“I love theFirefly Ranchseries so much, I can’t wait for the movie adaptation,” one woman squeals.
Right,Firefly Ranch. A wildly popular romance series that Starlight Studios bought the film rights to earlier last year. I know Jill is slated to play the lead. I wonder when they’re set to film.
“Can I please get a picture with you?” one of them asks.
“Of course,” Jill exudes such warmth with her answer that it’s practically palpable. She smiles and stands beside the women, all of them putting their arms behind one another’s backs and leaning in for a selfie.
“Thank you so much.”
“Any time, have a wonderful day,” Jill says before giving me a look that says, ‘Let’s get out of here’. I give a quick, awkward smile and dart outside with Jill.
“Do you ever get used to that?” I ask, gesturing back to where the women are in the store.
“I don’t know what it’s like tonotbe interrupted during an outing.” The way she says it sounds like there’s the tiniest tinge of sadness.
I should probably leave it alone, but since when do I listen to common sense? “Do you wish you weren’t interrupted?” I’m genuinely curious.
She pauses before answering as she scans the shopfronts stretching out on the street ahead of us. Pointing toward one,she leads the way. When I finally think she’s ignoring my question, she speaks up.
“Sometimes.” She says it so quietly I’m not sure I’ve heard it. “I shouldn’t say that, though. Those women were very nice.” Her gaze travels around us, making sure no one is within earshot. “I have no right to want anything different when people would kill to be in my position.” She sounds like she’s pleading for understanding, but it’s not clear if she’s pleading for me to understand, or for herself to.
My heart drops hearing her say that. “You’re allowed to want something different for yourself if this isn’t working,” I gesture around us, trying to summarize the entire celebrity lifestyle in one inadequate motion.
“Maybe,” she says softly in a way that tells me she doesn’t truly feel it’s possible. “You need something for cooler weather at night there—let’s check in here.”Subject closed.
We browse the aisles for a few minutes before going to the shop next door. There we spend a while sorting through various options, and I try on a handful of clothes curated by Jill. In a rare stroke of luck, there are actually a few winners in the pile. Jill even finds a few pieces for herself, and we’ve both got stupid smiles plastered to our faces. That is until we look out the front of the store and see that a small crowd has formed.
“Shit,” Jill curses.
“What’s going on?”
“Paparazzi,” she sighs. Taking in the large cluster of people, I can see they all have cameras, and a frantic look about them. They’re pressed close to the store’s entrance, making it impossible to get past them without going through them.
“Can we go out the back then?” I suggest.
“Unfortunately, there will be more out there. I’ve learned the hard way.” She seems so sad I’m compelled by the urge to hug her.
“What can I do?” I ask. We can’t stay in the store forever.
“Stay close,” Jill says dejectedly before stepping out into the throng.
As soon as we’re outside, it all feels wrong. Camera flashes go off left, right and center, momentarily stunning me. Jill grabs my hand to make sure I keep walking behind her.
“Jillian!”
“Over here, Jill!”
“Any comment on your break from Hollywood?”
“What do you have to say about the rumors you were in rehab?”
“Where did you go?”
“Couldn’t handle it anymore, could you?”
They’re all shouting on top of one another now. We continue trying to push forward, but they’re all coming closer, making it impossible to move. What the hell is their problem? I turn around to give them a piece of my mind, but Jill gives me a quick sharp tug, letting me know not to.
Soon they’ve got us locked in a circle of sorts, corralling us in the center, and there’s no break for us to escape through. My anxiety is climbing, and while I’m not prone to bouts of claustrophobia, this is making my hackles rise. I imagine Jill is used to this sort of thing, but I am wildly uncomfortable right now.
