L. A. Candy Page 16

  Jane continued to stare at her with that look. Scarlett sighed, then turned to Trevor. “Whatever. But don’t do that anymore, okay? Don’t make it look like stuff happened that didn’t happen.”

  Trevor smiled charmingly at her. “Of course not.”

  Yeah, right, Scarlett thought.

  27

  YOU’RE THE ONE WHO GOES TO U.S.C., RIGHT?

  Jane’s cell buzzed on her desk, loudly intruding on the “serenity” of Fiona Chen’s office atmosphere. She quickly grabbed it before any of her coworkers noticed. The last few days had been filled with calls and text messages from people she didn’t even know still had her number. She rubbed her eyes and stared blankly at the screen, wondering who wanted to talk to her now. She decided just to let her voice mail pick it up.

  Other than her family and a few close friends, Jane had not told many people that she was filming the show. She hadn’t had very high expectations, so she didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. But it seemed like a lot of people she knew watched PopTV, judging by all the surprised phone calls and texts she’d gotten since the show aired. Now she knew what people meant when they talked about their lives changing overnight.

  “Jane? Could you come in here, please?”

  It was Fiona, summoning her on the intercom. Jane dropped her cell into her bag, and headed into Fiona’s office, notebook and pen in hand.

  Fiona was sitting behind her desk, leafing through a book of fabric swatches. Behind her, one of the L.A. Candy camera guys angled his lens to get a clear shot of Jane entering the room. On the corner of Fiona’s desk was a light box that was about two feet tall, casting a soft light over Fiona’s face. The director had mentioned to her that Fiona was not pleased with the way she looked on screen. So now they had to light her face differently to make her look more “fresh.” Translation: Fiona didn’t like them cutting back and forth from her face to Jane’s because she felt it made her look old. In addition, Fiona had hired a hair and makeup artist for the days they were scheduled to film at the office.

  “Jane! Sit down.” Fiona looked up from the swatches. “I wanted to talk to you about a very important new client.”

  “Sure!”

  “Anna Payne has hired us to do a New Year’s Eve party,” Fiona explained.

  Jane stopped. Anna Payne? She remembered how the actress had been so rude to her at Les Deux. But while she wasn’t the politest person in the world, she was an A-list celebrity. Jane knew this job was a catch. Besides, Jane never got to work directly with Fiona’s clients. Actually, she usually had little-to-zero interaction with any of them.

  “She’s coming in next Tuesday to talk to us,” Fiona went on. “I want you in on the meeting. In fact, you will be involved in the planning of this party, from start to finish. It will be excellent experience for you.”

  So much for little-to-zero interaction, Jane thought. Fiona was asking her to meet with Anna Payne and help plan her New Year’s Eve party.

  “What do you think, Jane? Are you ready to move up to a higher plane of responsibility?”

  Ever since the L.A. Candy cameras had begun filming at Fiona Chen Events, Fiona had started talking like this. She had developed a talent for making the simplest task seem like an impossible challenge, where anything could go wrong and Jane was not to let her down. “Are you ready to move up to a higher plane of responsibility?” “Do you have the courage to take on this challenge?” “Life is a series of choices.” “What choice will you make here, today?” “Don’t let me down, Jane. I’m counting on you.” Jane was helping to select centerpieces and color schemes, not curing cancer.

  “Absolutely,” Jane said, nodding. She opened her notebook to a clean page. “Is there anything you want me to do to get ready for the meeting?”

  “I’m getting to that. The budget is a quarter million, but she seemed flexible. We need to run some preliminary concepts by her when we meet. Why don’t you come up with some ideas by, say, Friday, and we can discuss?”

  “No problem.”

  Jane could barely breathe as she headed back to her tiny office. Fiona was actually going to let her help plan an entire New Year’s Eve party, from start to finish. Jane was aware that the camera’s presence had a large part in Fiona allowing her to participate, but she didn’t care. And it wasn’t just any party, either. Jane was going to help with Anna Payne’s party. Sure, Anna was a huge bitch, but Jane would just have to deal. Jane felt like she was finally getting an opportunity to do what she wanted.

