Sugar Valley (Hollywood's Darkest Secret)

by Stephen Andrew Salamon

  “Well, well, well, look who we have here. You know you are over seven hours late? I thought you were sick? That’s what Vivian told me,” Chuck relayed, handing a customer a cup of coffee.

  Damen’s tears vanished and his acting ability came back, responding, “I know, but I feel a lot better now.” Chuck handed Damen an apron with him adding, “Where’s Vivian at?”

  “She’s on break, I think she’s in back on the phone.”

  Damen rushed to the back and saw Vivian sitting on a box filled with coffee bags. She had a smile on her face and dried up tears in her eyes. She saw Damen and asked, “What are you doing here?”

  “You’re never going to believe what happened to me today,” he replied in a sad tone. Damen sat down beside her and began explaining his day to her; that’s when Chuck came in back.

  “Get back to work, Damen,” Chuck demanded.

  Damen put up his acting craft again, lying, “I am working, Chuck, I’m just getting all of the coffees together, that way we don’t have to keep coming back here every time we run out of coffee up front.”

  Damen then pretended to count each bag of coffee grains he grabbed, hearing Chuck’s low voice say, “Well, I want you to get your butt back in front in ten minutes. You got it?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Once Chuck left the backroom, Damen began to explain the situation he was in. He spent about five minutes telling her about the lies that had been spread about him, and the letter that had been faxed to all the agents. As he finished, Vivian looked at him with a sad look on her face, but a smile showed through her sadness for him. “Vivian, I don’t know who said that about me. The only people I know here in California, is you, Damen, Jose, Helen, and a few others.”

  Vivian still kept her eyes on him, hugging him gently and explaining, “I think it was Jose, or else Darell. I know I wouldn’t say that about you, not even Helen would spread that lie around.”

  “Well, what about Julienne?” he asked in a desperate tone.

  “Why would Julienne spread that around about you? She has no reason to do that.”

  “Well, why would Jose or Darell do it then? Please, Vivian, you have to help me with this.”

  Vivian looked up at Damen, letting go of his hug, and whispered, “I can’t, Damen, I’m leaving for New York tomorrow.”

  Damen gawked at her, staring with anger about the circumstances that has, and is now taking place. “What are you talking about? Vivian, I thought you were going in February?”

  “I got off the phone with my agent about twenty-minutes before you came. She said they want me to audition tomorrow, and they’ll probably give me the role. Well, at least that’s what my agent said. I’m bringing Helen with me, she wanted to come with me ever since she found out I was going.” Damen looked at her with shock engraved in his eyes, hearing her pause and then adding, “I’m sorry, Damen, but I told you a long time ago that I would do anything for this, for a chance at, you know, fame. I understand that you aren’t going to be able to pay for the rent alone. That’s why I asked Chuck if you can live with him for awhile. He said you could but all of your paychecks will go to him. He’ll only give you about fifty dollars every two weeks for spending money.”

  Damen thought about a gun to his head, and how it would feel great to pull the trigger. While he thought of it, he questioned with hurt, anger, betrayal, and sincerity all at the same time, “Why are you telling me this now?”

  “Because I’m leaving tomorrow.”

  Before Damen could start speaking his mind by yelling at her, he thought about how nice she was to not forget about him. Well, she did ask Chuck if I could stay with him, she didn’t have to do that.

  He looked away from her for only a few seconds and realized that yelling at her won’t change her mind about leaving tomorrow. So, instead of yelling, he asked pleasantly, “Do you want me to come with you to the airport?”

  Vivian started crying. Emotions showed through her eyes, causing Damen to wipe her tears from her face. “Sure, I was hoping you would say that.”

  Damen was about to kiss her, feeling this guileless moment, grasping, clutching, clenching, squeezing and gripping onto it, but then they both heard the loud yell from Chuck’s voice, shouting, “Get your butt in here now, Damen.”

  He ignored Chuck’s tone and spoke to Vivian, “Remember the script we read when we went out on our first date? Remember we were all up by the big Hollywood sign? You and I read our scripts, and it said we had to kiss?”

  Vivian blocked out Chuck’s voice and presence as well, eliminating everything around her, and concentrating only on Damen, answering, “Yes, I remember.”

  “Let’s pretend we’re reading that script right now.” Damen kissed her on the lips gently, and tried his hardest at making, and fabricating it into a memory.

  “Alright, Damen, I said get back to work,” Chuck yelled.

  The peaceful feeling of the moment vanished, and the anger and confusion returned as he heard Chuck’s voice again. He turned to face Chuck, saying, “You know what, Chuckie, why don’t you get back to work?”

  “What did you say to me you little--”

  Damen cut off his words, shouting, “I guess you didn’t hear me. I said I quit.”

  Vivian stared at Damen with shock, confused as to why he was quitting this job, when it’s the only job he had. She got up from the box with him, and asked to Damen’s eyes, “What are you doing, Damen? If you quit this job, you won’t have a place to stay.” Vivian began to shake him as if she was trying to shake some sense into him. She turned around to face Chuck and spoke, “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about, Chuck.”

