Pat’s Story

After Reilly dismissed me, I headed back to the locker room. I took another shower to rinse out my hair, then put on my regular clothes. As much as I loved the part of Patrick Barrett, I wanted to be myself for a while.

I drove over to Walter’s studio and opted to wait for him in the lobby. My car would be stifling in this heat. Before I could sit in an armchair, however, Walter emerged.

I nodded toward him. “Ready?”

“So ready.” His tone suggested was done with his day. I waited until we were in the car before responding.

“Rough day?”

“Someone hacked into my system. Five words. Half an hour to record five words.”

I raised my eyebrows as I pulled into traffic. “Seriously? That doesn’t sound like you.”

“It wasn’t me. Chris Casey was directing this episode. Remotely.”

“Still not seeing why that takes half an hour.”

“Because first his internet goes down and we have to wait for him to call back in. Then he can’t hear us. Then he loses his place on the storyboard sketch and he’s trying to figure out why Amy looks like a ballerina instead of seeing Sammy with a computer.” Walter leaned back in his seat with a sigh. “You have no idea how happy I am not to be working with him tomorrow.”

“You need a break. Melinda and I are hiking the canyon on Sunday. Come with. It’ll help clear your head.”

Walter sent me a skeptical look, but he didn’t say he wouldn’t join us.

When we got home, Walter disappeared while I went in search of Melinda. I wasn’t surprised to find her in the library, sorting through puzzle pieces at her rapid pace. As soon as she saw me, she threw a blanket over the table. I smiled at her.

“You realize that’s just going to make me more curious, right?” I lifted a corner to peek at what she was doing, but she slapped my hand away.

“It’s a surprise. You don’t get to see it until it’s done.”

“That means I can’t help you with it?” I was a little disappointed. The one time we had done one together had been a lot of fun. When I had seen her working the other day, I thought I would get to spend my vacation making puzzles with her.

She smiled at me. “You can help with the next one. Hey, what happened to your hair?”

“I showered at the studio.”

“How was the audition?”

Before I could answer, Walter interrupted. “Whatcha doing?”

I pointed between myself and my girlfriend, my tone not entirely polite. “We were having a conversation. You weren’t a part of it.”

Walter pointed to the blanket. “What’s that?”

Melinda rolled her eyes, but I had no idea what she was saying about my brother. “I’m making a puzzle and it’s a surprise, so you can’t look at it.”

Shelia shouted from the bottom of the stairs. “Kids! Supper’s ready!”

Our housekeeper had prepared chili for us. After we all prepared ourselves some bowls and settled into the nook, Melinda again asked me about my audition.

“So, how was the audition?”

I looked at her. “Full disclosure. One of the girls kissed me.”

Melinda giggled. “Pat, I kind of expected that.”

“It was Natasha.”

I couldn’t read Melinda’s expression. I figured I should just keep going.

“Poppy was also there.”

“Did she kiss you, too?” I could hear the bitterness in Melinda’s tone.

“No, but she was all over me. I threatened to get a restraining order, but you know Poppy. She just laughed it off. But she and Natasha just read the scene completely wrong. And then the next girl fainted when I kissed her hand.”

Walter was smirking into his chili, making me wish I had waited to be alone with Melinda before having this conversation. He pointed at me with his spoon.

“So, your options are Natasha, who wants to get back together with you; Poppy, who thinks you two are still together; or an actress who can’t stay conscious long enough to do the scene?”

“No. Because then I auditioned with the last actress, Destiny. She and I performed the scene so perfectly, the casting director said we should expect to hear about contracts.”

“So, you won’t have to work with Natasha or Poppy?” Melinda asked in a soft voice.

I shook my head. “I would rather not do the movie than try to work with either of them.”

I was about to seal the promise with a kiss, but Dad entered the room, killing the mood. “Oh, good. You’re all here. Mom just called from the set. Drew Garrett’s having a party tonight.”

I smiled. “Sick. Can we come?”

“Yes. If you promise to be on your best behavior.”

Walter held up a hand. “Promise.”

“I mean it. I want you boys to promise me you will make responsible decisions.”

