Page 4 of Off Script

Doug: Just tell me the facts so I can spin it

Tristan: I was defending her from a handsy drunk after she herself was way too drunk. I intervened when things got weird. AKA no good deed goes unpunished

Tristan got stuck in a little more back and forth over whether or not he thought the other guy would press charges. He reiterated since the other man had been the one to take the first swing, Tristan doubted it. But even without a lawsuit hanging over him, the fight had been the last straw on the Angela front.

It wasn’t only Angela trying to force him into a relationship that bothered him. Her drinking was getting out of hand, and she refused to acknowledge it. Tristan had seen how his own dad had succumbed to the bottle after his mom left them. He knew the signs of an alcoholic in denial. It had been bad enough watching his dad try and drink himself to death. He didn’t want to witness the same thing with Angela.

Determined to banish thoughts of his childhood and bad relationships, Tristan figured his best route was to turn off his phone for the evening. He was seconds away from a cell hiatus when the damn thing buzzed again. His cheek throbbed as he winced at the GARCIA 4 LIFE group text dinging away. The tag perfectly described Tristan’s relationship with his former co-stars fromGarcia Central.

Garcia Centralhad been Tristan’s first big break when he scored the role as the youngest brother in a sitcom about a loving but dysfunctional Hispanic family. Growing up beside his fellow TV brothers, Juan and Rafe, they’d bonded over so much, from gaining fame at such a young age and the behind-the-scenes madness to real-life shit like family drama and relationships. They’d stayed in touch over the years despite Juan leaving acting for a culinary career and Rafe jetting all over the world for his own projects. And true to form, they still hassled Tristan mercilessly as their troublesome little brother.

Juan:¡Oye! ¿Qué es esto, bro?

A link to the same article Doug had forwarded accompanied Juan’s concerned text.

Even in a different time zone, Rafe’s response came instantly.

Rafe: El tigre lives!

Several emojis followed: the actual tiger one, the LOL face, and then the one Tristan nicknamed The Scream for its resemblance to the famous painting. You could always figure out Rafe’s stream of consciousness through his emoji game.

Tristan faked an auto reply:Tristan is not available at themoment. He is going on a dating hiatus

Juan: You really, REALLY should

Rafe: Wow. And that’s coming from the married one in the group. But for real, dude . . . you good?

Genuine affection finally broke through Tristan’s annoyance. It was probably like two in the morning wherever Rafe was, and Juan should be wiped out from his own busy life as a chef and father of three.

Tristan: I’m fine.Se los juro. If I also promise to check in with you guys tomorrow, can we all go to bed now?

With resounding messages ofSi!andGood night, jerk, Tristan at last disengaged from his phone. Instead of turning in for the night, he chose to unwind first with some reruns ofFallen Creatures.He wouldn’t admit this out loud, but it was one of his favorite shows. Pure, guilty pleasure goodness. It was exactly the kind of mindless fodder he needed.

When Jada Berklee’s face came on-screen, he couldn’t help smiling. Her character, Dana, achieved iconic status with her quick one-liners and smoldering persona. It had been a shame when she “left” the show in season three. The writers did a shitty job of killing her off, and the show suffered in the end for it. It sucked when networks didn’t pay attention to the characters viewers saw as their favorites.

Knowing she would be joining theLove Locketcast on set soon, Tristan was dying to meet her and geek out completely. Somehow, he’d find a way to contain himself. As Doug had reminded him in his barrage of texts, Tristan had an image to maintain.

3

Bright and early Monday morning, Jada hopped out of bed, eager to head to her new job. While an acting career was often unstable, there was nothing like working on a film: the hustle and bustle, the creativity, the huge number of people coming together to make something special. Jada’s first gig out of UCLA’s acting program had been a role in a small indie film. She’d already been in love with the medium but working on a “real film” spurred that passion. She stacked up several small parts on similar productions before landing her biggest role yet onFallen Creatures. The world of television had provided a steadier paycheck, but it had been equally hectic and complex. Returning to film filled her with a renewed purpose, especially on a larger scale production likeLove Locket.

So, while Mikayla grouchily remarked on Jada rising “at the ass crack of dawn,” Jada remained Snow White cheerful as she got ready for the day. Any Disney-friendly critters that might be lingering within their apartment walls would have gladly hummed along as she sang in the shower.

Mikayla should have been used to getting up early to arrive on time, but she’d always been a last-minute kind of girl. Even when they were actually prepared to head out, Mikayla still dragged Jada behind schedule when she couldn’t find her favorite charm bracelet. She’d had it since the ninth grade and claimed it brought her luck, particularly whenever there was a clothing mishap on set. Jada merely shook her head at this and shoved her cousin out the door.

Thankfully for them, today’s shoot would be taking place on one of Vignette Cinema’s production lots in Burbank. Jada had been there before on other jobs, so she’d have no trouble navigating it versus if they’d been shooting on location somewhere.

Lana, Jada’s character, acted as the supporting friend to the female lead, Claire, played by Angela Collins.Love Locketmainly revolved around Claire and Diego, played by Tristan, childhood sweethearts who were reconnecting later in life. Their path back to each other gets complicated when a time machine–type necklace makes them relive their past mistakes.

Although Jada’s character played a pivotal part in helping the main characters figure out how to resolve things, Lana hadn’t been needed up until now. At least, that was how the schedule had been arranged with Ren’s first pick for Lana, Olivia Brooks, a client also repped by Jada’s agent. When Olivia had backed out due to continued scheduling conflicts, Jada’s agent had put forward Jada’s name instead. Ren loved her audition, even admitting she’d done better than Olivia. That comment could have just been his resentment toward the other actress dropping out, but Jada would take it, along with the abandoned role. Now, Jada’s first scenes for today would introduce her character and set her up as the confidante for Claire’s love story.

On the way to Vignette Cinema’s facilities, Jada peppered Mikayla for any last-minute information. Mostly, she wanted to know more about the quirks of the crew, like who else (besides Ren) might be picky to work with, which people not to chat up before they’d had their coffee, etc. Mikayla turned out to be full of more salacious gossip, like the potential love triangle forming among the lighting team and the time two PAs got in a screaming match over a missing prop. Once Mikayla recapped all the drama on set, they were rolling up to the lot’s front gates. Even as Jada started to give the burly guard her name, his face lit up at the sight of Mikayla in the passenger’s seat.

“Mikayla Davis, as I live and breathe,” the man gushed, holding his hand over his heart. “How are you, girl?”

“Just fine, Andres. You?” Mikayla threw him her million-watt smile.

Jada shouldn’t have been surprised Mikayla had old Andres wrapped around her finger; Mikayla found a way to charm practically everyone. The girl made so many friends everywhere that she might as well have her own social media network. Unfortunately, part of developing that network required endless small talk that now halted Jada’s plans.

---