  “Yes, I do. We’re out of here,” Damen shouted. He took Vivian by the arm and walked to the front of the shop, allowing Chuck to rush after them with his old legs to guide.

  Chuck grabbed onto Vivian’s other arm, and began pulling toward him, questioning, “Where are you going, Vivian?”

  “She’s coming with me. She doesn’t need this job anymore, and neither do I,” Damen responded, breaking Vivian free from Chuck’s grip, and walking halfway out the door of the café.

  “I’m sorry, Chuck, but I did get another job, or I’m hoping I’ll get it. Tonight I want to spend some time with Damen. But don’t worry, he’ll be into work tomorrow,” Vivian spoke, exiting the coffee shop.

  Damen started touring down the street with Vivian, wailing toward the coffee shop, “Oh no, I won’t.”

  Chuck stood outside the door and hollered, “Hey, Damen.”

  He stopped on the street and turned around to face Chuck, shouting back, “What do you want now?”

  “I just want to say, you’re throwing everything away. You have potential, son, and you are wasting it by letting your anger get the best of you. Why don’t--” Chuck said before Damen interrupted him.

  Before Damen grabbed onto Vivian’s hand again, and started walking farther away from the café, he pointed his eyes toward Chuck’s silhouette, and deliberated with loudness, “Listen, for one thing, I’m not your son, and you’re not my father.”

  Chuck walked back into his café and put the “Help Wanted” sign in the window immediately. He walked over to the cash register and watched as only a few people were drinking coffee, staring at him because they just saw two of his employees quit at the same time. Chuck’s vulnerable eyes peeled toward the windows of the café, and spoke in a whisper, “I know you’re not my son, but you sure remind me of him.”

  Chapter Fifty

  Jose paced around Julienne’s bedroom, looking at her in bewilderment. He was nebulous, because she didn’t seem happy at his news about signing the contract and getting the role in the movie. Jose didn’t know what to say or what to do to make Julienne speak her mind, bring out verbally and discuss matters that were unclear to him, but highly recognizable to her. She just sat on her bed and looked out the window, peering at the white, silken drapes, blowing inward from the wind striking them with its puissance, its force. He di
dn’t know what say, still dumbfounded about the situation. Unanticipated, he stopped his pacing, inquiring in a serious, but sincere timbre, “What’s on your mind, Julienne? Are you upset at me for getting the part in the movie?”

  She still said nothing, only concentrating on what her own mind saw, still hearing the voice of her ex-agent saying the words that were true to her subconscious, but stubborn to her conscious. “No, I’m happy you got the role. I’m just tired is all,” Julienne acknowledged, looking down at the floor and starting to crouch her body toward her legs; it was like she was ready to weep.

  “That’s not it, I know something is bothering you.” Jose walked up to her and knelt down on the floor, lifting up her head gently, staring at her beauty, transfixed in the nature of her eyes wondering around her head. “Come on, let it out. What’s bothering you?”

  Julienne looked at him with scrutiny, and he could see that her eyes had a form of melancholy to them, drooping toward his own eyes, showing a sense of loss. “Alright, Jose, I give up. You’re right, something is bothering me.”

  “Well, what is it?”

  “It’s about my premiere in February,” she answered, looking away from him for a moment, like she didn’t want to show him her thoughts through her evil eyes.

  “What premiere?”

  “Remember the movie I did after I met you? Well, the premiere for it is in February.”

  “Oh, that’s right, I totally forgot about that, my mind’s been so occupied. Well, why are you upset about that?” he questioned, seeing something else in her wondering pupils, knowing that there was a much deeper explanation for that.

  “Because, I’m not going.” She stopped her words, turned her head so he couldn’t see her face, and abruptly formed a plan in her mind once again: a plan to make Jose bring her celebrity career back. With her head still turned, and the plan that formed in her thoughts, she smiled, and added, “Um, I also fired my agent today.”

  “Why aren’t you going to your premiere? And why the hell did you fire your agent?” Jose was flustered, his mind not being able to comprehend her motives for doing such a thing to her agent. He tried to figure out why she would do it before she explained, and still stalked toward the back of her head, waiting for her turn around and show him her eyes.

  Julienne’s lies started to form even more in her mind, becoming verbal as she answered, “Well, I knew you were going to get the part in the movie, and I knew that you would need my help and guidance with it. Since the movie begins filming in February, I had to decide whether I wanted to just abandon you for a few days by going to the premiere, or stay by your side. I chose to stay by your side.” She ceased her smile, turned it into a sad, depressed, sincere look, and faced Jose finally; her acting was great. Julienne’s lies grew larger in number, adding, “I fired my agent because I decided to take a break from Hollywood and help out someone I care for.”

  Jose slowly got up from his knees, grasping onto her hand, and asking, “Why did you do all that for me? What did I ever do for you?”

  Julienne knew she was winning his trust and even his love at that moment. Through his guilty words showed Julienne his conscience, and how he felt guilty for her putting this great career on hold for him; only if he knew it was a lie. She looked up at him and said the greatest lie of all, the lie that would make Jose follow her plan for fame, the plan that Jose didn’t know and might never know of. “Because I love you. And I know you love me, that’s what you did for me.”

