On the Inside with Elizabeth Olsen

Shooting A Music Video, Weed and The Dodgers

Tuesday August 2nd, 2022

Liz's POV

"Do you think if I mooned them, they would leave?"

One of my best friends, Clay, says as we sit outside a cafe with paparazzi down the street. I chuckle and shake my head. "As funny as that would be, I don't think my publicist would want pictures of your butt and my face circulating around."

I glare down the street at about three men with cameras looking our way.

Clay hums, disappointed. "I guess you're right. Damn you for being a movie star." I angle my head over to him and squint at him playfully through my sunglasses. He turns to me after a moment and sighs. "We can leave if you want?" I shake my head. "No, they'll just follow us, and I need this distraction. Sitting at the house alone was driving me crazy." I pick up my iced coffee and swirl it around.

"I still don't understand why you didn't just go with her," Clay says as he faces me more directly. I give a slight shrug. "I didn't want to bombard her." Clay rolls his eyes dramatically. "Oh, come on. If anyone wants you to be on her music video shoot, it would be Y/n! The star of it!" He stares at me. "So bullshit. Give me the real reason, Lizard."

Damnit. Clay always knows when I'm bullshitting.

"Fine." I groan as I lean in my seat and place my elbows on the outdoor table. "Lately...- okay, Y/n and have talked, but lately she's felt this pressure... you know from the label, her fans, friends, and family. Some of it's real. Some of it's not. But she still feels it and wants to do her best." I take off my baseball cap and run my hand through my hair as Clay nods along before I put the blue hat back on. "Did she ask you not to come?"

I stop at the question. "She didn't not ask me."

"Lizzie. What does that mean?!" Clay flops back against his seat with a groan. "It means she asked me to go with her weeks ago, but as the day of the shoot neared, she never brought it up. So I scheduled my lunch with you, and Y/n never asked me." I pick up my iced coffee and take a sip from the horrible paper straw.

Clay scoffs, sounding a little disappointed. "So not only was this lunch a backup plan, but the couple who does their best to talk about communication this and communication that... Can't talk to one another and say what they want?"

I sigh again. "Look, I just wanted it to be easier for her. Plus, with my sister Courtney directing the video, I didn't want to take away from both of their future successes." Clay nods at that. "Okay, I guess I can understand."

"And before you start, Y/n and I talked this morning. We're good like that. Well, actually, we did a little more than talk..." I look away as I sip my iced coffee again. "What does that- oh- ew! Lizzie!" I smirk and look back at him. "I had to help her find some way to relax this morning." Clay shakes his head. "You've gotten vulgar since Y/n."

I look at him with an amused expression.

"Okay, we both know that's not true..." Clay admits. "But still! I don't need to hear it anymore!" I laugh and lean back in my seat again. "Deal." I pause as I look over Clay. "So, still no luck finding the ring?" Clay shakes his head. "I mean, he says he wants to get married, and meanwhile, my finger is still bare." I laugh with Clay, but on the inside, I think about my conversations with Y/n as of late.

When will she do it?

Meanwhile, a little more north of the city with fifteen days until the release of her album, hex, aka Y/n, is wishing she would've asked- no begged Lizzie to be here.

Y/n, dressed in her brown boots, jeans with a matching jacket, and a t-shirt with her own album cover on it, walks a few steps closer to the edge of the cliff overlooking out into the Pacific as Courtney Olsen directs a camera operator to show the luscious green of the hill behind Y/n before Courtney gets pulled away to go over some last-minute details.