Chapter 9 – That Red Porch
The advertisements for the movie went out. And I'm not talking just a couple more bus benches, I mean all the advertisements were released. Billboards, ads on buses, ads online, commercials and the trailer hit the theaters. I mean we were getting close to end filming so it makes sense the trailer would come out right about now. But I swear day that shit dropped, at school it was intense. People who I have said maybe two words too my entire high school experience were like "Hi Alyssa!" "Omg! You're staring in the movie?" "I never knew you were actress?" "Since when do you act?" "How the hell did she do that?"
So much. It was so much of that. People on the streets were even staring at me funny. I was walking Robbie to school at like 7:30 in morning with early morning fog and my hoodie up, and still somehow someone recognized me. It was crazy! They asked for a photo it was pretty funny. I'm not gonna lie I liked the attention. But who wouldn't? Gosh I felt like Amber.
Oh Amber. I thought of her as so perfect. We were walking to that little café like we always did to get our cheesy fries and a Dr. Pepper. We made our way out of the gate of Paramount studios. I playfully shoved into her and she did it back. We were smiling now, each getting a second long glimpse of each other each time we bumped shoulders. Our hands touched and then our fingers met and we locked hands. I pulled her closer to me about to kiss her.
She back away. "Alyssa what are you doing?" "Uhh, what does it look I'm trying to do?" I joked nervously. She sighed with more a serious tone on her face. "I'm sorry it's just with the whole movie going on this could really blow up and attract a lot of attention. Look I-I just don't know how I'm supposed to-" "Ambs. Don't worry it's ok. I get it." I stroked the back of her hand with my thumb. "You don't need to explain." She smiled at me with those big blue eyes of hers. Her blonde hair softly blew in the light yellow wind. She looked down and up at my lips. Three times. "Gosh I want to kiss you right now." She looked at me so kindly.
"Your long brown hair just flowing in the wind like that, skin so tanned and smooth. You look flawless." She ran her hand threw my hair and traced her finger down to my lips. I was blushing so much. "You're so sweet."
We continued walking down the sidewalk, bumping shoulders, hands slightly touching each other but not definitely not holding. We were literally down the street I don't know how this happened. But a TMZ tourist bus who was taking tourists sightseeing pulled up out front as we got there. Immediately they recognized Amber and then from all the billboards around Hollywood they knew who I was too. So many effing photos. Ambs and I were just trying to smile and wave as made our way into the café. But little did we know when we got inside the café it would be just as hectic.
People in there recognized us too! Like what the hell! It would have taken us like the usually ten minutes to get our food but instead it took us like thirty. Once a couple people wanted a photo more people started staring and then were like, "Oh shoot I know them!" Wow that was so much! Amber and I were pretty much laughing to ourselves on the way back! Eating our orange fries under the yellow sun. It was a crazy life. But a beautiful one.
We went back in the old sound stage, that creaky set. The tall beige and purple buildings hung over head, the windows that led to nothing, the doors that led to nowhere, vintage street lamps stood proud, the set looking like a polaroid from out past, yet our feet clicked as we went across that grey cobblestone road.
Amber then shouted at the top of her lungs: "Oh Roselake! I love you!" She held the Dr. Pepper up to the roof of the warehouse. "No people! No photos! Nothing!" I giggled at her comment. "I wish we could live in here!" I joked. She set down the drink on that road. She reached out her delicate flower like hand and slipped her fingers into mine, she pulled me in closer, rested her gentle forehead onto mine. Under the dim lighting, we were just two dark silhouettes kissing in some random street. As if we didn't care who saw. But that wasn't our reality. This was a set and we couldn't be open about us.
"So our date Miss Roselake..." "What about our date Miss Barron?" "Where are we going? And don't tell me that it's a surprise!" "We are going to dinner." "Where?" "The Palm in Beverly Hills." "Oh my gosh Amber you don't have to do that! That place is expensive as shit! No!" "Oh my! Now I wish I didn't tell you! Alyssa please! I want to take you somewhere nice. And I love this place. It has great seafood and it's amazing!" "I appreciate it. I really do but that's too pricey Ambs can't we just go to In –N-Out or something?" "This is our first date and I'd really like it to be somewhere nice. And money's not an issue trust me." "I'm going to order something cheap." She laughed and rolled her eyes at me. She picked up the drink off the road and led me and the basket of fries into the alley way.
