FanGirl (27 page)

A thrill runs through me. “Tell me more.”

ZWankHard

Folks, we’d really love to write you a fascinating article today, but the truth is, we are speechless.

I KNOW. IT’S A FIRST.

Mere days after scandalous reports of zombie fighter Andrew Xavier being seen
compromised
with another man (not that we judge), Ruby Miller appears ready to move on. And by ‘move on’ we mean ‘prepare for warp speed, stand by transwarp drive!’

So, finding Ruby Miller lip-locked with another member of the Zocopalypse family was a bit of a shock, you see, but what gets us is the set of lips she’s so steamily attached to.

They belong to none other than creator and writer Gabe Foster.

We’ll give you a moment to fully absorb this (and to look at the picture below taken during a break on set two days ago).

Done?

So, you understand the whole being speechless thing. We’re all pretty bummed, you know? We had all this great material passive-aggressively questioning Ruby’s wholesome girl-next-door reputation, not to mention how her getting the leading role in this movie suddenly makes a lot more sense, but we have no words.

Well.

Except for those, of course.

“I still can’t believe you took that picture.” I click the mouse and enlarge the photograph ZWankHard has posted at the bottom of their article. Just like Reid described, Gabe and I are in an undeniable lip-lock, next to the prop truck on set.

“That’s what you get for thinking you can be sneaky with a hundred cast and crew members nearby. It’s a movie set, Ruby, there are more cameras there than people,” Iris says. She clicks her mouse, moving from page to page. “Well, I guess we caught him. What a dumbass.”

“I know. I really didn’t think it would work. I thought he was smarter than that.”

“He is smarter than that, but his ego is even bigger.”

“True.” I stand up and go to the closet, pulling out some clothes. Gabe and I have a rare night off and we have movie night at his apartment planned. Godzilla. I’ve never seen it. After a minute, I ask Iris the question that has been on my mind all day. “Do you think it cheapens what Gabe and I have started by using it this way? Look what happened last time I let the media get involved.”

Iris turns away from the computer. “I think there are two ways to look at this. Everything about the movie industry is about PR, which means either you can use the media or the media can use you. Reid used you to gain his own twisted sense of celebrity in the fandom. It may seem like he still has the upper hand with that post, but it was intentional. We wanted it out there and we were prepared with the counter-spin. In fact, I had already written, edited and submitted my own version before ZWankHard hit the air. You still look a little skanky jumping from one guy to the other, but in the end, you and the movie will be fine.”

“What’s next?”

“Next, Gabe and Nick talk to the lawyers. Reid is in serious trouble. The script and the hacked photos. It carries a fine, if not jail time.”

“Wow.”

“It’s possible, though, that they will settle with him. He does still have a major, fan-based website. I don’t know. It will be interesting to see, don’t you think?”

I dig through the pile of clothes on my bed and settle on some jeans and a black tank with a robot on the front. “It’s weird though, having everyone know about me and Gabe when it’s so new. The thing with Andrew was always fake. It was like another day at work.”

“For what it’s worth,” Iris says, tossing me my phone I left on the bed. “I think this is real. Really real.”

I smile at my friend. “Me too.”

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QueenAlex

@z.net Ruby + Gabe! Wut?

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Wyattsbabe

@z.net Told you. Andrew dropped her like a bad habit. I knew it was sketch when she got the part.

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Hatchetlover

@z.net I don’t care. I want to see the movie! Have we forgotten this?

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Queenwannabee

@z.net@alexkicksZass what was that? R-U-B-Y-M-I-L-L-E-R skank? Big surprise *eyeroll*

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Wootyeahboys

@z.net I will use this moment to say “I told you so.”

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Zombieprincess

@z.net Gabe Foster? I’d take a hit of that please.

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Hatchetlover

@z.net so who’s behind @ZWankHard anyway?

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Andrewspants
@z.net So what you’re saying is we GET TO SEE ANDREW IN CHAPS? Right? #onetrackmind

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WyattluvsAlex

@z.net ha ha ha I knew they were faking. KNEW IT!

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Z.net

Despite all the drama, filming continues as usual! Things are wrapping up — last week on set!

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g

Gabe’s fingers latch onto
mine the minute I get to his place. I don’t mind. There’s nothing better than the sweet spot of a new relationship. The days when a touch between skin feels like a hot bolt of lightning rushing to the heart. Besides our hands, our legs tangle together on the soft leather couch and, more than once, I feel Gabe’s breath on my neck. Bliss.

“Goblins Vs. Unicorns is way better than this,” I say, watching the monster-dragon-lizard thing destroy Japan. Gabe insisted on the original 1954 version, which is fine, although it’s hard to read subtitles when the person next to you is being so distracting.

Gabe shakes his head. “You have no respect for the classics.”

“I really don’t.”

“When I was 12, I wrote an entire series about Godzilla coming through Atlanta and wiping it out. The final scene was him on top of Stone Mountain being attacked by fighter jets and helicopters.”

“What you’re saying is you have a thing about destroying this city.”

“It was all I knew. I’d never lived anywhere else. The first time I left the south was when I went to school.”

School. My orientation is in three weeks. And Gabe? I suppose he has to go home. “Do you like New York?”

“New York is great. Constant movement. There’s something going on 24/7.” His grip tightens around my waist, pulling me closer. “Will you come see me?”

I flick my eyes to the television and say, “Do you think this will work?”

“What? Us?” I can see his frown when I sneak a glance. “What’s going on?

