Free Over It (The Kiss Off #2) by Sarah Billington

I didn't want to walk through all those music journalists who had done their research – or hell, had simply watched TV in the last two months – realizing who was walking by.
    I definitely didn't want the photographers realizing.
    "Trust me," Nikki said, nodding earnestly.
    "Oh God." I buried my head in my hands for a second. My stomach fluttered again. I wished it would stop doing that. "Okay. Okay . Let's do this."
    Mads and Nikki jumped out of the car and we walked casually past the media vans and makeup artists giving their VJs and journalists a touch up before they went inside. I noticed red lanyards around just about every neck with Bay Fest Press passes attached. My neck felt conspicuously empty.
    One of the paparazzos leaning against the hotel's side wall, sucking on a cigarette turned his attention to us, watching us casually as we ascended the short flight of concrete steps to the front door, the fans and beefy security guards.
    Hamish gave the closest guard a nod and said, "Hey, man."
    "Can I help you?" he said.
    "We're here to see someone," I mumbled, flicking my glance toward the fans. The front ones listened closely.
    "Name?"
    "Tyler Madigan," I mumbled quietly.
    "Oh my God, you know Ty?" the front two girls started screaming and jumping up and down, which set off a chain reaction in the huddle of fans. The group shouldered each other closer and I scurried a couple of steps back, closer to the guard.
    "Are you on the list?"
    "You’re not Barry, are you,” I said. “I don't know, he just told me-"
    "Poppy?"
    It was an automatic reaction. I shouldn't have done it, but I turned around. At my confirmation, the paparazzo who had called my name pushed himself off the wall and tossed his cigarette in a bush while raising his camera to his face.
    It hadn't even been a second or two before flashes were going off and the photographers scrambled closer.
    Hamish, Nikki and Mads tensed, looking around as heads turned in our direction.
    "It's Poppy Douglas! It's Poppy Douglas!" the same girl started screaming my name and half a dozen camera phones were shoved in my face. “I love you!”
    "This is bad," Mads said.
    This caught the journalists attention and red lights flicked on on DVR cameras and they closed in like a swarm of deadly bees.
    Oh crap.
    "Poppy!"
    "Poppy!"
    "Poppy!"
    The security guard shifted from foot to foot uncertainly. "Uh, Miss?"
    "Barry, she's okay!" My heart leapt with gratitude at the sight of Ty in the lobby. He waved us forward. "Let them through, man!"
    With that, Barry stepped aside while the other guy held out his arms against the media and fans, and I, Hamish, Nikki and Mads slipped into the air conditioned comfort of the Burlington Grand Hotel.
    "That wasn't so bad," Mads said, glancing over her shoulder at the now crowded doorway.
    My heart was thumping against my rib cage. "Could have been worse," I agreed.
    "It could have been worse than that?" Hamish asked, straightening his tee shirt, clearly ruffled by the whole experience.
    "Uh yeah," Mads said, "it really could have."
    At least it was over.
    “Do you think we’ll be in the paper?” Hamish asked.
    I shrugged. I didn’t want to think about it. “More likely we’ll be in a super fan’s scrapbook until the end of time,” I said.
    “Really?” Mads said. “I hadn’t thought of that. Shit, is my hair okay?”
    We ignored her.
    I couldn’t imagine going through that every time I left the house. Hopefully the fans and paps would be gone by the time we left later, but I wasn’t counting on it. But I'd cross that bridge when I came to it. How was I still interesting to them? I wrote one hit song for God’s sake.
    But then I remembered who I was visiting. How had I forgotten? I quickened my pace and ran the last twenty yards across the lobby to Ty. He opened his arms and, both grinning like lunatics, I dove into his hug. He picked me up and twirled me around, kissing me hard on the lips.
    When he set me down, Ty squeezed my hands,