FanGirl (14 page)

Cole watches the two fight from the sidelines.

Alexandra:
You never go out of sight. Do it again and you may have a blade to the head, not just your throat.

Cole:
Drop the hatchet, Alex.

She looks between the two men and lowers the knife.

Wyatt:
You know I’m not leaving you, right?

Cole:
Whatever man, she’s scared.

Wyatt:
I don’t need you to tell me how she’s feeling.

Cole:
Really? Because obviously you don’t get it.

Alexandra:
Shut up! Both of you! I can’t do this anymore. I’m out of here.

Cole:
Come on… Alex!

Alexandra walks across to the shop and picks up her backpack from the counter. She runs out the back door.

“Cut!”

I’m behind a fake wall, separating myself from the main stage. The set went from completely silent to a rush of noise. People talking, machines moving, David laughing. I press my back to the wall and take deep breaths, trying to steady my nerves. I listen for my name, for someone to call me to go back and do it again (and again and again), but it never comes and I slide down the wall to sit on the floor. Just when I think I’m in the clear, I hear a low curse and something fall to the floor.

“There you are,” Andrew says, climbing over some thick cables. He pushes a box with his foot to get closer to me. “You okay?”

“Uh huh.” He looks skeptical and holds out a bottle of water. I take it while he sits down next to me. “Thanks.” After a long swallow I say, “Why are you back here?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

I shrug. “No reason. Hiding. It’s hot in there.”

“It is. I never get used to the lights. Sometimes I get headaches.”

“Really?” I’d had a splitting one two days ago.

“Yeah, not today though. That scene went pretty well. I love it when we get out early.”

“This is early?” I ask.

“Yeah, sometimes it goes way late — like 2 or 3 a.m.” He checks his watch. It’s only 9.”

“I feel like I’m holding everyone back,” I say, dropping my head back against the wall. I do. I have no idea what any of the terminology means. Arthur has been patient, but I feel stupid.

“Nah, only a little maybe,” he smiles that megawatt smile and nudges me with his rock-hard shoulder. “Kidding.”

“No, you aren’t. It’s a disaster.”

“No way. It’s fine. Everyone has their first week. Some of us have it when we’re 12; can you imagine how many times I messed up then? I was so hyper and excited! My mom had to give me an extra dose of Ritalin just to get through the day.”

“Stop.” Andrew doesn’t seem hyper. If anything, he’s completely focused.

“You’re doing a great job. You survived your first week of filming, which makes you officially an actress.”

“I may be working, but official is a stretch.”

Andrew looks at me and it makes me so nervous. He’s so attractive and confident. It makes me shrink in reaction. “I don’t know how to explain it, but you get this part. Like there, you seemed so vulnerable underneath a determined, powerful girl. She’s fierce. I believed all the trust you’d placed in Wyatt was gone — like that,” he snaps his fingers.

“Alex has a hard time trusting these guys. She doesn’t have any experience with boys or anything. I think she’s afraid to be with them as much as she’s afraid to be alone.”

“I can see that. But then Wyatt and Cole? They’re both young and confused. Cole feels responsible for his sister and then he meets Alex, and falls for her, all while Wyatt has already staked his claim, even if it’s unspoken.”

“Not to mention Wyatt is all secretive.”

Andrew rubs his hands together. “I can’t wait for his past to be revealed.”

“You really did read these books.”

He frowns. “Of course I did. I’ve got a brain in here, Ruby Miller. I’m not just a pretty face.”

“But you do have a very pretty face, you know.”

“Yeah, baby. This thing pays the bills.”

I roll my eyes. “By the way, did you call me fierce?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Nothing. I like being called fierce, that’s all. That, and now I know you watch Tyra.”

“Shut it.” He bumps his shoulder against mine again. He is so cute. And hot. Why does he have to be so hot?

“Does it always feel so exhausting? Exhilarating?”

“Yeah, plus frustrating and annoying sometimes. But usually, after a good week of work like this, I just feel pumped. I’ll probably go run a couple miles.”

