‘Where did she go?’ Jackson demanded of a stunned stagehand.
He pointed towards the back of the stage area and Jackson set off after Ivy, with a producer shouting that Jackson had to be back on stage in three minutes.
‘Jackson!’ Amy called after them.
Ivy rushed up to a woman all in black, carrying a brush and hand-mirror. ‘Which way did the girl in turquoise go?’
The make-up artist pointed along the curtain.
Ivy and Jackson tore down the path and eventually found Olivia in a small dressing room tucked away behind a bunch of glittering backdrop props.
Her face was buried in her arms, as she leaned on a counter in front of a well-lit mirror. When Olivia looked up to see who was at the door, Ivy could see that her sister’s cheeks were streaked with tears.
Ivy rushed in to hug her, with Jackson right behind. Ivy felt tears welling in her own eyes seeing her sister so upset.
‘I should never have dreamed I could belong here,’ Olivia said.
‘Oh, Olivia,’ Jackson said. ‘This is all my fault. I should have made Amy let us go public weeks ago.’
‘I’m sorry, too,’ Amy said from the doorway. ‘I’ve handled this exactly the wrong way.’
Olivia shook her head. ‘It’s not even that. It’s awful to get booed but, really, I’m just horrified that Jessica could be so vindictive.’
Ivy decided right then and there that something had to be done about Jessica.
‘I will never work with her again,’ Jackson vowed.
The stage manager knocked sharply on the door. ‘There’s no time for this. Jackson you’re on.’
‘Give me a minute!’ Jackson insisted. ‘Olivia, please don’t leave. Don’t give up.’
‘There’s no way Harker will want me now,’ Olivia said.
‘Jackson –’ the stage manager started again.
‘Can it!’ Amy cut him off. The man’s mouth fell open in shock. ‘This mess is your crew’s fault. How could you have let that video get played? You will just have to deal for a little longer.’
Ivy was impressed. Amy really had Jackson’s best interests at heart.
Jackson knelt down beside Olivia.
‘You should go,’ Olivia told him.
‘I’m not going anywhere until I know you’re all right,’ he said gently.
Ivy could see that it was making things worse for Olivia to be ruining Jackson’s evening. ‘I’m here,’ she said. ‘I’ll make sure Olivia’s OK.’
Jackson hesitated.
‘Really,’ Olivia said. ‘Go.’
Jackson got to his feet and turned. The stage manager looked about to weep with relief. He started gabbling into his walkie-talkie, ‘We are go!’ and he practically dragged Jackson away.
In the moment of silence, Amy emptied her little bag out on to the counter. Make-up remover, tissues, mascara, lipstick and blusher clattered on to the laminate surface.
‘What happens next is entirely up to you, sweetie,’ she said quietly. ‘Whatever you choose won’t be easy, but it’s my job to give you the tools you need, if you decide to stay.’
‘Thank you, Amy,’ Olivia said, sniffling. ‘You’re a good friend.’
Ivy was still clutching Olivia’s handbag when it started chirping. Olivia shook her head, and Ivy knew her sister didn’t want to deal with it right now.
‘You take care of it,’ Olivia said.
There were already three text messages. One was from their dad, so Ivy quickly texted him their location and to say things were OK. The next was from Camilla, so Ivy sent another reassuring note, but the third was from Charlotte Brown.
Ivy frowned. Oh no, she didn’t! Ivy guessed that Charlotte couldn’t resist the chance to gloat. But when she opened the text, it was a link to a video with a short message from Charlotte: ‘That was so un-cool. Get her back.’
Ivy stepped out of the dressing room to watch the video. What she saw made her gasp and then smile.
The truth is out there, Ivy thought. Justice can be done.
She popped her head into Olivia’s dressing room. ‘I’ll be right back.’
Ivy headed straight to the bank of monitors, and to the engineer who was about to lose his job, if Amy had anything to do with it.
‘Hey.’ She pointed at him and hoped her face showed that he was in no position to refuse. ‘I’ve got a deal for you . . .’
Olivia looked at herself in the mirror.
