HDU

by India Lee

  “My phone’s been blowing up since I woke up this morning. Because of you.”

  “Good thing or bad thing?” she asked, trying to determine if the expression on his face was happy or mad. There seemed to be a half smile curving his lips.

  “I don’t care, as long as you don’t say anything revealing,” he said, plucking a waffle from her plate.

  “Okay. And sure, go ahead.”

  “Thanks,” he said insincerely, ruffling her hair as he took a bite.

  “So you’re fine with me calling you a ‘turd,’” she clarified, smoothing her auburn tresses back down.

  “You could’ve gone with worse.”

  “True. Anything else I need to know?”

  Liam smirked. “Casey’s people called my publicist this morning to ask for your phone number.”

  “Mulreed?” both Amanda and Ian asked.

  “What other Casey would I be talking about?”

  “Fine. And?”

  “And my manager didn’t have your number,” Liam replied simply. “But you have Casey’s, so if you’re interested in being her little pet project, then give her a call.”

  “What do you mean ‘pet project?’” Ian asked with a frown. Liam responded by taking another bite of his waffle and chewing, making it clear that he wasn’t greatly interested in ever speaking to Ian.

  “He asked a question,” Amanda said, irked. Liam lifted his dark eyes up at her with amusement.

  “Hm?”

  “Don’t be a five-year-old.”

  Liam gave an eye roll. “Casey’s calculated, she knows playing Fairy Godmother will make her look good. Your image doesn’t stay that perfect unless you’re diabolical about it,” he said. “But do what you want. I don’t want you to get the impression that I care what you do.” He leaned casually against the wall. “As long as you’re sticking to the contract, do what you want.”

  Amanda narrowed her eyes at him. His disapproval of Casey had been clear since last night, but he was vague and flippant about it, which was annoying. Rather than grovel and ask for details though, she brushed it off. “Fine, then we’re on the same page. I’ll call her later and you won’t care,” she said, peering up to catch his response. All he gave was a one-shouldered shrug. Amanda stared at him blankly. “’Kay, so… why are you here right now?” she asked. She could hardly help her sassy tone – she thought they had reached a more than civil point with each other the night before, but it seemed Liam was more than capable of flip-flopping between borderline sweet and completely insufferable.

  “I thought I’d take you on a very public lunch date, Miss Popular.”

  “I’m already having lunch, so I can’t,” Amanda answered shortly. She felt her arms cross but quickly uncrossed them so as to not look so miffed.

  “If this is our first couple’s fight, I have to say it’s not nearly as hot as my past ones.”

  “Shut up, Liam, and go away.”

  “So no makeup sex later?”

  Amanda’s cheeks burned as she chucked a blueberry at him. “Go.”

  Liam laughed as he let himself out. Amanda stared at the closed door and touched her hot face before reluctantly turning to Ian. His smile was smug and wholly delighted. She gave him a look of exasperation.

  “What.”

  “You are so attracted to him.”

  “Except not,” she retorted.

  “’Kay.”

  “Moving on,” she said. “What the hell do I say when I call Casey Mulreed? If she called Liam’s people to ask for my number, she probably wanted to hang out soon-ish, right?” To her relief, the topic successfully drove Ian away from the previous subject. As usual, he was fully prepared with a plan and an answer.

  “I think you should start small and play to her weird desire to be like, your fairy godmother. Ask her out to coffee but also say something like you need new clothes and have no clue where to get them. I mean it’s kind of true, right?”

  And so the next twenty minutes were dedicated to composing a text to send Casey. They tried to strike a perfect balance between sounding excited but not too excited. “You don’t want to appear more like a fan than a friend,” Ian had advised.

  Finally, they both settled on a message that was both short and succinct in its cluelessness. hi casey, it’s amanda nathan! could i possibly treat you to coffee for some shopping tips? i have no idea where to go or what i’m doing lol.

  Ian laughed when Amanda finally hit ‘Send.’ “You just asked Casey Mulreed to hang out. You and Casey Mulreed are about to be friends.” He shook his head.

  “I know. It’s insane.”

  “And it’s about to get even worse. Or better, depending on how you look at it,” Ian laughed. “Are you ready for it?”

