Will the Real Abi Sanders Please Stand Up? Page 7

  I watch until she’s out of sight, conscious only of my heart pounding mercilessly against my ribcage. I just don’t get it. I’m trying to do a good job for her movie. I’d be happy if she’d just treat me consistently, instead of one day being okay and the next being awful.

  I can’t go wait in the resting tent. Not when everyone else is there, because they’ll want to talk, and now I’m not up to that. I just need to be by myself, to think. I’ll go sit by the river. There’s no filming there today, so I should be undisturbed.

  The river is a few minutes’ walk away, and on the way I can’t help but notice the peace and quiet. Well, not peace and quiet as in total silence, but no voices or motorcycles— just the sound of the birds.

  When I get there, I’m just about to sit on the ground at the water’s edge when, luckily, I remember my dress. If I get it dirty, Fran will go mad because I ripped the other one on Wednesday, all down the back, and it might not have been repaired yet.

  Instead, I sit on a large rock and wrap my arms around my knees. I rest my chin on them and draw in a lungful of fresh air.

  I’m so sick of Tilly treating me like her whipping girl, I could scream. I know when Danny offered me the role I was unsure, but I hoped, deep down, that it would be a great experience. I mean, look how well kickboxing worked out. I didn’t want to do that either, but ended up discovering something I was completely passionate about.

  Since I got this role because of kickboxing, it should work out, right?

  Wrong.

  How much of a loser would they think I am if I say I don’t want to do the job anymore? The way I’m feeling today, I’d really like to. But would I dare? Would I be allowed to, seeing as I signed a contract? I wonder if it says anything about leaving. What if I had to give back all the money I’ve earned so far? I’ve already spent some on Christmas presents and on an adorable pair of jeans.

  I strum my fingers on my leg and mentally give myself a shake. I’m being so pathetic, thinking of giving up at the first hurdle. Working on a movie set is just like being at the dojo. We’re a team. We look out for each other; well, some more than others. Even so, I’ve got to stick at it. I actually need to be more like Tilly and grow a backbone. She doesn’t let anyone push her around. I’m not saying I want to be exactly like her, just that there are some things I could take from her.

  A rustling noise from behind brings me back to the present. I jerk my head around and quickly scan my surroundings, but there’s nothing there.

  I hear the noise again, only this time it’s coming from my left. Yikes. The hairs on the back of my neck stand at attention, and my arms have goose bumps running down them. I jump up from the rock and quickly look from side to side but see nothing. Is it an animal? Or a person? Whatever, something’s not right. Crap. What should I do? It might be a stalker. You read all sorts of things about stalkers and their obsession with movie stars and how they find their way into the star’s bedroom and…

  “Gotcha,” a male voice whispers in my ear at the same time covering my eyes with his hand.

  I open my mouth, but before any sound comes out, he spins my body around and my jaw drops as I glimpse a guy so cute he should be illegal. He kisses me firmly on the lips.

  A butterfly sensation shoots through my stomach in the split second between wanting to lose myself in his kiss, which is totally crazy, and panic.

  Luckily, reality takes hold, and I know I need to think of something quick, before he does something horrific to me. No one just kisses a stranger like this without having creepy motives. So, using as much force as I can muster, I put my hands on his shoulders and push him away, while at the same time lifting my leg and aiming a front kick at his groin, which doesn’t quite connect because of the uneven surface. I lose my balance and fall over backward, landing on my butt.

  Pain shoots through my tailbone, but there’s no time to nurse my wounds. I scramble to my feet and race towards the trees.

  “Tilly,” he calls. “What are you doing? It’s me. Stop.”

  Chapter Nine

  Me? What does he mean me? Who’s me?

  I slow down to practically walking pace and glance over my shoulder. He’s standing there, hands on hips, staring in my direction. There’s something really familiar about him, but I can’t think what. Come to think of it, he did call me Tilly. He thinks I’m Tilly. He kissed me thinking I was Tilly.

  “I thought you’d be happy to see me,” he calls out. “And not trying to get as far away from me as possible.”

