The Fame Game

I slip into the booth, careful to keep my face hidden.

Aaron gives me a double take and shakes his head. “When was the last time you slept?”

I roll my eyes, sick of getting lectures about my behavior. “This morning. But thanks for asking, Dad.”

He tips a bottle of beer to his lips and ignores my comment.

“I need a favor,” I say as he slides a beer in front of me.

I down half of my beer, glaring across the table at him. After everything I did for Aaron, he’s not in the position to deny me.

“I’m getting kicked out of my house. I need somewhere to crash for a few days.”

His right eyebrow raises. “What did you do?”

“I can’t pay the rent.”

Shock scrolls across his face. “How is that possible? You’re one of the highest-paid actors in Hollywood.”

“I was the highest-paid.” I drink the rest of my beer in one gulp and set it on the table. “Those paychecks are long gone.”

Anymore, I feel like all I do is drink away my problems, moving from one hangover to the next. What else is there for an unemployable actor to do in this city other than a party?

He shakes his head. “I don’t see how you could have spent that much money in the last few years.”

“Josh says I’m broke.”

“You own your cars, right?”

I nod.

“Sell them until you find another job.”

“First, Vinnie dropped me. Then, I get evicted from my house.” I tug at the ends of my hair and let out a frustrated groan. “I’m not selling my cars. They’re all that I have left.”

“How did you blow all of that money?”

I roll my shoulders against the leather bench. “Because I’m an idiot who never listened to his financial advisor.”

Aaron took all the money I paid him and invested it in a mixture of stocks, bonds, and real estate. He was smart. I was stupid.

Aaron tips his head at my empty bottle. “You want another?”

“What kind of question is that?”

“You need to stop drinking. It’s the reason you’re losing everything.”

Aaron flags down a waitress in her early twenties. She has short blonde hair that’s tucked behind her ears and cheeks dusted with freckles. A bright smile tugs at the corners of her mouth as she approaches our table. I remove my cell phone from my pocket and flip through dozens of missed calls and text messages.

“Four Guinness,” Aaron says before she can open her mouth.

He knows the drill. When he’s with me, Aaron does all the talking. She mutters a quick ‘Be right back’, and then she takes off toward the bar.

“Do you remember the days when we could act like normal people?” Aaron looks across the table at me, his arms folded across his thick chest. “I miss those days.”

“I landed my first role when I was nineteen. My life hasn’t been the same since.”

“And now look at you, ten years later, and one of the world’s biggest stars.”

“More like the world’s biggest failure,” I choke out.

“Look at Robert Downey, Jr. No one would work with him for years. And now he’s Iron Man. He pulled in like eighty million dollars for the last Avengers movie.”

“This town is unforgiving.”

“They will forgive you,” he says with a stern look on his face. “Stop fucking around. No more drunken escapades captured on film. If you want redemption, earn it. Work for it.”

The waitress appears a few seconds later, leaving our bottles on the table. I take a few swigs of mine, and then I tap my bottle against Aaron’s.

“Can I crash at your house for a few days?”

“Claire won’t put up with binge drinking. And I can’t have the kids seeing you drunk and whacked out of your skull.”

“It’s just a few days,” I promise. “You won’t even notice I’m there.”

“I’ll talk to Claire. But I wouldn’t count on her saying yes. She hates you after the scene you made at Jace’s party.”

“I fucked up,” I admit.

“That’s an understatement.” He groans. “I hope your new agent can get your career back on track.”

I take a long sip of my beer and lick the foam from my lips. “She doesn’t have any big names on her client list. So, I’m not getting my hopes up.”

“She’s taking just as much of a risk on you as you are with her,” he points out.

“Yeah, I guess. But she has nothing to lose.”

“Neither do you.”

Chapter Ten

Willow

I hang up with another studio, depleted after hearing no so many times in a row. Everyone warned me about signing Nico Chase as my first client. They said it would be impossible to get him an acting job. But the word impossible has never been in my vocabulary, and I’m determined to turn Nico’s career around.

Ash walks into my cubicle as I’m biting on my nail. I do that when I’m nervous, which I know is a disgusting habit—because Harley yells at me all the time for it. With my best friend and former roommate living in Philly, I don’t have anyone to stop me from acting like a total train wreck. But when I see the disapproving look on Ash’s face, I expect the get a Harley-level pep talk.