3AM // Matchbox Twenty

"Shut the front door!" My costar shouts before smacking me on the shoulder. "You were on the road with Ryan Christiansen? And you left to come film this garbage?" She waves her copy of the script for Fatal Payback, the action movie we're filming, in my face.

"Um, yeah." I keep my gaze focused on my script. There are last minute changes to the scene we're shooting, and I've got to memorize them before the director says 'action.' If I were a name in Hollywood, I could get away with winging it between takes, but as it is, I'm skating on thin ice. If I'm labeled as a problematic actor, I'm out. I'm already running a rep as a playboy, I don't need one as incompetent on top of it.

"Holy Clementine he's hot." The woman fans herself as she scrolls whatever images she's searched up. I've read about Emily Montano and her crushes. Half of her social media posts are thirst trap reactions and 'hot take confessions' of her lust for the latest Hollywood hottie. I guess it's Ryan's turn. He'd be so excited.

In fact, I make a mental note to text him some of the shit she's saying later.

"Brutal," she says, leaning back in her chair and slowly melting out of it. Once she's a puddle on the floor, she leans her chin on my knee and looks up at me with puppy dog eyes.

"I'm begging for an intro. Literally, I'll do anything. Need a latte? A late night pizza run? I'll do it. Help me slide into his DM's and I'll be at your beck and call."

I look at her for a split second before scoffing. "I have an assistant for that kind of shit." Not that I've used him for anything like that. Strictly job related tasks. That's another rep I don't need, all of my personal business in the hands of some Hollywood insider who ends up the tabloid's 'source' quoting shit about my life.

"Gah, you're a hard ass." Emily flops fully onto the floor.

I think she'd get along great with that girl Misty from the party. Both of them are 'extra' as my sister would say.

"What's he like?" She rolls onto her stomach as she asks.

"Who?"

"Ry-an." She draws out his name while rolling her eyes to emphasize what an idiot I am for asking. Now she's acting like my sister.

"He's fine."

"He sure as fuck is. Fiiiiiine."

I decide silence is best, so I say nothing, returning to the script to work on the scene. We're shooting the middle of the movie first, so Emily's character is about to find out that my character has been lying about his identity. It's also when she finds out her attraction to him is forbidden.

And he kisses her.

Which means I have to kiss her. One of those, heat-of-the-moment angry kisses, according to the blocking notes. I picture kissing Char like that. It doesn't work. There is no part of me that's angry enough to kiss my girl with that kind of fury. Passion? Hell yes, but not frustration.

The truth is, I used to dig on this part of a scene when the sexual tension boils over and the two characters give in. I've had a few opportunities to act it out and it's fucking hot. But now that I'm with Char and she's hundreds of miles away, I feel a little sick at the prospect. She's the only woman I want that experience with. How do working actors deal?

Thinking about it, I realize they don't. So many in this business can't keep relationships going for long.

"Let's run lines again," Emily says from her spot on the floor. As long as she stays there and isn't trying to actually act out the scene, I'll be fine.

"Yeah, sure. Let's see if we've got the pacing down without the blocking."

"Whatevs."

She's so casual about the whole thing unlike me who's sweating bullets at the idea I'm carrying this movie. Maybe someday I'll be as laid back as she is. I watch as she rolls onto her back and closes her eyes realizing I'll never be that relaxed on set.

Clearing my throat, I throw out the first line.

"I'm not who you think I am."

"I already know who you are. What, you didn't think I was smart enough to figure out you're an undercover agent?"

"I never said that."

"Right. You were thinking it, though. I saw through you from day one."

"I'm sure you did. But, Jessica, there's more."

We both pause for a stare off. The angry tension builds. When a beat has passed, I start the next line.

"I work for your father."

"But I thought..."

"You thought I was on the other side. You thought I was one of the good guys."

"I thought you had integrity but if you work for my father, you don't know the meaning of the word."

We pause again knowing this is the part of the scene where I cut Emily off with a kiss.

"Damn, could you imagine?" Emily says, breaking character.

"Which part, that he lied or that he works for her father?"

"Both, duh."

I laugh. It's mostly tension rather than humor because I'm nervous as fuck, but Emily doesn't need to know.

"Okay, people, let's get to our places." The director storms on set and calls everyone to attention. Camera angles are double checked, lighting is adjusted and both Emily and I have make-up touched up. This scene is on a sidewalk outside of the restaurant where our characters just had dinner. Several extra's settle inside to set the scene through the window. I notice one of the extra's glaring at me. I shake it off, telling myself I'm paranoid and out of sorts with the pressure I'm under.

We shoot the scene about 500 times, trying to get every angle possible and of course rerunning it whenever there's a blooper. Mostly mine, to be honest. Although once we've gone through it a few times my nerves settle, and I feel like I'm selling the character. Even the kiss becomes just another part of the motion after a few takes. The first go was awkward, but Emily really does know what she's doing so I decide to relax and let it happen.

"Cut!" The director shouts. "That's a wrap." He rises from his chair off camera to pat me on the back. "Nice work for your first day. I'll have script changes couriered over to your hotel room by midnight."

Shit. I'm still jetlagged as hell. I hope I'm awake to take the script. I took them up on the offer of a hotel room so I could be closer to set. My crap apartment is on the other side of town. Even though on paper it looks like a ten-minute commute, there's no such thing in L.A. Road closures, construction, fender benders or random wackos blocking traffic cause they've got to get the road rage on camera, it's a never-ending list of reasons the traffic is insane.

