Material Girls by Elaine Dimopoulos

Author:Elaine Dimopoulos
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

“I could murder you,” said Fatima. She was pacing around the greenroom like a lion.

Ivy ignored her; not even a lecture from Fatima could kill her euphoria. She strode past her publicist to the sandwich table and began munching on veggie chips. With the interview over, her stomach had relaxed and her appetite had rumbled back to life.

“Do you realize how much damage control I have to do now?” barked Fatima. “For starters, the whole tour theme needs to be scrapped. We designed the stage to look like the circles of hell. Hell, Ivy. Do you know how much work it’s going to take to change it to”—she motioned up and down in front of Ivy’s clothes—“to this? From hell to Eden! All because you decided to grow an opinion!”

Ivy glanced at her nymphs for support. Arms crossed, Madison looked angry. Ivy guessed she felt excluded; Madison couldn’t stand being on the fringe of things. Aiko and Naia stood by quietly with the rest of the Hot with Hyman crew, waiting for the storm to pass. Hilarie’s eyes were still pink and watery. Ivy felt a twinge of guilt thinking of the way Fatima must have lit into her after she left. Still, it had been worth it.

She wiped her fingers on a cocktail napkin. “I’m sorry. But I kind of hated the torture trend.” She remembered the Torro-LeBlanc runway show, how the pain had driven her to smash the Tabula against her leg. “No, I really hated it. You and Jarvis never asked me if I wanted to wear that stuff.”

Fatima stared at her for a moment, then approached so that their faces were inches apart. “Our job is not to ask.” Her voice was a low growl. “Our job is to know what’s made every star before you popular and to give you the same treatment. This is what we do, Ivy.” She tucked her thick black hair behind both ears, though it immediately resisted staying put. “Really, do you think your success happened by accident?”

That didn’t seem fair. Fatima wasn’t the one on stage at concerts, firing up the crowd, and recording tracks again and again until they sounded perfect. “I’m a good singer—”

“So are a million other girls and boys,” Fatima snapped, then softened a bit as she registered Ivy’s hurt expression. “You are a talented performer. But face facts. It took a lot more than talent to get you where you are. What do you think I’ve been doing for three years?” She stepped back and addressed the room, her arms spread. “Anyone around here who believes fame ‘just happens’ is sorely mistaken.”

There was a beat of silence, and then Fatima’s Unum buzzed so suddenly that everyone jumped. She grabbed it and thumped the screen with her thumb. “Jarvis! There you are. She’s gone insane. Did you see the segment?”

Ivy heard Jarvis ask to speak to her. Fatima shoved the Unum at her and walked around to stand over her shoulder. To Ivy’s surprise, Jarvis didn’t look upset.

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