Broken Strings

One

Jay was frowning. "I saw that your name was trending online today."

"Yup. Trace did an interview with a columnist at Euphoria. Basically says that Jeremiah, Grayson, and I are just as guilty as he is. Went into detail about other things that got covered up when we were a band and of course, they had to bring up the Bailey Grant scandal."

"Even I heard about that one and I was filming in London at the time."

Brock grimaced. "It wasn't good. I just about quit music for good after that one. It was the final straw. My band broke up a few weeks after she came out and told the world her side of the story. No one doubted that what she said was the truth. She was too innocent to lie."

"She's still making music, right?"

"Yeah," Brock affirmed. "She's kicking ass after going solo. She won a couple of awards last year and everything."

Jay offered a grim, satisfied smile. "Good for her."

Brock couldn't help but nod. Though he hadn't had any contact with Bailey since the whole scandal went down, he'd always been pleased that she'd been the one to come out stronger on the other side. Not Trace.

"So anyway," Jay continued, "what's the deal with this new label?"

"I don't know. Des set me up a meeting with the new label execs for Sunday but it's going to be a disaster, I think. They're a new label, so my career is bound to go down the drain with them." He sighed. "Anyways, enough about me. How's your life? Everything going okay at the shoot?"

Jay nodded. "Yeah. We're on schedule which is a miracle because Dawn showed up stoned out of her mind today so we had to re-schedule a bunch of her scenes to tomorrow. Marco is pissed. He wants to fire her but that would mean we'd have to reshoot over half the movie. She's the lead so she's not easy to replace."

"This is just an awful day, isn't it?"

"You can say that again."

"Do you have any other projects lined up?"

"I'm shooting this romance flick once The Scapegoat wraps."

Brock said, "Sounds interesting."

Jay sipped from his beer. "I guess. I signed on for it a while back but there's been a ton of delays. I didn't think it'd actually get made." He considered Brock seriously. "You ever ridden a horse? Apparently, I need to ride a horse in the movie."

"Dude, I grew up like three blocks from here, not the boondocks."

"I thought all country singers rode horses. Isn't it a rite of passage?"

Brock shoved Jay's shoulder, causing Jay to spill beer on the couch. "And I thought all movie stars were self-absorbed douchebags addicted to cocaine. I guess we both fell short of our rites."

Jay chuckled. "Well, if you think of anyone who can teach me to ride before that shoot starts, let me know. The studio is going to hire someone to teach me otherwise. They said that there are a few places not too far from here where I can learn but I'll probably get followed by the paparazzi if I go there. I'd rather the press not get photos of me falling off of a horse and onto my ass."

Probably a smart move. He'd never live that one down, especially when it came for the movie to be released.

"So, that's it? Just the romance movie and you're officially unemployed?"

"Well...No," Jay said. "I'm in talks for a new film but we're still working out logistics. It's based on a true story and takes place all across Europe so the studio is trying to figure out where they want to do location shoots and where they want to film on a built set here in L.A."

Brock asked, "What's the true story? Anything I'd know about?"

Jay shrugged. "I don't know. It was on the news a few years back. This college girl bought some used books at a sale and inside one of the books she found a journal belonging to this woman who went on a mega-vacation across Europe. Apparently, she almost died and she went to find the guy who saved her life. The college girl who found the journal replicated the same route that the other woman went on over a decade earlier. They want to film it with a dual-perspective thing. Past versus present."

It was interesting, Brock thought, and it sounded vaguely familiar but not enough that he remembered what happened. "So, who's your character? The guy who saved the woman's life?"

"No, it's this other guy who meets up with the college girl. His name is Neville."

Brock said, "Cool."

Jay ran a hand through his hair and took another swig from his beer. "They're still figuring out the casting too so I think we're about a year out. I'm supposed to have a month or two off between the shoot I'm on right now and the romance one."

"What's happening with that action one you filmed last year? Shouldn't it be released soon?"

"They're finishing up some post-production editing stuff and touching up the soundtrack from what I understand but the trailer has been set and the release date. It's scheduled to come out in three months or so."

"How's Julia?"

Julia Robbins had been Jay's costar during that action shoot – a film titled Built for Revenge. They had started dating after filming had ended but hadn't spent much time together recently. Last Brock had heard, Julia was heading to Iceland for a new shoot.

"Nah, we broke up," Jay said. He didn't sound particularly upset. His tone was matter-of-fact, no emotion.

Brock stared at him. "When?"

Jay considered. "Three weeks ago?"

"You seem really torn up about it," Brock commented dryly.

A one-armed shrug. "She wasn't the one. We'd only been together for a few months anyway. It was more of a publicity stunt. Our managers told us to start spending more time together so we did. I don't think we ever really made it past the 'being friends' stage."

Brock stared at the television screen without seeing it. "Dating sucks."

"You're telling me. None of the actresses in the business I know are down to earth but trying to meet a normal person is just...It doesn't always work out," Jay said. There was a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Brock knew why. A couple of years earlier, Jay had met and fallen in love with a non-celebrity woman named Claire. Brock had never met her but he knew that Claire not reciprocating Jay's feelings had torn him up. Jay had spiralled for a year, swearing off dating entirely and working on his image. He stopped partying, avoided most of the public except for anything that was required for work, and attended only the mandatory events, like red carpets and film premiers.

It had been during that period that Brock had really gotten to know Jay. Their paths had crossed before but never frequently. Then, Jay had moved from New York to L.A. and was looking for a place to stay. Brock happened to have an extra room and Jay had, quite simply, never left.

Though it wasn't as if Brock minded Jay's company. It was nice to have a friend who knew the pressures of the media and celebrity status. Someone who understood how hard it was to make friends and meet people and be normal, all while trying to pursue a career he was passionate about.

Jay looked at Brock and forced a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. "We'll figure it one day, I'm sure."

"We have to. How the hell can L.A.'s two most eligible bachelors stay single forever? It'd be a disservice."

It did the trick. Jay grinned and took a swig of beer. "You're so right, my friend." Brock watched as Jay reached for the remote. "Now, I'm done watching this garbage. I'm going to find us something decent to watch."