HERO (The Complete Series)

by Bella Love-Wins

“This is ridiculous,” she huffed.

  She swiped the waves of purple hair out of her face and sat up. It was time to get over this.

  Not another evening sulking, Lexxi.

  If she took an objective look at what had happened, it was probably for the best. Maybe she was turning into a drama queen. Her best friend would agree.

  Grumbling at the realization, she dug around for her smartphone in the ridiculously large bag she referred to as a purse. What she needed was straight up girl talk. The only problem was her best friend was stuck in some small town, filming an upcoming movie. She had been out of touch for the past three weeks. Alexandra had tried phoning her all morning, just like she tried all of last night. Still, it didn’t hurt to try face-time with Evangeline again.

  “Please pick up,” she begged, listening to it ring.

  She gnawed at the corner of her nail, staring at the wall as she waited. Just before she gave up again, Evangeline answered.

  “Hello, darling.” She had a characteristic flare for the dramatic, and Alexandra loved it.

  She squealed with excitement at finally connecting with her best friend, whose face now filled the screen. Twenty-six-year-old Evangeline Reese was from London, England. She had a roasted chestnut brown complexion from head to toe, jet black hair, gorgeous bedroom eyes, a button nose, and plush, full lips. In a word, stunning, and was proudly every bit the diva the media had made her out to be. Her fans adored her for it.

  “Eva!” Alexandra shouted. “I’ve been trying to call you forever, you lousy phone-answerer. Where the hell is your assistant to take my calls when I need you, woman? I mean for Christ’s sake.”

  Alexandra watched as Evangeline placed her iPhone in a cradle and padded around Studio F. She was in house slippers and a red silk robe, smoking a slim cigarette.

  “Darling, it’s the heat! Oh yes, lovely. I’m in the middle of this place that’s desert on one end, and swamp on the other. I’ve got a pack of sexy-as-sin wild boys on set with me, and I am loving the view, let me tell you! But I can’t believe this sun hasn’t fried every component in this expensive piece-of-shit phone. Ahhh, who am I kidding? It’s the hottest set in the most scenic corner of the States imaginable.”

  She picked up the phone and turned it in another direction to show Alexandra the green screen. Standing in front of it was one of Evaienne’s supporting characters. At one corner, several sexy male actors were lining up for what Eva told her was take seventy-five of a fight scene.

  “Darling, these guys are sizzling hot, but it’s all a big, fat, wicked sham! Not one of these hunks are straight. Not even one! This has to be what purgatory is like, I swear!” She paused, lowering her tone a few octaves. “How are you, my dear? How is the Grammy’s sexiest musical couple?”

  Alexandra took in the entertaining scene on her phone. Eva was swatting away the makeup artist who began to refresh her face, and pulled herself from the hair stylist tugging at rollers in her thick, black hair. After Eva broke free, she gave the finger to the frowning script coordinator who pointed at the cigarette she still had in the other hand. She furrowed her brow and puffed on the cigarette again in defiance.

  “Haven’t you heard?” Alexandra whispered. “Wilkes was cheating on me—with Lydia Daniels. I dumped the bastard.”

  Evangeline gasped, flinging her manicured nails up to her pouty lips, her eyes widening in shock. “You’re kidding, right? I mean, Lydia Daniels? That two-bit, no-talent twat? What a step down, darling.”

  “See? Without you around, my life has become a cesspit of despair.” Alexandra wailed with theatrics to match Evaienne’s tone, and the two giggled together. “Anyway, I really need to vent.”

  “You have somewhere between thirty minutes and three hours, give or take. It depends on how many times this insufferable amateur director decides to micromanage the talent. We’ve been on this one scene since morning. He should be grateful I haven’t thrown a diva fit today.” She turned to the stylist still working on her hair. “That’s enough, Kalise! God, if you put any more hairspray on me, you’ll single-handedly deplete the ozone! You see, Lexxi? He’ll bring it out of me soon if he doesn’t get this show together. I swear!”

  “Sounds like you’re having the time of your life.”

