She put her hands up. “The hell if I know. Ask Sauda.”
“You must know him well.”
She snorted, ready to give a sarcastic reply. But there was an edge to Winter, and suddenly she had the urge to annoy him further. “Well enough,” she answered instead. “He is… very talented.”
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye. To her satisfaction, Winter’s lips tightened, but he didn’t betray more than that.
“Hope he’s nice,” he muttered instead.
“I only date nice guys,” she said sweetly.
He raised an eyebrow. “Then I must have been a mistake.”
She smiled at him. “Didn’t think that counted as dating.”
He smiled back. “Fair enough.”
The buzz of Winter’s phone cut the rising tension between them. This time, he sighed and reached into his pocket. “Claire probably wants to confirm our interviews tomorrow,” he muttered.
But when he looked at his phone, Sydney saw his demeanor change. His skin paled, and his eyes darted over the same section of the screen—something had his immediate attention.
“What is it?” she asked.
Winter didn’t say a word. Instead, he just tilted his phone so that she could see the white text on the screen.
CLAIRE:Winter, it’s urgent. Part of the book was leaked to the press. Get ready for the headlines.
7Impressions and Suspicions
EXCLUSIVE: Leaked Chapters from Winter Young’s Tell-All!
Excerpts Reveal Winter Young’s Past Struggle with Depression, Drugs…
WINTER STORM: Does the World’s Favorite Pop Star Have a Rage Problem? New Book Details!
The avalanche of media that followed the book leak was overwhelming and unavoidable. Despite Claire’s best efforts to steer them clear of the headlines as they headed to their waiting plane, Winter still caught glimpses of magazines all over the VIP terminal of the airport, lies from the upcoming book printed in bold on the cover pages.
“I don’t want you reading the full excerpts,” Claire told him in a low voice as they walked down the terminal hall, their entourage ahead of them. “But I know you’ve seen enough. Do you recognize the stories? Are they all lies?”
“Mostly lies,” Winter muttered.
“Then I’ll pass that along to the lawyers and release a statement confirming the stories are fake.” Claire frowned. “Some of it is true, though?”
Winter didn’t answer right away. Only when they reached the end of the hall and stepped out onto the tarmac, the summer sun turning their waiting jet searingly bright, did he say, “Some of it.”
“Do you recognize anything about the excerpts? The writing style? A turn of phrase?” Claire asked quietly. “Do the stories match up with any particular person in your life?”
Winter thought of one excerpt he read that morning, detailing his past depression and drug use. It was exaggerated, but not entirely false. He thought back to the time right after Artie had died, when his mother faded into a still figure on her bed, curtains drawn, body curled up, for days at a time. Winter had been twelve and did his best to fend for himself. But he found himself lost in a fog of darkness, too, and although he didn’t know what it was at the time, he’d started sneaking pills out of the bottles that were always sitting open on his mother’s dresser. Antidepressants, anti-anxiety meds. She never noticed, of course, never commented on his behavior. Not when he seemed to wander around the house in a daze, or when he’d suddenly wake from the fog, only to lie in bed at night, shivering, withdrawing from whatever he took. On those nights, everything about his senses would be heightened—he could feel every stitch in his blanket, could smell the awful stench of the smoke from cigars in the fibers of the carpet.
“No,” he said, and shook his head. Claire nodded, her lips tight with disappointment.
“We’ll get to the bottom of it,” she said. “I promise.”
Winter stayed quiet as he walked behind his entourage and up the jet’s steps. As they entered the interior, Gavi took one of the seats in the front row, while Dameon slumped onto the couch lining the back and held up a paper with their full schedule.
“Rehearsals are on the same day we land?” he groaned.
“We only have two full days before the opening ceremony,” said Winter as he settled down beside Gavi. “I don’t think we have much of a choice.”