She was alone, for the moment. Ivy had rushed off and Amy had gone to give her some space. Her face was streaked with mascara tears and her hair stuck out in all directions from her bun.
She looked as though she’d just starred in some action movie, not as if she was lined up to appear in a glamorous awards show.
‘Can I do this?’ she said to herself.
She had two choices: stay and face the booing crowds, or go back home and live quietly, without all the pressure.
She took Amy’s make-up remover and started wiping away her ruined eye shadow. As she worked, she remembered what it felt like when Harker had first chosen her for Eternal Sunset. It was the best feeling. And getting interviewed by Chuck was one of the highlights of her year. Singing ‘Wacky Walrus’ with Ivy in that studio felt like she’d come home.
But every time she saw Jessica with Jackson, it felt miserable. The premiere when she couldn’t walk in with Jackson, and being spied on by paparazzi – all of those things were less than perfect.
‘It’s just not worth it,’ Olivia said out loud.
It didn’t matter whether or not the world knew about her relationship. She understood what she and Jackson were all about. She could go back home to Franklin Grove and be happy. She had cheerleading; she had her friends and she still had the best boyfriend in the world.
‘I’m lucky, really,’ she murmured. She could feel determination rising up inside her. Why should she run away like a coward when she knew she had so many things to be proud of?
‘One last night,’ she decided. She wasn’t going to walk out on her role at the awards – she had commitments. She’d do what she had to, show a brave face – and then leave it all behind without any regrets.
No vampire diva actress was going to scare her away. Olivia might not have to file her fangs, but she could put up a fight any vampire would be proud of.
She inspected the make-up scattered across the counter, then picked out Amy’s mascara like it was a weapon.
‘Now or never,’ she told herself, leaning towards the mirror and reapplying her make-up. ‘No one puts Olivia in the corner.’
It was time to show the world what she was made of.
‘Where is my daughter?’
Ivy heard her dad’s grave voice booming across the vast backstage area. He was berating some poor technician, with Lillian trying to talk him down, so Ivy hurried over.
‘Dad!’ she called. ‘She’s over here.’
‘There is no way my daughter will be treated like this by anyone,’ Mr Vega declared as he pushed his way through a troupe of dancers.
‘She’s OK, really, Dad,’ Ivy said. ‘Come on. I’ll take you to her.’
When they got to the dressing room, Olivia had fixed her make-up and taken her hair down. The style was a bit tousled, but Olivia could definitely pull off the casual-chic look.
‘What a transformation!’ Ivy said.
‘Don’t sound so surprised,’ Olivia said, laughing and hugging Mr Vega. ‘I’m ready to get back out there and smile.’
‘Well done,’ Mr Vega replied. ‘Good for you.’
‘Are you sure you’re OK?’ Lillian asked. ‘That must have been awful.’
Olivia nodded. ‘It was, but I’m over it now.’
‘You know,’ Lillian went on, ‘Jessica is not representative of the whole of the film industry. There are good people here, too.’
‘I know that’s true,’ Mr Vega said, looking right at Lillian, who immediately blushed.
Ivy gave Olivia a pointed look. If th
at wasn’t proof of something going on between the two of them, what more did Olivia need?
Mr Vega cleared his throat. ‘Uh, girls, I have something to tell you.’
‘Oh, please!’ Ivy interrupted. ‘I’ve seen this romance coming from a mile off.’
‘You have?’ Lillian asked.
‘The dinners, the blushing,’ Ivy replied. ‘I’m really happy for you both.’
Mr Vega looked at Olivia. ‘I know there’s a lot on your plate at the minute, but –’
‘But nothing,’ Olivia said. ‘I’m delighted.’ She gave Lillian a big hug. ‘If I hadn’t been so wrapped up in myself these past few days, I would have seen it coming, too.’
‘You’ve had a lot to take in,’ Mr Vega said.
‘But this is the end,’ Olivia said. ‘I’m not interested in all the craziness. After tonight, I’m going back to Franklin Grove, just little old me.’
‘No way!’ Ivy said. ‘You’re not giving up on your dream!’
‘But in my dream, it’s fun and happy and nice,’ Olivia said. ‘All this other stuff just isn’t me.’