  “Naturally. It’s not every day a girl goes from barista to three-time Best Actress nominee.”

  “How are the Academy Awards shaping up?” Alexandra smiled and rolled over on the bed. This was exactly what she needed. They had known each other since the early days of both their careers. She had been around when Evangeline waited on tables, and Evangeline was Alexandra’s biggest fan when she was playing to an audience of two or three—both of them included. Now that they had both attained stardom and success, they had remained close.

  Evangeline let out a loud guffaw of laughter and walked through a back door. She looked for a spot where she could talk without interruption. Once outside, she dropped the stuffy language, and her British accent softened.

  “All right, so enough of this. I can only hope the awards are doing fine, hun. But how are you? Of course I saw you calling all those times. My schedule has been grueling! We work around the clock sometimes. I’m exhausted out of my mind, but I know you have to really be going through some shit if you were blowing up my phone about Wilkes, of all people. I didn’t even think you liked him that much. What’s really going on, Lex? Spill it. I’m all ears.”

  “I don’t know why I reacted like this, Eva. To be honest, I was over him within the first few months of dating him. I let the feel-good country songs fool me for a minute. He’s not nearly as romantic in person, and I know it’s not him that has me feeling heartbroken. It’s the idea of him, which is even worse, because that means I’m turning into one of those women who get suckered into a pretty face and an empty shell.”

  “Never go for the emotionally vacant, dear. You’re much too smart for that.”

  “Am I, Eva? I mean, am I really? I’ve had the worst string of dating luck. Some of this has to be my fault. Take Wilkes. All he had going for him was a hot body and that southern boy charm! He had no sex drive either, so the sex appeal almost didn’t count.”

  “Ah, not really, hun,” Eva said, her shoulders shrugging. “Actually, I never knew what you saw in him. But don’t judge yourself too harshly, Lex. We all fall for that one guy who turns out to be just a pretty box filled with absolutely nothing. I’ve had my share of those for sure. Sometimes you have to know your limits and cut your credit cards before you leave the house, so you won’t be tempted to buy. Oooh, write that down! That was a good one.”

  “Yes, that was clever. But now I have to deal with an extra helping of media bloodhounds here in LA. God, Eva, I really just want to run away for a while. How lonely and depressing is that, taking a vacation all by myself?”

  “It’s not. I do it all the time.” Eva sucked at the last of the cigarette and dropped the butt on the ground, stamping it out with her slippers.

  “Trying your luck at quitting again?”

  “There’s always tomorrow, darling,” Eva declared. “Anyway, you can and you should take a vacation alone, hun. The problem is you’ve been waiting for someone to show up and inject your life with excitement. What you really need to do is learn how to be okay on your own. Enough with the serial monogamy, Lex. It’s so twenty-fourteen. Being single is all the rage. Trust me.”

  “Just to put it out there, I’ve been single since last night, and it’s not all it’s hyped up to be,” she joked.

  Evaienne’s laughter became contagious. “Well, you’ve got to do it a little longer than that to reap the full benefits, love. So, have you finished the album? All kidding aside, maybe you need to take a little break from it all—not just romance—or the lack of, as you say. You just came off a demanding tour, and then you launched right into a big project. With the personal stuff going on, I can imagine it’s overwhelming you. Why don’t you fly home and take some down time?”

  “Ms. Evaienn
e,” one of the set guys popped a head out the door to get her attention. “The director is ready for you now.”

  “Can’t you see I’m on the phone?”

  “You go ahead,” Alexandra told her.

  “Oh hell, I guess I better. Lex, think about what I said, okay? Tropical island. Different guy every night. Or not. Seriously think about it. I’ll call you back when I get a free minute. If I don’t get a chance to call, I’ll be thinking about you. Love you, hun.”

  “Love you too. Bye.”

  Alexandra hung up and considered her options. She could take a short trek back home to recoup. It was a brilliant idea. Something like that would put enough distance between her and this latest romantic failure. She would have time to put her priorities in order. She would see her father. Most of all, it would probably keep her from drunk-dialing and drunk-texting Wilkes.

