Page 81 of Rumor Has It

Wren’s heart stopped. She and Rebecca literally just discussed keeping their relationship on the DL so that they wouldn’t get kicked off the National Team. Just their close family and friends. At least until the end of the year when their contracts would re-set.

“Andy, wait. Don’t do this,” Wren said. “That could really fuck up a lot for me.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Maybe you should have thought about that before you cheated on me with your skanky ex,” Andy shot back.

Wren slammed the door. Rage and fear were coursing through her, but no one got to call Rebecca skanky and get away with it. She slid the chain free and opened the door all the way, stepping out onto the breezeway. “Let me say this as plainly as possible. Do not call her that. And for the last time, I didn’t cheat on you. But you know what? I should have dumped you sooner. That photo should have been the last straw. You’re a vain narcissist, and I am so much happier without you in my life. This better be the last time I see you.”

Wren stepped back into her apartment and slammed the door.

“Fuck,” she whispered. She turned her attention to Barbara and Rebecca, who had absolutely snuck as close as possible to hear both sides of the conversation. “Well,” Wren said, wiping her hands down her face. “We’re officially fucked.”

Rebecca crashed into her with a big hug. “No, we’re not. It’s going to be okay. Maybe I can get an uber out of here before anyone shows up.”

Wren shook her head. “Nah, you’re not running, Rebecca. I’m not doing that. I’m not ashamed of you or embarrassed by you. The world can think whatever they want to think, but I’m not spoon-feeding them a narrative. The timeline looks suspicious. Articles are already out. We’ve lost that battle. I’m a playboy cheater who broke an up-and-coming model's heart. It is what it is.”

“But if they can’t get pictures of me here, then we can deny it to Coach Jameson and Coach T,” Rebecca said.

“There’s no way she’s not waiting in her car down there ready for us to try to sneak you out before whoever she’s calling shows up,” Wren sighed. “I think we’re just going to have to face the music.”

“But, Wren, what about your apartment?” Rebecca asked. “If you get kicked off the team, you already said you’d lose sponsorships.”

“Is one of your brothers really a lawyer?” Wren asked.

“Yeah, Daniel is,” Rebecca said.

“If shit gets really nasty, do you think we could talk to him in a pinch?”

Rebecca nodded. “Yeah, I think so. I think for me he’d step up.”

“Okay. Well, if we need to do a cease-and-desist thing on Andy, I’ll have to ask you for his number.” Wren turned her attention to Barbara. “I’m more worried about this one,” she pointed to her little sister.

“Me?” Barbs asked. “You guys are, like, genuinely being blackmailed right now, and you’re worried about me?”

“Yep,” Wren said. “All I need is for two women to exit my apartment. And I love you, kiddo, but we don’t look a damn thing alike. I sincerely doubt anyone Andy’s connected with is going to care enough to do their research.”

“Oh, shit,” Rebecca said. “But she’s a minor. Surely they won’t put her in a magazine without her, like, I don’t know, signing a waiver?”

“Have you ever been asked to sign a waiver?” Wren answered a little more snarkily than she intended. “Sorry,” she murmured. “I just meant, they don’t care. They’re vultures.”

For the first time, Barbara looked a little panicked. “I can’t be in a magazine. I would never hear the end of it at school.”

“I know, Barbs. I’m going to call my dad. He and Linda can come get you on their way to the game. I sincerely think that any photographers who show up—if any even do—will leave after they get pictures of us. Okay?” Wren asked, but the question was rhetorical. This was all her fault, and she’d feel guilty forever if Barbara’s photo ended up in some trashy magazine affiliated with her in any way.

“Okay,” Barbara said. “I’m sorry, Wren. I know I’ve called Andy a bitch before, but holy shit. She’s a bitch.”

“Yeah, well, I just wish I had seen it sooner.” She looked at Rebecca. “This isn’t going to be pretty. You know that, right?”

Rebecca shrugged. “I love you. We’ve gotten through six years of shit. This isn’t going to do us in. I’m with you the whole way, Wren.”

That hit Wren like a sack of bricks. She hadn’t realized how much she’d needed to hear that. On top of everything else, this whole thing with Rebecca still felt precarious in a way she hadn’t put words to. She hadn’t even let herself think about it. She’d been too busy being swept away by how right it all felt. “I love you, too,” she said, her words carrying the weight of just how much she meant them.

“What do you want to do about the National Team?” Rebecca asked.

Wren sighed. “I think it’s going to be best if we just come clean about it. I can talk to Courtney today and get her take on everything. She might know some way we could find a workaround for the contract.”

“Hey, Bird?” Barbara said, a small smile locking itself on her face. “I think I have an idea.”

Wren Eames had never once in her life done or participated in a livestream. So, naturally, as soon as her feed went live, thousands of fans joined in. She felt like she could puke. Her palms were sweaty, and she was definitely shaking.