by Hayes Grier
Outside, an engine gunned again. Not just any engine. A motorcycle. Her heart pounding, she raced out the door.
She had to stop Hayes.
Violet thought quickly. Tez said he’d parked the bike in the back. She raced around the trailer. The engine’s roar sounded again.
“Hayes!” she shouted. She turned the corner in time to see a stream of exhaust fade into nothingness. Hayes was gone, along with Tez and the motorcycle.
Violet took off in the direction of the exhaust, listening intently for the sound of a motorcycle. She heard a truck backfire, but that was all. Still, she kept running. Twenty minutes later, she realized it was a lost cause. Hayes was nowhere to be found.
Violet closed her eyes in frustration. She’d totally messed up. She and Hayes hadn’t gone over the lines as planned. But that was nothing compared to this, a mistake so big, she could barely believe she’d made it.
Violet had let Hayes ride off on a motorcycle. Not just ride, she corrected herself. She’d let him leave to do a … to do a … what was it? A cliff-hanger!
Violet caught her breath, finally slowing down. She stopped by the craft service table to grab a bottled water.
“You look like you’ve just had a major workout. Been rushing around the set looking for something?” TJ asked. Violet’s eyes snapped wide open.
“Wait.” TJ stopped short. “You didn’t really lose him, did you? Where is Hayes?”
Violet bit her lip. What could she possibly say?
CHAPTER SEVEN
A LITTLE WHILE LATER, Violet sat in TJ’s office, anxiously waiting to talk to him. Her stomach clenched with apprehension; she felt like she’d been called to the principal’s office and was about to get a talking-to. Not that Violet knew what that felt like. She’d never been in trouble at school, not once in eleven years. But now, after only two days on the job, she’d messed up big time.
Luckily, after TJ had asked where Hayes was, he’d been called away before she could answer; something about some props being sent to Hollywood, Florida, not Hollywood, California. As he raced away, he’d shouted over his shoulder that he wanted her to go to his office—“Now!”—and stay there until he finished putting out the latest fire.
But Violet still had no idea what to tell him. She wanted to blurt out the truth. To tell him Hayes had ridden off on the motorcycle and she’d barely tried to stop him. But she knew it would be professional suicide. She wanted to go to the Academy more than anything. She needed to go to the Academy. It was her lifelong dream. Everyone back home knew about it … everyone here knew about it, too. Her parents had helped her get to this point, paying for her writing classes, driving her to every movie she wanted to see. It would be too hard to tell them; to tell anyone.
Besides, she didn’t want to tell on Hayes. She couldn’t bear for him to get in trouble, either.
“So,” TJ said, walking in, not even saying hello. “Is there any kind of problem?”
“Problem?” Violet repeated, stalling for time.
“Yes, where is Hayes?” TJ sounded so impatient, she couldn’t put him off any longer.
She would make something up. It would be okay. She wouldn’t be fired. And Hayes would be fine, too. Like he’d said, it was just this one time. No one would ever have to know.
Thinking quickly now, she told TJ, “He’s working on his lines for that high school cafeteria scene, where he sneaks back to school to talk to Devon.”
TJ raised one eyebrow. “Where exactly? Is he still on the lot?”
Now Violet’s words came quickly. It was almost like writing the fanfic, all the right words popping into her brain at once.
“He’s kind of in seclusion … I don’t even know where … doing some sense memory work. He wants to really get into his character, you know, to get that feeling of being in a high school cafeteria. He said something about concentrating on day-old meatloaf.”
“Hmmm, that sounds good.” TJ nodded. “I’m guessing that was your idea, Violet. Very impressive.”
Violet was about to set him straight on that at least. But then she heard the roar of a motorcycle, coming just outside the office. She froze, her back to the window. She didn’t turn around, but the sound grew louder, and she saw TJ’s expression as his eyes moved from left to right, following, no doubt, the motorcycle’s path.