"Ok this is going to be embarrassing but," She sat me down against the wall. "I've never been out on a date before." "Oh right because that girl." "Yea that girl was it for me. And that's why I want to go there for dinner. Why I want to go someplace nice. I want it to be special." "You're weird." I laughed at her. "Oh shut it!" I held the drink up to her. "Here take a sip. Maybe it'll help the truth go down easier." She playfully shoved me.
There were seven people. Three on cameras. Two on lights. Two on sound. It wasn't the usual crowd we had standing around. It was a smaller intimate group. They were all standing in position in the tiny fake thin walled room of Miles's. All trying to do their job. Zach and I were trying to do our job too. Zach coming in right behind me like how the scene went.
"Miles I still can't believe you still wear your necklace." I closed the door as we both walked in. "Of course why would I take it off?" Zach joked stretching out his arms. "We dated like five years ago!" "I never took it off when we broke up and I was already addicted to having it on in the first place. Why did you never take yours off?" "Because you were my first boyfriend dumbie. I love you so much." Zach did almost the same mannerisms as Amber. His mouth hung a little open, eyes shook, blinked rapidly. "Love?" He uttered the words as slowly bent down on the side of the bed. But I have to admit I enjoyed doing the scene more with Amber.
I flopped onto the bed carelessly like just how my character was and I smiled. "Y-You still love me?" He mumbled getting happy still just chuckling. "You still love me." Zach kept getting closer and closer and until he was on top of me. "We'll I didn't just invite you out for coffee that one day for nothing." "You still love me." "Of course I do." "Isn't it obvious I mean I still wear the damn necklace five years later!" My voice cracked and Zach and I were left staring at each other. I just remember the moment Amber was on me and how perfect it was. I let the memory come out and make my facial expressions change to when I was with her.
Zach then took my hands, pushed them back and then slowly lean in to kiss me. Gently and soft and smooth was how the scene went. After a couple of retakes because of awkward placement or last minutes adjustments to the scene, it was exactly how it was written out to be. It went very professionally and I truly had nothing to be worried about. I think I had portrayed Violet very well and I was working really hard to nail the last couple of scenes we had left. I really tried to embody Violet and tried to be that perfect person for Miles. Like I thought about Violet being 'the one' for Miles. It was pretty cute to be honest. It made well for a romantic comedy. It made me think like was there like a Violet for me? A perfect person for me? Like 'the one' for me? Maybe Amber was in some sort of way my Violet. I know it was a crazy thought but I had never felt this way for someone before. Not like this.
Wes was the only person not looking at me in the halls and honestly I didn't blame him. I fall for someone else, I sexy dance with someone else right in front him, and then the whole country knows I'm the star of a movie. This must be shit for him. Absolute shit.
I walked Robbie home so day I was off of filming. "Hey so I am going to be coming home late Friday. So get some sleep." "Oh ok! With Wes?" "Uh, no someone else." "Another boyfriend?" Robbie was excited. "No, no, Amber." "Oh ok! Where are you guys doing?" "We're going to dinner with each other." "Ooo! Can I come?" "Oh Robbie no! It's for old people! Trust me you wouldn't like it! No games, or arcade nothing!" "Oh ok never mind!" We got to our same front yard in Boyle Heights. And there Eugene and Franklin were right where they always were. But this time they were getting into their car. "Hey guys!" I waved to them and they got excited. "Hey movies star!" Franklin joked. It made me chuckle.
I watched them step into their car as Robbie and I went inside. I mean they didn't live such a bad life. They did have to be more careful and I knew that. But they loved each other so much and they had a house and lived life together and driving off to do whatever it is right now with each other. It was sweet. And in some form of life, I was going to be like that too.
