The Pretty App by Katie Sise Page B
Authors: Katie Sise
to see it.”
“You’d like it there,” he said. He turned to me and grinned. “I can see you in LA.”
He sounded genuine, and it made me so happy to hear him say that. “I want to be a TV host,” I blurted.
Leo cocked an eyebrow, and for a second I thought he’dhave a reaction like my dad. I’d only ever told my parents, Nic, and Audrey about wanting to do TV. Audrey and Nic both said it was a natural fit.
“Like, your own show?” Leo asked.
“Maybe,” I said, feeling less nervous now that he hadn’t laughed, or acted weird. “Or just reporting news for stations like MTV or the other ones that do entertainment news. I don’t know yet. I haven’t really been able to try it. Except for in my bedroom mirror and when I can convince Xander to film me.”
“Xander films you in your bedroom?” Leo asked, and I could hear the effort it took to keep his voice neutral.
I tried to hide my smile. “Trust me,” I said. “There’s nothing sexy about it. I practically have to beg him to do it.”
Leo’s shoulders relaxed a little. “Maybe I could help you sometime,” he said. “I used to do commercials in LA when I was a kid.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Really,” he said.
“Like for what kind of stuff?” I asked, imagining a little version of Leo singing about toys.
“Soup, cereal, brownie mix,” Leo said. “Mostly food. I was a skinny kid. I think I made people want to go out and eat.”
I laughed. “Okay then,” I said, warmed by how seriously he was taking the whole thing. “Maybe you could help me sometime.”
Leo glanced over at me, his hand tapping the wheelagain. “I’d like that,” he said. “And you could always take an on-camera class, too.”
I looked away from him. It was embarrassing to blame my parents, but it was the truth. “My parents would never let me,” I said.
“So don’t tell them about it,” he said. And then he smiled, like he had an idea. “Maybe you just need to be picked as one of the contestants for The Pretty App Live .” It surprised me the way the name rolled off his tongue. “Then you could see behind the scenes how TV shows really run,” he said.
“Pia Alvarez is going to be hosting that show,” I said. “She got her start on a reality show, too, and—”
“I know about Pia Alvarez’s career,” Leo said. And then he looked sort of embarrassed that he’d said it. “I’m a dork like that,” he said, laughing, but he was the least dorky person I knew. He was Justin Timberlake compared to the other guys at Harrison.
“Would you want to be on it?” Leo asked as he coasted the car onto the interstate toward Chicago.
“On the reality show?”
Leo nodded. “I think you’d be good,” he said, angling between cars. “You’d cause lots of drama, just like you do at Harrison.”
I laughed. “Of course I’d want to be on it,” I said. “Who wouldn’t?” And then I thought of Audrey. She definitely wouldn’t, and I suddenly felt vain for wanting to be on a reality show about prettiness. “I mean, I’m not saying it’s the most important thing in the world, or anything like that.”
“It’s okay to be honest about what you want,” Leo said. “If you want to be on a show, you want to be on a show. You don’t need to be the cool girl around me.”
“I wasn’t trying to,” I said, but my words sounded untrue.
Leo opened the console between us and pulled out a green pack of gum. He offered me a piece, and when I took one, my fingertips brushed his. He glanced over and smiled, and then he popped a piece into his mouth. “Good,” he said, chewing the gum and filling the car with the smell of mint, “because I already like you.” His gray eyes sparked with something I couldn’t read, and my heart went wild with what he’d said and the way he was looking at me. A smile played on his lips right before he said: “And not just because you’re pretty.”
chapter eleven
I wanted to believe him.
I wanted to believe
“You’d like it there,” he said. He turned to me and grinned. “I can see you in LA.”
He sounded genuine, and it made me so happy to hear him say that. “I want to be a TV host,” I blurted.
Leo cocked an eyebrow, and for a second I thought he’dhave a reaction like my dad. I’d only ever told my parents, Nic, and Audrey about wanting to do TV. Audrey and Nic both said it was a natural fit.
“Like, your own show?” Leo asked.
“Maybe,” I said, feeling less nervous now that he hadn’t laughed, or acted weird. “Or just reporting news for stations like MTV or the other ones that do entertainment news. I don’t know yet. I haven’t really been able to try it. Except for in my bedroom mirror and when I can convince Xander to film me.”
“Xander films you in your bedroom?” Leo asked, and I could hear the effort it took to keep his voice neutral.
I tried to hide my smile. “Trust me,” I said. “There’s nothing sexy about it. I practically have to beg him to do it.”
Leo’s shoulders relaxed a little. “Maybe I could help you sometime,” he said. “I used to do commercials in LA when I was a kid.”
“Really?” I asked.
“Really,” he said.
“Like for what kind of stuff?” I asked, imagining a little version of Leo singing about toys.
“Soup, cereal, brownie mix,” Leo said. “Mostly food. I was a skinny kid. I think I made people want to go out and eat.”
I laughed. “Okay then,” I said, warmed by how seriously he was taking the whole thing. “Maybe you could help me sometime.”
Leo glanced over at me, his hand tapping the wheelagain. “I’d like that,” he said. “And you could always take an on-camera class, too.”
I looked away from him. It was embarrassing to blame my parents, but it was the truth. “My parents would never let me,” I said.
“So don’t tell them about it,” he said. And then he smiled, like he had an idea. “Maybe you just need to be picked as one of the contestants for The Pretty App Live .” It surprised me the way the name rolled off his tongue. “Then you could see behind the scenes how TV shows really run,” he said.
“Pia Alvarez is going to be hosting that show,” I said. “She got her start on a reality show, too, and—”
“I know about Pia Alvarez’s career,” Leo said. And then he looked sort of embarrassed that he’d said it. “I’m a dork like that,” he said, laughing, but he was the least dorky person I knew. He was Justin Timberlake compared to the other guys at Harrison.
“Would you want to be on it?” Leo asked as he coasted the car onto the interstate toward Chicago.
“On the reality show?”
Leo nodded. “I think you’d be good,” he said, angling between cars. “You’d cause lots of drama, just like you do at Harrison.”
I laughed. “Of course I’d want to be on it,” I said. “Who wouldn’t?” And then I thought of Audrey. She definitely wouldn’t, and I suddenly felt vain for wanting to be on a reality show about prettiness. “I mean, I’m not saying it’s the most important thing in the world, or anything like that.”
“It’s okay to be honest about what you want,” Leo said. “If you want to be on a show, you want to be on a show. You don’t need to be the cool girl around me.”
“I wasn’t trying to,” I said, but my words sounded untrue.
Leo opened the console between us and pulled out a green pack of gum. He offered me a piece, and when I took one, my fingertips brushed his. He glanced over and smiled, and then he popped a piece into his mouth. “Good,” he said, chewing the gum and filling the car with the smell of mint, “because I already like you.” His gray eyes sparked with something I couldn’t read, and my heart went wild with what he’d said and the way he was looking at me. A smile played on his lips right before he said: “And not just because you’re pretty.”
chapter eleven
I wanted to believe him.
I wanted to believe