Hidden Gem Short Story Collection (9781301405985) (21 page)

“
I think I heard him out
on the stoop, you should go check there,” Jack replied. “But you
should also come hang out more often and when I have friends over.
So that they know I met you.”

“
Or we could take a
picture together as proof.”

“
Really?” Jack’s face lit
up as he grabbed his phone off the counter. “I thought it was
like,
uncouth
, to
ask.” He walked over to Madison, awkwardly standing beside her and
reaching his arm out as far as he could to take the photo. Madison
reached her arm around his waist, pulling herself into him. She
could feel the heat rise in his cheeks as she pressed her face to
his. It had been awhile since she’d taken a fan photo and even
longer since she was happy to do so. She looked at her face on the
screen of Jack’s iPhone. Her makeup had wiped off and her hair was
a little rumpled, but there was a glow in her cheeks that had been
absent for some time.

Jack snapped the picture, backing away from
Madison to inspect his shot. He smiled, clearly satisfied before
flashing his appreciative grin up at her.

“
I’m actually an aspiring
actor,” Jack said. He pursed his lip immediately after. “I hate
saying that because I feel like everyone is, sometimes. What I
really am is a barista that takes improv classes.”

“
That doesn’t sound so
bad,” Madison replied, feeling Lucas’s words to her just the night
before tumble out of her mouth. “I’m… somewhat aspiring
myself.”

“
What?” Jack laughed. “You
were in a movie with Liam Brody, I think that officially removes
you from the ‘aspiring’ category.”

“
I didn’t mean to sound
so… I don’t know. I’m sorry,” Madison shook her head. “I know. Yes,
I was in a great movie and I’m thankful for that. But I haven’t
booked a job since. And I’d like to. That’s all I
meant.”

“
No, I understand,” Jack
waved his hand as if to do away with her apology. “I was just
messing with you. It’s a tough industry no matter where you are in
the process, I understand. Lucas doesn’t talk much, but I do, and
he seems to not mind listening. He’s heard all my trials and
tribulations and the whining over all the competition and the lack
of progress and blah blah.” Madison nodded. She suddenly realized
why Lucas seemed to have firsthand knowledge of what it was like to
be a struggling actor.

“
Do you audition a
lot?”

“
If I get an audition,
yes. And I show up at every open call that even vaguely resembles
something I can pull off.”

“
Your agent lets you go on
open calls?”

“
Oh yeah, my agent
totally
lets me go on
open calls,” Jack said, his mouth twisted in a comically sarcastic
way.

“
You don’t have an agent,”
Madison said, shaking her head again. She was starting to feel kind
of stupid.

“
No, I don’t have an
agent,” Jack laughed, sensing the fact that she was starting to
feel bad. “Don’t worry, I’ve only been doing this for six years, my
break’s gotta be right around the corner.”

“
Six years? And you don’t
hate it at this point?”

“
I do,
sometimes.”

“
Then why do you keep
doing it?”

“
Because I don’t think
it’ll always be like this,” Jack shrugged. “I know I sound
delusional, but I don’t think I’ve given it my all yet. When I’m
totally wrung out, I’ll know and I’ll pull the troops out. But
until then, I gotta keep trying.”

“
Did Lucas make you say
this to me?” Madison asked, suddenly suspicious. Jack
frowned.

“
What?” he squinted
through his glasses. “Why… would he do that?”

“
Never mind,” she laughed.
“I should go look for him. It was nice meeting you.” Madison waved
a quick goodbye and headed down the stairs towards the front door
of the townhouse. She swung it open to find Lucas sitting on the
top step, holding a large cup of coffee. He turned, flashing a
smile as he watched her take the seat beside him.

“
Feeling better today?” he
asked. “You look better.”

“
I am, indeed,” she
replied. Madison pointed to his paper cup. “You drink coffee
now?”

“
I do.”

“
How do you take
it?”

“
Milk, no sugar,” he
replied, handing the cup to her. “The way you used to drink it. Or
has that changed?”

“
No, that hasn’t changed,”
Madison said, dipping her head to take in the aroma of the coffee.
“I feel like maybe, after all this time, not enough about me has
changed. And I can think of a lot of things that I probably
do
need to
change.”

“
Interesting,” Lucas
nodded, a quick frown flashing on his lips. “I hope I didn’t come
off as too harsh or anything yesterday…”

“
No, no,” Madison said,
clasping her fingers over his forearms and giving him a squeeze. “I
mean, it wasn’t you that made me think this… or well, okay, maybe
it kind of was. I think I’ve been feeling this way for awhile but I
just didn’t really know what was wrong or where to start. I didn’t
have my thoughts sorted out and I wasn’t around people who could
help me do that. I kind of got tunnel vision and yes, I think you
were right. I think I was too quick to put my problems on
others.”

“
You mean
Gemma?”

“
I do mean Gemma, but it’s
not just her,” Madison pushed her hair back behind her ears. “She
was probably the first bump in the road I had ever encountered, so
I remember her for that reason. But I think I’ve been placing the
blame on a lot of things and people for why I haven’t gotten to
where I want to be rather than look at what part I played in my own
lack of success.”

“
Your idea of ‘lack of
success’ is kind of… funny,” Lucas smiled before quickly shaking
his head. “But I’m not judging, I swear. I know you’ve got your own
standards to match and I know that the Lennox standard is up
there.”

“
And I’ll get there
eventually. And I can’t be mad until I know I’ve given it my all.
Until I’m ‘all wrung out.’ I got that from Jack just now. I met him
upstairs and he’s very nice. He’s like you with all these
inspirational quotes and the crazy sage advice but his comes in a
sarcastic little package.”

