She Gets What She Wants

by Denise N Wheatley

  As Lena stared at her expectantly, Devon shifted in her seat, realizing that Lena was once again coming to her for help with the script.

  “Well…” she began, straining her brain to come up with something brilliant, “what if Ryan’s character goes on the audition, and the episode ends with the answer being up in the air as to whether he got the part? In the meantime, one of the other characters could land some sort of deal.”

  “Ryan’s our star,” Lena rebutted. “This first episode has to be about him and go out on a strong note.”

  Devon gripped the armrests on her chair. “Okay. What if Travis doesn’t get the part in the horror film, but ends up landing a different type of role in another movie in the second episode?”

  Lena groaned and dropped her head in her hands. “Ryan’s character has to somehow come out on top in this first episode, Dev. The audience would be so bummed if something doesn’t go his way right out the gate.”

  Devon stared down at the floor and tore at her cuticles. Just when she looked up at Lena and blurted out, “I think I got it,” there was a frantic knock at the door.

  “Oh no,” Lena moaned. “Come in!”

  Ryan burst into the office. “Lee, what’s going on? Why is Charlie trying to sabotage my character?”

  Lena grabbed her coffee and took several long sips. “Ryan, close the door and have a seat.”

  Devon’s heart began beating triple time when Ryan slid a chair close to hers and plopped down.

  “Just hear me out, Lee,” he said. “My character went through one rejection after another all last season. His acting career was straight trash. I thought we’d agreed that he would evolve this season and finally get some wins.”

  “We all did, Ryan, but…”

  When Lena’s voice trailed off, Devon turned to him. She watched his chest heave while beads of sweat formed along his forehead. His frustration was palpable, as was Lena’s as she furiously massaged her temples.

  The tension in the office was beginning to raise Devon’s blood pressure, so she decided to speak up and just go for it.

  “Ryan, before you came in, I was telling Lena that I may have an idea for the final scene of the script.”

  Devon paused for fear that she was biting off more than she could chew. But when she saw the hopeful look in Ryan’s eyes, she felt compelled to continue.

  “What if Travis gets the lead role in the horror film, but as a result, he’s faced with some sort of adversity on the set?” Devon glanced at Ryan, who looked intrigued, then over at Lena, whose expression didn’t quite read as dreadfully as it had before.

  “I’m listening,” Lena said pensively. “What type of adversity?”

  Devon folded her hands tightly in her lap. “Well…Travis lands the role, but then he finds out that…the director didn’t really want him in the film because he’s an unknown who lacks acting experience. So the director ends up giving Travis a hard time throughout the shoot by challenging him in front of the cast and crew, making him reshoot takes over and over again, things like that. But the confrontations only make Travis work harder, and in turn become a stronger actor. In the end, he gains the director’s respect and maybe even gets invited to be in his next film.”

  Devon exhaled, holding her hand to her chest in an attempt to regulate her palpitating heart. She scooted to the edge of her seat, anxious to hear Lena and Ryan’s thoughts.

  Lena tore open her laptop and began typing frantically. Ryan jumped up and ran around the desk, leaning over her shoulder and squinting at the computer screen. Devon cracked a slight smile.

  “I like where your head’s at,” Lena told her. “I’m flushing all this out now. Anything else you wanna add?”

  “Yeah, how do we present this so that Charlie will green-light episode one?” Ryan asked.

  “Since the goal is to appease both Charlie and everyone else,” Devon said, “the first episode could end with Ryan getting the part right on the spot. Then as he leaves the audition, the director stops him and says, ‘Just so you know, you weren’t my first choice. You don’t have what it takes for this role and probably won’t make it through filming. But good luck.’ Then he gives Travis a sarcastic grin and walks off.”

  “Mm-hmm,” Lena uttered, typing feverishly before stopping to crack her knuckles, then starting back up.

  Ryan stood straight up and stretched his back, then began pacing the floor. After a few moments he went back over Lena’s computer and read a bit more, then paced the floor again.

