It hits me then that this is the madness that Ace was trying so hard to protect me from. He knew this was going to be bad. He knew it would be just like this.

“What the hell happened here?” Birdie asks, glancing around my trashed trailer. “Were you robbed?”

I nod. “Ace thinks Jeremy did it.”

Birdie raises her hand to her face. “Oh. My. God. Did Ace kill Jeremy? Is that why all the reporters are here?”

I roll my eyes. “No, but he did beat him up pretty good. They hauled Jeremy off in an ambulance, but he seemed fine, if you ask me. He went out of his place cussing up a storm, yelling to anyone who would listen that he was going to sue Ace’s ass.”

She furrows her brow. “That’s it? Why all the reporters then for a fight?”

I sigh. “I might as well tell you now. The secret’s out.”

“What secret?” She tilts her head, making her blond hair fall to one side.

“Ace . . . he’s . . . well . . . you know that missing rock star the world seems to be searching for?”

“Yeah . . . Iris, I’m confused.”

“Ace is the missing rock star,” I blurt out.

Her dark brown eyes widen. “Wait a minute. You’re telling me that Ace is Ace White of Wicked White?” I nod and Birdie squeals. “Are you sure? How long have you known?”

“Whoa.” I laugh. “Slow down.”

“I can’t help it,” she retorts excitedly. “It’s not every day that your best friend dates a rock star who’s been in hiding from the entire world in her trailer. I mean, it sucks that all the reporters are here, but it’s an amazing situation.”

So we sit down at my kitchen table and I tell her . . . everything. It feels good to finally be able to tell someone just how much I love Ace and what he means to me. I would like to believe that this will be just a small road bump for us, but honestly, after how I just treated him, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ace hates me.

I know lying about not trusting him enough to leave with him had hurt him, but I did it to save him from this chaos, since he wasn’t ready to be found yet.

“That day at Angel’s—with Melody—she’s the anonymous tipster, isn’t she?” Birdie asks.

I nod. “Yeah. I’m almost positive it was her.”

“Do you think she did it because she wanted the reward money?”

“What reason would she have other than that?” I ask. “She really didn’t stand to gain anything else.”

“That’s fucked up,” she says, and then she pauses for a beat. “Besides all that . . . how was the sex with Ace?” A fierce blush floods my cheeks, causing her to giggle. “That good, huh?”

I nod. “It was . . . gah! Amazing. I mean, he’s so romantic, and he actually loves to quote Shakespeare.”

My mind drifts off to what the good times with Ace were like. A weight settles over my heart and presses down at the thought that I may never have those with him again.

Birdie rests her chin in her hand as she stares at me with a huge grin on her face. “He actually quotes Shakespeare?” I blush and nod. “Wow. He’s like the perfect man for you, Iris. He’s all artsy and deep and shit. Kind of makes me feel bad for believing he was some outlaw serial killer.” She sighs and there’s an odd flicker of sadness in her eyes. “What are you two going to do now?”

I lean back in my chair. “I hurt him bad, Birdie. He’s not going to forgive me easily. And to make matters worse, I have no clue where he is or how to even start looking for him. I don’t know if I’m ever going to get the chance to apologize.”

Birdie stretches her arm across the table and takes my hand. “When things cool down, he’ll come back for you. He’ll come to his senses eventually and realize that you said what you did to save him.”

I give her hand a squeeze. “I hope so.”

CELEBRITY POP BUZZ NIGHTLY

A panoramic view of Willow Acres Mobile Home Community shows all the dilapidated trailers set in two neat rows with a gravel road separating them before the camera focuses on its star reporter. Her blond hair shifts in the slight breeze as she smiles and gazes directly into the lens.

“Good evening, America. This is Linda Bronson coming to you live from the sleepy little town of Sarahsville, Ohio, where this small community has just been rocked with the revelation that they’ve had a celebrity hiding out among them for months. That’s right, we’ve confirmed that Ace Johnson, also known as Ace White, has been living in this run-down trailer for the past three months, mixing among the locals and even working as a handyman. It’s unknown why Ace picked this location, but one thing is clear, he did not want to be found.

“The police tracked Ace to this trailer park after a nine-one-one call came into the local authorities here reporting a disturbance at the residence across the street, owned by one Jeremy Winkler. There appears to have been an altercation between Mr. Winkler and Ace White, who fled the scene before the police arrived. Allegedly, Mr. White has been involved in a romantic affair with the owner of this mobile home community, Iris Easton”—the screen flips to video of Iris walking to her trailer, attempting to block her face from the camera, and repeating no comment—“but so far Ms. Easton has refused to issue an official statement about her relationship with Ace White.

“Wicked White’s tour manager, Jane Ann Rogers, did tell us that she’s ecstatic that there has been an update in Mr. White’s disappearance and wants to implore Ace to reach out to her, allowing her to help him with whatever struggle he’s going through.