Ivy frowned. Jessica was getting just what she wanted – her new competition was giving up. ‘Ignore Jessica. What about the nomination? Regardless of Jackson, people liked you enough to think you were one of the top five Brightest New Stars.’
Olivia paused. ‘Yes, but . . .’
‘Just wait and see,’ Ivy insisted. ‘Don’t make your final decision yet.’
Lillian put a hand on Olivia’s arm. ‘You’re a born actress, Olivia. You should at least wait and see how the award goes. Take it from me – I know talent when I see it.’
‘It might be a tough audience,’ Mr Vega said, ‘but only leave if you want to, Olivia. Don’t let anyone else make that decision for you.’
‘Olivia Abbott?’ called a stage manager. ‘We need you now. Jackson’s waiting.’
Olivia looked around from Ivy, to Lillian, to Mr Vega. ‘We’ll just have to see.’
Ivy just knew that her sister would charm them all, if she could get out there and talk to everyone. Ivy hoped with all her heart that Olivia would win the award.
‘Good luck,’ Ivy whispered.
Olivia strode out of the room and Ivy crossed her fingers, hoping that the world would just give her sister a chance.
Chapter Ten
Olivia slipped on to the red velvet seat beside Mr Vega. During a video after the commercial break, she’d been escorted out into the audience so that the cameras could see her reaction as the award was announced. Almost immediately, a cameraman closed in, his huge black camera lens pointed right at her.
Jackson stood at the podium and smiled at the audience. He didn’t show any of the stress that Olivia guessed he might be feeling. The last thing he’d had to deal with before going on stage was her being upset. ‘And now, I am delighted to announce the nominees for the Brightest New Star award, given to a debut actor or actress with a bright future in Hollywood.’
Olivia knew she had about ten seconds before her face was splashed across the huge screen in the auditorium and broadcast live to the nation – they always showed the faces of all the nominees as the award was being announced. She ignored the panicky feeling that was welling up in her and focused on one moment: it was just after Christmas. Ivy, Mr Vega and her parents were sitting together in the Abbott’s kitchen. All the crazy family together.
That’s what matters in all of this, Olivia thought to herself.
Jackson called out clearly, ‘Olivia Abbott . . .’
There was an awkward silence, then a smattering of polite applause. Everyone in the audience was in full formal wear. One old lady was wearing a tiara and the man next to her was wearing a full tuxedo.
Olivia just kept thinking about her family, to distract herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her big face on the screen.
Jackson read out the other four nominees, whose applause was clearly more than polite. It’s almost over, it’s almost over, Olivia kept telling herself.
‘And the winner is . . .’
Olivia felt her heart thumping through her body.
It would be amazing to win, but it was next to impossible. She knew the votes would have been cast long before Jessica’s video stunt; there was no way she could have made that big an impact with just one small role in a Jackson Caulfield flick.
But a little voice inside her said, ‘It was big enough to land the Eternal Sunset role!’
It was like slow motion as Jackson opened the gold envelope and then looked her way. He locked eyes with her and read out, ‘Olivia Abbott!’
There was a loud whooping noise – that sounded distinctly like a certain sister of hers – and then an awkward hush descended on the audience.
Mr Vega squeezed Olivia’s hand. ‘Go on,’ he told her. ‘Enjoy your moment.’
Olivia stepped out into the aisle and walked up on to the stage, squinting under the glare of the lights.
‘Congratulations, Olivia,’ Jackson said, leaning into the microphone, as Olivia strode towards his podium.
Now she could see that the huge auditorium was packed. There were hundreds of people staring at her. Young girls were scattered through the rows – clearly Jackson fans, judging by their scowls. One of them, wearing pink taffeta, stuck her tongue out at Olivia.
Jackson handed her a tall glass trophy and the envelope. She glanced down to see that it really was her name written there.
She stepped in front of the microphone and said, ‘I’m so surprised, but happy.’ Jackson gave her a huge, proud smile and Olivia knew that this might be her only chance to set the record straight about her and Jackson.
