Sugar Valley (Hollywood's Darkest Secret) (82 page)

“Who cares if he got a star role, that
doesn’t hurt me any, I mean Jose, anymore,” Julienne said, screwing
up her words, then catching her mistake with mild panic to her
tone. Julienne knew that she needed Jose for only a little bit
more, and then her fame would be rekindled again. But, since Tom
Fryer came in the picture, he was beginning to be a pain for her
too, just like Jose. At first she had to put up with Jose; now she
had to put up with the both of them. Understanding that Tom Fryer
wanted Damen out of the picture for good, or else, she knew, Tom
would blackmail her, because he knew of her and Jose’s lies about
Damen’s addiction. In a nutshell, Julienne was caught either way,
and had to continue the game that she started.

“Listen, I can’t let Damen get successful,
famous; I can’t take that chance,” Tom announced; the thought of
Damen telling the whole world about his incident with Vivian ran
through his mind. He realized once again, if Damen gets the power
of fame, then he would also have the power to prove to the police
and media that Tom’s guilty of rape. He knows that once a person
becomes famous, the public will believe anything they say,
especially if a young, handsome guy like Damen reaches that
power.

“Why don’t you want him to succeed in this
business? I mean, I hate him for the lie he told about me, and the
fact that he hit on Julienne, but he’s still a human being. So, why
don’t you?” Jose asked.

“Yeah, why don’t you want him to succeed?”
Julienne questioned also, in a very interested voice.

Tom’s nerves were soaring through his spine,
vertebrae, shooting toward his vocal cords, and making itself known
as he explained with fear, “Well, let’s just say that Damen saw me
doing something I wasn’t supposed to do.”

“Listen, I’m sure Damen won’t snitch on you;
he probably forgot all about you and the situation you weren’t
supposed to do,” said Julienne, grabbing her comb back from Tom’s
nervous grasp.

“Listen, I kept in that one secret, deep
inside, that I wasn’t supposed to tell Jose. You owe me, Julienne.
The plan was to keep Damen from getting that power in the first
place. Now, you have to help with the Damen problem, like I helped
you with it before,” shouted Tom. Jose became confused at his
words. Julienne looked at Jose out of the corner of her eye and
then looked directly at Tom; she couldn’t believe he mentioned that
in front of Jose.

“What secret? What about keeping a secret
from me?” Jose was shocked, noticing Julienne kept on looking at
Tom with an evil glare; it was as if the secret, to him, was large,
and of very consequential importance.

Tom gawked at Jose, while hearing Julienne
finally answer, “Listen, Tom, I’ll help you, but after this movie
is finished.”

“What secret?” hollered Jose.

Tom comprehended, and absorbed that Julienne
was frightened that he would tell Jose the secret; he knew he had
Julienne right where he wanted her.

“Oh, I see, that’s a very important secret
that you’ve kept from Jose, wasn’t it? I’ve got you by a rope,
Julienne, don’t I?” questioned Tom in a sinister tone, looking at
Jose for a second, and then looking back at her. “I want you to
help me take care of Damen before that ass begins this movie,” he
added in a strict manner, realizing, by Julienne’s facial reaction
that he had full control over her at that moment in time, or at any
other moment.

Jose was fed up, tired of them not donating,
giving a retort, an answer to his question, and intrigued by the
mystery of what they were talking about. So, he went in between
them, and shouted again, “What secret, damn it?”

“Okay, you listen to me, I’ll help you after
the movie is finished. That’s my final offer,” Julienne announced,
watching Tom beginning to grin. “Now, if you agree with that, then
you’ll kindly answer Jose’s question.”

Tom stared over Jose’s shoulder, and looked
at Julienne’s face still, explaining, “Well, Jose, the secret about
me cutting the wires of Chuck’s phones.”

“I already know that secret.”

“I know,” Julienne muttered under her
breath.

Tom became shocked at Jose’s knowing, utter
confusion draped his eyes. Tom remembered that he told Julienne not
to speak a word of this to anyone, yet she did. So, Tom stared at
Julienne still, showing his thoughts to her through his evil gape,
and asked, “Oh, you do?”

