41.
September 18th, 2020
For most probably thebillionthtime in the last few minutes, Kenzie shifted on her feet in a way so awkward and weird that it irked the fuck out of me.
It was the first day back on set for everyone since the pandemic. The studio’s been following rules and keeping things clean, and every few minutes, the entire area underwent sanitization for the safety of both the crew and the cast members.
Only a week or two worth of filming remained, and then,Waves That Hold Uswould finally wrap up, and I wouldfinallybe able to joinUnder the Woodsas Gallan’s assistant. His excitement over the same has been far more supreme than mine, and even though I know that working for him will bring a massive shift in our relationship both personally and in the publiceye, I was eagerly looking forward to the change of pace that would follow after the end of the movie’s shoot.
A flash of movement from over Kenzie’s shoulder caught my attention, and when I looked at it, I found Aubrey – dressed in her costume – smirking at me from where she was standing next to her manager a few feet away from me.
The vibes she gave off were unsettling, to say the least. I honestly didn’t understand what her problem was with me. It wasn’t like I came anywhere close to comparison to the kind of life she led, orhowshe led it. I wasn’t rich like her, and neither was I a supermodel with looks that people got jealous over. I was simplyme, and the fact that she despised my presence made absolutely no sense to me. But, because I didn’t care about her or her thoughts and opinions of me, I decided to do what I’ve been doing ever since my first day on set: ignore her.
Kenzie shifted on her feet – again.
I averted my gaze from Aubrey and looked at my friend. Because I could only hold my tongue for so long, and also because my patience was on the brink of falling over the edge, I leaned in and whispered to her, “What the fuck is wrong with you, Ken?”
Gallan was currently in the middle of filming an emotional segment with Kenneth, so the only sounds surrounding the studio were their voices, and their voicesonly. Everyone else was quiet and focusing on their jobs, and becausemyjob at the moment was to hold onto Gallan’s water bottle and coffee and do absolutelynothingelse, I was getting fidgety and bored.
Andawfully annoyed by Kenzie’s movements.
She swallowed and shifted on her feet. AGAIN.
“If I answer you, do you promise to not go ballistic on me?”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “I will make no such promise.”
She sighed. “Fine, but just don’t…just don’t get all Mom-ish with me.”
I scowled. “Just tell me what’s wrong with you before I lose it, Ken.”
She pushed some hair behind her ears and shifted on her left foot.
Lord, please give me the strength to not push her to the ground, I prayed.Just keep me sane for a few more hours, that’s all I’m asking.
“So, uh, I met this guy last night…” She let the words hang in the sanitizer-cloaked air.
Insert intense eye roll here. That girl was never going to learn to stay in her lane when it came to the XY chromosome.
“It’s always a guy with you, isn’t it?” I clicked my tongue.
Kenzie pursed her lips. “Yeah, yeah…whatevs. Will you listen to the whole story?”
I widened my eyes. “There’s more?” I mused.
This time, it washerwho scowled at me. “You’re being a bitch, Z.”
I bit the inside of my cheek as I chuckled. “Sorry. Go ahead; recite your story.”
Larry, one of the tech guys, turned from where he was standing behind a camera, and when our eyes met, he made a ‘zip it’ gesture at me before going back to whatever it is that he was doing.
I looked at Kenzie, who waved a dismissive hand in the air and stepped closer to me. “He’s an asshole; don’t bother yourself with him.”
I huffed. “He’s right, though.” I quickly glanced at Gallan and Kenneth, who were fully engrossed in their scene. “We might cause unnecessary distraction.”
She rolled her eyes. “So, as I was saying, I met this guy last night, and we sort of hit it off pretty fast. As it is the case with me, one thing led to another, and we ended up in his apartment.” She ran a hand over her face. “Now, I thought things would go as they always do: sex, a little chat, and then we’d go to sleep. But that’s not what happened, because the moment we stepped inside his bedroom, he started acting…differently.”
A tendril of worry crawled up my spine. “What do you mean ‘differently’?” I asked her.
