Star looked up quickly when he heard Dent’s voice, then back down to his phone screen. He was about to turn off his phone but accidentally answered it.
“Hello?” he heard Tanner say.
Timidly, Star brought the phone to his ears. “He…hello.”
“Star! Oh, thank gods, you finally answered. This was going to be the last time I tried calling you. It’s me, Tanner. I know it’s been a while since we talked. Heck, I promised to keep in touch with you after high school graduation, and it’s been three years. Dude, I’m sorry.”
Star smiled. He had forgotten that Tanner could be a chatterbox. Out of their friends group, Tanner could have a conversation with the wind and not look crazy. The only time he was quiet or stuttered was when he was in the presence of someone he found attractive. Hearing his friend babble brought more comfort to Star in so many ways.
“It’s all right. I haven’t been a good friend either,” Star said. “But did you call me for a reason?”
“You might find this weird as hell, but I work for the head of an entertainment agency and studio, and sometimes I get to sort the scripts before I give them to my boss. Sometimes I read them too, and most of them are amazing. Anyway, my boss wants to produce this new show exclusively on our streaming platform, and he’s going to try and convince the director to use a no-name actor to play the major role. And this is the part you’re going to find crazy. I read the script, and your face pops up whenever I try to picture the lead. It’s a science fiction script, and I know how much you loved reading that stuff in high school. I remember how good you were in our high school plays. Dude, I took that as a sign. And you know how I feel about signs. And living in Valleywood and seeing some of the things I have, I listened and called you.”
Star sat silently, trying to sort out Tanner’s words. He remembered how much his friend was into astrology and would sometimes drive himself and everyone around him batty because of what his horoscope said that day. Star had his own kinks and quirks; he was into Egyptian myths and legends. Star’s eyes widened a few seconds later when he realized what Tanner told him.
“Tanner, are you offering me an acting job?”
“Pfft, I wish. I don't have that kind of clout,” Tanner responded. “Sadly, I can’t do that. I’m just informing you of an opportunity. It’s up to you to grab it. I mentioned you to my boss, who said the job could be yours if you pass the audition. My boss has been totally super understanding lately since he found a lover, everyone’s taking advantage while he’s in a good mood.”
Star rolled his eyes, ignoring the babble, and focused on the main point. “Tanner, you haven’t seen me act in forever; what if I’m no good anymore?” He chewed on his bottom lip, wondering if Tanner had lost his mind.
“Who the hell am I talking to?” Tanner said, sounding a bit annoyed. “What happened to you in the past couple of years? Did you give up on being an actor? The Star Rueng I knew would jump at this chance in a heartbeat. I thought you went to Hollywood because it was your dream to act. I admit I haven’t seen you in anything big, but from that commercial I saw, I doubt you’ve given up.”
“I don’t know, Tanner. I might not be who you’re looking for,” Star whispered.
Tanner was silent for a few seconds, then spoke. “Just by the sound of your voice, I can tell you went through some shit. I’ll tell you what. Why don’t you come here for a visit, and if you want to audition for the role, fine. If not, so be it. At least you and I can spend some time together and reconnect. I really miss you, my friend.”
“Where?” he said, liking the sound of just seeing Tanner.
“Valleywood, Pennsylvania,” he answered.
But in the back of Star’s mind, he wasn’t sure what he was doing. In a matter of minutes, he went from losing everything to being offered a new job. There had to be a catch to it.
“Tanner, are you being for real with all of this? You’re not trying to pull my leg, right?”
Tanner huffed. “No, man. It’s all legit.”
“But I’ve never heard of Valleywood.”
It sounds like a Hollywood knockoff,Star thought—or assumed, anyway. He realized he’d said it out loud when Tanner snickered, and Dent chuckled. Star looked at the other man, his face turning red at his slip-up.
“I’m telling you, dude, don’t judge a place by its name. There’s no place like Valleywood; you’ll never want to leave once you come here. There’s real magic here, and I can be myself. I can be as queer and as quirky as I want, and no one will look at me weirdly. We grew up in a small town, and although people knew we were gay, we still got stares as if something was wrong with us. But I moved here for college and haven’t even been back to Virginia to visit my folks. They come to see me.” Tanner chuckled.
What the hell is he talking about? No one knew we were gay.If people did, he and Tanner would have gotten their asses beat on the regular. Did moving to a new state do something to his head?
“I guess I should visit then,” Star retorted instead of voicing his thoughts.
“So, does that mean you’re coming to see me or for the audition?”
“Nothing wrong if I do both,” Star said, feeling his mouth curl in a smile, but he wonderedwhere in Pennsylvania is Valleywood?
“Since you’re coming for work, I’ll book a ticket for you and send the audition script. The audition is in a week. I can show you around if you can get here before then. Is your email address still the same?”
“Yup, and thanks, Tanner. You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“Hey, I’m just following my gut.” Star was about to hang up when Tanner spoke. “Hey, I forgot to ask. Should I get one or two tickets?”
Star’s brows creased together. “Just one, I’m single.”
