Platinum (All That Glitters #3) Read online

  “I’ve still been around,” Trihn argued. “Plus, you practically live at E’s house.”

  “Whatever. Just get dressed. Stacia and Maya are coming, too.”

  “Maya is coming?” Trihn asked in disbelief. “She got out of work?”

  “I think she had a date with some football player. Drayton?”

  Trihn laughed. Of course Maya would actually follow through on dating the guy she’d randomly picked up at the bar at the start of school. “Really? So, she has the night off for a date, and she’s meeting us afterward?”

  “No, she’s canceling. This is an opportunity she couldn’t pass up, and you can’t either. So, go get dressed!”

  “Are you at least going to tell me what we’re doing?” Trihn asked.

  “Something that shows I obviously love you.”

  Trihn raised her eyebrows and waited. She wasn’t about to give up her own date with Damon for nothing.

  Bryna seemed to realize that Trihn wasn’t budging. She sighed dramatically and then pulled out a set of tickets from her purse. She flashed them in front of Trihn, who bounded out of her seat and snatched them up.

  “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God! You do love me! Chloe Avana tickets? First row!” she squealed.

  “Yeah. Keep it down.”

  “But you hate Chloe!”

  “But you love Chloe.”

  “And you love me,” Trihn said, wrapping her arms around Bryna. “How did you get these? I thought they were sold out.”

  Bryna shook her head. “Do you know who I am?”

  “Bryna Turner. Did you call your hotshot director dad or your big-time movie-star ex-boyfriend? I’m still swooning over Gates, you know? Gates Hartman!”

  “Yes, I know. Gates is…whatever. He wouldn’t have gotten them for me. He and Chloe don’t talk anymore. I just have connections. No woman ever tells all her secrets. You’ve just been spending so much time with the new boyfriend, and I wanted some girl time.”

  “Wait, wait, wait,” Trihn said. “We’re not boyfriend and girlfriend. We’re taking it slow.”

  “Slow fucking sucks,” Bryna deadpanned.

  “Well…not that slow.”

  “So, you’re fucking,” she said with a grin.

  “You’re so crude, Bri.”

  Bryna shrugged, as if that was the most obvious thing anyone had ever said.

  “But, yes, we’re sleeping together.”

  “Good. Everyone needs a good fuck. Who knew rebound dude would turn into fuck buddy slash boyfriend material?”

  Trihn shook her head and handed the tickets back to Bryna. “You’re ridiculous. You thought your boyfriend was gay the entire time you knew him, and now, you guys are together. If we want to talk about weird things, let’s start with E.”

  “Or not.”

  Trihn grinned. “I’m going to change. Can’t wait.”

  An hour later, all four girls were dressed to kill and on their way to the Chloe Avana concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Bryna had rented a limo, and as soon as they were seated in the back, Maya popped open a bottle of champagne. Bubbly was passed around, and they toasted to the epic girls’ night to follow.

  Trihn had called Damon earlier to cancel when she found out about the tickets. He hadn’t minded, especially since she’d sounded so excited. He’d said that he’d been called into Posse, but since they’d planned a date, he’d turned it down. Hopefully, he would be able to still work tonight now that he was free. He’d told her not to worry about it, and with first-row tickets to her favorite artist’s concert about to happen with her best friends, she was definitely heeding his advice.

  Their limo pulled up to the front of the MGM Grand, and the girls walked through the lobby and into the packed arena. Nearly seventeen-thousand people were seated within the venue, already screaming their heads off for Chloe’s sold-out show.

  Trihn was dazzled by the immense crowd. She had been to sold-out shows at Madison Square Garden at home, and this venue had the same vibe—exhilarating, heart-pounding, and hypnotic. It was a shot of adrenaline straight through the system. Nothing was better than thousands of people all endorphin-doping on the same music high.

  When they made it past the last barrier to their front-row seats, Maya grabbed Trihn’s hand. She was practically bouncing up and down. “I can’t believe this is real life.”

  “Every day in the life of Bryna Turner,” Trihn said, flipping her hair.

