4

I stretch my arms and yawn as I walk down the stairs. It was nice to sleep in, it’s already nine. I didn’t even bother setting my alarm… I kind of figured that we wouldn’t be rushing off to the set first thing in the morning.

Part of me is sad though, I would have much rather continued to work in secret… nothing about last night was pleasant. I know that it would have never worked, my mom would have found out, but I feel like it was one of those awful things that are just best to ignore.

Dex is sitting at the table in the kitchen when I walk in. I expect to see a smile on his face when he looks up at me, but it’s not there… instead he looks somber. I sit down across from him as Gina walks toward the table.

“Are you hungry, Miss Amy?”

I look over at her and shake my head. The last thing I’m thinking about right now is eating.

“You should eat,” Dex says, “we have a long day ahead of us.”

I look over at him, but he’s looking down at his phone while eating a spoonful of yogurt. Before I can protest Gina is already back in the kitchen. I guess I’m eating.

Gina returns with a plate and sets it down in front of me. There is a slice of wheat toast, which looks buttered and has been sliced in two, two slices of crispy bacon and a scrambled egg. She also sets down a bottle of water in front of me before she goes back to doing whatever it was she was doing before I came down.

Food, which I’m usually eager to eat when Gina makes it, seems so unappetizing today. It just seems like any other food on any other day… not to mention the whole thing with my mom last night has left me in a state of shock—I still can’t believe what she did and that she was arrested.

“Sorry about last night,” Dex says.

I look over at him as I chew a piece of bacon. He still has that look on his face, but he’s staring at his phone. I’m starting to wonder if maybe he doesn’t want to look at me or something. It’s a weird feeling… not something I’ve had from him since I got here.

“It’s fine.”

Dex sighs, sets his phone down and finally looks up. He still looks the same… defeated, sad… and it’s hard for me to look at him. I know now that his life would have been so much better if he never showed up in Greenville. Even though he’s been really nice to me, there’s a part of me wishes that… that I would have never met him… and really only for his own sake.

“It’s not fine. Don’t pretend it is. What she did to you… it was awful. I had no idea she… I didn’t think she could ever do something like that.”

Before I can answer him, Dex stands up from the table and shakes his head. He takes one last look at his phone and slips it into his pocket.

“Can you be ready in twenty minutes?”

I nod and pick up a piece of toast. Dex walks out of the room, without saying anything else, and I hear him climbing the stairs by the front door. I take a sip of water to wash down the dry toast that is stuck in my throat and jump up from the table—I should have just enough time to take a quick shower.

I take a deep breath as I walk up the stairs. I’m still surprised that we’re going to the set right now.

Eighteen minutes have passed by the time I shower and get back downstairs. Dex is leaning against the garage door, once again looking at his phone. He glances up at me, but doesn’t make eye contact. He quickly opens the door and gets in the car. The awkward tension only gets worse once both doors of the car are closed.

I want to say something… I want to tell Dex that it’s going to work out, but I’m not sure that it will. I’m not sure what’s going to happen next and especially when it comes to my mom.

After a few minutes of unbearable silence, I take my phone out of my purse. I fiddle with it while Dex drives and it distracts me enough that I lose track of time and don’t look up until Dex parks the car at the set.

Dex puts his hand on my shoulder as I reach for my door handle.

“We need to talk for a minute.”

I nod and turn toward him. He still looks upset. I get it though… the woman he thought he loved has turned out to be a different person than who told him she was. I doubt that Dex would have asked her to come to L.A. with him if he knew this is how she would act. I still can’t figure out if this is the person she has always been, but she kept it hidden away or if moving has changed her that much.

“I… I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what else to do. Of course I didn’t want your mom to get arrested, but I didn’t know what to do. She shouldn’t have hit you… that’s not OK.”

“I know… I just don’t… I don’t understand why she did it.”

Dex sighs and looks out the window. I wish I could just curl up in bed and stay there forever. The last thing I want to do today is act.

“Well,” he says, taking a moment to clear his throat, “when I told her about you… being in my movie, she flipped out as you might imagine. It was a thousand times worse than what I expected. She told me that if I didn’t replace you in the movie she was going to leave me… and she was going to force you to go with her.”

I don’t even know what to say. I can’t believe that she would say that to him. The fact that we are sitting here, about to start filming for the day, speaks volumes about his decision. I’m actually a little surprised that he would choose to have me in his movie over her.

“Are you sure about this?” I say.

Dex looks at me and for the first time since yesterday I can see a semblance of happiness on his face. I hope that it’s real, but I’m just not sure.

“It’s the only thing I’m sure about. You’re going to be in my movie and there’s nothing your mom can do or say to change that.”

I feel my entire body warm as I listen to his kind words. He really is such a good guy… I hope that I can make him proud and do a good job on the movie since he’s gone through so much to have me in it. It’s not something I think I would have been capable of a few months ago, but now I think I can do it.

“Thank you. You didn’t have to do that… any of it. I really appreciate this… opportunity you’ve given me. You’ve been more kind to me than anyone and I’m going to do my best to help you make a beautiful movie.”

