by B. B. Hamel
I slowly slide out of bed after a few minutes, not able to wait anymore. I use the bathroom and rinse my face off before looking at myself in the mirror.
For a second, I see that teenage girl I used to be. I was angry back then, hated everything about my hometown and dreamed about so much more. I wanted to get out, come to Hollywood, and live a life that my parents could never have dreamed of. And I wanted to do it with Jackson.
I remember the way I was after he left, so broken and sad. But those feelings don’t feel current anymore. I can’t relate to that anger and that hurt. Those emotions used to be very present for me, the hurt and the betrayal, but now… it feels like just another memory. My anger toward Jackson is gone, and that teenage girl is my past.
When I sneak back into the room, Jackson is sitting up in bed.
“I thought you were running away,” he says, smiling at me.
“No, that’s your move,” I say, surprised that I can joke about it.
He laughs and throws a pillow at me. “Get over here.”
I get into bed and crawl up next to him. He kisses me, wrapping his arms around me, pulling me close.
I let him hold me like that, not sure what any of it means. We talk about nothing, mostly just work, and mostly just gossip. He laughs and he makes me laugh, and an hour passes that way.
He looks over at the clock and sighs. “We should get going,” he says.
I groan. “We have to work, don’t we?”
“Lionel will castrate us both if we’re late.”
I sigh and get up. “Fine, fine. Do you need to shower or anything?”
He shakes his head. “No, I can do all that on set.”
“All right.” I hop out of bed. “Let’s get going.” I head into the bathroom and quickly get ready.
I take a short shower and I’m dressed and ready to go in record time. I find him idly looking at his phone in bed, fully dressed now, which is disappointing. We walk together back out into the living room and there we find Laney, looking like we never left her.
She looks over at us and takes her headphones off. “What?” she asks.
I realize that I’m staring at her. “Did you go to sleep at all?”
She shrugs. “What time is it?”
“Morning,” Jackson grunts. “Early.”
“Oh. Then no.” She goes to put her headphones back on.
“Wait,” I say. “Hold on. Did you come up with something?”
“I did,” she says, looking smug.
“What is it?” Jackson asks, stepping toward her.
“It’s a masterpiece, is what it is.” She stands up and turns her laptop around to us.
On the screen is a Word document. It’s clearly a script, though I have no clue what it’s about.
“That’s your plan?” I ask her.
“That’s my script,” she corrects. “You said Holly wants to stay with Jackson until she has another movie, right?”
He nods at her. “Yeah, that’s right.”
“So let’s get her another movie. You guys convince her to attach herself to this script.”
I stare at her for a second and slowly the plan opens up to me. “That’s genius,” I say. “You have some cachet, so we can probably sell this script. Especially if she’s attached.”
“It’s win-win,” Laney says, grinning huge. “She gets another amazing movie to do, and you guys get her off your hands. You just have to convince her to do it first.”
“Email that to me,” Jackson says. “[email protected]”
“Cool email,” Laney says, rolling her eyes.
I walk over and sit down next to her as she starts typing away on her laptop again.
“Do you think this can work?” I ask her.
“Depends on if the big guy over there can sell her on it,” Laney says with a shrug. “It’s possible, though.”
“I can do it,” Jackson says. “Script better be good, though.”
“Oh, it’s good,” she says. “Really good. Just get her attached to it.”
“I’ll do it,” he says.
“Sent.” Laney shuts her laptop lid and yawns. “It’s not totally done yet, but it’s more than enough.”
“Works for me,” Jackson says.
“You sure you’re okay with this?” I ask him.
“Positive.” He grins at me. “I can do anything. I’m an actor and a SEAL, remember?”
I sigh and Laney groans. “Either I’m exhausted or that was super lame. Either way, night night, fuck buddies.” She waves and heads off.
“Hey, we’re not--!” I call out, but she just slams her door shut.
“Not fuck buddies?” Jackson asks, coming up behind me.
“No,” I say, not able to stop myself from smiling.
“Damn. I guess we’re just the fuck part, then.”
“Cut it out. Come on, let’s go to work.”
“Yeah, let’s go.”
I head over to the door and he slaps my ass as I walk by.
“Asshole,” I say.
“Don’t pretend like you don’t love it,” he says, kissing my neck, and I can’t help but smile.
Maybe this can work. Like he said, he can do anything. If he can convince Holly to take this script, she might actually back off.
And then what? I don’t know. But I want to find out.
25
Jackson
I read the script as Penelope does my makeup for the upcoming scene. It’s an action sequence plus a pretty cool stunt, one we’ve been practicing for the last few days, so I’m pretty amped for it.
But I can’t stop thinking about Tara. I should be concentrating on the very dangerous thing I’m about to do in like an hour, but that seems totally unimportant compared to trying to get Holly to take this script.
I actually don’t think it’s going to be that hard. The script is good, a little rough since it was written in a single night, but still good. It’s basically a female James Bond, featuring a strong ass female lead. I don’t know how the studios will feel about that, but I think they’ll be open to it. Superheroes are huge, and Wonder Woman is pretty popular.
