HDU #2: Dirt (31 page)

Except I really did.
 
And for all the wrong reasons.

“Of course,”
Amanda smiled back at Jake, her voice gentle.
 
“Please.
 
Any
time.”

~

Feeling
pleasantly lightheaded, Amanda floated up the front steps of her apartment and
into the building, peering behind her to get a last look at Liam’s car before
letting the door close.

It wasn’t until
she reached her floor that she felt something slightly amiss.

Standing at her
door, it took entirely too long for Amanda to realize that a figure stood on
the flight of steps behind her.

“Holy
shit
!”

The words came
out hoarse from the bottom of her throat, prompting Casey to giggle as she made
her way down the stairs.

“Oh, doll.
 
You’re so dramatic sometimes.”

Amanda’s lips
fumbled over her words for a few seconds before spitting out her question mixed
with confusion and fury.
 
“What the
hell
are you doing here, Casey?”

“Oh my God,
lower your voice.
 
So rude.”
 
Casey clucked, opening her straw woven
clutch to retrieve her iPhone.
 
“And invite me in before you wake your neighbors, it’s only six in the
morning.”
 
When Amanda didn’t
budge, Casey rolled her light eyes, the phony smile on her lips quickly
falling.
 
“Or you can follow me in
if that’s the quickest way to get this done,” she said with irritation,
marching down the last few steps and pushing through the open door of Amanda’s
apartment.

“What the
— get the
hell
out of my
apartment!” Amanda stormed after Casey’s dainty footsteps, which made their way
through her small studio as if dodging non-existent messes on the floor.

“Gross,” Casey
frowned.

Amanda
fumed.
 
“Get.
 
The hell.
 
Out
.”
 
She watched Casey wander about, holding
her clutch to her chest as she surveyed her surroundings with body language
that deliberately conveyed disgust.
 
“I am not kidding Casey,” Amanda said between her clenched teeth.
 
But just as she reached to grab her
small hand, Casey held it away, spinning around, an actual hissing sound
accompanying the snarl that curled her heart-shaped lip.
 
Startled, Amanda froze.
 
Casey’s pale blue eyes were so icy that
they looked white for a split second.

“Stay the fuck
away from my little brother, Amanda.”

Amanda blinked,
confused.

“Surprise.
 
I have eyes everywhere,” Casey said,
her voice low, her little frame for once rigid and tense.
 
“I know that Jake’s here and that he
got into it with your crackhead friend.
 
I know that you guys sat in some dinky little shithole place in
Chinatown for almost two hours.
 
I
know the fucking flavors of candy he was eating so I’m telling you, don’t fuck
with me.
 
That is my
family
.
 
Jake is my kid
brother
.
 
You have no fucking idea what we went
through and you have no fucking right to bring it all back again.
 
Or
tell him anything about me.
 
He’s
only going to blame himself and he’s hurt enough in his life.”

“I’m not doing
anything to hurt him, Casey.
 
If
anything, you are by never speaking to him,” Amanda dared to say.

“
Fuck
you, you have no idea what you’re
talking about,” Casey hissed, raking a hand through her short hair before
balling it into a fist.

For once, she
wasn’t bothering to look dainty and poised or sound witty and cute.
 
To Amanda’s surprise, she was letting
it all out.
 
It was like watching a
flower tangle in a heavy wind, its petals whipping off.
 
Casey was flustered for once.
 
Amanda stared, amazed.
 
If
there was any doubt as to what her weakness is, I think I just killed it.

“Just stay the
hell out of my goddamned business.”

“Then just get
the hell out of my apartment,” Amanda countered, surprised at her own even
tone.

Casey ignored
her, the raging glint in her eye making it look white once again.
 
“Amanda.
 
If you see him again or so much as say one word to him
through phone, email — I swear to God, I will find out and I will make
you pay.”

Amanda snorted
at Casey’s uncharacteristically cliched phrasing.
 
“With what? My job? Because you’ve done such a good job of
getting me fired thus far,” she couldn’t help snorting.

“Please.
 
Leadoff’s
about to tank — you can go ahead and lose that job on your own,” Casey
spat.
 
“I know where to hit you
where it
actually
hurts now,
Amanda.
 
