“Really?” Brit wrinkles her lip. “Aren’t they kind of dumb?”
Tegan and I exchange a look. “She doesn’t even realize,” I shake my head dramatically.
“You poor, uneducated girl,” Tegan tuts along with me. “Prepare to have your mind blown!”
Two movies, three bottles of champagne, and countless tubs of popcorn later, it’s midnight and we’re practically comatose on the living room floor.
“Admit it.” I toss popcorn at Brit as the credits roll. “You loved them.”
“I saw you singing along,” Sophie adds, smirking.
“OK, OK.” She catches a kernel in her mouth. “You were right. Those movies are awesome.”
“Better not let anyone hear you say that,” Carina giggles from her spot lying horizontal on the couch. “It’ll ruin your bad girl reputation.”
“Wait, what?” I laugh. “Since when are you bad?”
Brit rolls her eyes. “I used to be feared and loathed in equal measure up and down the coast,” she declares dramatically. “Then I met Hunter, and all that melted away.”
I laugh. “Tegan’s like that too with Ryland.”
“Am not!” Tegan protests, kicking me.
“Sure you are. And it’s a good thing,” I add. “We’ve had enough dark and twisty to last a lifetime.”
“Amen to that,” she agrees. Her face turns thoughtful, watching me. “What about you and Blake? You think you guys are in it for real?”
“I hope so.” I pause. “I know it’s only been a little while, but…it feels right to be together. That’s the only way I can describe it. All along, he’s been the only one for me.”
“Awww, that’s so romantic.” Sophie smiles. “When I first met Austin, I couldn’t stand him.”
“What?” I exclaim. I can’t believe it. My heart may have belonged to Blake for years, but even I still noticed how gorgeous Austin is, with his Southern charm and sexy grin. “But he’s so hot!”
Sophie laughs. “I know, but when we met, he tried hitting on me after running through every name in his phone book. I wasn’t exactly impressed.”
“But it all worked out for the best.” Tegan smiles, satisfied. She looks around the room. “Wait, I just realized, everyone’s paired up now.”
“Just you wait.” Carina sits up with a groan. “It’ll be onesies and late-night feeds for you all soon. Speaking of which, I have to get back to my guys. Thanks for the brief glimpse of sanity.” She gets up, and we all hug goodbye. I show her to the door, promising to come up and say hi the next time I’m at the bar.I walk back to the living room, and dig out my purse to check my phone.
“Has he texted yet?” Tegan asks.
I shake my head, worried. “Not since he landed. He promised he’d call when he got to talk to the director, but…maybe it didn’t work out.” I cringe, thinking of Blake’s disappointment. I’m the one who put him up to it, who gave him the crazy idea in the first place. But what if I was wrong? What if I’ve only made things worse?
“It’ll be OK,” Tegan reassures me. “My brother can charm the pants off anyone. And if he doesn’t, well, he’s missed out on auditions before. He’ll deal with this too.”
I scroll through my messages, when something occurs to me.
“My parents didn’t call.”
Tegan gives me a sympathetic look. “That sucks.”
I shake off the feeling of disappointment. “They’re probably busy. And with the time difference overseas…”
I realize that I didn’t notice before now. There was a time I would have been waiting by the phone all day with a growing sense of disappointment, but without even realizing, I’ve built a new family for myself, a good one. Maybe that’s part of growing up now: stopping expecting people to change, and instead, appreciating the ones who do show up.
I tuck my phone away and look around the room: at my friends, at my family, at the people who really care. This is where I belong.
“Who wants to watch Bring It On?”
22.
It’s past two a.m. by the time we fall asleep in a tangle of blankets and pillows, but when I wake up, I’m alone in the wreckage of candy wrappers and blankets.
“What time is it?” I groan, pulling myself up. It’s already light outside the windows, the sky a crisp, clear blue above the sparkling ocean. I check my phone. Crap! “I have to be on set by nine!”
But there’s no reply; the living room is empty. I wander down the hallway, yawning, until I find Tegan, Brit and Sophie crowded around a laptop in Dex’s office. They’re still in their pajamas too, staring at the screen with worried expressions on their faces.
“What’s up?” I ask, leaning in the doorway.
Tegan jolts, and quickly slams the laptop shut. “Nothing!” she yelps.
I stare at them. “Tegan?” I ask, confused.
She shoves the laptop under a cushion and bounces up. “Who’s hungry? I’m hungry. But I don’t want to put on real clothes. Let’s make breakfast here. I can do eggs, and Sophie, you’re great at pancakes, right?”
“Right!” Everyone nods and hustles for the door.
“Come on.” Tegan grabs my arm and tries to pull me back down the hallway, but I shake her off. I’m getting a terrible feeling, like when people in high school were whispering about me, and I didn’t know what they were saying.