“What secret? What about keeping a secret from me?” Jose was shocked, noticing Julienne kept on looking at Tom with an evil glare; it was as if the secret, to him, was large, and of very consequential importance.
Tom gawked at Jose, while hearing Julienne finally answer, “Listen, Tom, I’ll help you, but after this movie is finished.”
“What secret?” hollered Jose.
Tom comprehended, and absorbed that Julienne was frightened that he would tell Jose the secret; he knew he had Julienne right where he wanted her.
“Oh, I see, that’s a very important secret that you’ve kept from Jose, wasn’t it? I’ve got you by a rope, Julienne, don’t I?” questioned Tom in a sinister tone, looking at Jose for a second, and then looking back at her. “I want you to help me take care of Damen before that ass begins this movie,” he added in a strict manner, realizing, by Julienne’s facial reaction that he had full control over her at that moment in time, or at any other moment.
Jose was fed up, tired of them not donating, giving a retort, an answer to his question, and intrigued by the mystery of what they were talking about. So, he went in between them, and shouted again, “What secret, damn it?”
“Okay, you listen to me, I’ll help you after the movie is finished. That’s my final offer,” Julienne announced, watching Tom beginning to grin. “Now, if you agree with that, then you’ll kindly answer Jose’s question.”
Tom stared over Jose’s shoulder, and looked at Julienne’s face still, explaining, “Well, Jose, the secret about me cutting the wires of Chuck’s phones.”
“I already know that secret.”
“I know,” Julienne muttered under her breath.
Tom became shocked at Jose’s knowing, utter confusion draped his eyes. Tom remembered that he told Julienne not to speak a word of this to anyone, yet she did. So, Tom stared at Julienne still, showing his thoughts to her through his evil gape, and asked, “Oh, you do?”
“Yeah,” replied Jose. He then went over to her door, and opened it, adding, “I got to go now, I’ll see you on the set.” He kissed Julienne’s trembling lips and walked out of the trailer.
Julienne and Tom just stared at each other, wondering what each other’s thoughts were, and what plans they had. She watched Tom very closely, seeing him putting out his cigar in an empty wine bottle. She then smiled vividly and spoke, “You’re a very good actor.”
“Yeah, I know. Listen, after this movie is over with, you and I are going to finish the Damen situation somehow. You understand?” Tom opened up the door and stepped outside, waiting for a reply in a jittery fashion.
She stared at him, already knowing that she had to do it, or her own safety against anyone finding out about her deceitful actions against Damen Schultz, would be shown. Blackmail of its coldest form was shown to her through Tom’s glare, the way his eyes made her shiver with fear. “I understand perfectly.” Those words timidly traveled through her mouth and entered into Tom’s ears. After she saw his grin, Julienne slammed the door shut, in Tom’s face, and gazed at her image in the vanity once again.
Chapter Sixty-Seven
Some ten months passed by, now, even faster than the months before them, with each day showing a more positive view toward Damen’s eyes and mind. The sun now showed a different light to him, and the moon shouted out a different rhyme. The wind blew a different breeze to his flesh, and the rain proved a different meaning to him. The term ‘starving artist’ vanished from Damen’s character, and finally his first dream was shown to reality: the dream of starring in a movie. Damen and Jose had already finished their movies a month ago. With Damen, his excitement grew larger every day, knowing that because of this one lead role, it would open up doors that he could only dream about in the Valley.
Damen finished his first movie and moved on to another star role in a more serious project, the project of a true story. This story was what he wanted, ever since childhood; it had drama, crying scenes, and the most strength an actor could show on film—dying at the end of it. Damen’s hope was fully regained at that point, and nothing, to his knowledge, could ever bring his hope down ever again; little did he know.
In Jose’s life, he so far moved on to another movie, with the co-star role, and Julienne had the star role in it. Julienne’s plan did work, getting the role because a director told her and Mr. Rodrigo, “You know, you two would look perfect in a movie playing a couple.”