  He gently caressed her face. Feeling the white, silken drapes blowing at his flesh, he spoke, “I love you too.”

  Julienne stared at Jose and thought about what her agent said to her, those words of truth that she didn’t want to hear. The evil built up inside of her as she thought of the next words she would say to him, making sure to be careful before she spoke. Julienne knew the words she spoke had to be gentle but yet not suspicious; she realized Jose was a very smart man, and he would catch on to her plan very easily. She got up from the bed and began walking toward the bathroom. Entering it, and staring at her image in the bathroom mirror, Jose followed her into the bathroom and watched her face, gazing at her reflection off of the vanity. Taking a deep breath, after careful thinking, she looked at his reflection and questioned, “How about having me as your agent?”

  “Why would you want to be my agent, Julienne? You have enough work to do with your acting.”

  Julienne realized her words were a little too suspicious, so she tried, and thought about the button she pushed to make Jose turn evil to the eyes of his friends. That’s when she responded, “Um, because Darell already has an agent, and he’s getting a lot more money for this movie than you. Also, Damen already has an agent, and his agent will probably get him in a lot of films. When it comes to you, Jose, you don’t have an agent, and I, myself, feel that I’m the best person for the job.” Julienne turned around to face the real image of Jose and grasped onto his hand. “Also, because I love you,” she added, knowing the words were false to her ears but true to his.

  “Alright, I mean, if you really want to be my agent.” Jose exited the bathroom while shutting off the lights. He walked to the bedroom light switch and turned it off, that’s when Julienne exited the bathroom also. They both lay down in the bed, with Julienne staring at him, knowing that her plan worked, and would guide her to completing the final plan she had, furthering her career with his help.

  “Alright, and you don’t have to pay me either. I just want to be around you everywhere you go,” Julienne said. Jose turned the lights back on by reaching his hand over to the nightstand and pulling on a brown string that connected to her Victorian lamp.

  He was confused, saying, “I have to pay you something.”

  Julienne smiled in her mind; that was what she wanted him to say. She lay next to him and snuggled against her pillow, announcing, “Well, alright, if you insist. I’ll get the paperwork ready next week.”

  “Do you think Damen found out about me taking his part in this movie?” Jose questioned as her eyes closed.

  She smiled, responding with, “Well, even if he did find out, you already signed the contract.”

  “I know, but I just don’t want to lose him as a friend.” Jose’s soul returned for that moment and the thoughts of Sugar Valley left his subconscious for a second, showing his thoughts what it meant to him.

  She looked at him, frustrated at his words; she wanted him to just forget about his friends. Knowing that jealousy was the easiest way to break Jose from his goodness, she questioned, “Um, didn’t you say that Dennis Schultz chose Damen for his looks and talent, but he chose you because you’re friends with Darell?”

  “You know, I am a better actor than him, right?” He desperately wanted the jealousy that Julienne caused, to go away. It hurt him massively, and the feeling was something that he didn’t want anymore, but Julienne was going to make sure he constantly received it; this was the only way to mold him into what Julienne wanted him to be.

  “Yes, you are, Jose.” She knew the button she pressed made Jose’s hatred toward Damen last for only a few hours. Julienne knew she had to press another button that would allow Jose to hate Damen even more and longer. Knowing the one button wasn’t enough, she opened her eyes again, put a lie together, and said, “Jose, I have something else on my mind, something that really upset me.”

  “I knew it, what else is bothering you, baby?”

  “Well, besides not going to my premiere and firing my agent, I also had a little bit of trouble with the opposite sex.”

  Jose sat up in his bed, and spoke with anger, “What do you mean, did some guy say something to you? Just tell me, Julienne, and I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

  Julienne sat up in the bed as well, explaining, “Well, you have to promise me first that you won’t approach him at all. If you love me, you’ll promise me, do you promise?”

  “Just tell me what happened first. I can’t promise you something that I don’t know yet,”
he replied in a serious fashion.

  “Alright, when we slept over at the apartment that night.” She paused for a moment, turned her head to face opposite of Jose’s eyes, and knew that after she finished her sentence, this should jam that button so far down, that Jose would never, and could never turn back into what Sugar Valley made him: innocent. She added, “Um, well, um, Damen did something to me.”

  His fists began to tighten, feeling the jealousy, rage and anger coming toward his sight, feeling the madness in his fists, wanting the pressure of it to cease by punching something, he asked, “What did he do?”

  “Well, remember when I rushed out of the apartment, and you were wondering why we were leaving so fast?” Julienne questioned, grinning with evil to her mouth. She then wiped the grin off of her face, put serious eyes on, and turned to face Jose.

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, before you woke up, Damen came up to me and started talking to me. He said that you were a loser and I should date him instead. That’s when he pulled me toward him and kissed me on the cheek. Damen told me I would have better sex with him than you,” she announced, abruptly turning her head away from Jose’s eyes again and grinning.

  He jumped out of bed. The anger was too great, too large for him to take it in sitting down. He looked out the window, feeling this anger inside of his body, his fists, under his flesh, making his blood boil, fume, and feeling the vapors through his breath, trying his hardest to find some way, or else some words to say, that would allow his anger to release. But, he asked instead, “What did you do?”