  Regardless of what Eva thought, getting over Wilkes would be tough. To Alexandra, he was a Greek god, with a chiseled body and face she had not been able to deny. She needed to stay far away from him. The distance would keep her from having one last go at his bronzed brilliance. As she thought of him, she wasn’t even sure she was through with him for good. That was a bad sign.

  With her album in its finishing stages, she could probably clear her calendar for a week or two. She hadn’t seen her father since Christmas. Maxwell Storme would be ecstatic to have her back home. After her mother had passed, she and her father had been even closer. Only her demanding career kept her away, and with his schedule almost as busy as hers, he never complained about not seeing her enough.

  The more Alexandra thought about it, the more she felt an extended trip to Tucson was a brilliant idea.

  Chapter 3

  SEBASTIAN walked into the bright and colorfully decorated first grade classroom. Behind him were Nate and Rodrick, two other firefighters on his crew. Just before, the three of them had been laughing and joking amongst themselves as they set up for their fourth and final fire safety presentation for the day. He agreed to join them on the visit to McKinley-Brighton Elementary, despite being off the full duty rotation for about two weeks. There was nothing else to do.

  Sebastian had made it out to the orthopedic surgeon for three follow-up appointments. He had started physical therapy. He had spoken to his brother, who invited him to spend a few days out in Los Angeles in a month’s time. He had banged a few girls from his contact list. And that was it. If he didn’t get out of the house for something other than doctor’s visits, he would have gone crazy already. He needed to distract himself from the injury, his inability to work, all the free time he suddenly had, and the boredom. Standing in front of a classroom full of chatty, hero-worshipping six-year-olds was a productive distraction.

  “We’re so happy you could join us today,” said the first grade teacher, Mrs. Mayweather. The gray-haired woman smiled pleasantly with the three of them, and they tipped their fire helmets to the kids. He, Nate and Rod were not wearing their full firefighter uniforms today. It was a safety talk, and for those, they wore navy blue firehouse t-shirts, navy slacks, and their helmets.

  “We’re happy to be here, ma’am,” Sebastian replied politely, and turned to the class. “Are you ready to talk fire safety?”

  The students responded with a loud “yes” that had Mrs. Mayweather scurrying to the front of the class with her fingertip to her lips.

  “Inside voices, children!”

  They sat on a large, multicolored carpet, waiting with all the patience thirty first-graders could drum up. It was entertaining, watching the squirming, chattering little rug rats. The teacher positioned herself in a corner of the classroom while Sebastian reviewed age-appropriate fire safety topics. They had brought along coloring sheets and an educational video. It was all mostly common sense, but he had seen the tragic outcomes for under-prepared and overconfident families far too often. The three of them alternated being at the front of the room, teaching the kids about a home fire escape plan, and practicing how to safely evacuate a building—something many parents didn’t typically think about.

  “Pop in the video, Firefighter Nate,” he called out.

  His thirty-minute talk was supplemented by the bright, cheerful firehouse dog cartoon video that reiterated basic fire safety messages. As it played, he retreated close to the back of the room with his crew. He leaned back against the wall beside them and stared at the awestruck faces of the young audience. They were captivated by Dalmy, the animated Fire Safety Dog in the video. He remembered being their age and dreaming of being a firefighter.

  When the video was finished, they wrapped up and left the classroom. Sebastian knew Nate and Rob’s earlier barrage of questions was just beginning. As the three walked across the crowded parking lot to the fire department nonemergency van, they raised the topic again.

  “What have you really been up to, man?” Rod said to him. “You haven’t called any of us or come by the firehouse in two weeks. And you haven’t come out for drinks with us like you used to. We get it that you’re on the injured list, but we got history, brother.”

  “He’s got to have a new woman in his life,” Nate teased. “Rod, that’s how you were when you met Keisha. Or don’t you remember?”

  Sebastian smiled and shook his head. “Why do I get the feeling you guys have been waiting to corner me? I’ve got a bum knee, dudes. What am I going to do with a new woman in my life?”

  “I’m picturing a nurse uniform,” Nate joked.

