to the daily spending and living money the studio gave her while she was touring with the show. “C'mon. C'mon. C'mon,” she pushed until Nia gave in.

Teenagers were everywhere. Every single place her eyes could see, another one popped up. Charly shook her head. The town was so small, she couldn't understand the mathematics. The ratio of teens to adults made no sense. She took Nia's arm in her hand, and the two of them made their way through the local mall, stopping every so often to look through store windows. Charly grabbed her cell, held it up to a store sign, then took a picture. That's how she kept up with things now; she snapped shots.

“Well?” Nia asked. “Maybe we should just head straight to the bookstore so you can look at magazines. I doubt if anything else in here will pique your interest.”

Charly shook her head. “First, let me see if anything pops into my mind. It may be something that triggers my designer side. This is for your dad, remember? Help a sista out, Nia.” She laughed, and was glad to hear Nia join her.

They walked another hundred feet or so. “Well, anything you can work with yet? There's not much. It's just the usual department store and cheesy fashion stores that cater to allowance budgets. I think it's all atrocious—the shopping. I just don't get what's so important about clothes.”

Charly grunted, then slyly took in Nia's outfit, wondering how dare the girl call anything atrocious. What she was wearing had died and been buried seasons ago, and she had the nerve to still rock it. Bootcut jeans flared over her outdated sneakers, and a no-name ill-fitted shirt hid her upper torso. Charly did everything she could not to roll her eyes. Nia's drab ponytail should've been covered by a hat or garbage bag. “We're gonna have to make time to go into Minneapolis.” She swiped her phone screen, then pulled up her e-mail. I had one of the studio girls send an alternative list. She's a fashionista, so she's done the homework and knows what I need. Thank God.” She looked at Nia, and saw a tense look cover her face. “It's not that bad, Nia. Lighten up. I mean, what else do you have to do? Really?” She stopped in front of a sunglasses cart, then picked up a pair and tried them on. She turned to Nia. “What do you think? Kinda hot, huh?” she asked, then turned and looked at herself in the mirror. The glasses were knockoffs, but nice.

Nia shook her head. “You're asking the wrong person. I keep telling you that my sister is the shopper.”

Charly pushed a pair on Nia's face, then reached up and adjusted the arms over her ears. “Cute! And you only said that once, by the way. And I'm not here with your sister. I'm with you. And these are fab on you.” The sunglasses did look good on Nia, and Nia would have them, she decided. Charly knew Nia came from money—or at least her father had some—but she didn't care about labels or putting on airs. Three bucks or three thousand didn't matter to her as long as she liked something. Nia took off the shades, then tried to set them back on the cart. Charly pushed her hand away before she could. “C'mon, Nia. Have fun for a change. You know there's nothing wrong with cute,” she said, digging in her bag to retrieve her wallet.

The sunglass man waved his hand, refusing to take payment. He pointed to the cameras and the vending cart's sign, then smiled. “Are you kidding me? You just gave me free publicity. No way I'm taking your money. Why are you here, anyway? I can tell you girls are famous.”

Charly smiled, then elbowed Nia. “See, even he knows there's a hot girl hiding somewhere behind all of this don't-look-at-me façade,” she teased, and to her surprise Nia almost smiled, then slipped the shades back on. It wasn't a bonafide grin, but she could tell it made Nia feel good, just as Trent had.

“So, what's up with you and this Trent guy?” she asked, walking away from the sunglasses stand.

Nia shrugged, keeping pace with her. “I don't know what you mean.” She opened her purse, then took out the car keys.

Charly stopped in the middle of the mall, flipped her hair, then rolled her eyes. She couldn't believe Nia's nerve. “Are you kidding me? Do you think I'm blind or numb or just plain dumb? I just wanna know what kind of fool you take me for.” Her words came out flippant, but she couldn't help it. She didn't like anyone playing on her intelligence.

Nia's whole face seemed to stretch in shock, and Charly could tell she wasn't used to someone being so blatant. “What do you mean? And why are you talking to me like that?” Her question was just that, an inquiry that held no ounce of guts.

