Free Hated (Rock Star Trilogy) by Mercy Amare Page A

me to write a few more songs for the album, so I figured while we were on our way to New York I would. Maybe Bridgett can help me write.”
    “Good idea.”
    “So how was sightseeing yesterday with Mona?” I ask.
    “It was actually good. We talked a little about everything, and I feel like I’ve gotten to know her a lot better. It’s crazy to think that I actually have a sister. I wish Dad could have gotten to know her. He would have loved her.”
    His words surprise me. “That’s quite a change. You two hated each other when I first came to Hope.”
    “You changed everything, Scar. I feel so lucky to even know you. Without you, Mona would still be hating me. I would be the loner. I wouldn’t know… And I will admit, Mona and I still fight, but it’s different now. We’re brother and sister. It’s more like sibling rivalry.”
    “That’s awesome.” I think about my own fights with Bridgett. I love my sister, despite our fights. If anything, I feel like our fights bring us closer together.
    “I talked to Mona about my dad. She wanted to know about him, so we spend three hours walking down the streets of Hollywood talking,” Stephan tells me. “Oh, and people asked for our autographs! They had seen me and Mona on ads for your documentary, and they recognized us. It was pretty awesome.”
    I remember the first time somebody asked for my autograph. I was so excited. I actually took a picture of us together so I could keep it. I still have it in a scrapbook somewhere. “Pretty soon you won’t be able to walk anywhere without a bunch of people asking for your autograph. You’ll get sick of it.”
    “Probably,” he agrees. “But it was pretty awesome. Mona was more excited than me.”
    “Mona was meant to be a star.”
    “Yes, she was.”
    Bob knocks on our door. “We need to be leaving for the airport now.”

    7:24 PM
    This is my normal.

    When we get on the airplane, Mona freaks out. It’s her first time on a private jet, so to say that’s she’s ecstatic would be an understatement.
    “Your life is a dream,” she says, as she buckles her seatbelt. “Day trips to New York City in a private jet, Sunday afternoons on a yacht… It’s crazy!”
    I smile, because I used to think just like her. I miss the excitement of it all. I mean, my life still feels like a dream, but this is my normal . Having Mona around helps me remember what it was like when I first started.
    “I heard somebody asked for your autograph yesterday,” I say.
    “Yeah! Oh my God, it was awesome! Some teenage girl totally freaked out, and said she saw me on a commercial for the documentary! It was freaking awesome!” Mona let out a squeal. “I still can’t believe that this is real. I never thought in a million years that I would be on a private jet with Scarlett Ryan .”
    “We’re family,” I remind her.
    “I know! I went my whole life being an only child, wishing that I had a sibling. Turns out I had one the whole time.”
    The pilot comes back, and makes sure we are buckled up before taking off. I watch as Mona and Bridgett both hold onto their seat as we take off. I turn to Stephan, who looks completely calm.
    “Are you nervous about your interview?” Stephan asks me.
    “Definitely not,” I answer. “I’ve done this a lot. I think I stopped being nervous after the third television interview.”
    “What’s the biggest crowd you’ve ever played in front of?”
    I think about his question for a second. “Well, Madison Square Garden was a huge concert. There was over eighteen thousand people there, and it was televised. Over thirty million people watched the show live. I’ve done that two times now.”
    “Wow.”
    “Yeah, it was awesome.”
    “Were you nervous at all?” he asks.
    “Well, the first time I was sixteen years old. I had been touring for a while, but I was a little nervous right before I went on stage. The second I started singing, all my nerves faded away and I was just excited. It was one of