I groaned. “Dad. How many times—”

Dad shook his head. “I mean every decision you make tonight, boys. Your friends aren’t exactly known for their good judgement. I want you to think before you do anything. I don’t care if Benny thinks it would be funny to lock all the bathroom doors, or Justin wants to show you what he found in his father’s medicine cabinet.”

Seriously? He had to bring that up? Holding up my hands in defense, I shook my head. “I told you! I wasn’t going to try it!”

Walter nodded. “And I didn’t know about the bathrooms until after he did it.”

Dad didn’t look convinced. “Regardless, I want you to act responsibly. And watch out for Melinda. This is her first time at one of these things.”

Walter and I both nodded. “Of course we will.”

To prove my point, I threw an arm around Melinda, pulling her close. Like I would ever let anything bad happen to my girlfriend. Dad looked far from convinced, but he left anyway.

Walter held up his phone. “Benny and Luca asked me earlier if we were going. I told them I didn’t know anything about it.”

I nodded toward his phone. “They going?”

“Yeah. Benny said Diego’ll be there, too.”

Nice. It had been a while since I had seen my friends.

Beside me, Melinda frowned. “Am I supposed to recognize any of those names?”

Laughing, I pulled her closer. “Drew Garrett is the director of the movie Mom’s filming right now. We’ve been to their house loads of times.”

Walter nodded. “It’s going to be great.”

---

I couldn’t remember the last time I had been to a Hollywood party. Probably close to a year ago. The closer we got to the Garrett house, the more my excitement grew. A lot of my friends would be there, and I couldn’t wait to see them.

Dad parked along the driveway beside a brand new yellow SpeedDemon. I had seen ads for the sports car. They cost nearly as much as a house. Whose was it?

But I didn’t ask. Instead, I took my girlfriend by the hand and led her to the entrance.

Drew Garrett opened the door himself, giving us a warm greeting, like he hadn’t been working with Mom a few hours ago. After Mom introduced Mae, Drew gestured to the downstairs staircase.

“The kids are all out by the pool. You boys know the way.”

I was about to head downstairs when I felt a hand on my shoulder. “Patrick? A moment?”

Watching my girlfriend disappear with my brother, I turned. “Dad, if this is another lecture—”

He shook his head. “No lecture. I want you to promise me you will stay sober tonight.”

“Dad, I don’t drink.”

He pointed at me. “Promise me.”

I gave a sigh of exasperation. “I promise to stay sober.”

“Good. Because I don’t.” With a smirk, he opened the hand pointing at me. His car key sat on his palm.

I went to grab it, but he jerked back his hand. “If you break your promise, you better have the common sense not to drive.”

“I will. I mean, I won’t. I mean, ugh. Now you confused me. I promise to stay sober. Now, can I go find my girlfriend? She’s probably being eaten alive by Walter’s nerdy friends.”

Dad passed me his key and headed to the adult party. I made my way downstairs, where there were probably more drugs and alcohol than upstairs.

But only in the room at the bottom of the stairs. Avoiding it, I made my way down the hallway to the door leading outside. To the pool.

Frowning, I glanced around, but I couldn’t see Melinda. Or Walter. Some tweens were splashing around in the pool. A table under the deck had snacks and beverages, possibly even the non-alcoholic kind. Small groups of people scattered along the rest of the pool deck.

But Melinda wasn’t among any of them. Where could she be? Walter wouldn’t have taken her to the other room, would he? I doubted he even knew that room existed. So where were they?

“Patrick, man. Long time, no see.”

It took me a moment to recognize the guy who had called me. His once-dark hair had been bleached and cut into a faux hawk. But we had grown up on movie sets together, so recognition came easily enough as we gave daps.

“Dante! Good to see you, man.”

He nodded to me. “You look a little lost. Everything okay?”

I shrugged. “Lost my girlfriend.”

Dante smirked. “Girlfriend, huh? Do tell.”

“Tell you what. If I find her, I’ll introduce you.”

Dante gave a knowing nod. “Oh. So you haven’t met her yet?” He danced away as I tried to hit him.

