Page 36 of (Not So) Famous in Paradise

He reads the lines carefully, then nods. “I agree.”

And even though I’m the one who made the suggestion, I flinch at his quick answer.

Chapter 13

Zach

I don’t think I’ve ever said no to Georgia. She doesn’t understand the meaning of the word. Which is why I don’t say no to her lame Ham plan.

But that doesn’t mean I’m going along with it.

My earliest memories of Georgia are of teasing her mercilessly. I didn’t think she minded much. That was the nature of our friendship—lots of teasing and tormenting.

Until the day I gave her the nickname Ham in front of the whole school.

Paradise is small enough that there’s one school, kindergarten through twelfth grade. One year, right before Christmas break, the school brought in a giant movie screen and showedThe Sandlot.When the kid with short, curly red hair, freckles, and green eyes came on screen, I noticed he bore a striking resemblance to Georgia, who was suffering from a terrible home haircut and a growth spurt that went out instead of up.

Like an idiot, I yelled out, “Hey, that’s Georgia!” Seconds later the kid on screen was called Ham. Seconds after that, Georgia was too.

By the end of the day, even the kids who weren’t in the auditorium when I accidentally christened Georgia with the nickname were calling her Ham.

I spent the next six and half years until we graduated believing her when she said she didn’t mind the name. She laughed off everyone’s teasing and leaned into it, coming back with, “You’re killing me, Smalls.”

But in her valedictorian speech, she made a joke about how much she hated the name. People laughed, but I could tell she was serious. I haven’t called her Ham since then, and I won’t call her that now.

I wish I could say the same for the rest of our former classmates.

Obviously I’m not going to take the stupidest thing I’ve ever done and make it worse. So, I pretend to go along with Georgia’s idea, but once the cameras are rolling, I keep veering the conversation another way. Georgia looks confused, then annoyed, and I can tell Ike is frustrated with me. But I need time to come up with a better plan.

And one finally comes to me. It’ll mean some real acting on my part, but that’s fine. I’m already doing a lot more acting than I ever thought I would on arealityTV show.

When we break for lunch, everyone rushes to the trailer for the sandwiches we’ve ordered in from the Garden. I make an excuse and head home for the box I found at Granny’s when we cleaned everything out.

Twenty minutes later, I park back at Britta’s and sneak into the house to get everything ready. Because humiliating Georgia is not the way to show Carly we’re just friends.

Once everyone returns to set, we get in place for the big nickname scene Georgia thinksIneed. But I’m ready for the scene she really wants.

As it is in the script, Georgia and I are supposed to knock down a wall. Not for real. We’ll take a couple swings at it after Ike gets a shot of Georgia wearing her red heels, pulling a hammer from her purse.

The whole thing is ridiculous, especially since Georgia didn’t wear anything but Converse until she started her YouTube channel. The heels and fancy purse full of tools are all part of the persona she’s created.

But she’s still the same Georgia.

In addition to learning, over the past two weeks how fake reality TV is, I’ve also been reminded how Georgia looks out for other people, making them feel comfortable. From asking Amber about her girlfriend, to telling Nick she loves what she’s seen him film already, to helping me with my lines, all of us on set get some Georgia love.

I’ve never been able to pinpoint what makes Georgia so special, but I’ve finally figured it out. She’s just veryawareof everyone around her.

Which makes me very aware of her. I haven’t been able to stop watching her all day.

Like right now. I’m in the hallway while she’s on the other side of the bedroom, leaning against the wall. She’s reading her script, but her gaze drifts up to mine. Her eyes narrow, and her full lips slide into a smile. “What?” she mouths.

“Nothing,” I mouth back and return her smile.

“Quiet!” Ike calls, and the buzzing of the crew drops to a low hum. “Zach, you walk in and ask Georgia what she’s thinking. Georgia, you’re looking at the closet. Work in the backstory about it being added and now you want to take back the space to make an ensuite bath. Zach you ask how, then she’ll pull the hammer out of her bag.”

“Purse,” I correct Ike, which draws a glare from him. “Got it.” I drop my eyes but not before I see Georgia trying not to laugh.

“Get some banter going while you’re putting holes in the wall,” Ike continues, still glaring at me.

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