So unless you want me to
do that, I suggest you do what I say and stay the hell away from Jake.”

“Right,” Amanda
nodded, feeling brazen.
 
“And what
is it, by the way, that would hit me where it really hurts?”

Casey sneered,
baring pearly white teeth that Amanda had never noticed were disturbingly
small.
 
“I told you that I have
eyes everywhere,” she smirked.
 
“I
know that you and Liam are real.
 
That you…
love
him.”
 
Her smile was sinister as Amanda stood
suddenly frozen before her.
 
“Uh-huh.”
 
Casey
nodded.
 
“I know that you talk with
him on the phone all cute.
 
I know
that he snuck over to this little shithole apartment.
 
I know all about flying to Nebraska, about meeting up at
Metropolis.
 
And guess what else I
know?” she asked, the whimsical lilt returning to her voice.
 
“I know about the contract with
Terrence, how he loses everything if he’s seen with you in public.
 
So, doll, unless you listen like a good
little girl, you better believe that I’ll find some nice, juicy bait to lure
your boy out with.
 
And then it’s
lights out for his career and he’ll have you thank for the rest of his shitty,
embarrassing life.
 
How’s that
sound, doll?”

Chapter 19

A TALE OF TWO SHOWS: LEADOFF AND LEGACY’S POST
PREMIERE STATS & FACTS

Plus a little bit of rumor control!

Celeb-o-Matic

September 5
^th

Finally — we’ve
reached the much-anticipated morning after of the
Leadoff
and
Legacy
television
premieres! And how did the two buzzworthy shows stack up against each other?
Let’s take a look at the comparisons:

RATINGS

Leadoff: 2.1 million viewers

Legacy: 2.85 million viewers

TWEETS PER MINUTE

#Leadoff: 5,719

#Legacy: 8,387

CRITIC REVIEWS

Leadoff: 98%

Legacy: 79%

My, my! Despite a near
perfect critical reception,
Leadoff
trails
Legacy
in ratings and social media
buzz.
 
So, what on Earth does all
that mean? Exactly what you think it means — that Casey Mulreed’s hit
drama is just a tad easier (and probably sexier) to watch, appealing to the
masses a bit more than Tom Vogel’s
Leadoff
.

Now, some
Rumor Control
.

Word has it that both shows
are in trouble in their own separate ways.
 
According to inside sources,
Leadoff
has been forced by ZINC to rewrite and reshoot its final episode of
the shortened season — and if it ain’t up to par, audiences won’t be
seeing anymore Milo or
Leadoff
on TV
next Fall.
 
Yikes.
 
Best of luck to the writers room!

And as far as
Legacy
goes, there have been some pesky whispers of a horrifically weak
Episode 2.
 
But how can it be? The
show’s pilot was snappy, witty, smart and daring.
 
But according to some early screeners of the Casey Mulreed
show, the second and third episode of
Legacy
don’t come close to matching the quality of its premiere.
 
Some particularly snarky speculators
have suggested that Miss Mulreed indulged in a bender too many after writing
and shooting the stellar first episode.
 
Ouch! Remember, we didn’t say it — we only heard it.
 
Updates to come next week on whether or
not it was true!

DISCUSSION POST: WHAT DID Y’ALL
THINK OF
LEADOFF
AND
LEGACY
?

HDU

Posted by R0X1E

September 5
^th

I watched both and gotta be
honest… it’s kiiind of a dead, virtual, even-ass tie right now.
 
Both premieres were so (ugh I’ll admit
it)
good
that I have been rendered totally snark-less.
 
I have no insults.
 
The horror! But since I’m not sure how
to live without my daily dose of celeb-dragging, I’m gonna need you all to
deliver with your sarcastic wit and needlessly scathing opinions.
 
Take it away, my loves!

TOP COMMENTS

grande9813

holy shit I’m in the same
boat. both shows were so good someone help me choose a team I am physically
incapable of liking two things at once

Bow_2_Queen_Azura

Legacy by miles

2Ilushump1

team legacy/casey.
 
i watched leadoff too and I recognize
that it was good but it was too slow for me. but will say I loved the milo
character I just wanted to pinch his cheeks

mrstylerchase

Legacy was better. I thought
it was going to be guilty pleasure trashy but it was more like… classy trashy?
If that’s a thing. Honestly really surprised it was so well-written.
 