He rushed to the window and banged on it—as if that would bring Hayes back. Then he glared at Violet, his face bright red with anger. “Violet!” he fumed. “I told you to keep Hayes off that thing, in no uncertain terms. And you agreed. And now you’re lying to me? Making up some silly story about acting techniques so I wouldn’t send someone looking for him?”
Violet stood up, too. This was awful, horrible. Why did she think lying solved anything? Of course she’d told little white lies before. “No, you don’t look fat.” “Yes, dinner was delicious.” But this was an all-time whopper, and she’d been caught.
TJ would kick her off the set. He’d tell everyone what happened. She’d never get a job in Hollywood—or anywhere else—ever.
“I’m so sorry, TJ. I don’t know why I lied. It’s not like me at all—really.” She couldn’t stop babbling. How would she explain this to her parents? To Mia and her uncle? And to Hayes? “I’ll get my things and leave the lot.”
TJ sat back heavily in his chair. He rubbed his temples, sighing loudly. “I’m not firing you, Violet. At least not yet. I don’t have anyone to replace you.” He looked straight at her, his eyes softening a bit.
“And I can understand why you did it. Almost. But I need to be able to trust you. Hayes is the most important part of this production—not counting me, of course—and nothing can happen to him.”
“You can trust me!” Violet stood up straighter.
“Okay,” TJ said. “I’m giving you one more chance.” He almost smiled at her. “How many chances, Violet?”
“One!” Violet held up her pointer finger.
“That’s right, one. And don’t forget it. Because if anything else goes wrong, then you really are out of here. You can kiss that recommendation letter good-bye, too. I wouldn’t read that new script—ever.”
“Right,” she agreed.
“Now get out of here.”
Without another word, Violet tiptoed past TJ and into the hall. That meeting was more difficult than anything she’d had to deal with before. It was way worse than the combination parent-teacher-student conference in sixth grade, when her teacher—insisting on open communication at all levels—told her parents she had a crush on Timmy Gould.
Now she had to talk to Hayes; tell him that TJ had found out about the bike. And she felt more nervous than when she’d asked little Timmy if she could borrow his pencil.
* * *
Violet reached the trailer just as Tez took off on the motorcycle. Inside, Hayes was eating cereal over the sink. Zan circled his feet, hoping some Sugar Crunchies would fall on the floor.
This is good, Violet thought. We’re alone. Hayes and I can talk things through.
Hayes grinned at her, still excited about the ride. “You should have seen me, Violet! I did a perfect cliff-hanger! Then I took her out one last time. I just had to. But see? Everything worked out fine. I’m here, safe and sound, and Tez and the motorcycle are gone.”
“Everything did not work out fine.” Violet settled into a comfy chair clear across the room. She wanted to keep as much distance as she could between them. If she got too close to Hayes, she doubted she’d be able to sound firm and professional. That fangirl crush was still going strong, even though Hayes was turning out to be a regular guy.
“What do you mean?”
“I just came from TJ’s office. You rode right past his window. He saw you.”
“He did?” He put his head in his hands. “God, Violet, I wasn’t even thinking!”
“Well, you should start now,” she told him seriously. “I asked you to stay off the bike. But the request really came from TJ. Not me. It wasn’t cool that you r
ode off, not listening. TJ was really angry. It put my internship—and basically the rest of my working life—on the line. I could have lost my job and TJ could have bad-mouthed me all over Hollywood. I’d be washed up at sixteen.”
Hayes looked at her, astonished, and almost dropped the cereal bowl. Milk sloshed over the edges, dripping onto his black V-necked T-shirt.
“You’re kidding. I had no idea how serious this is for you. I just wanted to have fun. I really wasn’t thinking, Violet, I’m really sorry.” He sounded so distraught, Violet—already emotional—felt like she might cry. She sniffled.
Hayes put the bowl down, then crossed the room to sit on the arm of her chair. Zan followed. “Really, V. I feel terrible. Can you forgive me?” He reached over to pluck a tissue from the box on the coffee table.
“Of course I can.” Violet took the tissue and dabbed her nose. “Nobody’s perfect. Certainly not me,” she added to herself.
“From here on in, when you say ‘jump,’ I say ‘how high,’” Hayes promised.
