Free A Beautiful Rock by Lilliana Anderson

and says, "I’m not lonely, Marcus. I'll have you know that I'm actually very good company to myself, and besides I have Perry."
    I nod my head , unsure what I said that’s made her seem so annoyed.
    “What does that mean?” she snaps.
    Holy shit. “Nothing. I just–” She cuts me off before I have the chance to form a full sentence.
    “ Who the hell are you to knock my life? I’m not the one chasing you down just so I can have a friend. I have friends. I just don’t need lots of fake friends. Isn’t that the whole reason you’re here? You’re sick of fake friends? Maybe you should try living in your own bubble for a little while. It might help you figure out what kind of a life you want for yourself. It might show you what kind of a man you really are.”
    Whoa, I wasn’t expecting that reaction. “ Hey, I didn’t mean any offence by it.”
    “See, this is what pisses me off about you people. You think you can just sweep in and fuck around with my life and then swoop out again when you’re done with me. Talk about fake friends.” She folds her arms across her chest and turns her head away from me so she’s looking out the window.
    “What? Where the hell is this coming from?”
    She folds her arms tighter. “Nowhere. I’m just generalising.”
     

Lisa
     
    Ok, so maybe I over reacted a little. But as you may have guessed, Marcus isn’t the first brush with fame I’ve had and spending time with him is just making all of these old feelings, I’ve tried to forget, resurface.
    Remember that boyfriend I told you about? Well, when we first started dating, he had just landed a spot on one of the hottest weeknight dramas in Australia, and I was so proud to be dating the latest heartthrob to hit the streets. I believed him when he said that the tabloid photos of him with other women were just for show...
    Besides the cheating, fame changed him. It made him cocky and self-obsessed. When I look back on our relationship now, I wish I had turned tail and run the moment he announced his profession. I was stupid enough to think I could handle it, and to overlook things that, under normal circumstances, would set alarm bells ringing.
    I know I’ve already said this, but I was naïve, and I was beyond stupid. I’m never letting that happen to me again. I’d prefer to be alone forever.
    As we drive down the long stretch of freeway, Marcus’s phone starts to ring.
    He glances at it, but ignores it.
    “Aren’t you going to answer that?” I ask when it starts its second round of ringing.
    “It’s my manager,” he replies flatly.
    “Well, if he’s calling you on a Saturday, it must be important right?”
    “It will be about going to some sort of event tonight. I’m not interested.”
    “Ok, but isn’t that part of your job?”
    He glances at me. “Do you want me to go?”
    “I don’t know. Who the hell am I to decide what you do with your time?”
    “I think we’ve already established that you seem to be the only real friend I have.”
    “Marcus…” I start, not really knowing what else to say right now. I feel bad for snapping at him.
    “What?”
    I turn and look at him. “I like spending time with you. I really do. But… you can’t just push into my life and stay there. I need my own space.”
    He grips the steering wheel tighter as his phone starts to ring again.
    “It seems important,” I press.
    “I don’t give a fuck if it’s important,” he growls, picking up the phone and switching it to silent before throwing it into the back seat. “Don’t you get it Lisa? I’m so sick and tired of that sort of shit. I just want one normal weekend. One normal friend . I haven’t felt like I’m Marcus Bailey all day. I actually prefer to be called ‘dude’ by you than Marcus by anyone else. You’re real. Do you understand that? I want normal .”
    He doesn’t know me. “I. am not normal. You. are not normal . Don’t you get that, Marcus? This friendship you’re trying to force into