Summer Rain

[13] That's What You Get

Dedicated to HunnayCakes for the cover. It's gorgeous, thank you!<3 :)

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(Unedited)

I wonder, how am I supposed to feel,

When you're not here.

'Cause I burned every bridge,

I ever built when you were here.

I still try, holding onto silly things,

I never learn.

~That's What You Get- Paramore

     Another two days later we were back at Kaden's apartment, only this time; it was to watch the trailer for Call Me Cupid.

     The last two days had been pretty awkward, to say the least. Kaden may have broken script, but technically, it had been me who really messed up. Kaden and I were supposed to be dating. So I had made up some feeble excuse about how I had been really in character. I don't think anyone believed me, though.

     Luckily, Brett, Kallie, Rory and the rest of Summer Productions had actually liked our, uh, random improvisation. Kallie most likely hadn't really liked the fact that I had interrupted the kiss by slapping Kaden, but she agreed it would be good for the trailer. Rory and Summer Productions, hopefully, thought it was actually random improvisation and I had no idea what Brett thought.

     Things were pretty bad with Kaden. I mean, we didn't avoid each other; we couldn't, obviously, since we were supposed to be a couple. Things were in the 'Awkward Mood', though. As soon as the cameras lowered, silence swooped in. If things had been bad before, they were extremely horrible now.

     And I had no ideas what to think of the kiss. Had it been for the cameras? Or had it been because he had been so in character, like I had supposedly been? Or could it have actually been for re-

     "Raine, stop fucking Kaden!"

     My head snapped up. "What the hell?" I blurted out, eyes wide.

     Kallie laughed. "Well, that got your attention." She paused. "You know, I'm somewhat surprised you got that."

     "Kallie, I'm not that..." I waved my arms wildly, searching for the word. "Innocent."

     She laughed again. "You were."

     "Ooh, are we discussing how innocent Raine used to be? Fun, I wanna join," Bells said, walking out from the bathroom. She sat down on one of the empty couches, a huge grin on her face. That was another complicated thing, Bells and Clark. I didn't know what to think. Bells seemed happier, but they weren't really together. They were like, I don't know, friends with benefits or something, though I'm not sure if there really were benefits. If there were, I didn't want to know.

     Then there was Blake. Who Bells still hadn't called. Who was probably waiting for her to do so. Yeah, he might be a slight -major- problem...

     "Whoa, wait, Raine swore!" Brett suddenly exclaimed.

     It was silent as we all turned to stare at him incredulously.

     'Well," Bells said, being the first to break it. "Nice to know Brett's still slow."

     "Hey!" he yelled, pretending to be hurt. "I am not slow."

     "Yeah you are. We've been through this, Brett. Multiple times," A new, but just as familiar voice cut in. Kaden dropped a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and took a seat on the other side of the couch I was on. With this, I could almost pretend like it was before. Bells and Clark were together, Kallie and Brett too. We were... Bring our awkward selves, and everything had been so much better than it was now, even though we hadn't really been close.

     Brett eyes the popcorn bowl amusedly. "You know we're only watching the trailer, right?"

     Kaden shrugged. "Figured it would set a mood. Disc?" he asked, grabbing his laptop off the coffee table. He yanked slightly on the cord attaching his computer to the TV, then held out his hand for. Kallie pulled out a CD from her bag and handed it to her brother, who slipping it into the laptop. A couple moments later, the Summer Productions logo showed up on the TV.

     Then the lights flickered off.

     Bells screamed.

     A faint glow came from the TV and Kaden's laptop, just enough for us to see the shadowy outline of a person making their way towards us. Oh my god. We're about to die. Oh my god. I swear this is a scene straight out of a horror movie. The lights are off. Someone is coming toward us. The only noise there is is that someone's footsteps.

