On the Outside (Caught Inside #3)

by S. Briones Lim

  Eyes brightening, he replied, “Because I am.”

  “That’s a lie and you know it.” I jabbed his bare chest with my finger and couldn’t help but notice how hard it felt. If he wasn’t Superman incarnate, than I don’t know who was.

  “Harper, that hurts—”

  “Charlie—”

  Well, we certainly weren’t going to get anywhere if we continued to speak over each other. Sighing, I motioned for him to speak first.

  “Seriously, it hurts me to think that you view yourself so small. Why wouldn’t I be attracted to you?”

  “I just think you’re doing this because of some weird vendetta against Xavier. For the record, I do not view myself like that.”

  Charlie bowed his head apologetically. “Listen, Harper; I like you because you’re awesome and it sucks to think a dweeb like Xavier scooped you up before I could.”

  Okay, that made me really angry.

  “Are you fucking kidding me? I’m not some ice cream you can scoop!”

  He chuckled, further igniting my fury.

  “And like I said earlier, I know you’re just doing this to get back at whatever you’re mad with him about.” I let out a puff of air from my nostrils and gazed back at the siblings, who had suddenly disappeared, most likely moving their fight somewhere else. “I’m not stupid, Charlie. Tell me what it is you hate about him.”

  Of course Charlie chose this moment to stay mum. With a shake of his head he replied, “Not the right time. In fact, I’ve rather forgotten about it.”

  “Seems to me that you haven’t.”

  “Places, everyone!” Wyatt’s voice boomed, interrupting our banter.

  I rubbed at my forehead and sighed. “Let’s just get through this week, okay, Charlie?”

  Snorting, he nodded his head. “I know I can, but can you?”

  Chapter 31

  Well, now I knew why Xavier and Kacy disappeared that day on set—she was able to get Xavier to avoid me!

  To be fair, it wasn’t as if he were just tossing me to the side or anything, but during that last week of shooting, our calls, dates, and interactions severely diminished under Kacy’s presence. If I did receive a text from him it was usually short, quick, and sometimes just one word.

  The one bright side to the whole mess was meeting her husband, Miles. Not only was he as uncomfortable as I felt with all the drama, but he actually disagreed with Kacy’s logic.

  I liked him.

  “I just think that the fact you apologized and admitted you were wrong should have alleviated the whole situation,” he told me. “Honestly, I think Riley would have been over it a long time ago if it weren’t for Kacy putting thoughts in her head. I tried to talk her out of it, but once Kacy sets her mind on something it takes something momentous to snap her out of it.”

  “Heard she was the same way about you. How did that change?” I asked curiously.

  “I dated someone else—more to get back at her really, but it made her realize she loved me.” He sounded proud of his plan, but I couldn’t blame him. Seeing how pigheaded his wife could be, I’d be proud too if I managed to change her mind about anything.

  I refrained from telling him how hypocritical it was that she fell for someone “dating” somebody else—regardless of Miles’ intentions—when I merely slept with someone who was single! Instead, I asked the question burning in my mind.

  “How is Riley?”

  Miles gazed down at me and nodded his head once. “Good. Happy.”

  It was all he gave me and at the moment, it was good enough for me.

  ***

  “Last shot of the movie!” Wyatt’s voice boomed above the crowd of extras who had gathered for our last scene which, as stated in the script, was supposed to be an epic competition. I was just happy my character wouldn’t be the one competing.

  Wyatt took his usual spot on the black fabric chair that had a permanent imprint of his ass and looked around methodically. “Let’s make this good.”

  After one last wipe of rouge on my cheeks courtesy Piper, I took my place on a beach towel and shielded my eyes toward the water looking for Charlie. The last scene we’d need to shoot was the one where Jasper enters a surf competition and—gasp—wins! I know, I know, very original, right? Regardless, it was kind of perfect that the last shot of the movie would be so intense, given the way my life was going.

