Chapter 6
CHAPTER SIX
The Link was located on the east side of the Willamette River in a part of town that Vanessa didn’t venture too often, and for good reason.
Anderson pulled his high-end SUV up to the street address that Vanessa had given him, but what she saw out the tinted window didn’t look like the fun, welcoming youth drop-in center she’d been imagining.
The old concrete building with mirrored glass windows was visibly run-down. Graffiti marred the exterior, and not the cool artistic kind. Nobody seemed to be around.
The only reason she knew she was at the right address was because the small sign on the door had green and yellow letters that read: The Link: Teen and Youth Community Resource Center.
“Are you sure this is the place, Miss Barone?” Anderson was always formal with her.
Normally she reminded him to call her by her first name, but today, she was distracted by the ominous building before her. Maybe this was a bad idea.
“Yep. This is it.” She watched a man in tattered clothes shuffle by, dragging a dirty sleeping bag behind him.
Who would build a youth center here? This wasn’t a place she would’ve wanted to hang out at when she was a teen.
“Shall I come in with you? This neighborhood isn’t very safe. I’d rather you not go out alone.” That was officially the most words Anderson had ever spoken to her at one time. Which meant he was as apprehensive as her.
Maybe Vanessa should go back to Joel and Lucy’s apartment.
She’d look at volunteering at an animal shelter or something.
Maybe she could even spend an afternoon at a soup kitchen.
Or she could finally bite the bullet and call her agent to see if she could get her an audition.
Maybe back in New York. She quite enjoyed living there.
There must be a commercial or catalog photoshoot or something that would be a good fit.
Just then, the door to The Link opened. A young girl who looked no older than sixteen stepped outside and leaned against the front of the building, her shoulder-length hair falling forward to cover her face.
She pulled her phone from the pocket of her faded, oversized hoodie, and began swiping.
The scowl that appeared on her face was unmistakable.
Doom-scrolling. It had certainly never put anything but a frown on Vanessa’s face either.
After a moment, the girl tucked her phone away and went back inside the building.
Jordan’s voice drifted back, listing all her faults.
When she’d asked him if he thought she was a snob, he didn’t even blink.
He simply said yes, like he was stating a fact.
Which was why she’d asked him. For all his gruffness, he was always honest with her.
Jordan never sugarcoated anything and was annoyingly blunt.
In a hundred lifetimes she’d never admit to another soul, but she’d come to appreciate his honesty. In her world, truth was a rarity.
The cold hard truth was, Jordan wasn’t the only one who thought she was a snob. Natalie and Colin obviously agreed, and the thing was, they weren’t completely wrong.
Despite the hardships, she had a very privileged life. She’d lived for luxury, attention, and the illusion of having it all. But Portland, and the people in it, had stripped the shine from all that, and shown her how hollow that life had been.
Being a shallow person had only amplified her insecurities and left her lonelier than ever. She was ready to build something real.
So here she was, because nothing gave her more satisfaction than proving people wrong, including herself.
This was day one of shattering expectations and salvaging what was left of her reputation. Her time in hiding was over. Vanessa 2.0 was ready to take her place in the world.
“I’ll be fine on my own.” She opened the SUV’s door and gingerly stepped out onto the grimy sidewalk. “I’ll text you when I’m done. It shouldn’t take long.”
Anderson nodded, though he didn’t look convinced. “I’ll wait here until you’re ready. No need to call.”
With a grateful nod, she closed the car door behind her and headed to the center’s front door, resisting the urge to pull her sleeve over her hand so she didn’t have to touch the handle. She might be miles away from her fancy condo in Vancouver, B.C., but she’d be fine.
To her surprise, the inside wasn’t as bad as the outside.
The tile floor was scuffed but clean. A giant plant next to a sign listing the week’s activities gave the entrance a welcoming feel.
As she walked further into the foyer, she took in the art on the walls that she assumed was created by the youth that came here.
A massive corkboard full of flyers and notices gave strong high-school vibes.
She glanced around for a reception area. A room on her left had a “Career Counseling” sign, but the door was shut, and the blinds were down. Besides that, and a long hallway, there was nothing else. What kind of youth center was this?
The sound of feet shuffling down the hallway drew her attention to her right. The girl who’d been outside walked toward her, swinging a key ring in her hand. She slowed as she passed Vanessa, giving her a curious glance before hurrying on toward the career counseling door.
“I think it’s closed,” Vanessa called, and the girl turned to look at her.
“I know,” she said impassively. “I’m getting a stapler.”
“Oh.” A nervous laugh bubbled out of her throat. “Do you, um, work here?”
The girl scoffed, like the idea was ridiculous. “No, I’m hanging out in the rec room, but Chantal asked me to grab the stapler, because she wants to put up the Valentine’s display.”
“Chantal, yes. I’ve come to see her.” Vanessa clapped her hands together with renewed motivation.
“You know Chantal?” The girl’s voice was heavy with skepticism.
Vanessa flipped her ponytail over her shoulder. “Yeah, she told me to drop by. Can you take me to her?”
