Chapter 16
KADENCE
Pacing the beach area, I shout into my phone, “Why are all actors lying, cheating bastards?!”
“This sounds like a good reason to stop talking to my agent,” Henley says with a hint of mirth in her tone. “Give me a few minutes, Ivan.” Sounds of her moving around are proceeded with, “What’s wrong?”
“I walked in on him getting ready to give little Miss B-Cup mouth to mouth and before you even insult me by asking I will go ahead and tell you. No! It wasn’t in the fucking script!” My feet kick the sand in frustration. “How could I be so stupid to trust him? I know better, Henley! I know how actors behave! I know how lines get blurry and bonds get forged! I’ve heard horror stories! I’ve seen horror stories in the making! Remember when you did that movie with Simon!?”
“Please don’t bring Simon into this,” she mumbles under her breath.
“You two were all wrapped up in one another on and off set. And what happened!? What ended up happening, Henley!? He left his fiancée for you!”
“Completely different situation.”
“Is it?!” I squeak. “Or is it the exact same situation except I’m the idiot girlfriend at home refusing to believe my boyfriend isn’t testing the water with his Diet Britney every opportunity presented?”
Now is not the time to talk about me making another Justin Timberlake reference!
“I knew better than to date an actor,” my rambling returns. “Perfected lies and emotions. Trained truths. Fucking magic tricks to hide the fact they’re cheating….Ugh! I should’ve never done this to myself! I should’ve dated a teacher or a tech guy or a fucking nutritionist.”
“Absolutely no to the latter. The last thing we need in the house is someone putting our fridge on lock down. It’s bad enough when it has to happen because I’m preparing for a role. I don’t think I could live a happy existence without always having a carton of Turtle Praline ice cream on hand. Think about how much heartache that shit has fixed.”
“Gah, I could use some right now….”
“And if you decide to come home, I will make sure I have a full one ready with two spoons.”
“What the fuck do you mean if? Of course I’m coming home! I’m coming home the minute Adrianna answers the damn phone and can send one of her planes to pick me up!”
This is a drawback to your best friend being the one in charge of providing you with free airfare. She disappears, and you’re stranded in the dark depths of hell unless you’re willing to shell out hundreds of dollars on a last minute commercial flight. Which for the record, is sounding better and better the longer I stand here.
“She’s on a date.”
“A what?!”
“Yeah….”
“With who!?”
“She wouldn’t say.”
“When did we become this group of friends? When did we start hiding from each other who it is we are involved with!?” The magnitude of my words stings harder than intended. I rush to repair the damage. “Henley I meant-”
“Unlike the backstabbing twat that shall remain nameless, I don’t think Lani nor Adrianna are hiding who they are seeing so much as having to deem them worthy first. Lani basically admitted that when we brought Calen to the Christmas party. We’re sisters, Kady. You don’t bring home every guy you let crawl between your legs to meet your best friends the same way you wouldn’t bring home each one to meet your parents. I mean you do, but that’s really a different discussion.”
Yes, I only sleep with men I can see myself being with for longer than six months. Does that make me a bad person? Is it so wrong to compare the goods and bads about someone before deciding whether or not to sleep with them? Is it such a bad thing to fuck responsibly? You know…the exact opposite way of thinking compared to the man I was dating. Yes I said was!
“But speaking of being family,” Henley cautiously begins, “sisters also tell each other the shit they don’t wanna hear.”
Her words grow a disgusting taste in my mouth.
“The bitter, ugly truth is even if it wasn’t in the script there’s still a possibility what you witnessed was improvisation. It happens. Sometimes you read something in a script that doesn’t feel right so you work at it until it does. Sometimes this means changing the dialog or in some cases changing the action. Subtracting or in some cases adding. Directors encourage it, especially directors like Francesco who is off his rocker when it comes to the chemistry of his actors. He’s literally known for it in the industry. I’m telling you as your best friend…your best friend who is practically your sister, that before you give into the temptation of spending five hundred dollars on a last minute plane ticket, you give him a real chance to explain.”
“But-”
“Listen to what he has to say, Kadence. We discussed this, remember? Trust and talking.”
I finally stop moving, drop down to a cross legged sitting position, and tuck my bag into my lap. “What if he’s just using acting as an excuse?”
“You said it yourself. You know actors. You know the difference between a performance and someone being genuinely honest with you. Listen to everything Levi says, all the shit he isn’t saying, and then make your judgment. And if the verdict is he’s a lying, cheating bastard then I will make sure to personally pick you up from the airport.”
My body slumps over further. “Fine.”
