Read Online Apple's Angst by Rebecca Eckler - Free Book Online Page B

Happy over the edge.
    â€œWhat was he doing here?” Apple asked Morgan, trying to not sound overly curious. She knew if she didn’t get the details, though, Happy would kill her.
    â€œOh, celebrities come by a lot to meet with our editors. They think it will help them get good press if they meet us in person and take some photos with us,” Morgan explained. “You’ll get used to it. Think of it as a perk of the job,” she added, with a wink.
    â€œDoes it?” wondered Apple. “Does it help them get into the pages of
Angst?”
    â€œWhat do you think? Of course it does. They’re niceto
Angst
, and
Angst
is nice to them. Plus, all the fabulous musicians love Sloan, so we love him too.”
    â€œHe said he liked my hair,” she admitted, realizing she was smiling.
    â€œOh, no. You already have a celebrity crush and you haven’t even started here yet! Be careful,” advised Morgan. “He’s known as a womanizer. But then again, what male celebrity isn’t? I have a rule to never date anyone in the entertainment industry. They’re too self-obsessed.”
    â€œHe only said he liked my hair!” Apple said, defending herself. “Don’t worry. I have a boyfriend.”
    â€œYou don’t fool me,” responded Morgan playfully but knowingly. “You’re all flushed. I can tell you’ve just been bitten by the celebrity bug! It’s always exciting to meet your first celebrity in person. Well, aside from your mother.”
    As if! thought Apple. She wouldn’t admit just how out of touch she was with the world of celebrities. In fact, Apple was thinking it might be a good idea to ask Happy to give her a crash course on that world and tell her what websites she should be checking out.
    â€œSpeaking of celebrities,” Apple said, “do you happen to know where my mother is?”
    â€œLast I saw her she was regaling a group of fans in the kitchen with stories of the best and worst of the
Queen of Hearts
. I wish I could have stuck around, but if Nancy saw me away from my post, she’d kill me. I have to be at her beck and call practically 24/7. People just love your mother, don’t they?”
    â€œYes,” Apple said, trying to put on the kindest smileshe could muster. It was so like her mother to get all the attention on the day that was supposed to be about her.
    â€œTake a seat and I’ll go find her,” Morgan said.
    Apple noticed another girl, sitting on the couch flipping through a magazine. She looked around Apple’s age, even though she was wearing a lot of makeup. The girl looked at her briefly, just long enough to give Apple a disgusted sneer before going back to her magazine. Apple knew it had to be Emme, the other intern Fancy Nancy had talked so glowingly about.
    What is up with her? Apple wondered. She couldn’t deny it. Even with all that makeup, the girl was pretty. She was more than pretty—Emme was in Happy’s league of pretty. She was wearing something way more fabulous than Apple was. She looked as fashionable as Morgan and even Fancy Nancy. Clearly, Emme wasn’t as insecure as Apple either. She seemed calm and collected, as if she did these kinds of meetings just as often as she brushed her teeth.
    Apple wondered if she should introduce herself. She hated herself for even wondering. She hated that she was so shy. She always had. She had to—had to!—get over her shyness. She was now an employee—well, an intern—at
Angst
magazine. She was part of the
Angst
family, and weren’t you supposed to be nice to other family members? Apple knew she would have to stop being so self-conscious if she was going to make it in this business, or at least make a good impression. Plus, the fact that Sloan Starr had just been so nice to her had given her a confidence boost that surprised even her.
    And what was it Happy had said? That she had to be a “better