“Uh, sure. Hold on.” The girl made quick work of unlocking the career center door, disappearing inside and emerging victorious with a stapler in hand. “Come with me.” The girl turned down the hallway, leaving Vanessa to follow.
Alright, time to start phase one of her new, non-snobbish persona: show interest in others. “So, what’s your name?”
“Rory.” The girl side-eyed her as they walked together.
“That’s a great name.” Was she sounding overly enthusiastic? She didn’t want to appear showy. She cleared her throat and summoned a more casual tone. “One of my favorite TV show characters of all time is named Rory.”
Rory offered her a bland stare before mumbling, “Cool.”
Okay, tough crowd. Undeterred, she tried again. “How old are you, Rory?”
This question resulted in a disdainful scowl as Rory sped up. “Not sure why that’s any of your business. Also, who the hell are you anyway?”
Well, hello rude. Seriously, how did this kid not know who Vanessa was? She’d starred in a hit vampire show marketed to this exact age group. Then again, she’d only lasted two seasons before her character had been killed off. Perhaps her untimely demise wasn’t memorable?
They arrived at the last door at the end of the hall.
“My name is Vanessa Barone.” She tilted her chin, waiting for the recognition to hit.
Rory halted mid-step, her focus narrowing as she stared at Vanessa, before widening with recognition. “No way. I mean, I thought you looked familiar, but I didn’t think there’d be any way a famous person would bother coming to this place.”
That was more like it. Vanessa popped a hip and smiled. “Way.”
“Like, from Crimson Creek?” Rory’s mouth was hanging open now as Vanessa nodded. “But you’re dead. The vampire king killed you at the end of season two.”
“Well, not in real life obviously.” Vanessa slid around a gobsmacked Rory and entered the rec room.
Big, comfy-looking couches were set up next to a beat-up looking pool table. A dartboard hung in the back corner. A few mismatched tables were set up nearby, some cluttered with half-played board games and a jigsaw puzzle. A small flatscreen TV stood in the center.
Chantal stood on a chair, holding a big heart that read Happy Valentine’s Day up against the wall. She glanced over her shoulder when they entered the room, then did a double take when she saw Vanessa.
“It’s you.” A smile bloomed on the older woman’s face.
Vanessa waved. “It’s me.”
With Rory’s help, Chantal finished sticking the heart to the wall, then carefully stepped from the chair. “I didn’t expect to see you again.”
Fair enough, Vanessa had given the woman a hard no the last time they met.
“If I’m being honest, I’m a bit surprised myself, but I gave it a lot of thought, and I figured, if I can help these young people with a bit of fundraising, why not?” Also, she’d been accused of being a snob three times since then.
“Can you believe it, Chantal?” Rory examined Vanessa like she was a zoo exhibit. “The real Vanessa Barone? Like actually here, in this shithole?”
“Rory, language,” Chantal chided.
“Seriously though!” Rory grabbed her phone out of her back pocket. “Wait till Tessa gets here. She’s gonna die.”
Forgiving the earlier rudeness, Vanessa decided she liked this kid after all.
Chantal patted the excited teen’s shoulder. “Okay, settle down. We aren’t even sure Miss Barone can stay. We—”
“Oh, please,” Vanessa interrupted. “Call me Vanessa. Miss-anything makes me feel a thousand years old.”
Chantal nodded. “I get that. Except I am a thousand years old compared to you two young ladies.” She gestured to Vanessa to come toward the couches.
“Your timing is perfect. I’m meeting with the kids today to discuss the fundraising ideas.
Are you interested in helping us make the fashion show a reality? ”
“GET. OUT!” A new voice joined the group, and all heads swiveled to the doorway.
Another teenager with long wavy auburn hair stood there, mouth open, eyes bulging as she held out her phone.
“I got your text, and I legit thought you were shitting me, Ror. Oh my God. Vanessa Barone is here.” She squealed loudly and lifted her phone to snap a picture, catching Vanessa off guard.
“Girls.” Chantal came forward. “No photos, okay. Huge invasion of privacy. Ask for permission first. We want Vanessa to stay, right?” She chuckled nervously, checking back at Vanessa.
Honestly, it was nice to be at the center of positive excitement again.
Apart from heading to the club the odd time, Vanessa had used her Portland hiatus to disappear.
She liked this city because it offered a sense of anonymity.
She could throw on a cap and sunglasses and go unrecognized most of the time.
At the club, she realized that anonymity only extended to her daily life. If she behaved like she didn’t exist, she was left alone. But if she did anything wild, like kiss a bouncer in front of hundreds of people, that privilege was revoked.
This kind of attention she didn’t mind, though. When she’d first gone to New York at sixteen and met some of her biggest idols in the modeling industry, she’d done her fair share of fangirling too.
“Wait,” Tessa chimed in. “Are you helping us with our fashion show?” She turned to Rory, and they screamed together simultaneously.
When Chantal sent her an apologetic glance, she couldn’t help but laugh, or deny these two girls anything. “Looks like I’m in.”
The foursome started planning, and Vanessa thought, maybe salvaging her reputation wouldn’t be that bad after all.