"Hey guys!" Gunnar waved from the couch. He was on his phone. "Home early?" I questioned. "Yup." "Where's Nico?" "He went out with some friends." Now that I was making so much more than enough, Gunnar and Nico didn't have to work as much. And I could tell them were taking advantage of that option. And I'm so damn glad they were. "Now why don't you go out too?" "Yea!" Robbie agreed in his high pitched voice.
"I was gonna cook you guys some food!" He chuckled while still seated on the couch. "Oh it sure seems like it! Go out! Find a girl or something!" Gunnar stood up with this wide grin on his face. "Now that you mention it I could call up Danny or one of the guys." "Yes! Go and do something! You deserve it!" "You sure I could cook dinner and then-" "Gun?" "Yes?" "Go!" I laughed at him. "Ok, ok." "We'll be fine here trust me. Just gonna watch some T.V. or something." "Ok. Thank you." Gunnar gave me one of those Gunnar smiles. Always so controlled. But I still could tell he was excited.
Instead of going to his room, he went outside to smoke of course. Everything was almost perfect. I just really wished he would quit already. There was no reason to be stressed anymore. All that was left was addiction.
Gunnar eventually got dressed into a nice polo and left. Robbie and I were left bored watching T.V. "What now?" Robbie asked. I laughed. "What do you mean what now?" "I mean what now? What do we do! I'm bored!" "So am I." "Ask Wes to come over. He likes me." "Wes and I broke up remember Robbie?" Right now would be the time I would call up Wes and the three of us would hang out together. "But he likes me! He'd like to hang out." "But I'm here too Robbie." "Oh yeah!" I let out a sigh. I was pretty bored. But then I had an idea. "I know someone I could bring over." "Really who?"
Amber came over in a flash and I was beyond excited. They would meet! I'm sure Robbie would like her she was so sweet. And I knew my house wasn't what you would consider the nicest compared to hers but then again whose was? Amber walked up to that red porch. The one Wes was always on waiting for me. But this time it was different. It was better.
"Hey thanks for coming over on such a last minute notice." "I was just stuck at home with my parents. They were going over all my modeling stuff. And any time I get to hang out with you I'll take." She leant in for a kiss but I yelled: "Hey Robbie I have someone you'd like to meet!" I wanted to make sure she knew someone else was present. "Hi Amber!" Robbie called. "Hi Robbie! I've heard so much about you!" Amber bent down to his size. "Really!" "Yes! You are famous!" Robbie giggled. "Why haven't you brought her over earlier?" Amber just gave me her gorgeous smile.
Before I knew it, Ambs had her arm around me and I was leaning into her neck. The both us couldn't stop smiling. We were watching SpongeBob-one of Robbie's favorites. He looked over at us. And I got a little worried he'd notice something. "Why do you get to hug her?" Robbie was jealous of me holding Amber. Omg. Amber and I chuckled. "Here Robbie!" Amber stretched her arm out for Robbie. "Thank you!" He moved into her. She was so sweet. I swear.
We were watching SpongeBob but at some point I stopped watching and was just looking at her. I had such a crush on her. And she was mine. She never wore just a t-shirt and jeans. She was in a cool black shawl thing with a light purple camisole underneath, black leggings with a white design on the side and with of course her trendy white Air Force Ones. She always had style. Had a perfect jawline. And just smiling right now because she was with me. She was just happy being here even with my little brother. She turned her gaze down at me and was smiling just as much as I was.
We were just staring at each other now like there wasn't anyone else in the room. But there was. Amber then removed her arm around me and itched her head a little bit. Made a face. "Ow. I think I have knot in my hair. Alyssa come and help get it out?" "Uh yea sure?" I was a little confused. Amber always kept her hair so perfectly straight she'd never have a knot. But as she was walking to the bathroom I noticed there was no knot in her hair. I knew what she was doing.
We stepped into my bathroom and as soon as I stepped in. She shut it and pushed me up against it. She kissed me. "There was no knot was there?" I said in between breathes. "Nope." She kissed me again. We were full on making out and I just loved it so much. I loved holding her. Touching her. It was amazing. She was pressing so hard into me, grinding rocking into me. I began to kiss her neck and she started to release some moans. She started to undo my pants but I stopped her.
