Chapter One: The Girl Who Said No
539 Words
The auditorium erupted in applause.
Children laughed as they rushed toward their parents with handmade paintings and crooked paper crowns.
Amelia Brooks smiled from the front row.
Another school talent show successfully survived.
She bent down to help one of her students tie his untangled shoelaces.
“You were amazing today, Noah.”
The little boy grinned.
“I forgot my dance.”
“You remembered the important part.”
“What?”
“You had fun.”
His smile returned instantly.
Children were wonderfully easy to cheer up.
Adults…
Not so much.
As the last family left the school, Amelia gathered her books and coffee mug.
Her best friend, Lily, leaned against the classroom door.
“So…”
“You still coming tonight?”
Amelia frowned.
“Coming where?”
“The charity gala.”
“I told you.”
“I only agreed because the principal begged us to represent the school.”
Lily laughed.
“And because free food.”
“Mostly because free food.”
Two hours later…
Amelia stood inside the most luxurious hotel ballroom she’d ever seen.
Crystal chandeliers sparkled overhead.
Celebrities.
Athletes.
Politicians.
Business executives.
Everyone looked like they’d stepped off a magazine cover.
She looked down at her simple navy-blue dress.
“I definitely don’t belong here.”
Lily nudged her.
“Relax.”
“They’re just people.”
Amelia looked across the room.
“They’re very shiny people.”
Across the ballroom…
Nathan Hart smiled for another camera.
Flash.
Another smile.
Flash.
Another handshake.
Another interview.
Another fake laugh.
His cheeks hurt.
His jaw ached.
His patience was disappearing.
Oliver, his manager, stepped beside him.
“Ten more minutes.”
Nathan sighed.
“You’ve been saying that for an hour.”
“I’ve also been lying for an hour.”
Meanwhile…
A waiter carrying a tray of champagne accidentally bumped into Amelia.
“Oh!”
The tray tilted.
One glass flew through the air.
Straight toward Nathan.
Splash.
Silence.
Every camera turned.
Nathan’s designer tuxedo was soaked.
The waiter turned pale.
“I’m so sorry!”
Before the poor man could apologize again…
A famous actress standing nearby rolled her eyes.
“Honestly.”
“Some people shouldn’t be allowed into events like this.”
The comment made the waiter lower his head in embarrassment.
Amelia’s expression hardened.
She stepped forward.
“No.”
The room fell quiet.
She looked directly at the actress.
“It was an accident.”
“He’s working.”
“You’re wearing the expensive dress.”
“But he’s the one apologizing.”
“So maybe show a little kindness.”
The actress looked stunned.
“So you know who I am?”
Amelia shrugged.
“No.”
“And judging by your attitude…”
“I don’t think I want to.”
Several guests gasped.
Someone laughed.
Nathan looked at Amelia for the first time.
She wasn’t trying to impress anyone.
She wasn’t afraid of anyone.
She had just defended a stranger…
In a room full of cameras.
Nathan smiled.
For the first time all evening…
It wasn’t for the photographers.
It was real.
And somehow…
The woman who had no interest in celebrities had just become the most interesting person in the room.
- Writer