“Well, I’m not sure that’s totally necessary.” Violet laughed, then found herself almost crying again.
“Seriously, I didn’t mean to disrespect you. I’ll do whatever you say.”
“Okay,” Violet agreed. “You can start by getting over to the set. You’re wanted in five.”
Hayes leaped to his feet and gave a mock salute. Then he was gone.
Violet stood slowly, picking up the bowl and putting it in the dishwasher—one of her assistant duties was keeping the trailer neat. She was tidying up a bit more when her phone buzzed. Just wanted you to know I’m here on set, Hayes texted. Right on time.
Violet grinned. He really was a good guy.
* * *
That afternoon, Violet rushed over to the cafeteria set, carefully carrying a coconut-almond cappuccino—plus a fruit cup!—for TJ. He’d texted her the request, and how could she say no? She wanted to do everything right, and running errands for the director was still apparently part of her internship.
Besides, now she had an excuse to watch some filming, and not just run from wardrobe to dry cleaning to Hayes’s trailer.
Hayes and Coco stood off to the side, going over lines together from one script, their heads close together. On the set itself, “students” sat at tables, most just talking and waiting, surrounded by fake sandwiches and real water bottles.
Violet’s gaze swung back to Hayes and Coco. They looked pretty cozy together. If Violet had run those lines with Hayes like she was supposed to, they would probably be across the room from each other, not side by side.
“Okay, everyone!” the assistant director called through a megaphone. “We’re going to start. Hayes! Coco! Hit your marks. Quiet on the set!”
Coco slid into a chair at a table packed with good-looking guys and two other girls. She was dressed the same way she’d been earlier—in a tank and shorts. But now she looked tired. A makeup artist had applied powder to give her dark circles under her eyes, and her hair was disheveled.
Hayes walked to the cafeteria entrance, flipping his hood up and straightening his tattered jeans.
Another assistant held the clapperboard in front of the camera. “Scene 26, Take 1,” she announced, snapping the board closed.
The camera guys swung around to get the right angle. The focus was on Hayes, who was carefully arranging his features—from an anxious look to a deliberately laid-back one.
“Action!” called TJ.
Students talked quietly for background noise, the murmur of a busy high school cafeteria filled the air. Hayes sauntered over to Coco’s table. When he drew close, the guys and girls stopped talking and stared at him.
“Hawk!” Coco jumped to her feet. “You’re back in school! Where have you been? I’ve been calling and texting for two days. Your parents have been going crazy looking for you.”
Hayes pulled her off to the side. The camera rolled closer, and the other actors quietly melted away. Coco stood with her back to the wall. Hayes faced her, standing close. He placed his arms on either side of her, hands pressing against the wall as if he wanted to hold her in place, to keep her close to him.
Coco tilted her head so their noses touched. She drew back slowly while Hayes bent closer. He was whispering and she was answering softly, but their words didn’t really matter, Violet thought. The chemistry alone could carry the scene.
Violet sucked in her breath, a mix of feelings traveling down to her toes. Excitement: The movie was going to be the biggest smash of the summer. Envy: Coco and Hayes would surely be linked now, together forever in a way that couldn’t be matched—at least not by a lowly intern running around getting coffee and picking up dry cleaning.
Violet pushed the thought away. What was she doing, comparing herself to Coco and an on-screen made-up relationship? She and Hayes had shared one sweet moment of connection and dozens of trivial conversations centered on schedules or food orders. Did that really amount to anything? And did she even want it to?
When it came down to it, did she have a fangirl crush, or something more?
“Cut!” shouted TJ. “Let’s try the scene from the top again, but we need to figure out a different camera angle. You two”—he waved at Hayes and Coco—“take a break.”
Together, Hayes and Coco walked away, their heads still close together. They went to a table in a quiet out-of-the-way spot. Hayes picked up his phone and showed Coco something on-screen. They both laughed.
