Drama
Chapter 9: Topic of Discussion
Leila's P.O.V.
My alarm blasts into my ear on Monday morning and I grudgingly roll out of bed to get ready for today. I quickly shower and change into my outfit I had set aside last night, padding into the kitchen to grab some breakfast. Seizing my bag with my stuff, I head out of my apartment and walk the few blocks to the studio.
It seems like there must have been some police action taken to get rid of the screaming girls and paparazzi from the entrances to the building because no one is there anymore. It’s great to finally see an old sight again, even though the first time I was here was only a week ago.
I enter through the main doors this time, ready for this week. Now that I understand how it all works and how each day is going to be, I feel a bit more comfortable with everything.
Walking past all the sets, I find the hallway where the meeting room is, or where we had our table read last week. Many members of my cast are already seated around the table, chatting with each other about their weekends or gossiping about the latest news. A few pairs of eyes stare at me as I pick out a chair and I instantly close up a little bit. Why are they staring at me? Did I do something wrong?
“Leila! A word, now!” a voice shouts from the doorway of the room, causing me to jump. I look up and it’s Spencer. Oh great.
I get up from my seat and shuffle out of the room, following Spencer to a little random room with some electrical equipment set up. She shuts the door and faces me.
“What is this?” she demands, pulling out her phone and showing me something. There, on the top of the homepage of The Hollywood Gossip, is a picture of me and Niall in the alley, the caption reading: “Niall Horan’s Mystery Girl!”
“I-uh, I-”
“You, what?” Spencer begins. “Are you and Niall dating?”
“I-no, we’re just friends,” I explain.
“Oh, you’re ‘just friends’, ‘just friends’ that got caught by the paparazzi in an alley together sneaking around?!” she shrieks.
“It’s a long story!” I say.
“Yeah, a long story that everyone would like to know about. Well, let me just tell you something. You remember when I told you and Alexa that now is my chance to be with him? Yeah, me! Not you. Niall is mine, got it?!”
“O-okay,” I stutter, feeling intimidated by her long, dangerous stare.
“So nothing like this is ever going to happen again, will it?” Spencer challenges, practically shoving her phone into my face.
“No,” I answer.
“Good,” she replies, fixing her shirt. She turns around and opens the door, flinging her hair across her shoulder. She saunters down the hallway and enters the room, while I slowly follow in her footsteps, careful not to set her off again.
I go into the room, more eyes staring at me this time. Everyone shushes and takes their seat, still eyeing me as I walk to my spot. Mr. Conners enters with a whole bunch of new scripts and hands them out to everyone.
We work quickly this morning, now that everyone knows the drill, and soon we’re excused for lunch. I slide my script into my bag and meet up with Alexa and Max. My subconscious mind looks for Niall as we exit the studio, hoping that he might show up, but reality takes over and he’s not here, so Alexa, Max, and I stroll to go get some lunch.
I actually packed a lunch today, wanting some food you can’t get at a fast food place. We stop at an In-N-Out Burger for Max and Alexa to find something to eat, and then we head over to a small park to eat our food. It’s a nice day for a picnic, so why not?
We set up and dig in hungrily. After a few bites, Alexa starts off a conversation.
“So what did Spencer want this morning? I could hear her yelling as I passed the room you two were in, plus people were telling me that Spencer just called you out randomly as you came in.”
“Well, Niall and I made it into the news,” I begin.
“What?” Alexa exclaims, almost choking on her burger. Max even looks at me wide-eyed, too.
“Yeah. The paps got a good picture of us in the alley when you ran back to get your car. They labeled it, ‘Niall Horan’s Mystery Girl,’” I quote.
“Woah, what the hell happened this weekend?” Max asks, looking between Alexa and I.
“A lot,” Alexa says, sighing. “But anyways…”
“Anyways, Spencer saw it and literally accused me of dating him, which isn’t true, but she yelled at me for ruining her chance to be with him,” I explain. “She emphasized that Niall is hers, not mine.”
“Wait, wait, wait, Spencer wants him?” Max questions.
“Yeah,” I reply, nodding my head.
“But she hates him!” Max exclaims.
“Not anymore. You heard Niall, she’s been nice to him these past couple of days and he doesn’t know why,” Alexa points out.
“Why does she want him? She’s hated him ever since she’s met him….” Max trails off.
“Maybe she’s seen that he’s changed, that he’s grown up and not a little boy anymore,” Alexa says.
