An hour of binge eating pizza, polishing two bottles of beer, and nearly emptying the pint of chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream, the pair sat back on the couch regretting their decision to "eat their feelings" as they completed ignored the terrible rom com playing on Interflix.

"Somehow doing the Man vs Food thing was not such a good idea," groaned Liam clutching his full stomach.

"I agree," moaned Hayden rubbing her swollen belly and feeling like she wanted to take a nap. "But, in our defense, it felt like the right thing to do at the time." She let out a huge belch and inhaled. "Feel a little better, at least?"

Liam raised his brows. "If you count us, developing an eating disorder of overeating, then the answer is no. I'm going to have to hit the gym tomorrow to work off these extra calories."

"You're not the only one," Hayden burped again. "Exactly, what do you say to that asshole ex of yours?"

Liam sighed. "The usual. I let it all out, about how much I loved him and how he betrayed me and how our relationship was a complete lie."

"Let me guess," Hayden added. "Brett did the usual, we've grown apart, he's not ready for the commitment thing, things are moving too fast, and yada yada yada."

"Bingo," Liam answered, hugging himself. "The sad thing is he's right. I hadn't lived a little, as he says, and put myself out there. Brett was my first love, and I haven't had much experience with guys compared to him. I was living in fantasy world of make believe and fairytales."

His best friend rested her head against his shoulder. "Don't beat yourself over it. You're just too nice and haven't really seen what's out there. Remember when we were thirteen and both got roles on Restless Lives?"

Liam smiled. He recalled their innocent adolescence on that soap opera where they first met. He really liked Hayden's brash personality and boldly asked her to be his girlfriend. She accepted and he even had his first kiss with her.

"We were so young back then. Little did I know, I was going to be into dudes."

"I mean you were so sweet," Hayden pointed out. "The guys I grew up with were already sexualizing me at such a young age. Here I was this girl with immense talent from the barrio of south-central Los Angeles that had cholos and gangstas twice my age trying to get into my pants. You were the first guy that treated me with kindness and respect."

He nodded. "True, but you had the street smarts to see though all the bullshit of this industry. We arrived in Hollywood together as kid actors and you taught me a thing or two of how not to fall into the trappings and stay focused on our careers."

"And it helped that we had great management that navigated and protected us," Hayden praised of the M&M Inc, the talent agency founded by Natalie Martin, a longtime Hollywood talent representative, before her daughter, Lydia, took over. "We were lucky we didn't end up like many troubled child stars and they kept us on the straight and narrow."

She continued. "Yeah, but we had some growing up to do and mistakes to make." Hayden snorted thinking about Liam's ex. "Like falling for Brett when the soap casted his no talent sixteen-year ass in a bit part, and you began to notice him and even admitted to me that you had a guy crush?"

"Surprisingly, you took it well when I came out to you," Liam admitted. "You were my rock and support and even helped me to come out to my own parents who took it surprisingly well."

Hayden smiled. "I always knew you were different. Hell, I was raised around gay and lesbian relatives, I knew what homosexuality was. My gaydar pretty much told me that I never had a shot with you, but I didn't want our friendship to end so I opted to be your beard."

"And a hairy one at that!" Liam joked.

"Hey!" She socked him in the arm playfully. "I shaved this morning so shut the fuck up! I'm planning on getting a full wax treatment at the spa this week so lay off the follicle jokes!"

Liam raised his hands to surrender. "I'm sorry." He released a sigh again. Hayden took notice.

"What?"

"Nothing," her BFF curled his mouth before speaking. "It's just that I thought Brett was going to be the one."

Hayden rolled her eyes. "Sorry to break it to you, Liam, but I always knew that Brett was eventually going to cheat on you."

Liam's eyes widened. "What? What do you mean?"

She clucked her tongue. "I mean look at him. Brett is a pretty boy model. He has hundreds, if not thousands of guys, constantly surrounding him. He enjoys the attention and validation. I always suspected that he was up to something. Then six months ago, I discovered his Cruisr profile…"

Her best friend again lifted his brows in shock. "What? How? When did you get on Cruisr?"

