Almost Famous, a Talent Novel Read Online Free

have to control your own press,” Mac explained. “Otherwise people just believe whatever they hear.” She sighed. “I’m just trying to keep you L.A. cool.”
    Emily rolled her eyes. Mac always made a distinction between Los Angeles and the rest of the word, as though the bar of humanity had been slightly raised for the City of Angels.
    As their feet crunched on the pebbles, Emily focused on her BFF bangle, which she had finally convinced Mac to let her wear, despite the fact that it was “ très summer camp.” She could feel her right leg shaking slightly, and she was extra glad Mac had insisted she wear Mella flip-flops instead of heels.
    Just before they walked through the main archway and onto campus, Mac paused. “In Hollywood, whenever the talent begins a project, she gets a start gift from her agent.” She reached over to Emily and handed her a silver chain. “This is yours.”
    Emily looked down and realized there was a silver ring on the end. Emily daintily examined the ring. It was engraved INNER CIRCLE on the inside.
    “It’s custom-made by Sydney Evan,” Mac said matter-of-factly. Mac lifted up her own chain with a silver ring dangling from the end, to reveal that she had the same one. “We all have them. Inner Circle, ring, get it?”
    “Mac, I don’t know what to—”
    “No worries, babe,” Mac said, waving her away. The girls walked in silence to the end of the driveway, a hundred sets of curious eyes watching them. When they reached the white pavement of the campus, they stopped in front of a giant fountain of Neptune. Mac turned to Emily. “I hate to bail on you, but all the social chair candidates have to go register in the main office.” She tapped her purse, where her social chair posters were poking out, rolled into long thin tubes like museum prints.
    “I have to check in for dance team captain auditions,” Coco added.
    “Yeah, I’m supposed to go to the athletic office, to ask about surf team funding,” Becks chimed in.
    Emily desperately wanted to say, Can’t it wait? but she knew it was waaay too soon to get all Velcro on her new friends.
    Mac pointed to Emily with her iPhone. “Don’t worry—I’ll text you the 411 on what you need to know. See you in homeroom.” With that, Mac, Becks, and Coco skipped off, leaving Emily clutching her Gucci bag, all alone.
    Emily took a deep breath and picked up her new, Mac-gifted iPhone, pretending to check her messages. Not that she had any. Paige was definitely not allowed to bring a cell phone to school, which meant she would be incommunicado until 2:30 p.m. Central time. Emily sat by the Neptune statue, hoping she would blend in. She checked the weather in Bel-Air: 78 degrees.
    From behind her Gucci glasses (also from the Mac Armstrong lending closet), Emily peered out at her new school, wondering if everyone she saw was judging her the way she was judging them.
    She spotted Ruby, standing in a group of girls whom she recognized from Kimmie Tachman’s Sweet Thirteen birthday party. They were all wearing tight jeans and flowy tunic tops, in a close circle around Ruby. Ruby looked like a pop star with her glamorous flatironed blond hair, tight jeans, sparkly white tank top, and orange Creamsicle tan. She was standing on a step in the center of the group, holding a cordless microphone, singing a fiery song, like she was channeling Gwen Stefani.
    Wham BAMS
Thank you, ma’am
You made me who I am
You taught me what I know
Not just a school
BAMS, you rule!
    The song was a little batty, but Ruby looked like she was having the time of her life. Girls were smiling and nodding as Ruby sang. Even guys (cute guys!) in jeans and Reef sandals were nodding along.
    When Ruby finished, she put the microphone down and giggled to her friends, who were clapping enthusiastically. The cute surfer guys whooped.
    “Thanks, guys,” Ruby said, fake-humbly. “That’s a track from my new album. It’s dropping this fall, and it’s a taste of what