A/N: Sorry it took longer than usual to post! I have one week left of school and then it's winter break, which means more time for writing. :') Next update will be up soon!

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Chapter 10

I was trying to take a quick power nap before shooting commenced when loud, unrelenting knocking woke me up. Someone was knocking on my trailer door, disrupting my precious sleep. Whoever it was had better have had a damn good reason for knocking on my door like that and waking me up. I'd been promised peace, quiet, and privacy on set, especially when we had to come in this early in the morning. So much for that.

When I realized the knocking wasn't going to stop until I got up and answered the door, I sat up and sighed. Why had I agreed to do this? Why was I even here? What was I doing with my life?

I reluctantly walked over and opened the door. I probably didn't look too happy, but in my defense, I'd just been woken up against my will. Only weirdly happy and positive people looked happy right after being woken up.

I instantly regretted opening the door when I saw who it was. Sophia. I should have known it was her. No one else would bother me like this in my own trailer.

Well, alright, Blake would, but Blake would also shout at me and demand I open the door for him. Visits from him usually consisted of that or him surprising me with water balloons to the face.

"What do you want?" I asked her.

She shifted her stance, looking uncharacteristically uncomfortable. "There's, uh, someone who wants to meet you."

"Really?" I cocked an eyebrow. I wasn't sure what I'd been expecting when I saw it was her at my door, but that certainly wasn't it. "Who?"

Sophia stepped out of the way to reveal a shaking brunette that looked to be about Sophia's age. I glanced back at Sophia, who was pointing at the other girl with an unenthused look on her face.

Her friend, on the other hand, had a wide, scary smile on her face that was starting to freak me out. She just stood there and stared at me with that freaky smile on her face. She didn't move. She didn't blink. She didn't breathe. She just stared. Stared and smiled.

"My best friend Tori wanted to meet you," Sophia began in a monotonous voice. "She's a... a..." She made a little choking noise. "A Ry-Turd."

If I hadn't been so weirded out by her friend, I would have laughed at how utterly ashamed Sophia sounded to introduce her best friend to me and admit she was a fan of mine. What a beautiful twist. She hated me, but her best friend loved me.

Her friend may have been kind of creepy, but she was still a fan and therefore deserved my signature smile. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Tori," I said, turning the charm on. Sophia got zero of my charm at this point, but her friend deserved a solid 85.

I looked down at the steps, insinuating that I needed them to back up so I could step outside. Tori latched onto Sophia's arm and yanked her back faster than I could say something.

As soon as I stepped outside, Tori pretty much lost it.

"Oh, my god," she squeaked. "You're... you're... you're R-Ry-Ryder Christian! I mean, no! You're C-Christian Ryder! You're... you're... meep!"

I let out a surprised chuckle. Wow. Sophia's friend was a bigger fan of mine than I'd realized. "Yeah, that's me. To be honest, I never would have thought Sophia's best friend would be a fan."

"I'M A HUGE FAN!" Tori jumped up and down excitedly while Sophia stood a few steps away cringing like a teenager being dropped off at school by a rambunctious parent. "I can't believe this is happening. This is the best day of my life!"

The next time I glanced over at Sophia, she appeared to be farther away. Was she trying to escape from her own best friend?

"Can I hug you?" Tori asked.

"Go ahead," I said with a chuckle. I was used to this kind of treatment, although Tori was pretty emphatic even for a fan.

She squealed and flung her arms around my neck. I put my arms around her waist in response and could actually feel her melting into my arms. This was the effect I was used to having on women, especially fans. Not whatever was going on with Sophia, who was still trying to make a sly retreat. "Meep!"

After that last "meep," Sophia had apparently had enough. "Tori, have some self-control!" she scolded.

Tori ignored her and instead held onto me as if her life depended on it. "I love you so much! I've loved you since the moment I saw you on CSI three years ago!"

She was kind of choking me with her excitement, but she was actually the one who pulled away from me. I thought she was going to let go, but she just pulled away enough to look at me from up close. "You're way hotter up close," she said.

I laughed. "You're not too bad yourself."

"I really don't know how Sophia doesn't think you're hot," she continued, sounding like she was in some sort of daze. "You so obviously are."

I glanced over at Sophia, a wave of annoyance coming over me once again. She had a way of ruining my mood without even trying. "She doesn't think I'm hot, huh?"

Tori shook her head. "No. She once said that if ugliness were bricks, you'd be the Great Wall of China."

"She did, huh?" I wasn't sure whether that merited laughter or resentment. Maybe a little bit of both. It was insulting, but I couldn't deny that it was pretty clever. "You know, Sophia, you could learn a thing or two from your friend here."

Sophia's response was, as expected, immediate and defensive. "A thing or two about what?" she asked incredulously.

"Manners, for one," I said.

