Chapter 47

It was 6:00 am a couple of days later, and I was frantically running around my apartment, trying to get the last of my things together. After my alarm went off, I hit snooze one too many times, and now I was in danger of arriving late to my 8:00 am call time for my next shoot. I was also feeling a little nervous because I was scheduled to shoot my first girl-girl scene. I mentally scolded myself for letting my anxiety get the better of me. I had played with women a few times in the VIP room when I worked in Dallas, and I’d spent a lot of time ... ummm ... between Sofia’s legs when we were together. However, I’d never done anything with a woman on the set, in front of cameras, so I thought a bit of my nervousness was justified, at least on some level.

I had my pre-shoot routine down pretty well. Lots of water, a couple of enemas, and a douche before I sprinted to my car and made my way to a large house in Chatsworth. Fortunately, traffic was miraculously light, and I arrived 15 minutes ahead of schedule. After parking my car, I walked up to the front door and was instantly met by a behemoth of a man who was standing guard. After showing him my driver’s license and he saw my name was on his clipboard, he took me inside, and we found the director.

Immediately, I could tell something was off. The script, if you could call it that, said that I was going to be talking to my best friend outside while we caught some rays by the pool, which, of course, would lead to sex. However, the entire crew was moving all of their equipment inside the house and up a large staircase. There was a small man in the middle of everything and directing traffic as the burly grips moved the equipment. When he saw me, he immediately approached me.

“You’re Madi, right?”

“Yes, Sir. Ummm ... what’s going on? I thought we were shooting outside, by the pool.”

“I’m Jules Jordan, and yes, we were, but there’s been a complication. I’ve been trying to reach Atticus all morning so he could get a hold of you and let you know what happened.” I waited semi-patiently for him to continue. “You were going to shoot your scene with Staci Carr, but she’s ... ummm ... at Cedars Sinai in intensive care.”

My jaw dropped. “Oh, my God, is she okay?”

“She will be, she’s in good hands.”

“What happened to her? Did she get in a car accident?”

“I don’t know all the details, but she overdosed sometime overnight or early this morning. I’ve been told her friends called 9-1-1, and the EMTs got there just in time to revive her. They’re observing her now, and I’m told she should be alright.” I’m not sure why it happened, but I momentarily lost it. Tears filled my eyes, and I quickly tried to wipe them away. “I’m sorry, do you know her? Is she your friend?”

In an instant, I felt very foolish and childish for breaking down in front of a complete stranger. “No, I ... ummm ... I’ve never met her.”

He took my hand and gently squeezed it. “She’ll be okay, but unfortunately, I can’t find anyone to replace her on this short notice, and we’ll have to push back shooting your scene until tomorrow. By then, I’ll have found a girl to take her place.”

“Yeah, that’s ... you know ... it’s fine. I’ll be here tomorrow morning.”

“Okay. Thank you for your patience through all of this, but I guess it happens.”

Yes, it does. Over the past few weeks, I’d observed what occurred on the set. The talent, the crew, and even a director using drugs before and during takes. It was just one more dark side of this business, one I didn’t like. Again, I had no idea why I was getting so emotional over someone I didn’t even know. Perhaps it was the angst over having sex with a woman in front of the camera for the first time.

When I got back out to my car, tears were once again rolling down my cheeks. Desperately, I tried to get my emotions in check. Then my phone rang. When I looked at the caller ID, I saw that it was Danielle.

“Hello?”

“Jenna, I just got notified of this. Your shoot has been canceled.”

“Yes, I know,” I said between little sniffles.

“What’s wrong? It sounds like you’re crying.”

Again, I desperately tried to pull myself together, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get my emotions in check. “I ... I don’t know what’s wrong with me. My co-star overdosed, and I’m ... I’m ... I need you,” I said anxiously.

“I’ll be right there. I’ll meet you at your apartment. I just need to talk to Atticus first.”

“Okay.”

About an hour later, I pulled up in front of my apartment, and Danielle was already there, waiting for me. When she saw me, she ran to my car. When I got out, she pulled me into her arms and held me tight, and I just broke down, sobbing uncontrollably again. After a minute or two, I was all cried out, and she took my keys, held my hand, and we walked to my front door. Once we’d made it inside, we sat down on the couch in my living room.

My mind was still whirling at the speed of light, and I tried desperately to collect my thoughts. Fortunately, Danielle was patient and gave me time as I attempted to sort out my feelings concerning my very traumatic morning.

“I don’t know what happened. When Mr. Jordan told me about Staci’s overdose, I just lost it, and I’m still not sure why,” I whispered.

She gently rubbed my thigh. “I think it’s a combination of a few things. Moving to a new town, starting a new career, getting used to shooting scenes, and your website going live, you’ve experienced so many changes in the last couple of weeks, and I know that’s a lot to deal with.”

“I ... I don’t even know her, though, the girl who overdosed. It was so embarrassing, losing it in front of Mr. Jordan like I did.”

“He’s been in the business a long time, honey. He won’t hold anything against you.” She paused for a moment. “These things happen; unfortunately, they happen all too frequently.”