A/N Can you guys send me in prompts? I'm kinda running out of ideas for this story. But anyways, here's the chapter.
A growl ripped through the almost silent soundstage. Everyone turned to look at the cameraman who blushed and ducked.
"Eric." Jackson sighed irritably, "Go get something to eat. Right now."
"Sorry." Eric mumbled meekly before running off.
"Third time this week." Taylor said angrily as Melissa and her crew quickly surrounded her with their brushes. "I swear, if you don't fire him-"
"Taylor, I'm in charge of this production, not you." Daley broke in.
"She's gotta point though." Nathan said, helping Melissa rebuild the sets.
"I know this guy." Abby butted in. "Maybe he can help us."
Eric was promptly fired and Dylan was put in his place. Dylan was…interesting, as Jackson soon found out.
"But I really think we should add the knife into the shot." Dylan argued. "It'll look cool."
"Yes. And then the rating will go up." Jackson sighed, rubbing his temples. He was starting to miss Eric and how he obeyed his every command.
"Fine." Dylan grumbled. "How's your girlfriend?"
"She's doing fine." Jackson gritted his teeth. He hated it when people talked about Melissa; she didn't deserve the defamation fame brought. He still missed the days when he and Melissa could go out on a date and not have thirty paparazzi on their trail.
"Coolio. I'm going to go get a soda." Dylan left behind a bewildered Jackson.
"He's irritating." Jackson told Abby, who was standing right next to him.
"But my friend said-"
"Your friend is a lazy director." Jackson cut in and left Abby.
Eric nursed his drink. He still smarted from the firing. How could they abandon him like that? He chugged his drink down.
A ray of light hit him and he blinked. He turned and saw one of the most beautiful women he'd ever seen. "Am I in heaven?" He asked.
She looked at him like he was an idiot. "Really? Another one of your pick-up lines?"
"Are you an angel?" Eric asked again.
Abby turned to face Lex. "He's drunk."
Lex's mouth twisted. "Yeah. We should get him home."
Eric woke up with a pounding headache. "Ugh." He moaned.
"Good, you're awake." Abby said quickly. "We need your help."
Eric sat up, noticing for the first time he was in his bed. Without a shirt. Abby tossed him one. "Get changed."
"So, what's this new kid like?" Eric asked, pulling on his shirt.
"Dylan is…interesting." Abby replied.
"Interesting?" Eric asked.
"He's annoying, rude and arrogant." Lex came in, elaborating.
Eric turned to look at Abby. "He was a nice guy when I met him." Abby said defensively.
"What is he? Your boyfriend?" Eric asked sarcastically.
To his surprise, Abby turned a bright shade of red and started mumbling. Eric blinked. "He's really your boyfriend?"
"Moving on." Abby said hurriedly. "He's kind of being…what Lex said. We have a plan to get rid of him."
Eric strutted in. Everyone dropped what they were doing and stared as the ex-cameraman went straight up to Dylan.
"I believe that is my job." Eric snarled.
"No. It's not." Dylan sneered back. "They fired you and they hired me."
"They don't seem to like you. They miss me."
"Um…" Everyone turned to Jackson, who stayed cool and calm as always. "I think that the only way to determine who gets the job will be to shoot a scene. Whoever does it better wins, and they get the job. The loser is fired."
The two cameramen looked at each, then bumped fists.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Eric muttered to Abby, who had been chosen as his assistant.
"Yes." Abby hissed back. "Dylan doesn't know how to get a good picture. And he can't resist a challenge."
"Okay, Eric, you're up first." Jackson said.
Eric swallowed nervously before positioning the camera at a questionable angle. "Eric?" Daley asked.
"He's got this under control." Lex reassured her. They rolled the scene and Taylor did an amazing job.
"Great job, Taylor." Jackson said, causing Taylor to grin. They rarely told her she did a good job. "Dylan." Jackson called. Dylan set up the camera at a very safe angle and shot the scene.
The crew headed into the editing booth while Melissa stayed back to take care of Taylor who was whining about how acting several scenes in a row was tiring. The crew looked up at the monitor, seeing the two shots side-by-side.
Eric's gamble paid off, and his shot looked amazing. In contrast, Dylan's shot was drab. There was silence after the shots stopped playing. "Well, I think we all know who won." Nathan spoke up.
Jackson turned to Dylan. "You're fired."
Dylan's face twisted up. "You're going to regret this."
"Get out of my studio." Daley said calmly.
Dylan stormed out. Everyone turned to glance at Eric. "Um…thanks for rehiring me?" He said weakly.
"You're much better than Dylan." Was all Jackson said. The crowd started dispersing until only Eric and Abby were left.
"I um…I broke up with Dylan." Abby said awkwardly.
"That's great. He was a jerk." Eric said happily as he started walking out. As he got to the door, he turned around. "Oh, and how about dinner at say…six?"
Abby grinned. "Sure."
A/N Sorry for the late update. Again, any prompts or anything would be nice.