* * *
"Okay girl, spill," said Kayla as she and Riley came into Kayla's room after Riley got done with shooting that day. "What's going on with you and J.B.?" "Nothing, yet. That's part of the problem!" cried a frustrated Riley as she sank into a chair. Plopping onto her bed, Kayla regarded the blonde actress with an inquisitive look. "Maybe you'd better start from the beginning.
"All right. It's like this," began Riley. "Until I moved out here for Silverstone, I never really thought about guys. Yeah, I had boyfriends in California, and yeah, I had fun with some of them. But I never really felt anything for them, you know? It was just an arrangement. And even when I did feel something for a guy, it was because he was physically attractive, or did a lot of guest shoots on a popular program or something. I've just never thought I needed a boy to fulfill who I am."
"And now?" asked Kayla. "Now…I don't know anymore. When I first came to Wilstead, and met Jett and you and J.B., I thought I could understand why he came here. Wilstead is…quiet. Not like Hollywood. And people are more relaxed and friendly here; they're more…real. After a few months here, I realized that I really liked it. I liked having a life outside of acting."
Riley took a breath before going on. "When I first met J.B., I immediately liked him. He was easygoing and laidback, and didn't let who you were determine whether he liked you. And his loyalty and friendship for Jett was so absolute, so true…after a while, I began to wish I had someone like that. I know that you and he and Jett would always be there for me," she hurried on, at the look of slight hurt that came across Kayla's face. "But to have someone to always rely on, who would always be there for you…it was like a whole new world of possibility had opened up."
"As I got to know more and more about J.B., I started to admire more and more about him. How he's always willing to let Jett have the spotlight, without seeking it for himself. The way he talks, with that little country twang. Even his individuality in having that horrible fashion sense." She laughed, and Kayla did too, remembering J.B.'s habit of tucking in one half of his shirt but not the other. "During that gold hunt we went on, I realized I loved him. And it frightened me."
Riley suddenly raised her head and looked at Kayla. "Kay, do you remember how you told me you felt when you realized you loved Jett?" "Yeah," Kayla replied, recalling those tumultuous days right before she and Jett had become romantic. "It was like a rush of feeling…like I was suddenly realizing that someone I'd cared about for years as a great friend was more than that. Like I suddenly had to have him, and if he didn't feel the same way about me I wouldn't have anything to live for. It was scary."
Suddenly, Kayla came out of her reverie and looked sharply at Riley. "Ri, do you mean that's what you've had to go through ever since that gold-hunting trip?" Fear apparent on her face, Riley nodded.
"Oh, Riley! Why didn't you tell me? Or Jett?" Kayla hopped off her bed and rushed over to her friend, pulling her into a hug. "I couldn't," Riley moaned into Kayla's shoulder. "I've always been so strong, so independent. I kept thinking that I was kidding myself, that it would go away if I just waited long enough." The other girl shook her head, sad that Riley still felt this way. Hadn't they tried to get her to turn to other people ever since the four of them became friends?
"Kayla," said Riley, pulling out of the hug and staring at her friend. "What if he doesn't feel the same way? What if he only sees me as a friend? I need him, Kayla. What if he doesn't have the same desire for me? What about my family, and my friends? And the media?" Kayla grimaced, remembering all the reporters she'd had to talk to when she'd started going out with Jett. "Don't worry about that right now. It'll be all right, Riley; I promise." Riley stared at her with a gleam of hope in her blue eyes, but with a good deal more anguish in her face. "Oh, Kayla. This is all so new to me! I'm a confident, capable young actress, and I've fallen in love with a country storekeeper—and despite it all, I couldn't be happier." Finally smiling a bit at that thought, Riley hugged Kayla again. As she gave her friend the support she needed, one thought ran through Kayla's mind: "I need to talk to Jett. And fast."