"My brother's in the other room." I grabbed her hand and held it. "I want to be better than that shitbag who did you in bathroom." She giggled. "You already are. And thank you. And shitbag really? That choice of words?" "Yes. Or would you have preferred sack of shit?" "Come here." She kissed me slowly this time. Savoring the moment as our heads kindly turned and hands were folding into each others. Our lips parted and we opened the door.
It faded into later into the night and Amber had to leave. "Thanks for coming again. Really. You made this boring night fun." I shut the front door and it was just us too out on that red porch. "Thanks for inviting me. I had fun." I was twirling her soft hand in mine. She was only giving me such a genuine smile and her eyes looked so vivid under the yellow porch light. I looked around to see if anyone was watching. No one was. And Amber knew that too. I had given Wes a goodbye kiss more than a million times under this same light, on this same porch. But I loved kissing Amber so much more. My hand went around her cheek, our stomachs pressed together as her hand went around my waist. Her lips met with mine and once again I was so entangled by her beauty.
She gave me a simple sweet kiss as I met her on that red porch on Friday for our date. "A gorgeous black dress for a gorgeous girl." I complimented her. She looked stunning. "Thank you but you know the words I prefer." She joked with me. "You look so damn hot." "Thank you." She kissed me on the lips again. I looked her down up and up. "Goddamn." I uttered. She chuckled. That dress grabbed at every inch of her so perfectly. She must have been wearing some push up bra, cuz goddamn! Her blonde hair was so silky and her face was so perfect. Eyeliner, contour, mascara, drawn in eyebrows. Oh man I know I didn't like all of those things but they all looked so good on her. Silver high heels, earrings, necklace, bracelet, rings, wow. I could hardly breath she looked so irresistible.
I then looked up and noticed Amber had been doing the same thing to me. I was wearing that red dress she gave me a while back that I still had not returned. My hair was curled slightly and I put on a lot of perfume. I had found a pair of tan wedges somewhere in my closet and managed to watch a makeup tutorial or two. "You look incredible." Amber said while holding my hands. "Thank you I'm aware. This look took me a total of two hours so you're welcome." She chuckled.
"Hey Alyssa." I felt the front door open and Amber and I turned around. Gunnar stuck himself through the crack of the door. His breath smelt of ash: "Hey Alyss-wow. Wow you guys look great." "Thanks." I felt embarrassed. I was purposely trying to avoid Gunnar, Nico and Robbie all while putting together this look. I told them I was going out with Amber just not that it was dinner or this fancy. I didn't want them asking questions. "Where are you guys going?" Questions like that.
"Uhhh." Amber took over: "To The Palm." "Beverly Hills?" Gunnar was surprised. "Yeah. I go there with my friends. I thought I'd show Alyssa around." Gunnar's eyes were widened, his mouth hung a little open, he was having a hard time trying to process this information. He knew for a fact that I would not spend over fifteen dollars on dinner so me going to a place where the side dishes were thirty dollars very much so confused him. He tilted his head towards the street and looked beyond us. He could see Amber's shimmering silver Mercedes and so he nodded his head. "Oh well ok. Have fun then Lyss!" He smiled curtly and then shut the door.
"Ready to go?" "Yup." She walked me to her shiny car. I swear she must go to a car wash every day for it to be so clean. I was reaching for the door when she got it for me. "Look at you being a gentleman." I stepped inside. "Oh shut it. Chivalry is dead." She ran around and got into the driver's side. Amber drove us out of the grimy and trash ridden neighborhood we were in and onto the freeway. And then we got off and we passed by the skyscrapers in DTLA with people scrambling in and out of work offices, the silver Porsches, and white Jaguars, rich housewives on Rodeo drive, all the twenty year olds on Sunset with the flashing red lights at the clubs and bars and finally the high end cream colored restaurants in Beverly Hills.
We slipped into the Valet and the guy held the doors open for the both of us. As we stepped out, Amber and I gave each other the same smile just so happy to be there with each other. The place was marvelous, high hand crafted wooden ceiling, beautiful dark hard wood flooring, white, white, white glorious table clothes, shiny silverware, and actual leather chairs. Every person in there looked so elegant with their tailor fitted classy dresses and sophisticated hand bags. I was in a full dress and heels and yet I still felt underdressed. The waiter without really looking at us who was in a full blown suit, politely nodded his head as sat us down at a table towards the center. As he handed us his menus, his face lit up.