Shaking my head, I scanned the area again. Melinda had to be somewhere. Dad was going to kill me if he found out I had lost her. Then again, it was his fault.

A loud splash had me turning in the direction of the pool. I assumed a little kid had jumped in, but people were laughing. And applauding. A girl with purple hair was backing away from it.

She didn’t see me. I was just about to call out to her when she turned, bumping into me. I grabbed her elbows.

“Hey. Found you. You okay?”

She shivered like I had just thrown a snowball down her back. “Not really. Some creepy guy just tried to get me to go to a bedroom with him.”

“Who?” I was going to kill the guy.

“Jarrod Handy.”

Oh, he was dead. As soon as I found him.

Melinda gestured to the pool. “But I think I talked him out of it.”

I followed her gaze. Jarrod was hoisting himself out of the water. His spiky hair was deflated, and green dye was running down his face. He was scowling and looked miserable. I couldn’t help laughing.

I grabbed Melinda, kissing her forehead as I pulled her close. “You pushed him?”

She sent me a mischievous smile. “Didn’t touch him.”

Melinda’s Story

Friday afternoon, I was working in the library when Pat walked in. I quickly covered the puzzle with a blanket I had found in Meghan’s room. He smiled at me.

“You realize that’s just going to make me more curious?” He tried to lift a corner, but I slapped away his hand.

“It’s a surprise. You don’t get to see it until it’s done.”

Pat frowned. “That means I can’t help you with it?”

“You can help with the next one. Hey, what happened to your hair?” It had been brown at breakfast but was back to its normal red again.

“I showered at the studio.”

“How was the audition?”

Walter appeared in the doorway before Pat could answer. “Whatcha doing?”

Pat gestured between himself and me. “We were having a conversation. You weren’t a part of it.”

Walter pointed to the blanket. “What’s that?”

I rolled my eyes. “I’m making a puzzle and it’s a surprise, so you can’t look at it.”

Shelia shouted from the bottom of the stairs. “Kids! Supper’s ready!”

As I followed the boys downstairs, Walter pointed back to the library. “You realize I can just go peek when you’re sleeping, right?”

I frowned. “I hadn’t thought of that. Now I’m going to have to think of a better system.”

Walter laughed. “Don’t worry. I didn’t say I would. What’s for supper, Shelia?”

“There’s meatless chili on the stove and cornbread on the table. I’m going to bring your father a bowl.”

After we had all grabbed dinner and settled at the table, I again asked Pat about his audition.

Pat winced. “Full disclosure. One of the girls kissed me.”

I giggled. “Pat, I kind of expected that.”

“It was Natasha.” Before I could even process this information, Pat added, “Poppy was there, too.”

I was taken aback. Of all the people in Hollywood, two of his ex-girlfriends had made the short list to play his girlfriend? I took a deep breath.

“Did she kiss you, too?”

“No, but she was all over me.” Pat held up his hands in self-defense. “I threatened to get a restraining order, but you know Poppy. She just laughed it off. But she and Natasha just read the scene completely wrong. And then the next girl fainted when I kissed her hand.”

Walter pointed his spoon at Pat with a smirk. “So, your options are Natasha, who wants to get back together with you; Poppy, who thinks you two are still together; or an actress who can’t stay conscious long enough to do the scene?”

Pat made a face at his brother. “No. Because then I auditioned with the last actress, Destiny. She and I performed the scene so perfectly, the casting director said we should expect to hear about contracts.”

“So, you aren’t going to have to work with Natasha and Poppy?” I asked in a soft voice.

“I would rather not do the movie than try to work with either of them.”

He leaned over to kiss me, but his father walked into the room.

“Oh, good. You’re all here. Mom just called from the set. Drew Garrett’s having a party tonight.”

Pat beamed. “Sick. Can we come?”

“Yes. If you promise to be on your best behavior.”

Walter held up a hand. “Promise.”

“I mean it. I want you boys to promise me you will make good decisions.”

Pat whined. “Dad. How many times—”

Mr. Adam shook his head. “I mean every decision you make tonight, boys. Your friends aren’t exactly known for their good judgement. I want you to think before you do anything. I don’t care if Benny thinks it would be funny to lock all the bathroom doors, or Justin wants to show you what he found in his father’s medicine cabinet.”