So, Jose and Damen were doing pretty well for Mississippi boys. Yet, Damen Schultz, with his new hope being regained, had no idea, no knowledge that he was being hunted from afar. Even though he regained his trust and fulfillment, the hope of destroying that was not fulfilled for Tom Fryer.
Julienne had a long talk with Tom after she finished her movie like she promised him. The outcome of the conversation was that she made Tom agree to leave Damen alone for now on. She said, “Tom, listen to me, Damen probably long forgot about that illegal incident that he caught you doing, just leave him be. Personally, I don’t know what you did illegally, but I do know that Damen couldn’t possibly remember it. And even if he did, I don’t think he would go through all that trouble just to make that incident known.” Well, a few hours later, Mr. Fryer agreed to leave Damen be, and move on with his life.
Tom Fryer had Darell try out for a TV show, and ironically the sitcom was about drug abusers. Darell got the lead role and was now on his sixth month of it. To many people, it would sound like Darell had it made, but he doesn’t, not by a long shot. Mr. O’Conner has begun to take in even more drugs, sniffing through his nose, smoking it through his mouth; the only thing that was left would be injecting it. He never forgave himself for not standing up for Damen. That guilt was still in him, the guilt of not telling the truth and saying Damen wasn’t an addict, cramping at his mind, making him filled with misery that created fatigue through each moment that passes. To make matters worse, going to its greatest extent, his nerves have gone out of control about the issue of the photos; the photos of having sex with an underage girl. Darell still believed that Jose would show them to the whole world, including the police, if he didn’t keep his mouth shut about the Damen lie. For that, Darell is caught in a web of blackmail and deceit, winding him up, choking him every moment of every day.
Tom Fryer knew deep inside that it was Julienne who took the pictures, knowing that she was a liar in her past, and perceiving, in the way she talked with nervousness to him when that specific subject comes up, he knows for sure that it was her. Yet, he didn’t care. Tom didn’t fathom, didn’t comprehend that if he told Darell the truth, the truth that Julienne took the pictures, it would take a lot of guilt and stress off of Darell’s head, but it wouldn’t take that much off.
So, through these months, a lot has changed, been modified, but the true moment of fate, that hangs in the future’s front wing, is about to show itself to these characters, and drape them with the greatest labyrinth of all, choking their fears, banishing their wants, and revealing each of their fates in an instant.
Now, it’s February 20, 2000, and Damen is at his peak with fame, appearing on numerous television shows and talk shows. His rising fame, from only one movie, has reached millions of viewers across the United States, molding him into an idol, a mentor, contouring his profile to be that of a Hollywood sweetheart, having girls on top of girls, wanting him, hanging his photos from magazines in their bedrooms, and kissing them goodnight before they go to bed, where they would dream of his face and only his face. This newfound fame of his has made Jose a little jealous, but not that much.
Jose has also appeared on numerous talk shows and television. To Jose, he and Damen are almost equal when it comes to who is more famous, yet deep in his subconsciousness, he knows that Damen is better than him.
Jose, Damen, and Darell have appeared together on four magazine covers already, materializing, showing themselves as good friends, having their stories told that they all came from Ridge Crest, Mississippi, and traveled here to find fame in thei
r lives. Yet, after the pictures were taken, Darell and Damen would walk away from Jose; they hated him for different reasons, and they were reasons that they kept inside.
Damen, Jose, and even Darell had made the first part of their dream into reality, the second part came to Damen on February 20, when he walked out from the premiere of his first movie. He walked down the red carpet with Chuck, when autograph books from fans flew into his face, pushing, forcing his image and eyes toward each of them, signing them repeatedly, trying to keep up with speed of the books. Media and press came up to Damen and stuck microphones up to his mouth, shouting out questions at the same time, causing Damen’s ears to only hear loud voices, and not being able to interpret what even one person was asking him. In the distance, waiting by the curb of the street, was Damen’s limo, seeing its back door opened already. He and Chuck both walked faster toward it, trying to build momentum in their legs, yet trying not to make it too noticeable that they were trying to get away from the crowds and media. Chuck got in the limo first, hopping into its luxurious, black leather seats, and turning to see through the door if Damen was coming. Chuck saw Damen stopping right by the door, and turning around, in an idle-like motion, to face the building they just exited from. Damen did this to make a memory, a memory of the moment he’s been waiting for; that was when the second part of his dream began.