Violet should be asking Hayes right now if he needed anything; some water, a snack. Instead, she hung back. Maybe they were staying in character, keeping up the boyfriend/girlfriend vibe. If that was the case, she didn’t want to get in their way. But maybe, she thought with a pang, this was real. Maybe something was really going on between them. She watched Coco giggle and look up at Hayes, her head tilted adorably. Were they flirting? And could she really be jealous? She didn’t know what to think.
So stop thinking! Violet told herself. Remember, no thoughts on romance this summer. Concentrate on your job.
* * *
For the rest of the afternoon, Violet hung around on set, helping the production assistants and going on coffee runs. She and Hayes exchanged smiles and a few words here and there, but they were both busy, and Violet felt relieved those crazy-weird feelings had just about passed.
“Okay, everyone!” TJ announced around four p.m. “That’s it for the day.”
The cast and crew talked a bit, then shuffled away.
“Violet!” TJ approached in his hurried, distracted way, thrusting out some papers. “Here’s the schedule for tomorrow, and some notes on the next scene for Hayes. Make sure you go over every little thing with him, right now. We ran late today, and I want to make sure everything goes smoothly tomorrow.”
“Of course!” Violet said brightly. But she was talking to herself. TJ had already spun on his heels and stalked away.
Violet found Hayes in the corner, pulling the hoodie over his head. “Hey!” she said.
“Hey!” he answered, smiling. He tossed the hoodie on a table and grinned. “That really needs to be washed.”
Violet’s heart sank. Taking care of his wardrobe was part of her job. So why did Hayes’s saying that make her feel bad?
“Of course,” she said in a businesslike way, scooping up the sweatshirt. “I’ll get right on it.”
“Violet.” Hayes touched her arm. “I didn’t mean it like that. I was just making a comment. It’s really hot under those lights, and I’ve been wearing that sweatshirt all day.”
Immediately, Violet’s mood shifted. “Oh, okay. But I’ll still take care of it. And we should really go over your schedule for tomorrow.”
“I know.” Hayes sighed. “What time is it?”
Violet glanced at her phone. “4:10.”
“I hate to do this, V, but can we do it first thing in the morning? I have a meeting with my team now. Stu has to get to the airport to catch a flight to New York, and I don’t want to make him l
ate.” He paused. “I’d love to stay here with you, but I’ve got to get going.”
“Go, go!” Violet playfully pushed him away. She understood, and she liked that he didn’t want to cause problems for Stu. “But we really have to get together at some point.”
She watched Hayes turn to leave, thinking, He said he’d love to stay with me! Her heart beat fast. Would he say that to Coco, too?
“I’ll text with your call time!” she shouted after him, a smile in her voice.
Hayes nodded and waved, but the second he turned the corner and was out of sight, worry set in. TJ had explicitly told her to meet with Hayes.
What if tomorrow morning they didn’t connect? What if she missed him and couldn’t tell him everything he needed to know? If there were any problems, she’d be in trouble. Again.
And this time, she’d be flat out of chances.
CHAPTER EIGHT
“MIA? WHERE ARE YOU?”
Violet walked into the house after work, feeling the need to see a friendly face, someone who already thought she was competent and hardworking.
“Up here!” Mia called. “In my room.”
Violet walked up the steps to Mia’s bedroom, her feet dragging. Inside, Mia sat on the floor, swatches of fabric spread around her. She held up her sketchbook, opened to a rough pencil drawing of a funky, long, flowing dress—a cross between a wedding gown and her kimono. “It’s still a work in progress. I’m hoping if I find the right fabric, the rest will fall into place.”
“It’s looking good,” Violet said. It was, but her voice came out scratchy and flat.
Mia looked at her more closely. “What’s wrong?”
“Just a tough day on set.” For some reason, Violet didn’t want to go into the whole story—about Hayes and Coco and how she might have messed up again.
“Well, I’ll show you something that will cheer you right up.” Mia jumped to her feet, and opened a screen on her computer.
It was Violet’s fanfic page—with hundreds more comments and thousands more reads. “Can you believe it?” Mia asked, her voice rising with excitement. “Your fanfic is breaking records. It’s the hottest thing around.”
