Every Pearl Has Its Oyster

by India Lee

  “He was one of my best friends in high school,” Gemma answered carefully, with measure. She hoped that the way she was staring at Frances as she answered looked normal – she was just trying to keep her gaze from locating Tyler. She’d heard someone leaving the patio and re-entering the house, but she wasn’t sure if it was him. She tried not to let it distract her. “The reason Damian and I are still friends now is the same reason any pair of good friends stays close – because they’ve been through important events together and understand each other’s backgrounds. It’s as simple as that.”

  “But correct me if I’m wrong,” Frances said immediately. “In your unique situation, isn’t that kind of understanding more important than you’re letting on? With Damian understanding both Gemma and Queen Bee, would I be wrong to say that he knows you more thoroughly than anyone?”

  Shit, Gemma cursed again. Frances Browning was really doing it. She was partaking in the Tyler versus Damian battle like the rest of the media, legitimizing it with her reputation as an actual news journalist. And like the rest of the media, she was siding with the person whom Gemma wasn’t with – probably for the sake of the story. Seemingly satisfied by her silence, Frances moved on.

  “Let me ask you one last question. What do you see in your future with Tyler Chase?”

  Gemma replied quickly, refusing to let Frances stump her again. “We love each other,” she made sure to say first as she tried to think of the rest of her answer.

  “Does your fairy tale romance last forever?”

  Gemma laughed at the corny question. Frances raised her eyebrows.

  “I’ll take that as a no,” she said.

  “You shouldn’t,” Gemma retorted, trying not to sound annoyed, which she was. “But ‘forever’ is a stronger word than even ‘hate,’ and I wouldn’t dream of foretelling anyone’s future for them. No one should be allowed to decide someone else’s life. Our lives are our own to make.” She spoke her final sentence with conviction, satisfied with her answer – even pleased with it. It was genuine and truthful and exactly what she felt.

  But when she looked up to see Frances looking also quite pleased, she knew she’d somehow answered incorrectly. What? What did I give her? What did I say wrong? Gemma immediately looked towards Perrin, who winced as she glanced across the room to look at Tyler. He was hunched over on an ottoman at the back of the patio, his elbows on his knees, his head down as he stared at his folded hands. When he finally looked up and caught Gemma’s eye, he simply rose to his feet and walked out of the room.

  QUEEN BEE: I DON’T SEE “FOREVER” WITH TYLER

  Interview raises further questions about Queen Bee’s boyfriend

  Celeb-o-Matic

  July 30th

  The most important answers came from the silence.

  During her exclusive at-home interview with singer Queen Bee, Frances Browning reduced stalker Elizabeth Clarke to an afterthought. The topic of the night was that of “Tyler vs. Damian,” a story that Bee seemed to bring validity to with her telling silences.

  When asked about her beau Tyler Chase filming Carbine despite having to star alongside her former high school bully, Madison Lennox, Bee fell quiet and gave no answer. When asked to comment on the significance of her relationship with NBA star Damian Evans, her only friend with an understanding of both her private and celebrity lives, Bee was silent once again. Coincidence? Probably not, especially considering this: When asked if she saw “forever” for herself and Chase, Bee balked, responding, “Forever is a strong word.” Ouch.

  It’s quite apparent that Bee doesn’t see Chase in her distant future, and one can hardly blame her considering his decision to continue filming Carbine despite the casting of Lennox, whom Browning shockingly revealed to be the tormenter referenced in Bee’s famous Kick Bullying speech. Since the interview, further information has leaked from former Beauford classmates, alleging that Lennox’s tormenting of Bee ranged from simple rumors to sexual harassment. Sexual harassment? At this point, the biggest question is how Tyler Chase could even stand to work alongside someone with a history as cruel as Lennox’s.

  BREAKING: RUMORS MAKE QUEEN BEE/TYLER CHASE STRONGER AND MORE FLAWLESS

  Celebstan

  Posted by Justin

  August 15th

  Oh, Frances Browning. LOL at you for trying to stir shit with your old lady walking stick! Hope you’re proud of the fact that you perpetuated the whole “Tyler vs. Damian” thing that the skeezy tabloids started and no one was even taking seriously until now. Responsible journalism right there!

