Paparazzi Girl

21. Date

The thrill Stella's lungs were holding made it hard for her to breathe in the silky, long dark black dress that was cutting at her lower thigh. It was tight around the waist, but it was very classy, and she definitely needed it big time. The narrow mirror looked back at her, leaving her satisfied with how she looked. Just perfect.

Xavier had barely texted her about an hour ago or so, asking her if she was up for doing that interview she had offered about a month ago. Finally, he was free. A month has already passed since that offer had been on the table. And he had finally accepted.

For about half the month, she had stayed over in his hotel room, Tyler offering his advice every day about not wanting to hear anything inappropriate. And every time, she didn't fail to amuse him with her embarrassing blush. But she didn't really like having to depend on someone, so she just found a strategy to sneak into her bedroom at home. Her mom was never there anyways. Seems she had tried distracting herself with her job. Finally actually working and paying off a few utilities and bills. But Stella always paid the ones she never got around to.

She had called her mother around twice a week, seeing how she was doing. Her voice always seemed weak, or strained. Something was up, and she wouldn't fess up. She had tried sucking out the information out of her troubled mom, but she would always turn the tables around to blame her for everything. Surprisingly, her mom never came into her room. It actually let a little bruise, knowing her mom wasn't really worrying.

Stella puffed her hair, which was in a bun, some hair dangling off in a curl. She didn't know why she had dressed up so nicely, but she had felt a desire to. What if Xavier showed up all nice and clean while she was dressed like an old, beaten up handbag? But then again, there's the possibility of him dressing casual and her going like she was meeting Queen Elizabeth. She just couldn't win.

She had to get going as she looked at her watch. After about a whole conversation of really nothing with Xavier over text, they had agreed to meet up at an Italian restaurant, one that wasn't so filled with people and was more peaceful around her neighborhood. She had to admit it - she was dying with a bubbling feeling.

Even if she knew Xavier wouldn't consider it a date, she sure did. This was the first time she had gone to a place alone with a boy she liked. Isn't that a date?

She quickly hid her items underneath the bed, taking only her purse as she yanked the window open, climbing onto the roof, in which she would sometimes just lay there, staring at the stars. She took a moment to remember how it felt just being there with her daddy, trying to count the endless stars. She would kill just to have a final taste of that happening again. To be with her dad one last time and tell him how much she loved him.

She forced herself to carefully climb down the tree that had been there long before they had even heard of the house, which was hard considering her dress didn't really let her move her legs as much. When her heels kissed against the grass, she made a run towards her car, or more like an uncomfortable jog, which was about a block away so her mother couldn't spot it. She turned the car on when she reached it, looking around before driving off. She couldn't sit still as she drove further and further away. Either her leg was swinging, or her fingers kept drumming against the steering wheel. God, how would everything turn out? She could already imagine herself accidentally bumping her drink over his lap, or getting messy while she ate.

Okay, relax. Don't jinx yourself. You'll just make things worse Stella. Just shut up. Don't mess things up already.

The drive seemed to drag on for hours before she finally caught the little restaurant isolated at the corner. She cleared her throat as she tried to swallow. There was a decent amount of people there. Just relax and stay calm.