Um… overwhelmed is more like it. Where are my friends? I strain to see the girls over the crowd surrounding me. I feel my arm being pulled backward and I squeeze myself out of everyone's way. It's Paige. She pulls me backward and I land right in front of Hallie, Keiran, and Brooke.
“Hey!” I say happily. Then I see their faces. No one is smiling.
Keiran looks miserable, Brooke looks bored, and Hallie is shooting Brooke nasty looks. Marleyna is standing a few feet away—of course—and she keeps yelling to Brooke, which is the only time she smiles.
This looks so bad. I wonder if anyone here has noticed. Our first episode hasn't even aired and no one is talking? “What's wrong?” I ask, afraid to hear the answer.
“Ask her,” Hallie seethes, glaring at Brooke.
“We're ready to take the group shot,” Paige interrupts, and motions for us to follow. She leads the way to the back of the restaurant, where there is another The Cliffs poster surrounded by the Fire and Ice logo.
“Is everything okay?” I ask Brooke as we walk.
“I guess,” Brooke says, not looking at me.
“What could have happened in the last ten minutes that I missed?” I try again. “I just saw you whooping it up on the red carpet.”
“That was before she found out about the group shot we're taking and freaked out about you standing front and center,” Hallie jumps in angrily.
Brooke gives her a look. “Is there anything wrong with asking if we can all have a chance at being in the middle? Charlie isn't the only star of this show.”
Brooke drags out the word star and I feel like roadkill. “Are we back on that again?” If there weren't so many people around, I'd tell Brooke what it's really time for—a major smackdown about what a jerk she's become.
“Forget it,” Brooke says, looking mad. “You wouldn't understand. She said you wouldn't.”
“Who?” Keiran asks. “Marleyna?”
“I don't need this,” Brooke says, and stomps off to stand with her new best friend while we wait for the photographer to set up the shot.
“This is insane,” I tell the others. “I thought things were okay again. She just had lunch with us yesterday!”
“Did you really think things were okay?” Keiran says wryly. “I figured she was only eating lunch with us because she had no one else to eat it with. Give it three weeks and she'll be begging for a scholarship to the Ross School to go with Marleyna.”
“Ready, girls?” Paige asks. “Charlie, stand in the middle. Maybe stand a foot in front of the others too.”
“Shocker,” Brooke mutters under her breath loud enough for Marleyna to hear from the sidelines. She laughs loudly, reminding me of a hyena.
“Get over it, Brooke,” I snap and she stares at me, shocked. Even Paige's jaw drops. “Your green streak about the show is getting stale.”
“Maybe you're the one who's jealous,” Brooke says icily. “You can't handle the fact that everyone likes Marleyna and my scenes. They're ten times more exciting than the lame ones of you making cappuccinos.”
“Girls, not here,” Paige says through gritted teeth, looking around. But it's too late. We're on a roll.
“I guess I don't have to do a dog and pony show to make my scenes appealing,” I seethe. “I'm exciting enough just standing around in my apron. I don't have to borrow people's yachts or go shopping with money I don't have to get good screentime.” Brooke pales and Hallie can't help but snort.
“Girls, there are reporters here,” Paige tries to interject.
“You're pathetic,” Brooke spits. “You never wanted the spotlight or a better life, the way I do. You're all happy to stick around this dump. Well, I'm not! You want to hold me back, but you can't. This friendship is too toxic to continue.”
“Get Addison,” I hear Paige instruct someone. “Quick!”
“Toxic?” I blare. “All we've ever done is support you. But it's never enough for you! If the spotlight isn't all yours, you're not happy.”
“Hi, girls.” Susan appears out of nowhere. She looks great in a tight black beaded skirt and a black tank that has beading around the neckline. “Is there a problem?” She looks from me to Brooke. We both shake our heads no. I feel my face begin to burn. “Good.” Susan's smile is thin. “Let's take some pictures, shall we? Charlie, stand next to me. Everyone smile.”
FLASH! The photographer starts shooting and I have to remind myself to grin. After several shots, he lets us go.
“Ready for your big debut?” Susan asks us. I'm too afraid to speak.