I can already see how I’ll sell it to Holly. I just have to hope that she’s really as career-obsessed as I think she is. And that she’ll actually honor her deal.
Otherwise, I don’t know what I’ll do. Maybe I’ll wire myself and try to get her to admit to her plan. That way I can use the tape to blackmail her in reverse. But no, that’s super convoluted and complicated. This plan is so much simpler, and it has the added bonus of really getting Holly off my back. If she has another movie to do, I don’t have to worry about her hanging around after this one is finished filming.
I don’t want to work with her again. And I’m definitely not working on this new Laney script.
Penelope finishes my makeup and I thank her. As she’s leaving, Holly comes in to get her hair done, and we’re alone for a second. I figure this is the perfect opportunity.
“You look happy,” she says to me, sitting down in front of the mirror.
“I guess I am,” I say.
“Why’s that?”
I shrug a little. “Mickey sent me over a script this morning. It’s pretty good.”
She perks up. “What is it?”
“By the same girl that wrote this movie,” I say. “But I don’t know. I don’t think the part is right for me.”
“What’s the part?” she asks.
“It’s the main male character, but this movie is like a female James Bond. So I’d be like… arm candy, or some shit. Not really my thing.”
She raises an eyebrow. “A female James Bond?”
“Sure. All action and strong female empowerment and shit. It’s a really good script, just not really my thing, I guess.”
“Huh,” she says, looking into the mirror and clearly thinking. “Sounds interesting.”
I have to keep it cool. If I push too hard, she’ll get suspicious.
“Too bad I
have to turn it down. Mickey thought it would be good for me to get my face out there in a movie like this.” I stand up from my chair and turn toward the door.
“Mickey thinks it’s good?” she asks me.
I pause and nod at her. “Yeah, he likes it.”
“He has a good reputation,” she muses. “I’ve been thinking about new representation, you know.”
“Mickey might be taking on new clients,” I say with a shrug. “I can get you a meeting, if you want.”
“You’d do that?” she asks.
I hesitate. “Sure,” I say. “Look, you’re a talented actress. I don’t like this situation we’re in, but that doesn’t mean we can’t still be professional.”
She looks a little surprised and I don’t blame her. She probably expects me to fucking hate her, like I genuinely do, but fortunately I’m a good actor, too.
“That’d be great,” she says to me. “Would you mind… would you mind sending me that script?”
Jackpot. I nod slowly. “I will,” I say. “And I’ll get you a meeting with Mickey.”
“Great, Jackson. I appreciate that.”
“But if you sign on to this and Mickey takes you as a client, we’re finished.”
She locks eyes with me and for a second, I think she can see through what I’m doing. I mean, I need to make this play now, and I can’t really wait. But for a second I think she realizes that this was the plan from the start.
“That could be a good deal,” she says after a second. “Get me Mickey and make sure this script has funding. And then we’ll talk.”
“Funding?” I ask her.
She laughs. “I’m not signing on to some nothing script. Get me a studio and some backing and I’ll do it. Then we can be finished.”
I take a sharp breath before nodding. “Fine,” I say. “It’s a deal. I’ll have Mickey call you.”
“Great.” She smiles at me sweetly. “See, you’re not so bad, Jacky-boy. If you play ball, I can be nice, too.”
I want to kick her in the fucking uterus but I just nod and leave the trailer instead. She fucking drives me insane, but at least we’re getting somewhere.
That went pretty well. She didn’t turn me down outright, which is more than I could have hoped for, honestly. Now I have to find some funding for this script and fast.
I get out my cell and call Mickey. He answers on the second ring.
“Mickey,” I say. “I got some news.”
“Good,” he says to me. “Been a weird fucking day.”
“You good?” I ask him.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m always good. What’s up?”
“Holly Hart is looking for some new representation and I put your name in the running.”
I can see the dollar signs appearing in his mind. “That’s fucking awesome,” he says to me. “She’s another up and comer. I think she has potential.”
“Good. There’s a catch though.”
He groans. “Always a fucking catch.”
“There’s this script she likes. She wants you to find some funding for it.”
“Funding?” he asks me. “What’s this script? I haven’t heard of any fucking script.”
“It’s by the same girl that wrote the movie we’re doing,” I tell him as I head toward set. “She wants to do it, and if you can make that happen, you’re her agent.”
Mickey doesn’t respond right away, which surprises me. This seems like a fucking solid deal for him. Get a new, hot actress, and sell a damn movie in the process. He’ll make a lot of money on this.
“Yeah, sure, okay, Jackson,” he says to me. “I can do that. So what’s in this for you?”
“If you pull this off, she’ll let me end this stupid fake relationship, and we can get back to doing real work.”
Mickey doesn’t say anything again. It’s starting to bother me, these fucking pauses. Mickey isn’t the type to not have something to say right away.
“Okay then,” he says to me. “Send over the script. I’ll work my magic.”
“Great. Thanks, Mickey.”