  Devon’s head swiveled back and forth between the two of them. She couldn’t quite figure out exactly what was going on.

  “Sooo…what do you all think?” she finally asked, leaning forward while clinching her jaws.

  “Devon,” Lena said, both her eyes and fingertips still stuck to her laptop, “I think you’re an effing genius.”

  “Really?” Devon squealed, pressing her hands against her cheeks. “You like what I came up with?”

  “No. I love what you came up with. Wait, what time is it?”

  “Twenty minutes to ten,” Devon told her.

  “Good. Just enough time for me to finish this up and for you to make copies.”

  As Lena continued to annihilate the keyboard, Ryan sat back down and turned to Devon.

  “You amaze me, you know that? This is the second time you’ve been put on the spot and asked to come up with an idea for the script, and once again, you delivered. Lena,” he continued, wrapping his arm around Devon, “it’s official. This woman needs to be a writer on the show.”

  “I’d hire her today if I could,” Lena replied matter-of-factly.

  Devon balled her hands into excited fists and squealed quietly. Before she could thank Lena, Ryan leaned toward her.

  “Seriously, Dee. I owe you, big time. If this ending gets green-lit by Charlie, I just may buy you a house.”

  “And I will gladly take it,” Devon told him, giggling while fanning her face. “But no, you don’t owe me a thing. I love being a part of this. It’s so flattering that you all like my ideas.”

  Ryan moved in so close that Devon thought he was going to kiss her. She stared down at his lips, and just as they parted, Lena slammed her laptop shut.

  “Done!” she yelled, pumping her fist triumphantly. “Dev, you’re a lifesaver and I can’t thank you enough. I just sent the script to the printer. Could you make sure there’re enough copies for the writers, cast and execs, and bring them to the conference room as soon as possible?”

  “Absolutely.” Devon hopped up and hurried toward the door.

  Ryan stood up and watched her walk out. “Hey, are you gonna need help?”

  “She’ll be fine,” Lena said, throwing him a look. “Why don’t you go grab the cast and make sure they’re all on time for the meeting? We need for everything to go smoothly. I’m sure Charlie’s expecting another table read, too.”

  “Of course she is,” Ryan sighed, following Devon out into the hallway. “And here I was thinking we had the perfect script and were about to start shooting this afternoon.”

  “Maybe you all still can,” Devon said. “Let’s think positive and hope that Charlie likes what we came up with.”

  “What you came up with. Those were all your ideas.”

  Devon smiled softly. “I’d better go grab the scripts. See you upstairs?”

  “Yep. Thank you again. For everything…”

  “No problem. Happy I could help.”

  Devon and Ryan stood there for several seconds staring at one another until one of his co-stars called out his name.

  “See you in a minute.” He slowly backed away, his eyes fixated on Devon until she waved and ran off to the copy room.

  On the way there, her cell phone buzzed.

  “You have got to be kidding me,” she muttered, assuming Lena was texting her. But when she unlocked the home screen, a message from Jason popped up.

  Hey, beautiful. How are you? Looks like you’re out in La La Land living the dream
. Just wanted to say how incredible you look. Btw, Lisa mentioned you’re not speaking to her and thinks it has something to do with me. Just know there’s nothing going on between us. Hope you’ll give her a call. And me as well. Miss you…

  Devon deleted the message, infuriated by the thought of Lisa and Jason discussing her. When her phone vibrated again, she figured it was Jason sending some sort of cringy follow-up. But this time it actually was Lena.

  In the conference room and we’ve got a full house. Please get here with the scripts ASAP!

  On my way! Devon quickly replied.

  As soon as the last page of the final script printed, she grabbed the huge stack off the copier and ran to the conference room, practically pulling a thigh muscle while climbing the stairs two at a time.

  When she arrived at the door, Devon took a quick second to catch her breath, then entered the room. She struggled to appear composed while handing out scripts to everyone. Ryan gave her a discreet wink, immediately putting her at ease. She responded with a subtle head nod, then moved to the two empty seats at the head of the table.