“
He’s a cool kid,” Lucas
said. “And very funny. I hope he makes it.”

“
I just realized I have no
idea what
you
do
now,” Madison folded her hands over her lap. “I’m sorry I’ve been
so self-absorbed that I haven’t even asked. Are you still
teaching?”

“
I’d like to again, at
some point,” Lucas replied. “But right now I’m the student again.
Studying at Hunter part-time while working for a guy in Fort Greene
who makes custom furniture.”

“
Oh, did he make that desk
in your room?”

“
That was mostly
me.”

“
You did a great job. It’s
gorgeous,” she said.

“
It used to be a telephone
pole and heating pipes,” Lucas nodded. “But we breathed new life
into it.”

“
I like that it has some
history. It gives it character.”

“
Exactly.” Lucas smiled,
turning his head to look at Madison full on. She smiled back,
handing him his cup of coffee. He took it before turning back
towards the street and taking a sip. His gesture somehow punctuated
the events of her last two days. She remembered the way she and
Lucas would sit on his front porch before school, sharing breakfast
as they stared out into the neighborhood and talked about their
future. And now here on the steps of his new home, she was sitting
beside him once again, sharing a coffee and reflecting over their
past.

But there was nothing left to say about the
days behind them. She never thought that seeing someone from her
past would be exactly what she needed to let go of it all. Lucas’s
verbal smackdown the night before was exactly what she needed to
see clearly once again, to recognize that she had indeed allowed
herself to wallow in self-pity rather than learn and grow like
everyone else had done around her.

As if he could read her thoughts, Lucas
reached his arm out and pulled her in for a hug. She slipped her
arm around his waist and gave him a quick squeeze back. They stayed
there for a moment, watching as cyclists rode down the quiet,
tree-lined street. Madison and Lucas were two rivers away from his
Beauford porch, attached to a house that had long since been
someone else’s home. And despite the warmth of their embrace, she
also felt that far away from their past as a high school couple. It
was a chapter that needed to be closed for good, so that she could
move on with the life ahead of her and perhaps begin a new
friendship.

A phone rang from Lucas’s second story
window. Madison recognized her ringtone from her cell phone that
she had left on his desk.

“
Your roommates looking
for you?” Lucas asked. Madison jumped to her feet, grabbing the
doorknob and pushing her way in.

“
Maybe?” she called over
her shoulder. “Or maybe it’s my agent. With good news. Or bad. Or
maybe Pop Dinner somehow managed to hack my phone. I don’t know.
I’ll see. I’ll be right back.” Madison ran up the stairs, feeling
the most weightless she had in years. For a moment, she thought it
was the coffee, but the feeling was beyond the effects of caffeine.
She was light on her feet, every step on her toes with a spring
that made her feel like a gazelle racing through a vast, open field
with no end. It was the same feeling she had the first time she
executed a perfect
grand
jet
é
, the
realization that just a few small adjustments meant everything in
the long run. Even as a child, she had known then, in that moment,
that it was all in her control to make things the way she wanted
them to be.
That
was what she had taken for granted. She had mastered
sprezzatura
in such a
way that she had fooled herself into thinking she had already done
all she could.

Her weekend back in New York was nothing
short of humbling. But armed with her new knowledge and a new
attitude, her options suddenly seemed limitless.

CARBINE
FANS, SET YOUR DVRS!

Leading Lady of
Carbine
Cast to Join
Long-Running
Neighbors and
Lovers

The Pop Source

May
26
^th

Anyone else miss the
blonde bombshell as much as we have? Madison Lennox, best known for
her role as Dakota in the critically-acclaimed,
Carbine,
has reportedly signed up to
play the part of Vanessa in the long-running soap,
Neighbors and Lovers.

“I’m excited and honored
to join such a legendary production,” tweeted Lennox this past
weekend. “And even more excited to be returning to New
York.”

No word on what role
she’ll play in the fictional town of Graywood, but it’s safe to say
that more than a handful of people are as excited as she is for her
return to the world of entertainment, even if it’s on the small
screen. Lennox has reported that the speculation over her part
in
Neighbors and Lovers
has blown up her social media outlets, but the
talented beauty isn’t new to that type of talk.

Earlier this month, Lennox
was bombarded by a paparazzo armed with a video camera and a
handful of rumors regarding her contentious relationship with
former classmate and pop star, Gemma Hunter, who is poised to
embark on a burgeoning career in haute couture. The two were fodder
for gossip mills when they were last in the same city, at times
overshadowing their achievements outside of the
tabloids.

Here’s to a new start to
the two talented young ladies!

*****

DAMIAN

WE HAVE WHAT YOU’VE BEEN
DYING TO KNOW: THE
OFFICIAL
LIST OF DAMIAN EVANS’ ROMANTIC
CONQUESTS

Pop Dinner

April
5
^th

Before you dirty our
comments section with your two cents about why we should reconsider
using the word “Official” in our title, because your mother’s
hairdresser’s sister’s friend knows one of the ladies on this list
and
she
claims
that nothing ever happened between them, back off and know that
she’s probably lying through her drug store lipstick-stained teeth.
We have our sources, and they’re good ones. And as much as you like
to remind us how we’ve fallen from grace (joke’s on you, we were
never really that respected), might we remind
you
that as much as we’re hated,
we’re always right.

Even the “most reputable
news sources” have been on this story, because it’s fun to
recognize that The Good Guys apparently have their expiration
dates. Everyone knew it was a matter of time before a guy as
talented and attractive as Damian Evans would realize his value in
the dating market and spoil rotten.