  I can’t just disappear. Not now. He deserves an explanation. I begin to walk back to where he’s standing.

  “S-s-sorry,” I say, when I get within a couple of feet of him. “I’m…”

  “Not. Tilly,” he says deliberately, his jaw dropping in the process. “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that. From behind, you look just like her. The front, too. It’s ridiculous, I’m sorry.”

  Could he be any nicer, apologizing like that to me? How lucky is Tilly having him as her boyfriend?

  “I-I’m Abi. Tilly’s double.”

  “The likeness is uncanny. I’d never have known if it wasn’t for your st…umm… voice.”

  Yeah, I get it. My stutter. How embarrassing. But at least he corrected himself and didn’t actually say it. That’s more than a lot of people have done in the past.

  “Oh.” I force my hands to remain by my side and not fly up to my cheeks which are radiating heat.

  “Tilly’s mentioned you.”

  “Oh.” That’s just great. Now Tilly’s gossiping about me.

  “Don’t look so worried. She hasn’t said anything awful, like she thinks you’re an axe-murderer. Just that you’re her double and doing a good job.” A lazy smile crosses his face, and my heart skips a beat.

  Is he serious? Tilly’s praising me to… to…whoever he is. Maybe I misjudged her. Or maybe I don’t figure enough in her life for her to think about me away from the set.

  “Oh.”

  “Oh. Is that the full extent of your vocabulary?” He laughs, and two little dimples appear in his cheeks. “I’m Jon, by the way, Tilly’s boyfriend.” He frowns ever so slightly. “Long distance, most of the time.” His gorgeous blue eyes cloud over and look all wistful, and the dimples disappear.

  Then it clicks. Jon Redcliffe. How could I have not recognized him sooner? Though, in my defense, he’s just started breaking out in Hollywood, and in his last movie he was covered in alien goo for most of it.

  I remember seeing pictures of him with Tilly on People.com and Radar Online, but he’s much cuter in real life. I love the way his dark hair curls around his ears. And his eyes are so blue it’s like they’re tinted contacts. He’s shorter than I thought he’d be, but that’s okay—he’s still taller than me. His accent is to die for, British with a hint of American on some words. Of course he’s with Tilly, and I’d never have a chance with someone like him. Guys that hot don’t give me a second look. Even if I am interested. Which I’m not.

  Well, I could be. Who wouldn’t if the chance arose?

  I can’t wait to tell Liv about him.

  “Oh.” Abi. Get a grip. “I-I mean, that’s a shame. I suppose it must be hard to get away from work when she’s on the other side of the world.”

  “We’re used to it. It’s okay if we’re working on the same movie.”

  “Are you going to be working on our movie then?”

  “No. I’m between jobs at the moment. Thought I’d fly out to surprise Tilly. I arrived last night.”

  So, now we know what she was doing all night. My head’s full of images of him and Tilly in her hotel room, making enough noise to alert the staff and set off the local gossip chain, and my face flushes at the thought. Crap. Let’s hope he’s not a mind-reader.

  Desperate to find something to say, to take my mind off him and Tilly, I run through in my mind the movies he’s been in and remember the most recent one. “I remember you in Lani Goes West. You played Harry, the bad guy. Loved
that movie.”

  “You got it.” He flashes a perfect movie star smile. Not that I’d expect anything else.

  Thank goodness I was right about him as Harry. Some of these movie stars are so touchy about their work, and if he starts moaning about me to Tilly…well, that would be all I need.

  “It’s my favorite out of all of Tilly’s movies.”

  “You’ve seen them all?” He raises an eyebrow, like it’s really weird for someone to admit to that. I know she’s made over twenty movies, but that’s not many for a true fan to see. Plus, it’s been over a long period of time.

  “Um…yes. We all have over the years, from when we were young.”

  “We?”

  “My friends. We love Tilly, I mean her movies.” If I don’t watch it, he’ll have me labeled as one of those crazy obsessed fans. “Is that okay?”

  “Yes, of course. And I can see you mean it, not like some jerks in the business who’ll stab you in the back quicker than look at you, given the opportunity.”

