Page 5 of Drama Queens Don't Fall For Charming Boys

“She gets to star in the sequel, but they gave me the boot?”

“There could be a million reasons why you weren’t asked to return.”

I roll my eyes. “Her dad is Asher Park.”

He doesn’t say anything. They didn’t give us a definite reason why I wasn’t asked back, but it’s so obvious. Mia and I had some…issues with the kiss scene, and she complained to Daddy and he got me fired from the next movie.

Chase places his hand on my arm. “You can’t let all of this get to you, Deck. You haven’t gotten any roles in over six months. Your auditions aren’t the greatest.”

I grit my teeth. “She ruined everything for me.” I mean, the fans love me, but soon I won’t have fans if I can’t snag any roles. I was forced to lie to Chelsea when I told her I have many projects in the works. Truth is, I have nothing—I just couldn’t tell everyone the truth and crush them. I also lied about having ill feelings toward anyone. I just didn’t want to cause any trouble.

“You need to stop blaming Mia Park for what happened and get your act together,” my brother says.

I rub the back of my neck. “Maybe I’m not cut out for this.”

“Don’t say that, man. You’ve had a small bump in the road, but your career was starting to take off. We can’t let it tank because of this bad experience. Forget about Mia and move on.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “I had to pretend that I have so many projects lined up. I had to lie so I wouldn’t look like a loser.”

“You need to stop obsessing over what happened or you’ll never make it far in this industry. Getting rejected is normal and you can’t throw a tantrum when you don’t get roles.”

I guess he’s right. But if I don’t have acting, I have nothing. I’m not good at school or anything else, and without acting, I have no future. I don’t want to work at some low-paying job for the rest of my life. I can’t have a career like many other kids my age will have one day. I’m not cut out for it.

Chase claps me on the back. “All good?”

“I guess.”

“It’ll be okay, man. We just need to get past this hurdle and everything will work out. You’ll see.”

“Thanks for looking out for me.”

“Always.” He gives me an encouraging smile before leaving my room.

I read some more comments on the video to make myself feel better, then place my headset on and join my online friends on a very popular role-playing video game. It’s the top game of the year for three years in a row. I’ve been playing since launch and still haven’t discovered even one percent of the game. It’s awesome.

And it’s the best way to distract myself from the thing we call life.

A little while later, Mom and Dad return from brunch. I guess Chase told them what happened because they enter my room a short while later with worried expressions on their faces.

Dad takes one end of the bed and Mom the other. They both have green eyes and Dad’s brown hair is practically all gray and Mom’s dyed hers to a golden blonde color.

We moved to L.A. from Alabama three years ago, after I was discovered performing in my eighth-grade play. I was offered a guest role in a movie and the director liked me so much he chose me to star as the lead in his next movie. Mom, Dad, and I moved into our home, and Chase took over as my manager last year after my previous one quit. Mom and Dad didn’t like my first manager and always argued with him. Now that I have Chase, things have been great. Up until the terrible kiss, that is.

Before I was discovered, my family wasn’t swimming in money. We did all right. But now that we’re wealthier, Mom and Dad feel pressured to fit in with all the other fancy people in our neighborhood and tend to go overboard. Me? I like to keep things simple and comfy when I’m at home. I go to parties and such just to keep up my image.

“We heard about the callback,” Mom tells me. “Are you okay, honey?”

I shrug. “I’m fine.”

Of course my parents can see right through my lie and they look even more concerned.

“I don’t want to think about it too much,” I tell them. Even if it’s been the only thing on my mind all afternoon. “I’ll be okay. Don’t worry about me.”

Mom stands and kisses my forehead. “I know everything that happened stings right now. But keep your chin up, sweetie. We love you.”

I force a smile. “I know. Thanks. I love you, too.”

Dad holds out his fist and I bump it. Then he takes in my game and grins. “You completed the quest? Nice! You’ve been stuck on it for days.”

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