“Yeah,” replied Jose. He then went over to
her door, and opened it, adding, “I got to go now, I’ll see you on
the set.” He kissed Julienne’s trembling lips and walked out of the
trailer.

Julienne and Tom just stared at each other,
wondering what each other’s thoughts were, and what plans they had.
She watched Tom very closely, seeing him putting out his cigar in
an empty wine bottle. She then smiled vividly and spoke, “You’re a
very good actor.”

“Yeah, I know. Listen, after this movie is
over with, you and I are going to finish the Damen situation
somehow. You understand?” Tom opened up the door and stepped
outside, waiting for a reply in a jittery fashion.

She stared at him, already knowing that she
had to do it, or her own safety against anyone finding out about
her deceitful actions against Damen Schultz, would be shown.
Blackmail of its coldest form was shown to her through Tom’s glare,
the way his eyes made her shiver with fear. “I understand
perfectly.” Those words timidly traveled through her mouth and
entered into Tom’s ears. After she saw his grin, Julienne slammed
the door shut, in Tom’s face, and gazed at her image in the vanity
once again.

Chapter Sixty-Seven

Some ten months passed by, now, even faster
than the months before them, with each day showing a more positive
view toward Damen’s eyes and mind. The sun now showed a different
light to him, and the moon shouted out a different rhyme. The wind
blew a different breeze to his flesh, and the rain proved a
different meaning to him. The term ‘starving artist’ vanished from
Damen’s character, and finally his first dream was shown to
reality: the dream of starring in a movie. Damen and Jose had
already finished their movies a month ago. With Damen, his
excitement grew larger every day, knowing that because of this one
lead role, it would open up doors that he could only dream about in
the Valley.

Damen finished his first movie and moved on
to another star role in a more serious project, the project of a
true story. This story was what he wanted, ever since childhood; it
had drama, crying scenes, and the most strength an actor could show
on film—dying at the end of it. Damen’s hope was fully regained at
that point, and nothing, to his knowledge, could ever bring his
hope down ever again; little did he know.

In Jose’s life, he so far moved on to another
movie, with the co-star role, and Julienne had the star role in it.
Julienne’s plan did work, getting the role because a director told
her and Mr. Rodrigo, “You know, you two would look perfect in a
movie playing a couple.”

So, Jose and Damen were doing pretty well for
Mississippi boys. Yet, Damen Schultz, with his new hope being
regained, had no idea, no knowledge that he was being hunted from
afar. Even though he regained his trust and fulfillment, the hope
of destroying that was not fulfilled for Tom Fryer.

Julienne had a long talk with Tom after she
finished her movie like she promised him. The outcome of the
conversation was that she made Tom agree to leave Damen alone for
now on. She said, “Tom, listen to me, Damen probably long forgot
about that illegal incident that he caught you doing, just leave
him be. Personally, I don’t know what you did illegally, but I do
know that Damen couldn’t possibly remember it. And even if he did,
I don’t think he would go through all that trouble just to make
that incident known.” Well, a few hours later, Mr. Fryer agreed to
leave Damen be, and move on with his life.

Tom Fryer had Darell try out for a TV show,
and ironically the sitcom was about drug abusers. Darell got the
lead role and was now on his sixth month of it. To many people, it
would sound like Darell had it made, but he doesn’t, not by a long
shot. Mr. O’Conner has begun to take in even more drugs, sniffing
through his nose, smoking it through his mouth; the only thing that
was left would be injecting it. He never forgave himself for not
standing up for Damen. That guilt was still in him, the guilt of
not telling the truth and saying Damen wasn’t an addict, cramping
at his mind, making him filled with misery that created fatigue
through each moment that passes. To make matters worse, going to
its greatest extent, his nerves have gone out of control about the
issue of the photos; the photos of having sex with an underage
girl. Darell still believed that Jose would show them to the whole
world, including the police, if he didn’t keep his mouth shut about
the Damen lie. For that, Darell is caught in a web of blackmail and
deceit, winding him up, choking him every moment of every day.