“Damen, how do you feel about your new movie? Do you feel it will do good at the box office?” a reporter asked, sticking a microphone out and pointing it at Damen’s face like a gun, a pistol with a silencer at the end of it.
Damen smiled while Chuck was waiting patiently for him to enter the car, and looked at the reporters in a prosperous way. Damen answered, “It was a great experience, and I feel the movie was a lot of fun to make. Um, the answer to your second question is yes, yes I do feel it will do great at the box office.”
Another reported questioned, “Damen, is it true that you are presently working on a second movie?”
“Yes I am, it’s based on a true story.”
“Damen, how do you feel about being nominated for the Best Actor category?” a reporter shouted with glee.
Emotional silence came to Damen’s eyes, blinding his ears, deafening his eyes, having that one question, flying around in his mind, trying to comprehend if he heard it correctly. Throughout the pause, Damen Schultz gawked at the reporter, and finally answered, “What? What Best Actor category?” Damen turned around to face the limo, and then he wound his head back, waiting for a reply, some clarification to his puzzled thoughts.
The crowd was augmenting, dilating, enlarging and growing in number, pushing, jostling, shoving at Damen, and causing his body to hit the limousine with force. But, he still waited for a reply, not wanting to enter the limo yet, until his mind stopped feeling baffled, and started feeling clear-headed. That’s when another reporter explained, “The Oscar for the Best Actor. Do you think you’ll go home with the trophy?”
Mr. Schultz showed a confusing, disarrayed smile, responding with, “Um, I don’t know; I didn’t even know I was nominated.”
A camera went up to his face, nearly hitting Damen’s mouth, and a reporter bellowed to him, “Is it true that you and Jose Rodrigo are enemies in real life?”
Damen Schultz jumped in the limo and closed the door before he could answer the last question, never wanting to hear that name again, knowing if he answered, the outcome would be very hurtful to his ears.
They drove to the café while the confusion began to expand in his mind, thinking about what the reporters told him and asked him, feeling disoriented about the situation.
Chuck and Damen slowly walked toward the entrance of the café, hearing silence through the night, feeling no wind that could cool off their sweating faces, and flesh. Once they fully came up to the entrance, the silence abruptly turned to the opposite, and the wind showed itself to their sweat, drying it off quickly while they turned around to face the wind and new-found-noise. In their views, was a mob of fans, media, reporters, and cameramen running toward them, screaming out Damen’s name, chanting it over and over to the point of fright entering his mind.
The thought of being trampled to death entered Damen’s thoughts, yelling, “Come on, Chuck, open the door.”
“I can’t find the right key.” Chuck tried almost every single key on his key ring, filled with over twenty small, golden keys, looking all alike to Damen’s eyes. But Chuck knew which one was the right one, it’s just his nerves were allowing his eyes to be obstructed to the right one.
The crowd was flying toward them, running with great speed, with Damen seeing that they were coming closer to him by the second. He could see their smiles and hear their yells more clearly. “Oh my God, Chuck, please open the door.”
Chuck discovered the key was under the doormat the whole time, bending over and picking it up. Before the crowd could reach Damen, Chuck flew open the door and pulled Mr. Schultz in with him.
He shut the door tightly, putting chairs in front of it, hearing the crowd pushing against it, attempting to knock it down. “That was a close call,” Damen muttered.
“Tell me about it, I nearly dropped my cane out there, I was scared shitless,” Chuck laughed.
“Yeah, but it felt great. Didn’t it?”
“Yeah, it did.”
Damen Schultz turned around to face the café, and saw two big bags, thick as could be, filled up with something. “Hey, Chuck, what is all this?”
“Well, those are letters from your fans.”