“Now?” He’s crazy.

“Sure, before dinner. I need to work out some of this energy.” Okay, maybe he is hyperactive. All I want to do is sleep.

He stands and helps me off the ground, his big, giant muscles flexing. “So you’ll be at dinner?”

Nick announced before the last shot that we’re meeting for dinner to celebrate the end of a successful first week. As much as I want to just go home, Iris and I plan on going.

“Yeah.”

“Great, see you then,” he says and gives me a big hug.

“Thanks, Andrew.”

He winks and leaves me and my accelerating heart in his wake.

g

I’m sure the rest
of the cast would prefer to celebrate at a bar, but since I have the lead part and I’m embarrassingly underage, Nick suggests we return to the restaurant we went to last time. This is fine by me; one more new thing this week and I may explode. I wasn’t lying to Andrew. All I wanted was to snuggle up in some pajamas, eat some ice cream and sleep for days.

“Congratulations,” Iris says, and holds up her martini glass of not-martini for a toast. The bartender slid us some dark red, not-drinks when we walked in. “To you! And to me! And to us! It was an epic week. We had record high hits. And!” a huge smile crossed her lips, “I got a call today from
US News
. They want to do an interview with me about the
Zocopalypse
phenomenon.”

“That’s great! When is it?”

“Sometime next week. They’re going to call me.”

“Did you tell Nick?”

“No, not yet. Once I do, he’ll figure out a way to turn this into a PR moment for him. He’s obsessed with using social media and different types of platforms to push this movie. Which is great, but we’ll see. I may keep it on the DL.”

“Gotcha.”

“Also, I want to talk to you about something. For the website.”

“Sure. Is everything okay? I’m sorry I haven’t been around to help more.”

“No, it’s fine. But I’m putting in a lot of hours and we’re getting amazing traffic, so I had an idea.”

“Okay, go on.”

“I’m thinking about opening the site to advertising. That way, I can make enough money to at least pay the maintenance and stuff.”

I make a face. “You know what happens when fansites start taking money.”

“I know! People start posting what’s popular and not what they feel is important. It happens all the time. But, really, I need some help here and maybe if it generates some cash, I can pay someone to help me.” I hesitate and she adds, “But, I won’t do it if you don’t agree. Promise.”

I can feel the hope vibrating off of my friend. I know Iris works like crazy keeping the site updated and current. Nick gives her a lot of information from filming, which puts us ahead of other sites, like Zombieface, and I suppose it’s not fair for me to hold this back. “Okay, do it.”

“Yay!” she throws her arms around me. “Thanks!”

“Just keep things the same, okay. Don’t sell out.”

“Me? Sell out? Don’t even. So, how was it? I barely got to see you, but that costume? Smokin’.”

“You barely saw me because you spent the week following Nick. It was fine. Hard. Sometimes I feel stupid and like I’m delaying everything while they describe what blocking means or how not to get in the way of the lights or trying not to trip over all the equipment or sandbags or something.”

“First of all, I’m following Nick around because he’s showing me the ropes. He knows a lot. Arthur, too. He’s letting me watch a lot of the filming and directing process. And just so you know, they all think you’re doing awesome. I think everyone is pleased so far.”

“Aww. You lie to make me feel better. Thanks bestie.”

“Whatever, I’m not lying — oh my God, don’t look!”

“What?” I ask, looking across the room. And that’s when I see her. Taylor Lyn. “WHAT THE WHAT?”

“Yep. It’s her.” Iris moves back and forth trying to see.

“Why is she here? Why! Did you talk to Nick or something?”

She snorts. “Hell, no.”

“Me neither. I’ve tried to figure out when to ask.”

“Wait, wait, wait, do you see who that is with her?” Iris shakes her head, but I swear I hear “don’t be Reid” muttered under her breath. I grip her arm and shout, “She’s with NAB. NAB!”

