By Chance (Accidentally In Luck #1)

15. I'm Someone's Mystery Girl - Cora

*Cora*

I didn't cry when I saw what Elle was pointing, slack-jawed at on the TV. I could have, I had plenty of reason to, but my eyes stayed dry.

The grainy picture some idiot took was playing on every tabloid station on TV and most had a caption along the lines: 'Theo Archer's mystery girl: fact or fiction?'

I couldn't believe it.

I was on national television. I was on national television holding hands with a boy renowned for breaking the hearts of girls just like me.

My brain took a few seconds to break from just staring at the picture and words on the screen and actually listen to the words being said.

"... seen with a mystery girl in the wee hours of this morning, or so it seems. We don't have information about the identity of this girl and because this is the only picture, there is no way of discovering that identity unless she decides to come forward and identify herself or if someone recognizes her. If you do happen to recognize her, please let us know!" The overexcited news lady spewed, and the station's contact info flashed on the screen.

Thoughts immediately flashed through my head as I took in the situation: Who took it? Why'd they take it? That dress really is incredible! Was this supposed to happen? Did my hair really look like that? Did E want for this picture to be taken?

I dismissed most of them but there was one that stuck in my brain like it'd been super glued. Did E want for this to happen?

Before I knew it, I had slipped my phone from my back pocket and dialed the number now saved in my phone under 'E.'

"Pip," he greeted. I could hear the smile. "What's up?"

"Turn on the TV."

"What? Why?" he said, his tone immediately changing.

"Just do it," I replied flatly, and he fell silent. The silence stretched and I took a guess. "You see it."

"Yeah. Yeah, I do. God, Pip, I'm so sorry," he gushed. "I didn't know this would happen; it wasn't supposed to."

I thought about the question burning its way through my head. "So, this is what it is? You're using me for more player publicity? Awesome. Thanks." I said, not taking any chances. I had to know, and better now than later.

The problem was that my brain was already working on it. See, if E had wanted the picture to be taken, it said, surely all he had to do was find a way for the paparazzi to find us. Not that hard, I'm sure, for a super star. Just make a quick tweet or something. We would've been surrounded in a matter of minutes and he could've had 100 pictures like this, but of better quality.

So, no. My guess wasn't that he hadn't meant or wanted for this to happen. It also wasn't like he could've planned it. He never could have anticipated that Naomi would be a slut or that he would run into me or that he was going to walk me home.

Now all I needed was for him to confirm I was right.

"No! It's not like that. Last night was just as off the wall for me as I'm pretty sure it was for you, Pip!" he replied almost immediately.

I breathed a silent sigh of relief.

"Do they know it's you?" he asked almost hesitantly. Was he ashamed of me?

I played with the idea of not answering but decided that he needed to know. "No. No one on the station recognized me because I'm not famous and the photographer didn't know who I was."

E exhaled heavily and said, "Then we're all good. Pip, I want to keep you out of the spotlight for as long as possible."

So, he was ashamed of me. That didn't kill my self-esteem at all. "Why?" I managed to get out.