‘I know some of you might be disappointed by the video that you saw earlier – believe me, that took me by surprise. But so did falling for this wonderful person.
‘At the beginning of the year, I was a nobody – just a Jackson fan standing at the barriers when a film set in my home town was being shot. Then, in a blur, I had a role in a movie and a mega-famous boyfriend. It was totally overwhelming, but the best feeling ever.’
She smiled at Jackson and there were a few faint sounds of ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’ from the audience. The pink taffeta girl was grinning now. ‘We never meant to mislead anyone, but it was all so new that we didn’t want any more pressure on our relationship.’
She stopped, not sure if there was anything else to say.
In the pause, someone called out, ‘We love you, Olivia and Jackson!’ The old lady with the tiara clapped and nodded while the girl in pink whooped and cheered.
Next to her, Jackson applauded and winked.
‘Thank you so much for this award,’ Olivia said. She saw Harker standing in the wings giving her a thumbs up. ‘There’s just one more thing I have to say. A big “thank you” to my sister, Ivy. We are complete opposites, but she is the best person I know, and more people should be like her. Without Ivy, I wouldn’t be here today. We all need family, right?’
The auditorium exploded in applause, and Olivia felt so much better. Jackson scooped her up in a huge hug, which just made the audience cheer even louder.
When the noise settled, Jackson whispered in Olivia’s ear. ‘You have to announce the next award.’
Olivia nodded.
He pressed an envelope into her hands.
Olivia looked out at the audience, which had more welcoming faces now, and said, ‘I’m honoured to be able to present the next award: the Brightest Star award.’ The nominees were all written on the back of the envelope. ‘The nominees are: Beverly Bonds, Naomi Coleman, George Morrow . . .’ She had to take a deep breath before saying the next name, ‘Jessica Phelps, Mark Richter and Emily Tipman.’
As she fumbled with opening the envelope, a hush fell over the audience. She could see Harker watching from the side of the stage.
This was the biggest award of the night, and Olivia felt sure about who was going to win. She pulled the little card out of the envelope to confirm it.
<
br /> ‘Jessica Phelps,’ she read out and the audience burst into even louder applause.
Blonde hair flowing, Jessica floated out on to the stage. She’d changed her outfit and was wearing a long red dress with diamond studs and an amazing diamond choker. She looked classy.
Too bad she is everything but classy, Olivia thought. But she smiled and clapped along with everyone else. Jackson handed Jessica a trophy, and over his shoulder, Jessica gave Olivia a pointed look.
Jackson broke away and leaned over to the microphone. ‘Before we hear from our winner, let’s watch her tribute video.’
He kept clapping and turned to watch the big screen. A familiar face appeared.
‘Hi, I’m Charlotte Brown. You don’t know me – yet – but I’ve got a secret to share with you.’
Olivia was stunned. She looked at Jackson, but he seemed just as confused.
‘I have a special tribute video to show you about my new friend Jessica. I want people to know the truth about your favourite movie star.’
Charlotte’s face disappeared and a grainy shot appeared of Jessica in the Meat and Greet. It was obviously filmed on someone’s camera phone.
Olivia snuck a glance at Jessica, who was beginning to look concerned.
Jessica’s voice rang out clearly, thanking a fan.
‘You guys are the reason that I do what I do, and I love you all!’ She gave the slightly overweight girl a hug.
‘I heard you were going to star in the movie of Eternal Sunset,’ said the girl.
‘Oh, I would be honoured just to audition for that role,’ Jessica said sweetly.
The girl beamed.
‘My friend is filming this, so I can put this meeting up on my fan site – if that’s OK with you,’ said Jessica.
The girl nodded, looking ecstatic, and scurried away.
In the auditorium, the audience clapped, but the video didn’t stop there.
As the fan walked away Jessica turned to the camera and her smile changed into a grimace. ‘These stupid fans are just so obsessive,’ she said. ‘And did you see what she was wearing?’
On stage, Jessica was turning white and shaking her head, backing away.
‘Ugh,’ Jessica on the screen sneered. ‘And do you know what? I hate those stupid books like Eternal Sunset. They are so lame.’
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