Wreck the Halls: A Novel

Beat and Melody leave Danielle’s office holding hands. Beat can’t stop thinking about how beautiful Melody looks. He reassures her that the gala will be fine and that he’ll protect her from the cameras. They take a car to the event hall. They’re wearing microphones, and Joseph is filming them along the way. In the car, Danielle tells Melody that her feelings for Beat were obvious during the interview, and she’s already getting a lot of attention online. Meanwhile, Beat receives texts from friends about Melody’s obvious crush on him. He watches the footage of her interview and feels self-conscious, discovering she has feelings for him. Then he pulls his hand out of hers, afraid he’s leading her on. When they arrive at the event space, crowds and cameras meet them.

The extravagant event space awes Melody. Meanwhile, she worries about her behavior on camera and the attention she’s already receiving online. Beat shepherds her from the car into the hall. Fans cheer from the street, shouting Melody’s name. Inside, Beat and Melody don masks for the party, joking about the event. Melody feels silly but notices Beat examining her body. They continue chatting, and Beat explains how the gala usually works.