     "I thought we were starting." Clark's voice pierced through the silence, causing multiple sighs of relief to sound through the rooms

     It has been creepy, alright? The lights had suddenly gone off with none of us touching the switch, there had been a shadowy outline of a person moving towards us and there had been no weapons in reach unless you counted a bowl of popcorn.

     After a couple moments of us calming down and Clark laughing at our expense, Kaden starting the trailer. I wasn't really sure what to expect. I knew roughly what scenes would be included, but not what parts of them, or where.
It started with a couple on screen, embracing. Nadia as Keera stood off to the side of them, looking curious. "So how'd you guys do it?"

     The boy and the girl looked up, almost as if they were noticing her for the first time. "I talked to Colton Walker," the boy answered slowly.

     "I talked to Alyssa Jacobs," the girl said at the same time. And so this is how everything started.

     It cut to show me as Alyssa sitting on the end of a plain, black leather couch. Whoa it's really weird to see yourself on screen.

     "So, Lys, what do you think of Colton Walker?" Asked Keera from off screen.

     "Like your cousin Colton Walker?" And even weirder to hear yourself.

     "Yeah. Be honest."

     "Well, he's apparently a 'badass' because he's always late to class." Oh god. Watching this is like watching that old embarrassing film from when you were two that your mom always showed to relatives. Luckily, before I could do something stupid, like get up to rock gently in the corner, it cut to Kaden as Colton, at school.

     "Mr. Walker, nice of you to join us," the teacher said, sounding part annoyed, part tired.

     "I'd say sorry, but my mother taught me not to lie," Colton said with a smirk.

     The teacher sighed. "Take a seat, Colton."

     He obeyed, making his way down the aisle between two rows of desks, stopping a couple times to slap hands with guys, passing by a brunette girl who simply rolled her eyes. Oh wait, whoops, that's me. Well, Alyssa.

     "And he's just a jerk." And we're back at the couch.

     "Did you know he gives advice to people about love?"

     "Are we talking about the same person here? He's a heartbreaker. I'm pretty sure I see him with a different girl every week." Well, it's becoming kind of increasingly clear exactly how Kallie based Call Me Cupid of Kaden and I.

     The camera shifted to Kaden as Colton, on the other end of the same couch.

     "What do you think of Alyssa Jacobs?" Keera asked, still off screen.

     "Alyssa Jacobs..." Colton repeated, a confused expression on his face. It almost made me laugh, but at the same time, it hurt. It was so pathetic that his facial expressions could remind me of random moments of before, but I couldn't stop it. I pushed the thought out of mind, like all the others, and focused back on the trailer.

     "My best friend, Colton," Keera told him, sounding impatient.

     "I was lab partners with her. She re-did everything I did, 'cause she said it wasn't perfect."

     "Did you know she's a matchmaker?"

     And then it cut back to me as Alyssa. Like Kaden/ Colton's scene, it's at school. I was with Nadia/ Keera, at a locker. As I opened it, a note tumbled out.

     "What's that?"

     "Nothing, just a joke." Technically, that was true. The paper had been blank. In the movie, though, it was a note from Ashlie, who just appeared on screen. She was on the rooftop of the school, waiting for my character.

     "Olivia said you found her up with Danny. I need you to do the same for me," Ashlie said when I, or Alyssa, walked on scene. Before you could hear my reply, it cut back to Colton and Keera.

     "You didn't know that?"

     "Does everyone know or something?"

     He smirked. Of course. "Her name's been whispered a couple times. Personally, I think she's really hot-" Awkward. Even if it is acting.

     "Colton," Keera cut in, now sounding annoyed.

     "But really irritating," he finished.

     Then it went back to me for a little bit, just long enough for me to say. "I hate him."

     Then it returned to Kaden- Colton. "I can't stand her."

     "So you guys wouldn't like making a dating manual together?" Keera asked as the camera zoomed out to show both of us on the couch.

     Then the screen exploded.

     Not really.

