Mr. Rockstar by Erin M. Leaf Page A

outside her building at lunch listening to them. She still didn’t know what to do. Go to L.A.? Stay? She had to do something. Make some kind of decision. She shook her head as Marvin’s soft buttery voice sank into her bones. Across from her, the trees on the far side of the parking lot rustled in the breeze. A few had just begun to turn yellow and fluttered to the ground. Autumn was coming. She couldn’t help but feel that she was shriveling up, like the leaves, with every day that passed.
    “ Hey, I know you!” a woman said, startling Isabelle out of her reverie.
    “ Excuse me?” She pulled the ear buds from her ears, confused. Marvin’s voice sang on, tinny but still mesmerizing. She tapped her player, pausing the music, and looked up. A young woman stood on the sidewalk in front of the bench, smiling widely. Isabelle had never seen her before in her life.
    “ You were with Vin Clementine! Right? I saw the photo in the news just yesterday.”
    Isabelle frowned. “What photo?”
    The girl stepped forward. “Are you dating?”
    “ What?” Isabelle had no idea what she was talking about.
    The girl sat down, way too close for Isabelle ’s comfort, still grinning. “What’s he really like? I’ve gone to see him in concert, but oh my God, I can’t even imagine trying to talk to him. I’d probably pass out. He’s so gorgeous.”
    Isabelle edged away, completely confused. “What photo are you talking about?”
    The girl seemed taken about. “You haven’t seen it?” She bit her lip. “But you look just like the woman in the photo.” She rummaged around in her purse and pulled out her phone. “Here, isn’t this you?” She tapped on the screen and called up a website. She held it out so Isabelle could see.
    Isabelle squinted against the sunlight. On the screen, she saw a photo of Marvin with his arm around her. She was wearing the magenta dress from Fiona ’s wedding. It was clearly a candid shot, taken sometime after he’d hit Preston. “Oh no,” she murmured, leaning closer. She glanced up at the girl. “Is this the only picture?”
    The girl shook her head. “No. Look.” She scrolled down. In the next photo, Marvin was kissing her on the head, looking apologetic.
    Isabelle remembered that. It was right after he ’d punched Preston. She sighed. She’d been surprised that the pictures hadn’t come out right after the wedding. She thought they’d dodged the press, but clearly not.
    “ That’s you, right?” the girl asked again.
    “ Yes,” Isabelle replied, heart sinking. “That’s me.”
    The girl literally bounced on the seat. “The article says you’re dating him. They have no idea who you are!”
    Thank God for small favors , Isabelle mused, still trying to process the fact that her face was splayed all over a notorious gossip website.
    “ Also, wow, that’s a hideous dress.” The girl tapped on the screen, zooming in on the skirt.
    “ It was my best friend’s wedding,” Isabelle said defensively.
    “ You look much prettier in real life. The camera always adds a zillion pounds.”
    Great. How nice to know that, Isabelle thought darkly. What the hell was she going to do now?
    “ So, are you dating Vin? Did he write those songs for you?” the girl asked. “I heard that after his last girlfriend cheated on him, he swore off women.”
    His last girlfriend had cheated on him? Suddenly a whole lot of things made more sense to Isabelle. “He’s nice,” she said, not wanting to say much. “And we’re not dating.”
    It was like the girl didn ’t even hear her. “I can’t wait to tell my friend Amanda that I met the mystery girlfriend. Did you know he was going to write songs about you?”
    Isabelle stood up. She didn ’t want to do this. Didn’t want people to recognize her on the street. She slipped her music player into her bag.
    “ Wait, I’m sorry! I just can’t believe I met someone who knows Vin Clementine.” The girl stood up too, jostling Isabelle. The CDs