Read Online I So Don't Do Famous by Barrie Summy - Free Book Online Page A

perspectives.”
    â€œThere’s Lorraine and Stef in the line. I didn’t realize they ended up so far behind us.”
    Junie pushes her glasses up her nose. “Here’s Dear Elle signing and looking up at a girl. Actually, that’s a pretty good profile of both of them.” Junie pats her own shoulder. “Now there’s a gap because I changed location.”
    Sure enough, the next batch of photos are taken from behind the signing table. The purse is in the corner of the picture, hanging lopsidedly over the back of Dear Elle’s chair.
    â€œShe must’ve left the hook at the table where we ate,” I say.
    Next come several blurry shots of the line. Maybe from people jostling Junie.
    Then Lorraine’s at the front of the line. She’s smiling and chatting with Dear Elle. That girl is so friendly.
    A girl about the width of a spaghetti noodle is on Lorraine’s heels. “What happened to Stef?” I ask.
    â€œNo idea,” Junie says. “It’s weird behind the lens. I’m in my own little world. I get pictures and don’thave a clue about all the details until later. I never noticed Stef was missing.”
    The next shot is of Lorraine crouching low to the table and leaning in close to Dear Elle. Lorraine’s finger is on a sentence in the middle of the book. The book is at an angle, so that the print isn’t upside down for either of them. Dear Elle’s head is cocked, and she’s squinting at the print. Her mouth is half open as she explains something. Not an attractive look.
    â€œWow. Lorraine said she didn’t read,” I say, “but here she’s asking a question about something way far into the book.”
    Weirdly, Lorraine is not looking at the page, but past Dear Elle. It’s a nice close-up shot of an author and a fan, except that the fan doesn’t seem to be tuned in.
    Four panoramic views show people around the room and in the line. Still no Stef.
    Next, the skinny spaghetti girl steps toward the table, shoulder blades jutting out from a low-cut black dress.
    And then I see it—or actually, I don’t see it!
    I think I’ve figured out the sequence of events for how the purse got stolen. The bottom of my stomach drops out.
    â€œJunie, pull up the photo of Lorraine and Stef in line together. Next to it, drag in the photo of justLorraine at the front of the line. Third, put the photo where Lorraine shows Dear Elle the sentence or whatever in the book. Fourth is the spaghetti girl walking away.”
    â€œI’ll play it as a slide show,” Junie says.
    â€œKeep an eye on the lower corner,” I say.
    The loop plays over and over. Dear Elle’s purse dangles over the back of her chair while both Lorraine and Stef are in line. It’s still dangling when Lorraine is waiting her turn. Lorraine and Dear Elle bending over the book fill the photo, so there’s no way to tell what’s going on with the purse. But by the time the skinny girl’s approaching Dear Elle, Stef and the purse have disappeared.
    Lorraine and Stef stole the purse.
    And I helped them.

chapter
eleven

    T he next morning, Junie bounds out of bed and throws open the curtains. The sun is shining bright and cheerful.
    This is the opposite of my dark and gloomy mood. I tossed and turned all night. In the harsh bathroom light, I look like a football player, with unattractive black lines underscoring my eyes. And I have the beginnings of a headache.
    While smearing on triple layers of Naked Makeup’s Cover-Up Supreme, I mull over recent events in my life. Like scratching at a scab. I practically handed Dear Elle’s purse to Lorraine and Stef. They read my essay and the details of the awards dinner on the
Hollywood Girl
website, guessed I’d be at theRoosevelt Hotel, flattered me and tricked me into getting them into the dinner. Where they nabbed the purse. Pretty embarrassing.
    There’s a knock at our door.