“I beg to differ.”
I laughed. “What do you even know about it? You’ve been an actress your entire life. You don’t even know what you’re missing,” I reminded her with a sigh.
“Bingo.” She placed a finger on her nose and pointed at me with her other hand. “And that’s the problem.”
Confused, I shaded my eyes with a hand and squinted at her. “Uh, what’s the problem?”
“You were basically ripped out of school and shut off from all your friends. You know what you’re missing because it was all taken away from you when you weren’t ready.”
I nodded because she was absolutely right. Sure, I loved acting, but looking back, I had no idea what I would be giving up. It all
started for me when a scout approached me in the mall one day while I was shopping with a group of girlfriends. Completely typical, for sure, but that was how it happened. She handed me her business card and insisted I have my parents call her as soon as I got home. That led to a face-to-face meeting at her office in Beverly Hills, which led to my signing with her as my manager. Multiple acting classes followed, and a big-name talent agent signed me almost immediately. Apparently all of this was rather unheard of in this day and age, but they said I was a “natural” and that the camera loved me.
What had been normal for me quickly turned into anything but. My high school years were spent in makeshift classrooms on movie sets, and all my old friendships fell to the wayside. It wasn’t intentional, and it wasn’t even entirely my fault. My schedule was so busy it was hard to stay in contact with people, and all my old friends were doing their own thing as well. When we did talk, they were experiencing things I couldn’t relate to anymore, and vice versa. We no longer had much in common, which made conversations difficult and uncomfortable. Eventually I stopped talking to almost everyone from my old school.
At the time, I never regretted all the things I missed out on. But looking back at it now that I was twenty-one, and with everything Stacey was getting to do, I wished that I had accepted Daniel Mack’s invitation to prom. I could have never attended since I was on location filming a movie at the time, but I found myself longing for a sense of normalcy now more than ever.
I glanced over at Quinn. “I just don’t see what the big deal is. Why can’t I do what I want to do? I’m not saying I’m going to stay in college until I get a degree, but I’m not saying I won’t either. I don’t know, but I want to try. Why does everyone freak out when I mention it?”
Quinn lowered her sunglasses so she could eyeball me, and I narrowed my gaze to meet hers. “Because you’re their cash cow, Paige. You know this. You stop giving them milk because you want to visit a new farm, they freak. I’ve told you this before, but I really hate your agent and your manager. They aren’t good people. Why do you think Madison left? Jayson’s an asshole.”
“I know, but I’ve been with him since the beginning, so it’s just easier.”
“Easier to what? Compromise everything you want? Have absolutely zero say in your own life?”
“It’s just easier to stay,” I said sadly before slipping my sunglasses over my eyes to hide from her judgment.
“Paige Lockwood, the sweetest girl in Hollywood. Oh, if they only knew how true their headlines about you were.” Quinn smiled as she took a swig of her lime-filled beer.
“What am I supposed to do then?”
She waved a dismissive hand in the air. “Leave them. Someone else would be happy to have you. Hell, sign with Madison. I’m sure she’d actually give a shit about you and your career. I’ve even thought about signing with her.”
“Shut up,” I said incredulously. “You have not.”
Her eyebrows raised as she pursed her lips together. “I have so. I even talked to Walker the other day about it.”
My interest was piqued. “What’d he say? Although he’s completely biased, so you can’t believe a word that comes out of his mouth.”
Quinn rolled her eyes. “He is, but…” She hesitated for a second. “He says that she’s the greatest thing to happen to his on-screen career. They discuss everything he’s offered and decide together if they think it’s a good move or not. He says she’s completely invested in what’s best for his future and the things he wants to accomplish. And I know it’s not just because she’s dating him, it’s because that’s the kind of person she is.”
I nodded. “That’s true. Madison is a really good person and she has integrity. I always liked her.”
“Just know that you have options, Paige. You always have options, okay?”
“Then why do I always feel so trapped?”
Quinn slipped her sunglasses over her eyes and leaned back in her chair. “Because you refuse to rattle that cage you’re in. It’s easier to stay behind the bars.”
Her words struck more than just a nerve in me as I sucked in a quick breath and my chest tightened. The only question I had to ask myself now was: What was I going to do about it?
Meeting of the Minds
Paige
I spent the next few days holed up with Quinn. The paparazzi refused to leave, and even though I felt incredibly guilty for bringing all this drama to Quinn and Ryson’s front gate, they both insisted that they were used to it and couldn’t care less. Plus, I think Ryson enjoyed having people to direct his pent-up anger at.
“You don’t have to go,” Quinn whined as I folded my clothes and placed them into my duffel bag.