Chapter 32
Ali Kat
For the last ten years, I’ve made a living in front of cameras as one of the best actresses of my time.
But you’d never know that by how poorly this docuseries is going.
Either my body is too stiff, my words seem forced, or I just plain lose my damn mind and stare into the camera like a psycho. There’s no end to my flubs.
My father, on the other hand, is a natural, never without a joke or a warm smile. He’s the stern father who doesn’t necessarily approve of my chosen boyfriend, playing jokes on him for a laugh.
The best was perhaps when he told Alistair he needed to go milk the hens. Never having come into contact with a farm animal before, and being oblivious to avian biology, Alistair chased down the fattest of the bunch, frisking her in search of her ‘tiny bird udders’ as my pa called them.
And this is all unscripted.
“We’re doing good work,” Meghan says, taking a sip from a water bottle.
“They are. I’m…not.”
“For some people, it’s easier to be someone else than it is for them to be themself. That’s how it was for me, anyway.”
I cock a brow. “Really?”
“Yeah, I know I come off as a glittery gym bunny, but before Might Be Meghan, I was a tomboy. I had a personal trainer certification, but all the gym’s clients wanted to work with the glammed-up girls, and so I started wearing makeup so I could make money. Turns out, I was good at it.”
“So, your whole persona is made up?”
“Well, not necessarily. Might Be Meghan’s still a sports fan, but her jerseys are better tailored. I never feel the need to lie. It’s more that I’ve mastered bubbly voice inflections and look more done up.”
“Can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
“Do you actually have real friends? People you can trust?”
“I have the best friends a woman could ask for. Remi, Fiona, and Sadie are the very definition of a-maz-zing! I’ve also grown close with Analise, Juno, Grace—so many other women.”
“What about you, Jenna?”
“Hmmm…I tend to pick up friends wherever I go.”
“I don’t know if I’ll ever have a real friend.”
“I thought that myself, but one day, you just find them…and…you just know,” Meghan says.
I smile weakly, mulling over her words.
Jenna’s brow narrows. “What about that Irene woman?”
My throat goes dry. “I haven’t talked to her since I made a fool of myself at the bonfire. Now that her brother has agreed to an interview, I just can’t.”
Meghan clears her throat. “Business talk time—you’re trending well, getting a lot of views, and honestly, your ‘stiffness’ is actually working for you. If you were too smooth, like you are when you’re acting, people wouldn’t buy this. People love you and Alistair as a couple. Your father steals the show. Women want to know if Jake’s single. Everyone’s asking if Prim is hormonal. Everyone wants Norma to be their ma.” She looks up from her phone smiling. “We are on track.”
“That’s good…I guess,” I say half-heartedly.
“Hey, hey!” Prim calls. “Has anyone seen Alistair?”
“He’s back at the loft,” Jenna says.