Props, Casey Mulreed.

lies311

team leadoff idgaf. maybe
I’m getting old.

Honeybee423

My queen Zoe Mercury was so
good.
 
Leadoff for lyfe

Leilani_11_13

I feel bad liking Legacy so
much because I feel like I’m encouraging Casey to keep being a total
druggie.
 
It obviously adds realism
to the show.
 
Ugh I’m a terrible
person.

foreverjung

I AM IN LOVE WITH MILO FROM
LEADOFF.
 
WHO IS THIS BEAUTIFUL
PRINCE HE IS FLAWLESS AND PUTS TEARS IN MY EYES seriously though leadoff wins
just for casting this gorgeous dude as a sweet innocent guy. perfect combo

wheres_my_straw

when is my queen amanda nathan
going to write an episode? i’ll watch then.

The baseball was
being tossed around yet again in the writers room.
 
But there was little conversation to go with it.

“Come on
guys.
 
Think,” Tom urged tiredly,
giving a weak pump of the fist when the intern finally came in with two trays
of coffee.
 
In attempts to finally
blend in with the other writers, Amanda did her best not to look too grateful
as she plucked the latte marked with her name.
 
But she was and for a variety of reasons.
 
Obviously, it was a win to pass on the
role of office gopher to someone else but mostly, Amanda was relieved to avoid
Starbucks.
 
After all, it was one
of the spots where she was most likely to run into Jake, whose desperate text
messages she had been ignoring for a couple days now.

Hey Amanda.
 
It’s Jake.
 
Do
you work today? Maybe we can meet after we get out.

Hey Amanda.
 
Are you free? I have a few questions if you have time to
hang out.

Hi I’m sorry to text you again, there are
just some things bothering me and I was hoping to ask you about them.
 
Thanks.

Paranoid, Amanda
had deleted the messages, regretting the fact that she had ever offered Jake
her number.
 
Thanks to Casey’s most
recent threat, she had every intention of staying the hell away from him.

“Unless you listen like a good girl, you
better believe that I’ll find some nice, juicy bait to lure your boy out
with.
 
And then it’s lights out for
his career and he’ll have you thank for the rest of his shitty, embarrassing life.”

Amanda shook her
head bitterly as she recalled the words, no doubt in her mind that Casey meant
them — considering the maniacal lengths she had already gone to keep tabs
on her, hiring someone to actually stalk her.
 
There was no other explanation for the strange paparazzo
with the green cap and no camera.
 
Amanda’s
little stalkerazzi.

“Amanda, you
don’t seem to like that idea very much.”

I don’t.
 
And I won’t let her screw with Liam’s life anymore than I
already have.
 
I just won’t.

“Would you care
to tell Fish what you think is wrong with it?”

Wait — what?
Blinking hard, Amanda
processed Tom’s voice, snapping out of her thoughts.
 
“I’m sorry?”

The table
tittered like a group of schoolgirls over her blank look.
 
With a long snort, Skip nudged
Fish.
 
“She’s under the impression
that you do one notable thing and then you’re set — no need to work for
the rest of the season.”

“Can’t blame
her,” Fish mumbled.
 
“How she got
famous.
 
Did one notable person,
didn’t have to work for anything after.”

“Oh,
shit
.”

The reaction was
shared by several of the writers sitting around the table, which seemed to put
a small smile on Fish’s lips.
 
Despite the tiny lurch in her stomach and the angry skip in her pulse,
Amanda stayed outwardly calm.
 
Taking a sip of her latte, she lifted a decidedly bored, dull-eyed gaze
at Fish, all the while ignoring Connor’s stare from diagonally across her seat.

“
Gentlemen
,” Tom said sternly.
 
“And woman.”
 
He squeezed his eyes shut and dug a knuckle into his
forehead, between his eyes.
 
“Christ,
people.
 
We’re on a time crunch
here.
 
We only have two weeks to
think of a new backstory for Milo, board all the beats and then write that shit
so it can be shot in the
one
fucking
week we have before it’s supposed to
premiere
.
 
That’s batshit insane, you know that
right?”