     It sort of seemed like it did. They had put in some sort of really cool effect. "This summer, in an all new film," said the guy who's always the narrator like person in trailers. Then it was my favourite part of trailers. The random snippets of scenes.

     "I can't live with him!"

     And awkward scene where I'm in the shower. "Colton, get out!"

     "How am I supposed to deal with her!"

     "Are you two dating?" Our Audition scene.

     "Well, we could be if she stopped denying our connection," Colton remarked, casually slinging an arm around my/Alyssa's shoulders.
    
     Then it was the kiss and slap scene. They put in a pretty good spot, since it was pretty funny. Luckily, the scene looked decently natural for awkward improvisation and instincts.

     "I have a boyfriend!"

     "He's cheating on you!"

     I feel like they set this up to make it ironic. Right after Colton finished that line, it cut to Alyssa catching Xavier as Pierce and Sahra as Ashlie making out.

     "Go ahead, say I told you so." I had to hand it to Kallie, she was pretty creative. The first scene with Alyssa and Colton that doesn't involve them fighting is done under a ladder.

     But the moment was broken by a scene of Pierce trying to get Alyssa back and Colton and Hayden chasing him away.

     "Thanks."

     "He doesn't deserve you." I think that's the only cliché line Kallie used in this whole movie.

     Then there was the most awkward scene to shoot of the trailer. Though, it hasn't really been a scene, more like a picture. It had been a kiss. They had taken a photo of it and set it up on a fake website.

     "We're not even dating!" I feel kind of stupidly epic for having the last line before the cast.

     "Girls always love bad boys, don't they?" Kaden.

     "I think I'm special enough to be the exception that that." Me.

     "It's not like you guys can kill each other, murder looks horrible on college applications." Nadia.

     "My girlfriend isn't that insane." James.

     "It was just an innocent kiss!" Sahara.

     "Can we keep it between us?" Xavier.

     "Call Me Cupid." And the creepy male narrator is back. For three words.

     "Hey I'm Colton Walker with Alyssa Jacobs and this is our dating manual," Kaden as Colton said flatly as I, or Alyssa's set up a camera.

     My character paused to clap sarcastically. "That was lively." And I feel pretty epic for bagging the last line of the whole trailer too.

     "It's good," Bells said after Clark switched the lights back on.

     "It's weird seeing myself on screen," I remarked, still staring at the now black TV.

     "You get used to it," Kaden told me, barely finishing his last word before his cell phone rang. He excuses himself, going to the kitchen to answer it, leaving us, a somewhat awkward silence and a half empty popcorn bowl.

     I snatched a couple pieces of popcorn and looked around the room. Oh. I get why it's so awkward now. It was probably only awkward for me, though. Kallie was on Brett's lap, and it looked like they were communicating with their eyes or something like that. How that was possible, I have no idea. Bells and Clark were making gooey eyes at each other.

     Wow, déjà vu much? It seems like it's always like this.

     I didn't noticed the sigh that left my mouth until they all turned to stare at me questioningly. I gave an awkward smile and a gesture that sort of said 'continue on with whatever you were doing'. It didn't really work, though, they just continued looking at me weirdly.

     "It's just weird because you guys are all just making gooey eyes at each other," I finally told them.

     Kallie laughed. "I swear, you're the most awkward person I know."

     "Yeah, I was born with it," I replied, shrugging.

     "You know, it wouldn't be so awkward if you and K-" Oh no, I know where this is going.

     I slapped my hands over my ears. "Lalala, I'm not listening!" I yelled, causing them to laugh.

     "So mature, Raine," Bells told me. I simply stuck out my rogue at her and dropped my hands.

     "I'm serious, though, if you an-" Luckily, before Kallie could finish, she was interrupted by the sound of Kaden shouting. Loud enough for us to hear from the kitchen. A couple moments later he came it, looking distressed.

     "Kal, they want to talk to you," he said, holding out the phone for her.

     The playful mood evaporated as Kallie's grin immediately dropped. She took the phone, a blank expression set on her face, and disappeared into the kitchen, like Kaden had.