  As I watched the beating water of the Pacific Ocean I couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic remembering the first few lessons I had with Xavier. Recalling the feelings of anguish and even fear, I couldn’t believe I was so apprehensive to open my heart to everything California had to offer, including him. I almost wished I could do it all over, beginning with an open mind.

  Kacy was surprisingly missing from set that day and I couldn’t help but hope she had fled back to Mistcoast.

  It’ll finally allow you to have a heart to heart with Xavier.

  As mad as I was and as angry as I could be, I couldn’t help but wonder if there was an ulterior motive for his disappearance. He did always promise me he’d fix things after shooting; maybe he was still holding onto that fallacy. Besides, at least one good thing came out of it—the distance finally got Kacy off my back.

  A loud horn broke through my thoughts, nearly causing me to jump five feet. The fake competition was finally underway. Placing my “Samantha” mask over my face, I jumped with little hops and clapped my hands together.

  “Go, Jasper!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, causing the extras to go crazy.

  Still struggling to catch a glimpse of my leading man, I peered past the breaking waves and let out a slight gasp. Xavier was surfing beside Charlie!

  “What the hell?” I murmured, thankful that the cameras could only capture my backside. “Why is he out there?”

  Realizing that the budget probably couldn’t afford to hire another surfer/stuntman/extra, I watched the fake competition with a pounding heart.

  Remember, you have to cheer for Charlie.

  This was definitely going to be the hardest scene of my whole acting career. How could I cheer for Charlie when my heart was with Xavier?

  To my disappointment, Charlie was the first to catch a wave, but remembering that the script called for it, I immediately calmed. It was fake. Nothing but an act. I forced a whoop of joy as I watched the actor effortlessly ride the wave, disappearing inside the blue tube before reemerging on the other side. I tried to remain focused on my “love interest” but my gaze would not leave Xavier’s figure, which was bobbing up and down like a buoy.

  “Come on, Xavier, you can do this,” I whispered to myself, suddenly feeling like an idiot. Reminding myself that everything was planned out, I watched the two as calmly as possible, despite feeling as if I were in the middle of an actual event.

  Just then a gigantic wave began looming in the horizon. It was definitely going to be the best wave of the morning and—

  “The one Xavier has to wipe out on.” I cringed, remembering the details of our script, which called for his character to take a pretty bad nose dive, leading him to be subsequently rescued by Jasper.

  “Oh, he’s gotta love that,” I muttered, thinking of all the animosity between the two.

  And so I waited…I waited and winced, imagining how the scene would play out. Though I knew it was fake I still wasn’t looking forward to seeing Xavier helpless and near death. The only thing that kept me calm was remembering we had medics on scene, waiting patiently in the wings in case the shit hit the fan.

  “God, please let me get through this.” I went on my tip-toes and heard another bullhorn above the crowd. This was it. The moment I so wasn’t looking forward to.

  Right on cue Xavier fell off his board and was subsequently swallowed by an incoming wave, signaling one of the extras to shout, “Oh my gosh! He’s drowning!”

  I winced as I watched Charlie quickly paddle over to Xavier’s deserted board. Though I was too far to see the expression on his face, I could almost imagi
ne the smug look in his eyes.

  “Stop stalling and go get Xavier,” I muttered in annoyance. Of course I had nothing to worry about; Xavier had successfully surfaced and was waiting with one of our medics beyond the camera’s span. It was another “trick of production” and would require a different angle to be shot at a later time.

  To my relief, Wyatt yelled, “Cut!”

  Impatiently, I waited for the two men to paddle back onto shore, but of course I couldn’t run over to check on Xavier. First, Wyatt might kill me, and second, I didn’t even know where I stood with the man.

  After the medics gave them a onceover, Wyatt wanted to immediately shoot the scene where Charlie drags Xavier’s lifeless body onto shore.

  “Time is money!” our annoying director barked. “Places now!”

  After some brief blocking and touchups, I braced myself for the next scene, completely thankful that I’d be off camera. Once I heard the word “Action!” I sucked in my breath and became the most attentive audience member on the beach.

