Note: Hey, today I'm graduating high school! I would say that this is definitely an overwhelming and exciting way to be spending my Famoux Friday.
Don't you think the edit for today is just stunning? enchantedshades has been really bringing it lately and I fully and wholly appreciate that she chooses to utilize her editing skills with amazing edits for Famoux.
Also, I'd like you to know that I HAVE BEEN TO A PUBLIX GROCERY STORE MAYBE THREE TIMES IN MY LIFE. They don't really exist in California, so I honestly forgot that THIS PLACE RIGHT HERE
ACTUALLY EXISTS.
When Norax proudly proclaimed that her son was the "NEW MANAGER OF THE PUBLIX," I'm not sure she wanted this to have a supermarket connotation.
Anyway, let's forget that ever happened and rename the Publix right now:
THE PUBLIX ARE NOW GOING TO BE REFERRED TO AS THE FANATIX.
I'm currently going into Chapter 15 and changing all mentions of Publix. It's sorta sad, since the line where Norax announces Carstan has 120 inline comments that are about to totally disappear. But whatever. It's cool.
PREVIOUSLY ON THE CLASSIX: The "FANATIX" are here! Carstan is here! Everything's a mess!
emeray
One would assume that for an apartment as vast and opulent as the Metropolix, there would be plenty extra rooms for visiting guests. However, up until a few hours ago when we opened our doors to the Fanatix, the Famoux has been generally selective as to who gets to visit our living quarters.
There are simply far too many questionable areas that a visitor could happen upon in their time here; the Metropolix houses several offices with confidential information regarding our former selves, rooms like the Analytix that are specifically designed to track our notoriety, and even a few small labs where technology is being tested and perfected for our Fissarex out in Eldae. A discovery of these places is to the Famoux as the reveal of a scandalous affair is to a politician: It would lead to outrage, corruption, impeachment. I can only imagine what would happen if one of the Fanatix were to get their hands on the information we're hiding. (And if one of them is actually working with DEFED, they might already know all about it.)
Even though Norax isn't yet aware of that possibility, she's still smart enough not to take any chances. The new house, she tells us in her welcome speech, is going to be ready in a matter of days, and that the Metropolix is soon going to be converted into a full office space for the Famoux's staff. In short, any extended tours of our harrowed halls would be absolutely redundant. In fact, aside from the kitchen and the living room, the Fanatix only need to visit one hallway in the entire apartment:
Our hallway.
For lack of adequate sleeping places, the Classix and I have just been instructed to double down and share our rooms. Norax already had the entire list comprised of who shall be going with whom before she even announced to us the Fanatix's arrival, which for some reason doesn't surprise me in the least.
Some of us are simply sharing with our own new member: Race will be splitting his bedroom with Sam, I'll be with Lex, and Kaytee will be with Lacey (as well as Lacey's two children Mikayla and Hadley). Till's and Chapter's arrangements, however are a little more complex.
"Till, I've decided that since your room is a bit more spacious than Emeray's and Kaytee's, you'll be taking both Sarah and Elle," Norax announces, tapping on her clipboard matter-of-factly. "That leaves Emeray's extra member Gerald and our new manager Carstan to share a room with Chapter."
To say that the look spreading across Chapter's face is incredulous would be an understatement.
"Gerald and Carstan?"
"That's right," says Norax. "Your room is more than large enough to share with two extra people for a couple days."
As he struggles to masquerade a friendlier expression, his blue eyes make contact with my own from the other side of the room. They stop on me for a second, moving away as quickly as they come by. Watch each other any longer, and people might've noticed the exchange.
According to every magazine and celebrity source, Chapter Stones is an absolute people person. Not confrontational in the least; you could accidentally insult his outfit, and he'd end up making a joke about how his stylist sometimes picks out ugly things to make him look more approachable.
Even when he's around Cartney Kirk, who regularly gives him no reason to show respect with his usual crude statements, Chapter is still a genuinely respectable guy. I imagine an angry, possessive boyfriend would perhaps try to beat Cartney up any chance he got. But I know too well that he wouldn't do anything like that, because he understands the situation. After all, Cartney's just as forced into our relationship as I am. He's never hurt me before, either, nor ever sought out ways to do so.
Carstan is different. He conjures up trembling hands and misty eyes with so much as one step into to the room. Over the years he has hurt me past the point of pain, broken me past the point of fracture, chilled me past the point of cold. Chapter can't seem to find any of that trademark respectability when it comes to him. The day he and Carstan met at Bree's gala was the time I first saw the surname Stones become personified in his eyes, in his structure, in his words.
