Is this what going viral felt like? I wasn’t even trying.


    I texted Sophia:


    Emily: Tell me again why I shouldn’t burn the inte down. My socials are a mess. What do I do?


    Sophia: LOL. You trending, babe! Wee to the circus.


    Emily: Sophia, seriously.


    Sophia: Okay, okay. Lock yourments. Don’t scroll. Let them talk. In two days, someone else will sh a nipple or fake a breakup, and boom–new headline.


    Emily: Great. I signed up for a music tour and got a PR disaster.


    Sophia: “Ignore everyone and just have fun. Go private on all socials if you have to.”


    Easier said than done.


    I dragged myself out of bed and got ready. Just as I finished pulling on a white tee and jeans, another message came in.


    Mason: Breakfast? Me, Joe, and Olivia are downstairs.


    A part of me wanted to stay in bed and hide. But another part, the one that hadn’tpletely unraveled, told me to face it head–on.


    Downstairs, Olivia already looked like a perfumemercial. Sleek hair, glossed lips, and a perfectly calcted scowl. Joe smiled warmly when he saw me.


    “Good morning, star of the tabloids,” he teased.


    Mason stood and pulled out a chair. “You okay?”


    “Define okay,” I said, sitting.


    He chuckled. “Eat something. You’ll feel better.”


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    288 iVouchers


    Olivia gave me a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Fame looks good on some people. Even when it’s… unintentional.”


    I ignored her.


    Joe leaned in. “About the trending thing, our PR team is already managing it. These things blow up, but they settle. Sometimes, though… they can be useful.”


    Mason turned to me, his voice soft. “If it gets too much, just say the word. You can dip. No pressure.”


    “And miss all this fun?” I said with a weak smile. “Not a chance.”


    Olivia snorted. “Not everyone can handle the pressure.”


    I looked her square in the eye. “And not everyone needs to be passive–aggressive before coffee.”


    Joe nearly spit out his juice. Mason’s mouth twitched, fighting a smile.


    “Actually,” Joe said, clearing his throat, “we could lean into this a bit. Nothing staged, just… let the public see more of you naturally. You’re trending, and ticket interest just doubled. Think of it as… exposure.”


    Mason shook his head. “She’s a friend, not a marketing prop. Let her breathe.”


    “It’s fine,” I said,ughing to ease the tension. “If my idental stardom helps ticket sales, you owe me fries. I also want royalties.”


    “Done,” Mason said with a wink.


    Breakfast continued with lighter banter, until Mason and Joe had to leave to prep for the evening’s tourunch. Olivia and I were to join themter. The moment they left, silence returned.


    She didn’t waste it.


    “You should enjoy your fifteen minutes,” Olivia said, tapping her nails on her ss. “Some people never even get that.”


    “You think I want this?” I shot back. “Trust me, I didn’t. And you? You’re not worth the stress.”


    She blinked. “Excuse me?”


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    288 Vouchers


    You heard me. You can keep ring and dropping snide remarks, but I didn’te here for Mason. I came here for peace. And you’re not about to ruin that for me.‘


    I didn’t wait for her reply. I got up and left.


    <i>n </i>


    Back in my room, I slumped onto the bed and sighed. Maybe I’d been too blunt. Maybe not enough.


    Then, my phone buzzed.


    I picked it up, half–expecting a message from Lisa.


    Instead, it was from Liam.


    A single photo. From the blog. Mason’s fingers in my hair, my face tilted inughter. Too intimate. Too easy to misread.


    His message:


    “d you’re having the time of your life… with a ‘friend‘.”


    I stared at the screen, feeling the sting I’d tried to forget.


    His silence the night I told him. His face. His goodbye.


    Now this.


    I put the phone down gently, then curled into the bed again. The sheets still smelled like vani. I closed my eyes and let the ache sit quietly in my chest. <fnbe20> Newest update provided by f?ndnovel</fnbe20>


    I hadn’t expected fame. I hadn’t expected drama. And I sure as hell hadn’t expected heartbreak to follow me on tour.


    But here I was.


    The tour had barely started.


    And already, my whole life felt like a headline waiting to happen.


    The arena throbbed with energy, like the walls themselves were alive, absorbing every scream, every beat, every pulse of light that sliced through the darkness.


    Outside, fans had camped since morning, their excitement spilling into the night like a rising tide. Inside, it was electric–glow sticks swaying, shlights blinking, and a sea of Mason


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    Jacob T–shirts stretching from the barricades to the nosebleeds.


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