Backstage by Mandy Bee (guided reading books TXT) 📕

“Okay, I’ll do it, I won’t like it but I’ll do it. This is the best thing that has ever happen to Chris, I can’t let him down. But do I really have to go in stage tonight?” I give him my best puppy dog eyes, begging him not to make me.

“I’m sorry but yes, there will be more reporters here tonight because of everything that is going on. It is best to do it tonight. I’ll try to make it as fast and as painless as I can, but I do need you to do this. Please?” Now he is giving me puppy dog eyes. I laugh at him then smack him on the leg while getting off the floor. He jerks my arm and pulls me to him. I scream then giggle. He is holding me to him saying ‘please’ over and over again, and all I can do is laugh. We both stop laughing and jump up when Chris breaks into the room, I guess I screamed just a little too loud.

“Christopher Jacob Marshall don’t even think about getting mad! You are the one who wanted him to talk to me about all the things I’m going to have to do, like going on stage tonight. You don’t have a right to look at me like that when you chickened out.” I go and hug him “But Justin was very nice about it, I’m not happy about doing it but for you I’ll do it.”

“Why did you scream if he was nice about it?” Chris looks at Justin who is staring at the floor like he is scared of him or something.

“Oh chill out, I was trying to beg him not to make me and he pulled me over to him, making me scream and laugh while he begged me to do it.” I punch Chris in the arm making him jump. “Now go play your video games and leave us alone.”

“So you’ll go on stage? And he told you about the photo?”

“Yes and yes. I would like to see the photo, I hope I don’t look too bad in it.” I see Justin pull a piece of paper out of his back pocket.

“Here, you look beautiful. It had to have been take not long after we got there.” I look at the picture, I don’t look bad at all. We are both laughing at something, who knows what, it seems like I’m always laughing when I’m with him. I look over at Chris who is watching me closely, I roll my eyes at him then push him out the door and shut it in his face.

“Go play your game Chris, and don’t come back in here without knocking!” I hear him grunt then walk off.

“You need to get dressed, we are going out for a little while.” Justin says while pulling me into another hug, I have never been hugged this much in my whole life!

“Is it safe?” I don’t need my picture in the paper again.

“I have a bodyguard going with us, and I’ll be wearing a hat and sunglasses, so as long as we don’t draw too much attention from others we should be fine.”

“Where are we going?” I know I should just put my foot down and stay on the bus but going out with Justin sounds nice.

“I’m taking you shopping.” he smiles then walks out of the room leaving me speechless. Shopping? But I hate shopping.

I CHANGED MY mind, shopping is fun. Well it was fun with Justin. He took me too a high end fashion boutique so I could get an outfit for tonight, I begged him to take me somewhere cheaper but he wasn’t having it. I ended up with six new outfits that I had to model for him and I was told how great I looked in every single one of them. He said I need new things to wear to interviews and the photo shoots. After twenty minutes of fighting with him about buying me too many clothes, I just threw my hands up and said fine. I know he spent a good five grand on me but I wasn’t allowed to see the total. I was taken back to the car then left alone while the bodyguard went to get him.

The next store we went to I felt right at home. He took me to Hobby Lobby to get some cross stitching items. I put my foot down when we went to the check out, I told him I would be buying my own stuff. He tried his best to stop me, but once I told him that if he bought it I would never use it, and that I would only use it if I bought it, he stepped aside and let me check out. He mumbled something under his breath, I know I heard the word stubborn but I just smiled at him.

As we are carrying the bags on to the bus we see that no one is here. I grab my phone from my pocket and I have no texts from Chris. Where is he? I speed dial him, he answers and I can hear music in the back ground. The others went to get something to eat, they were going to bring us back a pizza so I told him that was fine. He asked what all I bought, I told him about Hobby Lobby and then about Justin buying me clothes. Chris laughed and asked if I hit him. I said no to the hitting but warned him not to freak out when he saw everything. After hanging up with Chris I went to put up my new outfits. I see that Justin had them take all the tags off so I couldn’t add up the total, this better not become a habit.

“I put your craft stuff in the back room, you need a hand with anything?” He asked