  Amanda nodded, convinced of herself. “Are you?” she countered.

  “I feel like this phrase is overused but honestly, I was born ready,” Ian grinned. And just on time, Amanda’s phone vibrated with a response from Casey.

  helloo doll. so glad to hear from you. i’m at Rhubarb on Baxter and Grand. why don’t you come meet me now?

  LIAM’S HEINOUS HISTORY AND HIS NEW DEMURE DAME

  a.k.a why we should care about Amanda Nathan

  Pop Rock Gossip

  By Jessie O.

  January 14th

  In recent years, gossip hounds have familiarized themselves with the very active dating habits of hunky actor Liam Brody. Generally, his flames are more model-esque than modest, more boastful than bashful, more physically flawless than flawed. They’re usually also a bit insufferable, most of them dismissive about Brody’s wicked history of replacing his women without any notice and never acknowledging the habit – as if these women cease to exist once he’s finished with them. It leaves you wondering how they could set aside sisterhood and let the guy get away with such despicable behavior. Perhaps it’s always been a case of both sides using each other – the women using him for his fame, Brody using them for their beauty. Up-and-coming models, they craved spotlight and called paparazzi to Friday night dates, always dressed scandalously in hopes of prolonged relevance – in both the media’s eye as well as Brody’s. It was the most depressing but aesthetically pleasing train wreck to watch. Each new girlfriend got taller, thinner, prettier, and ultimately more cruelly dumped than the last.

  But could it be? It looks like things may be different this time around. It’s a new year and Liam Brody has another new gal pal – and by new, we do mean new.

  Amanda Nathan is about as young as Brody’s usual ladies, but she is certainly no model or staple of the spotlight. She is a 22-year old Missourian whom Brody met while researching a role near her hometown. We’ll venture a guess that she’s a size six, which is triple the usual size of his past girlfriends. As far as her career goes, Nathan appears about as clueless as the next post-grad, considering her undefined blog is still in early stages of development and had pretty much no content until a recent candid (and adorably self-conscious) journal entry. And here’s a bonus fun fact: she carries a Samsung cell phone so old our research interns couldn’t even identify the model. So it seems, media attention aside, Nathan is just your every day American girl. She fell for a boy and moved to the big city for him. Now she’s a little wobbly and insecure about her new circumstances, but that’s to be expected for any small town kid so far from home – who oh, is also under the heavy surveillance of paparazzi lenses.

  Such could be seen at a June Magazine event on Tuesday, where the young blogger appeared flustered and shy in front of cameras, even as Hollywood veteran Casey Mulreed gave her a nudge of encouragement. Nathan even admitted to having had a “bloaty day” before arriving at the party in her understated high-neck dress. Certainly she looked a far cry from the heavily plucked, pinned and tucked stars at the party but her overall appearance was, to be honest, fine. Good. Normal. Because quite glaringly, that’s what Amanda Nathan is – a normal girl. The only abnormal thing about her is that she caught the eye of the industry’s most not
orious lothario, an Adonis known for dating only the ripest Venuses of Hollywood, a man whose vile dating habits alone got him blacklisted from several gossip sites.

  And yet here we are again, following another chapter of Brody’s never ending love life. But it’s because this time, things are different, and we’re interested in whether or not this quirk from the usual means something – that perhaps the guy has learned to change. To love and not lust. To see beyond the surface of a pretty face and breast implants. It’s a long shot, but in the name of normal girls everywhere, we’re hoping for it.

  A TIMELINE OF AMANDA-MONIUM

  Posted by PrettyKitty29

  HDU via The Pop Source

  January 15th 2:13PM

  If you love Hollywood gossip, there is a good chance that you’ve heard the name Amanda Nathan by now. If not, let us fill you in! Here’s a timeline chronicling the small town sweetheart’s rapid rise to fame:

  Sunday, January 10th:

  - The Internet proves to be a cruel place as the first photos of Liamanda are snapped at Columbia Regional Airport and Amanda is ripped apart for her fashion choices. To make matters worse, the blogosphere assumes Miss Nathan to be the maid because “Liam wouldn’t date that.” And that was a nicer comment.

