Page 9 of The Casting Couch

The mattress beneath me was thin enough to fold like a tortilla.The scratchy sheet twisted around my legs like it hated me personally, and the smell of mildew mixed with someone’s off-brand Axe body spray lingered in the air like a middle finger.My bunk was wedged against the wall, top level, because of course I got stuck with the top bunk.

Below me, some guy from God-knows-where snored like a dying lawnmower.Another dude walked past, swaying a little, his flip-flops smacking the floor like wet slaps.Probably drunk.Or high.Or both.

I pulled my blanket tighter, staring at the screen of my phone.Jack’s number was still saved from two years ago.So was Liam’s.

I hadn’t called either of them since…

Well.Since I got arrested.

I swallowed hard.The familiar pit of shame burned in my throat like cheap whiskey.

They’d had every right to cut me off.I wasn’t just some casual disappointment.I’d been actively reckless.Selfish.Dealing out of the apartment we shared like it was no big deal.Like I wasn’t putting them both in danger.

God, thinking about it now made my stomach turn.

They’d both looked at me like I was a stranger the day I got hauled out in cuffs.Jack wouldn’t even meet my eyes.Liam… I’d never seen him cry before.

I ran a shaky hand over my face and let out a slow breath, trying to gather what little scraps of dignity I had left.

I couldn’t keep living like this.

The hostel was cheap, yeah, but it still drained my pathetic savings account faster than I could refill it with sketchy day labor jobs and under-the-table cash gigs.I shared the room with four other guys, none of whom I knew, and all of whom smelled like BO and desperation.The Wi-Fi barely worked unless you sat near the stairwell, and even then, it felt like you were catching a signal on borrowed time.

I pulled out my phone and opened the browser.

Maybe I’d just… check in on them.Not call.Just look.See what they were doing now.Maybe they’d moved.Maybe they’d left New York entirely.

I typed in Liam’s full name first.

That led me down a rabbit hole of social media pages I didn’t have the guts to click on.

Then I searched for Jack.

Same deal.LinkedIn popped up.

But then I saw it.

Boys On Film Media & Management

Huh?

I clicked the link with trembling fingers.

At first I thought it was some kind of indie production company.The homepage had sleek graphics and a logo that looked expensive as hell.

But then I scrolled.

And my heart just… stopped.

Oh my God.

It was porn.

They owned a porn company.

Liam and Jack.

Mr.Valedictorian Jack.The guy who once spent three weeks creating a color-coded study schedule for the LSATs.

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