  Devon assumed they were reserved for Charlie and Lena, who were standing in a nearby corner having what appeared to be a heated discussion. She set scripts in front of the chairs then hurried toward the door.

  “Wait, Dev?” Lena called out.

  Devon turned around so abruptly that she stumbled a bit and almost fell flat on her face. She struggled to uncross her tangled feet.

  “Yes?”

  “I’d like you to stay for the meeting.”

  Devon stared at her blankly. PA’s usually didn’t sit in on the meetings that included the executive producer. “Oh…okay. I’ll run downstairs and grab my laptop.”

  “That’s won’t be necessary,” Lena told her. “Madison is taking notes.”

  Devon looked over to the corner where she normally sat and saw a tense Madison planted there, her squinted eyes focused on her computer.

  “Are we ready to begin?” Charlie asked after she and Lena took their seats. The only empty chair left in the room was near the head of the table next to Lena. Devon rushed over and dragged it toward the back corner.

  “No, Devon,” Lena said, pointing to the empty space next to her. “Stay here and take a seat at the table.”

  The entire room fell silent. Everyone appeared shocked as Devon slid the chair back and quickly sat down. Her skin prickled underneath the weight of the scrutiny.

  Charlie looked over at Devon curiously and tapped her blood-red fingernails against her tablet. “I’m sorry. Have we met?”

  “Um…no, not yet. I’m Devon. Devon Jacobs. And I’m a production assistant.”

  “Oh?” Charlie glanced over at Lena. “So we’re inviting PA’s to these meetings now?”

  Devon heard a few snickers coming from the back of the room.

  “Normally, no,” Lena said, her tone filled with confidence. “But you should all know that Devon played a very integral part in the development of this script. Twice, actually. So she deserves to be here just as much if not more than anyone else in the room.”

  Devon almost fell out of her chair. Every muscle in her body tensed up as she awaited Charlie’s response.

  “Is that so?” she said, eyeing Devon closely. “Well then, I look forward to hearing Miss Jacobs’ contribution. I’m sure my concerns with the script weren’t easy to resolve, so this should be rather…interesting. Carry on.”

  Devon heard Ryan clear his throat from across the table. She looked over at him. He gave her an encouraging thumbs-up. She smiled excitedly and pulled her chair in closer.

  “Good morning, everyone,” Lena began. “As you all know, a few changes were made to the script since Friday’s table read. Charlie had some concerns with the ending, and after the writing staff and I hit a wall, our wonderful PA Devon came through with a few brilliant ideas.” Lena turned to Devon. “Thank you again for that.”

  “You’re welcome,” she murmured, too self-conscious to look up from the table. Devon hadn’t expected for Lena to call her out during the meeting, and her chest burned at the thought of Charlie rejecting her suggestions.

  “Since Charlie wasn’t here for Friday’s read-through,” Lena continued, “she’d like for us to do another one today. So, with that said, I’ll turn it over to our illustrious director Ed and let him take it from here. Thanks again, everyone.”

  “Okay, everybody,” Ed said, “I’d love it if we could stick to our original shooting schedule, so let’s try and get through this as soon as possible. We fade in, inside our main characters’ house. The roommates are sitting around the living room watching television when Travis bursts through the door.”

  “Guys, you aren’t gonna believe this!” Ryan read.

  As the cast continued running through the script, Devon looked around the room, her anxiety gradually transforming into a wave of hopeful excitement.

  Please let them like my ideas, she thought before crossing her fingers underneath the table.

  When the actors reached the scene in the script that included her suggestions, Devon sat straight up in her chair and peeked over at Charlie.

  “I just want you all to know how much this opportunity means to me,” Ryan read aloud. “I promise that you won’t regret giving me the lead role in your film.”

  “I know we won’t,” Ed said, who was reading the part of the horror movie’s casting director. “We wouldn’t have chosen you if we had any doubts.”

  “Thank you,” Ryan said. “That really means a lot to me.”

  “Travis,” Lena said, who was reading for the part of the movie’s director, “let me walk you out.”