Pat held up his hands in defense. “I told you! I wasn’t going to try it!”

Walter nodded. “And I didn’t know about the bathrooms until after he did it.”

Mr. Adam didn’t look convinced. “Regardless, I want you to act responsibly. And watch out for Melinda. This is her first time at one of these things.”

Pat swung an arm around my shoulder as both boys promised they wouldn’t let anything bad happen to me. With a pointed look at both his sons, Mr. Adam left the room.

Walter held up his phone. “Benny and Luca asked me earlier if we were going. I told them I didn’t know anything about it.”

Pat nodded to him. “They going?”

“Yeah. Benny said Diego’ll be there, too.”

I looked between the two boys with a frown. “Am I supposed to recognize any of those names?”

Pat pulled me closer with a laugh. “Drew Garrett is the director of the movie Mom’s filming right now. We’ve been to their house loads of times.”

Walter nodded. “It’s going to be great, which I totally need after working with Chris all day.”

I sent him a sympathetic look. “Rough day?”

Walter nodded. “Glad it’s over.”

Pat squeezed my shoulders. “What do you say? Ready for your first Hollywood party?”

I raised my eyebrows. “Didn’t I do that already? Tuesday night?”

Walter laughed, but Pat just shook his head with a smile, kissing the top of my head before releasing me and returning to his chili. “No. That was an after party. Tonight is a whole nother experience.”

I frowned. “Am I going to like it?”

Pat smirked. “That depends. Do you like MAC dances?”

I considered the informal parties held at our school activity center with their ear-splitting bass-pounding club music, then shrugged. “Yeah.”

“Then you’ll have fun tonight.”

---

As Mr. Adam drove through the Beverly Hills mansions, Walter’s phone dinged every few minutes to signal an incoming text. On my other side, meanwhile, Pat’s sang one song after another, a personalized ringtone signaling his incoming messages. Although I recognized most of the songs, I had never heard them on Pat’s phone before. I had no idea who was texting him and I couldn’t help but feel a ping of jealousy, especially when Walter identified a few of them.

“Hey. Was that Justin? Is he coming?”

Pat already had his phone in his hand. “Yeah. Kayla’ll be there, too. She’s asking about you.”

Miss Kara turned around. “Are their parents coming?”

Pat’s fingers flew across his digital keyboard and a second later, I heard the opening bars to “Summer Seconds” again. Pat glanced at the screen before turning back to his mother.

“Yup. And Miss Eva’s excited you’re going to be there.”

Miss Kara smiled. “I haven’t seen her in forever. You know, I don’t think I realized how much I needed this tonight.”

Beside her, Mr. Adam nodded. “Me, too. It’ll be nice to see the Morgans again.”

A short time later, Mr. Adam pulled up to a gate at the end of a driveway so long, I couldn’t see the house at the end. It didn’t help that the property was surrounded by hedges taller than my family’s Christmas tree.

As he rolled down his window, I leaned over to whisper to Pat. “Is that guard always there?”

His breath tickled my ear. “No. Just for big parties like this. To prevent gate crashers.”

We were on the invite list, so the guard waved us through. More hedges lined the property, but as we turned a corner, I caught my first glimpse of the house.

I was at a loss for words. The Evan’s family mansion in Connecticut had a twenty-seat movie theater and an indoor pool. This place made that look like a shack. Three stories tall, it stood bright white with tall columns in the front. I couldn’t even begin to count all the windows. There had to be a hundred of them.

Cars had parked on either side of the driveway. Mr. Adam pulled in beside a yellow sports car and we all piled out. Pat took my hand, leading me to the front door.

It opened before we could knock. A man in a dark suit smiled at us. “Welcome, McGregors. Please come in.”

We entered the reception area. To our right was a staircase curving up, while on the left was one going down. Closed double doors between the two hid the rest of the house from view, but I could hear loud music coming from the other side. It sounded a lot like a school dance.

Miss Kara greeted the man with a kiss on the cheek. “Drew. Thanks for inviting us.”