“Sure, kid. Sure thing.” He hangs up the phone suddenly.
I stare down at my cell for a second, a little taken aback. I don’t know why he was so fucking weird just then.
Before I can forget about it and move on, the phone starts ringing again. It’s Mickey’s office, and I assume it’s him calling about something he forgot.
“What, missed me already?” I say, answering.
“Jackson, it’s Von.” He’s whispering, but I recognize his voice.
“What’s up?” I ask, getting a bad feeling. This is getting too weird.
“Listen, something’s happening with your movie. Mickey was just in a meeting with that executive and the producer.”
The sinking feeling turns into a full-on fucking whirlpool. “What happened?”
“They’re talking about killing your movie. It’s looking bad. They like what they see from you but the movie is running over budget and the drama with you and Holly is distracting.”
“Fuck,” I say. “How do you know all this?”
“Mickey leaves the intercom on sometimes and I don’t remind him to turn it off.”
“Goddamn,” I say. Von is one sneaky motherfucker, but I’m very, very glad for it right now.
“Look, I overheard what you two were talking about, and he’s not going to do it. Mickey is already starting to write you off.”
“Are you kidding me?” I ask him.
“I’m sorry, Jackson. If I were you, I’d keep my head down and do my work, and start looking for a new agent.”
“That fucking cunt,” I say, angry as fuck.
“You didn’t hear this from me, okay? I like you and think you’re going to be a star if you want to be, so don’t forget about this.”
“I won’t, Von,” I say. “Thanks for the heads up.”
“Good luck.” He hangs up the phone and I have to lean up against a wall.
I feel like my head’s spinning. I can’t believe Mickey would betray me like this. But I don’t see any reason why Von would call me and lie. He’s a good kid, likes to fuck with Mickey, but he’s always been honest and nice to me. He’s risking his career by calling me like that, so I have to think it’s true.
That would explain why Mickey was so weird just a minute ago. If he has no intention of selling this script then I’m fucked. Although maybe getting fired from this movie wouldn’t be such a bad thing. If they kill the film, I’ll still get paid for the time I put in, and I can drop this whole Holly bullshit.
But my career will be fucking torched. If a film I’m on gets killed and my agent drops me, that’s going to look really, really bad. Nobody is going to want to touch me after this, and although I never pictured myself acting for the rest of my life, I still want to keep it going.
I don’t know what the fuck to do. There doesn’t seem to be a good solution. If I keep pressing forward, I might ruin this whole movie. But if I don’t, I’m stuck with Holly, and that can blow up in my face at any moment.
Restless and angry, I head to set. I’m going to put my head down and work, at least for today. But I’m far from giving up.
26
Tara
“I couldn’t do it.”
I stare at him, not sure what to say. “I don’t understand.”
“I think she’s in,” he says slowly. We’re standing close together in the very back of the set, far away from any prying eyes. “But I don’t know if we can go through with it.”
“Jackson. What happened?”
He hesitates, looking away. “It’s the studio. Apparently they want to kill this movie.”
“What?” I can’t believe that. So far, from what I’ve seen, things are looking great. So we’re a little behind schedule and a little over budget, but that’s pretty much average for a big Hollywood film these days. Budgets are more like fantasies and wish lists.
“My agent’s assistant called me up and warned me. I tried to get M
ickey to take Holly as a client, and hopefully he’d sell that script in the process, but Von warned me to back off.”
“Von?” I ask him.
“That’s Mickey’s assistant. He said that the studio is unhappy with the drama and the budget and they’re thinking about killing the whole thing before it gets too far out of hand.”
“Shit,” I whisper and bang my hand against the wall. “Those assholes.”
“Yeah,” he says softly. “So you see my problem.”
If this movie gets killed, a lot of people are going to be out of jobs. The whole cast and crew cleared their schedules for this on the assumption that they’d have months of work ahead of them. People depend on this movie for their livelihood, and although they’ll still get paid for what they’ve done, that future work suddenly disappears. Guys are going to be scrambling.
A lot of people depend on this. I don’t think most people realize just how many jobs depend on a big budget movie. Guys need to feed their families, and working on a big movie like this can bring them some serious financial stability, at least for a year or so.
And if we pull it all out from under them? I don’t know what would happen.
“So that’s it, you’re just screwed?” I ask him.
“I don’t know,” he admits. “I can’t let this movie die. Mickey’s also thinking about dropping me.”
I look up at him, shocked. “You’re not serious.”
“That’s what his assistant says. I think this whole Holly thing is making him see that I won’t play ball. And Mickey wants clients that play ball.”
“I’m so sorry,” I say, pressing myself against him.
He pulls me tight to his chest. “Truth is, I never thought I’d like this acting thing. But I don’t think I’m ready to give it up.”
“I know,” I say to him. “That’s okay. I don’t want you to sacrifice that much… I couldn’t ask that of you…”
He sighs and pulls my chin up toward him. He kisses me softly. “This isn’t over just yet,” he says. “There has to be a way.”