Troy sat in his bedroom, watching television but not paying attention to what was on the screen. He had his drumsticks out and was tapping away on the footstool in front of him. “Should I really try out for Cort’s band?” he muttered. “Is that something I want?” He pictured himself behind the drums while Cort and Bradford played in front of him. Grinning at the picture, he nodded and asked, “Why not? What would happen if I did it? I might enjoy myself? If I didn’t do it, I’d probably spend the rest of my life wondering what if I had joined the band?” Standing up, he reached for his phone and sent Cort a text, letting him know that he did want to audition for the band. He set the phone down and took a deep breath. “Man, I wish it was warmer,” he said. “I’m so full of energy right now, I’d love to kick the ball around the park.” His phone dinged, letting him know he had a text. Practically diving for it, he saw Cort had responded with a time to come by the band’s practic
Since it was a slow day at work, Lewis leaned against the counter and watched the people walk by outside. As he watched them, he jotted down notes about what he thought they were like for character ideas for future movies. He looked up just in time to see Shea walk by. Dropping his pencil, he grabbed his notebook and headed for the door, calling out, “I’m taking a break!” Without waiting for an answer, he left the store, chasing after her. “Shea! Hey, Shea! Wait up!” he called out as he ran. She didn’t hear him but stopped in front of a store window to look at it. “Hey, Shea,” Lewis said, stopping next to her and trying to catch his breath. “Oh, hey, Lewis,” Shea said, turning from the window to look at him as she took out her earbuds. “I didn’t hear you there. Sorry about that.” He nodded, then held up his finger. Bending over at the waist, he took a couple of deep breaths before standing back up. “Sorry,” he said when he could finally talk. “I ran after you for a c
“I can’t believe we’re finally at the film festival,” Kendall said, walking into the building with her arm linked through Lewis’s. “Me neither,” he said, swallowing and wiping his free hand on his slacks. “Are you nervous?” she asked him with a concerned look. He chuckled before nodding. “Of course,” he told her. ”This night could make my career or break it altogether.” Kendall squeezed his arm and said, “I know you’re going to kill it tonight.” “Of course, you will,” Troy said, stepping up to slap Lewis on the shoulder. “Your movie will be the best one we see tonight.” Lewis gave his roommate a sickly smile and said, “Thanks for the confidence boost.” “You know he’s telling the truth, bro,” Cort said, coming up behind them with Brooklyn on his arm. Brooklyn nodded and said, “I will be writing up a review of everyone’s film, but I’m sure yours will be the best.” Lewis smiled weakly at her and said, “You can’t know that for sure.” Kendall leaned closer and sq
Everyone turned to see Carl Hornsbeck standing behind them, his arms around the shoulders of the two women he’d entered with. Smirking at Lewis, he said, “Our friend Lewis here doesn’t stand a chance once the judges see my movie.” His gaze drifted to Brooklyn, and he winked at her. “You should hang out with better people,” he told her. Beside Brooklyn, Cort tensed. She put her hand on his arm and sniffed at Carl. “I only hang with the best people,” she told him. “I’m not some sort of groupie just hanging on to someone hoping to get my fifteen minutes of fame by proxy.” She looked at the two women, who glared back at her. Carl glanced at them and chuckled. Before he could say anything, Shea pushed her way to the front and said, “I don’t believe we’ve been introduced.” She held out her hand and batted her eyes at him. Carl took her hand in his and brushed his lips over the back of her hand, causing her to giggle. He grinned at her and said, “I would have rem
“Ladies, gentlemen, and everyone in between,” the woman said. “My name is Denise, and I’ll be your host for our film festival this evening.” She looked over the audience and continued. “I see a lot of familiar faces here,” she said, smiling, “and some who are new.” Kendall nudged Lewis and smiled at him. He grinned at her and whispered, “But next year, I’ll be one of those familiar faces.” “That you will,” Kendall said before kissing him. On the stage, Denise continued. “We have quite a lot of films to enjoy this evening, so I’ll keep this brief,” she said. “After we have viewed the films, we’ll be handing out the awards, which I know is everyone’s favorite part of the night.” Everyone in the audience clapped and cheered, causing Denise to laugh. “I knew it!” she said with a grin. “You’re just here for the awards!” Laughter rang out across the room. “Well then, let’s just get those pesky films out of the way so we can get to the best part of the night,” she
Lewis sighed and turned his head to look over his shoulder at Carl. “What do you want, Carl?” he asked. Carl glanced at the refreshment counter and said, “I just want something to drink. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation, is all.” “Yeah, you made sure to get close enough to us to overhear and comment on it,” Lewis said with a scowl. Carl shrugged, his hands out to the side, and said, “It’s not my fault you talk so loud.” “But it is your fault you had to butt in on the conversation,” Lewis said, turning around to face the other man. Kendall put her hand on Lewis’ arm and frowned, saying, “Just ignore him, Lewis. He’s not worth it.” Shea bit her lip and glanced at Bradford while squeezing his arm. She winked at him before she slipped past Lewis and Kendall and smiled at Carl. “Is your movie in the next grouping, too?” she asked him, putting her hand on his arm and widening her eyes as she pulled him out of the line. He looked at her and smiled, putti
Kendall squeezed Lewis’s arm as his film began. Her eyes never left the screen as his movie played out. Lewis looked around at his friends and the rest of the audience while his film played. Their attention seemed focused on the screen. He smiled and nodded. Once his film finished, he whispered to Kendall, “I think everyone liked it.” She squeezed his arm as she grinned up at him. “I know they did,” she said. Addy leaned forward, reaching over Troy to pat Lewis on the arm. “That was amazing,” she said, grinning at him. Troy nodded, giving Lewis a thumbs up. Brooklyn looked up from her phone to nod at him with a grin while Cort nodded once. Shea and Bradford both gave him a thumbs up. He grinned at his friends and nodded before returning his attention to the screen. Two more films played before Lewis leaned over to Kendall and whispered, “Carl’s film is next.” Before Kendall could respond, Carl whispered, “Now, you’re going to see some real filmmaking.”
“Let’s order some drinks,” Troy said. “I’ll stay here and watch the purses,” Bradford offered. “I want to check out this DJ more to see if I can add anything to my performance the next time we play.” “Sure thing, man,” Cort told him. “I’ll get you your usual.” “Thanks, my man,” Bradford said. Cort nodded before he joined Troy and Lewis as they headed toward the bar to order their drinks. Bradford kept an eye on the ladies’ purses as he watched the DJ spin the tunes. He nodded to the beat and grinned. The DJ noticed him and smiled at him before waving him onstage. Bradford looked around and saw the guys coming back with their drinks. He signaled to them that he was getting on the stage. Cort nodded and jerked his chin toward the DJ. Bradford grinned and climbed the stairs at the back of the stage to join the DJ. Cort put the drinks on the table and called out to Bradford. When he looked, Cort held up his fists, giving him two thumbs up. Bradford grinned and returned t