  Monday, January 11th:

  - It’s official! Liam and Amanda show off their steady couple status with a steamy, public kiss at Lilac! Onlookers say the two laughed all night and had a blast. In your face, blogosphere!

  Tuesday, January 12th:

  - Despite feeling admittedly “bloaty” and “intimidated,” Amanda has a ball at a SoHo bash thrown by June Magazine. And what’s this? It looks like she’s also found a friend in America’s sweetheart, Casey Mulreed! Could any other pairing be cuter? We think not.

  Wednesday, January 13th:

  - After her bubbly but candid blog entry goes viral, Amanda is spotted lunching at Rhubarb with Casey Mulreed in Chinatown before shopping for new threads in Nolita. Casey’s a seasoned pro, but Amanda still looks spooked by the paps. Poor girl!

  Thursday, January 14th:

  - It’s official – the Internet loves Liam Brody’s new gal pal, hailing her as a relatable symbol for the everywoman. Her Twitter followers have topped the ten thousand mark and there is even a fan Tumblr dedicated solely to the “normal girl” who tamed the beast and stood up to Hollywood! Bullied to beloved – my, oh my, how the tides have changed!

  TOP COMMENTS

  imrichnfamous

  can’t believe ppl said anything about her looks in the beginning. jfc if you’re not wearing makeup and get photographed with flash u will def look like shit too.

  mrstylerchase

  ikr. as if the poor girl isn’t self-conscious enough.

  ROX1E

  i’m anticipating a good meltdown from her in the near future cuz I doubt she’ll be able to handle fame for more than a month. fingers crossed for her shaving her head!!! but i’d settle for rehab.

  s_r_n_l_m_2_1

  rude and not funny

  cali_damianator

  can i like her and not liam? her blog post was so sad and adorb i kind of loved it.

  lies311

  still don’t know who this girl is and why people care about her. she’s not cute, hot, interesting, stylish, etc, list goes on and on

  mrstylerchase

  rude. she is way cute and also not a fake asshole like every other celeb

  vidabella21

  ia. people are just amazed that her basic face landed liam brody

  “Mom, I can buy Star Magazine here too, along with all the other tabloids,” Amanda laughed, her cell phone wedged between her ear and her shoulder as she unpacked a large, white box of free clothing that had been delivered to her room. Having heard about her concerns with being “fashion-challenged,” the people at June Magazine had taken the matter into their own hands and sent over a half dozen new ensembles along with a note from their contributing editor, Wendy, that read: Not that we think you’re fashion-challenged, but this should help! Keep up the blogging, gorgeous! XOXO

  “Man. You know you’ve made it when people start sending you free shit,” Ian murmured, unpacking the other box as he sat on the floor of Amanda’s bedroom. He plucked out a women’s V-neck T-shirt and held it to his own lean torso. Amanda snorted, watching him pull it on as her mother continued to insist on mailing over the half dozen gossip rags she had purchased at Prenger Foods, all of which featured Amanda’s face somewhere on the cover. She didn’t seem to care that the headlines weren’t all that kind to Amanda, several already predicting her inability to endure being ordinary around such superstars. “How will this naïve newbie handle the fame?” they asked. “With friends like Casey, will Amanda need to doll up to keep up?”

  But while a small portion of the media seemed intent on foretelling a breakdown, the rest seemed to like her, finding her relatable and “adorably self-conscious.” In just a few days, she had been appointed the mascot for normal girls across America – living proof that being oneself could land a boyfriend like Liam and a best friend like Casey.

  Of course only the papers were calling her a “best friend” of Casey Mulreed’s, simply for the sake of a story. Since her blog entry, Amanda found that the media was becoming quicker and quicker to jump the gun, more concerned with churning out new headlines about her than getting the facts right. After all, she and Casey had only hung out once. During their Wednesday afternoon in Nolita, Casey had taken Amanda out, shown her the best moderately priced shops, and quizzed her on the street names and locations that she had been blissfully clueless about before. Instead of having to depend on Liam or Ian, she could now navigate SoHo, Nolita and even a bit of Chinatown on her own, and she knew that Houston Street was pronounced “How-ston” rather than “Hue-ston.” It was a start – to both her understanding of the city and her friendship with Casey. The afternoon at least got her a last-minute invitation to Jaime’s Friday night birthday bash at Roué, a burlesque club in the Lower East Side.

