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hadn’t Mimi sent the message there in the first place? Stupid bitch.
    Suddenly, an instant message invaded the screen.
    britgirl88: hey! what r u doing?
    Ugh. It was Pippa. So the girl was still breathing after last night’s vodka bender that gave her the courage to dance on top of the bar at Mynt while every perv in the club (Max included) stared up her skirt and took bets on whether she had a Brazilian wax or just a neatly trimmed bush. Of course, Max cleaned them out.
    Vanity groaned and began to type.
    vanity6: just hanging out.
    britgirl88: i’m SO bored! max is playing poker
    all day. wanna go shopping??
    vanity6: maybe later.
    britgirl88: i have NO money. big shock! but i
    dug up a few receipts so i can take some shit back
    and start over. brilliant!!
    vanity6: yes, u r quite the rocket scientist.
    britgirl88: lol
    Vanity’s T-Mobile device blasted to life to the ringtone of Gwen Stefani’s “Hollaback Girl.” She zapped the remote control to silence Green Day and hit the speakerphone feature, not recognizing the incoming number. “Hello?”
    “Hey, hot girl. You looked good last night.” It was Jayson “J.J.” James. “I had my eye out for you inside. What happened?”
    “It was too B-list, so I left,” Vanity said.
    Pippa launched another IM.
    britgirl88: what time do u wanna go?
    “Yeah, my brother was in town and wanted to check it out,” J.J. explained. “I wanted to hit Mynt, but he swore up and down that he read it’d gone gay.” He laughed a little. “I got sick of arguing with his dumb ass.”
    Vanity said nothing.
    “You there?” J.J. asked.
    “Yeah, I’m here.”
    Pippa was getting anxious.
    britgirl88: u still there??
    “We should hook up later,” J.J. suggested. “I’m on my way to the gym, but I’ll be finished in a few hours. There’s a kick-ass party at the Surfcomber tonight.”
    Vanity felt the sensation of brain fireworks. Thoughts of her father, Lala, the twins…and Dante…exploded in her mind. Right now the impulse to get away from them made even J.J. seem appealing. “I’m in. Call me later.” She hung up.
    Pippa was officially freaking out.
    britgirl88: hello???
    Vanity left her to wonder and signed off AOL without answering. Then she rang her publicist to get the lowdown.
    “Mimi Blair.”
    “Hey, it’s Vanity. What’s going on at the Surfcomber tonight?”
    “A party for Fresh Faces in Fashion,” Mimi answered automatically. “It’s on your schedule for a Hitchcock. No more than ten minutes. Show up, snap a few pictures, get the hell out. The buzz event is a CD launch party at the Ritz-Carlton for Katee K.”
    Vanity made a face. Katee K was the latest Disney Channel sitcom star to poison the airwaves with pop music so bad it could kill on first listen.
    “I know,” Mimi said, as if reading Vanity’s mind. “The little bitch sucks, but her song’s in the top five, she just signed a development deal with Paramount, and everybody wants into this party…that’s the wrong color…take it off… take it off …sorry, I’m trying to get a pedicure, and this woman doesn’t speak a word of English.”
    “I’ll let you go,” Vanity laughed, her mind already on other things, mainly forecasting the night ahead. No doubt J.J. would have a room booked at the Surfcomber and invent some lame excuse to lure her up there. No doubt she would go willingly and be down for whatever.
    It’s not like she was unaware of the male model’s game. She knew J.J. was a player and probably just using her for sex and a good photo op. And deep down, Vanity didn’t know if she was even worth more than that.
    She rolled over and started to cry, eventually falling to sleep.

From: Mom
    I’m off to a late meeting. Won’t be home for dinner. Eat something healthy. No junk food! Love, M
    6:13 pm 6/19/05

Chapter Four
    I t was 1997, and Daisy Fuentes was hosting MTV’s House of Style. That’s when Christina Perez knew she was gay. The beautiful, Havana-born starlet made