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I was caught off guard. He was being so honest.

“I’m a wreck whenever this band I’m in performs,” I told him. “Everyone else is acting cool, but I’m a bundle of nerves. I can’t hide it.”

Tyler asked me what I did in the band. I told him I play the keyboard and sing.

“No wonder you have stage fright,” he said. “You’re singing in front of a live audience. That’s scary and a lot harder than what I do.”

“But there are all those people on the movie set when you act,” I pointed out. “And millions of people are going to see the movie.”

“Hey,” he said with a laugh. “You’re making me even more nervous. I need help!”

I couldn’t believe it. He was asking me for help!

“Okay,” I said. “What do you usually do to calm yourself down?”

“Rehearse. I feel like I’m a little more in control if I’m rehearsing.”

I said it sounded like he was rehearsing the scene in which his character, J.B. (Surfer Boy), is trying to convince this studious guy, Tom, to tutor him so he can impress Vivian (Brains) in history class.

“You read the script?” Tyler asked.

I nodded.

“Do you like it?”

I was shocked. Why would Tyler Kendall want to know what I thought of the script?

“It’s okay. What do
you
think of it?” I said diplomatically. “You’re the one who has to be J.B.”

“It’s okay,” he agreed. “But I have to find more to the character than what’s on the page. That’s my job.”

“I’m sure you can,” I said. And I was. I’ve seen Tyler in his other movies. He’s good.

He tapped his hand nervously against his leg and said, “Thanks. I sure hope you’re right.”

Tyler looked so nervous I felt sorry for him. And before I knew it, I’d offered to help him rehearse.

I sat on the desk and he handed me the script. I read Tom’s part. (I lowered my voice so I’d sound more like a guy.) Helping Tyler rehearse was really fun. He was nice — and normal. Not like Felicia.

He gave the pages for another scene. It was the one in which J.B. rescues Vivian.

VIVIAN: You saved my life. I — I would have drowned if you hadn’t pulled me out.

J.B.: You were really easy to save, you know. Maybe you could have even made it back by
yourself.

VIVIAN: I couldn’t. I can’t swim.

J.B.: You’re shivering. (Puts a towel around her shoulders.) There. That’s better.

VIVIAN: Thank you.

When we were practicing that scene, Tyler used the blanket at the end of Zeke’s bed for the towel. He gave my shoulders a little squeeze when he put it around them.

I looked up at him and our gaze locked for an instant.

“I’m glad I met you,” he whispered.

I looked down at the script. That line wasn’t there. He was saying it for real.

But was it real?

Or did he add the line so he’d understand his character better?

He is an actor, after all.

“Tyler, you up here?” someone called. It was Felicia. I dropped the blanket from around my shoulders as she came into the room. “What are you two doing, hiding away here?” She put her hands on Tyler’s shoulders and cooed, “Everyone is looking for you, honey. They sent me to scout. I’m supposed to bring you back. Alive.”

“Then let’s go,” he said, following her out of the room. He turned and winked at me. “Thanks, Maggie. For showing me the turtles.”

“Turtles!” exclaimed Felicia. “How quaint.”

Turtles?

Is that what the last fifteen minutes had been about for him?

Was I imagining that the time had been about something more than turtles?

I just don’t know.

I looked around Zeke’s empty room, like the walls could give me answers. But the walls weren’t talking, so I went back downstairs myself. By the time I reached the living room, Tyler was the center of a small circle of guests. He was Total Movie Star again.

Maura Davis, the assistant director of the film, started talking to me. She likes a lto of the same music that I like. I told her about Vanish and she told me all about a rock band she was in when she was my age.

I feel awful admitting this, but even as I was talking to Maura, I was thinking about Tyler.
He’s
an actor
, I told myself.
He turned on the charm. He isn’t really glad he met me.

People started to leave. The party was finally winding down. Maura asked for a tape of the band. I ran upstairs for it.

When I returned I noticed that Tyler was looking around the room. He spotted me and smiled.

“Maggie, thanks for rehearsing with me,” he said. “It helped. I’m not so nervous anymore.”

