Standing alone on the street, Cassidy felt like bursting into tears. But she couldn't do that here - not in public. She couldn't risk ruining her reputation - or, worse, her mother's reputation.
No matter how badly she wanted to cry, she had to stay strong.
Dana's betrayal kept playing over and over in Cassidy's mind.
"How could Dana do this to me?" she thought, feeling hurt and confused. "I was part of her growth, and now she's betraying me. She's not the same person I knew." Cassidy's thoughts were racing. She had so many questions, and no answers.
Just a few minutes ago, it turned out Dana had called Kenny up and told him to come pick her. And just when they were walking and strolling, Kenny came with his car and then picked her up.
And just when herself, Cassidy, was about to get into the car and ask Dana why she had called Kenny and what they were going to do about her red car, which was still at the spa, Dana said something so heartbreaking.
"I never want to see you again," Dana said, her voice cold and distant. "I'm breaking off this friendship - it's only going to lead to bad things. And it'll cause spoilage in my career."
**
"What are you talking about?" Cassidy yelled, more to herself than to Dana because she was alone now. "What career? You're not even good enough to have a career as an artist!"
"She couldn't have been serious," Cassidy thought aloud. "There's no way she's actually ending our friendship, right?"
But just then, someone tapped her on the shoulder, and Cassidy, without turning around, yelled. "Hey, don't you know you should say 'excuse me' instead of just touching me?" she snapped. "Are you some kind of pervert?"
Then she turned to see a shocked-looking elderly man standing there. "I'm so sorry, sir," she said, then sniffed.
She was stunned to realize she was crying. Where had that come from?
"It's all right, child," the man said gently. "Why are you crying?"
Cassidy shook her head, trying to stop the tears. "It's nothing, sir," she said, looking down.
The man introduced himself as Mr. Lucky, and said he was just passing by. He pointed back to a car in the distance. "I was over there," he said.
Mr. Lucky studied her for a moment, then spoke again. "There was a girl singing over there, a little while ago. Did you know her, or was it you?"
Cassidy shook her head. "I didn't see anyone." She sniffed and wiped at her eyes, embarrassed by her outburst.
"You must be tired," Mr. Lucky said. "I'll leave you be. You take care, child." With that, he turned and began walking away.
Meanwhile…. As FunnyKenny drove, Dana noticed he kept sneaking looks at her in the rearview mirror. He was so obvious about it, stealing glances, she decided to ignore it, but in her thoughts, Vance, who was inside Dana, kept thinking to himself that FunnyKenny was actually a lover boy.
Based on the memories Vance had of Dana, FunnyKenny did things that were more than just friendly. It was obvious that FunnyKenny didn't just want to be friends with Dana; he wanted to be more.
But Vance, being a mastermind of tricky thoughts, was a sinister man in his past life. Now, as Dana, he would also be a trickster, right? So, he planned to use FunnyKenny's feelings to his advantage.
Dana spoke coyly. "FunnyKenny, I really missed you," she said, shooting her shot.
The effect of her words on FunnyKenny was instant. He almost swerved the car off the road as he stared at her in disbelief. "Do you mean that, or are you pulling my leg?" he asked.
Dana held his gaze, determined to keep up the act. "Why would I joke about something like that?" she said. "And besides, haven't you noticed my new look? Don't you think it's nice? Why didn't you say anything?"
Kenny stammered, the weight of everything hitting him hard. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't know if it was okay to compliment you. Remember, last time you told me never to do that?"
His voice was shaky, his hand trembling on the steering wheel. He felt like he was going to be sick. Sick of his love for this lady in his car.
Despite Dana's lack of interest, Kenny loved her dearly. He'd loved her for ten years, ever since they were sixteen. And though he knew she didn't feel the same way, he didn't care. He was determined to love her, even if it meant unrequited love.
***
Dana was quick to smooth things over. "Well, let's forget the past for a moment. It's no big deal. And actually, I could really use your help. You see, I'm trying to build a career in showbiz, and oh I got a new director. Did you know I'd be working with a new director now?"
Kenny wasn't surprised. She was always fired and taken. He knew that Dana wasn't a successful actress, and he had a feeling that her new director was soon going to let her go too.
She wasn't a natural singer or public speaker, and was a very shy person. He didn't want to make her feel bad, so he kept his thoughts to himself. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt her feelings.
Kenny tried to act interested. "Wow, that's amazing," he said. "Which director is it?"
"Mr. Hendrick," Dana replied. "You know, Mr. Hendrick Collehagan."
Kenny's eyes widened. "Wait, do you mean the award-winning director, Mr. Hendrix Collegegan?"
Dana, pleased with herself, swooned her hand through her red hair, boastfully. "Of course. Who else did you think?"
Hendrix Collehagan was a world-renowned director. If Dana was working with him, it could really give her career a boost. But Kenny knew he couldn't share any of this with her. He didn't want to make her feel like he didn't believe her or that he didn't think she could succeed.
"Well, congratulations," Kenny said, trying to sound happy for her. But when he saw that she wasn't saying anything else, he turned his focus back to the road.
A moment later, he heard a soft voice. "Thanks."
"No problem," he said. Then he asked, "So where are we going now? If I'm picking you up, what's the destination?"
Dana looked over at him with a mischievous smile. "Your house."
Kenny slammed his foot on the brakes, shocked. The sinking feeling in his stomach intensified as he turned slowly to look at Dana. She gave him a sly smile, as if she were hiding something.
In a voice that was barely more than a whisper, he asked, "Why would we be going to my, my, my, my house?"he stammered.
Dana's smile widened. "What my my my?" She teased, "Is there a problem? Come on, let's go. I'm in a hurry."