Page 39 of Cosplay & Consequences

Looking forward to tomorrow night buddy! You’re going to be fantastic! No hard feelings about Paige?

I opened the door to our suite to hear Faye and Paige bickering with each other.

“Mom!” Faye stood in front of the couch, pouting at Paige with her arms crossed.

Paige didn’t even pull her attention away from her phone, tapping away, her thumbs going a mile a minute. “No. Absolutely not.”

“Nothing is going to happen!” Faye pleaded.

“Nothing is going to happen, because I said no,” Paige said in a flat tone, not even looking up from her phone.

Faye let out a huff. “I know these people! I may never get the chance to meet them again.”

Paige shook her head. “You don’t know who these people are from the internet. They’re probably all guys with gross beards pretending to be teenage girls.”

I shut the door, and they both turned to look at me.

Paige pulled her attention away from her phone and smiled. “Hey! How did it go with Sebastian and Jessica?”

“Uh. Fine. Why is Alfie texting me about you and saying no hard feelings?”

Faye and Paige froze in place, their eyes wide in shock.

“This can’t be good.” I took a seat on the chair opposite them, a knot forming in my stomach.

Paige threw her phone on the couch. “Shit.”

“Tell him,” Faye whispered.

“You tell him,” Paige whispered back.

“He’s your brother.”

“Yeah, but he likes you!”

I let out a sharp whistle, and their faces snapped back to look at me. “What’s going on?” I demanded.

Paige sighed. “He wasn’t supposed to say anything until he filmed the trailer. Dumbass,” she grumbled.

I started to clench my fist, my impatience getting the better of me. “Say anything about what?”

Faye rolled her eyes, already fed up. “Mom got a new job. She’s going to work for Alfie as a producer.”

It felt like a gut punch. I couldn’t move. My brain felt numb, and Paige was unnaturally quiet, not able to meet my gaze.

Faye observed the back and forth between us and sighed. “Alfie is executive producing a new series for Primary at the end of the season. He’s been trying to recruit Mom for months.”

Paige looked away from me, her chin dropping to her chest.

I took a deep breath as it all sank in. As the shock wore off, a surge of pride replaced the anxiety, and a smile came over my face. “This is amazing.”

Paige spun back towards me, her jaw falling open. “What?”

I got up and pulled her into a hug. “It’s amazing!” I shouted. “You’re made for this!”

Paige pushed me away, her hands trembling. “I’m not taking it. I’ll call him and tell him no.”

“Oh, no you will not!”