“Yes,” came the collectively
reluctant response.
 
Heaving a
sigh, Tom sat back in his chair, his eyes still closed as he spoke.

“Alright,
listen, assholes.
 
I was going to
write the season finale like I did with the other five episodes.
 
But as you kids have exhausted me with
your bullshit this past month, I’m going to give you the incentive of writing
the season finale solo if you pitch me one good idea to help me change Milo’s entire
backstory.
 
Go.”

The room was
suddenly quiet, stunned.

“We’ll get the
writing credit for the episode?” Bird’s cracking voice asked, his eyes wide.

“Yes, Bird.
 
As long as you give me an idea because
thus far, Fish has pitched the only one today and from what I observed, Amanda
didn’t like it very much,” Tom said, turning to Amanda with a curious tilt of
the head.
 
“Considering how
adamantly you were shaking your head.
 
Right?”

“Oh.”
 
Amanda sat up in her chair, pushing up
the sleeves on her cropped schoolboy jacket.
 
“I actually wasn’t listening,” she said truthfully, though
she came off as blithe.
 
Amanda
didn’t mind it though, especially as she observed Fish and his nostril-flaring
reaction.

“Great.
 
I’m glad you’re so at peace with that
fact,” Tom said sarcastically.
 
“But since it’s our only idea thus far, I’ll just give you a quick rundown.
 
Basically, Fish proposes that since
Milo has just hit it big in New York and will have spent the previous five
episodes getting acquainted with celebrity and women and around-the-clock
parties, we should make the finale the start of his spiral into madness.
 
The new backstory will be that he left
behind a childhood sweetheart and the pressure of that relationship is turning
him from handsome, lovable, All-American role model to cocky, entitled,
party-obsessed playboy.”
 
Tom
sighed once he finished his summary, conveying just how much he disliked the
idea himself.
 
“What’s your take on
that, Nathan?”

Amanda
frowned.
 
“Cheating on a girl back
home? Isn’t that what people are already expecting to see from Milo anyway?”
she asked.
 
“He’s a baseball star
and getting a taste of fame and the women.
 
No one’s going to be shocked by the fact that he might turn
out a philanderer.”

A good half of
the guys around the table nodded in agreement.
 
Amanda tried not to beam like a dork.

“What would you
suggest then? Might I remind you, we only have the freedom to change
one
episode,” Fish snapped, leaning
forward on his elbows.
 
“And in
case you don’t understand, that means we already have five episodes written and
shot where Milo is a good, clean kid whom the audience is worried about because
he’s so innocent.
 
So, naturally,
we’re going to make him
not
innocent.
 
Get it? Unless you
somehow have a better idea that’ll make everything suddenly so
magical
and
interesting
,” he challenged mockingly.

Amanda’s gaze
dipped to study the way his lip quivered as it curled.
 
She wanted to laugh.
 
She was relishing the moment, relishing
Fish’s red, piqued expression.

“Knew it.
 
She’s got nothing,” Skip sneered after
a few seconds of Amanda’s silence.
 
As Fish and a couple other guys joined him in laughing, Amanda gave a
delayed but calm answer to the challenge.

“Make it all a
lie,” she said.
 
“He’s a rookie
when it comes to baseball but not to the lifestyle.
 
The drugs and benders and partying started back home.
 
He makes a huge mistake one day and is
forced to leave behind the town and his past but the bad habits followed.”
 
Amanda chewed her lip, feeling her
heartbeat race with excitement and nervousness and an odd, guilty feeling she
couldn’t quite identify thanks to the rush of sensing another victory against
Fish and the writers room.

“Go on,” Tom
urged, sounding suddenly awake.

“It’ll look to
viewers like Milo only just discovered all these vices but in reality, they’ve
been a problem for him for years.
 
And now that he’s unexpectedly made it as a baseball star in New York,
they’re an even bigger problem.
 
And no one realizes it.
 
Because
he appears strong and healthy with all this talent on the rise.
 
But he’s actually been flirting with
death every episode, on a daily basis.”

Amanda
swallowed, catching her breath.

“That’s… fucking
good,” Bird said, drawing glares from Fish and Skip.
 
“Dude, don’t even try to pretend that’s not good,” he said,
incredulous.
 