  She was already searching for venues on the Internet when her cell vibrated—again. Jane glanced around before she pulled it out of her bag. It said: MADISON PARKER.

  Jane picked it up. “Hey!”

  “Hey, Jane.”

  “I’m so glad it’s you. My phone’s been nonstop. My third-grade teacher emailed me this morning.” Jane laughed. “Seriously, the woman is like sixty-something. What the hell is she doing watching PopTV? Has everyone been driving you crazy?”

  There was a brief silence. “Yeah, it’s so annoying,” Madison said after a moment. “Listen. Are you shooting today?”

  “Yeah, but they’re just wrapping up. Why?”

  “Yeah, me too. I was thinking. Wouldn’t it be fun to sneak away from the cameras and grab a drink, just me and you?”

  “Is Dana listening? You’re gonna get in trouble, lady.” Madison had never invited only Jane to go out. She wondered if something was up with her.

  “No Dana. I’m in the locker room. I took that stupid mike pack off and stuck it in my gym bag. So, what do you say? Drink?”

  Jane glanced at the time on her computer screen. “Sure. Just tell me when and where.”

  “Perfect!”

  Jane admired the peach color of her Bellini before taking a sip. “What is this place, anyway?” she said, glancing around the dimly lit Bar Marmont. She took in the red lanterns lined with fringe hanging above them and a stuffed peacock in the corner of the room. Small fake butterflies covered the ceiling. Jane and Madison were seated at the bar.

  “It’s one of my favorite places in L.A.,” Madison replied. She clinked her glass to Jane’s. “So. Here’s to stardom! What a bitch, right?”

  “It’s crazy! People have been coming up to me and asking me to take pictures. And, oh my God! Some woman stopped me on the street and asked me to sign her arm today. It’s weird, right?”

  Madison didn’t reply.

  “You okay?” Jane asked her.

  Madison reached up and ran a hand through her hair. “Yeah. It’s just that…well, I’m not sure I’m really into it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t know. I make jokes about wanting to be famous, but I didn’t come to Hollywood to be a celebrity. I came out here to try to find me. I know that sounds kind of lame,” Madison apologized.

  Jane shook her head. She wouldn’t have been shocked to hear this from Scarlett, but Madison? “No, not at all.”

  “It’s just that, I grew up in a very wealthy family, right? My parents have more houses than I can count. My childhood was all about benefit balls and society pages and making sure I picked up the right fork at Le Cirque. I wanted to get away from that for a while, move to a whole new coast, and figure out what I want to do with the rest of my life.”

  Jane nodded. “Well, that makes sense. I think that’s why we all came here.”

  Madison took a sip of her drink. “I’ve been out here for about a year. I’ve had a few jobs, and now, I’m thinking about school. It’s not like I’m not grateful for what my mom and dad gave—give—me. It’s just that I don’t want to turn into some spoiled brat who spends all her time shopping and partying. I want to do something, you know? I want to have something that I accomplished all on my own. Have my life mean something.”

  Jane stared at her, impressed. This was a totally different side of Madison. She was used to rich, party girl Madison, who lived in a stunning penthouse apartment, flashed her black AmEx at every opportunity, an
d never said no to a martini. She didn’t know this other side of Madison even existed.

  “I feel the same way,” Jane said earnestly. “My family’s not insanely rich like yours, but we were pretty well off. Not that they ever spoiled me or anything. They always insisted I work and stuff. Anyway, I feel like you can never really know who you are until you put yourself into a completely different environment. Like you’re who you are because of where you grew up and who you grew up with. I wanted to get away from all that to see who I really was, on my own.”

  “And figure out who your real friends are?” Madison added. “Hollywood is full of users. It’s so hard to know who to trust here. And as if friends weren’t hard enough to find, guys are impossible. I’d give anything to meet a guy who just loves me for me.”

  Jane nodded. “Yeah, I’ll take one of those too.”

  Madison’s eyes sparkled. “Any candidates?”

  Jane’s thoughts flashed to Braden. She felt a blush creeping into her cheeks. “Well…there’s a guy I really like,” she admitted. “Except he already has a girlfriend, sort of. Well, not a girlfriend, exactly, but this on-again, off-again thing.”