  Maya laughed. “She’s the best.”

  “Definitely.”

  “Can you guys believe these seats?” Stacia screamed. She threw her hands in the air and danced in a circle. “I don’t care who you had to blow to get these seats. I totally approve.”

  “So, do you think she’ll open or close with ‘Heartbreaker’?” Maya asked.

  “That’s my favorite!” Stacia squealed.

  “End,” Bryna deadpanned. She plopped down in her seat, less than enthused.

  “You’re killing me, Bri,” Maya said. “We all know you hate Chloe. Why did you get the tickets if you were going to mope?”

  “I’m not moping,” she said. “I did it because I love you guys, and I know you all love her music. That’s it.”

  “But really…why do you hate her?” Trihn asked. She could never get a straight answer out of Bryna about this.

  “I don’t hate her.”

  “But you don’t like her either.”

  Bryna shrugged. As the lights started to dim for the opening act, a girl screamed in her ear. Bryna turned around to face the girl and said a few choice words that probably shouldn’t have been directed at high school students. Stacia just cackled and sat down in her seat, ready for the hot up-and-coming musician, Matt Thompson, to play his set.

  Trihn sank into a seat next to Bryna and leaned over. “Are you ever going to tell me?”

  “No,” she said immediately. “It’s ancient history, and I’d like for it to stay that way.”

  “You hold a grudge like no one else.”

  Bryna’s blue eyes bore into hers. “For this, you would, too.” Trihn opened her mouth to ask more, but Bryna narrowed her eyes. “Just drop it, okay?”

  Trihn held her hands up and leaned back. “All right. Sorry. Thank you for the tickets even though she’s not your fave.”

  “Anything for my squad,” she said as the lights winked out.

  The crowd roared for Matt. He was a new act, but his music was already on the radio, thanks to his association with Chloe. Trihn liked his stuff and was glad that she would get to hear more of it now that he was opening for such a big star.

  Chloe came on next, and just as Bryna had predicted, she waited until the final encore to sing “Heartbreaker.” The girls were all breathless and humming with energy by the end of the show. Even Bryna had gotten into it. It seemed that, if she forgot who was singing the songs, she could enjoy the music. Chloe was a great performer, and it was crazy for Trihn to think that they were the same age. While she was slaving away in college, Chloe was touring the world, playing sold-out shows and making unforgettable movies. What a life!

  “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!” Trihn cried, throwing her arms around Bryna. “This was incredible.”

  “Seriously, Bri, you outdid yourself,” Maya said. “It was worth a canceled date.”

  Stacia nodded. “Totally.”

  “I had fun, too,” Bryna said. “So much fun that I’m glad I got these, too.” She pulled out shiny blue passes with Chloe’s face on them. Each ticket read Backstage Pass in shiny white letters.

  Trihn’s eyes bulged in shock. “You’ve been holding on to backstage passes this whole time and didn’t tell us?”

  “Ah!” Stacia screamed. She jumped up and down and did a twirl. “Backstage passes! Bryna is queen.”

  “I wasn’t going to go backstage if the show sucked,” Bryna said with a nonchalant shrug.

  “You’re insane,” Maya said. “Now, gimme one of those, and let’s go meet her!”

  Bry
na handed out the passes and then directed them to the backstage entrance. A hot bouncer stood at the door and checked their tickets before letting them pass. They had to pull Stacia away from his large muscled biceps before she did something totally Stacia-esque, like finding the nearest restroom for a quickie.

  The bouncer pointed them toward a small lounge where a line had already formed for people with passes.

  Bryna wrinkled her nose at the line. “I don’t do lines.”

  Trihn shook her head. “It’s not like you want to meet her. You already know her.”

  “Oh my God!” a girl in front of them cried. “You know Chloe Avana?”

  Bryna shrugged. “Whatever.” Then, she turned back to the girls. “I’m going to need a drink to get through this.” She wandered off without a backward glance.

  Trihn had no idea where she was going to find a drink. There wasn’t a bar in sight.

