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  Elliot wanted coffee. He was tired of driving, but something about walking along the streets scared him these days. Crowds had never bothered him before, but getting his shirt ripped and his hair grabbed enough times had changed that. He sighed and grabbed the keys to the slick Mercedes he’d bought a month before. As far as he could tell the paps hadn’t found their new house so they left him alone at home, but Elliot had his picture taken as soon as he parked and got out of the car at his favorite coffee shop where they had the best muffins in the world. He hoped he didn’t look too tired. Tired turned into strung out and hungover at the click of a mouse. The rumors were getting so damn old.

  Besides I’m not even doing anything… why do they care?

  He didn’t understand why anyone would care about pictures of him stopping for coffee. Why what flavor of muffin he got was newsworthy. The cafe was crowded, but there was an empty table in the back corner. Elliot didn’t want to go back out where the cameras were waiting for him. He slid into the table, pulled his beanie down a little further over his curls, and slumped against the wall. His phone went off again. Twice.

  Love you too babe, from Danny.

  Dude. Where you at? Wanna go to the beach? from Reece.

  He answered Reece and told him they could meet in an hour. He simply sent a little heart to Danny.

  “Elliot? Is that you?” a quiet voice asked next to his shoulder. Elliot looked up. There was a girl, thin and small, with dark hair and shadows under her eyes.

  “Yes. Hi.” He smiled up at her, ready to pass out smiles or autographs. She was older than their typical fan, closer to his age than middle school. Her face crumpled when he smiled. She didn’t look like she had much to smile about. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” he asked.

  The girl choked, like she was about to start crying. Elliot stood and guided her into the seat across from him. “I’m really sorry,” she said quietly. “I’ve wanted to meet you for months, but I never thought I’d start crying all over you.”

  Elliot reached over and hugged her. “It’s okay. Can I help?”

  “I have to ask something… and I probably shouldn’t, but I have to.” The girl’s voice cracked.

  “What is it?” Elliot was really worried for her. She looked so sad.

  “You and Danny. Is it real?”

  Elliot’s belly burst into nervous flutters. He thought about lying, about perpetuating the propaganda, but the girl’s heartbroken face and his own heart, bruised but not yet broken, wouldn’t let him. Elliot nodded. “Yeah, it is.”

  “You’re really together?” she whispered.

  “Yes. We are.”

  The girl nodded. She slowly turned her wrists over. On the insides, pink and still fairly new, were two nasty-looking scars.

  “Babe!” Elliot exclaimed softly. He covered her wrists with his hands, as if he could do anything to help. He wanted to help. “What happened?”

  “Last spring I told my parents I was gay. They told me I was disgusting and to get the hell out of their house.”

  “I’m so sorry—”

  “Melanie.”

  “I’m sorry, Melanie. I don’t know what to say. I wish I did.”

  “You saved me,” she said quietly.

  Elliot was flabbergasted. “I….”

  “It was you and Danny. Knowing that love like that existed, that maybe I could have it and I wasn’t disgusting, it made me want to… well, not do it again. I’m sorry I’m laying all this on you. I had to know that I wasn’t crazy, that I really was seeing it.”

  “You are.” Elliot squeezed her hands. His eyes felt tight, his throat thick. It was so wrong. All of it. This girl, this beautiful, sweet girl, shouldn’t have been told she was wrong. He and Danny shouldn’t have been told they were wrong. Elliot wanted to scream.

  “So thank you,” she whispered. “You saved my life.”

  Elliot simply stood and pulled Melanie into a long, tight hug. “I think you just saved me right back.” He kissed her cheek and pulled away slowly. It was impulsive and maybe a little crazy, but Elliot made a quick decision. He pulled the marker he always kept in his pocket out and scrawled his email address on a napkin.

  “Write to me, okay?” he said, folding the napkin into Melanie’s hand. “I want to know how you’re doing.”

  “Really?” she asked, eyes wide.

  “Yes. Really. Just… please don’t give that to anyone else. It’s only for you.”

  “Okay,” she said softly. “You know, you’re nothing like the papers say you are.”

  Elliot sighed. “I know.”