“Always.” After shaking hands with Mr. Adam, he turned in my direction. “Man, your kids have gotten big.” He frowned at me. “But you don’t look like Meghan.”

Miss Kara put her hands on my shoulders, partially in a protective hug and partially to present me. “This is Mae. She’s a family friend who’s staying with us this week.”

“Welcome, Mae.” Drew Garrett gestured to the staircase on the left. “The kids are all out by the pool. You boys know the way.”

Nodding, Pat placed his hand on my back, gently guiding me toward the stairs. Walter was ahead of me. But before we could take more than one step, Mr. Adam placed a hand on my boyfriend’s shoulder. “Patrick? A moment?”

I would have waited, but Walter took my hand and dragged me down the stairs. At the base were several doors. He opened the one directly in front of us and pulled me inside.

The place reminded me of a television night club. Dark with flashing lights. The music was mellow, but loud, although it wasn’t too earsplitting to talk. In the middle of the room, people were slow dancing while around the edges they gathered in small clumps. Many had their faces pressed against each other.

On the other side of the room was a wall of glass, through which I could see even more people gathered around a pool. Younger kids, closer to my brother’s age, were splashing and dunking each other while a very bored-looking older man watched them.

Walter and I only took a few steps into the room before someone approached. He had this overly sweet, slightly skunky smell clinging to him that made me a little nauseous.

But Walter didn’t seem to mind. My friend threw his arms around the guy, pulling him close and clapping his back before releasing him. “Benny! I’ve missed you, man.”

“Me, too, bro.” The new guy turned to me, giving me an obvious once-over and an approving smile. “Who’s this?”

Walter’s arm was around my shoulder in an instant and, somehow, I knew he was telling this guy I was off-limits. “This is my friend Mae. Mae, this is Benny.”

The guy extended his hand. “I’ve known Wally since we were little. If you’re ever in the mood for stories—”

Walter punched his friend’s shoulder, probably a little harder than necessary. But Benny seemed unfazed. He turned to Walter. “I’m on my way to grab some snacks. But come find me later. I’ve got some homegrown skunk. You’ll love it.”

Clapping Walter on the shoulder, Benny disappeared into the crowd. I sent my friend a confused look.

“Why would he want a pet skunk? And why on earth would he bring it here? I got sprayed by one when I was little. It was horrible.”

Walter got that expression he saved for when he was trying not to laugh at my naivety. Putting an arm around me, he pulled me close so I could hear him without him having to shout. “He’s not raising skunks. He’s growing weed. Didn’t you smell it on him?”

I bit my lip. “I didn’t know what it smells like.” As I replayed the conversation in my head, it made a little more sense. Except for one thing.

I narrowed my eyes at my friend. “Why did he say you’d love it?”

Walter sighed. “Because as much as I love Benny, he doesn’t seem to remember that I don’t like that stuff.”

I smiled. “When you say it that way, you sound like you’ve tried it. But I know you would never . . .”

I trailed off when I saw Walter’s expression. Guilt was written all over it. I tried to speak, but I was at a loss for words. I couldn’t envision my friend going anywhere near drugs.

Walter must have seen my struggle. His words rushed out, as if saying them faster would make everything okay. “It was just once. Back when we were, like, eleven. Benny was making such a big deal about it, and I wanted to see if it was as amazing as he made it sound. And it was. For, like, five minutes. Then I spent the rest of the week worrying that my parents were going to find out.”

“Did they?”

Walter shook his head. “No. And Benny’s never said anything. No one knows. Except now you. Because you’re my best friend and I trust you like I trust no one else.”

I shook my head. I suddenly felt like I knew nothing about the guy standing in front of me. “No. Walter is my best friend. And Walter would never give in to peer pressure. But you’re not Walter. You’re Wally, and I feel like I don’t even know you right now.”

Walter reached out a hand, probably to take my arm. “Mel—”

I stepped backward as I cut off his plea. “No. Don’t touch me. I—I need some air. Just leave me alone.”

I turned, focusing on the windows on the opposite side of the room. There had to be a door there somewhere. And I needed to get outside. Now that I knew what it was, I was smelling weed everywhere. And it was making me sick and lightheaded.