“One more thing. For future reference, assuming he is just a pretty dumb blonde boy with a pair of abs that won’t quit, put down some ground rules. Tell him what would make you more comfortable or what would help make these situations easier for you to cope with. I.E., a third party present when rehearsing. Open doors. Public areas where anyone can pass by. That type of thing.”
So someone can take a picture of it, sell it to the media, and I have to read about him tongue fucking his co-star on Facebook? Doesn’t seem like that would help defuse my feelings.
“Gotta get back to Ivan. I think we’ve found a script I might love.”
“Good luck.”
The call promptly ends, and I drop the device into my lap not wanting to catch a glimpse of my background.
Obviously, it’s a picture of me and my probably cheating boyfriend. Ex-boyfriend? In the process of becoming my ex-boyfriend?
An annoyed grumble festers in the back of my throat.
Why is dating so fucking stressful? Why can’t making a pros vs. cons list help me right now?
“Kady?”
My face snaps up to meet a familiar one. “Marlz? What the hell are you doing here?
“We talkin’ about on the beach because um…,” his head motions to the chicks splashing in the water, “pretty sure that shit speaks for itself.”
I roll my eyes as he has a seat next to me. “I meant in Coconut Bay.”
“Been chillin’ in Levi’s trailer for the past couple of days. He invited me for a week.” He bends his legs and lets his arms drape over them. “Think he’s homesick and didn’t wanna admit it. He gets that way at least once a movie.”
“Couple of days, huh? And how many times has he been making out with Baby Blow Me One More Time?”
Marlz chuckles while nodding his head. “I can vibe with that reference. She does have the innocent school girl look to her and a pair of lips I wouldn’t mind wrapped around my dick.”
“Then you fuck her.”
“I might.” He gives me a puzzled look. “You’re not trying to tell me you really think Levi is hittin’ that, are you?”
“I don’t know!” I viciously snap. “Just caught them ‘rehearsing’ an unscripted make out session. What’s next? Practice fucking?”
Marlz chuckles once more. “You cuss a lot more when you’re pissed.”
“Fuck you.”
He gives me a playful finger point. “No.” His smile grows wild. “You’re not my type.”
“Because I can spell more than my own name?”
“Pretty much,” he returns to laughing. “Aside from my best friend being fucking in love with you, you’re too much maintenance. I prefer the women I fuck to require little to no effort.”
A disgusted look pops onto my face.
“You’re wifey material, Kady. That’s not the shit I’m looking for.”
At least he’s honest with himself. Feel free to put that in his pros column. What? No, not for dating! Never for dating. For friendship only.
“And to be honest Levi wasn’t looking for lifelong commitment until you came along.” His admission constricts my breathing. “Now that’s all he fucking thinks about.”
The attempt at stroking my bruised ego pushes my glare out towards the ocean. “You’re full of shit.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“I caught him looking at rings the other day.”
My jaw hits the ground as I let our eyes connect again.
“Sapphires obviously because they’re blue like the ocean, but yeah. Each one had the word engagement in its description.”
Incapable of replying, I simply continue to open my mouth to gawk.
“Keep that shit secret,” he directs, pulling a cigarette from behind his ear. Marlz doesn’t divulge any more information on the subject. He simply sticks the object between his lips, lights it, and takes a long drag. “Look if Levi says they were just acting then that’s what the fuck they were doing. I know my boy. He’s not a cheater. He’s seen how much that shit can hurt. The level of damage it does.”
I can’t stop myself from stating, “You were cheated on.”
Marlz nods and has another drag. “Shit sucks, but you move on. My point is he’s not that kinda person. Doesn’t matter how pretty the face or how easy the pussy, Kady. He’s faithful. Like a fucking service dog to a blind woman. He ain’t leavin’ your side for shit. You feel me?”
Remorse and rage continue their skirmish in my system.
Was this all a big misunderstanding? Did I really overreact? Am I completely wrong for responding the way I did? Did I forget to look at this whole thing logically or more importantly objectively?
“I’m gonna finish my smoke, stare at the thick bottom chick in the gold bikini, and then we’re gonna go back to the set so Levi can make this shit right.”
I try not to smirk at the lack of question.
Funny thing is, I know Adrianna would say the same shit if the situation was reversed. She’d defend me, brag about how awesome I am, and then drag him to come do damage control. Guess that’s just how best friends are. I’d do the same for her. Any of them really. It’s probably why Henley keeps pushing me to be understanding rather than move forward without a second glance. She just wants me to be happy. And admittedly, the last couple hours aside, that’s exactly what Levi tends to make me. I’ll go back with Marlz and hear him out, but I swear if there’s even a hint of a lie lingering behind his words you may have to stop me from doing something Cell Block Tango related.