  She backed away slightly. “Thank you, Elliot. Give Danny a hug for me too, okay? It’ll get better.”

  That was enough to floor him. This girl who’d been through so much was generous enough to feel sorry for him? Elliot’s eyes welled up. He nodded. “Thank you.” He watched Melanie walk slowly out of the shop and tried not to cry.

  The paparazzi were gone by the time he left. They must’ve given up. Elliot drove in silence back to the house. He didn’t want to go to the beach anymore, but he didn’t want to sit there alone. In the end, he grabbed his swim trunks and a towel and texted Reece to tell him he was on the way.

  HE TOLD Danny about Melanie that night. Danny just huddled in his arms, shaking.

  “I can’t believe we have that kind of influence over real people.” He looked scared. Elliot didn’t blame him. It scared him to think about how many people looked up to him too, when he felt like just an average guy who didn’t deserve all the attention. “It all seems so hypothetical most of the time. Then something like this…. Is she okay?”

  “She said she was. She said she didn’t want to do it again.”

  “Because of us.” Danny’s voice was tight and scratchy.

  “Yeah, because of us.”

  Danny let out a long sigh. “This whole thing is so fucked.” He’d negotiated for hours with their management to get them to can the whole Chelsea thing. He finally had them talked down to not bringing her out on tour and slowly letting the relationship dissolve when they returned. It was the best they could hope for.

  “I told her the truth, D,” Elliot whispered. “I can’t believe I told her the truth.”

  “What would they want you to do?” Danny shook his head. “Lie to this fragile girl and hurt her even more? You did the right thing, El. Don’t ever feel bad about it.”

  “I wish we could tell everyone the truth. Or at the very least stop actively lying.”

  “Me too.” He smiled. “Two weeks, right? Then we’re on the road with the guys. No fake girlfriends. Just us.”

  “Two weeks.” Elliot smiled back. He couldn’t help leaning in for a kiss. Things really were getting better.

  DANNY AND CHELSEA TOGETHER FOREVER!!!

  A Candy Scoop Exclusive

  Extra! Extra! Candy Scoop was lucky enough to catch up with busy boyband hottie DANNY BRIGHT the other day. We sat down over coffee and scones to talk about life, fame, and his super close loved up relationship with girlfriend CHELSEA PRESTON.

  How did you two meet?

  Well, that’s an easy one. [Danny gave us one of his killer smiles here. Awww he really loves her! Lucky girl!] We met on the set of Band Camp. I thought she was cute right away, with all her blond hair and sweet smile. We were friends right away, and then after I broke up with my ex we started talking. Things just went from there.

  What’s your favorite date night activity?

  I love the beach. Sometimes we’ll just sit down there and watch the waves. And the pier at Santa Monica, although it’s hard to go places like that now. When we were at the Band Camp house, Chelsea and I went down there to hang out a few times. Also, we just like to hang out at home sometimes, put on a good movie and just relax on the couch. Chelsea’s just like one of the guys. All my boys love her too.

  Do you and Chelsea have plans for the future?

  You know, I’m a big family guy. I love kids and I don’t want to wait very long to get marr
ied and have my own. I can see Chelsea and I in that place easily. She’s exactly the kind of girl I always thought I’d end up with. [Danny blushed. It was adorable!!!!] It’s probably a bit early, but I have to admit I’ve been looking at rings and I just got my own place so...

  But some fans think you’re in a romantic relationship with bandmate Elliot Price. Is that hard for you to deal with?

  You know, at first it was a bit of a laugh. We knew the fans thought it was entertaining so we played along even though we’re practically like brothers. It’s become awkward since Chelsea and I started getting serious. When the fans are constantly watching Elliot and I, looking for romance that’s just not there, well, it causes problems with Chelsea. No girl wants to hear that their boyfriend and his best friend are secretly in love. And Elliot and I have to be careful how we act in public. It’s really too bad because it affects our friendship. I wish they’d stop.

  How have things changed for you since Static made it big?

  Oh, tons! I used to be just this regular kid from Shorecrest High School, you know? I’d always dreamed of doing something like this but thought it would be me living this crazy dream. I love traveling all over the U.S. And I hope someday soon Static will get to see other places like Europe and Asia. Plus, with the guys I have this readymade family. It’s been amazing. I have four brothers now instead of being an only child. I want to say a huge thank you to all the fans. They’re really what makes it possible for us to keep doing this!

