I WANT EVERYTHING

"Publicity"

It had been a long, demanding week for Chad Dylan Cooper. He'd been working hard filming a very intense, very dramatic episode of Mackenzie Falls while also trying to fit in time to do promos for the show. On top of that, he was also shooting a commercial for a line of sunglasses he had been endorsing - Chades, as they were called. He'd even come up with the name himself. But at the end of the week, all that hard work had paid off because he was more than satisfied with his career accomplishments.

His feeling of satisfaction, however, would come to an end that day when he sat down for a meeting with his agent. Andy, as his agent insisted he call him, had called an emergency meeting that day in Chad's dressing room. Such meetings were not uncommon; therefore, Chad never really worried too much what they were about. It usually concerned something minor, such as his bad use of grammar in his Flitter posts. Chad knew he was supposed to run all posts by his editor before making them public, but sometimes there just wasn't enough hours in the day in between massages and total body cleanses.

The young actor knew that if anything, the meeting was concerning a role he had auditioned for in a new romantic comedy. The part was as good as his, no doubt. He had the good looks, the charm, and of course his incredible acting talent. Now that he was getting older, Chad's choice of rolls was expanding. He knew that Mackenzie Falls would not last forever and it was his dream to become the next big-name movie star. The whole idea wasn't that far of a stretch either.

Chad's agent, Andrew Holloway, was a man in his late thirties. He had been in the business for almost 18 years now and had a ruthless demeanor, putting it quite nicely. He had already helped Chad secure his role at Mackenzie Falls as well as several supporting roles in various teen movies. Andy had done no favors putting things to Chad lightly; he was a tell-it-like-it-is type of guy and that's what had made him so good at his job. Working with Andy, Chad had found that sometimes the things that were the hardest for him to hear were just what he needed to further his career. He had learned not to question the older man's logic.

"Chad," Andy said with a forced smile, shaking Chad's hand and sitting down across from him in an arm chair. "I heard from the casting director today. I'm afraid I have some bad news."

Chad frowned. "You're kidding? I thought the part was as good as mine!"

Andy nodded. "So did I. And it could've been. The only problem the director had with casting you as the lead roll, however, was your public image."

"Are we back at the whole puppy-shoving incident?" Chad asked with a frown. "The dog's over it, why isn't everyone else?"

"That's not it," Andy replied, shaking his head. "The problem is your romantic life, Chad. The main character of this movie is a true romantic. Nobody's going to want to see some playboy who's never been in a real relationship in a role like this."

"What do you mean?" Chad demanded, his voice getting high. "I've had plenty of girlfriends," he defended himself.

"That's the problem Chad. You drift from girl to girl. You broke up with the Doublemint twins that you were dating at the same time after, what, three days? Then there was your five day fling with Gomez. And don't forget about how you made out with Tisdale at the VMA's and then never bothered to call her."

"Uh, I told you I didn't know they were twins," Chad retorted. "I was allergic to Gomez's dogs, and I lost Tisdale's phone number. Why do I always come out looking like the bad guy?"

Andy sighed. "Enough excuses Chad. Do you want to be taken seriously? Do you really want these movie deals?" He asked his young client.

Chad quickly nodded.

"Then you need to find yourself a girlfriend and make it stick. I can't emphasize that enough. Do whatever it takes to keep her from dumping you, especially if that means not being you."

"Ahem," Chad cleared his throat. "Excuse me but it's usually the other way around."

"Mmm hmm. Hudgens might disagree."

"The only reason she dumped me was because I told her I couldn't promise our relationship would remain exclusive while I was working on my last movie in Paris. The City of Love, Andy. What was I supposed to do?"

Andy sighed again. The job as Chad Dylan Cooper's agent most certainly did not pay well enough. "That's another thing Chad. You can only date one girl at a time. The press always finds out. The girls always find out. So find one girl, ask her out, and keep it going. It doesn't even have to be real Chad. Just find someone who will make you look good."

Chad nodded. "Alright, I can do this. I'll just get Penelope to fake date me for awhile. No biggie."

Andy shook his head. "No, you can't date a girl from your own show. It's too obvious. Besides, if your viewers hate Mackenzie with Penelope, then they won't like the idea of you dating her in real life."

Chad rolled his eyes. "Then who am I supposed to date?"

Andy leaned back in the armchair, resting his right ankle on his left knee. "Opposites attract. Why not date someone from your rival show?"

"What, you mean a Random?" Chad asked in disgust.

"Precisely."

Chad thought for a moment. "Let's see. Tawni's out because she's too, well, Tawni. I don't want to go down that road again. Zora's twelve. Nico and Grady have each other. Wait…no. You can't mean?" His eyes widened at the thought of it.

"Yes, Sonny Munroe. Your fans already loved your work together on The Chad Dylan Cooper Story."

Chad quickly shook his head. "But we'd just fight all the time and we're not even friends. There is no way in this world Sonny would date me. She's said so herself. Multiple times!"

"You're Chad Dylan Cooper, if you can't charm her then you'll just trick her."

"I don't know. That seems pretty low even for me," Chad admitted.

Andy sat forward, resting his elbows on his lap. "Listen, it will be good publicity for you both. It'll help So Random's ratings, and help you get the movie deals. It's a win/win situation. You'd be doing this girl a favor."

Chad stared at his lap in thought for a moment. "I mean, she's cute and everything. I guess being her fake boyfriend won't be that horrible. I might even get to kiss her again. And on the lips this time."

Andy smiled. "Then it's settled. You'll ask her to the Tridark premiere, get lots of red carpet publicity, then date her for a few months."

Chad paused. "Wait? A few months?"

"At least three. After that, I could care less what you do with the girl. There will be a casting call at the end of the spring for the next Nicholas Sparks novel-based movie. A role in this movie would really give your movie career a jump start."

Chad stood up, extending his hand to Andy. "Fine."

Andy nodded, shaking the boys hand and then leaving the room. Meanwhile, for some reason, Chad had a plaguing feeling that this was all going to blow up in his face.

To be continued…