“So, what was the bad
shit he did back home that made him have to leave? Is he a murderer or
something?” Bird laughed.

“Could be,” Tom
shrugged.

“It’d be a good
twist but I mean can we get away with that? Without it seeming extreme?” Bird
asked curiously.

Stop
.
 
Amanda tried to scold herself as Bird’s question sparked the
idea in her head.
 
Do not
, she told herself sternly.
 
Unfortunately, her lips betrayed her.

“It was an
accident,” she blurted.
 
“He was
under the influence of something or another.
 
And he was out somewhere, with someone — the one
person who stuck by his side throughout the addiction.
 
Someone younger, who idolized him and
didn’t realize how messed up he was.”

“Younger
brother.”

Amanda looked
up, surprised to hear the suggestion coming from Fish.
 
His face was sour when he looked at her
but then he shrugged.

“Yes.”
 
Tom pointed his pen at Fish before
nodding and returning his attention to Amanda.
 
“I’m guessing Milo was responsible for the death of his kid
sibling because he was drunk, high, whatever?”

Amanda
swallowed.
 
“Yes.”

“Fucking yes.
 
I love it, it’s perfect.
 
We’re done.”
 
Tom brought a celebratory fist down onto the table before
pointing his pen once again, first at Amanda and then at Fish.
 
“You two.
 
Play rocks, paper, scissor to see who gets to write the
episode.”
 
When they both
sputtered, he laughed.
 
“You guys
have been acting like fucking children lately so your punishment is to make
your decision like children.
 
Or
however you want to do it, I honestly give no shits.
 
Just have the decision by Friday.”
 
Rising to his feet, Tom stretched.
 
“I’m done for today.
 
You assholes do whatever you want, I’ll see you in the morning.”

~

By the time
Amanda had reached the sidewalk to hail her cab home, she’d reconciled her
decision to pitch Casey real-life childhood as Leadoff’s season finale.

By the time the episode’s written, it’ll be
so different that even Casey won’t notice.
 
No one will know who it’s based on anyway, so it doesn’t really
matter.
 
And entertainment is
always based on reality.
 
That’s
what makes good TV.
 

Smiling, Amanda
kicked her guilt to the curb just as a taxi pulled up to it.
 
“Where you going?” the driver asked
through the window at which Amanda bent over to peer into.

“Hi.
 
Tenth Street between Avenue B and
Avenue —
hey
!” Amanda yelped as
someone sped past her, opening the passenger door of her cab and getting in to
steal it.
 
Tugging the door back
open, Amanda stuck her head inside.
 
“Connor, what the hell?”

“Doyers Street,
please,” Connor nodded at the cabbie through the rearview mirror.

“What? No.”
 
Amanda slid into the backseat, slamming
the door shut.
 
“Tenth Street
between Avenue B and Avenue C,” she said sternly, speaking over Connor as he
tried to repeat his address.

“Maybe two
stop?” the cabbie asked.

“Fine.
 
But Tenth Street first,” Amanda
insisted before turning to Connor incredulously.
 
“What now?” she couldn’t help but snap.

“Good job
today.”

“You stole my
cab to congratulate me?” Amanda asked skeptically.

“Your pitch
sounded a little familiar.”

Having been
ready to retort, Amanda snapped her mouth shut.
 
Connor nodded with a hint of satisfaction as he read her
expression.

“Yeah.
 
Don’t know if you remember but Liam and
I used to be friends with a guy named Ben, who I went to USC with.
 
He’s actually engaged now to Casey Mulreed’s
best friend, Jamie.
 
You met them
both in January at the June Magazine party.”

Amanda felt
Connor studying her face, waiting for it to react in a way that he could use
against her.

“Anyway.
 
Since Jamie obviously knows everything
about Casey and Ben knows almost everything about Jamie, I happen to know the
story of Casey’s little incident at the lake in Missouri.
 
The one that got her kicked out of the
house for almost paralyzing her little brother.”
 
He cringed, probably for show.
 
“Traumatic stuff.
 
And now it’s going to be immortalized on TV because you,” he shrugged,
“don’t care about hurting people.
 
You never do.
 
Not if it
benefits you in any way.”