A/N Thanks to everyone who has reviewed! I really appreciate it. If you read, please take the time to review? I'm open to constructive criticism, but I hate flames.

And I know you'll hate me for this chapter's ending, but just remember. I love you guys, and I won't hurt you for long... (Cue the evil cackle).

TODAY'S HEADLINE: PRESS SURROUND YOUNG GIRL'S HOUSE

As rumours circulate of Hector De Silva's new flame, the paparazzi take action

Chapter Five

In Need of Rescue

Nothing had even happened between Hector and Anna – as they had so viciously declared at the breakfast table that morning – yet the crowd of photographers and journalists circling around our house is growing, and they are showing no signs of going away. My sister and I are sat against the radiator, listening to the desperate cries of the paparazzi – led by Vedette's Paul Slater, who continues to knock the door loudly and ask for a statement.

"Do you think they're ever going to go away?" Anna asks, worriedly. "Or should I go down there, and tell them something." I shake my hand, remembering Jesse's message over the phone. I take hold of Anna's hand to stop her leaving.

"We are not answering the door," I reply, firmly. "Jesse said not to." Anna scowls at the mention of Jesse's name, and begins to massage her feet with one hand, whilst the other is trapped in mine.

"Jesse said not to," she mimics, in a falsetto that is supposedly me. I don't say anything, and instead look at my own feet, which are sporting chipped red nail polish. "God, Suze. Do you like him, or something?"

"No," I say, almost immediately, because it's true. "Jesse's just a… convenience." I feel awful for saying it. "He's tutoring me in math, that's all." Anna looks satisfied with my answer, though my insides twist with guilt.

"Now might be a good time for a convenience," Anna remarks, handing me her cell-phone, which she has produced from her bra (how much does she keep in there, anyway?). "Do you know his number?" I shake my head, but remember that Mom left the directory out in the hall from when she was looking for a job agency. I drop Anna's hand and sneak on to the hall, careful to keep my head low so that nobody outside can spot me. Snatching the heavy paperback, I run back into my bedroom (which is so much neater than Anna's) and sit against the radiator again.

"De Silva… De Silva…" I thumb through the pages, looking for Jesse's – and Hector's – surname. I find a Jorge De Silva. "Do you think that's Jesse's family?" I ask Anna, showing her the book. "It's the only De Silva there." Anna nods, and then goes back to her feet. I flip open her cell with trembling fingers, and punch the number in.

"Scenic Drive," Anna says, looking at the directory again. She whistled. "Maybe I should hook up with him – the guy's obviously got money, living in a place on Scenic." I bring a finger to my lips to silence her, and she closes the directory, pulling a face. A low, masculine voice answers the phone, and I know at once that it's Jesse.

"Jesse!" I hiss, desperately. "They've surrounded our house, we can't get out. They're calling for Anna and they're starting to bang on the door…" I trail off, suddenly aware of how scary the situation really is. Jesse shushes me soothingly, and I can hear deep muttering in the background. Jesse's voice fills my ear, and I jump.

"Querida," he says, softly. "Don't worry. Hector and I will be there soon. Just promise me you won't go near any of the windows or the doors. We will make them go away, and it will easier to do so if they think there is nobody home." I nod, before realising that he can't see this over the phone.

"We're not going near the windows," I tell him. "We're upstairs, against a radiator." Jesse tells me to stay there, and then hangs up quickly. My heart is thumping in my chest, and Paul's voice can be heard outside again.

"Anna? Are you hiding because there's something you don't want to share with the rest of the world?" There is a sudden rush of eager chatter amongst the press. "Are you aware that Hector De Silva is five years older than you and can therefore be charged if the two of you participate in sexual intercourse?" Anna cringes.

"What?" I whisper, noticing her expression.

"Paul Slater just said sexual," she explains. "Gross!" I roll my eyes at her, and clutch her cell phone in my hand, hoping it will ring again, and it will be Jesse, telling me he is on his way, and there is nothing to worry about. His low voice was strangely calming.