"Well," Chapter says, whistling low. He glances over at Carstan, who squirms almost immediately, likely remembering how rocky their first interaction went. "How did I ever manage to get so lucky?"
The scene crosses my mindââmy old bodyguard, my secret boyfriend, and my lifelong childhood bully sharing one room for a few days before moving to a bigger house. Not even my nightmares could conjure up a situation so chance and bizarre; the only addition that could make it one notch crazier would be to add Cartney.
"I was thinking the same thing," agrees Carstan. Just the sound of his voice in this room, so casual toward Chapter, makes me want to vanish into thin air.
The very nature of Carstan van Horne's existence in the Metropolix has thrown me for a loop. It feels like I'm puffing up my chest and asserting my power while also hiding my shaking hands and avoiding any part of the room where he's in eyeshot. It's simultaneous: confidence and cowardice, poise and panic.
The affirmations repeat again and again in my mind: I am not the same Sticks he used to throw in Clarus creek. I am not Emilee Parvenu any longer.
With one peek up at his caramel brown hair I can feel the tears suddenly filling up my eyelids, threatening to spill over. I very well might be Emeray Essence today, but nobody ever said Emeray Essence would swing open the door when the darker parts of the past came knocking.
"That's everything I have for you now," says Norax. "It's getting lateââyou should go up to your rooms and get some sleep. We've got a big day tomorrow!"
Glancing at Norax, I get the urge to scream. This is her son who was tormenting me when she approached me back at the Fishbowl, back when I was meek little Emilee. She had to have recognized himââshe'd looked him in the eyes, asked him to leave us be, brought him up later when she asked me to become a member.
Why didn't she recognize her son?
At Norax's dismissal, we all get up at once, the Classix and the Fanatix, the Famoux. Grabbing ahold of Lex's hand, I watch avidly as Carstan moves across the room toward Chapter. He walks with caution, like a smaller dog advancing toward the alpha in hopes of acceptance. But Chapter barely gives him a solid look before chuckling once and turning away to say something to Race. The instant rejection almost physically paints Carstan van Horne blue. Seeing him become so quickly disheartened makes me feel joyous in some bitter, vengeful way.
From beside me, Gerald murmurs, "This ought to be a party. Do you think I could just hang out in your room? You wouldn't even notice me there."
"Not in the mood for socializing?" I ask.
"Chapter's fine, he likes me. But . . ." His sentence fades off as his voice drops low to say the next bit. "But between you and me, when we met Carstan at the gala a couple months ago he called me a servant. If I have to spend the next few days being his glorified waiter every time we're in Chapter's room, I think I'm going to step down from being a Famoux member."
He's handling it humorous enough that I laugh, but I can feel a sinking feeling nagging at my stomach. Carstan has always been the kind of person to call others by terrible names. "Try your best with him. If it's absolutely unbearable, you can always leave and visit Lex and I."
"Leaving Chapter's room for yours in the middle of the nightââthat would do wonders for the rumor mill."
I shrug. "Lex can vouch for you."
"For what?" Lex asks, giving my hand a squeeze.
Gerald shakes his head, discharging the suggestion. "Nah, it's nothing, don't worry. I'll find a way to manage."
Wishing him luck, I step out of the living room with Lex, leading her up the stairs to the first door on the left.
"This one's mine," I tell her, turning the knob. When the door opens, her hand detaches from mine as she practically frolics in. She gasps at the initial view, slapping a palm over her mouth with awe. I watch her spinââonce, twice, taking it all in.
"Your room is like a hotel suite!" she exclaims. "This is bigger than the banquet hall at my old school!"
I smile, mentally questioning to myself what Lex's arrangements are now that she isn't attending school, and what her family might be up to right this second.
"I felt the same way the first time I walked in," I admit. "It's a whole lot to get used to at once."
"Yeah, really! Do you think the bedrooms are going to be this big when we get to the new house? Or do you think that with so many new people now, they'll only be half as big or something?"
At a time like this, Norax would want me to paint her in the best lightââmake the Famoux feel like a never-ending buffet of your favorite meals. I don't know why I do it, but I'm speaking before I can stop myself. "Knowing the way Norax designs things, I'm pretty sure the bedrooms will be much bigger."
This makes Lex squeal with delight. "Any bigger than this room, and we'll each have our own floor of the house!"