Hayden laughed. "I made a fake profile, got a headless torso of a gay porn model, and created an account."

Liam flinched in disgust.

She rolled her eyes. "Don't judge me. I'm a petty bitch like that! I like to catfish gay assholes, get their dick pics, save them, and then ghost them afterwards. Then I'll get on the Ember app and put up the same dick pic for those similar straight assholes that like to treat women horribly on that dating app as well! It's not liked both sides don't deserve it for being the toxic fuckers that they are! I'm simply making the world a better place for the nicer people in the dating pool."

"By being manipulative catfisher?" Liam's mouth dropped. "Seriously? Don't you see how wrong this is on so many levels?"

"Liam," she began. "Don't tell me that that if you haven't been treated horribly on Cruisr by toxic, superficial guys?"

"No," Liam pointed out proudly. "I don't use dating apps. Like Brett said, I'm a complete prude."

His bestie's eyes widened. "Really?" She stopped to ponder his statement for a moment. "Wow, you really are one of the last good guys in the world." She shook her head and shrugged. "At least, you're not subjected to the ignorant comments of no fats, no femmes, no blacks, no Asians as an excuse for preference. But again, why do I know? I use Ember to hook up with hot guys who are not assholes but are great in bed!"

Liam covered his ears. "Can we not talk about your sex life?"

Hayden giggled. "Get over yourself, Liam, I'm a woman with needs but, at least, I'm upfront about it to the men I hook up with." She hesitated as she pulled out her phone to the Cruisr app. "Not like this guy!" She pulled a profile image of a shirtless Brett in amazing shape wearing a pair of low waisted hip hugging jeans. "His username is Brebot." She laughed out loud. "The man is all looks; no personality and he was stupid enough to show his face to the world. All it takes it someone to search his image online. It says here he's verse…"

"Verse my ass!" Liam frowned. "Brett wouldn't know how to bottom if he sat on a buttplug and rotated! He's not that adventurous!" He signaled to Hayden. "Trust me."

"This profile has been up for six months," she explained. "Meaning, I kind of suspected that he was stepping out on you. I wanted to tell you, but I had no proof…"

"Until the day, I caught him getting it on with some rando on our dining table," Liam finished her sentence. "Thank God, we sold that piece of furniture and found a different one at the thrift store." He glared at her in disappointment. "I wish you had told me and spared me the agony of finding out six months ago."

Hayden exhaled. "You wouldn't have believed me. Brett had you wrapped around his little finger that you couldn't see the plain truth that he was using you. The one thing Brett was good at was manipulation and that is why, despite the red flags, he could do no wrong in your eyes. It was better to let him slip up so you could discover the truth for yourself. Arrogant pricks like Brett always seem to get their just desserts in the end."

Liam cast his eyes down. "Am I really that pathetic that I didn't see the warning signs?"

"No," she hugged him even tighter. "You just too trusting and want to believe that everyone is truly good in the world but, in reality, they're not."

"I'm really that naïve?" Liam asked his bestie.

"The point is," Hayden embraced her friend again. "You needed to break up with him to figure out your own self-worth. You deserve better and you're much better off without him. Maybe this is your chance to find Mr. Right, who is truly worthy of you!"

"I know," he replied internalizing her words. "The one thing I do know is that I don't want to be Brett. I don't want to use my body and good looks to sell myself in this business." He turned to Hayden. "Do you know he told me that the only reason he's dating this new guy, Josh, is because he claims he has connections in Hollywood?"

"Until, this Josh no longer serves his purpose," she explained. "Brett is a user and a talentless hack who couldn't act his way out of a broken paper bag. Good riddance to him!"

"Here!" Liam exclaimed, though he did it with a thumbs up instead of another beer. He was afraid he was going to be too intoxicated to savor the moment. His mind then realized something as he went to grab for his phone buried in the couch cushion. "Oh crap!"

