SEVEN: BEST FRIEND IN THE WORLD

KIMBERLY

After that day at the show, I noticed a car stalking me. It was everywhere I went. I had been scared McGilivary would press charges and my whole cover would be blown. It was three days now and I didn't hear anything from him or any legal representative. Of course, the news was all over the place, the next day. I just waited for my sins to catch up with me, I was waiting like an inmate waiting for an excursion. This was going to be the highest screw-up I would have ever done. My mother finally hired a delivery person which put me out of job again. It was three days now and nothing had happened. Maybe luck was on my side this time. But when I started noticing the car, I became scared, I had to talk to someone about my fears.

I couldn't talk to Iris because I didn't know how to start over and tell her that it was all a lie. So I was left to talk to my male best friend Pat. He was the only one I have not talked to since all the scandal began. Even as I went to his shop, I saw the car. Maybe, they were kidnappers trying to kidnap me because they heard I was McGillivary's girlfriend. Pat was cleaning when I came in.

"We are closed for the day!" he called without looking back.

I kept walking in, he turned saw it was me, and continued what he was doing. I knew he was mad at me. The other day when Khloe and her friends had dragged me to that event that had bored me to tears, I had promised Pat I would meet with him, but I have ditched him.

"Pat?" I called softly.

He didn't bother to look at me. "I am already going home, there is no more coffee."

"Come on Pat, you know I didn't come here for coffee. I'm sorry."

He turned to me and stared at me for a while. "Really? You are in a relationship with Liam McGillivary?"

"No, no, Pat it's not what you think."

"Then tell me what it is?" he demanded.

I wasn't sure why Pat was upset, whether it was because I disappointed him or because I was allegedly dating Liam, If it was because of Liam, I didn't expect him to react like that, even my dad, although he was not completely happy about it didn't react like him.

"The truth is that..." I glanced around. "Promise me, you won't get mad."

Pat stared at me for a while. "Let's sit," he said and gestured me to a seat. I sat down with him. "What happened? Talk to me, Kim."

I didn't know if telling Pat about it was going to be a great idea, but I needed someone to know the truth. "The truth is that I am not in any relationship with him—Liam McGillivary, I mean why would someone like him be doing with me?"

"It should be along the lines of what would someone like you be doing with someone like him? He has a reputation with women and for all I know, you are just another fling. But did you say you are not dating him? You said that on National TV and..."

"Okay, Pat, I know what I said but it was all a misunderstanding and I had to flow with it because for once I wanted to get something right, I wanted something that good to happen in my life." I didn't know that I could get emotional but tears welled up in my eyes and I blinked to push them back. "I just wanted to be noticed, I just wanted to be acknowledged, I never knew it would get this far," I was sobbing now.

Pat stood up and came and stood beside me, holding my shoulders. "Hey, you don't need to cry. I understand you but even at that, you are a perfect being and you are unique, don't let any other person tell you otherwise and you don't need to date McGillivary to be relevant."

"You are saying this because you are my best friend, but you won't understand how I feel when every other person is doing so well while I keep failing."

Pat squatted in front of me and held my hands. "Kim, you have something unique too. You write and that is unique about you."

I puffed and rolled my eyes. "Don't patronize me, Pat, you and I know that my writing sucks."

"No, I don't know that because you never allow anyone to read your book."

I chuckled despite myself and looked at him. "Thank you for not getting mad and judging me."

He reached over and stroked my cheek with his thumb, wiping my tear. "You are my best friend in the world."

I smiled. Pat had always been my pillar and my source of encouragement right from high school. "You are my best friend in the world too," I said.

"Does Iris know about this?"

I shrugged. "I couldn't bring myself to tell her. I don't want it to get out. I don't know what Liam plans to do with me, I am just waiting for the worst to happen."

"You can speak the truth, you know," Pat said standing up and starting towards the counter to get me a latte.

"I can't do that, I would disappoint a lot of people." As I said that, I imagined the look on my mum's face, the look on Khloe's, Donna's, Ashley's, Iris', and Brittney's faces, but it was the look on Shirley's face that made me miserable. I can't go and tell them the truth. "Pat?"

He turned and started walking towards me with a mug of latte. "Then you would be free and not carry the burden around with you." He dropped the mug in front of me.

"I kind of like the attention."

"You want fame but fame will have to find you, not the other way round, those that usually go after fame go about it the wrong way and they end up doing the things they regret later.

I sipped from the mug and looked at Pat for a while. He was right, only that it was the fame that found me. I didn't plan for any of it. Could this be the miracle I have been praying to happen in my life for a while? "Pat, I think someone has been stalking me for some days now," I said changing the topic.

"What?" Pat looked concerned. "Since when?"

"After the day I confirmed that Liam McGillivary was my boyfriend. I keep seeing this car everywhere I go."

"Have you reported to the police yet?"

I opened my mouth to talk but I was interrupted by the ringing of my phone. I took it out of my pocket and looked at the screen, it was an unknown number, I stared at it for a while scared of answering it.

"Are you alright? Is everything okay?" Pat asked peering at me.

I glanced at him. "Sure," I said and returned my gaze to my phone.

"Who is that?" Pat asked.

"Oh, my dad," I replied and slid to the answer icon and put it on my ear. "Hello."

"Good evening, Miss Kimberly Nordstorm," a voice of an older man said from the other end.

My heart flew a thousand miles away and I glanced at Pat who was watching me and stood up, indicating with my hands that I would be outside. I quickly went outside the shop. "Who is this and how did you get my contact?"

"Relax, my name is Hugh White, I work for McGillivary..."

I put my hand over my mouth to stop myself from gasping. It was finally here. He had sued me. What was I going to do? How will I face my family? I glanced back at the shop, Pat had resumed cleaning. "What? Am I in trouble?" I asked and wished I could take it back.

"I can't say but don't you think you owe Liam McGillivary an explanation?"

"Yes, yes," I agreed nervously.

"I will be there to pick you up at nine a.m. so be ready."

I was dumbfounded. I didn't find anything to say until the man hung up. I slowly walked back to Pat's shop.

"Is everything alright?" Pat asked once I entered.

"Yes, my dad wanted to know what was keeping me out so late," I said hoping my voice sounded firm enough and that he couldn't see through my front. "I need to leave now."

"Alright, I will drop you off. Let me just round up."

I lowered myself on a seat so that I won't fall before he turns to do whatever he wanted to do.