“Nothing,” I say, removing my hand from his and pulling the blanket we’re sharing protectively over my waist. “Everything. So much has happened this summer. I have school and you’re leaving and I’m not sure I know how to have a long-distance relationship. I mean, the last guy I dated, not including my fake showmance, ended up exposing my flaws across the Internet. I may be jinxed.”

“Well,” he says, taking back my hand, “I promise not to talk about you on the Internet, other than in purely fictional, Alexandra-related ways. And I’m not hiding anything except 73 pristine comic books under my bed, all in plastic sleeves, but that’s more for their worth than out of shame.” He shrugs at his admission and I can’t help but laugh.

“Nerd.”

“Proudly.” He kisses me. “I’ve never done the distance thing before either, but I’m willing to try.”

I nod. “Me too.”

“I’m sensing a pattern here.”

“What kind of pattern.”

“You — and these freak outs. Before you can firmly commit to something, you have to have a meltdown.”

“I do not!”

“You do. And I love it. I’m glad I figured it out now, before I ask you to move in with me or get a dog or marry me or something.”

Heat rushes to my cheeks at the possibilities, but all I can think about is his smile in the flickering black and white light of the television and his lips, soft and warm on my own.

Movie Buzz

Filming wraps this week on
Zocopalypse
, a six-part miniseries based on the popular graphic novel series. But more than zombies are dead on this set. Reports have surfaced that Andrew Xavier and long-time manager Derek Masters have split ways. Word is, the star and his manager have had differing views on how to handle his personal life and recent rumors in the media about the actor’s relationship with co-star Ruby Miller. Neither Andrew or Derek would comment for this story.

Other than a sense of dread in the hollow of my stomach, the last day of filming has little in common with the first. My new-girl nerves have vanished. I’m no longer scared and nervous about proving or making a fool of myself. Today is more sadness than fear. I’m going to miss this.

Our call time is at the unholy hour of 4 a.m. Despite this, a group of paparazzi and fans line the street, held back by a security officer and some weak-looking barricades. The crowd is our biggest yet, but I suppose it’s not unexpected after the media frenzy surrounding me and Andrew, and me and Gabe, and Andrew and James. Rumor has it someone caught wind of us being down here and spread it all over Facebook and Twitter in a matter of minutes. In the makeup tent, I overhear Andrew telling David that by the end of the day, there would likely be twice as many people out there.

#awesome

Dressed and ready, I stand in the parking lot of an abandoned fast food restaurant surveying the scene in front of me. Fake dead bodies are strewn everywhere, both people and zombies. Military Jeeps and trucks are abandoned in the street — the place looks like an actual war zone. Gabe walks around with Nick, making sure things are “right.” I spy his baseball cap and saggy jeans with his notebook in the back pocket. When he turns, I can see the yellow pencil tucked behind his ear. My heart goes wonky and all I can think about is how he’s so cute. So terribly cute and so almost, probably mine.

“Can I get you something from Starbucks? I’m going on a run.” I spin to find NAB with a scrap of paper in his hand, taking orders. This is new. Taylor Lyn usually has the crap job of taking our drink orders. Oh yeah, Taylor Lyn doesn’t work here anymore. Rumor has it Reid, in an attempt to save his own ass, admitted Taylor Lyn may have been the one to snag the pictures of the script from Andrew’s apartment, not to mention being the on-set “Zource.” Sucks to be her.

Andrew walks up behind NAB and says, “black, please.” His eyes are over my shoulder, watching the crew.

NAB scribbles this down. “A Mountain Dew, right? With ice?”

“Um, yeah,” I say, shocked stupid that he’s been paying attention.

“Sure thing,” he says and walks to another group of actors.

I glance at Andrew. He’s also in his costume and I know this may be the last time I see him in those dirty pants and scuffed up boots. Another pang hits my stomach.

“So your BFF Taylor Lyn got fired, huh?” He’s got his eyebrow raised, the one that made him a precocious, but adorable, tween star. His hands are shoved in his jeans and it’s obvious we aren’t as far apart in age as I once felt.

“Apparently.”

“What about us?”

“What? Still BFFs? You want us to braid our hair and paint our nails together?” I ask. “Yeah, we’re good.”

He smiles. “Good.”

“You fired Derek? I bet he was pissed.”

“Furious. I had to get Andre to remove him from my apartment. He’ll probably sue me for breach of contract, but it was time.”

I step closer and give him a hug. He squeezes me back, lifting me off the ground. I tell him, “You did the right thing.”

“I hope so. I hope Carter will talk to me again.”

“Carter?” Oh, the boyfriend. “He should. Firing Derek is a solid leap of faith.”

“Maybe, except I fired Derek for you.”

“Me?”

“It wasn’t right throwing you under the bus like that. He’s a jerk and only thinking about money — my money — not the big picture. I’m not sure when or if I’ll ever go public with my personal life, but the way he handled it wasn’t what I wanted. All the events and girlfriends and stuff. It’s exhausting. I just want to focus on my career right now.”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

We hear shouting and turn to see Gabe and Art arguing over the placement of a tank abandoned in the middle of the road. The sun peeking over the top of the building casts everyone in an orangey light.

“Does it always feel like this?” I ask.

“What?”

“The last day.”

“Yeah, it’s like saying goodbye to a really good friend. Like, one you’ll get to see again, but it will never be the same.”

“That’s sad.”

“That’s acting. You have to be able to let it go so you can move on to the next project.”

This makes me laugh. “I don’t think I have another project.”

“We’ll see,” he says. Art calls our names and waves us over to get ready for filming. “You ready to finish this?”

“Yep, let’s go kick some zombie ass.”

g