"What?" Hayden moved to the opposite side of the couch as he frantically pulled up the seat. Once he located the device, he turned on the screen and began to swipe.

"My parents," he informed her. "I promised I would call them tonight!"

The news made her laugh. "Ooooh! You in trouble, Liam Dunbar! Looks like someone is getting grounded!" She teased.

He rolled his eyes. "Oh quiet!" He intended to press the phone app but instead slipped his finger on the Photogram feature the screen. Immediately, a photo of him and his friends in Baja last year popped up along with an alert on his PM. "What the?"

"Huh?" Hayden asked curious by his shock.

"I got a PM alert!" Liam declared. "I never get a PM alert on my Photogram page! What do I do?" He asked in completely confused.

"Answer it, dummy!" His bestie told him. "See if it's legit!"

He pressed the icon and pulled up a message that completely made the back of his neck shiver. It was a personal message from Theo Raeken.

"Oh my God!" Liam gasped. "It's from Theo Raeken!"

Hayden quickly grabbed the phone from him.

"Hey!"

She began reading it. "Hey. Thought you were great. We should meet up sometime. Here's my number."

Liam went to retrieve it, but his BFF stopped him. Finding the messaging icon, she pressed it and began to text him back on the phone number provided.

I got your message. When would be a good time to meet?

The message was sent. Hayden waited.

"What are you doing?" Liam asked accusingly.

"Hopefully, getting you laid," she stated. "One good way to mend a broken heart is get on another horse and ride it until the sun comes up!"

Liam's mouth dropped. "You're gross."

"You're a prude." She retorted. Several seconds later. Nothing. No response. Until….

I'm free next weekend. I can host. Want to meet me?

Hayden did not hesitate. She immediately responded.

Sure. Text me the time and place.

519 Angel View Lake Blvd

Los Angeles, CA 96014

Saturday at 9:00 P.M. See you then. - Theo

See you then. - Liam

"Are you trying to get me arrested?" Liam gasped. "I can't go to Theo's house! This guy might be a psychopath!"

Hayden clucked her tongue again. "Mason has worked with this guy for nearly four years. Obviously, he hasn't murdered anyone…"

"That we know of," he cut her off. "Plus, I don't think Theo Raeken is into dudes."

Once again, she rolled her eyes. "Read between the lines and don't be all sus. He slid into your PM's. He's offering to host, meaning he wants to do a hookup. And he's doing this meet and greet at night, meaning he's on the DL."

"The DL?"

"The downlow," Hayden informed him. "A slang term for quote unquote straight guys that enjoy hooking up with gay or bi men in private. Jeez, Liam, I need to revoke your gay card for not knowing that!"

"Never mind my knowledge of LGBT lingo," Liam stated. "I can't just have a fling with a guy this weekend that I barely know!"

"Yes, you can," she stated. "Look, Liam, you're single. This Theo is single. You're both giving each other bedroom signals! I say, have your fun and stick it up Brett's ass and prove to him that you're not a prude and that you can open yourself up and put yourself out there!"

Liam continued to hesitate. "I don't think I can do this…"

"Hush!" Hayden protested. "You need this! You want this!" She pointed to his crotch. "Even Little Liam needs and wants to do this!"

He quickly covered up his privates. "Keep Little Liam out of this…And for the record Little Liam is not so little!"

"Quit overcompensating and just meet with him next weekend!" Hayden pushed. "You'll regret if you miss out on this opportunity!" She handed him back his phone. "I'm giving you a chance for bragging rights to date a hot celebrity, especially one you been fangirling about for the longest time."

"Thanks," Liam curled mouth nervously. "And for more your information, I'm not fangirling. I'm admiring." He paused for a bit. "I'll think about. But right now, I need to call my family!"

With that, he retired to his room.

"Stop being a chickenshit, Liam!" Hayden shouted from the couch before he shut his bedroom door. "You have to live a little sometime! You can't hide away forever!"

She was right but instead, he'd ignored her advice.

For now.

In the privacy of his bedroom, Liam sat on his bed and dialed up his parents.

