A/N: Sorry if this is too rushed or too boring. It's just a filler chapter. The fun stuff is coming soon, I promise.

CHAPTER TWO

"Rise and shine!"

I groaned as I heard curtains being drawn aside and Amanda's annoying voice flooded my ears. "What ti—"

"Shut up for a minute!" she demanded, walking back over to me and sitting on the floor in front of the sofa I was laying in.

We stared at each other for a few moments.

Then she slapped me. Hard.

"Ouch! Amanda!"

"That," she said, jabbing a finger in my face, "was for missing the premiere."

I sighed, and she slapped me again. Harder.

"That was for being a bitch yesterday."

I shielded my face, expecting another smack. Amanda then proceeded to kick me in the sides harder than both slaps combined.

"HEY!"

"That," she told me, "was for fun."

My lips turned downwards and I glared at her. "If I didn't have the worst headache right now, I would totally kill you."

Amanda's nose wrinkled as she stood up. "Your breath smells disgusting." She unzipped one of my suitcases and started unpacking for me. "Anyway, like I mentioned, you missed the premiere. Do you have any idea how upset Dad was?"

"Devastated," I murmured sarcastically, running my fingers through my tangled hair.

"He was torn apart." She ignored me, slipping a shirt onto its hanger. The clink it made when it hit the rack pounded through my brain. "Especially when I told him why you didn't come."

"Wait, you what?" Now I was fully awake and sitting upright.

"I mean, it's not like you'd mind or anything—I thought he'd taken your subtle little hints, you know?" Amanda made a clucking noise with her tongue as she opened the drawers to my bureau. "But God, you broke his heart."

I grew angrier by the second. "What did you tell him?"

She ignored me once more. "The look on his face… You'd better be able to pucker up to him good, because he is—"

"Amanda!" I yelled.

"Hmm?" she asked innocently, turning around to face me.

"What. Did. You. Tell. Him."

"Who?" She made her best I'm-not-to-blame face.

"Ugh. Forget it." I rubbed my forehead, then stood off the couch and walked over to the closet, grabbing my bathrobe and a dress from where she had just hung them up. "I'm going to see him."

"Have fun!" she said brightly, smiling largely and waving. Then she abruptly left.

A long shower, five aspirins, and five breath mints later, I was on my way to Dad's suite. Along the way, I ran into several crew members, who acknowledged me with a scowl.

"Jerks," I muttered.

I came to Dad's room and decided to enter without knocking. I was soon face-to-face with Jett.

"Ew, it's my little brother." I wrinkled my nose jokingly, but he didn't seem to know that I was only kidding.

"Ew, it's the traitor who gave Dad an ulcer." He turned and flounced into the living room.

I followed him with my mouth agape, and my sunglasses fell off the top of my head. "I did not!"

"Better believe it," Jett told me, his brown-black eyes meeting my blue ones very seriously.

"That is so not true! I mean, just because I hate his stupid movies doesn't mean—"

"Katie?"

I whirled around to find myself merely inches from my father's 67-year-old face, and decided to go with the innocent-spoiled-and-perfect act.

"Hi Daddy!" I grinned.

"I didn't know you were stopping by," he said. "I mean, considering you weren't here for the premiere yesterday."

A pang of guilt hit me. I quickly sucked in a deep breath, knowing that the perky attitude would cheer him up in no time.

"Oh my gosh Daddy, I am so sorry! You know how the L.A. traffic is." I lightly touched his arm. "It was just impossible to be punctual!"

He made an "Mm" noise and nodded.

"But you don't have an ulcer or anything, right?" I stared into his eyes with as much affection as I could muster.

"No, Katie; I'm fine." He let out a final sigh before smiling and putting an arm around my shoulder. "Knowing you, four aspirins this morning weren't enough. Eh?" He led me into the kitchen.

"Five." I smirked, relieved. "But another wouldn't hurt, I guess."

"All right," he said, opening up one of the cupboards and pulling out a bottle of pills. "I have to warn you, though—these are some new thing that just came out on the market. They're supposed to have pretty weird side effects."

"Don't care." I stuck out my palm. "Hand 'em over."

He gave me two pills and a glass of water. Within a few seconds, I had tossed them down my throat and immediately began to feel better.

"Come this way, into the living room," he instructed, gently guiding me by the elbow to one of his sofas.

I suddenly began to feel very drowsy. "Dad…"

"It's okay." He leaned forward to take my hand in his. "It's supposed to do that."

"Oh…"

"Don't worry." He stroked my hair. "Hopefully this will teach you a few lessons, Katie."

"Hmm?" I murmured. Things were turning black and white. "I don't understand…"

"You'll be fine, I promise."

"Okay." His face turned into a large swirl.

"In a few hours you'll be…"

I couldn't hear the rest of what he said, because everything became dark.