  “Wow, being escorted out of the studio by a famed movie director? I’m the luckiest guy in the world right now!”

  “Listen, kid,” Lena said, “just so you know, you weren’t my first choice for this role. I don’t think you have what it takes to play it. You’re lacking in experience, and I just can’t fathom you pulling it off.”

  “I’m really sorry you feel that way,” Ryan said confidently. “But I’m going to make it my mission to prove you wrong.”

  Lena snorted. “Son, in all honesty, you probably won’t even make it past pre-production. And if you do, I’m gonna be tough as hell on you. With that being said, see you on the set.”

  Devon held her breath, watching as Charlie leaned over and whispered something in Lena’s ear. She waited for some sort of reaction from either of them, but they both remained straight faced.

  Just when her hope began to deflate, Devon peeked over at Ryan, who smiled and gave her a discreet fist pump. She mouthed the words thank you, grateful for the burst of encouragement his small gesture gave her.

  “The camera zooms in on Travis’s pained expression,” the show’s producer Melinda said. “And with that, we fade to black. Great job, everyone. Thank you!”

  The room broke out into cheers and applause. Devon slowly clapped her hands and focused on Charlie, who stood up and waited for everybody to quiet down.

  This is it, Devon thought, her knees bouncing erratically. Please love the changes…

  “Nice work,” Charlie said. “I appreciate all your hard work. I’d like for Lena, Ed and the producers to stick around. Everyone else is free to go. Thank you.”

  Devon looked to Lena for some sort of indication as to what was going on, but she was busy talking to Melinda. Just when she got up to leave, Ryan walked over.

  “How good are you feeling right now?” he asked.

  “I’d feel a whole lot better if I knew what Charlie was thinking.”

  Ryan followed Devon toward the door. “How could she not love your ideas? They’re brilliant.”

  “Thank you. Fingers crossed she will.”

  On the way out, Devon noticed Lena talking with Charlie and highlighting lines in the script.

  “I think I’m gonna be sick,” she said while gripping her head. “This suspense is going to send me to the emergency room.”
/>   “Will you calm down? You’re good! I already know Charlie loves your suggestions.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Because if she didn’t, somebody would’ve gotten cursed out in the middle of the table read.”

  “Now that would’ve been savage.”

  When they reached Devon’s desk, she tossed her script down and crossed her arms. “Well, regardless of the outcome, I appreciate the way Lena’s allowed me to contribute to the script and given me credit for it. As you know, a lot of people in this business don’t do that. They’ll steal your ideas right from under you with a smile on their face.”

  “Facts. But not Lena. She’s good people and works hard to uplift those who she thinks have potential. I’ve always loved that about her. And you’ve helped get her out of some tight situations when it comes to this script. So I’m sure she really appreciates you, too.”

  “I hope so…”

  Devon and Ryan stared at one another for several moments until one of his co-stars, Malcolm, came rushing by.

  “Hey, man, the cast is meeting up in the lounge to run lines,” he told Ryan before pointing over at Devon. “I don’t know which parts you contributed to in that script, but we all love it. Thanks for hooking it up!”

  “Oh wow,” Devon said, covering her cheek with her hand. “You’re welcome. I’m so happy to hear that. But I’m anxious to find out what Charlie thinks.”

  “My guess is that she’s cool with it,” Malcolm replied. “Because if she wasn’t, somebody would’ve gotten cursed out in the middle of the table read.”

  Ryan and Devon burst out laughing.

  “See?” Ryan said. “Didn’t I tell you?”

  “Yes, you did.”

  Malcolm nudged Ryan’s arm. “The cast is waiting on us.”

  “All right.” Ryan took a step toward Devon and embraced her tightly. “Thank you so much for what you did today. You’re awesome.”

  Devon closed her eyes and prayed that he couldn’t feel her thumping heart beating against his chest. “No problem. Thank you for all your support.”

  After Ryan and Malcolm left, Devon took several deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself down. Between Charlie and Ryan, she didn’t know which of them had her in more of a tizzy.