"Hello?"

His father picked up the call. Despite the invention of cell phones, his parents kept their landline.

"Hey Dad, it's me."

"Liam!" His father exclaimed happily. "I'm so glad you finally called. Nine o'clock at night is a little late though. Were you working late?"

"Sorry, Dad," Liam apologized. Even he had been brought up with some manners. "I had the L. A. convention thing to promote that movie I just finished that comes out in September on Interflix."

"Sounds like fun," his father responded. "I'll make sure that your mom and I watch it."

Despite Liam being a working actor in Hollywood, his parents supported his career choice instead of going to college. Growing up two hours away in San Diego, California in the rural county of Rancho La Jolla, Liam Dunbar Geyer was raised as the adopted son of two loving, professional parents, Dr. Todd Geyer, and Satomi Ito-Geyer.

Todd Geyer, an African American doctor, met his wife, Japanese American Satomi Ito, in Detroit, Michigan where she was working as an E. R. nurse at Detroit Medical City Hospital. The two eventually married but their busy careers and difficulty conceiving made it hard for them to have any children. It was during this time that Liam was born at the hospital to his drug addicted birth mother who died of a substance abused related heart attack while in labor. Thankfully, Dr. Geyer and Satomi were able to save Liam but not without later complications as a drug addicted infant and some physical and psychological trauma that manifested during his initial developmental years as a toddler. Diagnosed with intermittent explosive disorder or IED, Liam developed some rage issues from time to time but with therapy and medication, he eventually got a handle on his anger and anxiety and grew to up to be a loving, respectable young man. It also helped that his parents moved him to the suburbs of southern California where the fresh air and quiet calmness did him some good.

"Is that my little apple?"

Liam could hear his mother refer to him by her pet name that she gave him. Satomi always referred to her little boy as her "little apple", a reference to his cheeks turning flush and bright red whenever he got embarrassed or nervous.

"Honey, give me the phone. I want to talk to my little apple."

"Hold on, your mother wants to talk to you," his father said, hearing him exchanging the phone.

"You know, Mom, you and Dad can switch to using your cell phones." Liam smiled as he suggested it to his mother.

"And let me be accessible 24/7?" His mother scoffed. "Never! Besides, I like to screen my calls on the answering machine. I'm just old fashion like that."

Liam sighed. "That is what voice mail is for. And for the record, Mom, you're not old. You and Dad are mid-fifties."

"That's because black don't crack!" He heard his father say in the background.

"And Asian don't raisin, son," cackled his mother.

He had to admit the shocking remark made him giggle. Being an interracial, mix raced, adoptive family, the inside jokes would shock the public outside of their circle, but his parents had their own brand of un-PC humor that only was permissible between them.

"I heard you have another movie coming out," Satomi probed her son. "What's the name of it?"

"Invader Busters," Liam told her. "It's a sci-fi horror comedy. I don't know if you and Dad want to watch it…"

"Of course, we do!" Satomi exclaimed. "What kind of parents would we be if we didn't support our son?"

"Normal? High expectations?" He joked. "The kind that seeing their child going into the arts would only bring shame and embarrassment for the family."

"You're overthinking," Satomi told him flatly. "By now, you should know our little family was never conventional." Liam snickered. His mother continued. "Are you going to come down and visit us this weekend?"

"Yeah, sure," Liam answered. "I don't have any auditions lined up and could use a break for a couple of days. I'll drive down this weekend and stay with you guys."

"Wonderful!" Satomi cheered. "I'll make your favorite Japanese beef and potato stew. Nikujaga!"

Her son licked his lips. He missed homecooked meals. "Can't wait, Mom. Well, I gotta go. Tell Dad, I love him, and I'll see you this Friday. Love you, Mom."

"I love you too, little apple!"

With those last words, she hung up. Liam turned off his cell and laid back against his bed.

He missed family times. At least a visit to his parents would provide him so normalcy from the craziness of Hollywood.

Secretly, he wished it were like that every day.

