DISCLAIMER: I don't own anything. Chapter Title: Up In The Stars by Swimming With Dolphins.
Do you guys know why the name of the director is James Altnoy? ALittle Too Not Over You!
Just sharing :)
A Little Too Not Over You
Chapter Two – The Only Way To Fall Is Down
Massie Block stared at Derrick Harrington, not even acknowledging the fact that she was in the middle of a photo shoot, and the photographer was asking for anger. When she didn't move, he stopped clicking on his camera to look at her disbelievingly.
"What's wrong, Massie? You look like you've seen a ghost," Ella Nelson, Massie's assistant, asked the young superstar.
"Maybe I have," Massie said, blinking a few times to check if she was hallucinating or not.
She wasn't.
All the emotions she suppressed from eight years ago resurfaced, and she almost let it drown her. The disappointment, the pain, the frustration, the shock, and finally, the joy. The fused wave of these feelings crashed around her, but she swam, keeping her head up so she won't drown.
"You know each other?" James Altnoy, director, asked, but his voice was far away to Massie.
"Yeah. We used to…" Derrick said, and his voice broke Massie's trance. Suddenly, she was pulled out of the water.
"Go to school together," Massie finished.
"You were friends?" James asked.
"Yeah. We were in the same circle of friends," Derrick answered.
"You were close?" James inquired.
"You could say that," Massie said, not really wanting him to know how close they actually were.
"Perfect. No more awkward introductions," James said, smiling at the both of them. "Now, Massie, why don't you sit there while we get Derrick ready for the photo shoot?" he said.
Massie absentmindedly sat down on the chair he pointed at, and asked Ella for her phone. When she felt the cool metal touch her palm, she immediately speed-dialed the only person she knew who could possibly have the answers she needed. While she listened to the steady ringing of the phone, she went inside the privacy of the bathroom.
"Hola," Alicia Rivera answered.
"Hello, Alicia," Massie said, trying to keep calm.
"What's wrong?" the Spanish asked from the other side. "I know that overly calm voice. When you talk like that, it usually means that you want to burst in a fit of emotion."
"Are you with Josh?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Could you please put me on loudspeaker? I have to talk to him too."
Massie counted two seconds before she heard the unmistakable voice of Josh Hotz. "Massie?"
"Last week, I accepted a movie role. Today, I had a photo shoot for said movie. I went to the studio without knowing who my leading man was. I was early; I showed up and he wasn't there yet. So they put me in hair and make-up, and they had me run some test-shots. In the middle of the pre-photo shoot photo shoot, my leading man arrived. I saw him and I froze," Massie said, being overly-dramatic in her storytelling.
"Okay?" Josh asked, confused.
"Do you want to know who my leading man is? It's a big piece of gossip. Nobody knows who he is, but everyone is curious to find out," Massie said, knowing she was stalling, refusing to say his name out loud.
"Sure?"
"His name is Derrick Harrington." The name felt foreign on her tongue, but it also felt familiar and comfortable, like she said that name every day.
"He accepted the movie?" Josh asked.
"You didn't tell me?" Alicia asked.
"Babe, you're a gossip reporter. It was top secret," Josh reasoned, and Massie guessed Alicia took this as a proper excuse, because she heard the Spanish girl say, "Okay."
"Massie, I didn't know I was supposed to tell you…" Josh said.
"Yeah, I'm sorry. I was just shocked and I wanted answers and I figured you two might have them and…yeah," Massie apologized, feeling the initial shock disappear.
"It's okay. You still going to Dylan's later for dinner?" Alicia asked.
"Of course."
"You promise? No back-outs? PC promise?" Alicia asked. They didn't really officially call themselves "The Pretty Committee" anymore, but a PC promise is a promise you can never break. It was a promise in honor of their long-lasting friendship. To break it was to forget about everything they've gone through together.
"PC promise," Massie said.
"Good, because the we're coming to dinner too," Josh said.
Massie tried to protest, but she couldn't get a word in because Alicia was saying "'tbreakitseeyouatDylan'!"
Then she immediately hung up.
