I pick up the menu, scanning its offerings. Suddenly it occurs to me: for the first time in years, I can have whatever I want for dinner. I think back to the French restaurant in New York. I haven’t had a hamburger since I was twelve. I can hardly remember what they taste like. And fries? I’m allowed the occasional half baked potato, but I would give my left arm for a pile of greasy French fries.

Thankfully, no one wants my left arm today. They just want $6.99 for a burger and fries. I order quickly and ask for a chocolate milk shake too. I might as well go all out. I’m practically salivating thinking about it.

“You okay, hon?” the waitress asks after I’ve placed my order. My heart starts thudding again. Why is she asking me that?

“I’m fine,” I choke out nervously, hoping to avoid any more of this conversation. I need to focus on looking less jittery. I take a couple of deep breaths and focus on the TV in the corner, just in case the waitress has any ideas about striking up another conversation with me. I pretend that I’m thoroughly absorbed in what the CNN anchors are saying to each other, although I’m barely paying attention.

Until I hear my own name.

“And now for our entertainment report,” says the anchor with a smile, turning to a dark-haired woman beside her. “Adriana, you’re going to tell us tonight about pop star Star Beck?”

The people around me at the counter are looking at the TV too, and I feel suddenly nauseous. For a moment, I’m sure that they’re going to announce that I’m missing and everyone should keep an eye out for me. I squeeze my eyes closed and wait for the inevitable. But then the entertainment reporter begins to speak.

“We haven’t confirmed this independently yet, but there’s word from sources inside Star Beck’s camp that the teen pop star was admitted to rehab this morning,” says the reporter.

What? Rehab? My eyes pop open. Rehab from what?

“Rehab?” asks the anchor, echoing my thoughts. “But she’s only sixteen.”

“Well,” continues the reporter enthusiastically, “it’s just a rumor at this point. But she hasn’t been seen since last night. Her mother, Laura Beck, and her publicist are saying she’s just under the weather. But an intern at her management company has given interviews to a few New York stations saying that she’s actually been taken away to Lovesdale, an ultraprivate rehab center in upstate New York that specializes in alcohol addiction.”

“Alcohol addiction?” the anchor presses. I stare at the TV screen.

“It’s a sad fact with young stars today,” the reporter continues. “They start drinking practically as soon as they can walk. And this isn’t the first time these rumors have dogged Star Beck.”