  Sounds like he’s talking from personal experience. Poor him, it must be hard playing second fiddle to Tilly. His time will come, I’m sure. How could it not, looking like he does? From now on I’ll definitely follow his career.

  “Do you think we should be getting back to the set? Zac might suddenly decide he needs me. I should really be in the resting tent,” I say, reluctant to leave but not wanting to get into trouble.

  “I hope you’re not just saying that to get away from me.” He winks, and my insides go all warm and squidgy.

  How could he even think that? I’d love to spend more time getting to know him, if I could. What started out as being a very so-so day, especially with Tilly’s insult, is fast becoming the best day I’ve had on set so far. “No. Of course not. It’s because…well, you know Zac. He can get so…so…”

  “Abi, chill. Don’t be so uptight, it will be fine.”

  Easy for him to say; he’s not working here. Then again, maybe I am overreacting. It wouldn’t be the first time. “Yes, I know. Sorry,” I say.

  “Come on, we’ll go back together.” He holds out his arm.

  I think he wants me to link mine through his, and as I tentatively wrap my fingers around his bicep, my heart skips a beat, and a feeling of warmth shoots through me.

  …

  Standing in line at the craft service table waiting for lunch, my pulse quickens as I notice Jon a few people in front of me. I’ve been hoping to see him since we met the other day, only he hasn’t been around. Not that I expect him to talk to me.

  “Hey, watch what you’re doing.” The sound of an angry voice distracts me, and I stick my head out of the line to see what’s going on.

  Zac’s first assistant, Chad, is glaring at one of the new interns. Judging by the OJ stain on his tee shirt and the upturned glass, she knocked his tray and sent his drink flying all over him.

  “I’m sorry,” she says, her bottom lip trembling.

  I’d love to go over and give her a hug. I know how scary it can be here when you’re new, and that’s when everything’s going well. To screw up takes newbie nerves off the scale. At least, it does in my world.

  “Sorry isn’t going to fix it. Get me another juice and then go find me another shirt.”

  She looks anxiously at the tray she’s holding, which has a plate of salad on it, and then back at Chad. Indecision is written across her face.

  “Leave the girl alone, Chad,” Jon says, stepping out of line and striding toward them. “It was an accident, and you’re upsetting her.”

  The intern goes crimson. “It’s okay,” she mutters, her voice hardly audible. “It was my fault for not looking.”

  “Exactly,” Chad says, narrowing his eyes.

  Jon takes the intern’s tray. “I’ll get Chad’s OJ. You go to wardrobe and find a clean tee. We’ll leave your lunch at the end of the table by the cutlery.” He flashes her a warm smile, and she mutters thanks and scuttles off. Jon then leans across some people in line and pulls out another OJ and places it on Chad’s tray.

  “Here. An orange juice. No harm done.”

  He’s right. It’s not like Chad was wearing something special. It’s just a tee shirt with the movie name on it. We’ve all got one. There are probably boxes of them stashed away somewhere on the lot.

  “I suppose not,” Chad says, having the decency to look just a little embarrassed by his diva fit.

  Jon steps back in line and acts like nothing just happened. I don’t consider it nothing. I love that he stood up to Chad and didn’t let him walk all over the intern.

  It only takes a couple of minutes more until I have my lunch. Glancing around at the tables, I see Jon sitting alone, but can’t bring myself to ask to join him, in case he says no. So instead I head toward Vince and the other guys but walk close to Jon’s table, looking in front of me and acting like I don’t know he’s there.

  “Abi,” Jon calls as I’m walking past.

  “Hi,” I say trying to sound surprised to see him.

  “Sit with me.” He pats the chair beside him.

  “Sure.” I place my tray on the table and sit. My insides are tingling with the excitement of spending some more time with him. “It was so nice of you to stand up for the new intern like that,” I say.

  “It’s hard when you’re new somewhere,” Jon says shrugging. “There’s always someone trying to put you down.”

  “Tell me about it.” I’m just about to say it’s happened to me with Tilly, but luckily I check myself. It’s one thing to agree with him on a general level, but to mention his girlfriend is quite another. To be honest, when I’m with Jon, I’d rather pretend Tilly doesn’t even exist.

