Free Halfway Perfect by Julie Cross

me,” she says with her thick French accent. “I like acting. And maybe it won’t be for too long, right?”
    â€œI hope not,” I blurt out and then immediately regret it when I see the look on her face. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that I don’t really know you. And besides, you’re…” A child. The same age as my little sister.
    â€œI understand.” She flashes me a smile and then both of us are being called over to hair and makeup. “Kara explained it to me. We’re both professionals during the shoot, so there’s nothing to pretend while we’re here.”
    I let out a breath, relieved that we don’t have to look all coupley and in love or something when I’m trying to get through this job. I rest a hand on her shoulder and even that feels awkward and heavy. “Okay, don’t worry. Everything will be fine,” I tell her because it seems like something I should say. I am the adult in this pair. Technically speaking.
    The next couple of hours zip by. I hardly have time to breathe. But every time I’m not under the spotlight, I find my gaze drifting to Eve. She looks nervous, but she’s also right there on top of things. I watch Janessa go through a series of shots with her, and Eve makes suggestions on the lighting and angles, then Janessa shouts out directions to the crew, making the necessary changes.
    When we all get a break to eat, I almost sit by Elana, but she’s going through her schedule with the “assistant” and Eve is sitting by herself, picking at a bagel and writing furiously in a notebook that’s propped up on her knees. I plop down on the ground next to Eve and wait for her to notice me.
    She doesn’t look up from her notebook when she says, “So, I guess that One Direction concert worked out pretty well?”
    I laugh. “Yeah, sure.”
    â€œI love how her nanny looks like she’s ready to chop your balls off.”
    I stare at Eve, trying to rewind the past ten seconds and make sure I heard her correctly. “Did you just say nanny?”
    â€œAssistants don’t usually feed their bosses gummy vitamins and force them to open textbooks.” Eve sets her notebook down and turns to face me. “I know you’re not really dating her.”
    Uh-oh. Not good . I stuff a big piece of bagel in my mouth. “Yes, I am.”
    â€œLet me guess,” Eve says. “The designer wanted the two of you as a package deal. It wouldn’t be the first time a designer used real-life couples. But surely they aren’t telling people she’s fourteen, right?”
    The bagel congeals itself to the roof of my mouth. How does she know all this? I’ve only been in a fake relationship for a few days, and we’re already being outed by one person. I cough to keep myself from choking, and Eve hands me a bottle of water.
    â€œForget it,” she says. “You don’t have to answer that. It’s none of my business.”
    I take a big swallow of water and clear my throat. “It’s possible you’re right,” I admit, though some part of my brain is screaming at me to shut up before I ruin the lie Wes has worked hard to build.
    Surprise fills Eve’s face and I’m not sure whether she’s shocked to be right or shocked that I admitted it. She leans closer and lowers her voice. “Was it your idea?”
    â€œGod no,” I say without hesitation. “In fact, I got the plan after the story broke.”
    â€œSo how old is she now?”
    I take another swallow of water, keeping my eyes on Elana and her nanny. “Eighteen.”
    Eve laughs and picks up her notebook again. “It’s so typical, isn’t it? Goes right with the modeling world. You don’t like something, well, go ahead and make it look exactly how you want it to. Whatever amounts of lies and Photoshop that