“Absolutely,” Brooke gushes, answering for all of us. “This has been a dream come true and we're so lucky you made it a reality.”
Hallie gives me an eye roll and I force myself not to laugh.
“How are you doing, Charlie?” Susan turns to me and asks. “Addison said you had a rough week. You broke up with Zac?”
“He wasn't actually her boyfriend,” Brooke interjects.
I shoot daggers at her. “He didn't want to be on the show,” I explain.
“That's too bad,” Susan says regretfully. “You'll find some people can't handle your new fame while others want to be around you just to be famous by extension.” I look at Brooke, wishing I could telepathically tell her how well that describes Marleyna. “I'm sure you'll meet someone better suited to your new lifestyle before you know it.”
“Maybe.” I don't really believe that. Despite what everyone's said, I know Zac is a keeper. Whether he wants to be on TV or not shouldn't be a factor. If anything, I should be more impressed that he doesn't want to pimp himself out like Marleyna does.
“I know you have some more photos to do so I'll let you all get to it,” Susan says with a smile, but before she can go, I grab her arm.
Susan will listen to my griping. She told me she would that day at our contract signing. “Susan, I was just wondering if you got my voice mails,” I ask quietly, stepping aside so no one else can hear.
“Yes,” Susan says. “I'm sorry I haven't had time to call you back, but I've been taking them very seriously. The last thing we want is for our star to be unhappy.”
“So you'll keep Marleyna out of our group scenes?” I ask hopefully.
“I'd like to do that, but I'm not sure I can,” Susan says evenly. “Addison is really pushing for Marleyna to be part of the show.”
“She is?” I ask. “But…” That's not what she said, I want to say, but am afraid to.
“I'll talk to her about it again,” Susan assures me, patting me on the shoulder. “I know Addison likes the footage she's getting of Brooke and Marleyna, but I'll remind her that it shouldn't come at your expense. Keep me posted if you have any more problems, okay? I may not be around every day, but I'm always watching.”
“Thanks,” I say, feeling more confused than ever. Didn't Addison say it was the other way around?
“I'll see you four after the show for a toast,” Susan promises as she walks away.
“Charlie?” Paige calls me. “Just a few more shots.”
I turn back to the group, stand in the middle, avoid eye contact with Brooke, and smile. When we're done, Brooke stomps off. Instead of getting myself more worked up, I tell Keiran and Hallie what Susan just told me.
“So I guess Addison is lying,” Hallie says, sounding confused. “Right?”
“Not necessarily,” Keiran interjects. “I'm sure it's the other way around.”
“Why would Susan lie?” I ask. “She's in charge of the show.”
Keiran shakes her head. “I'm sick of this! All I get is dumped on by Brooke, by this show, by my parents…” She looks miserable and I'm worried. It's not like her to explode.
“Kiki, is this Brooke thing what's really bothering you?” I ask. “Or is something else going on?”
“I don't want to talk about it right now,” she says. “I want to enjoy the party.”
“People were begging me to get them in,” Hallie says, to lighten the mood. “I had to have Addison get Brandon in for
me since he wasn't on the list. Too bad Marleyna wasn't left off it.”
We look at Brooke's new BF, who is applying what looks like her seventeenth coat of lip gloss.
“I do have some good news to report,” Hallie tells us. “Guess who just signed a contract to have a recurring role on our show? Brandon! Addison asked him and he said yes without hesitating.” Then Hallie looked at me. Horrified, she added, “I didn't mean it like it sounded.”
“It's okay.” I push the thoughts of Zac out of my head. “I'm so happy for you, Hallie.”
“Susan is taking the mic,” Keiran points out. “We should find a seat.”
“Thank you so much for coming,” Susan says as we grab a couch near one of the large, flat-panel TVs they brought in. Ryan rushes over with some iced coffee and a platter of fruit. “I'm thrilled to be here for the first of what I hope is many episodes of The Cliffs,” Susan continues. “Charlie and her friends have been a pleasure to work with and I think you'll find their dynamic and their situations riveting not just because you know the girls, but because they represent what every teen goes through, whether they live in a small town or a big city. Enjoy the show!”