  “Minor technicality,” Madison joked. “What’s his name?”

  “Braden. He’s really cute. And he’s sooo sweet. He gave me a stuffed puppy at the series premiere party because he knew how much I love dogs.”

  “Wow. That’s so lame!” Madison laughed. “But yes, very sweet.”

  “He is!”

  Madison was the first person Jane had told about Braden, besides Scarlett. She didn’t want to tell anyone because she felt stupid having feelings for a guy who had feelings for someone else. But the Bellini was making her feel so relaxed, and Madison was a good listener. It was nice, just sitting in this cozy, pretty bar and talking about guys, careers, Hollywood, life—everything. She couldn’t do things like this with Scarlett. Scarlett would spend the majority of the evening mocking everyone around them and complaining about how sceney the bar was.

  Still, enough about Braden. Jane switched subjects. “So. How long have you and Gaby been friends?”

  Madison twirled the stem of her nearly empty champagne glass. Her nails were perfectly shaped and painted a dark violet hue. “I don’t know. A couple of months?” She shrugged.

  Jane was surprised to hear this. She’d had the impression that the two girls had known each other forever. “Oh, I thought you guys were best friends.”

  “Yeah, well, Gaby’s sweet.”

  “What about Trevor? I can’t remember—did he ‘discover’ you at a club too? Did he give you the cheesy speech about opportunities?”

  Madison laughed. “Nah. I met him at the gym. Actually, his wife used to be my personal trainer. She—”

  “His wife?” Jane asked, surprised. “Trevor’s married?”

  “Yeah. You didn’t know?”

  A voice interrupted their back and forth. “’Scuse me!”

  Jane glanced up. Two college-aged girls approached them at the bar. They were grinning shyly at Jane and holding out a couple of cocktail napkins and a ballpoint pen.

  “Um, you’re Jane from L.A. Candy, right?” one of them said. “We don’t mean to bother you, but could we get your autograph?”

  “I love your show!” the second girl exclaimed.

  “Thanks,” Jane said hesitantly. Why were they asking her and not Madison, too? They probably just didn’t recognize her. “This is Madison; she’s on the show too,” she said, nodding at Madison.

  “Right!” The first girl stared at Madison. “Cool! You’re the one who goes to U.S.C., right?”

  “Can we get your autograph too?” the second girl piped up.

  Madison blinked. She looked kind of pissed. “No. That’s Scarlett.”

  “Oh.” The girl looked a little embarrassed. “Sorry. I get you all confused. Can I get yours?”

  As Madison signed her autograph for the girls, Jane’s cell buzzed on the bar next to her. She glanced at the screen. It was a text from Braden.

  HAVING A SMALL PARTY SAT NITE MY HOUSE 9 P.M. TILL WHENEVER. CAN U COME? BRING SCAR AND ANYONE ELSE U WANT.

  “Thanks!” the two girls said to Jane and Madison, then took off.

  “Who texted you?” Madison asked Jane, watching the girls as they walked back to their table. “It must be somebody good, ’cause your face just got all glowy.”

  “It’s Braden. He’s inviting us all to a party Saturday night.”

  “Us? What do you mean, us?”

  “He said I could bring whoever. You have to come. I want you to meet him. I’ll ask Scar and Gaby, too.”

  “Definitely,” Madison said, finishing the last of her drink. “I wanna meet the sort-of girlfriend so we can figure out how to get rid of her.”

  “Madison! That’s awful!” Jane tried to look shocked, but she couldn’t help but laugh a little.

  “The guy gave you a freakin’ stuffed animal.”

  “So, it could have been an ‘I’m glad we’re friends’ stuffed animal, not an ‘I really like you’ stuffed animal.”

  “No, Jane. Trust me, I know guys. I practically have a Ph.D. in them.”

  Jane raised her eyebrows. “Yeah? Well, if you’re so well versed in guys, then where is your Prince Charming?”

  Madison smiled mischievously. “I’m working on it.”

