1. Somebody Else #4
I nod, my arms crossing over my chest as I try to keep my voice steady and my heart from ripping apart. “Last night. Over the phone.”
“Over the—what?!”
I wince.
Riley’s mouth hangs open, but now her eyes narrowed, her whole body vibrating with outrage. “That asshole! Over the phone?!” she groans. “After everything? After all the back and forth and baby mama drama?!”
Tears sting my eyes, but I force them back, shaking my head.
Her face twists in fury, fists clenching. “Oh, my God. Oh my God. That—” She paces, cursing every name under the sun. “He waits until your fucking birthday, the night you were finally shining, to pull this crap?!”
“I was trying to hold it together,” I whisper. “All night. Acting like everything was fine because of the cameras and everyone.”
Riley strides right in front of me, grabbing my hands. “You don’t have to hold it together now, okay? Not with me.”
A tear slides down my cheek before I can stop it, and she squeezes my hands tighter.
“I don’t get it,” I say hoarsely. “I gave him everything. I let him in. And he…” My lip quivers. Tears breach the walls I’ve barely built, streaming in front of Riley. She has always been my rock.
She wraps her arms around me and hugs me hard, holding me while I sob.
“Did he give you a reason?” she asks, as she lets me go, searching my face for answers she won’t find.
I shake my head.
Riley’s eyes fill with tears as well, though hers burn with rage; she pulls me into her arms again as I cry against her.
I don’t know how we ended up on the floor, a mess of tears, but we lay there in silence; the kind that makes you feel empty and full all at once. I wipe my eyes, trying to pull myself back together when Riley finally breaks the quiet.
“And how does Broderick fit into all of this?”
“He came over to surprise me for my birthday. I thought it was Alex, we kissed, I cried, he felt bad, so he stayed, the end,” I rush out, heaving a sigh.
I wish it were that simple.
“You kissed!?” she screams, sitting up from the floor to look at me.
“I was drunk. It was dark, and I thought he was Alex.”
“Right,” she says. “You know...guys don’t just show up on your birthday like that for no reason, Elena.”
I open my mouth to deny it, or maybe to admit what I can’t bring myself to admit, when a buzzing on the nightstand cuts through the conversation like a siren.
I get up off the floor and reach for it, thankful for the interruption, but my stomach twists when I see Kylie’s name flashing on the screen.
“Hey,” I answer, trying to keep my voice steady.
I watch as Riley hops gets up and sits on the bed in front of me, mouthing ‘speaker’.
I hit the button, and Kylie’s voice fills the room, fast and unfiltered.
“Elena, hi! Okay, so I’ve got good news and bad news.”
I glance at Riley, concern painted on her face as she fiddles with her damp hair.
“Okay...”
“So, good news first, your album is blowing up. Streaming numbers are insane. Seriously, you’re about to chart in three countries.”
My mouth falls open. “What?”
Relief sweeps over me as Riley claps in silence, her eyes wide with excitement. I let out a shaky laugh, head dropping into my hands.
I can’t believe it.
“It’s huge. Everyone is talking about it, and your birthday performance last night is still trending.”
“Okay. Now the bad news?”
She hesitates for a moment, and I know it can’t be good.
Riley stills as we both stare at the phone, waiting.
“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, but photos dropped this morning of Alexander and Madison—and they are...cozy. Hand-holding and laughing at a trendy cafe.”
My mouth dries. My pulse surges. The shattered pieces of my heart are pulverized into dust.
Riley lets out a sharp gasp, but I turn away from her, keeping my phone in hand.
“That’s not all,” Kylie adds. “His people released a statement confirming it, he and Madison are officially an item—a happy family.”
My throat closes. I curl forward, ribs tight like I’ve been winded.
He chose her after all, after he assured me he wouldn’t.
“Elena,” Kylie says gently. “I wanted to tell you before you saw it online.”
I nod, even though she can’t see me. “Okay...thanks.”
“There is a silver lining,” Kylie adds. “The surrounding buzz is actually pushing people to your album. They’re eating this drama up—calling it ‘the heartbreak album of the year.’ The label’s thrilled.”
Of course they were—nothing like my public humiliation to sell records.
I should be happy, shouldn’t I? This is what I wanted. Sales mean success. Buzz means I did something right—worked hard enough.
But why does it feel hollow, like I’m riding the coattails of his scandal instead of my work speaking for itself?
Did I even earn this?
“That’s...great,” I manage to say, though my voice sounds flat.
“Hey, this album is yours. You earned this. Don’t let his shit steal this from you, okay?”
Even though she tries her best to reassure me, it doesn’t quite land.
It’s her job to gas me up—it’s what she’s paid to do.
I press my palm to my chest, clawing at the fabric of my shirt, feeling the fibers bite into my skin.
Of course. My pain was marketable.
I close my eyes, forcing a deep breath. “Yeah. Okay.”
“Call me if you need anything, alright?”
“Thanks, Kylie.”
I hang up, clutching my phone in my hand, feeling it dig into my skin.
I let out a ragged cry. Sobbing into the fabric of my shirt, sharp gasps, until the tears dry tight on my skin.
Riley silently rakes her fingers through my hair, brushing out the knots while I fall apart.