Influence

Chapter 9

His dates made for great drinking games. Every time the woman sitting across from him mentioned his stepsister, he'd throw one back.

"How magical it must be to be a part of Goldie's world."

Drink.

"What was Goldie like before she became famous?"

Drink.

"You'll introduce me to Goldie, won't you?"

Drink.

"Does Goldie know you drink this much?"

He waved at the bartender to bring him another.

Tonight marked the fourth date in a row like this, Jasper swiping right on his stepsister's sycophants to torture himself for messing everything up so badly, for fixating on what he had no right to spend brain cells on.

"It's not your fault," he told tonight's Goldie Girl, Daisy.

Daisy swirled the straw around the ice cubes in her Mai Tai. "What's not?"

"That I'm getting drunk."

"Damn right it's not."

The bartender brought over another bourbon. A shimmer of amber liquid rose like a tidal wave as he placed it on the table, and then settled into the bottom third of the glass. Jasper slid it closer to himself. "To answer your questions, it's not magical, Goldie was a normal kid, no, and yes. Oh hey, I said her name this time."

He picked up his glass.

Drink.

Slammed it back on the table.

Daisy glared. "Excuse me for trying to act interested in you."

"So, you admit you're acting. Thanks for your honesty. Very refreshing." He leaned against the booth's plush leather divider.

"You're a lot nicer in Goldie's videos."

Drink.

"You're not the only one who can act." Jasper spent his life surrounded by actors, most with no ambition for the screen but plenty of interest in getting what they wanted. The only difference between them was his sense of self-awareness. Everyone else seemed to believe they were the person who they were pretending to be.

Almost everyone else. She realized it, but she hid from herself anyways. His stomach twitched like it was trying to spare his liver what was to come. Bile built up deep in his throat.

"No wonder that Tam chick cheated on you." Daisy scowled at him from the opposite side of the booth. Might as well be the opposite side of a football field, or a continent. "Are you like this with Goldie too?"

He reached for his glass but stopped when his phone buzzed from the pocket of his jacket.

A text from Paul. Normally he ignored his father's communications when they came mid-date but this time it was a welcome excuse to ignore Daisy's last question. He opened the text.

Just saw Tam running from Goldie's apartment. Something wrong with her?

Jasper stared at the words on the screen. Something was always wrong with Tam, sure, but fuck if he could guess what sent her into panic mode this time.

Did you ask her?

No. She rushed by. I'm worried about her.

Fuck you are. You don't even like Tam.

Either do you.

Jasper typed like each letter was a little ball of spite. Did I say I was worried about her? I don't care.