“OK, well, you could go to Rangiroa in French Polynesia. That’ll be something new for you.”
I thought she was just saying that out of frustration, but I reminded her, “I think Jack already got his fill of all things French last year. What about… I don’t know…what about Greece?”
I could tell Naya thought it was a good idea, even if she didn’t like that I’d come up with it and she wouldn’t be able to take credit for it.
“Done. Greece,” she said. “Athens or the islands?”
“Islands.”
“There he is!” Sue shouted. We all turned to see Jack on the television. He was with Vivian, sitting on a brown sofa on a stage set to look like a regular living room. Now and then, the camera turned to the public, which laughed at the presenter’s jokes. He was a middle-aged man in small glasses with an energetic smile.
Images flashed on-screen of Vivian’s and her fellow actors’ promotionaltour across the US, including events with fans. She was glowing, as always. Poor Jack looked nervous. He was playing with his water glass as she spoke, forcing a smile to pretend that the conversation mattered to him.
The presenter said, “I suppose you all must be tired of answering this, but I can’t help myself. What does it feel like to be in your position? Did you expect to be this successful?”
I pursed my lips. Vivian seemed to relish the fame and fortune, and especially the chance to act like she was better than everyone else. Jack wasn’t like that, though. He hadn’t changed, and I was pretty sure he didn’t want to. I worried the question would upset him, and Will must have, too, because I could see the tension in his shoulders.
“It’s amazing,” Vivian said, smiling her professional smile. “It’s like a dream, really, like none of this was real, like I’ll wake up tomorrow and be the same old me from before. Knowing people are so happy with the work we’ve done…is there anything more gratifying?”
The public applauded, and Sue rolled her eyes. “Aw, isn’t that just so sweet? It makes me want to go jump over a fucking rainbow. I swear, I’m glad I’m not famous, I’d probably hate people more than I already do.”
I think even Vivian knew how cheesy her response was. She looked too trained, too perfect. It was almost sad, like she didn’t trust herself to just be a person and act sincere. Jack, though… Jack was a different story. He grinned uncomfortably, thought the question over, and started to speak, and I could just imagine Joey fainting as he watched him in the wings.
“Honestly,” he said, “my life hasn’t changed much. I’ve still got the same friends, I still live in the same place, I’m still writing scripts like before…really, everything’s the same.”
The presenter smiled, and I breathed a sigh of relief. “How interesting. So what do your friends think about this new aspect of your life? Have they seen your film?”
Everyone tensed up, and Naya and Will looked back and forth at each other. Was it because of me? Because I was the only one who hadn’t seen it?
“Most of them have.” Jack cleared his throat. “They liked it. But that’s all, I don’t have some sort of moving story to tell you about it. The joke people like to make is everyone took it for granted that my first movie would be horror. Nobody expected me to do romance.”
“A tragic romance, you mean,” the interviewer corrected him, looking interested. “That’s something numerous people have remarked on. This sort of dark air that’s always enveloping the characters. Do you have anything to say about that?”
Vivian looked like she was grinding her teeth. Jack turned serious. “Not every love story has a fairytale ending. I’m trying to be a realist here.”
“Are you saying there are no happy love stories?” the presenter asked.
“In real life?” Jack responded. “Not many.”
The interviewer narrowed his eyes. “I wonder if you’re speaking from experience?”
Vivian burst in, and to tell the truth, I was glad she did: “What Ross means is that happy stories are nice, but they’re not the only stories we can tell. Sad stories deserve to be told, too.”
The audience seemed to agree. As for Jack… I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. He was leaning forward, his chin resting on his fist while his other hand clutched his glass. Vivian looked over, trying to catch his eye. She was clearly trying to throw him a lifeline, but it was futile. The presenter knew this could blow up, and he was perfectly happy to let that happen. “Interesting,” he said. “Do you agree, Ross? Do you think tragic stories deserve to be told? I’m asking because we all know you’ve been off the scene these past few months, and maybe there’s a story there you’d like to tell us?”
I was frozen, as were my roommates. I don’t know how Jack managed it, but he didn’t give anything away. Only those who really knew him wouldhave noticed the change in his expression. “There’s nothing to tell there,” he said. “I had a family member who was sick. Someone I had to take care of.”
“Were you aware of this, Vivian?” the presenter asked.
“Of course. Ross and I are close. I was by his side the whole time.”
As the crowd saidooooohand Jack and Vivian relaxed and the conversation turned to other subjects, I realized what those words had concealed: I hadn’t been able to visit Jack in rehab, and Vivian had been going the entire time.
Will, Sue, and Naya all looked like they were deliberately avoiding eye contact with me. Did they know? Had they understood her words the way I had? I couldn’t tell. They all kept eating in silence as Will flicked through the channels.
A few minutes later, Sue walked off to her room. Naya and Will started smooching, then disappeared as well. I tried to get a grip on how I felt. It wasn’t as if he’d said he was in love with her. But he had admitted that when the going got tough, he had wanted her in his life and not me. And that had a weird sting to it. A kiss, a hookup…those were things that happened. Buttrustingsomeone…did that mean he didn’t trust me? The thought scared me, because I already had a hidden fear that we would never get back the level of faith in each other we’d had when our relationship began. And now, he had almost confirmed it.
Was I angry with him? Did I have reason to be? I was asking myself this obsessively when Mike got home. He was twirling the keys on his finger and they took off flying, striking a glass on the bar. As he ran over to try and save it, he realized I was there and said, “Did you see that save? Just like a ninja. Admit you were impressed.”