"I have plenty of manners!"

I didn't get a chance to respond. Blake's voice carried through the air, interrupting my thought process. "Hey, Chris," he called out. "You'll never believe – oh, hello, ladies."

He walked over to us and stood next to me with a grin on his face. I wasn't sure what he thought was going on here, but I had a feeling he was 100% wrong.

"What do you want?" I asked him when he failed to say anything else.

"I thought I'd come pay a visit to my dearest friend," he said. I must not have looked convinced by his explanation because he added, "Also, I ran out of food in my trailer and I thought maybe you might have some. I came to steal your food, okay? I'm a thief."

Sophia laughed at his comment. What the fuck? That was the kind of shit I would say, but if I had said it, she would have called me a fatass burglar. But because it was Blake saying it, it was funny? This was bullshit.

"I don't have any food."

"You're lying." Blake narrowed his eyes at me. I didn't blink. I was going to stand by my lie. "Well, you may not have food, but you know what you do have? Two beautiful ladies by your side."

I rolled my eyes at the same time Sophia did. Tori, on the other hand, looked like she was about to pass out. This was probably too much for her.

He went on, addressing Sophia this time. "You and I haven't officially met. I saw you at the read-through, I've seen you around here, and I've heard plenty about you, but I think it's time we officially introduce ourselves. And since Christian doesn't seem to be willing to introduce his own leading lady –"

"She can introduce herself," I cut in.

"Such a gentleman, as always," Sophia said, rolling her eyes. "It's nice to officially meet you, but you don't have to call me his leading lady. It's weird."

"What, you don't enjoy being Christian's leading lady?" By the twinkle in his eye, I knew he already knew the answer to that question. He was just trying to start shit.

"No."

He laughed and slapped me on the back. He had obviously gotten the response he wanted, much to my chagrin. "That's a first, isn't it, buddy?"

I ignored him, addressing Sophia instead. "You act like it's a real joy to work with you. Rachel could have cast a girl who actually likes me, but instead, I'm stuck with you."

"More like I'm stuck with you," she said.

"Talk to any other girl who's worked with me and they'll all tell you how great it was." They would probably have mentioned how great I was in other areas, but I figured it was best not to go there. "You're the one with the issue here."

Instead of having a pleasant discussion about this like the reasonable adults we were, Sophia settled for telling me, "Practice safe sex. Go screw yourself."

Blake whooped, completely unsympathetic to my cause, while Tori snickered at her best friend's comment. I understood Tori's laughter – even though she claimed to be a fan, but whatever – but Blake? Come on. Was no one on my side?

Sophia's phone rang before I could think of anything clever to respond with. I would have thought of something if her phone hadn't interrupted me.

"I've never been happier to hear my phone ring," Sophia said when she answered the phone call. She didn't bother walking away for some privacy. It was probably a friend or something. "You're a lifesaver."

I could hear someone on the other side responding but I couldn't make out what the person said.

"Oh, I'm sure," Sophia said with a smile.

"Talking to your boyfriend?" Blake asked her. "That would explain your disinterest in Chris."

"Sure," she said, looking amused more than anything else. Why did she look amused? Because he was right or because he was wrong? "Anyway, I'm glad you called. I needed to talk to you about something."

With that, she finally started walking away from us. I guess she did want some privacy after all. "I was talking to you, Sophia," I called out.

"And now you're not," she said.

I had thought that maybe we would eventually get along after being forced to spend time together on set, but I was starting to think that was never going to happen.

Blake and Tori, on the other hand, were hitting it off perfectly, just like Blake and Sophia had hit it off right from the start. What was the difference between Blake and me? I didn't get it.

"And what might your name be, sweetheart?" Blake asked Tori.

Tori giggled and looked from me to Blake. Her smile fell off her face all of a sudden and her cheeks turned a little red.

"What?" I asked, looking at Blake and then looking behind us, but there was nothing there.

"Nothing."

"What is it?" Blake asked.

"Nothing." Tori shook her head. "Nothing. I'm not thinking about anything. I'm definitely not imagining us having a threesome." Her face shifted and she went from looking nervous to horrified.

Blake and I, on the other hand, just laughed.

"Oh, my god," she said. "Did I just say that out loud? I just said that out loud. Oh, my god. J-just pretend I never said anything, okay? Okay."

"Hey, it's okay – " Blake began, stifling a laugh.

Tori made some kind of noise and called out for Sophia. Sophia was standing in front of her trailer – which was unfortunately right by mine. She turned around and motioned for Tori to join her.

"I, uh, I got to go. Sophia is waiting for me. Please don't tell her I mentioned having a threesome. She'll kill me."

With that, she made another nervous, awkward face and waddled off to where Sophia was standing. Something told me that wasn't how she had envisioned being left alone with two famous actors would go.