  “You’re wrong. There’s no one.”

  “You can’t hold out on us, Bash,” Rod added. “I hope you remember that in our line of work, we’ve got to stay tight. We want to make sure she’s the right kind of girl for you, you know? So, when do we get to meet her?”

  Sebastian choked back a laugh. “There’s no one to meet and nothing to tell. What? You want to meet my fuck buddies?”

  Nate let out a grunt and Rod rolled his eyes. Sebastian hoped that was the end of the conversation, but Rod blurted out, “She’s not another married woman, is she? Because that would be the only reason you don’t want us to meet her.”

  “Holy fuck, I said there’s no one…trust me, if things change, you meatheads will be the first to know.”

  He shook his head and shoved the envelope of fire safety coloring sheets and handouts into the back seat.

  “Bash, we hate to do this to you, but it’s time for an intervention.”

  Nate placed a hand on Sebastian’s shoulder and turned him away from the truck to look him squarely in the eye. Behind him, Rod finished loading up supplies and walked around to join Nate. Sebastian was certain this was planned.

  “Hit me with your best shot, guys,” he answered. “What’s this about an intervention?”

  Rod pushed a full-color flyer against Sebastian’s chest, and he reached up to grab it. He burst out laughing when he took a closer look at it. It was a ridiculous idea.

  “There’s no fucking way I’m doing this. Speed dating? You have got to be kidding.” He looked over at them. They were not smiling. “Wait. You’re serious?”

  “Serious as a five-alarm fire, my friend,” said Nate. “See, we know you, man. It’s time. You need a woman in the picture.”

  “Listen to your bros, man,” Rod added. “You’ve got to be tired of sitting at home, setting up model trains, sleeping with a different chick every night. We’re your boys. We got you. And friends don’t let friends turn into wily old bachelor loners. You’re heading there, man.”

  “Seriously?” I ask.

  “Don’t try to deny it, dude,” Nate said, grinning. “Ever since Aileen left you hanging, it’s like you gave up, man. It’s been six months. Now it’s time to get you back on the market. Trust me, you’ll thank us later. Pick a weekend and say when, but don’t try to put this shit off. We’re onto you, and if we have to, we’ll drag you there kicking and screaming.”

  Right then, Sebastian knew his dating life had really gone to shit.

  Speed dating?
<
br />   What the fuck?

  Chapter 4

  ALEXANDRA mulled over the idea for the next few days. She was in the studio working on her third take of a song. She really needed a break. The song was a softer ballad than she had been used to. During the recording session, the acoustic guitar whined beautifully beneath her fingertips. She deftly slid into a minor chord and let the notes hum plaintively. The whispering drumbeat ticked in half-time. It was a single stick tapping the snare to keep tempo with the subtle and emotive tune. It was perfect, and emphasized the haunting melody she was strumming.

  She made it through the first verse with ease. For some reason, her mind wandered to the loneliness of her last birthday party. The place had been filled with hundreds of guests at her mansion. It was the party Wilkes couldn’t attend because he was supposed to be recording. Evangeline was also away filming a movie out of town. Her father was in the middle of closing a merger deal. None of the people she cared for had been there. Come to think about it, even her manager Rick did not show up.

  Her voice barely hitched on a broken note. In her current mood, she decided it fit, despite the error. As she sang, thoughts drifted to concerts with packed stadiums, and the millions of lovesick fans listening to her music online—fans who frequently took to social media to verbalize the strong connection they felt to Lexxi Rock, and the feelings her lyrics inspired.

  She stopped.

  Overwhelmed by the thought she had spent the past four years of her life with more strangers than friends, she sighed and did her best to snap out of the melancholy. It was definitely time to take a trip. She was homesick.

  “Play that one back again for me, Bryce,” Alexandra said into the mic. “I think I want a do-over.”

  She adjusted her headphones and cleared her throat. She checked her watch, took a sip of water, and waited for the sound engineer to run the first verse again.

  “Not a chance. That shit was off the hook, Lex!” Bryce Wilcox shouted.