She went out of the bathroom to find Derrick ready for the photo shoot.
"Hey, Block. Long time no see," Derrick said, trying to be friendly.
"Josh and Alicia say hi," was the only thing that came out of her lips. She walked towards the formerly white backdrop. The white cloth that was covering it was taken away, revealing a green wall.
Derrick stood beside her, waiting for the photographer. Massie was highly aware of their distance; or lack thereof.
But Massie won't let anyone down. She was an actress, she could act normal for this.
.:~*~:.
"Derrick, put your hand on Massie's waist. Massie, yours around his neck. Derrick, other hand behind you. Now, Derrick, dip her," the photographer said, and the two of them followed. Massie felt herself being bent back, and she had to depend on Derrick to not let her fall.
She can't fall again. The last and first time she did, she was hurt. She learned her lesson. The harder the fall, the greater the pain. But this situation she was in…it made it harder to control herself. She remembered those days they were handcuffed together. She remembered how close they were, how every time their hands brushed, electric sparks would ignite in her whole body. She remembered spending time with him 24/7. She remembered her Halloween party. She remembered his voice, ringing through the air and into her heart. She remembered everything. All the emotions came surging back up, and she felt her heart beat faster.
"Massie, face here. Derrick, show your face, but don't look at the camera straight on. Look at Massie. Massie, mischievous smile. Perfect! Now, shocked face. Good!," the photographer exclaimed. "Now, stand up straight," he ordered and they followed. He got something shiny from his back pocket, and he threw them at Derrick. He caught them with his amazing goalie skills, but when he saw what they were, he was speechless.
Handcuffs.
The irony.
Massie looked at the handcuffs, and she was speechless too. Apparently, the fact that the models were frozen finally called the attention of the photographer.
"What? They're just handcuffs," he said. That woke them up.
"Yeah…I know…I was just…figuring out what I could do with them," Derrick said.
"What's the connection of handcuffs to the story?" Massie asked James.
"Oh, we forgot to tell you. Minor change in the plot. The girl says they should try out things they've never done before, right? And she also says they should do it with handcuffs, and they could only take off the handcuffs at the end of the day," the director said.
"Why?" Massie asked.
"To make things 'interesting.' Producers wanted it," he said, shrugging.
Massie offered her right hand to Derrick, remembering that her right hand was the same hand that was handcuffed to the left hand of the same person during a different time.
"I feel déjà vu," Derrick murmured as he clasped the metal bracelet on her wrist, then his.
"Derrick. This has never happened before, okay? We were friends, that was it. Nothing more," Massie said under her breath.
"That's our story?" he said, pulling her by her waist. Her left hand automatically landed on his chest, and they let their handcuffed hands fall to the sides. Their eyes met.
"Perfect! Perfect shot!" the photographer said, breaking their short reverie and causing Massie to break eye contact as she said "Yes."
"Whatever you want, Block," Derrick said, twirling her using their handcuffed hands.
"Stop calling me that," Massie said. That nickname brought back too many memories.
Derrick grabbed her waist again and dipped her again, but this time, instead of his left hand being behind him, it was on his neck, with Massie's. They repeated their former pose.
"Excellent!" the photographer said.
"You can make me pretend that we've never been together, but you can never make me stop calling you Block, Block," Derrick said, smirking as he brought her up.
Then they both faced back, and Massie said, "Fine. Call me that. I won't answer," before they looked at each other and smiled.
"Good!"
Then they further twisted their necks to send over-the-shoulder smirks to the camera.
"Amazing!"
"Okay, let's take a break!" James said. "I'm hungry."
.:~*~:.
"Block!" Derrick called out, and Massie instinctively turned her head to face him.
He raised his eyebrow and smirked in an I-thought-you-weren't-going-to-respond-when-I-called-you-that way.
"Sorry, force of habit," Massie said, waving it away.
"So, how did you guys meet?" James asked the two.
"I've known him since we were in elementary school. We lived in the same neighborhood," Massie answered.
"You go to school together?" James asked.
