Page 96 of The Perfect Melody

Austin’s the only person I’ve told, and I know he would never betray my trust, so how did—fuck. “The performance on Saturday?” Liam warned me it was risky. Hell,Iknew it was risky, and I did it anyway.

“Yeah. Someone you work with—Molly something—posted a video of you singing. It might not have been a big deal since she’s not got many followers, but she captioned it ‘This bitch thinks she’s Melody Night’ and because other people on the internet aren’t as fucking dense as she is they realised that you reallyareMelody.”

Oh. My. God. Fucking Molly. I’m torn between the urge to rage and scream that I’ve done nothing to deserve her hatred and wanting to laugh that, if she hasn’t already, the bitch is about to realise she’s been bullying her so-called favourite singer this whole time.

“You and your boyfriend’s bar are trending all over social media. I’ve been calling you all morning. If I didn’t have an audition this afternoon and a cover shoot scheduled for tomorrow morning, Bailey and I would already be on the way. We’re going to leave as soon as the photoshoot’s done, so you can expect us to be in Pine Grove around seven.”

A sob breaks free. “You mean you’re—you’re both coming?”

“Of course we are. Bailey’s at home packing for both of us. She told me to tell you hi and big hugs from her whenever I gotthrough to you.” He pauses then, in a softer voice, adds, “We won’t be the only ones coming to pay you a visit.”

A cold sweat breaks out across my skin. “Miranda.”

“I’m sorry, Cassie. There’s no way she hasn’t seen the video.”

“Fuck, I–I can’t do this.” Floundering, I look up at Austin. “Can you?” I’m unable to form a full sentence, but he still understands what I need.

Gently, Austin takes the phone from my hand. “This is Austin.” A short pause. “Yes. What’s going on?”

I need to move, but I can’t make my legs work. There’s so much to do, so many people who deserve an explanation, but my mind won’t stop racing long enough for me to formulate any sort of plan. I can’t believe everyone knows—that mymotherknows.It wasn’t supposed to happen like this.

I’m not sure how much time passes before Austin ends the call with Liam and picks me up off the floor.

“Where are we going?” I’m not sure why I ask. I don’t care. Everything’s ruined because Molly’s an insecure, jealous little bitch. Damn it, I can’t even place all the blame on her becauseI’mthe one who lied to everyone around me.

Frustration burns hot in my veins. The peace I’ve found here is about to be invaded, and for what? Because some people think that my music putting me in the public eye means they’re entitled to know every little thing about me, about my life?

“Upstairs. I’m going to grab a quick shower, then run you a bath.”

“A bath?”

“To help you relax.”

I scoff but don’t stop clinging to him like a koala as he climbs the stairs. “Seriously?”

“Seriously. I know there’s probably a ton of stuff you need to do now that your secret’s out, but you were blindsided by this. Give yourself a chance to recentre before you take on the world.”

“Fine.” I don’t think a bath is going to do shit—other than get me physically clean—but I don’t have enough fight in me to argue.

Austin gently sets me down on the edge of the bed. “Wait here. I’ll come and get you when your bath’s ready.”

“OK.”

He hovers, watching me as if he’s debating whether I can be left alone. Whatever he sees must reassure him, because he turns away without another word.

Needing to know how bad it really is, I pick up my phone and open my official Melody Night social media in search of the video Liam mentioned. An incomprehensible number of notifications await me, but I ignore them for now, looking up Molly’s account instead.

Her most recently posted video is of me performing on Saturday night after Austin left the stage. Bowman’s is tagged as the location and, like Liam said, the caption reads ‘This bitch thinks she’s Melody Night or something’. The video has over a million views, and there are thousands of comments.

Never read the comments. That’s something I learned very early on in my career. It’s not helpful, nor is it good for my mental health. Yet I can’t stop myself from tapping that little icon so I can see what people are saying about me.

alexis_junewho’s gonna tell her

melodysnightsOMG!!! @melnightfangirl

genesis_draws_stuffgoing from an arena tour to surprise bar gigs. An icon.

marcusmakesmusicI’m going to hold your hand when I say this…