  What are the best and worst habits of your bandmates?

  [Danny laughed and looked down into his coffee. We think he didn’t want to say anything bad about his band mates. It’s really okay, Danny. We know you love them! ] Hmmmm. Well, Reece is a bit messy, and he’s the worst food thief! Webb, he gets distracted by the ladies way too easily. Take notes girls. He’s a softie. Tate’s a bit too serious but the lads and I are loosening him up. And Elliot’s great but I think he doesn’t have enough confidence in himself. He needs a lot of reassurance. We’re always telling him how amazing he is. Chelsea says she thinks he needs me a bit too much.

  So you heard it here, girls!!! There is totally such a thing as true love with a STATIC boy :) TATE is also taken, but maybe ELLIOT, REECE, or WEBB could be yours!

  —CS

  “DID you tell them they could write that?” Elliot shouted. His face was red, his eyes angry.

  “Of fucking course not!” Danny had no idea how Elliot could even think that. “I never even know what they’re going to print until I hear about it after the fact. Why the hell would this be any different?”

  “It sounds like you,” Elliot growled. “It never sounds like you, but this time it did.”

  Danny was flabbergasted. “You think an article about me proposing to a girlfriend I don’t even have sounds like me? You think me talking shit, shit that’s not even true, about the guy I love sounds like me? What the hell is wrong with you?”

  Danny had no idea where Elliot’s anger came from. They’d been doing better. So freaking much better. And all of a sudden he blew up over a dumb article. Elliot knew ninety-nine percent of that crap was fake. Hell, half the time the whole damn article was a complete fabrication. How the hell did it sound like him?

  “Apparently a lot of things are wrong with me,” Elliot snapped. “I’m a major manwhore, I’m insecure, and jealous of your relationship with Chelsea. Obviously that’s true since I’m trying to get between you two. Fuck! I thought you and Chelsea were being phased out, not walking down the aisle.”

  “So did I. I’m gonna call Rebecca. This is fucking ridiculous.”

  Danny didn’t want to fight with Elliot, he hated fighting with Elliot. But he was tired of being the bad guy all the damn time, tired of apologizing for wanting to protect people.

  “You have a date with her tonight, don’t you?”

  Danny nodded. “You already know that. Just tonight and that premiere thing and we’re done.”

  “Yeah. So I’m not going to stick around. I’m going out with Reece and Chris.”

  “What the hell, Elliot?” Danny reached for Elliot’s elbow to turn him around. “I thought things were getting better.”

  “So did I. I thought you’d bargained with them to quiet all this crap down.”

  Danny let go of Elliot’s elbow and ground the heel of his hand into his temple. “Are you saying I didn’t do a good enough job of talking to them?”

  “I don’t know, Danny. I’m just saying this article freaking came out of nowhere, and I thought we’d gotten past this.” Elliot looked exhausted.

  “I thought we’d gotten past this too.” Danny thought they’d gotten past all of it, the jealousy, the anger, the blame game he couldn’t seem to win. “I have to get ready.”

  “Yeah. For your date.” Elliot grabbed his keys. “I’m taking off.”

  Elliot didn’t give him a kiss goodbye, didn’t say anything. Just walked out the door. Danny wanted to be mad—Elliot had been completely out of line. He couldn’t be though, not when none of this was either of their faults. All they’d done wrong was fall in love. It was so frustrating. He’d seriously thought it was over. It almost was. Two more dates, hopefully only a couple of fairly tame articles talking about their breakup when that was staged a few months down the line, and then nothing—just Danny and Elliot back to the way things were. Danny pulled out his phone. He didn’t want to leave things angry between them.

  I’m really sorry about all of this. I love you <3

  He sent the message and flopped down on the couch even though he really needed to be in the shower already. It wasn’t even a minute before his phone buzzed.

  Fuck. I love you. I’m sorry too. I just need some space. I’ll be home tonight.