“Really? You’re cured?”

“For now. Anyway, I’m really glad I met you.” He smiled again.

It was like there was a current of energy running between us.

This is ridiculous.

He’s a movie star.

I hate movie stars.

TO THE LAST STAR

Star light, star bright,

The last star I see tonight.

I wish I may, I wish I might

Forget the star I saw tonight.

Your light isn’t real

And neither is the feel

Of your hand on my shoulder.

You don’t mean

What you say.

They’re lines from the script

You have to learn

So you can earn

A zillion dollars

Like my dad.

Star light, star bright,

The last star I see you tonight.

I wish I may, I wish I might

Forget the star I saw tonight.

I want to forget Tyler. Did I ever have that buzzy, connected feeling with Justin?

Not like that.

Well, forget Tyler, Maggie. Every girl in America thinks she’s in love with him.

YOU ARE NOT GOING TO BE ONE OF THEM.

Saturday 5/1

10:00 P.M.

Spent the day at the beach with Ducky, Sunny, Dawn, Amalia, and Brendan. We had a blast. It was so good to see Sunny surfing again. Sunny and Dawn wanted to know all about the party. I told them everything — except for the business with Tyler.

Had this weird moment at the beach today. This real cute surfer guy waved in my direction. I thought that it was J.B. Surfer Boy.
So
weird. That’s the character Tyler plays, not Tyler. The guy waving wasn’t J.B. or Tyler. It was a guy waving to someone walking along the beach

behind me. What would have happened if it was Tyler? Would he have liked my friends?

Would they like him? Does he like me?

I have to stop thinking about Tyler.

Sunday 5/2

6:00 P.M.

THERE WAS A MESSAGE ON MY MACHINE FROM TYLER. Couldn’t believe it. Here it

is:

Maggie. It’s Tyler. Listen, it was so great to meet you. I’ve been wondering if you’d come
around the set sometime this week. We’re shooting in Sound Studio 4. There’s a lot of downtime
on a movie. But of course you know that. Anyway, I thought it’d be a chance for us to talk. So
I’ll see you. I hope.

Guess I’ll go. Of course I’ll go. Tomorrow I’m working at the shelter after school. I’ll go on Tuesday.

I’m crazy.

This is crazy.

Well, it’s no big deal that he invited me.

But I’ll just drop by to see the set. After all, it’s my father’s movie. Dad’ll love it if I show some interest.

Tuesday 5/4

4:00 P.M.

Here I am on the set of
Love Conquers All
. I’m writing this while they’re shooting a classroom scene. They’ll probably shoot it a thousand times.

I haven’t been on a movie set in ages. Five fancy trailers are lined up outside Sound Studio 4.

One of them is Tyler’s.

The studio is set up with a classroom, a school hallway, and a locker room. People are coming and going in all directions. There are extras dressed in hip “school” clothes and technicians working on the lighting and camera locations.

At first, I didn’t see my father. Or Tyler.

As I walked around, a horrible thought struck me. My father raised millions of dollars to make this movie with Tyler Kendall. Did Tyler invite me because I’m the producer’s daughter?

I deiced to leave.

As I turned around, Maura Davis called to me. She told me that she’d listened to the Vanish tape and thought it was great. Of course, I wondered if she said that because of Dad.

She also told me that Tyler was in his trailer. “He said to tell you that, if I saw you.” She showed me which trailer was his and mentioned that Felicia had left for the day. “If you’re looking for her.”

“I’m not looking for anyone,” I said casually. “I just dropped by, you know, because my dad likes me to.” Meanwhile, I was glad that Tyler was looking for me and that Felicia wasn’t there.

I decided to stop by Tyler’s trailer on the way out. Only because Maura had told me he was expecting me.

I was about to knock on the trailer door when it opened and a man came out. He had on a fancy suit and was carrying a briefcase.

I said hello and started to walk past him into the trailer.

He put out an arm to block me. “Whoa,” he said. “Not so fast. No fans. No autographs. Let’s go.” He took my arm to lead me down the trailer steps.

I pulled my arm away. “I was invited here,” I told him. “By Tyler. I’m Hayden Blume’s

daughter.”