  “We don’t have to dress burlesque-y though, right?” Ian asked. Amanda had invited him to join her for the night, what with Liam completely laughing off the prospect of going – his text response to Amanda’s invitation was simply “Ha, no.” Though it wasn’t just because of his distaste for Casey and Jaime – he had been holed up at home since Wednesday evening, preparing for his second audition for A Soldier next week. But it worked out for the best anyway – Amanda owed Ian an invitation to a celebrity event, and it would nice to have his company considering Casey would likely have much closer friends to entertain. Amanda laughed as she sifted through a new box of clothes.

  “No, you don’t have to dress burlesque-y.”

  Ian let out a sigh of relief, blowing a lock of hair from his eyes. “Thank God. Though maybe you should, in case Dylan Hardy shows up.” He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively. Amanda froze for a second.

  “I completely forgot about Dylan in the past two days. Is that crazy?”

  “Not really, considering you don’t really know him. Well, aside from that time you screamed in his face and ran to the bathroom.”

  Amanda laughed, chucking her empty coffee cup at him. “That was awful, I’m trying to forget that it happened. Though you should just be proud that I didn’t puke on him.”

  Ian laughed. “I’m very proud. Puking is never a good look,” he said, making somewhat of a guilty face as he smoothed down his shirt. There were bags under his eyes and his clothes were rumpled, leading Amanda to suspect that he was once again hung over and wearing the same attire he’d passed out in. His energy seemed unaffected though. He turned to her, grinning with amusement. “Pretty, what if Dylan shows up tonight?” he asked.

  Amanda’s stomach promptly flipped at the thought, but she shook her head. “I doubt he will. It’s Jaime’s party, not Casey’s.”

  “But Casey’s the one throwing it and Dylan is her co-star, so he’s probably invited,” Ian persisted. He paused for a moment, scratching
his chin. “No chance Casey knows Natalie, right? Because I need to get a haircut if she’s gonna be there tonight,” he said. “Just kidding,” he added hastily, though they both knew that he wasn’t.

  “No, I don’t think Casey knows Natalie,” Amanda said with an awkward laugh. Ian hadn’t mentioned his ex-girlfriend since returning to the city and she had thought that he’d gotten over her amidst the excitement of their week. Amanda certainly hadn’t thought of Megan much since arriving in New York. She did have more to distract herself with, but it wasn’t as if Ian wasn’t seeing his own slight but rising celebrity. His following on Twitter had experienced a boost by the thousands – mostly of teen to twenty-something women who found him attractive from paparazzi shots alone.

  Ian shrugged. “Well anyway, if Dylan does show and you need to calm yourself down, I have the solution,” he said, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out something between his pointer and middle finger. Amanda squinted.

  “Is that a joint?” she asked, unsure. He nodded.

  “Are you one of those people who gets paranoid when you smoke?”

  “No. I mean, I don’t know, I don’t really do drugs,” Amanda answered.

  “But weed isn’t like drugs drugs, it’s baby stuff, it grows from the earth! It’s not like I’m offering you Molly,” Ian said, reaching into his other back pocket. Amanda guffawed, holding out her hands.

  “No, no, don’t take it out. I’m not smoking weed tonight and I don’t want to see your collection of Mollies or whatever,” she said. “But thank you for the offer?” Ian grinned and shrugged, stuffing everything back into his pockets.

  After spending the next few hours sifting through the piles of free clothing and figuring out what to wear, Amanda and Ian finally left the hotel for Roué. To Amanda’s amusement, Ian had actually opted to wear her newly gifted women’s V-neck rather than his own wrinkled T-shirt. Paired with the usual leather jacket, he managed to look messy chic again rather than just messy. It didn’t hurt that he had styled his hair with quite a bit of gel, slicking it back to match Amanda’s look for the night, which he dubbed as “very throwback.”