Everyone claps. A few people whistle. I look around. Mom and Dad are sitting a few tables away with Keiran's and Hallie's families. Brooke's are nowhere to be seen. The lights begin to dim and I grab Keiran's hand tightly and squeeze. She grabs Hallie's. My heart begins to race in anticipation. Here we go…
The theme song is the first thing I hear. It's a song I don't recognize, but it's loud and quick and images of Cliffside flash by. The Long Island Sound, Milk and Sugar (which gets a loud holler), Main Street, the pier, the Crab Shack… you name it, it's on here. Then you see the four of us, walking along the beach, laughing.
We look so happy together that it instantly makes me sad. I turn quickly and look for Brooke. She is sitting a few seats away with Marleyna and she stares at the screen intently. I notice her face darken and I look at the TV again. The first credit is mine. They show three images of me—one laughing, one at work, one at the beach. Then Hallie's, Keiran's, and Brooke's names follow, along with one shot of each of them. The show finally starts and I see our first taping. We were at the Crab Shack and we were all so nervous.
“This should be hilarious,” Hallie whispers to us. “We were so stiff.”
We are. It is a little awkward to watch. But people laugh at the appropriate parts and clap when they see Hallie's parents onscreen. The next thing you see is Patrick, the guy who cheated on Hallie, and Hallie running over to talk to him. They flash to Brooke, who rolls her eyes. “Could she keep her hormones in check for just one afternoon?”
Whoa. I don't remember her saying that.
Hallie's head—the real Hallie, that is—whips around and stares at her. Next comes my brief moment with Zac. You only see the back of him, since he wouldn't sign the waiver. You can hear me talking and I cringe, knowing my parents are watching. They flash back to our table. Another eye roll from Brooke. Then one from Keiran. Huh?
“She'll never make a move with him,” Keiran says. I turn to her, surprised.
“Charlie, that's not what I said at all,” Keiran insists. “I was talking about Hallie, not you.”
But it doesn't look that way. At least not the way it
was edited. Same goes for my comment a few minutes later about Keiran. “She'll never stand up to her parents.” But that's not what I meant! I said so much more than that. I remember.
“If she doesn't get what she wants, she can't deal,” we hear Hallie say about Brooke, and the rest of us agree. Brooke glares at us.
“But that's not how we said it,” I tell Hallie. I look around. “Remember? We were talking about clothes, not guys.”
Next there is a commercial break. My parents look slightly stunned and my face flushes. I stare at Ryan—who heard me say on tape how much I hate working dead shifts at Milk and Sugar—and he gives me a small smile. Not his usual effervescent one.
“I need air,” I tell the girls and jump up before anyone can stop me. I walk quickly to the back of the restaurant, swinging through the kitchen door and walking past Grady without letting anyone get a word in. I'm not watching where I'm going and I bang right into a waiter carrying a tray of mini egg rolls. Fire and Ice hired their own staff for the food tonight, but Ryan and Milk and Sugar are handling the drinks.
“Whoa, slow down,” the guy says as the egg rolls slide to the floor.
“I'm so sorry,” I apologize, bending down to pick them up.
“Don't worry about it,” he tells me and does the same. “I didn't pay for them.”
This for some reason makes me laugh. I look up at him and suck in my breath.
He's really cute. Like Chace Crawford cute, with long bangs, light brown hair, and incredible gray eyes. He gives me a lopsided grin. “You look like you could use some air,” he says.
“You noticed?” I ask dryly.
“Want some company?” he asks.
I'm about to say yes, when Hallie bursts through the kitchen doors. “It's back on!”
“I have to go,” I say, wishing I didn't.
“Maybe later,” he says and holds out his hand. I take it. It's warm and he's got a firm handshake. “I'm Danny.”
“Charlotte,” I say. “But you can call me Charlie.”
“It was nice bumping into you, Charlie.” He winks. “Maybe we can do it again.”
