Page 36 of Now Their Starlet

Holy shit. This has to be a message, right? I mean, he’s singing in my dad’s backyard. That must mean they’re working together in some capacity.

Please wait for me. I’m coming for you, I’m coming for you.

As the last words of the new bridge fade out into the synths of the song, I pull out Ezra’s earbuds, my chest heaving.

“Shit, I didn’t mean to make you cry!” Ezra says, his hands hovering out towards me like he doesn’t know whether to comfort me or not. His eyes are wide and a little frantic.

“Huh?” I reach up and wipe at my cheeks. They come away wet with tears. “Sorry. This isn’t your fault. I just…”

I shake my head, trying to clear the fog that appeared in my mind the moment I saw Beck’s face on the screen. For whatever reason, I got used to turning my brain off when I was around him and the other guys. But they’re not actually here right now, which means I need to keep my wits about me.

“I think this was a message to me,” I murmur. “I think they were counting on me seeing it, somehow.”

The thought has a fresh wave of tears filling my eyes and a broken sob leaves my chest. I sound like a pathetic kicked puppy, but I don’t give a shit.

I curl in on myself, clutching Ezra’s phone to my chest like it’s a lifeline.

They’re coming for me. That’s what Beck said in the song. That’s what he changed the lyrics of the bridge to. I just have to wait for them.

But how long am I supposed to wait for? Will I be able to wait that long?

“Hey,” Ezra murmurs, kneeling in front of me. “Dude, you’re kinda freaking me out.”

“Shut up, let—let a girl cry in peace,” I stutter between gasping sobs.

“Okay, okay, just—you’re okay, right? I haven’t seen you break down like this in a long ass time.”

He’s right. I haven’t cried like a baby in front of him since high school, after some nasty fights with my mom. Seems he’s just as good at comforting me now as he was back then. Which is, not great.

“I’m fine,” I say, wiping at my cheeks. “I just—I think part of me thought they would forget about me, you know?”

“No, I don’t know. You’re pretty unforgettable, Andi.” Ezra runs a hand through his hair and blows out a heavy sigh. “But hey, look, they didn’t forget, see?”

“Yeah,” I nod.

I catch my breath, rubbing at my sternum to try and ease the tightness in my chest.

“Can you open up your phone again? I want to check something.”

“I’ve got the same passcode as before,” Ezra shrugs.

I quickly type it in and scroll down to the description of the music video. I’m looking for the credits on the music video.

And there it is.

Filmed and edited by Cameron Foster and EWP.

Edison Wade Productions.

My dad helped edit this video.

My chest squeezes tight at the thought. He apparently fought all my childhood to try and get me back. This tells me he’s still willing to fight for me, even after everything that happened.

“I have to get a message to them,” I murmur, my mind racing. “We have to figure out a way to communicate. They must have a plan, right? If they’re doing all this?”

“I mean, they probably do,” Ezra says, his brows drawing down. “The internet’s going crazy, by the way. Don’t look at the comments.”

I shove his phone back into his hand before the temptation to check what people are saying grows too strong.