Dex smiles at me and nods.

“Thank you, Amy. It means a lot to me that you care so much about it.”

I smile at Dex and reach for the door handle. I know we’ve got a lot of work to do and the sooner we get it done, the better. I guess my mom will be home when we get there tonight, but I can avoid her if need be.

“I’ll see you on set as soon as I’m done with hair and makeup,” I say.

“Perfect. I’m going to go talk to one of the writers. I’ll see you soon.”

I smile at him again as we go our separate ways. I know things haven’t been easy, especially after last night, but I’ve really gotta remember that I’ve come so far in the last couple months—when I was finishing up high school in Greenville, I would have never imagined that I would be co-starring in a Hollywood film directed by Dexter Baldwin. I need to make sure that I remember that.

---

I close the door to my trailer and head for the couch. I plop down and let out a heavy sigh. It was a long day… much longer than I had anticipated. I kick off my shoes and put my feet up on the coffee table.

Dex told me it would be a few minutes before he was ready to leave for the night. He needed to talk to one of the writers, so I figured I would try to relax a little.

I reach for the bottle of water I left on the coffee table during one of our earlier breaks and take a long drink out of it. I lean my head back, close my eyes and wiggle until I find the perfect spot on the couch.

A knock on my door ruins my newfound relaxation.

“Yeah?”

“It’s me, Spencer, can I come in?”

I sigh. It’s not that I mind talking to him, but we literally just spent the entire day working together.

“Sure.”

The door opens and Spencer steps in. I turn my head and look at him, but I can’t reciprocate the smile on his face. It’s amazing how happy he can be all of the time. I wish that I was capable of that.

“What’s up?” he says.

“What do you mean?”

He sits down on the other end of the couch and turns his body toward me. I feel weird… it’s not that him being here bothers me, but it’s… maybe I’m afraid that if anyone finds out he was in my trailer they will think there’s something between us. It seems like everyone in L.A. quickly jumps to conclusions and me being seen with Spencer has already done damage that will probably never be repaired.

“I saw it on your face all day. Every time Dex cut… the look on your face changed completely. It was like you were in a different world. Bravo on not letting that show through in your acting, that was spectacular, but it was obvious that something was truly bothering you.”

I look out the window opposite of the couch. This isn’t a conversation I really want to have with Spencer.

“It’s fine… I’m fine.”

I keep my gaze away from Spencer, but I can tell he’s looking right at me… trying to figure out what it is that I’m not telling him.

“Let me know if you change your mind.”

Spencer stands up and walks to the door. He turns around and I look at him finally. He’s not irritated with me, but he looks saddened by the idea that I wouldn’t want to talk to him about what’s going on with me. He shrugs and turns to the door.

“Wait.”

I notice he doesn’t move his hand off the handle, but he doesn’t turn it either.

“I… I just….”

I stop. All I can think about is the night Spencer took me to dinner and how guilty I felt about the whole thing. He was very kind and he listened the whole time, but it still didn’t seem right. I’m sure he’s got enough of his own problems that he doesn’t need to hear about mine.

Spencer smiles at me as he walks back over to the couch. This time he sits next to me, in the middle of the couch. It feels funny for him to be sitting next to me, but in a good way.

“Amy… I would like to think we’re friends. I thought that after the night I took you to dinner you’d feel comfortable… comfortable enough to be able to talk to me.”

I nod. He’s right and that’s how I feel, but it still seems strange to talk to someone like Spencer about what must seem so trivial.

“I know… it’s just… I don’t want to trouble you… not with my stupid drama.”

Spencer smiles and puts his hand on my knee. My mind tells me to pull back… that he shouldn’t be touching me at all… but I don’t do anything. With each passing second that his hand rests on my knee, I feel a little bit calmer. It’s such a weird sensation that I’m not sure what to think of it.

“Amy, do you think I would have come to your trailer if I didn’t care about what’s going on with you?”

“No.”

“No. I wouldn’t have said anything. And then you would have continued to be upset for who knows how long.”

I nod. He’s right, it’s probably not good for me to be in such a bad mood when I’m on set. I wonder if anyone else noticed?

“You’re right.”

Spencer squeezes my knee and smiles. He looks beyond happy and I can’t help but smile at how excited he is that I told him he’s right.

“I’m always right.”

He squeezes my knee again as I roll my eyes playfully.

“Sure you are.”

“So… before you get distracted by how funny I am, you should tell me what’s going on with you.”

I look away from Spencer and let my eyes wander the room as I try to think of exactly what to say to him. I still don’t see the point of saying anything, but I have a feeling he’s not going to drop it anytime soon.

“I… well… my boyfriend broke up with me….”

“Logan?”

“Yeah, Logan… so, there was that. And then… last night Dex told my mom about me being in the movie.”

I pause and look at Spencer. He nods and I can tell by the look on his face that he knows telling her didn’t go well.