As she runs toward the sitting area, gushing about how large my bookshelf is, I move toward the closet to pick out pajamas for the both of us. If this arrival is anything like mine was, Norax probably didn't take any consideration into assembling the more homely aspects of welcoming a person into their new home, such as providing clothes. It's something she really shouldn't miss, but misses nonetheless.
I pull out two pairs of fleece pants and plain t-shirts, setting them down on one of the dressers outside the closet. With the aid of my wardrobe, Lex probably won't notice Norax's negligence at all.
"What's this?"
I turn and find her holding up a black baseball cap, her fingers carefully gripping the visor's buckram lining. She's holding it upside down, but I can still make out the key embossed on the front in burnt gold.
My brows furrow at once. It's the hat I got from Chapter back in my first few weeks of becoming a Famoux memberââthe one that was gifted to him from the directors of his film Key. I haven't really pulled it out to look at it in months now. I had it placed moderately hidden on my bookshelf, high enough that not even I could reach it without the help of a stool, much less a girl as short as Lex.
We haven't even been in my bedroom for five whole minutes, yet Lex has already discovered something and is asking questions about it. When Norax said that some of the new members were going to try to uncover secrets, I didn't anticipate for the snooping to begin on the first night of their arrival.
"That . . . that's a hat," I say after a moment's hesitation.
She laughs, overtly girly. While a part of me is creeped out by this sudden invasion of privacy, another part of me feels like I'm about to embark on the sort of pleasant sleepover between friends I've never once had before in my life.
"Well, duh," she says. "What's it from?"
I attempt a logical explanation, half stumbling on my words, but she doesn't appear to be listening anyway. She examines the logo on the front with care, deducing her own thoughts out loud.
"Oh hey, I know!" Lex shakes the hat triumphantly. "This is from Key, right? I've seen this picture on movie posters for months."
"Uh . . . yes," I answer.
"Ugh, I just loved that movie. Bree and Chapter had so much chemistry." Perhaps it's my paranoia taking the reigns in this conversation, but I sense a glint of wickedness in her eyes when she asks me, "So why do you have this?"
I hesitate a second time. For being considered such an actress to the people of Delicatum nowadays, I would've hoped to be better at on-the-spot fabrication. Usually I have Cartney or Norax around to feed any lies and make things look correct, but when I'm on my own, in my room, faced with a question about Chapter Stones . . .
"We all got one of these," I finally say. My voice is cool, leveled, as if my statement is a completely obvious fact.
"Oh." She looks a little disappointed. "Really?"
I feel a quick surge of success before continuing my explanation; finally those acting skills are surfacing tonight. "The studio gave him a couple hats to take back to the other Famoux members. Most places do that when we film with them. Free publicity if we wear them to places, you know?"
If Lex was trying to debunk a hidden rumor, it's extinguished now. Her shoulders slump slightly, and she sets the hat down on the dresser, freshly uninterested in whatever secrets she was hoping to find with it's presence in my bedroom. She presented me with a challenge, and I proved her wrong. One point for the Classix.
I count my blessings almost instantaneously. A hat from a hit movie is easy to explain. If she were to have pulled out something like Chapter's t-shirt, well, I would probably be calling Cartney right now to warn him that the secret's out.
"You can have it," I add, pushing the cap toward her. My pulse is still surging from the close call, and I hope she doesn't notice. "I can always ask Chapter for another if I need it. They gave him about twenty extras."
"Really?" Lex takes it, her sweet smile returning to her face. "That's really nice of you to offer this to me."
"Of course. You're a Famoux member now. What's mine is yours."
Her brow raises in slight, just enough for me to notice, but it's returned back to normal before I can say a word. We decide to call it a night, changing into pajamas and taking turns brushing our teeth at the sink. I set up pillows and blankets on the couch, offering the bed for Lex. She seems surprised that I'd do such a thing, and is too stunned to turn it down.
It's only until a few hours later that night, staring up at the ceiling, that I remember a line Chapter wrote in his letter to meââthe one that was published in The X. Anybody who's talked about us enough times to be put into the Fanatix must've read this line a thousand times over by now:
Most importantly, you belong. My god, you belong. So basically, what's mine is yours.
xxx
Oooooooooo. Tell me your thoughts.
Meanwhile, I'll be checking your comments in a cap and gown. Wow. GRADUATION.
I'm about to make an extra post that I NEED NEED NEED you to check out and respond to. It's about that lovely Wattpad Block Party happening this summer...
I love you so much and hope that your Friday is fantastic. Remember:
Sticks and Stones may break your bones, but haters make you famoux. Stay classy, stay classix.