Free Fangirl by Ken Baker Page B

over to the foggy city by the bay.
    But, for Peter, having to sit in the same private jet cabin as Sandy made it seem like ten hours. Normally they would be sitting side by side, laptops out, watching a movie or chatting or playing Words with Friends to pass the time. Now he was playing the avoid-eye-contact-at-all-costs game. It was Awkward. Make that AWKWARD.
    He wasn’t sure whether breaking up with her midtour was the right decision, or if it was the wrong decision at an especially wrong time. When the jet came to a stop in front of the private aviation building and the pilot opened the door, Peter grabbed his travel duffel bag and stepped out into the foggy late afternoon air. He waved to a few dozen fans, who screamed with glee on the other side of a chain-link security fence as he walked down the steps.
    Sandy came up to him as he walked across the tarmac to an awaiting car.
    They hadn’t exchanged a single word on the plane, but Peter knew he couldn’t spend the next two months avoiding her like this. They would eventually have to talk.
    Peter stopped and faced her as Bobby, Abby, Big Jim, and the rest of the touring crew pulled the baggage from the plane and the entourage filed out of the tricked-out 737 with @P ETER M AXX N OW painted on the sides in red and black block letters.
    â€œI’m sorry about last night.” Sandy flashed her blue puppy eyes. “I was probably a little harsh.”
    â€œI’m sorry too,” he immediately melted. “Maybe I shouldn’t have said what I did.”
    â€œThat’s the thing,” she interrupted, grabbing his hand. “You were right. I think we might be better off as friends. It’s just so intense, with the tour, and all the media attention, all the crazy girls always fighting for your attention.”
    â€œIt’s not about other girls,” he quickly added. “It’s about me, and what I want.”
    â€œYou’re right. I didn’t mean it that way. I mean, your fans are my fans. I appreciate them. I was totally wrong last night.”
    Peter felt relieved. But, more than that, he was shocked. He couldn’t believe Sandy was taking being, well, dumped so calmly. “Sandy, you know we’ll always be friends.” He gave her a hug.
    â€œI know.” She pressed her cheek against his.
    The squealing fans got louder when they saw Peter and Sandy embrace as Big Jim eyeballed the crowd for any potential fence hoppers.
    Sandy released Peter and turned her back to the crowd. She lowered her voice. “The only thing I’m worried about,actually, is the fans. Look at them over there. They love all this Pandy stuff. They’re already nuts about our duet coming out in the fall, and if the media found out we weren’t dating—and like right in the middle of the tour—it could be a total PR nightmare. For everyone.”
    He glanced over at a heavyset girl with frizzy black hair decked out in a Peter Maxx concert T-shirt about two sizes too small for her who was poking her camera through a hole in the fence. She was crying. Happy tears. Peter blew her a kiss and she nearly fell over like one of those just-healed churchgoers at the hands of a hyper televangelist.
    As much as Peter wanted to make a clean break, he knew Sandy was right. To go public would just create a whole new set of headaches for him: tabloid rumors, the label execs’ oldster blood vessels would stroke out, Abby would be fielding calls every day from reporters about who he was or wasn’t linked to, and, not that he cared so much, but all those silly gay rumors that hounded him before he began dating Sandy would annoy the heck out of him once again. Plus, it wasn’t like he had any other special girl in his life already. In fact, he was looking forward to being alone for a while.
    Over and beyond Sandy’s left shoulder, Peter could see a couple of paparazzi guys standing on apple boxes, focusing on them with