Exposure (20 page)

“
She just wanted to get to
know her daughter’s boyfriend better. And now she has reason to.”
He leans forward and kisses me.

“
About damn time,” Britain
says from the stairs, and I crinkle my nose. “I hope you made me
food too, lover boy.” She slides into an island stool. “Not only do
you have to convince mom that you’re worthy, but roommates are just
as important, considering now we’re going to have to see your ugly
face around these parts.”

Dallas narrows his eyes and turns off
the stove. “You’ve been seeing my ugly face around here for the
past two months.”

“
Missing the point,”
Britain says, and yawns.

“
Well luckily for you, I
made enough for both you and Delilah. Delilah!” he
yells.

“
Yay, rabbit food!”
Delilah cheers from somewhere upstairs, and I snort.

But it doesn’t matter if the pancakes
are rabbit food or not. They melt in my mouth. “Where the hell did
you learn to cook like this?” I ask as I dig into my third
one.

“
Just because we’ve dry
humped a bunch doesn’t mean you know everything about me,” Dallas
says, and Britain chokes on her orange juice.

“
So, what are you guys
going to do for the rest of the semester now?” Delilah asks. “I
mean, if people see you together, they’ll figure out who Evan
is.”

I clear my throat. “I… uhh… I think
I’m giving up the frump disguise.”

Delilah’s jaw drops and Dallas’s eyes
brighten.

“
Every girl should lavish
in the fame of being a porn star once in her life.”

Dallas

Evan looks amazing.

Today, both of her personas are melded
together. Her makeup is light but existent, and her dark hair falls
in soft waves past her shoulders. She wears a modest t-shirt and
not-so-modest miniskirt.

She’s said nothing on the ride to
school. I’m hitching a ride with her, because my car’s still in the
shop.

I wonder if she’s nervous.

“
You look amazing,” I
offer.

“
Dallas,” she says my name
weakly. “Do you think this is safe?”

“
What do you
mean?”

She pulls into a parking spot. “I
mean, the entire campus has seen me naked. I feel—I don’t
know—vulnerable.”

I lean toward her. “If anyone lays a
finger on you, I’ll rip them in half. You know that,
right?”

Her shoulders relax, and she smirks.
“You big manly man, you.”

We get out of the car and I wrap my
arm around her as we walk toward the science building. “First of
all, you are kind of a terrifying person, so I’m pretty sure there
aren’t many idiots who’d be willing to start something once you
unleash that side of you.”

“
Very funny.”

“
Second of all, I’d bet
that we’re both playing this out of proportion, and no one’s even
going to recognize you today. I mean, this campus is huge. Not
everyone can be familiar with the magazine.”

I’m wrong. So, so wrong.

Classes get out as we walk through the
hall of the science building. Heads turn. Students cup their hands
around their mouths as they whisper frantically to their friends.
Her stage name bounces back and forth across the walls like a pin
ball. “Holy shit, is that Rylan Willow?”

“
I knew it,” someone
hisses. It’s Brad, sporting two nasty black eyes. “I fucking knew
it. Can’t fool me.”

To my surprise, Evan flashes him a
huge smile. And then she lifts her hand and flips him
off.

A group of boys near us chortle with
laugher.

“
See, this isn’t so bad.”
I tell her.

“
No, it’s not.”

A group of girls part their lips in
surprise as they pass us. One even waves at Evan. She waves
back.

“
Actually, it’s kind of
fun, she says.”

“
Rylan,” some guy that
I’ve never seen before in my life calls. “Nice to see you out and
about today.”

“
Jesus,” I mutter. “You’re
like a unicorn or something.”

Evan ignores me, flashing the stranger
a smile. “I have some errands to run—transcripts to request.
Professors to meet.”

“
They order special
services from you or something?” he winks at me.

My hands clench automatically. Several
others have stopped to listen, and she has an audience now. They’ve
all seen her on the page, but this is probably the first time
they’ve ever heard her speak.

And, I should have guessed it, she
handles herself like a fucking champ.

Evan laughs and flips back her hair.
“Of course not, silly. I’m here to tell them the news. I just got
into Harvard.”

As the group chews up the fact that
their beloved pin-up girl is going to Harvard, her phone rings. She
pulls it out of her pocket and presses it to her ear.
“Hello?”

She listens for a bit, and then her
eyes widen. She glances at me.

“
Dallas,” she whispers
excitedly. I can hear Britain’s frantic voice on the other
end.

“
What is it?”

“
We did it. EPE is going
national.”

Acknowledgments

To my husband, for putting up with
this terrible addiction to writing that I have. I love you,
baby.

To my girls, Sara and Eva, for being
the best cheerleaders on the face of the planet.

And finally, to my readers. Thanks for
making my job fun as hell. You guys are the best.