Chapter 49
Maple
@Amelieeeetalking, TikTok
Guys, I’ve heard there are heaps of media trucks outside the Hart house. This story is so blowing up right now #findElla
I stare at Dylan on my phone screen and feel a sense of panic, like I want to run away but all the exits are blocked.
‘What happened to your face?’ I ask, hearing the tears pool in my throat. Today has been too much already, and now this.
‘Nothing,’ he says, shrugging. ‘I’m learning this new trick, but I messed up, and my skateboard flew into my cheek.’
‘You’re sure that’s what happened?’
‘Yeah, course.’ Dylan fixes on a smile. I’m almost certain he’s lying, that the purple bruise is from a punch, his dad punishing him for making the video with me. But I don’t know that. And maybe I don’t want to know. It’s hard enough dealing with my own parents right now.
‘Things have gone pretty crazy, hey,’ I say instead.
‘Off the scale. There are thousands of comments on our page, and jeez, so many TikTok creators have picked up the story. A lot of crazies, I guess, but some decent posts too.’ He pauses. ‘You know, Selena Hart called my mom. Made her cry.’
‘She called mine too. Seems she’s got a lot to say to us, but there’s nothing on her socials. No denial, or proof of where Ella is. She’s gone dark.’
‘Which shows she’s got something to hide,’ Dylan points out.
‘So it’s a good thing, what we’re doing. Trying to get to the truth.’
‘Are you telling me, or asking me?’
I look down at my hands, embarrassed at how easily Dylan has read me.
‘My parents want me to take it down,’ I say.
‘Mom wants me to replace it with a video of us pushing the whole dating thing again. And Dad wants me to just delete everything and shut the fuck up so I don’t miss out on those big bucks. ’
‘Your dad said that?’ Dylan looks surprised and it makes me feel devastated all over again. ‘But I thought …’
‘Yeah, well. Seems he saves the protective dad routine for Aspen and Ash.’
‘So what are we going to do?’ Dylan asks.
I go quiet as I try to figure out how to answer.
Because if Mom’s right, and doing this thing for Ella is going to mean an end to my influencing career, I need to work out if I’m okay with that.
I did love the Azione modeling work. And having nearly two million followers is cool.
But working every day, keeping up with Mom’s crazy schedule, is exhausting.
And the way old men think it’s fine to stare at me, or give me crappy gifts, or grab me for a selfie, is totally gross.
But more importantly, I loved doing the show with Dylan. Responding to comments about something that really matters. Exposing liars. Taking a few baby steps toward finding the truth. And Dylan’s right – Selena Hart is mad with us for a reason.
‘We’re going to keep going,’ I say. ‘I mean, if that’s okay with you?’
Dylan smiles. ‘Totally okay. I haven’t felt this good in ages.’
Suddenly I’m imagining his dad getting all mad while Dylan keeps his cool. His dad throwing a punch, and Dylan matching it with an unbothered stare, despite the exploding pain in his cheekbone. I bet his dad would have hated that.
I smile. ‘So what next then?’
‘Well, I’ve run the comments on the video through a key word tool, and there’s one that jumps out. Someone called MaisieMDanceTX. She says that she was Ella’s dance tutor for three years and knew her really well.’
My eyes widen. ‘Wow, that’s amazing, Dylan! We should talk to her. Hey, do you think she’d come on the show?’ I push off my bed, start pacing. ‘The Hart house has a dance studio in the basement – they film heaps of content in there – so I bet she taught Ella at their house. She’ll know so much!’
‘Well, she’s on Instagram,’ Dylan says, half smiling, like he thinks my sudden burst of energy is weird, but good-weird (I hope). ‘Why don’t you drop her a message and ask?’
I finish the call with Dylan and tap into Instagram.
Maisie’s profile is easy to find, and she’s already following me, so I tap out a DM, explain how much of a difference she could make, and send it.
Then I lean back against the pillow and think.
I think about Dylan’s face, and Dad’s mandate, and Mom’s shock, and Selena Hart’s threats.
And I think about how good I feel.