I have never, ever dropped my dad’s name like that. I hated that I did it. I hope I never do it again.

But it worked.

The man’s annoyed expression morphed into a big smile. He reminded me of the salesperson at Rudolph’s.

“Nice to meet you, Ms. Blume,” he said as he stepped aside. “Go right in.”

I did. Without saying
thank you
or
excuse me
as I passed him.

I looked around the front room of the trailer. No one was there. So I followed the sound of rock music coming from the back of the trailer. It was an old Rolling Stones cut — a favorite of mine.

I suddenly felt very bold. Tyler was just another guy. All the rest of it was show business —

including the over-the-top fancy trailer.

“Tyler,” I called. “It’s me. Maggie.”

I walked into the back room. Tyler was sitting at a desk with his back to me. He was reading a book.

When I called his name again, I startled him so that he almost fell off his chair. He steadied himself and turned around to face me.

“Sorry I scared you,” I shouted.

He picked up a remote control and killed the music. “I was doing my history homework,” he said shyly.

“It’s not a real school out there,” I kidded. “It’s a movie set. The teachers are actors. You don’t have to do homework.”

He laughed and told me that he has to do schoolwork at least three hours a day when he’s

shooting a film.

I told him I was sorry to have interrupted him.

“Don’t be,” he said.

He invited me to sit down as he threw open the door of a minifridge. It was packed with juices, sodas, and snacks. “Do you want something to eat or dink?”

We each took a juice and sat facing each other in leather swivel chairs.

I told Tyler about the man who tried to keep me from coming in. Tyler told me he was his uncle and manager. “Uncle Fred loves being a big deal,” Tyler explained. “He’s my chaperone so my parents can stay home with my brother and sisters.”

I asked Tyler about his family then. I could tell he misses them — and his friends. He said that they e-mail a lot, but it isn’t the same as being there. And that every time one of his movies comes out, his friends start acting a little weird. Like they don’t know what to say to him.

“They probably think I don’t care anymore about how the S.C. High basketball team is doing and what’s going on in their lives,” he said sadly. “But I do.” He motioned around the fancy trailer.

“They’d be freaked if they saw all this.”

“I know what you mean,” I said. “Sometimes I’m embarrassed when kids come to my house for the first time. The house is so huge and we have so much stuff. And why? My dad makes

movies. Big deal. A lot of people work even harder than he does and don’t make enough to live on.”

“Yeah,” agreed Tyler. “I think, Who am I to make so much money and have all this attention?

I’m not any better than anyone else. Just luckier. But I don’t always feel so lucky.”

“And you think, How can I complain about anything when I have so much? Right?”

“Right,” said Tyler softly.

We looked into each other’s eyes and I felt the current between us again — just like in Zeke’s room.

“Tyler, put a move on,” a gruff voice called out. “They want you on the set.”

Tyler’s uncle Fred stood in the doorway. “Of course you can come too, Ms. Blume,” he told me.

Tyler said it would be great if I could come.

I said yes. I could tell he really wanted me there. Practically everyone Tyler deals with wants something from him. Tyler needs friends to talk to who don’t want anything from him. I’m willing to be his friend.

But that’s all.

Just friends.

Vance called a break, then they’re going to shoot the scene — again. Tyler is headed in my direction. More later.

6:00 P.M.

Tyler talked to me during the break. We tried to carry on a conversation but were constantly interrupted. Makeup and wardrobe people were all over him with touch-ups and adjustments.

Then the break was over. I knew they were going to shoot the same scene again. And again. So I told Tyler I was going to leave.

“Can you go out to dinner with me tonight?” he asked. “So we can talk some more? I could pick you up at seven.”

Having dinner with Tyler seemed like the most natural thing in the world to do. I said
sure
without even thinking.

Now I can’t believe it. I have a
date
with
Tyler
? Did I just write we’re only friends? I meant that. Just friends. But I’m thrilled that we’re going out to dinner, just the two of us. There’s so much I don’t know about him. I hope that he’ll talk about his friends and his life back in Santa Claus.