We arrived at our Airbnb quickly- it seemed that Morgan and his friends were renting their own not far from ours. I follow Charles into our temporary home, hanging my head in shame.

"Welcome back, you two," Brooks announces, making our presence known to the others in the kitchen. Everyone looks up at us, and I sheepishly slide into an open chair between Ashton and Robbie. Charles walks around the table to kiss Nicole's cheek. She quirks an eyebrow at me, silently begging for the story. I ignore her, only saying, "Happy birthday."

"Nice shirt, dork," Brooks says, winking at me- "Who's is it?" I look down at the too-big, plain black t-shirt. What makes this shirt so special to him? It's literally just a plain black tee. I slump down in my seat. "I don't want to talk about it."

Ashton shoves a fork full of eggs into her mouth. "Was it that bad?" I nod. Charles places a plate of food in front of me. I thank him, shoving a piece of turkey bacon into my mouth. "You guys will never guess who it was," he says devilishly, taking a seat next to Nicole. I furrow my eyebrows. "Is he that well known?" Charles makes a confused face at me. "Are you serious, Juls? Is Morgan Wallen that well known?"

Brooks slams her hands against the table. "You're shitting me." Charles shakes his head, making a tut-tut-tut sound with his tongue. Robbie looks at me with wide eyes. "Seriously?"

I huff, eating some of the eggs on my plate. "Yes! Seriously! I don't understand the big deal!" Ashton places her hand on my shoulder. "It's okay, I don't know who he is either."

"Diddo," Nash says, not bothering to look up from her phone screen. "Okay, well, Nash, you're like, 12, of course you don't know. You only listen to pop music. And Ashton, you only listen to self-help podcasts," Brooks rushes, throwing her hands out. This guy must be a big deal. "I'm literally 23," Nash says, scrunching her face up at my twin sister.

A song begins to pour out from Robbie's phone and a melodic guitar riff fills the kitchen. "Poor me, pour me another drink."

"Ohhhh," Nash begins. "I know this song, Sophie used to play this song in the dressing room before shows. Juls, you hooked up with a country guy? That's so not your type."

I continue to eat my breakfast, ignoring all the comments regarding my situation. I listen to the flurry of conversations- Nicole's birthday, Ashton's new show, and all kinds of other topics until one comment from Brooks catches my ear. I look up, confused. "Wait, you guys are having a release party here?"

The conversations stop and everybody turns towards me. "Yeah... did no one tell you?" I frown, my feelings hurt a little bit. Everyone knew and no one bothered to tell me? "No," I say quickly, pushing the remaining eggs around my plate. My appetite is suddenly nonexistent.

"It's Saturday. We figured since we're already going to be here for Nicole's birthday, we'd just have it here," Brooks answers, shifting uncomfortably.

Today is Nicole's 27th birthday. It was my idea to fly everyone here to Nashville to celebrate, as one of her surprises. Everyone cleared their schedules to make it- Ashton taking time off from filming, and the band, who I thought were in the process of recording their new album, must have managed to finish before their flight from New York.

"So... where at?" I ask, feeling almost pathetic. "It's at The Basement East," Robbie answers with a mouthful of toast. I wrinkle my nose up in disgust.

The conversation is cut short when Nash's phone begins to ring. She slides her finger across the screen. "Hey Mommy," she answers. "Yeah," she glances at me, a tense feeling blanketing the previously buzzing room. My younger sister holds her phone out to me.

"Hi Momma," I say as soon as I press the phone to my ear. "Juliette," she reprimands. "What?" I ask in defense. "As your manager-"

Brooks motions for me to put the phone on speaker as soon as she sees my face twist with annoyance. I roll my eyes, quickly following her command. My mother's stern voice booms from the speaker with force. "I have to ask you why you were seen sloppy drunk getting into a car with Morgan Wallen."

Nicole covers Charles's mouth before he can laugh. "And hello, all my children. I hope you're making better decisions than Juliette, here." Robbie breathes in through his clenched teeth. "Oh, burn. Ouch, Mrs. C."

"Thanks, Robbie. Anyways, Juliette, it's everywhere. 'Morgan Wallen is seen bringing social media star Juliette Copelan home from Nashville bar Aldean's.' I tried to call you, but it went straight to voice mail," this time, her voice is softer and more informative.

I groan even louder this time, remembering my broken cell phone. Frustration boils under my skin at the thought of the long-haired man and his actions. "Morgan Wallen broke my phone, mom. What's everyone saying?"

Her manager-like side melts away, and now it feels like I'm just talking to my mom. "It's equally bad for both of you. All your fans are saying he's ugly and faking his accent, while all his fans are calling you a rebound or a homewrecker."

We're all dead silent at the news before Robbie breaks the ice again. "That's an even bigger burn." Nash slaps him hard on the arm. I shift uncomfortably. "What do I do, mom?" She sighs over the phone. "I'd just leave it alone. Don't engage, honey."

An uncomfortable silence that followed Mom's simple advice seemed to stretch on forever. I try to swallow the lump in my throat, but it won't go away. My stomach churns with anxiety. I want to curl up in my room and never deal with the public again.

Of course, this hasn't been my first drama-riddled situation. I've gotten into small arguments on TikTok or have been shamed for my usage of and partnering with certain brands. But never anything like this. Nothing in real life. Nothing scandalous. I keep my online persona squeaky clean.

"Wait," Nash hesitates. "Homewrecker?"

I can hear my mom typing over the phone. "Yeah..." she trails off, probably scrolling through some articles that reveal every detail of his own personal life. "He split with his baby's mother last July. They were together for a few years. Some articles say his drinking problem, some say they just had difficulties in their relationship. I guess fans are blaming you."

All the air deflates from my lungs. People think I'm the reason he broke off his relationship? I didn't even know the man. "They broke up over a year ago," I say aloud, stunned. "That's literally the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Nash begins. "This was your first time meeting him, right?"

I confirm her question with a nod. "My point is proven." My mother sighs, clearly bothered by the situation. "I know. And Juliette, get that phone fixed ASAP. Your monitor is on it. Anyways, I'm sure you are all going out tonight for Nicole's birthday- happy birthday honey, Nathaniel and I love you so! We also have a gift being sent to the Airbnb but I'm not sure when it'll get there. Anyhow, you guys have fun, Juliette, don't be too hard on yourself. Be safe, be careful," and everyone chimes in to finish my mother's mantra, "and be smart." She laughs at the group's chant. "Thank you, Mrs. C!" Nicole calls. We call coo "We love you!" before hanging up.

I slide the phone back to Nash, who offers me a pity-filled smile. Ashton takes my plate in her open hand and takes it to the sink. "Thanks, sissy," I mumble, resting my cheek on my fist. "Imagine he writes a song about you," Brooks smirks, taking her plate to the sink. "Ha, ha, ha," I mock her oh-so-hilarious idea. Everyone begins to clean up their mess from breakfast, so I dismiss myself and retreat back to my safe haven of a room for the next week.