  So that was that. They’d apologized, and hopefully things would be fine. At least smoothed over until they left on tour and Danny could be with Elliot all he wanted. He knew how rough things had been on Elliot lately, with all the articles with him and the women. Danny wanted to kill the people in charge of making Elliot look so bad. Kill. Well, he’d never been much into violence, so maybe just maim? But still. It had been hard just to smile and pretend none of the crap had been circulating. Danny knew it got to him. Who wanted people to think they slept their way around town when they were only eighteen years old?

  And really? Did their publicity team think that was such a good alternative to people thinking Elliot was gay? Sure, he wouldn’t be convincing with a cover girlfriend like Chelsea. Elliot had never been able to act. But did he have to be sleeping with every chick in town? Jesus, even his mother…. Danny couldn’t imagine that had been their management’s idea. The press probably had just taken a theme and run with it. Elliot had actually cried that night and called his mom just to make sure she knew none of the stuff was true. Every day, the whole thing got less fun, and the money pouring into their bank accounts didn’t really do much to cover the big festering mess their lives had become. Danny couldn’t wait for the tour to start. Everything would be better then. It had to be.

  “OKAY, Elliot, Danny. Intervention time.”

  Webb came up behind Elliot and pushed him down onto the stools they had on stage for when they sang Chris’s ballad. They’d just finished their final rehearsal, then had four days off before they left. Elliot saw Tate pushing Danny onto a stool as well. Danny was across the stage, and still he wanted to be near him. No matter how weird and uncomfortable things had gotten between them recently, Elliot always wanted Danny by his side. Reece glared at him, then turned to glare at Danny.

  “You promised,” he said. “Twice. Now, you haven’t said what’s going on between the two of you, but it’s fucking with our mojo, and I don’t like it. Webb doesn’t like it. Papa Tate doesn’t like it either. We’re fixing it now before all of us are on a bus together for three months where there might be sharp objects.”

  Elliot felt like a jerk. He seemed to feel like a jerk a lot of the time lately. “We aren’t broken up if that’s what you
’re asking. Things have just gotten hard the past couple of days with that article and all the Chelsea stuff.”

  Reece rolled his eyes. “None of that shit matters. It’s not real.”

  “We just don’t get to spend much time together,” Danny said. He stuck up for Elliot. Of course. Elliot wanted to reach out and grab his hand. Of course.

  “Do you guys love each other?” Webb asked bluntly. “Do you want to be together?”

  “Definitely,” Elliot answered. That would never require thinking.

  “Yes. Always,” Danny answered at the same time. They exchanged shy smiles. Even with the way things had been the past week, it didn’t take much for them to smile at each other.

  “Then knock it the freaking hell off,” Tate grumbled. Tate who was always so level-headed and rational. “If you guys love each other and want to be together, none of that surface fake crap means a damn thing. Just like Reece said. Be together. Be happy with each other. Ignore the rest. Do you know how many articles there’ve been this month about me cheating on Felicia? Last week I broke up with her for Christina Aguilera. I’ve never even met Christina Aguilera.”

  Elliot couldn’t help it. He snorted. “See?” Webb smiled. “That’s what we’re looking for. Elliot who smiles and giggles like a little girl, and Danny who can’t keep his hands off of Elliot even when the rest of us are gagging ’cause you guys are like nauseatingly cute. Can we please have that back?” Webb rolled his eyes. “I never thought I’d be asking for cheeseola, but here I am doing it.”

  “Sorry,” Elliot mumbled. “I know we promised not to ever make things weird with the band. Didn’t mean to let it happen.”

  “It really was only these past two rehearsals,” Tate said gently. “And if it’s done, we’re cool.”

  Elliot looked at Danny, who got up and walked over, pulled Elliot’s face to his belly, and sank his fingers into Elliot’s hair. “It’s done,” he said.

  “Yeah. We’re good.” Elliot wrapped his arms around Danny’s waist and inhaled. He didn’t know what had made him act so weird the past few days, even after their apologies. He’d barely been home, spent a few nights on Chris’s sofa, and slept in the other room the night before. He hadn’t slept well without Danny’s smell and his even breathing. It was stupid. He’d just let things get to him when he shouldn’t have.