  The only time Trihn had been backstage where she wasn’t dancing was at a ballet that Preston had taken her to. They’d used his press passes from the magazine he was interning for and fucked backstage. She frowned at the memory. Sometimes, she wondered how she had been so young and reckless and utterly blind to him.

  The screams pulled her out of her negative thoughts, and she huddled together with Maya and Stacia at the back of the line. She didn’t care what Bryna thought about lines. She was not going to miss the opportunity to meet Chloe.

  “Can you believe this is happening?” Maya asked.

  Trihn shook her head, and Stacia looped arms with them. She was more than a head shorter than both girls and looked ridiculous, but she clutched on, bouncing around in her high heels with excitement.

  “This is going to be killer. Bri has the best surprises,” Stacia said. “This was worth giving up fuck-buddy privileges with Marshall for the night.”

  “So, what about Pace?” Maya asked. “I see you with him at Posse sometimes.”

  Stacia narrowed her eyes at Maya. “Pace Larson is the last person I want to think or talk about right now.”

  “So, you’re off again?” Trihn said.

  “Off forever. That asshole is sleeping with another cheerleader,” she snapped.

  “Aren’t you sleeping with another football player? The starting quarterback?” Maya pointed out.

  “So?”

  Maya’s eyes widened, and she laughed. It was clear that Stacia either didn’t see or didn’t care about the hypocrisy in her words.

  “Nothing,” Maya finally said. “You just still seem into him.”

  “I’m not,” Stacia said defensively.

  Trihn laughed and turned her attention back to the line. It had dwindled down to just a few people in front of them. The screams had ended, and there was Chloe.

  In her four-inch platform thigh-high boots, Chloe was at eye-level with Stacia and wearing a slick, straight black dress. Her dark hair was pulled up into a high ponytail at the top of her head, and her characteristic big brown eyes were rimmed in charcoal and highlighted with fake lashes. Her makeup was stage heavy with luscious cherry-red lips and contouring that could have only been achieved by a professional.

  Trihn was speechless. She had modeled and dealt with all manner of celebrities, but Chloe Avana turned her into a fourteen-year-old fangirl.

  “Great show!” Stacia cried. “It was stellar.”

  “Really amazing,” Maya agreed.

  “Thank you all so much for coming,” Chloe said. Her thick ponytail bounced as she moved closer to them. “It’s really a pleasure to get to meet you.”

  Her smile was bright and genuine. It made Trihn wonder why the hell Bryna didn’t like her. Chloe seemed so nice and friendly. She had just performed onstage for two hours, and she was happy to speak with her fans.

  “I love your music,” Trihn blurted out.

  “Thank you!” Chloe said. “Would you like a picture?”

  The girls all scrambled together, and one of Chloe’s PR reps snapped a shot of the four of them together.

  “What a nice candid,” Bryna said, walking back over to them.

  Chloe whipped around at the sound of Bryna’s voice. Chloe’s mouth dropped open, and her cheeks turned rosy red. Shock was not even the best word to describe the look on her face. She was mortified. Somehow, Bryna had knocked the confidence right out of her.

  “Bri,” she whispered as small as a mouse.

  “Hi, Chloe.”

  The tension was thick. Trihn glanced between the confrontation and Stacia and Maya. They looked equally as confused as she was.

  “It’s so good to see you. It’s been so long, like…two years.”

  “Mmm…yeah,” Bryna said.

  “I had no idea you were going to be at the show.”

  “My friends like your music.” She gestured to them as they stood together, wondering what the hell was happening.

  “Wow. That’s just…so great,” Chloe said. She noticed that people were staring at her, and she seemed to shift back into her other persona. “Well, it’s great to see you and to meet your friends. We should go out tonight!”

  “Oh my God!” Stacia cried. “That’d be awesome.”

  “How fun!” Maya said.

  Trihn was staring at Bryna. She looked like the last thing she wanted to do was hang out with Chloe.

  But Bryna gritted her teeth and nodded to placate them. “Sure, Chloe. Whatever you want.”

  “WE’RE GOING OUT WITH CHLOE AVANA tonight,” Trihn whispered to Stacia and Maya.