Charly's hand was on her hip while she tried to turn down her attitude that was beginning to rise. She couldn't just be flippant with Nia, could she? After all, the girl was her project, not her friend or someone off the streets, so she couldn't just handle her. But that's what she was there for, she reminded herself. She was supposed to bring Nia to life, and no one said she couldn't give her a backbone. If life was just fight or flight, Nia had most definitely chosen flight. She'd given in and caved to whatever, while her sister did the opposite. Charly shook her head. She wasn't having that. “Nia, if we're gonna be friends, we're gonna have to respect each other. That means don't play me.”

Nia shook her head. “We're not friends, Charly. You're here to help my dad. After that, you'll be gone.” Her words were final and held no feeling.

Charly's attitude dwindled. Nia was right, and she had to respect that. The girl did have good sense, she'd give her that. But she wouldn't give her a pass on everything. Her finishing what she'd come to do didn't allow for passes or excuses. “You're right; we're not friends, and after this, I may never come here again. But that doesn't change the fact that you're trying to play me. If you don't want to admit that you're interested in Trent, that's cool. It's not my business. But, and I stress
but,
let's be clear. Anyone with vision can see you think Trent's hot, and would've been able to feel your attraction to him—including him,” she began, then felt her pocket vibrating. “One sec.” She removed her phone, and saw Liam's name register on the screen. “I was just going to help you snag him, that's all,” she said, then turned her attention away from Nia and answered Liam's call. She walked as she talked.

“Hey, love, are you free?” his delicious voice asked. His English accent seemed thicker, and drew her in with each syllable.

She felt herself blush, and she gulped.
Why am I suddenly feeling you?
Charly wanted to ask him, but instead said, “No. Why? What's up? Do you need me?”

Liam's flirtatious laugh met her ears from the other end. “Well, love, since you asked. Yes, I do need you. Wait. Hold on a second, love. Don't hang up,” he said, then started talking to someone in the background, and not just any someone, Charly discovered when she heard a voice cooing. It was all soft and feminine and out of order. Whoever it was was pushing, asking him out.

“Liam! Liam!” she called out, trying to get him to hear her over whomever. “Liam?”

“I really can't,” he said, still talking to the girl in the background, his “can't” sounding like “cahnt.” “No. no. I'm single, but it's against studio policy,” he continued to explain.

Charly was getting more incensed with each word and pause. What did he mean he was single? Since the last
Extreme Dream Team
season, the world thought they were together, and that should've meant something, as far as she was concerned. “Who are you talking to, Liam? Why are you explaining yourself?” she asked, then looked at her screen. Surely, they were disconnected. They had to be since he wasn't answering her. She shook her head, seeing the seconds on the digital timer increase, which meant they were still connected. “Whatever,” she said, then ended the call.

A slight laugh pulled her attention, making her turn around.

“So, what's up with you and this Liam guy?” Nia asked, shooting Charly a knowing look. “If you don't want to admit that you're in to Liam, it's cool. It's not my business. But it's obvious,” she said, throwing Charly's words back at her. “So don't try to play me.” A so-there smile spread across her face.

Nia had called her out, and she had no rebuttal. She could see dealing with a smart girl was going to be a test of will and truths, and her sharpness wasn't reserved for her nerdiness or book intelligence. Nia also had a mouth, one that wasn't always afraid of speaking out, which should've been a good thing, but not this time. Charly rolled her eyes. There was no way she could really defend herself, so she decided to throw Nia some hush words, too. “And don't you play me, either. We're not friends. Remember? Those are your words.” She twisted her face, catching herself. Being checked by Nia or not, she couldn't sway from the game plan, not if she wanted to succeed with the mission. She plastered on a phony smile. “Let's just call it a wrap. Nothing here is moving my imagination for ideas for your dad's office. Let's just go back to the pharmacy again, so I can get my prescription and get out of your way. Me and Liam got a lot of work to do, and I wanna get it right for your father. Deal?”