Page 54 of Off Script

Jada knew by the sickening drop in her stomach that he was right. If she and Tristan played it cool for too long, people like Logan would lose interest. And yet . . .

“Please. I need a little more time,” she said.

Ren called Tristan’s name before he could respond. The crew had finished setting up, so the actors could start rehearsal for the scene.

“I’m coming!” Tristan yelled, then he gave Jada a halfhearted shrug. “Take your time then, Jada. I’ll try not to watch the clock while you do.”

As he walked away, Jada resisted the urge to call him back. She refused to change her mind because there was too much at stake. Her heart was now wrapped up in this fake game.

A game she feared she would lose.

17

Standing on the bustling Santa Monica Pier, Tristan breathed in the salty air. The glistening sun shone overheard while the captivating smell of carnival food wafted his way. Normally, spending time on the pier would be perfect for a date or relaxing on the weekend, but today’s outing was all about Bright Futures.

They’d officially gotten the approval to host the festival for two weeks. Tristan had felt compelled to come along on LeeAnn’s walkthrough of the space, despite this being one of his few days off from work. With the location secured, he and several other volunteers scouted the area for the event’s future setup. Next to him, LeeAnn beamed at the surrounding view.

“You’re right, Tristan. This place is perfect,” she enthused, hugging her clipboard to her chest.

“Yep, there’s plenty of space for the volunteers to man the food and game booths. The Ferris wheel is going to be a big attraction too.” Tristan’s attention shifted to the large contraption, the Pacific Wheel, in all its glory. The famous fixture was practically a national treasure and a staple among tourists, a.k.a. guaranteed festival traffic.

As LeeAnn took notes on where decorations and signage should go, Sam came up to them, popcorn in hand. Tristan watched with envy as the fourteen-year-old munched away.

“Some of that better be for the rest of us,” Tristan warned him.

“No way. You’re rolling in more popcorn money than me,” the boy pointed out. “Go get your own.”

Tristan didn’t and used some ninja-like stealth to steal a kernel or two. Sam scowled at him halfheartedly before shoving another handful in his mouth. Apparently, it was now a competition to see who could eat the most.

“So, Samuel, how’s school going?” Tristan asked in dutiful mentor fashion.

“Pretty good. Finally making some Bs after I started seeing this tutor.” Tristan didn’t miss the slight blush that appeared on Sam’s face.

“What’s his name? How Thor-like is he?” he prodded.

“That’s none of your business!” Sam protested, but under Tristan’s knowing gaze, he reluctantly confessed. “His name is Eric and nothing has happened yet, so, as I said, mind your business.”

Resisting the urge to pry further, Tristan made a counter offer. “I’ll let it go if you give me more popcorn.”

Sam offered up the bag of junk food but not before getting in a dig of his own. “So, how’s your little love affair going?”

“Jada’s great.” Tristan switched into actor mode, masking his fatigue with a placid air.

He didn’t want the teen to see how much his situation with Jada was affecting him. After their talk, Jada had finished up her role in the film a few days later. To be perfectly honest, Tristan missed her like crazy. He and Angela still had another week or two left before they officially wrapped on the production phase.

While he and Jada hadn’t been on a big elaborate date in some time, they had upped their social media game, posting on each other’s pages. Tristan had also briefly run into Jada while going to his first audition for Logan’s film. Running into him at the opportunity Tristan had helped her get must have gnawed at Jada’s guilt, because she’d then invited him to stop by for “Unboundnight.” They watched the latest episode with Mikayla, and later posted pictures of themselves together, captioning it with talk of the show.

But other than those few interactions, Tristan had had to get most of his Jada updates from Mikayla at work, the latest being that Mikayla and Jada were headed to a Palm Springs resort this weekend to attend a conference their friend, Alia, was speaking at. Mikayla swore Tristan to secrecy about it, though, because she planned to call in sick with the flu. It would be a blow to her melodramatic boss, but the crew would survive without Mikayla for a day or two.

Realizing Jada had time to spend with everyone except him, Tristan had felt tempted to call or text but stopped himself. She’d said she needed time, and Tristan refused to come off as clingy or desperate. But as his phone buzzed with a news alert, Tristan discovered his attempts at being patient were making things worse. Another damnSip That Teablog was out.

DYNAMIC DUO ON THE ROCKS?

The chai lattes are hot today, guys! An insider on the filmLove Locketis backing up previous claims that Tristan Maxwell and Jada Berklee’s controversial, whirlwind romance was all for show. Since Miss Jada finished filming, she and Tristan have only been spotted together once. And while their social media gushing may seem like serious #couplegame, our source tells a different story. According to them, Tristan has been too busy with work to give Jada a second thought. Furthermore, the former drama with Angela Collins has died down, and there are rumors that the co-stars have gotten back together!

What’s your take on this juicy new info?

Well, Tristan’s take was he needed to kick somebody’s ass over these bullshit lies! So, first step: find out the Tea Twins’ home address and torture them to find out their so-called source. Second step: destroy this fake whistleblower’s life. Before he could put his new plan into action, Sam nudged him.

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