  …

  “Matt. Liv. Over here,” I yell, running toward them as they get out of the car.

  I promised them both a look around the set. Filming has finished for the day, so we won’t be getting in the way. It’ll be good to catch up. It seems like forever since we were all together. The movie seems to be taking up all my time. Not that I’m complaining. I love it.

  “Hey,” Liv says giving me a hug. “I can’t believe we’re going to see the actual set. Are they filming at the moment?” She looks around, her gaze darting from side to side as she checks everything out.

  “No, it’s over for the day, but I can show you where it all happens.” I walk between them both and link my arms through theirs.

  “Are the actors still here? Tilly or Nathan?” Liv asks, sounding hopeful.

  It feels weird, me being the one taking charge. Usually, when it’s the three of us, Liv takes the lead. Not that I mind. I’m happy for her to do it.

  “They might be. I’m not sure.”

  “If they are, can we meet them?” she pleads.

  I’d be happy to introduce them to Nathan. Tilly? Well, let’s hope we don’t see her, because I don’t want her making me look like a fool in front of Matt and Liv.

  “Listen to you being all star-struck,” Matt says. “They’re only people, you know.”

  “Of course, you wouldn’t want to meet Tilly Watson, if you had the chance,” Liv retorts, glaring at him.

  “Stop it, both of you. Or the tour ends, now.” I try to sound annoyed, but they’re making me laugh so much.

  We head past the make-up and wardrobe trailers and down a short path into a big open space with buildings in the middle. “Here’s the main set. Actually they are partial sets. On this side is Hui’s village, and from the other side it’s Wairere’s village.”

  We walk around the set of Hui’s village, which is just a collection of five houses that look like they’re made from straw.

  “Where do you ride the motorcycles?” Matt asks, scanning the area.

  “Over on the other side of the field,” I say, pointing in the distance. “Go and have a look. They might still be out if one of the technicians is working on them.”

  “Cool.” He runs off, and I turn to Liv.

  “Quick. Before Matt gets back, I want t
o tell you about Jon.”

  “Jon?” Liv frowns.

  “He’s Tilly’s boyfriend. He’s such a nice guy. And when he kissed me, I thought…”

  “WHAT?” Liv hollers. “Back up a bit, missy. You’ve kissed Tilly’s boyfriend, and you’re only just telling me about it?”

  Her eyes lock with mine, but I can’t return the gaze and look down. My fists are balled. I should have called or text her. But I just wanted to keep it to myself for a while longer. Re-live what happened, even though it only lasted a few seconds. I can still put myself back into the scene and can even smell his cologne. It was light but enough to act like a drug on me. The way I’m starting to feel about him definitely seems different from the feelings I’ve had for Matt. And I’m glad, because I need to keep Matt firmly in the friend zone if I don’t want him to panic and eventually run.

  “Sorry. But I’m telling you now. I was in full make-up, and he thought I was Tilly. It was amazing. And when he found out his mistake, he didn’t just ignore me. He acted as though he was glad it happened. I’d love for you to meet him.”

  “But he’s Tilly’s boyfriend.” Liv frowns. “How could you do that to her?”

  “I’m not doing anything.” Even if part of me would like something to happen between us.

  “Abi, just be careful.” Liv chews on her bottom lip.

  I know she means well, but there’s nothing to be careful about.

  “I will. Promise. Let’s talk about something more exciting,” I say wanting to change the subject. “Like your party. Any news?”

  Liv’s eyes light up. “Yes. Mom’s agreed to ask my aunt if we can use their house. I’m sure she’ll say yes. We can have the music in the barn and a barbecue by the pool. We’ll have to hire a DJ.”

  “Aren’t you leaving it a bit late for that? Over the summer they probably get booked up way in advance.”

  “Yeah, I know. Hey. I’ve just had an idea.”

  “Tell me.”

  “You can say no. I will understand, I promise. But…”

  “Come on. Spit it out, girl.”

  “You could invite all the guys from the movie. Vince and the others. Do you think they’d come?”