All of a sudden, a familiar female voice shouts outside, and Anna and I exchange simultaneous glances. "Mom!" we whisper, victoriously. We jump up to the window – against Jesse's wishes – and see that all cameras and microphones have been pointed in our mother's direction. She is alone, determinedly pushing her way through the crowd.

"Move out of my way!" she orders, looking harassed. "Out of my way – I live here!" We see her fumble in her purse for her keys. Photographers are snapping away hurriedly at her; they know she is likely to be the only picture they will get of this story today. My mom keeps fighting through the hordes of people, until she reaches the front door.

"Mrs. Simon, are you aware that your daughter is allegedly dating former child star Hector De Silva?" Paul's voice is growing increasingly annoying. My mom doesn't answer him, and we hear her key in the lock. "Mrs. Simon, do you have any comments. I'm Paul Slater from Vedette; we will pay good money for an exclusive…" I groan inwardly – money is my mom's one weakness. Just as I think she is about to cave, she answers him.

"It's Ms. Simon," she replies, firmly, and then the front door opens, and she is out of sight.

"Mom!" I cry, and Anna and I make to rush downstairs, getting stuck in the doorway and squabbling to be the first one down in the process. "Get off me, Anna; you're the one that got us in this mess." I push my sister roughly, but she is determined. With a shove each, we're free, and Anna is down the stairs first. She embraces my mom triumphantly, and casts a scornful look in my direction. I linger on the bottom step, listening to the shouts outside.

"Anna," my mom mutters into her hair. "What the hell is going on?" I decide that this is where I have to step in. I step down off the bottom stair and lead both my mom and my sister into the kitchen, where it's a little quieter. Not that we can't hear the shouts at all.

"Mom," I say, refraining from sounding pleased as I begin my tell-tale. "Anna brought home a movie-star last night. He slept over, and that's why there are so paparazzi surrounding the house." My mom looks over at Anna in shock. I grin, but then Anna pipes up defensively.

"Um, hello? That is so not the issue here," she argues, though it so is. "The point is, if you'd have been home last night, you would have stopped a movie-star sleeping over. So 'fess up. Where were you?" My mom turns a brilliant red and mutters something incoherent. Anna leans in closer. "What was that, Mom?"

My mom hesitated. "Work ran late at the station," she explains. "Some big news story came in at the last minute, and I was one of the only ones left to cover it. It's O.K – I got a bonus." I raise an eyebrow suspiciously.

"What was the big story?" I ask. I feel like we were interrogating her, but I don't believe her one bit. My mom, however, is quick with her answer this time.

"Cockroaches," she replies. "Big infestation of 'em, over by Wal-Mart. Shoppers were going crazy – there was a big riot. Three people were injured." This doesn't exactly sound possible, but I'm too stressed to investigate further. The shouts outside the front door are getting louder. The doorbell rings. Once. Twice.

"Should we get it?" Anna asks, concernedly. She stands up, but my mom and I grab a hand each and pull her back down again. She takes an apple from the fruit bowl and starts eating calmly. I can't believe how relaxed she is, now that Mom's home. Mom doesn't make a difference to me, there are still people at the door, and the doorbell is still ringing. Once. Twice.

"You know," Anna says conversationally. "It could actually be someone important at the door – and not that Paul Baker, or whatever." I go to correct her, but then I hear another voice at the door. A voice that is soothing, and calming. And for the first time since this whole thing started, makes me feel like everything is going to be O.K.

Jesse.

"Querida?" He calls, loudly outside the door. God knows why he couldn't call me Suze. Or at least Susan. "Querida, are you alright?" My mother raises an eyebrow, and Anna, who takes Spanish, smirks. I ignore both of them, and run to the front door.

"Jesse!" I shout back. "We're O.K – but are they showing any signs of leaving? At all?" A siren sounds outside, and I know that Jesse has called the police. My heart swells with affection, and I unlock the door and let both him and Hector in. The depleting crowd of journalists turn around from where they had been walking away, and start yelling again.