  Also, um, I fail to see the big deal about Queen Bee’s answer to that stupid question about “forever”? I mean, “forever” is an effin’ strong word! Just ask that Tyler Chaser in Florida who was prob a little blasé about “forever” when she got “MRS. CHASE” inked across her forehead. That’s just a prime example of what the Queen was talking about with deciding our own futures – don’t let a tattoo artist named Chad decide yours by administering eternal ugly on your face and causing your lifetime of unemployment.

  Anyway.

  For those of you who got sucked into the Browning bullshit and are confused about where to stand on the issue of King Tyler co-starring with confirmed bully Madison Lennox (the famewhore that we have all agreed not to speak of or acknowledge), I’ll tell you what I’ve told you since Day One of this hot mess: He’sworking, crackheads, and it’s strictly professional. Besides, giving up on a role that he kicked his flawlessly tight butt for because of Madison Lennox would be letting her win, which is so not the point here. The point is not quitting, which goes back to the famous saying we all learned in fifth grade: Winners don’t quit and quitters don’t get nominated for an Oscar and start taking their shirts off more to show off their sexy, big boy muscles.

  So everybody, just take a Xanax and calm yourselves for a bit because the royal couple is still going strong and remaining free of flaws. And for all you stupid gossip sites who are taking this Frances Browning interview as the demise of Beeler, I have the following to say to you:

  1. lol

  2. Your game is weak.

  3. Please submit your lies and slander to my FanFic Tumblr because they are that fictional and hilarious (and if you’re a particularly good fanfic writer can u write one about me getting it on with damian evans in the warriors locker room message me to let me kno k thx bye)

  For the next week, Gemma awoke to an empty bed. At night, after her meetings with Perrin and Oro, she’d go home to find the mattress still empty or Tyler already passed out under the covers. He was quite clearly avoiding her, as he had been since walking off the patio the day of her interview and driving off to some unknown location as Gemma called his cell, which he left behind.

  The day after the interview aired, Gemma set her alarm to wake her up earlier than usual, hoping to cook Tyler breakfast and talk to him about what she’d said to anger him so badly – not that she didn’t kind of know already. But when her alarm rang at 5AM, she opened her eyes to see his side of the bed empty and cold – he’d been gone for awhile. After having her texts and calls ignored while he was on set, Gemma eventually left a voicemail that apologized for her answer about “forever.” She hadn’t even realized there was anything wrong with it until all the gossip headlines had come out.

  For days after the interview, she’d flip through channels on television and hear on every talk show about how Queen Bee was “doubting her relationship with Tyler Chase.” And then, of course, there would be the analysis as to why she might be having those doubts. That part always led back to Madison, which annoyed Gemma more than anything because she’d hoped to never give Madison that kind of satisfaction – the role of “the other woman” in the rumors of her “troubled romance” with Tyler. Madison was probably reveling in the situation, especially after being forced to wear that horrible belt dress.

  “You know what? Why don’t I come visit the set with you so I can put that bitch into a headlock?” Zoe asked, her voice
blaring through the speakerphone built into Gemma’s Audi R8. She was driving for once, having Andro and James tail her as she cruised toward the set of Carbine. Despite her attempts to try and talk to Tyler, she’d been avoiding the set all week. The rest of the cast and crew knew about her personal history with Madison now, and she wasn’t prepared for how weird and awkward they’d act around her.

  “No, stay home and unpack, Zoe. You’re tired,” Gemma laughed, knowing Zoe had only just returned from Berlin that morning. “Also, I don’t know what good it would do to put Madison in a headlock.”

  “It was going to be purely for comedy purposes, but fine, go without me.”

  The set was bustling when Gemma arrived, her car pulling into a lot filled with trailers and craft service tables. Almost immediately after parking, she was greeted with the weird awkwardness she’d been afraid of.

  “Miss Bee!” a redheaded assistant scrambled to her side, adjusting her headset. “Uh… are you here to visit Tyler today?”