“And when Dex told her… well, she flipped out. She came into my room and she hit me a few times and I fell on the floor… it was a pretty awful situation.”

“Wow… are you hurt?”

I shake my head. My face still hurts a little, but I decide not to tell Spencer.

“No… I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

Spencer sighs and stands up. I watch as he paces up and down what I guess would be the living room of the trailer.

“But why?” he says. “Why would she hit you? Shouldn’t she be happy for you? You were cast in a movie by Dexter Baldwin and you have no prior acting experience… I would say that’s pretty awesome. If I had a kid and they did something like that… I would be so happy for them.”

“She… she thinks that the only reason Dex cast me is because they are dating. She thinks that I’m going to be awful and ruin his movie and cost him millions in the process.”

Spencer shakes his head and sits back down on the couch.

“Seriously?”

“Yeah… that’s pretty much what she said to me.”

“Wow. Dex cast you in his movie because you’re perfect for the part. Does she know that he was resistant to it and that I had to convince him to even let you audition?”

“She doesn’t care. I don’t know what she thinks, but I know that she doesn’t care. I think she thinks that I’m an idiot or incompetent or something… I don’t know.”

“Maybe if she could come to the set… and, you know, see you acting… maybe that would get her to change her mind.”

“I don’t think she would even bother.”

“That makes me sad,” he says.

I’m not sure what that even means. I look over at Spencer and he actually does look sad… not like he’s about to cry sad, but he definitely looks upset. Is he really this bothered by my mom’s behavior?

“Yeah?”

“Yeah… I had a mother that was so supportive of my dream of becoming an actor, so for yours to be so… so awful about the whole thing makes me sad. Every mother should support their child in whatever they choose to become. That’s one of the most important things about being a parent.”

I’m not even sure how to respond to that. I guess I never really thought about my mom supporting my dreams because it was always assumed that I would follow in her steps… I would go to State and then back to Greenville to be a teacher, just like her.

Now that I think about it, was that really my dream or was it what she wanted for me? Is there a difference? I have a feeling I would’ve been completely content with that life, but now… now I’m not so sure anymore.

“Well, that’s not exactly the childhood I had growing up.”

The whole conversation is starting to make me feel sad, so I take a deep breath and look out the window. This wasn’t exactly where I envisioned this going… although I’m not sure what I was expecting.

“I’m sorry. That’s not something I would want for anyone.”

I shrug and force myself to smile. There’s not much I can do about it now.

“I can tell by the look on your face that what I'm saying isn't making it any better,” he says, with a playful tone in his voice.

“It's fine... it's whatever. I'll be fine.”

“What happens now? With your mom, I mean.”

That's the question of the day.

“I'm not sure... she was arrested.”

“Wait, what?”

He sounds shocked and I realize I didn't tell him that part of the story.

“Dex called the police, so they came and questioned us. They arrested her and that was it.”

“Wow, that... that's something else. Did Dex go and bail her out?”

I shake my head, we hadn't even talked about it.

“I'm not sure what's going to happen.”

“That sounds like something right out of a movie,” he says.

I laugh. He's ridiculous and talking to him has definitely made me feel better. He really is a good guy—this is the second time when I've been down that he's listened to my problems and I'm glad for the opportunity to talk through it all.

“I guess he'll have to bail her out, but I don't know what happens after that... I guess things will go back to normal.”

“Do you think she'll drop it and give in to the fact that you're a movie star?”

“I don't know... I really don't, but Dex told me there was no way he was going to give in to her wishes and not allow me to be in the film.”

“Good, as it should be. You're magnificent and I wouldn't want to make this movie with anyone else.”

I smile at Spencer. I would have never imagined my life would be like this—Spencer Thomas coming to my defense and being impressed by my acting ability. So crazy.

“Thank you so much… that’s such a nice thing to say.”

“It’s the truth.”

It’s nice to feel like I’m wanted, for once. For a moment it even makes me forget about the craziness with my mom, which I guess I’ll have to deal with when I get home.

I open my mouth to say something, what I’m not sure, but before I can make a fool of myself his phone chirps. Spencer takes it out of his pocket and looks down at it. A genuinely infectious smile forms on his face and he nods slightly. I wonder who could have texted him?

“Sorry,” he says, as he puts his phone back in his pocket, “I’ve gotta get going, if you don’t mind… I’m meeting someone.”

“Of course not.”

I do my best to smile at Spencer… it’s not easy, though. I’m not sure if it’s the conversation we just had or if it was the text that prompted his leaving.

“Well, I hope everything works out with your mom… and I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Thanks. See you tomorrow.”

He smiles at me one last time and leaves my trailer. I’m glad that Spencer knocked on my door, I actually feel a lot better. I just hope that it carries over and makes tonight a little easier because I have a feeling my mom isn’t going to be too happy about Dex calling the cops on her.

I sigh and try to think about something else, anything really, while I get changed back into my clothes. I put my wardrobe into the laundry bag, just like every day, and head outside. Dex is already at the car, waiting for me, and he has a grim look on his face.