The Ultimate Power Network, or UPN, was subsidiary of the huge Golden Rod Studios, one of the original movie-making entertainment companies that was established since the early 1900's. Since then, Golden Rod has branched out into various divisions including UPN by creating popular shows like the soap opera Restless Lives, The Big Nerdy Squad, and even the hit teenage supernatural series, Beacon Hills.

Theo Raeken sat in the office of the creators, writers, and partners of the show, Stiles Stilinski-Hale, and Derek Hale, right next to his nervous co-star, Issac Lahey.

With his hazel brown eyes shifting from Theo to Issac, Stiles folded his hands in front of him and addressed the pair.

"I think you already suspect why I called you both to this meaning," he stated seriously.

"If it's about the whole Christman thing," Theo announced concerning the elephant in the room. "I really want to renegotiate the idea. I simply don't believe my character, Christian, would be gay."

"Not exactly gay," Derek jumped in. "But sexually fluid. Christian exudes this ability to find all genders and even some creatures attractive. We're hoping to explore that and not pigeonhole him in a box."

Stiles agreed. "I mean the Kinsey scale has room for fluidity. Why not explore that in the series?"

"So, you're trying to make this whole fanfiction thing canon?" Theo scoffed. "You're pandering to a small community of celebrity obsessed fans instead of simply accepting your creativity as creators and writers?"

Derek stepped in. "We're not pandering, Theo." His green eyes blinked. "It's more like using some inspiration for creating exciting stories to tell and fleshing out these characters with more challenging backstories and personal struggles. Examining the internal conflicts of your character, Christian Codex, would showcase your real talent for digging deep inside a role and pulling out the truth."

Stiles added. "Didn't you tell your agent, Allison Argent, that you wanted more serious roles that were challenging and had substance?"

"Think of this opportunity as a way of breathing life into Christian," Derek suggested. "You want Hollywood to see you as a multi-dimensional actor. Here is your chance!"

Theo exhaled. "You do know if we go this route, you're going to lose sponsors. Many of our conservative, religious corporations use our show to advertise our products. They're not going to support a show that is going with an LGBT slant!"

"Fuck them!" Stiles stated flatly. "Who are we going to lose? Dick's Fish Filets that are not really made with any real seafood product? MySleeping Body Pillow? That Home Shopping product is trash and our show's ratings are off the charts. We'll pull in hundreds more to replace them."

"I hope Bluto's Fish Fry replaces Dick's Fish Fillets," Derek grinned. "I really like their popcorn shrimp and their fish and chips are the bomb diggity!"

"No one says that anymore, babe," Stiles muttered. "Though I'm craving a little Bluto's. Maybe we can swing by the drive-thru after this…"

"Can we get back through Christian's sexuality?" Theo interrupted. "The non-Christman fans are not going to like where we're going with this." He turned to Issac. "How do you feel about this? They're wanting to turn Sherman and Christian into a real power couple!"

Surprisingly, Issac Lahey held his tongue. He sat quietly and listened before saying something. Nodding to Theo, he finally spoke up.

"I think it's an excellent idea, mate," he stated. "Beacon Hills is a show about representation and diversity. Making the two leads declare their love for one another brings some reality to the idea of real-life people who can never truly be themselves because society won't let them be. As an actor, I respect and welcome the challenge. It exhibits the purest of art by willing to show your vulnerability on-screen." His face gestured to Theo. "Look, mate, I'm an ally to the community but I'm comfortable in my sexuality to know that I identity as a cis-heterosexual male. This is not a reflection of me being inferior as a human, but I do believe I have a responsibility to show that on television."

"Exactly," Stiles agreed. He turned to the pair. "I don't care how my actors self-identify. That is their business, and I will defend their privacy to the end. However, Derek and I, cast the right actors who could breathe life into these characters we created and make the audience care about them."

Derek put in his thoughts. "Stiles has a point." He nodded to Theo. "Christian is literally the heart of the show, the representation of all that have been suppressed, subjugated, and made to feel less than. He is the hero trying to bring peace among this universe and I'm asking you, Theo, to reconsider letting us tell his story."