"Amber Roselake?" I questioned positively. "Yes. Hi!" Amber was always so kind one someone recognized her. I sure this wasn't the time nor place she wanted a person to be taking her photo.
"It's so nice meet you! I loved you from Jessica and Carlos!" "Aww! Thanks so much. It's nice to meet you too!" "My boss doesn't allow us take photos with celebrities if they come in but, I just don't care! You're Amber Roselake! So can I get a photo with you if it's not too much to ask?" "Yea sure of course!" Amber sweetly stood up as the waiter got his phone out his pocket. Amber took a couple photos with him and then gently sat down. "Thanks again." "Yea no problem." "So what can I get for you guys to drink?" "Water." I already was going to order the cheapest everything on this menu. Water. Water was what I was getting. "I'll have a Dr. Pepper."
The waiter walked off and then I gave Amber a devious smirk. She raised her eyebrows up and down. "So." I stated still feeding her my smirk. "So." She returned it while opening up the menu. "So are you a top or a bottom?" She then broke out laughing. "So this is the kind of stuff you, Alyssa Barron, talk about on a date, huh?" "Uh, a Tinder date yes! For sure." She was searching through menu in silence for a moment still smirking looking up at me with such devilish look in her eyes. I copied her every move. She finally looked up at me setting down the menu. "So what do you think I am?" Amber raised her eyebrows again. "Top." I said without hesitation. "Really now?" She was amused by this. "You enjoyed Saturday too much." She started blushing. "What can I say? I like to be in control often."
The waiter came back with our waters. "So what would you like to order?" I was about to order my chop chop salad that was only fifteen dollars when Amber spoke up. "We'll have two broiled nova scotia lobsters please." "Ok Miss Roselake." The waiter snatched the menu out of my hand before I could say anything. But the worst part was I got a glimpse of that broiled nova scotia lobster on the menu as he closed it. That lobster was one hundred dollars. A singular lobster was one hundred dollars! And Amber ordered two of them! Ahhh! What the hell! The waiter walked off.
"Amber! That's so expensive! That's so much for me to pay." "Alyssa, you don't have to pay I got this. Don't worry about it." Amber slid her hand on top of mine. "Two hundred oh my gosh dollars Ambs." She smiled. "You're worth it." I let out a sigh. She stroked my hand with her thumb as she gazed at me in the dim lighting and the candle lit scenery of this place. She really was just trying to be so nice to me. And honestly I was just melting over the fact that I was here with her. "Thank you." "Of course."
"So like speaking of money, what are you doing with your paycheck?" Amber took a sip of her Dr. Pepper. "I've just been saving it." "So for what?" "For when I don't have this job anymore. I mean once it's over it's over and I won't be making anywhere near as much." "Are you kidding? You're staring in a movie. Not just any movie. But a movie the film industry and the public has been anticipating for so long. You're going to get so many more offers to be in others. You're past the hard part now." "You think?" "As soon as I got off Jessica and Carlos, Warner Brothers called me to see if I was interested in being the supporting actress in the horror movie, 189 Partout Lane."
"Seriously?" "Yeah totally. Your agent didn't tell you this?" "Gunnar, my older brother kind of handles that stuff but I guess he didn't know about that." "Once this premieres just watch." "Cool. Thanks." "Yeah." "But yea, back to what you asked, I've just been saving the money." "You should spend it on something. Treat yourself." "I don't know I want whatever I buy that would matter and not be so wasteful you know?" "Yeah I know what you mean." "Says the girl who just dropped two hundred on seafood." "It's not too hundred on seafood, it's two hundred on you." "Are you always this flirty?" "You'd be surprised."
The food was fucking immaculate. I'm not even joking. For as long as I live I will probably never eat that expensive of a meal again but I know that I'll never love a meal as much either. Every bit just melted in my mouth so well and I thanked Amber about a thousand times for paying for it. I watched her pull out her sliver credit card out of her silver Kate Spade bag. Her signature was so gorgeous and smooth even when she wrote the amount of a forty dollar tip. The stroll to exit was so elegant and peaceful. That was until we got outside.