  They were hanging out backstage, waiting for Chloe to finish up. She was playing back-to-back shows at MGM, which was the only reason she wasn’t leaving the venue to hop on a plane for her next show in a different city.

  “It’s insane,” Maya whispered back. “I can’t believe Bryna knows her that well.”

  “That’s so Bri—to just hold back her movie-star connections like that. I mean, we didn’t even meet Gates until last semester,” Stacia said. “Though I guess she and Chloe aren’t close or anything.”

  “No, they definitely are not close,” Trihn agreed. “Chloe seemed to be a little terrified of Bri.”

  “Isn’t everyone?” Maya only half-joked.

  “True.”

  Bryna had finished her vodka tonic and had run off to get another one while they waited. She reappeared a second later without a drink. When Stacia asked about it, she just shrugged. “Finished it already. Chloe is taking forever. I hate waiting. Maybe we should just bail.”

  Trihn looked at her best friend as if she had sprouted antlers from the top of her head. Stacia and Maya mirrored her expression.

  “It’s Chloe Avana,” Trihn said.

  “And I’m Bryna Turner.”

  “Come on, Bri. It’s one night,” Trihn pleaded.

  Bryna sighed heavily and sank down onto the couch.

  A few minutes later, Chloe sauntered back into the lounge area with a fake smile plastered on her face. “Sorry about that! I’m all cleared to go!”

  “Great!” Trihn said. “Where to?”

  “Wherever you guys normally hang out. I just want to blend in with you, get the real college experience and all that,” she said.

  Maya laughed. “After all this, and we’re going to end up back at Posse on my night off.”

  Bryna stood stiffly. “Great. Now that that’s settled, let’s go get a fucking drink. And with you not working, Maya, someone better know how to make my martinis right.”

  “Oh, you’re a bartender?” Chloe asked.

  “I am. I make the best drinks in town.”

  “This is just going to be the best night,” Chloe said with a giant smile. All pretenses of discomfort left her face. She seemed genuinely excited to leave and hang out with some girls who were her own age.

  “The best,” Trihn agreed, sidling up to her.

  Chloe gestured for them to follow her out the back entrance where a Hummer limo was waiting for them. She had a security detail with her, but she promised them that she would only
have one bodyguard with her at the nightclub. Her staff were pretty chill about her going out, but she’d apparently had some incident in London that had forced them to tighten her strings. The way she talked about it made her life sound very lonely.

  “Yeah. It’s just Matt and me on the tour. He’s great, but the studio keeps him in a separate bus when we travel to nearby cities, and we’re hardly together on planes. They want to stem the possibility of rumors getting out about us seeing each other or something else that would be tabloid fodder,” Chloe explained. She was so candid for someone with such tight security measures. “The only other people I’m around are my publicist, music executives, bodyguards, makeup artists, and…you know, business people—not many girls my age and even less guys who aren’t just crazy fans.”

  “Sounds like a hard life,” Bryna deadpanned. She flipped her blonde hair and stared out the darkened window as they zoomed off the Strip and headed toward campus.

  “You’ve been in the spotlight before though, Bri. You know it’s not all it’s cracked up to be,” Chloe said. She fidgeted with her hands every time she spoke to Bryna.

  “But you’re doing everything that you love,” Maya said. She stretched out her long, lean black legs and kicked back. “I’d kill to have a job where I could sit around all day and read, but no one is paying me for that.”

  Chloe laughed. “True. I wouldn’t want to be doing anything else. I’m very grateful.”

  “Everyone has a different path,” Trihn piped in. “Chloe’s a famous singer and movie star. Maya is going to be a publishing editor. Stacia will be an NFL quarterback’s wife. And Bryna will be directing some incredible movies. We’re all pretty lucky.”

  “What about you?” Chloe asked.

  “Trihn is a fashion designer. She’s wearing her own clothes tonight,” Bryna said with a wicked glint in her eye. “You’d be lucky to wear a Trihn original.”

  Chloe covetously eyed Trihn’s black dress. “Is that right?”

  Trihn blushed. “She’s exaggerating.”