tucked her cell phone and wallet into a small, blue cross-body bag that couldn’t possibly fall off, no matter how fast she
moved. She’d even pinned her long hair up into a messy topknot to protect it from being yanked.
‘Are you ready?’ Jackson was waiting by the front door, looking impossibly gorgeous in a deep blue sweater and fitted jeans.
‘Almost.’ Testing the cross-body bag, Olivia did a quick lunge . . . then nodded firmly. ‘There!’ She started for the door. ‘I’m as warmed up as I’ll
ever be. When we have to run, I won’t let you down.’
‘Believe me, I was never worried about that.’ Smiling, Jackson reached out to take her hand. ‘You didn’t let me down in London, did you, when we had to run from the
hordes there?’
‘Yes, well, that was sheer panic taking over,’ Olivia admitted. ‘Back then, I didn’t really understand what we were in for!’
Squeezing his hand, she took a deep breath and opened the door.
Then she blinked.
Wait a second. Where are the crowds?
Admittedly, it was still early on a Sunday morning, and Olivia’s street was usually sleepy even at peak times. But surely the news of Jackson’s arrival must have spread around
Franklin Grove by now! There should have been crowds of teenagers bursting from their homes, screaming their heads off. Olivia had even updated her Twitter feed that morning with news of her
“surprise visitor”, to make sure all Jackson’s fans could easily guess where he was.
Jackson just shrugged. ‘Maybe we need to go somewhere a bit more public.’
‘Let’s hit the Food Mart,’ Olivia decided. ‘We’ll definitely be noticed there!’
And they needed to be noticed right away . . . because just five minutes before they’d left the house, Olivia had gotten a frantic text message from Ivy. Gregor Gleka was making his way to
Franklin Grove
right now.
There wasn’t a moment to lose!
Pinning a bright smile to her face, Olivia walked with Jackson down the main street of Franklin Grove and into the Food Mart, or rather – as it would definitely become as soon as
Jackson’s fans spotted them – the Scream Zone.
Ivy’s really going to owe me for this!
she thought. The aisles in the Food Mart were narrow enough that if a swarm of
Jackson’s fans descended on them, they might well get trampled!
Holding hands, Olivia and Jackson strolled down the aisles, doing one full lap of the grocery store . . . and then another.
Olivia stared at the oblivious shoppers all around them. Then she pulled out her phone, scrolling through her Twitter feed. ‘Doesn’t
anyone
have a smartphone?’ she
demanded. ‘I can’t believe we’re out in public, and not a single person has tweeted about it. This place should be a zoo by now! Where are all the screaming girls?’
Jackson looked sheepish. ‘I have to admit, I don’t really miss them,’ he said. He gave Olivia a mischievous grin. ‘Hey, maybe my star is finally falling. That might not
bode well for
Eternal Sunset
, but it would make it a lot easier for us to go out on a date!’
‘Your star is definitely not falling,’ Olivia said firmly. ‘How many magazine covers have you been on in the last two months?’
‘Well . . .’ He shrugged, looking embarrassed. ‘Maybe a couple.’
‘More like four or five.’ Olivia rolled her eyes. ‘Maybe it’s just because you spent a good amount of time here last year, going to school like a regular kid. That could
explain why people in Franklin Grove don’t freak out any more.’
The middle-aged cashier at the check-out line nodded calmly to Jackson as they passed her for a second time. ‘Looking forward to the new movie, young man!’
‘Thank you, ma’am.’ He gave her a sweet smile. ‘I hope you enjoy it!’
Olivia sighed as they started their third lap of the store. ‘At least
someone
cares you’re here.’
‘Sorry,’ Jackson said. ‘I know it’s not what you were hoping for . . . but it is actually nice to feel
moved. She’d even pinned her long hair up into a messy topknot to protect it from being yanked.
‘Are you ready?’ Jackson was waiting by the front door, looking impossibly gorgeous in a deep blue sweater and fitted jeans.
‘Almost.’ Testing the cross-body bag, Olivia did a quick lunge . . . then nodded firmly. ‘There!’ She started for the door. ‘I’m as warmed up as I’ll
ever be. When we have to run, I won’t let you down.’
‘Believe me, I was never worried about that.’ Smiling, Jackson reached out to take her hand. ‘You didn’t let me down in London, did you, when we had to run from the
hordes there?’
‘Yes, well, that was sheer panic taking over,’ Olivia admitted. ‘Back then, I didn’t really understand what we were in for!’
Squeezing his hand, she took a deep breath and opened the door.
Then she blinked.
Wait a second. Where are the crowds?
Admittedly, it was still early on a Sunday morning, and Olivia’s street was usually sleepy even at peak times. But surely the news of Jackson’s arrival must have spread around
Franklin Grove by now! There should have been crowds of teenagers bursting from their homes, screaming their heads off. Olivia had even updated her Twitter feed that morning with news of her
“surprise visitor”, to make sure all Jackson’s fans could easily guess where he was.
Jackson just shrugged. ‘Maybe we need to go somewhere a bit more public.’
‘Let’s hit the Food Mart,’ Olivia decided. ‘We’ll definitely be noticed there!’
And they needed to be noticed right away . . . because just five minutes before they’d left the house, Olivia had gotten a frantic text message from Ivy. Gregor Gleka was making his way to
Franklin Grove
right now.
There wasn’t a moment to lose!
Pinning a bright smile to her face, Olivia walked with Jackson down the main street of Franklin Grove and into the Food Mart, or rather – as it would definitely become as soon as
Jackson’s fans spotted them – the Scream Zone.
Ivy’s really going to owe me for this!
she thought. The aisles in the Food Mart were narrow enough that if a swarm of
Jackson’s fans descended on them, they might well get trampled!
Holding hands, Olivia and Jackson strolled down the aisles, doing one full lap of the grocery store . . . and then another.
Olivia stared at the oblivious shoppers all around them. Then she pulled out her phone, scrolling through her Twitter feed. ‘Doesn’t
anyone
have a smartphone?’ she
demanded. ‘I can’t believe we’re out in public, and not a single person has tweeted about it. This place should be a zoo by now! Where are all the screaming girls?’
Jackson looked sheepish. ‘I have to admit, I don’t really miss them,’ he said. He gave Olivia a mischievous grin. ‘Hey, maybe my star is finally falling. That might not
bode well for
Eternal Sunset
, but it would make it a lot easier for us to go out on a date!’
‘Your star is definitely not falling,’ Olivia said firmly. ‘How many magazine covers have you been on in the last two months?’
‘Well . . .’ He shrugged, looking embarrassed. ‘Maybe a couple.’
‘More like four or five.’ Olivia rolled her eyes. ‘Maybe it’s just because you spent a good amount of time here last year, going to school like a regular kid. That could
explain why people in Franklin Grove don’t freak out any more.’
The middle-aged cashier at the check-out line nodded calmly to Jackson as they passed her for a second time. ‘Looking forward to the new movie, young man!’
‘Thank you, ma’am.’ He gave her a sweet smile. ‘I hope you enjoy it!’
Olivia sighed as they started their third lap of the store. ‘At least
someone
cares you’re here.’
‘Sorry,’ Jackson said. ‘I know it’s not what you were hoping for . . . but it is actually nice to feel
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