"Okay, sounds good," I say, knowing I'm going to be hurting tomorrow.

I turn to head to my trailer and pack up for the day when a gush of water inundates me.

"Fuck you, Jacob!"

I shake some of the water off my face and peek one eye open. Glaring back at me is the extra I noticed earlier. A young woman who knows my name. In this town that means one thing. I hooked up with her and she wanted more than a one-night fling.

Fuck.

"What the hell are you doing?" The director is only a few feet away. With the water marks on his pants I guess he got some over spray. "Judith! Fire this girl and find someone to clean up this mess."

The woman with an empty glass of water and an axe to grind narrows her gaze at me. I feel bad that I hurt her enough she was willing to toss her career away with this move even though I'm always 100% up front with my intentions.

"No, no. Don't fire her." I turn to the director, a guy who literally holds the puppet strings for my future. "I deserved that." I see the woman soften at my words. I wish I remembered her name. I'd feel like less of a dick if I did. But that's not the guy I was whenever we hooked up. I'm so fucking glad he's not who I am today.

"Shit. Sorry." She whispers the word, remorse now filling her eyes. I lean closer to her, so no one hears our conversation.

"I'm the one who's sorry. I never meant to hurt your feelings but obviously I did. I promise to not be a jackass if you promise to leave the water in the glass."

The girl rolls her eyes. "Oh my God, not me. My sister. We don't even look alike so that tells me all I need to know." She glares as she finishes her rant. "I may have gone overboard with the water," she straightens her spine and eyes me intensely. "But you deserve much worse. Don't forget it."

The girl walks away with purpose. I just hope that purpose isn't to burn down my trailer. I glance around to find every pair of eyes left on set aimed at me, waiting for some kind of statement on the matter, I guess.

"Loyal sister," is what I come up with.

The director steps closer. "Will there be more...sisters voicing their opinions about you?"

I grimace. Not a face I've ever made before but there's a first time for everything, apparently.

"I see," he says. "Should make things interesting, at least." He smirks before turning and walking away. I should be relieved at his dismissal, but it leaves me uneasy instead.

I just hope this kind of shit doesn't happen again.

I don't want to end up a casualty of Hollywood gossip so as soon as I'm locked behind my trailer door, I call Char. It's late in her time zone but I also know there was a show tonight. Everyone will be up for another couple of hours buzzing with post performance adrenaline. I smile when she answers on the first ring.

"Hey, how was your first day? Is Emily Montano as nuts in person as she is online?"

"Oh man, basically. She freaked when she found out I'd been on tour with you guys. Ryan seems to be her next victim."

"What?" She laughs. "I can't wait to tell him."

"Don't you dare. This is the ammo I've been waiting for. He gave me so much shit about drooling over you, I need payback."

"Fatal Payback?" The smirk in her voice as she mocks the title of the movie makes me laugh.

"Funny."

"You drooled over me?"

"For a year and a half."

"Aww, baby." Char draws out the word.

"You hated me though. Broke my heart." I say it jokingly but there's a grain of truth. I silently pined after Char from day one. The banter we had was all I could get so I went with it. I'm so fucking glad I have more with her now.

"I didn't hate you." She speaks quietly. "I was scared of you. Feelings have power, and what I felt for you was too much."

I let the silence fall between us for a beat. "Do I still scare you?"

"Honestly? Yeah, a little. Big emotions have big consequences. I'm still dealing with the fallout from the last big situation. I don't want to go through this again."

I nod even though she can't see me. I wish this was a video call so she could see how I feel about her.

"There was a girl on set today, an extra. At some point in the past I dated her sister. She threw a full glass of water in my face when we wrapped."

"What? Who was she?"

"I have no idea. I don't remember and the girl never said. For all I know she was lying." Although, I'm sure she wasn't. I was a bastard. "The point is, it made me sick to think I'd hurt someone so bad that they were willing to lose a job over revenge."

"There are better ways to get your point across than dumping water in a person's face."

"No, I think she had every right to do what she did. It put some things in perspective. Char, I don't want to ever hurt you. Not the way I hurt that girl's sister, and not the way Curt hurt you. I'll always be honest with you. And honestly, you're right. The way I feel about you is big. Bigger than I expected, that's for sure. But I wouldn't change it."

She takes a deep breath. "I wouldn't change it either. Except for the Curt part. And the distance."

I look around the trailer, nowhere near as nice as the silver bullet, and miss Char more than anything. I hope these months apart go quickly.

"Same for me, baby."

I don't know how long I can last in this town without her.

If you haven't figured it out yet, STFD stands for 'shut the front door' which is what Emily says at the beginning. I pictured her like a Kristen Bell as Anna in Frozen mixed with a bit of Misty who says whatever is on her mind. Emily might turn up in another Hollywood Story book so I'm playing around with her character a bit.

Thank you SO MUCH for reading! If you are still reading this, please know that you are what keeps me going when I might otherwise give up on a story. The inspiration for this one comes and goes. But even when I'm not feeling it, I know that some of you jump on every update. I'm writing for you! So thank you for gifting me the motivation to NOT GIVE UP!!

Matchbox Twenty fit the vibe! This is not a direct correlation to the lyrics of 3AM, but the mood of the song fit so I went with it.

https://youtu.be/C-Naa1HXeDQ

If you haven't read Fallbrook Hills, or Fallbrook University, here's your sign. Frank and Misty show up in the last book, All It Took.