"There's someone inside!"

"They let the kid in!"

Jesse yanks Hector in roughly, before him and I shove our weight against the door to get it to close. The cops have gotten out of their cars, and are starting to make their way through the crowds, pushing them away from the houses. I collapse in relief against Jesse, who wraps a protective arm around me.

"Thank God you came," I whisper against his chest. He smiles, but then releases me as soon as Anna appears in the kitchen doorway. We needn't have worried though, as all her attentions are focused on Hector, who stands nonchalantly, staring at the grandfather clock we have in the hallway in wonder.

"Hector!" Anna gasps, and she throws herself onto him. He catches her swiftly, and lets her sob into his neck. I just roll my eyes at her pathetic display. She was the most casual about the situation just two minutes ago. Hector strokes her dark brown hair affectionately, though stops when my mother makes her way into the hallway.

"Thanks, kids," she says, to Jesse and Hector. "God know how long we could have been stuck in here for." I stick out my chin impertinently – it's unfair how Hector is getting the credit when it was Jesse who warned us about it in the first place. It was half Hector's fault it had even happened. But my mother has already gone upstairs, no doubt to run a bath and relax after the 'horrific ordeal' that she experienced for barely ten minutes. I look outside, and there are hardly any people outside now. The cops ask Jesse and I for a statement – Anna is too 'distressed' – but I don't press charges. To be honest, I am just too exhausted.

"You want a soda?" I ask Jesse, after the cops are satisfied that we will be left alone for the remainder of the afternoon, and the evening. He nods, and we walk into the kitchen. "Thanks again for helping us out. My mom was nearly as grateful enough as she should have been." Jesse shrugs.

"It's no problem," he replies. "It was my cousin's fault that this happened, anyway." I shake my head, and mention that it was also my sister. "Well, whoever's fault it was, it's all over now." I nod, and hand over a soda. He manages not to drop it, and I laugh nervously. "What?" Jesse looks amused.

"Nothing," I say dismissively and immediately. "I'm just going to see if Anna wants one…" She and Hector aren't in the kitchen, so I open the lounge door to see Anna sat across his lap, and the two of them make out. I turn away in horror, and walk straight into Jesse. The can of soda I had for Anna falls to the floor and starts fizzing angrily. Anna and Hector break apart in surprise, and she jumps off his lap quickly.

"Suze!" she hisses. "God, what is your problem?" She grabs the door handle and pulls the door shut in my face. I bend down to pick up the still fizzing can, a little stunned by what I just saw.

"They really are a couple now," I say tonelessly, rooted to the spot. Jesse nods, smiling, and takes the can from me, throwing it into the trashcan. Most of the soda had spilled onto the floor, and the can was nearly empty. "Anna and Hector, I mean."

"Good for them," Jesse replies, good-naturedly, before catching sight of my expression. He takes my hand and leads me away from the door, so that Hector and Anna can't hear. We sit down at the table. "You are not happy for your sister?" I chew my lip uneasily before answering.

"Anna didn't even know who Hector De Silva was a few days ago," I explain, with a heavy heart. "She just knew him as 'that movie guy'. It has always been me who's adored him-" I blush slightly as I realise I am revealing so much to a practical stranger. "-I've seen all his films, have all his posters…" I trail off miserably. "It should be me." Jesse's smile falters, and his face is expressionless once again. I realise that I have probably said too much.

"You're in love with Hector?" he asks me. I blush again, before answering.

"I think so." My voice is meek and quiet. Jesse takes a sip of his soda thoughtfully, before swallowing heavily and speaking again.

"Then you should fight for him," he answers, simply. I choke on the soda I had just sipped, and Jesse looks concerned. Once I reassure him that I'm O.K, though, he continues talking. "If you feel that strongly, then you shouldn't let someone else have him." I consider this, whilst watching Jesse take another sip. He was right.

"Alright then," I reply, setting down my soda firmly. "This is war."