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ThatnightAliceandI turn the breakroom TV on to the music awards. My mermaid show is starting soon, but I’m sitting on the bench with a nervous stomach waiting to see Sully. Alice opens a snack bag of goldfish and sits beside me. She loudly comments on everyone’s wardrobe during the red-carpet walk.
“Work it, work it!” she shouts as a rapper and her girlfriend walk arm in arm wearing colorful blazers.
“What is this?” Alice snorts, throwing goldfish at the TV. “Did a sewing machine blow up on your ass? Who is this clown?”
I glance up from my phone. No new texts. Of course, Sully is busy, but I sent him good luck and told him I’ll be watching.
Alice waves a hand in front of my face. “Veronica? Are you watching this? You know I hate these things. I’m here for support and you are not laughing at my runningcommentary.”
“Sorry.” I set my phone facedown next to my thigh. “Just seeing if Sully replied. You haven’t seen him yet?”
“No. Just been a bunch of people I don’t know and a few I recognize.”
A chill blossoms inside my core, turning each bone to ice. Any blow will shatter my entire being.
“Lady Gaga, I love her sparkly dress. Definitely a step up from the meat dress so many moons ago.” Alice laughs. “Do you remember that?” She drapes her arm over me and rests her head on my shoulder.
“Yeah. We saw that dress in that pop-up thing near the merch booth at Gaga’s concert.”
“Just making sure you’re with me.”
“Yes. We’ll suffer through this together.”
About five minutes later, a car pulls up and Scarlet Failure pours out. Sully is the last member and offers his hand to someone hiding inside. I bite my thumbnail as a woman’s arm shoots into view and takes his hand. Gigi is wearing a short vibrant green dress with her breasts pressed up so high they look like a mini butt. Her legs are miles long and perfect like all singers with nine-inch heels and green sparkles. Her platinum blonde hair is wavy and perfect like she just stepped out of a model shoot.
“Gigi looks…like a walking Christmas tree.” Alice munches on a few goldfish and adds, “Her hair is so shiny it could be the star on top.”
Gigi is gorgeous and there’s nothing we can say to deny that. Alice tries to spare my ego from being bruised and distract me from that woman clinging to Sully’s arm. But there’s not much we can say to bash her looks. I can see why Amy wants to pair her with Sully. They do look perfect together.
Sully is wearing a black tux with an emerald green tie to match Gigi’s dress. She sticks to him like they’ve been hot and heavy for months.
“It’s all for the camera.” Alice’s voice pulls me out of the storm clouds forming above my head.
“Oh…yeah. For their next tour.” As I keep reminding myself but it never helps.
Out of habit, I spin my ring around my finger. Sully likes me though. We’re more than a simple fling, or so my idiot of a heart whispers to my frazzled brain.
But seeing him with Gigi and kissing her cheek for all these flashing cameras is a blade to the gut.
It should be me standing beside him in a beautiful gown with him kissing my lips in front of the world. To make every Scarlet Failure fangirl curse my name and prove Sully belongs to me.
Only yesterday, I was in his arms. The prince and his mermaid. What a cruel trick.
Arthur clears his throat. “Hey. There are people wondering where the mermaid I introduced is. I told them she’s stuck in a net and needs to be saved…”
“Shit.” I leap to my feet. “I’m sorry! Give me a minute and I’ll be there.” I dash for the stairs leading to the top of the tank.
My fans lift my spirits as they smile and watch me swim in amazement. I blow them kisses and twirl. It’s true, keeping a smile on your face does something odd to your mood, making you happier.
But it all goes to hell when I return to the break room and grab my phone. I flop my fins on the floor and search for Gigi and Sully hashtags online. It’s worse than I thought.
Everyone’s gushing about them. How the tour is a cover for them to date. How the songs are about them. It makes me sick.
I watch a couple of videos and one pans to Sully and Gigi in the audience and she wins Best Single of the Year. She kisses Sully hard on the mouth, like she’s trying to eat his face.
“Bitch,” I mumble, tossing my phone onto the towel I dropped on the floor.