“Of course she is,” Iris says, and rolls her eyes. “She’s so freaking lame. She couldn’t get in through us, even with blackmail, so she goes after the weakest link. The nerdy assistant boy who just has to have a hard-on for blondes.”

“Well, this is just perfect — and by perfect, I mean not perfect at all. So what, they’re dating now? Is that what this is? Do you think she dumped Reid?” I don’t want Taylor Lyn here, in my little bubble of zombie happiness, with Andrew and the bitchy model girls and Gabe, who just walked in the door looking tired.

“Don’t let her bug you. We’ll find out and plot our revenge from there. Oh look, here comes the drink police, maybe he’ll know.”

“Hey,” Gabe says, passing us to go to the bar. He comes back with a bottle of soda and stands with us. “I hear you had a good week.”

“Ugh, I don’t know.”

“I keep telling her it’s fine, but she won’t listen,” Iris says. “But anyway, what’s with the blonde chick over there?” She points right at Taylor Lyn who, at that moment, has her hand on NAB’s shoulder but her eyes on Andrew, who had just appeared in the doorway. His hair is a little damp from his post-run shower and his cheeks are flushed. He looks amazing. From the gleam in Taylor Lyn’s eye, she thinks so too.

“Oh, that girl? Tricia? Linda?”

“Taylor Lyn,” Iris prompts.

“Taylor Lyn? Yeah, Sean needed some help and that girl wanted to intern, so we offered it to her.”

“Who’s Sean?” We both ask at the same time.

“Um, Sean? Our assistant?”

“Oh,” I say. “Yeah, we call him NAB.”

“NAB?” From the dark circles under his eyes, I have to think Gabe is exhausted because he is completely unable to follow this conversation.

“Nerdy Assistant Boy.”

He laughs. “That works, although it’s a good idea to be nice to the assistants, you don’t want them spitting in your coffee.”

“Gross! That’s not true.” I think for a second. “Is it?”

“In effort to not incriminate myself, I can only declare that I may have worked as an assistant for Marvel for one summer.”

“Oh my God! Did you spit in Stan Lee’s coffee?”

“What? God, no. Like I was allowed near Stan Lee.” His eyes are wide, but the smile on his face is huge.

“Did you meet him for real?”

“Once, at a comic convention. I almost wet myself.” Again, he laughs. “I fanboyed out.”

“Like us,” I say. “But without the wetting myself problem. I don’t do that.”

“ANYWAY,” Iris says, making a disgusted face. “Back to Taylor Lyn. This situation won’t work for us, Gabe.”

“Work how?”

“She’s a bitch and we don’t like her. And she gave
Celeb Weekly
a photo of Ruby from high school that was terrible.”

“Iris!”

“Well, it was. And well, you need to keep her away from us. Whatever. I’m going to find Nick.” She turns with a huff and stalks away.

“I feel like I’m missing something,” Gabe says. “Did she really give a picture of you from high school to the tabloids?”

“I think so, but it’s fine. She can work here, it’s important to her. Let Iris and Nick have it out and we’ll see how it goes.”

“If you say so. Just to be clear though, she had to sign all the same non-disclosure stuff everyone else did. If she leaks anything related to the movie or anything that can be seen as harmful to the movie or cast, she can be fired and sued.”

“Oh, reeeeallly?”

“Yep,” he says. “What did she do to you anyway?”

“Nothing, just stupid high school stuff,” I do not want to talk about Reid. I look around and find a bar stool. We both sit. “I can say that now, right? You know how art school is anyway, everyone is competitive.”

“That’s true, and the rivalry gets worse at the college level. People fight for internships and summer jobs. The best are pulled out way before graduation.”

“Like you.”

He raises his eyebrows, “Yeah, something like that. Tell me what you two are fighting over?”

“She competes for everything. She’s one of those girls.”

He shakes his head a little. “What does that mean?”

I sigh, “You know the girl who wants what everyone else has just because they have it? Oh! Like Chloe.”