Rebelonging (Unbelonging, Book 2) by Sabrina Stark Page A

kittens, and nurse
them back to health and all that shit."
    "Shit?" I said.
    "You know what I mean."
    "Actually," I said, "I don't." I loved dogs,
one in particular. Unfortunately, Chucky wasn't mine, just like a
lot of things in my life. I could pretend, but that didn't change
anything. Not really.
    "Anyway," Lawton said, "I used to hang out at
the club sometimes. And we got friendly."
    "Yeah, I just bet."
    He was quiet for a beat, and then he said.
"Not that way. Not at first."
    I heard myself ask, "Why not?"
    "Because I liked her."
    Still walking, I snuck a sideways glance in
his direction. Cast in shadows, the angles of his face were sharper
than ever, but his voice was very soft, like he was fading off into
the past. "In some ways, she was a lot like you. Or at least, I
thought she was. Which is why I didn't want us to… you know."
    "So let me get this straight," I said. "You didn't want to have sex with her, and somehow she reminds
you of me." I made myself smile. "Gee, thanks."
    "It's not that I didn't want to. I
mean, she was—" He gave a small laugh. "I mean, like I said, she
was a lot like you. One minute, she'd be sweet and funny. And then
the next minute? She'd be cussing like a truck driver, surprised
the crap out of me. And she was–" he cleared his throat "—
attractive."
    "How nice for you," I said.
    He dug his hands into the front pockets of
his jeans and kept on walking. "But things were so crazy back then.
I had girls throwing themselves at me everywhere I went."
    "Like that's changed."
    "Maybe. I dunno. But back then, it was all so
new, I didn't handle it that good." He pulled a hand out of his
pocket and pushed it through his hair. "I dunno. But this girl I
liked. We were friends, maybe something more someday. I didn't
know. But I wasn't gonna mess it up."
    At first, I'd been absolutely certain he'd
been talking about Brandy Blue. Now, I wasn't so sure. And the more
he talked, the more I didn't even care what her name was. I totally
hated her.
    "I get it," I said. "You liked her. So?"
    "So you know who I'm talking about,
right?"
    I shrugged.
    "Brandy Blue. The girl from, you know, that
video."
    This didn't make any sense. The girl he had
just described sounded nothing like Brandy, other than being
attractive, and working as a cocktail waitress. From what I'd read,
Brandy had never gone to college. Mostly, she'd been trying to get
famous – sometimes as a model, sometimes an actress.
    After that video, she'd gone on to do a
couple of horror flicks and a short-lived stint on a doctor drama.
I hadn't read much about her lately, but she was still a household
name, mostly because of that video with Lawton.
    "I didn't know Brandy went to college," I
said.
    "That's because she didn't."
    I stopped walking. Lawton did, too. I turned
to face him.
    "What do you mean?" I said.
    "I mean," he said, "it was all a sham.
Everything. The nice girl act, the college thing, the books. It was
just one big crock."
    "I don't get it," I said. "Why?"
    "That's the best part," he said. "This guy –
someone I thought was a friend – he gets this idea that I should
make a sex tape." Lawton made a sound that was probably supposed to
be a laugh. "Everyone was doing 'em. Quick fame, right? That could
be me. Famous for being famous. All I needed was a willing
partner."
    My heart sank. "So you did it?"
    Stupidly, I'd come to believe his official
story, that the footage had been taken without his knowledge. I
should've known better. It's what they all said after the fact,
wasn't it?
    His gaze met mine. "That's what you think?
That I filmed that thing on purpose? That I wanted the world to see
me fucking some chick for five minutes of fame?"
    The venom in his voice surprised me. I looked
down, trying to collect my thoughts.
    "You want the truth?" he said.
    I looked up and felt myself nod.
    "That kind of fame?" he said. "Don't want it,
don't need it. But Brandy, she wants it and needs it,
because she's gonna be a fuckin' star