I rush out of the kitchen and jump back into my seat. As excited as I am, my mood doesn't last long because the next segment is more of the same—the four of us are
constantly bickering. I had no idea we did it that much! Almost everything I've said has been taken out of context. And I'm sure it's the same for the others, but it's hard not to bristle at the comments. Hallie talking about Keiran being a wallflower… Brooke acting obnoxious about our less expensive clothes… Me going on and on about our weekend plans to the point where Keiran snaps, “Who made her the cruise director?” Ouch.
Keiran is no longer holding my hand. Hallie is staring straight at the screen. I glance quickly at Brooke, and Marleyna has her arm around her sympathetically. We'll be lucky if Brooke ever talks to us again after this episode. She just heard Keiran, Hallie, and me call her a barracuda.
The show creeps by and the room gets quieter and quieter. I feel my heart pounding loudly and I'm sweating. What is everyone thinking? What are my friends thinking? I don't think I can handle watching another episode of our show if it is like this one. We all look beautiful—I don't know how the cameras do it, but our skin and makeup are flawless—and our tiny town looks like the Hamptons. The shots are gorgeous, but it doesn't feel…
Real.
When it's over, Brooke jumps up and escapes through the kitchen. I follow, and Keiran and Hallie are right behind me.
“Brooke, wait up,” I tell her, as I rush past Danny and out the back doors.
Brooke whirls around. “You have a lot of nerve trailing me.”
“Me? What about you?” I blurt out. “You're the one who called me controlling and a dictator.”
“You called me obnoxious and a barracuda!” Brooke's voice is shrill.
“Guys, calm down,” Keiran says. “Half that stuff was taken out of context. We didn't say those things that way.”
“We didn't?” Brooke asks, and crosses her arms, her bracelet dangling. “So, Keiran, you don't think I'm a snob?”
“Well, no, it's just…” Keiran trails off.
“Whatever.” Brooke holds up her hand. “You were barely in the show. You had nothing interesting to say anyway!”
My breathing practically stops. Ouch.
“Unlike you, who was all over every shot,” Hallie says angrily. “You're a camera hog!”
“I can't help it that the lens loves me!” Brooke is unapologetic.
“Hold up!” I yell. “We're ripping each other apart! Why? Because of a TV show? We promised we wouldn't do this. We knew it would be edited. They want good TV
and they cut it to look a certain way.”
“Um, guys?” I think Keiran is trying to get our attention, but I'm too fired up to focus.
“You promised not to,” Brooke tells me. “But you're not the boss of me anymore. I don't take orders from Charlotte Reed on the show or off. What I saw tonight only proves Marleyna is right. You three have always been jealous of me. We are no longer friends.”
“Fine!” Hallie yells back. “But know this: we're not jealous of you. Marleyna is. We don't want to be anything like either of you!” She's literally shaking she's so mad.
“Marleyna will say anything to keep herself on TV,” I add angrily. “We've been your friends for years. How can you not see that?”
“Because she's blind,” Hallie answers for her. “She's always wanted to be Marleyna Garrison's pathetic lackey and now that she is, she's done with us.”
Brooke raises her hand and for a moment I think she's going to hit Hallie. “What I see is the show is all about you and it shouldn't be.” Brooke points a finger shakily in my direction. “Well, it's not going to be that way anymore.”
“Guys?” Keiran tries again.
“Are you threatening us?” My eyes are seriously going to pop out of my head. “Because since this is my show, I can have you fired!” Okay, I doubt that, but I'm really mad.
Brooke laughs. “I'd like to see you try! You wanted this to be the Charlie show so you could have the glory to yourself. Imagine what you'd be getting paid if we weren't each getting eight thousand dollars an episode!”
“You mean ten thousand dollars an episode,” I correct her.
Brooke's eyes bulge and I immediately realize I've said the wrong thing. “You get ten?” she screams. “I knew it!”
“I get six thousand,” Keiran says quietly and we're all stunned for a moment.
“I get eight,” Hallie says sheepishly.
“You are not the star here,” Brooke tells me and her eyes are watery with angry tears. Her mascara is running down her cheeks, but I'm sure mine is too. I can't believe how emotional I'm getting. “You're not as interesting as me. I don't know what they're thinking, but they're wrong and I'm going to change their minds!”