Drama

Chapter 33: Lost
Leila’s P.O.V.

These past 2 weeks have probably been the most amazing time I’ve ever spent in LA. Being with Niall is truly a fantasy and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. We went everywhere and anywhere we could even if it meant being caught by the paparazzi because sometimes you need a little thrill in your life. It makes it less boring and a life worth living. My favorite part was when he took me to a movie premiere so I had to dress up all fancy and I even got to walk the red carpet! It was extraordinary and Niall even pointed out that I have to get used to that because soon I’ll be walking it for my own premiere.

Niall also convinced me to let him stay at my apartment and honestly, it’s hard to say no to that innocent face. I insisted that he tell his uncle he’s back in LA, though, and he agreed, but he lied to him and said he was staying at one of his guy friends’ place for a while to spend time with him. His uncle surprisingly took it very well and Niall is now staying with Madison and me.

Now it is Monday morning and time to go back to work, or in my case, my dream. But it’s hard picturing it as my dream nowadays because of Spencer’s shit and the deal with Alexa and Max going on. It feels like it’s just something that I like to do with the exception of all of this to handle.

“Are you coming with me?” I ask Niall while I sit down at the table to eat something.

“Yeah I was planning on it, why?” he responds, padding into the kitchen.

“I was just wondering,” I reply, eating.

“Are you worried?” he questions.

“Kind of. I have no idea what’s going to happen,” I answer, not feeling hungry anymore. I stand up and take my plate to the sink, Niall and I basically flipping positions.

“It’ll be just fine, I promise,” Niall delivers.

“I’m holding you to that,” I respond. Niall chuckles and continues eating while I gather my stuff ready. It feels weird getting it all together again after a 2 week break, but it does feel satisfying since this is the reason I moved here, anyways.

About 10 minutes later, Niall and I are off to the studio. We walk hand-in-hand down the block and into the streets of the busy city, reminiscing on the spontaneous break. Entering in the building, I’m laughing my head off and it takes me a couple of minutes to calm down and focus. Niall leads me into the meeting room and I instantly spot Alexa looking a lot better than she did 2 weeks ago. She still has her casts on but she’s moving around and she has color on her cheeks, too. Niall and I pull out the chairs by her and engage in a friendly chat.

“Hello, hello! Good morning!” Mr. Conners declares as he walks in the room with a stack of freshly printed scripts. “Glad to see you’re all back and ready to work again! But before I hand these out, there are a few announcements. Alexa is back and feeling so much better since the accident, so she is continuing on with us!”

Mr. Conners pauses as our cast applauds Alexa and I can see her face light up with a smile.

“On the other hand, I have been visiting Max quite frequently and the good news is that he woke up from the coma last week, but, and I hate to say this, he lost some of his memory and he was also paralyzed, so we have no idea what his situation is going to be like. Unfortunately, he is not able to continue with us and that may be the case for years to come. His condition is worse than what I thought and the only things to do now are either cut him out of the script completely or replace him. I am still discussing that with the writers and producers, but that does not concern any of you at this time.”

I take a deep breath and look over at Alexa. Shiny, wet tears are pouring down her face and I reach over to hug her. I’m almost at that point of crying, too. I can’t believe Max won’t be with us anymore. I glance over at Niall and even he has wet eyes.

“But, the show must go on, so here are the new scripts and let’s get started,” Mr. Conners instructs, handing out the scripts.

The morning goes by kind of rough as Max’s empty presence is definitely felt in the room. As we read through the script, I know he would love this episode and exactly what his character would do. I don’t want Mr. Conners to find a replacement for him because the actor wouldn’t be the same. He wouldn’t give Max’s character the same personality and it would drive me crazy if that happened. Please, please write him out, if anything.

Halfway through our reading, Niall whispers to me that he needs to go do something and that he probably won’t meet me for lunch. I nod and he exits the room quietly as I try to focus on my script again. At least I’ll have Alexa for lunch. And that thought causes Max to pop up again. I shake my head and look down at the many words I have to memorize.

Soon, we are dismissed for lunch and I invite Alexa to come with me. That is, until an extra appears next to me with some news.

“Hey, your boyfriend has a surprise for you. He told me to tell you to meet him in the park closest to here,” she says, and walks away. That seemed kind of odd, but at the same time, it makes sense. But then why would Niall tell me that he wouldn’t be eating lunch with me? I ask Alexa that and her response causes me to understand.

“He probably told you that because he didn’t want you to suspect anything. It is a surprise, after all,” she shrugs, struggling to pack her things.

I help her with that and continue on with my thought, “Yeah, probably.”

“I know what you’re thinking. Go meet up with him! I’ll be fine here,” Alexa adds.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes! Now go!” she persuades, practically pushing me out of the door.

I laugh at her attempts and exit the building, walking towards the park that we’ve eaten lunch at a few times. I’m very cautious about my surroundings in case another drunk driver is around, but once I reach the park, I let out a deep breath and relax.

Looking around, all I see are little kids playing on the jungle gym and parents talking together. Niall is definitely not in sight, especially where we usually sit and eat. I walk the perimeter of the park and I still don’t see him. I’m so confused, so I pull out my phone and text him: Hey, where are you?

I decide to relax in our spot and people watch. It’s a nice day and the warm sun feels really nice on my body, calming me down. Until I get a reply from Niall: I’m at my uncle’s house getting a few things

What? I respond back: Someone told me you had a surprise waiting for me in the park where we usually eat lunch, where I am now…

Niall: Sorry, love, I told you I might not make it back in time. And I didn’t tell anyone besides you that I was leaving. I’m sorry there’s no surprise, I wasn’t planning one…

Me: It’s ok, it’s not your fault. Just do what you have to do, I’ll meet you back home later tonight

Sighing, I check the time and slide my phone back in my bag. I have just enough time to run to a fast food place and grab something. So that’s what I do and thankfully, I make it back to the studio without running late, eating my lunch as I walked back.

As I throw my trash away in the garbage, I see Spencer and Sierra talking together in the corner. They look like they’re planning something, but as soon as they catch my eye, they giggle. Rolling my eyes, I dismiss them and head back into the room, taking out my script and studying my lines.

After a few minutes, both of the girls enter in the room and approach me. I sigh and look up at them. This can’t be good.

“Hey, Leila, have a nice time in the park?” Sierra jokes, holding back her laughter.

“Seems like Niall stood you up, huh?” Spencer adds, and both girls walk away snorting.

They set me up. They fucking set me up. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that earlier. My anger boils and I’m ready to snap at them, but Alexa walks in followed by Mr. Conners, so I can’t do anything. How did I let this happen to me again?

Notes