Tom Fryer knew deep inside that it was
Julienne who took the pictures, knowing that she was a liar in her
past, and perceiving, in the way she talked with nervousness to him
when that specific subject comes up, he knows for sure that it was
her. Yet, he didn’t care. Tom didn’t fathom, didn’t comprehend that
if he told Darell the truth, the truth that Julienne took the
pictures, it would take a lot of guilt and stress off of Darell’s
head, but it wouldn’t take that much off.

So, through these months, a lot has changed,
been modified, but the true moment of fate, that hangs in the
future’s front wing, is about to show itself to these characters,
and drape them with the greatest labyrinth of all, choking their
fears, banishing their wants, and revealing each of their fates in
an instant.

Now, it’s February 20, 2000, and Damen is at
his peak with fame, appearing on numerous television shows and talk
shows. His rising fame, from only one movie, has reached millions
of viewers across the United States, molding him into an idol, a
mentor, contouring his profile to be that of a Hollywood
sweetheart, having girls on top of girls, wanting him, hanging his
photos from magazines in their bedrooms, and kissing them goodnight
before they go to bed, where they would dream of his face and only
his face. This newfound fame of his has made Jose a little jealous,
but not that much.

Jose has also appeared on numerous talk shows
and television. To Jose, he and Damen are almost equal when it
comes to who is more famous, yet deep in his subconsciousness, he
knows that Damen is better than him.

Jose, Damen, and Darell have appeared
together on four magazine covers already, materializing, showing
themselves as good friends, having their stories told that they all
came from Ridge Crest, Mississippi, and traveled here to find fame
in their lives. Yet, after the pictures were taken, Darell and
Damen would walk away from Jose; they hated him for different
reasons, and they were reasons that they kept inside.

Damen, Jose, and even Darell had made the
first part of their dream into reality, the second part came to
Damen on February 20, when he walked out from the premiere of his
first movie. He walked down the red carpet with Chuck, when
autograph books from fans flew into his face, pushing, forcing his
image and eyes toward each of them, signing them repeatedly, trying
to keep up with speed of the books. Media and press came up to
Damen and stuck microphones up to his mouth, shouting out questions
at the same time, causing Damen’s ears to only hear loud voices,
and not being able to interpret what even one person was asking
him. In the distance, waiting by the curb of the street, was
Damen’s limo, seeing its back door opened already. He and Chuck
both walked faster toward it, trying to build momentum in their
legs, yet trying not to make it too noticeable that they were
trying to get away from the crowds and media. Chuck got in the limo
first, hopping into its luxurious, black leather seats, and turning
to see through the door if Damen was coming. Chuck saw Damen
stopping right by the door, and turning around, in an idle-like
motion, to face the building they just exited from. Damen did this
to make a memory, a memory of the moment he’s been waiting for;
that was when the second part of his dream began.

“Damen, how do you feel about your new movie?
Do you feel it will do good at the box office?” a reporter asked,
sticking a microphone out and pointing it at Damen’s face like a
gun, a pistol with a silencer at the end of it.

Damen smiled while Chuck was waiting
patiently for him to enter the car, and looked at the reporters in
a prosperous way. Damen answered, “It was a great experience, and I
feel the movie was a lot of fun to make. Um, the answer to your
second question is yes, yes I do feel it will do great at the box
office.”

Another reported questioned, “Damen, is it
true that you are presently working on a second movie?”

“Yes I am, it’s based on a true story.”

“Damen, how do you feel about being nominated
for the Best Actor category?” a reporter shouted with glee.

Emotional silence came to Damen’s eyes,
blinding his ears, deafening his eyes, having that one question,
flying around in his mind, trying to comprehend if he heard it
correctly. Throughout the pause, Damen Schultz gawked at the
reporter, and finally answered, “What? What Best Actor category?”
Damen turned around to face the limo, and then he wound his head
back, waiting for a reply, some clarification to his puzzled
thoughts.

The crowd was augmenting, dilating, enlarging
and growing in number, pushing, jostling, shoving at Damen, and
causing his body to hit the limousine with force. But, he still
waited for a reply, not wanting to enter the limo yet, until his
mind stopped feeling baffled, and started feeling clear-headed.
That’s when another reporter explained, “The Oscar for the Best
Actor. Do you think you’ll go home with the trophy?”