Famous by Simone Bryant Page B

Starr asked.
    Marisol grabbed her duffel. “Percy has a game,” she said.
    â€œEli, is that everything you were working on today?” she asked, checking her watch. My driver should be outside.
    â€œYes and you nailed it,” he said.
    Marisol nodded, threw up a deuce, and exited Starr’s suite.
    Â 
    Marisol took in everything around Pace Academy’s football field. It was the first time she’d ever been to a game,and she couldn’t wait for Percy and the rest of the team to take the field.
    She was big-time excited when they began to announce the players. She yelled and clapped the loudest when Percy’s name was called. When he looked up into the stands to find her, she waved and gave him her best smile.
    Did she feel bad about missing practice and the sleepover? Nope. Starr had hurt her feelings by dropping her as the choreographer even though she didn’t show it.
    â€œGirl, you are fierce!”
    She remembered Eli’s compliment. That mattered more to her, because dance was her thing. Plus, she was beginning to think that her claim to fame had nothing to do with music and the Go Gettas.

sixteen
    Starr
October 25@1:00 p.m. | Mood: Relaxed
    The Lester household was filled with activity as everyone made last-minute preparations for the Halloween party—more like extravaganza.
    Starr was stressed about getting a costume designed for the party, working overtime on the Go Gettas, preparing for the talent show and keeping up with her schoolwork.
    To top it all off, she was missing Jordan and annoyed by the ever-growing presence of Natalee “I think I’m Mary J. Blige” Livingston in her life.
    â€œYou’re tense, Starr,” Inga said, putting more pressure on Starr’s thin shoulders as she gave her a massage.
    The thought of Natalee made Starr tense—big-time. That night at the Livingstons’ house had only confirmed what Starr already knew—Natalee’s life was fabulous, maybe even more so than her own. Natalee’s gorgeously styled suite of rooms with a loft and a secret door leading to a passageway to the home’s elaborate games room in the basement. Her closet was exactly like Mariah’s New York penthouse walk-in closet. Of course, Natalee was nice enough in thatlaid-back, bored kind of way that might make a less secure person feel like a fifth wheel. But there was room for only one star in Starr’s world. And that was why she had tried her best to downplay Pace Academy to Natalee, who was looking for a broader social life. Natalee Livingston, the stylish white girl with black-girl flavor at her school—heck no!
    â€œRelax, Miss Starr,” Inga encouraged.
    Starr tried to force herself to chill out, but it was easier said than done.
    As soon as the massage was over, Starr wrapped a white Egyptian cotton bath sheet around her body. Inga packed away the massage table and quietly made her exit. Starr looked up as her assistant, Olivia, passed her a fuchsia terry-cloth robe. “Thanks,” Starr said, standing in her bare feet to wrap the robe around herself, letting the bath sheet drop to the floor of her bedroom suite.
    Olivia was an intern at TopStarr Records and also worked as Starr’s part-time, on-call personal assistant. She adjusted her black-rimmed glasses on her face and opened a leather portfolio.
    â€œFiyah will be arriving next weekend. I have him booked in a deluxe suite at the Hilton. I emailed him the lyrics you forwarded me and he should get back to us tomorrow with any suggestions,” Olivia said.
    Starr nodded as she moved to take her seat at her desk.
    â€œThe stylist has agreed to meet the Go Gettas here the day of the talent show to do makeup and get you all dressed,” she continued.
    â€œShe’s coming to the talent show, right?” Starr asked, momentarily taking her eyes off her Facebook account.
    Olivia nodded and scratched something on her portfolio. “Yes, to help