I pushed past people, some of whom I recognized from movies and television, until I found the door. Thankfully, no one was blocking it. I rushed outside and inhaled deeply.

The fresh air helped clear my head. I was probably being a little too hard on my friend. But I felt like I knew nothing about him anymore. In all the time we had spent together over the last six months, he had rarely mentioned any friends outside Hartfield.

Was that because he had been ashamed of who they were and what he had done with them? Or was Walter just an act, and I was seeing the real him now that he was home?

“Hey. Haven’t seen you around before.”

I glanced at the guy beside me. Two years ago, I would have been tongue-tied to meet my favorite actor. But over the past few months, I had learned enough about Jarrod Handy that the sight of him made my stomach churn.

He extended his hand. “Jarrod, but you probably know that.”

I nodded. “Yeah. Uh, my friend is looking for me.”

I waved to a cluster of people on the opposite side of the pool, none of whom were looking in my direction.

Jarrod looked offended that I hadn’t taken his hand. He stepped a little closer to me. “Aw. Now, I’m sure your friend can wait. After all, it’s not every day you get to talk to someone as famous as me.”

I frowned. “Yeah, actually. I do. And frankly, I like them better than you, so if you’ll just excuse me—”

I tried to step around him, but Jarrod grabbed my arm. “What do you say we go see if the cabana bedroom is free?”

I smiled. “You know? That’s a fantastic idea.” I pointed over my shoulder. “Let me just ask my mom if it’s okay. It’s almost my bedtime. But I’m sure she’ll let me stay up late to hang out with you.”

Jarrod smirked. “Cute. I almost believed you.”

I shrugged. “Sorry. I’m just a little nervous. No guy has ever invited me to a bedroom before.”

Jarrod looked amused. “Really? Well, then, you’re in for a treat.”

I sent him a shy smile. “My friends at school will never believe I met you. I’m going to be the most popular girl in the seventh grade.”

Jarrod released my arm, narrowing his eyes at me. “Seventh grade? How old are you?”

“Thirteen. But I’ll be fourteen next month.”

Jarrod took a step backward. “Thirteen. You don’t look thirteen.”

I rolled my eyes. “I know. My mom let me try on her makeup before we came out tonight. Do you like it?”

I took a step closer, forcing Jarrod to take another step backwards. And another. Except, he had run out of room. With a considerable splash, he fell backward into the pool.

Everyone on the pool deck laughed. Some applauded. I backed away before anyone realized I was responsible. After a few steps, I turned, intending to find a corner to hide.

Instead, I ran into Pat. Literally. He reached for my arms to steady me.

“Hey. Found you. You okay?”

I shuddered. “Not really. Some creepy guy just tried to get me to go to a bedroom with him.”

Pat’s eyes narrowed. “Who?”

I gestured to the pool. “Jarrod Handy, but I think I talked him out of it.”

Pat laughed as we watched Jarrod hoist himself out of the water. Pulling me close, he kissed the top of my head. “You pushed him?”

I smirked. “Didn’t touch him.”

“Good girl.”

Melinda’s Journal

Friday, March 9

When I was in seventh grade, I had a huge crush on Jarrod Handy. I went to the movies every week to watch him. I doodled his name in my notebook in class. I read every article on the internet with his name.

One day, I read that he had a new girlfriend. I was heartbroken that he chose her over me. Of course, he didn’t even know me, but it took me an hour or so to remember that. By then, I had thrown away all my doodles and erased him from my browser history.

When Walter first told me about his family, a tiny part of me was excited at the thought that maybe I might someday meet Jarrod. I no longer had a crush on him, but part me still liked him. Of course, I never told anyone. The last thing I wanted was for Walter to think I was friends with him because I wanted to meet celebrities.

Over the past couple of months, I’ve learned enough about Jarrod to realize he is not a nice person.

I’m glad I made him fall into the pool tonight.

Attention Hammerheads

Melinda is always trying to build her vocabulary. What were some words in this episode that were new to you? She will add them to her vocabulary journal.