“Yeah, maybe. But still, it’s weird,” Max replies, shaking his head and finishing his lunch.
As I think of reasons why Spencer would be doing this, I remember that Niall told me if anything happens between Spencer and I again, I should tell him. But the problem is, do I tell him this? It’s about him, so part of me says yes. But I would feel awkward relaying this information to him, so the other half says no. I contemplate this the entire walk back to the studio, and by the time we arrive, I still haven’t made a decision.
The rest of the day passes quickly with Spencer giving me death glares the whole time. I’m relieved when we are released so I can get out of her horrendous stare. Packing up quickly, I race back to my apartment and finally relax. Madison’s cooking something new in the kitchen, so I tell her the crazy story about Spencer this morning. Madison also thinks it’s weird that Spencer would be acting like this, but also freaks out a little when I tell her that Niall and I are in the news.
We eat our dinner and I settle into the couch, actually pulling out my phone and going on social networks. Niall’s Mystery Girl is the #1 trending topic on Twitter and I look at some of the comments people are saying. Some people actually ship us while most are giving me death threats and basically acting like Spencer. Reading through these comments makes my stomach churn as I scroll past things like: “She’s ugly!” “She better stay away from him!” “Niall can find someone better!” “She’s just a nobody, a wannabe!” My self esteem drops lower as I realize that people are judging me even though they don’t even know me. They don’t even know my name, and yet they have the nerve to call me names and be mean to me. Wow, now I know what it feels like to be on the other side…
I exit out of Twitter and open up Facebook to connect with my friends back home. Many of them have seen the picture and there are so many notifications from people asking me if it’s true. I decide to write a status explaining the situation in a brief story because they don’t need to know the details, and also the status would be very long and I don’t think people want to be reading a novel.
I finish writing my status and post it, and after I see that it’s been posted, I turn off my phone and focus on the TV, trying to forget everything I’ve read. But as the night progresses and I crawl into bed, I remember every negative word I saw on the screen, slowly eating out my insides until I can’t take it anymore. I need to tell someone about this, and there’s only one person who really understands what it’s like.
My alarm blasts into my ear on Monday morning and I grudgingly roll out of bed to get ready for today. I quickly shower and change into my outfit I had set aside last night, padding into the kitchen to grab some breakfast. Seizing my bag with my stuff, I head out of my apartment and walk the few blocks to the studio.
It seems like there must have been some police action taken to get rid of the screaming girls and paparazzi from the entrances to the building because no one is there anymore. It’s great to finally see an old sight again, even though the first time I was here was only a week ago.
I enter through the main doors this time, ready for this week. Now that I understand how it all works and how each day is going to be, I feel a bit more comfortable with everything.
Walking past all the sets, I find the hallway where the meeting room is, or where we had our table read last week. Many members of my cast are already seated around the table, chatting with each other about their weekends or gossiping about the latest news. A few pairs of eyes stare at me as I pick out a chair and I instantly close up a little bit. Why are they staring at me? Did I do something wrong?
“Leila! A word, now!” a voice shouts from the doorway of the room, causing me to jump. I look up and it’s Spencer. Oh great.
I get up from my seat and shuffle out of the room, following Spencer to a little random room with some electrical equipment set up. She shuts the door and faces me.
“What is this?” she demands, pulling out her phone and showing me something. There, on the top of the homepage of The Hollywood Gossip, is a picture of me and Niall in the alley, the caption reading: “Niall Horan’s Mystery Girl!”
“I-uh, I-”
“You, what?” Spencer begins. “Are you and Niall dating?”
“I-no, we’re just friends,” I explain.
“Oh, you’re ‘just friends’, ‘just friends’ that got caught by the paparazzi in an alley together sneaking around?!” she shrieks.
“It’s a long story!” I say.
“Yeah, a long story that everyone would like to know about. Well, let me just tell you something. You remember when I told you and Alexa that now is my chance to be with him? Yeah, me! Not you. Niall is mine, got it?!”
“O-okay,” I stutter, feeling intimidated by her long, dangerous stare.
“So nothing like this is ever going to happen again, will it?” Spencer challenges, practically shoving her phone into my face.
“No,” I answer.
“Good,” she replies, fixing her shirt. She turns around and opens the door, flinging her hair across her shoulder. She saunters down the hallway and enters the room, while I slowly follow in her footsteps, careful not to set her off again.
