Page 31 of One Life to Loathe

“What’s wrong with his father?” I was honestly curious.

“Did you not actually read up on him when you were cast together?” Levi looked incredulous. “Wow. That’s just … wow. I read up on all of you as you were getting cast. There’s not actually a lot out there about you, though.”

“That’s because I’m a nobody.”

“Don’t.” Daisy shot me a stern look. “You’re not a nobody. You’re somebody important.”

I was much more interested in Leo. “What did it say about his father?”

“Well, apparently, when Leo was sixteen, the cops were called to his house.” Levi rested his elbows on the counter. “It was a domestic violence situation. Leo beat the crap out of his father. He said it was to protect his mother. His mother, however, lied and protected the father, even though she was covered in bruises.”

I felt sick to my stomach. “I didn’t know that.”

“It wasn’t buried that deep,” Levi said. “Leo refuses to talk about it in interviews, but his hometown paper did a big exposé. Leo went to juvie when he was sixteen for the attack on his father. All of the neighbors said that the father was constantly abusive to the mother, and the judge saw through it when it came time for trial. Leo was actually put in a foster home one town over rather than be found guilty. Supposedly, according to the article, he’s never been back to his hometown since.”

I didn’t like that story one bit. “So, you think he’s just a jerk on the surface to protect himself.”

Daisy nodded. “He was betrayed by the one person who should’ve protected him. He got screwed when trying to protect her. He keeps finding himself in trouble on sets—I think he has a bit of a temper—but his biggest problem is that he seems to retreat into himself whenever there’s any strife whatsoever. He never stands up for himself when these charges of being difficult are levied on him. He just becomes the scapegoat.”

Now I was mad at myself. Why hadn’t I seen that about Leo?

You did,a voice whispered inside my head.That’s why you can’t stop trying to help him. You saw he was struggling.

I had seen that. My problem was, Leo was not the sort of person who was just going to open up and talk about his trauma. I couldn’t help him if he didn’t want to be helped.

Right?

I DRESSED IN A PURPLE COCKTAIL DRESS FORdinner. It wasn’t too low cut—I’d gotten more than my fair share of cleavage action in the bustier—and opted for comfortable heels. This was our last night of freedom before early casting calls would force us into bed early.

I was actually looking forward to that. Having too much free time on my hands wasn’t working out so well for me these days.

We were taking over the bar area again. The email that was sent out said it would be a buffet. We were expected to mingle, get to know the crew, and bond. They kept using that word. Bond. They wanted us to bond as a cast so that was obvious onscreen. Just saying they wanted it to happen didn’t mean it was actually going to happen, though.

Leo was on one of the stools at the bar when I entered the room. He was alone—everybody else was milling about the tableand having a good time. There was no hesitation when I walked up to him this time, though. Hearing the story about his parents had crushed my heart into smithereens. I was careful not to show any pity, though. If I did that, Leo would shut down right away … and never emerge again.

“Hey.” I looked over at the bartender. It wasn’t Levi for a change. “Can I have a Shirley Temple Black?”

Leo gave me an odd look. “What the hell is that?”

“Levi’s signature drink,” the bartender replied. He was older than Levi by a good ten years, but he seemed to be just as good-natured. “I’m Hank. I’ll be serving you this evening. I can definitely get you a Shirley Temple Black.”

I sent him a thumbs-up.

“You good?” Hank asked Leo.

“Yeah.” Leo didn’t smile. His ever-present frown wasn’t in attendance this evening either.

“Did you see we’re getting a seafood bar for dinner tonight?” I asked, grappling for a conversation starter.

Leo slid his eyes to me. “No, but I’ll pretty much eat anything.”

“Really? I’m kind of picky. I like seafood but hate fish.”

“Don’t fish live in the sea?”

“Fine.” I shot him a look full of exasperation. “I guess it’s more apt to say that I like shellfish.”

“Then you should be happy tonight.” Leo played with the straw in his drink. “Why are you over here? I thought you hated me.”

---