Paparazzi. I didn't even realize they still existed like the guys with the big cameras who get images of celebrities. There were maybe twenty of them all waiting outside the restaurant and once they saw us there was so much flashing. Just bright blasts of light. I'm guessing the waiter or someone in that restaurant tipped off the media that we were here. "Amber! Alyssa!" Omg Alyssa! I kept forgetting people knew who I was now. I tried to smile and be as nice as I could because I could tell that's what Amber was doing too. She was professional at this. She kindly waved as we stood by the valet. They were around us so much wow. It was so loud too! They were yelling all kinds of questions yet Amber answered none of them so I answered none of them. The valet guy glided by the corner and pulled up in front of us. Amber handed the valet guy a twenty as we stepped in to the car. The paparazzi circled the Mercedes. Bright gushes of light were still just as bright through the windshield. I shut the door and the sounds were muffed.
"Wow." I laughed smiling. I looked at her and she was laughing just as much as I was. "Day in the life of Amber Roselake?" I questioned. "Umm, more like day in the life of Alyssa Barron." We slowly drove through the paparazzi and exited out onto the street. "That was fucking insane. Like how? Like why?" "Someone in the restaurant must have taken of photo of us there and some magazine must have just sent people." "That's crazy. In that short of time?" "You'd be surprised." "Why don't you answer any of their questions?" "They can easily twist a story with just the slightest word. That's why I always smile too. If that get a photo of me being angry or something like that they can say: Amber Roselake angry at co-star Alyssa Barron leaving The Palm Beverly Hills on a Saturday Night." "Damn that doesn't look good." "Yeah but you see how easy and how out of context things can get." "Yea." "Sorry this happened on our date." "Sorry? Don't be sorry this was so cool! How many people get to say they have the paparazzi chase after them on their first date?" She chuckled. "You're sweet." "I'm right."
Amber took me back to my house. She rushed around the car to get the door for me. It was pretty cute. I stood up and out of the car and was immediately drawn to her beauty once again. "You looked so amazing tonight I still can't get over it." She blushed and took my hand. "You always look incredible." She walked me up to that red porch with just as big of a smile as we started the night with. "Thanks so much for tonight. I had a lot of fun." I politely thanked her. "So did I. Best first date ever." I was so glad she thought that.
I gently pushed back a piece of her silky blonde hair behind her ear and watched her cheeks grow bright red. I traced my finger along her jawline until it got to her soft lips. Her mouth slightly opened up as her lips began to tremble at the sight of mine. She looked at my eyes and then at my lips. Three times. I held her chin kindly on my fingertips as our lips met. Her sweet hand went calmly around my cheek and then into my hair. My heart exploded because of the reality that I had around my hand. And I felt her nervously shake because of all the butterflies in her stomach. As our lips parted I slowly rested my forehead onto hers and she just smiled. We blushed at the sight of each other's eyes and I just couldn't help but think: Best. Date. Ever.
Gunnar got home one day at work. I watched him through the window open up the lock on the front door but I was too excited to wait so I rushed over to him. I had thought a lot about what Amber said and for me to spend my money. So I had a great idea. "Gunnar!" I swung open the front door. "Woah! Alyssa. I was just about to open it." He laughed. I held my hand around my back. "I got you something!" "Alyssa." Before he could say anything I turned my hand around and showed him. He was so surprised too. It was a nicotine patch to help smokers quit. We could never afford to buy them because they were always forty dollars a box. But now with the job...
"Look I make enough now. You know that." Gunnar was smiling so hard but shaking his head. "I make enough. And you know it's partially because I hateeeee going to the convenience store and seeing Wes." I joked. But before I could say anything else, Gunnar hugged me so tightly out on that red porch he'd always go outside to smoke on. I had never seen him smile so much. I thought he was going to cry like honestly. I thought I was going to cry too. Amber told me to treat myself and this was treating myself. I was so damn happy. Just so damn happy that we were finally going to kick this addiction of his.