"I went to Briarwood Academy for Boys, she went to Octavian Country Day for Girls. But they were sibling schools, five minutes away from each other. Also, for a whole year, when Briarwood flooded and collapsed, Briarwood Boys had to go to school in Octavian. So…we went to school together for a year," Derrick answered.
"Anything interesting happen during that year?" James asked.
Derrick subtly exchanged a look with Massie.
"Hmm. Let's see. She was most popular girl in school. Then the school had 'overflow trailers.' Because of the over-population, the school had to send students to those trailers. She was sent there," Derrick said, chuckling at the reason she was actually sent there.
"Then I made it pretty and girly and then I sent him and his friends there," Massie added, giggling proudly.
"Anything else?"
"She threw a Halloween party," Derrick said, the laughter taken away.
"You did?" James asked.
"Yeah. It was candy themed," Massie answered, remembering who gave the idea. "Costume party."
"Who were you?" James asked.
"I was a candy biker babe," Massie answered.
"And you?" James asked Derrick.
"I was Willy Wonka," he answered.
"Did you have Oompa Loompas?" James asked, fascinated.
"Yeah. I had Claire Lyons' little brother and his friend," Derrick answered while Massie was reminiscing.
"Claire Lyons was there too?"
"Yeah, the whole Pretty Committee," Derrick answered. The mention of the words Pretty Committee brought Massie back to her senses.
"Pretty Committee?" James asked, raising his eyebrows at Massie.
"Yeah," she answered stretching out the word, then putting on a smile. "That's what we used to call ourselves. Me, Alicia Rivera, Claire Lyons, Dylan Marvil, and Kristen Gregory. When we were in middle school. We don't call ourselves that anymore."
"Don't tell me you guys had a group name too," James said, asking Derrick with a snort.
"No, dude. We were just Derrick Harrington, Josh Hotz, Kemp Hurley, Cam Fisher and Chris Plovert."
"Hmm. So you were close?" James asked. "I mean, you have a nickname for her."
Neither of them answered at first.
"You could say that," Massie finally answered. "And I had a nickname for him too."
"Really?"
"Massie, don't tell him or else I will kill you," Derrick warned.
"Fine, Derrington, I won't tell him," Massie said, smirking. "Derrington was a weird kid, always wearing shorts. Even in the winter," Massie told James, her spirits slightly lifting. "Made his knees purple."
"Block was a weird girl too," Derrick said, earning him a glare from Massie. "Got expelled during the seventh grade. Has weird plans. Hides in bushes." The glare got harder.
"Seriously?" James asked. "Expulsion?"
"The school was being unfair. And I got back in," Massie defended.
"So you two sound like you've been together a lot," James observed. Right at that second, Massie hated James. His interview was fine awhile ago. It even felt like it belonged in her schedule, like she hung out with Derrick like this every day. But five minutes ago, it felt awkward talking about the Halloween party. And before that, they were giggling!
"Yeah…I guess we sort of have," Massie answered.
"So…Kristen Gregory is with Kemp Hurley. Alicia Rivera with Josh Hotz. Claire Lyons with Cam Fisher. And I heard something about Dylan Marvil being with Chris Plovert when they were in High School. Has it always been like that?" James asked.
"Yes," Derrick said, stretching out the word.
"Seems like all of your friends have been paired up…Except for you two…Or have you?" James asked.
"Have we what?" Massie asked, keeping her façade.
"Have you two ever been more than friends?" he asked, getting to the point.
"No," Massie said, after one slow second. If she answered too fast, it would've been obvious she was lying.
"Really?"
"Yeah. We were the fifth wheels. That's why we know each other well. When all our friends were being PDA, we had no choice but to hang out with each other," Derrick said, and Massie almost believed him.
"But you've never had a relationship? Because it's good that you're friends, but it might be awkward if you used to be together," James said, standing up.
"I can assure you, James, I never liked Derrick that way," Massie said, pretending like she was offended.
"Massie? Ew," Derrick said pretending to barf.
But when James left, Derrick and Massie found their eyes locked together, asking a hundred questions and answering none.
Okay, that was a weird chapter…