  Though I was about twenty feet away, I could easily make out Xavier’s scowl that he was so desperately trying to hide by bowing his head. His limp arm was draped over Charlie’s shoulder and his body was dead weight as he was dragged from the waters onto the beach. In one humph, Charlie practically threw Xavier’s body onto the beach so that my boyfriend was face first in the hot sand.

  That was definitely an adlib.

  I pursed my lips in annoyance, fighting the urge to yell out and throw a tantrum. Instead, I prayed that Wyatt would hurry up and cut the scene.

  After what seemed like eternity, Wyatt’s voice finally boomed, “Cut!”

  Xavier and I both sighed in unison. I kept my distance, watching him jump to his feet and brush the sand off his face. Water droplets rolled down his bare chest, causing him to sparkle—eh, scratch that, he wasn’t a vampire, but he definitely reflected some light.

  Charlie strutted over and smacked him on the back—hard. “Not the first time I saved your ass, right?”

  “Fuck you,” Xavier shot back, spitting on the ground next to him.

  That was it. I couldn’t hold back anymore.

  Ignoring Piper, who had just taken her place beside me, I sprinted toward the two men and wagged my finger accusingly. “Xavier, why didn’t you tell me you were acting today?”

  “You mean your lover doesn’t tell you everything?” Charlie snickered in a way that reminded me of Coby’s dumb ass, further fueling my irritation. He eyed Xavier, giving him the onceover. Though he was visibly more tan and muscular—hey he’s an actor!—Xavier definitely had a swimmer’s body, which I thought was hotter. Of course at that moment I was stewing with anger so I didn’t even notice how handsome both men looked.

  Pushing Charlie to the side, I sneered at Xavier. “You’ve been avoiding me all week and I know it’s because of Kacy. Then you do this without even telling me?”

  “Did I have to tell you?” he shot back. “Didn’t know I needed your permission.”

  My eyes widened in irritation. “Are you being serious right now?”

  Charlie began to laugh, but at least he had the decency to walk away, leaving Xavier and I glaring at each other. Feeling my temper rise, I screeched, “Admit it. Kacy got to you! You were too chicken to break up with me so you’ve been avoiding me all week so you wouldn’t have to say it to my face.”

  Xavier’s expression darkened. “No, it’s not like that at all. I promise I’ll explain everything to you, okay? For now just believe me when I say I did everything for us.”

  “So avoiding me was for us?” I asked in disbelief. “If that isn’t a load of bullshit.”

  “It is.” He nodded. “And as for filming today, it was a last minute thing. Our original actor broke his collarbone skating yesterday. Wyatt literally woke me up at four in the morning to ask if I could shoot today.”

  I felt myself relax, but couldn’t help but still feel a bit hurt. “You still could have told me. If you can keep something this small from me—though it really is big—what else can you hide from me?” Feeling Charlie’s gaze, I turned back and spotted him throwing a wink at me. I rolled my eyes and peered at Xavier questioningly. “Be frank with me.”

  “I am.”

  “Okay…were you avoiding me because you were too chicken to dump me face to face?”

  He groaned. “I told you this was for us—”

  “I don’t see how making me feel like I was this tiny—” I held up two fingers spaced an inch apart, “—was good for us.”

  His face lost all coloring. “I’m sorry…I just thought…”

  “Thought what?”

  “I thought—”

  “Xavier! We have to film the drowning scene!” Wyatt combed through the crowd until he was standing right in between us.

  Seriously? Can you be any ruder?

  “Harper and I just have something to talk about—”

  Wyatt turned as if just noticing me for the first time. “What are you still doing here? It’s a wrap for you.”

  In all the excitement I had forgotten it was my very last scene for Cali Break. A combination of relief and sadness washed over me. “But I just needed to talk to him—”

  “After this scene.” Wyatt’s curly hair bounced over his eyes, hiding the sneer I knew he was throwing me. “Time is—”

  “Money, yeah, yeah.” I slumped over and shut my eyes. Xavier wasn’t an actor, so I had no idea how long his scene would take to shoot. “Fine, whatever. I guess I’ll just have to wait.”