I go into the room, more eyes staring at me this time. Everyone shushes and takes their seat, still eyeing me as I walk to my spot. Mr. Conners enters with a whole bunch of new scripts and hands them out to everyone.
We work quickly this morning, now that everyone knows the drill, and soon we’re excused for lunch. I slide my script into my bag and meet up with Alexa and Max. My subconscious mind looks for Niall as we exit the studio, hoping that he might show up, but reality takes over and he’s not here, so Alexa, Max, and I stroll to go get some lunch.
I actually packed a lunch today, wanting some food you can’t get at a fast food place. We stop at an In-N-Out Burger for Max and Alexa to find something to eat, and then we head over to a small park to eat our food. It’s a nice day for a picnic, so why not?
We set up and dig in hungrily. After a few bites, Alexa starts off a conversation.
“So what did Spencer want this morning? I could hear her yelling as I passed the room you two were in, plus people were telling me that Spencer just called you out randomly as you came in.”
“Well, Niall and I made it into the news,” I begin.
“What?” Alexa exclaims, almost choking on her burger. Max even looks at me wide-eyed, too.
“Yeah. The paps got a good picture of us in the alley when you ran back to get your car. They labeled it, ‘Niall Horan’s Mystery Girl,’” I quote.
“Woah, what the hell happened this weekend?” Max asks, looking between Alexa and I.
“A lot,” Alexa says, sighing. “But anyways…”
“Anyways, Spencer saw it and literally accused me of dating him, which isn’t true, but she yelled at me for ruining her chance to be with him,” I explain. “She emphasized that Niall is hers, not mine.”
“Wait, wait, wait, Spencer wants him?” Max questions.
“Yeah,” I reply, nodding my head.
“But she hates him!” Max exclaims.
“Not anymore. You heard Niall, she’s been nice to him these past couple of days and he doesn’t know why,” Alexa points out.
“Why does she want him? She’s hated him ever since she’s met him….” Max trails off.
“Maybe she’s seen that he’s changed, that he’s grown up and not a little boy anymore,” Alexa says.
“Yeah, maybe. But still, it’s weird,” Max replies, shaking his head and finishing his lunch.
As I think of reasons why Spencer would be doing this, I remember that Niall told me if anything happens between Spencer and I again, I should tell him. But the problem is, do I tell him this? It’s about him, so part of me says yes. But I would feel awkward relaying this information to him, so the other half says no. I contemplate this the entire walk back to the studio, and by the time we arrive, I still haven’t made a decision.
The rest of the day passes quickly with Spencer giving me death glares the whole time. I’m relieved when we are released so I can get out of her horrendous stare. Packing up quickly, I race back to my apartment and finally relax. Madison’s cooking something new in the kitchen, so I tell her the crazy story about Spencer this morning. Madison also thinks it’s weird that Spencer would be acting like this, but also freaks out a little when I tell her that Niall and I are in the news.
We eat our dinner and I settle into the couch, actually pulling out my phone and going on social networks. Niall’s Mystery Girl is the #1 trending topic on Twitter and I look at some of the comments people are saying. Some people actually ship us while most are giving me death threats and basically acting like Spencer. Reading through these comments makes my stomach churn as I scroll past things like: “She’s ugly!” “She better stay away from him!” “Niall can find someone better!” “She’s just a nobody, a wannabe!” My self esteem drops lower as I realize that people are judging me even though they don’t even know me. They don’t even know my name, and yet they have the nerve to call me names and be mean to me. Wow, now I know what it feels like to be on the other side…
I exit out of Twitter and open up Facebook to connect with my friends back home. Many of them have seen the picture and there are so many notifications from people asking me if it’s true. I decide to write a status explaining the situation in a brief story because they don’t need to know the details, and also the status would be very long and I don’t think people want to be reading a novel.
I finish writing my status and post it, and after I see that it’s been posted, I turn off my phone and focus on the TV, trying to forget everything I’ve read. But as the night progresses and I crawl into bed, I remember every negative word I saw on the screen, slowly eating out my insides until I can’t take it anymore. I need to tell someone about this, and there’s only one person who really understands what it’s like.
Notes
Hey guys! Thanks for reading! Keep voting and sharing!Please follow me on Twitter: @leikelamichelle
Also, please read the other fanfic I'm co-writing: "Friendship Never Ends" with @StepHarry!
Rachel :)
Make a Sequel please.
9/13/14