Damen was intrigued, mesmerized by the bags, opening one of them up slowly and seeing nothing but stamped envelopes, that were thick from letters in them; like a filled stomach. “I have this many fans? In this short of time?”
“Yeah, you’re a sensation, Damen.” Damen started to read the first letter, hearing Chuck adding, “You know, I heard what that one reporter said about the Academy Award.”
Damen finished the one letter, looked up at him, and smiled, questioning with exhilaration, “Yeah, do you think it’s true?”
“Do I think it’s true? Well, all I can say to you is, don’t get your hopes up,” explained Chuck, suddenly hearing the phone ringing in the distance. “They just announced the nominees today, and your premiere was just showed today. That means that they couldn’t have possibly nominated you.”
Ring, Ring, Ring.
“I know, but it felt so good to hear. I mean, when a reporter tells you that you’re an Oscar nominee, I guess it does something to you,” he spoke in a serious, but happy manner, watching Chuck answering the phone. “Chuck, I’m gonna go and practice my script some more. If anyone calls, tell them I’m in bed.” Damen then walked out of the café and into the backroom.
After Chuck got off the phone, he walked over to Damen’s room. He walked inside, without knocking, and stared at Damen with a calm look, an average look, showing no difference to his facial features, showing nothing but the normal, old Chuck.
Damen saw him, and put down the script on his bed. “Hey, Chuck, who was that on the phone?” Chuck didn’t answer him. So, he added, “Was it your son? Are you guys fighting again?”
Suddenly, Chuck showed whiteness to his flesh’s tone, widening his eyes, and exhaling in utter calmness, “No, that wasn’t my son, and we’re not fighting at all. Damen, that was Jennifer Mitchell.”
“Who’s Jennifer Mitchell? No let me guess, she’s a real-estate agent, right?” Damen was excited, he was waiting for Chuck to say they’re going to move out; he hated living at the café. Mr. Schultz felt that he could afford a place of his own now, but he wouldn’t leave Chuck behind; Chuck was like his father. Wherever Damen moved to, he wanted Chuck to live right next to him and be his neighbor.
“No, she’s not a real-estate agent.”
“Great, well who the hell is she then?” he questioned in sarcasm, becoming angered at the news of him still having to live at the café.
Damen lit a cigarette, and listened to him explain, “Damen, she�
��s the person who calls up the actors and tells them that they’re nominees for the Oscars. Damen, they announced your name today, I didn’t watch the TV when they did it, that’s why I didn’t know. But, they announced you as being a nominee for the Best Actor at the Academy Awards. Congratulations, Damen, you’re going to the Oscars.”
The cigarette dropped from his mouth, feeling emotionally incapable of handling this moment, showing shock toward Chuck’s eyes, and happiness toward his own. Damen couldn’t handle it; he was shocked and surprised, “What? Um, what did you say?”
Chuck started to knock his cane against the floor, dancing around and shouting happily, “You’re an Oscar nominee. You’re going to the Oscars next month, not as a guest, but as a nominee.”
Mr. Schultz was screaming with pure elation, shouting out loud, “Oh my God. I have to call Darell and tell him. Better yet, I’ll surprise him by going over to his place. I’ll go tonight.” Damen ran out of the room, and then came back to his room moments later. “You’re not joking, right?”
“No, this is real.”
Damen went dashing down the hallways of the back room, feeling this instantaneous moment of honest to goodness happiness, shouting out his screams of ingenuous, genuine ecstasy.
Chapter Sixty-Eight
Waiting for the crowd to disperse and leave the front of the café, Damen noticed that they left, so he ran out of the building, shot across the street to Darell’s condo, having excitement in his thoughts, inhaling and exhaling cheer. He ran up the stairs of this large building, darted toward Darell’s condo door, and began pounding on it, thumping his hand, whacking the wooden frame of this door like it was a drum of some sort. He noticed the door was opened, as each pound he made caused it to unfold and open a little more. Sneaking inside, he yelled, “Surprise.”
Sugar Valley (Hollywood's Darkest Secret) Page 62