  Again with time’s bitchiness!

  “Harper, I’ll talk to you later.” Xavier’s voice was firm, but his eyes sincere.

  Sighing, I begrudgingly relented. “Fine.”

  Chapter 32

  I dragged my feet back to the makeup trailer, which was moved to the middle of Pacific Beach for the last few scenes of the movie. As I eyed the beige colored monstrosity I couldn’t help but feel a bit nostalgic. The fact that this was probably the last time I’d ever see it didn’t escape me.

  “I have to get together with Piper after all this. I can’t afford to lose another friend.” I took a deep breath, realizing this was it. Cali Break was finally complete. Though the chore of deciding whether to stay near Hollywood or move back to New York loomed in the back of my mind, a part of me always knew I’d stay closer to Xavier. Of course that was before his sister stepped into the picture. Speaking of which…

  “Kacy!” I yelped out in surprise when I spotted her rounding the corner of the trailer. Her eyes widened, looking equally as shocked. “What are you doing here?”

  Her raised eyebrows soon pushed together. “I was looking for my brother.”

  “He’s still filming.”

  Why am I even talking to her?

  We both paused, staring each other down. It was like a duel scene from an old Western. We stood on either end of the trailer, basically shooting daggers with our eyes. All that was missing was a pistol and maybe a saloon girl dancing in the background.

  “Harper, I have a wash I need to put in your hair to get all that saltwater out,” Piper called out, appearing from inside the trailer.

  Well, there’s our saloon girl, after all.

  My friend gasped when she spotted Kacy and me practically ready to pounce on one another. “What are you guys doing?”

  Something about having Piper—a friend—nearby gave me a surge of bravery that I haven’t felt in a long time.

  Pulling back my mouth in an angry sneer, I barked, “I was going to ask this bitch right here what her deal is with me.”

  Kacy’s mouth dropped open and her brown eyes shone angrily. “Well, maybe this bitch is looking out for her loved ones. You know, her brother and best friend. I don’t need a fucker like you infiltrating their lives.”

  Piper shuddered, her eyes darted back and forth as if watching a tennis match. “Maybe I should get Xavier.”

  “You do that,” Kacy said at the same time I replied, “He�
�s shooting.”

  Cue more evil glares.

  Piper looked as if she was frozen in place. At this point Charlie had also exited the makeup trailer with a huge smile on his face. He stopped right behind Piper and watched us in amusement.

  “I warned Riley about you,” Kacy spat as she stalked forward. Her strides were purposeful and calculated. She looked like a puma ready to attack. Unfortunately for her I was far from the same woman who cowered in her apartment eating junk food.

  I took a confident step toward her and lifted my chin. “I’ve asked you time and time again to listen to my side of the story, but you wouldn’t do it. Admit it; you were just jealous of my friendship with Riley. You’re so insecure you can’t even stand the fact that your brother is falling for me too!”

  Kacy’s face scrunched up in disgust. Her nose wrinkled as if she just smelled the foulest smell on earth. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  I rolled my eyes. “You’re scared because I’m practically taking over your life. Well, you know what? I don’t want it! Any of it! You’re just a boring, sad woman from a Podunk, imitation beach town who doesn’t know what it’s like to live out in the real world.”

  Though my fists clenched, Kacy’s hand outstretched as if she were preparing to slap me. Remembering Xavier’s earlier warnings, I couldn’t help but smile wickedly.

  Bring it, bitch. I’m ready.

  Completely out of character, Charlie rushed forward. “Okay, ladies, maybe we should take this somewhere else. Why don’t we act like adults for a moment?”

  I brushed him off, unable to take my eyes off Kacy. “Leave us alone, Charlie. You’ve already done enough damage.”

  “What the fuck? What the hell did I do?” he demanded.

  Okay, he had a point there. He couldn’t have known about my inner conflict on whether or not to trust him, and as far as I knew, I’d hid the fact that I was attracted to him well. However, I was not about to apologize for the foot in my mouth. At least not yet. I was far too deep in the depths of desperation and anger to see straight.