Dare You to Chase the Soccer Player (Rock Valley High 5)

“So...am I free to go?” My voice sounded more frog-like than princess. With a slight cough, I glanced at the director. Desperation was at an all-time high. “You’re good?”

He waved his hand, with no sign that he could sense my nerves fraying. “Yep, Janelle’s back. You’re done here.”

Nothing could’ve kept me from bursting out of that position. I was Usain Bolt at the starting block, not daring to glance back at the boy looking as cool as a cucumber in front of a crowd of people. Not at all like the boy on the phone last night. The one that seemed sort of shy and reluctant. The one who’d said he couldn’t stop thinking about me. Rushing to pick up my spray bottle, I nearly knocked someone over. With a gasp, I looked up and steadied Janelle before I could maim yet another lead actor.

“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry.”

“I’m fine,” she said with a dismissive wave, tilting her head to one side to get a better look at me. A calculating look shone in her eyes. “That was quite the camera check, Makeup Girl. Not sure I’ve ever seen so much chemistry. You trying to take my role out from under me?”

“W-what? No!” I hugged the spray bottle to my abdomen. Taking Janelle’s part was the very last thing on my mind. It was a certain boy that I couldn’t get out of my head who was causing all of the problems. “I do makeup. For Alanis. That’s what I do. Nothing else. For reals.”

Real cool. As smooth as chunky peanut butter.

“Hmmm, right.” Janelle smiled slyly and then combed her fingers through her loose waves. Her thick black eyelashes fluttered dangerously. “Well, let’s just say you’re not the first girl to go all mushy over Zane Rees. He has that effect on women. Trust me, he won’t bite. Been there, tried that. You’d have more luck with Freddy. You should go for him.”

I wasn’t sure if this was some kind of bonding moment between us, but being offered a girl’s leftovers wasn’t exactly familiar territory for me. Was I supposed to feel grateful?

Glancing over my shoulder, my gaze landed on Zane. He was stretching his arms behind his back and bending his neck from side to side, as if getting ready to run a marathon. My heart ached at the sight of him behaving so normally. I’d nearly lost my mind in that short two-minute stint and he hadn’t broken a sweat. But that was probably a good thing. Janelle didn’t need to become suspicious about Zane and me. If he could do it, so could I. So, I turned back toward her with a tight-lipped smile and nodded like a bobble-head doll on a dashboard.

“Um, sure. I’d never go for Zane, anyway. He’s totally not my type.”

Crisis averted. Maybe I wasn’t as much of a lost cause as I thought I was. I could be an actress. An actress who didn’t feel an ounce of heat whenever Zane looked at her. Not me. It was totally Antarctica up in here.

Janelle’s eyes flashed and she leaned closer, her perfume cloud nearly choking the life out of me. “You can’t lie to me or yourself. He’s every girl’s type. Those baby blues could talk their way into anything. I wouldn’t say no to that and I know you wouldn’t either.”

I laughed nervously, wondering how to reply to that, but Janelle seemed to be done with me. She strutted past and onto the soccer field, taking her rightful spot next to Zane. Watching her go, a pit formed in my stomach.

Jealousy wasn’t my thing. Longing for Janelle’s sky-high legs or symmetrical face was a waste of time. I knew that. No amount of pining or makeup could change it. I rocked the things I’d been given. But when she took her place next to Zane and draped a hand over his shoulder as if she belonged there, I couldn’t help but get a dose of the evil green monster.

They looked good together. And even if Zane wasn’t allowed to date, at least Janelle got to pretend to be with him on the big screen. That was more than I’d ever have.

“Ms. Black, what are you doing?”

I did an about-face to see Alanis marching toward me. She’d traded the wind suit for a neon green romper today. Steadying myself for her mood, I held the spray bottle up.

“Staying on alert, in case they need me. Do you want me back at the trailer instead? I could grab your next actor.”

“No.” She fluttered her hand and then frowned at me. “Stay as long as you’d like. The day is over for me. No more shoots. And I’ve got a meeting to hit.”

I wasn’t going to ask her about the meeting. After Zane’s explanation last night, I was pretty sure I knew what kind of meeting that was. “Oh, thank you. Have a good night, Alanis.”

She turned to leave but paused and turned slightly back to face me. It seemed she wasn’t done with me yet. Fear churned in my gut. I’d done the best I could today, but that didn’t mean Alanis wouldn’t swing the executioner’s axe. I hadn’t quit like I’d wanted to, but it was obvious I was hanging on by a thin rope. All it would take was one word from her and I’d be done.

“Maybe, tomorrow, I’ll show you my contouring technique,” she said in a gravelly voice.

No deadly swing of the axe? But a tutorial session instead? I could feel my face light up. This was progress. Gripping the spray bottle as tightly as I could, I jumped up and down with excitement.

“...that is, if you don’t annoy me.” Alanis’ frown deepened, her dark eyes darting over me as I bounced. “No promises. See you tomorrow.”

Her insult did nothing to squash the joy that had burst open in my heart. So much progress. Zane was right. I just needed to keep pushing through and Alanis would respect that. He’d been right to talk me into coming back today.

Progress. That was all it took. Two days ago, I wouldn’t have thought it possible for Alanis to offer to teach me anything. We were getting somewhere. All I needed to do now was figure out how to resist the tug in my abdomen every time Zane was within sight.

Things were looking up again.

Chapter Eleven

Okay, so maybe I’d jumped the gun on that whole things were looking up thought.