Theo sat back quietly. The words of the show's creators moved him. He did not realize how integral his role was and how much of an impact he was making to the audience. Christian Codex was truly the hero that viewers needed, unlike the actor playing him who was too much of a coward to really reveal and understand his own truth. He had a responsibility to let Stiles and Derek to present him in a positive light for the LGBTAIQ community and he did not want to let them down.

A moment of silence before swallowing a breath, Theo finally spoke up. "Okay, I'm in."

Stiles and Derek clapped their hands in approval as did Sherman who simply smiled. Their cheering quickly disappeared before the creators had something else to share.

"I'm glad to hear that," Derek told Theo. "We already had some great storylines planned for you for next season since we'll be finishing off with some major upsets."

Confused, Theo leaned out of his chair. "Upsets. The only changes are our characters' sexuality. I'm not sure what other bombs you can drop on us."

Stiles sighed and addressed Issac. "I think you better tell him, Issac. It will ease the blow if it comes out of your mouth."

Suspicious, Theo glared at his costar. "Tell me what? Issac, what is going on?"

Issac bit his lip. "Theo, mate. Season Four is my last season. I've chosen not to renew my contract with Beacon Hills. I've talked with Stiles and Derek and they've agreed to kill my character off in the season finale."

A bomb exploded inside Theo's head. He could not believe what he was hearing. He shot up from his chair. "Are you shitting me right now? You're leaving the show and leaving me high and dry?"

"It's my decision, Theo," Issac explained. "I've forsaken my life and family back in England for a bloody acting career in America. It's been ten years and my heart are no longer in this game!"

Theo attempted to justify their career paths. "You're at the top of your field, Issac. A hit show! Adoring fans! Financial stability! Why throw it all away now?"

Issac finally stood up as well. "There are more important things in life than this fucking acting thing, mate!" He took a few minutes to calm down. "Remember when I told you in confidence that my mum was sick with breast cancer three years ago?"

Theo recalled and nodded. "Yeah, but with surgery and aggressive chemo, she beat it and now she's fine."

Issac exhaled. "Unfortunately, the cancer returned too. She's now in Stage 4 and it's terminal."

Theo's face turned pale. He quietly sat back down. "I'm sorry, Issac. I had no idea."

Tears welled up in his costar's eyes. "The doctors say she has at least another four months to live. I want to go home to be with her. I need to be with my family. I miss my friends. I miss my life back home in England. Bloody hell! I miss my girlfriend who I asked to marry me. We're expecting a baby and I want to be there and raise this kid and not be some absentee father chasing a dream for fame in America! My life is back home and where I need to chase my own happiness! Just be a supportive friend, Theo!"

Theo stood back up and hugged his crying costar. "No, I'm sorry, Issac. I'm being a prick. You deserve to be happy and I'm being selfish. You need to go back home."

"Thanks, mate, for understanding," Issac wiped his eyes. "Stiles and Derek have everything figured out. You're going to still make this series great even without me."

Stiles spoke up first. "That is why we're making you, Theo, the frontrunner of Beacon Hills. Christian Codex leading the series changes the dynamic of the show. Imagine the stories we can tell!"

Theo hesitated. "But I thought Christian's sexuality was going to be explored in the series."

Derek jumped in. "It will. That is why we're casting an antagonistic love interest that will give Christian a run for his money. We're sending audition notices to all the agencies in the next few weeks."

Theo's mouth dropped. "Are you sure this is going to work? I mean the chemistry that I have with Issac works better. The viewers aren't going to be fooled by someone who is trying to force his way into a connection with the lead character."

Stiles twiddled his thumbs. "Leave that to us, Theo. We know a thing or two about casting the right person. Look what we did in creating Sherman and Christian. We can do again with a new character. You can bet on it!"

Issac grinned at Theo. "Looks like you're getting a male lover after all for Christian. This should be your most challenging role yet!"

Somehow, Theo refused to agree.