  “Yes.”

  “Uh, okay. He’s about to shoot a scene though, so can I bring you somewhere to sit while you wait for him?”

  “Can’t I watch?” Gemma asked with furrowed brows.

  “Does he know that you’re here?”

  Gemma stared at the assistant, wondering if Tyler had gone as far as to ban her from visiting the set without permission. With that infuriating thought in mind, she began walking towards the trailers, ignoring the protesting assistant who looked around desperately for help. Her fellow skittish assistant came to her assistance too late though – Gemma had located the large trailer with the sign reading “T. Chase.” Gemma could hear Tyler inside, laughing at something or another. Making a fist, she rapped hard on the door.

  Tyler opened within just a few knocks.

  “I’m sorry Mr. Chase! She just – ” the redheaded assistant started her apology, but Tyler interrupted it.

  “What are you doing here, Gemma?”

  Gemma gaped up at Tyler in his scuffed Colby Hawkins jeans and a sweaty t-shirt. After wondering if the sweat was fake or real, Gemma blinked at him and his question, and then at the robed blonde who sat on his couch staring at her – Madison. Gemma’s heart promptly started pounding. She looked around the trailer for a script, another co-star, anything to pacify her immediate assumptions. There was nothing. What the hell? Is he that mad at me? Gemma tried not to glare at Madison. Her hair was styled to look tousled and sexy like she’d just rolled out of bed. The makeup on her dewy skin was minimal. Her white robe made her golden tan pop. Annoyingly, she looked gorgeous as ever. Gemma seethed at the fact that aside from gorgeous, Madison looking guilty – wide-eyed like a deer in headlights. But despite her boiling emotions, Gemma forced herself to remain calm, what with nosy assistants still behind her.

  “I, um, thought I’d visit you at work today,” she answered Tyler. She excluded the part about wanting to talk about their week of silence since Madison was within earshot. “Um, if your break is soon, can we talk?” she asked him as he played with a pack of cigarettes he’d fished out of his pocket. It was a prop, but it startled Gemma nonetheless. He squinted up at her.

  “It just ended,” he responded shortly. “We’re about to shoot, so you should probably head home. I’ll talk to you when I get home tonight,” he said, looking her in the eye. “Okay?” he asked, his voice thawing.

  “I was hoping I could stick around and watch,” Gemma said, unable to help her pout despite Madison’s presence. “Which scene are you shooting next?”

  “The next one’s going to take awhile. You’ll probably get tired just sitting around…” Madison started. Gemma glared at her with eyes that asked, “Why are you even speaking?” But she quickly caught herself, managing even a winning smile at Madison.

  “That’s okay, I don’t mind at all. I’d love to watch it,” she said placidly. “What scene is it?”

  TYLER AND MADISON’S SIZZLING CHEMISTRY!

  The Durt

  August 24th

  My, oh my! Is that some stellar acting or are you just happy to see me?

  Sources close to the film Carbine allege that things have been getting pretty hot and heavy on set! Is Tyler Chase finally proving his acting chops or is there something going on between him and super sexy co-star Madison Lennox?

  “Tyler and Madison steam up the room right away,” a source reported. “Sidney [Willis] generally doesn’t approve of improv, but theirs is so natural that he’s asked them to do more of it – especially during the romantic scenes. Their chemistry is just unbelievable. Madison is obviously smitten by Tyler, and he seems truly fascinated by her.”

  Another juicy tidbit? An assistant on set tells us that Tyler and Madison have been spending a good deal of one-on-one time in each other’s trailers! Hm… what could be going on there? Just talking? We think not!

  Ugh, this was a mistake.

  As she sat between Andro and James at Smythe, Gemma stewed. She was still jolted from what she had witnessed on set earlier that afternoon, so it was probably a mistake to follow Tyler and the cast of Carbine to a nightclub after shooting wrapped early for the day. Posing for pictures with Madison and Liam at the demand of the film’s PR team, Tyler couldn’t even sit with Gemma let alone have the talk that she’d been hoping for all day. To keep sane, she texted furiously with Zoe, abandoning whatever care she had for looking grouchy and anti-social.