  28

  OUT OF SYNC

  Scarlett dropped her backpack on the floor and tossed her keys on the kitchen counter. God, what a morning. That jerk Professor Cahill had given her a B-plus on her paper on David Mamet’s Speed-the-Plow. B-plus—how dare he? That paper was better than any of his pathetic, impossible-to-sit-through lectures. The only good part of her day was when Dana had inexplicably canceled the scheduled shoot. The cameras were supposed to film a couple of Scarlett’s classes, plus follow her around campus to get some general walking-around-campus footage. But this morning, she had called to say they were postponing those scenes—new schedule TBD. Scarlett hated how last minute all the scheduling changes were, but was really happy not to have to film today.

  Scarlett had enjoyed the break from the cameras. It was a pain in the ass, having to get there a half hour early and get miked only to attend classes full of students who either loathed her presence or wanted to become insta-friends with her and ask her questions about the show.

  The thing was…as much as she hated the cameras, it seemed like that was the only time she got to see Jane. Between her school and Jane’s work, most of their time together was while being filmed. Ever since the series premiere, and even before then, she had felt out of sync with her best friend. Jane was getting along well with Madison and Gaby, whom Trevor and Dana had basically forced on Scarlett and Jane. But Scarlett couldn’t stand hanging out with them. Gaby was nice enough, but the girl had the I.Q. of a sandworm. Scarlett had made many failed attempts to carry on a normal conversation with her. And Madison struck her as a royal bitch posing as a—what? She couldn’t even hold a job. Although, maybe that is difficult to do when your talents are limited to drinking, spending your parents’ money, and subjecting your hair to an abnormal amount of bleaching. Scarlett hadn’t quite figured Madison out. In any case, she didn’t like her. She didn’t trust her either.

  Scarlett could tell that Jane got annoyed with her for being rude to Madison and Gaby or talking shit about them behind their backs. It didn’t make sense. She and Jane always sided with each other against girls like them. What had changed?

  The front door opened with a noisy jangle of keys, and Jane walked in. “Hey, Scar,” she called out. Her blond hair tumbled carelessly out of her clip, and she looked really tired.

  “Hey, Janie. Bad day at work?”

  Jane set her bag on the kitchen counter. “It was okay. I had drinks with Madison after. And guess what? Fiona’s finally gonna let me help with a party. But you’ll never guess whose…Anna Payne!”

  Scarlett stared at her. She wasn’t sure which part of this statement to process fi
rst—drinks with Madison or the Anna Payne party.

  She chose the more palatable option. “Anna Payne? That should be super-fun!” Scarlett said sarcastically.

  “Yeah, well, I told Fiona that we really hit it off when I saw her at Les Deux, so…,” Jane joked.

  “I thought I read that she just got married to somebody recently.”

  “Oh, yeah. To Noah Moody, right? I saw that in Gossip…”

  Noah Moody. Scarlett tried to remember what she knew about the guy. He was an actor, hot, a little older, and had a history with drugs. Yeah, pretty much ideal husband material.

  Jane went to the refrigerator, opened it, and grabbed a container of take-out sesame noodles. She got a fork out of the dishwasher and leaned against the counter. “Madison took me to this bar over on Sunset. We should go sometime; it was really cool,” she said between bites. “Oh, and Madison said we should check out this movie theater called the Arclight. She said it’s the best place to see movies in L.A. You can pick your seat ahead of time and—”

  “I didn’t know you were filming tonight,” Scarlett interrupted her.

  “I wasn’t. I met her at Bar Marmont after work, just for fun.”

  Scarlett frowned as Jane continued on. Madison said…Madison said…It was getting a little nauseating. When had Jane and Madison become such good friends?

  “I’ve gotta take a shower,” Scarlett cut in, hooking her thumb in the direction of the bathroom.

  Jane stared at her. “Oh! ’Kay. I’m gonna see what’s on TV.”

  “’Kay.”

  Scarlett headed to the bathroom for the shower she really didn’t need, except to escape from Jane’s Madison-fest monologue.

  Scarlett knew she should try to talk to Jane about how she was feeling—about their friendship, the show, their new “friends,” all of it. But she couldn’t. At least not now. The idea of it exhausted her. She headed to the shower and she felt as far from Janie as she’d ever felt.