  Seriously, no need to freak out, Bee. Speaking as an amazing, world class actor, I can assure you that what you saw was definitely just really good acting and nothing more, Zoe’s text read.

  Gemma hoped so, because the sex scene she had witnessed on set just hours ago had been so convincing that even the crewmembers buzzed and whispered to each other, some of them stealing glances at her and grimacing awkwardly when she caught them. She knew what they were thinking: She made her high school bully famous, and now the girl is stealing her boyfriend. Poor, stupid Queen Bee.

  Well, that’s what she figured they were thinking, at least, because how could they not? Tyler and Madison had just shot their fight-turned-sex scene in one take – a scene that production had allotted ten takes and almost two hours to complete. They had finished it in fifteen minutes. Gemma had watched in awe as Madison went wild, her lustrous hair falling out of it’s messy bun as she flung all the props in her character’s bedroom at Tyler, whipping everything in sight at him while he dodged the flying books and shoes and beer cans with ease. Then, of course, their fiery arguing turned into fiery making up that felt too reminiscent of Gemma’s actual life with Tyler. It looked so real – the angry way that Madison had surrendered into Tyler’s kiss, the way he’d pushed up her shirt with such agitated impatience. Gemma had tried chalking it up to fantastic choreography, but then Sidney did something strange – he stopped himself as he stood up to cut the scene, opting to sit back down and let Tyler and Madison continue with their too-convincing sex scene, which Gemma figured had run out of its choreography at that point and moved onto improvisation. Never had good improv offended Gemma so much in her life.

  She stared out into space, angry again. The blaring house music at Smythe didn’t help to ease her temper either. Nor did the person approaching her to hold something in her face. Gemma blinked, her vision focusing and identifying the thing as a champagne flute and the someone as Liam Brody. Ugh, this guy.

  “Take it so I can go away. Your guys are mad dogging me,” he said, referring to Andro and James.

  Gemma stared up at him before taking the flute from his hands and setting it down on the table. He stayed planted before her. “You’re not going away,” she said.

  “You’re not drinking it,” Liam countered. Her look of exasperation made him laugh. “If you’re going to sit here and wait like a puppy dog for your boyfriend, you might as well do it without the edge that’s making you do that.” He nodded at her bare knee, which bounced as she anxiously jiggled her foot. She stopped jiggling but Liam let his eyes linger on her legs for a bit l
onger anyway. “I’m taking it you’re not happy about the sex scene today,” he said.

  “No.” Gemma glared. “I’m thrilled about it,” she said dryly.

  “Don’t worry. I didn’t think I’d say this about Tyler Chase, but it’s just good acting.”

  Yeah, if dry-humping could win Oscars they’d have two, Gemma thought bitterly, picking up the flute of champagne and bringing it to her lips. “Yeah, I know. It’s all choreographed, or so I’m told,” she grumbled into her drink.

  “I’ll show you how it’s done if you don’t believe me.”

  Gemma paused mid-sip. She looked up to see Liam dropping his lewd gaze back down to her thighs. She wasn’t even sure if she’d heard him right until Andro stood up and got in his face. Revolted, Gemma got up too, running past Andro and Liam and making for the first exit door she saw. It was just time to go home. All she wanted was to be in bed, asleep and deep in her dreams. Unfortunately, somehow, she ended up on the closed roof of the building, James right behind her and a confused Tyler not far behind.

  “Gemma? What happened?”

  She spun around right away, fists balled. “I should ask you that! What was going on between you and Madison today? What did I walk in on?” she demanded.

  Tyler almost laughed. “Are you serious? I don’t even talk to that girl unless it’s professional,” he scoffed. “You walked in on two co-stars running lines. What did you think it was?”

  “I don’t know. But I had your assistants trying to keep me from finding you guys and I heard you laughing before you opened the door. You seemed to be having a whole lot of fun for running lines.”

  Tyler threw his hands in the air. “What, you’d rather me not do my job well?” When Gemma didn’t answer, he stood still in the middle of the roof. “What is this really about?”