     "Is everything okay?" Clark asked. I glanced a Kaden's grim expression, then shot a look around the room. Everyone seemed to know what he was talking about, except Bells, though she didn't look as curious as I felt.

     "Yeah, everything's fine," Kaden replied. He may have been an actor, but he was fooling no one with that lie.

***

     "Raine!" I whipped around at the sound of my name, but saw no one. Probably going insane, I told myself, turning back around. Before I could take another step, someone crashed into me.

     "Sorry, you weren't stopping," Xavier said sheepishly, grabbing my arm so I didn't fall over. "Want a ride?"

     I looked at him curiously. It wasn't that Xavier wasn't nice enough to offer, it was just that he never had before. I think we lived, like, across town from each other or something.

     "Uh, sure, if it's not too much trouble," I replied hesitantly. Bells had already been gone when I had woken up this morning, and she had taken the car to do who-knows-what, which had left me to take a variety of buses to set.

     "Cool, come on." He led me outside and over to his Volvo.

     "So, not that I'm not thankful, why the random offer of a ride?" I asked as I watched Xavier start the car, then pull the seatbelt across himself.

     "If I said it was just out of the kindness of my heart, would you believe me?" he said, only partially joking as he slowly backed out of his parking spot.

     "You're nice enough... But it's still just a little too random," I answered slowly.

     He chuckled. "I'll admit, I do have a bit of an ulterior motive." He pulled to a stop at the entrance of the parking lot, waiting for the light to change. "Which way?"

     "Uh, left." I had to go to the supermarket for groceries since Bells and I had been living on takeout for the past two days. "What is it, then? Your ulterior motive?"

     Xavier sighed and flicked on his turn signal before turning to look at me. "Are you and Kaden fake dating?"

     "What?" Oh god, were we really that bad at faking it, or had it been my screw up? "No."

     He shot me a flat look, then turned back to face forward as the light turned green. He drove out and made a left before speaking again. "So I should believe that Summer Rain asked about the 'No dating' term I have and you two's new relationship happening two days after that as just a coincidence?"

     "Yes?" The answer came out sounding a lot more like a question than it should have.

     "You don't have to, you know." I stared at him, shocked by his sudden harsh tone. "Sometimes it's not always for the best. Especially if you have, uh, commitments, back home."

     "Take a right," I told Xavier as we approached a stop sign. "Don't worry about it, I don't. Have any commitments, I mean." The one thing that could, not really, almost, count as a 'commitment' couldn't really get mad considering- it wasn't a commitment, anyway, so it didn't matter.

     "Still, you don't have to let them bully you into it, Raine. I did during my fist movie and it almost killed my relationship," he said matter-of-factly. Awww, that's cute. And I feel like a totally stalker for thinking a relationship is cute when I've only met one of the people in it.

     "It's just a little hand holding and showing up at events together, it's not too hard and we'll probably break up in a couple anyway," I replied with a shrug, feeling the odd need to defend Kaden and I's 'relationship'. "It's kind of like 'whatever' to me. They said it would help, so..." Lie. Lie. Lie. If this was a fairytale, my nose would be huge. "Another right and were there."

     For a moment, he was silence. "If you ever change your mind, tell me. My agent's good at this stuff," he finally said as he pulled up at the entrance of the grocery store.

     "Okay, will do," I told him, giving him a half hug before getting out of the car. "Thanks for the ride."

     "No problem. See you Friday," he replied, and waved before driving away.

     As I grabbed one of the shopping baskets, I thought about Xavier's words. Should I have accepted his offer? It would've possible made things less awkward. It also would've made things a lot more complicated, though. We had already gone public so it would be hard to end it without looking suspicious. Not to mention, a new contract and help from Xavier's agent wouldn't fix things. They wouldn't make it perfect. It'd probably do the opposite, actually.

     I sighed and shook my head to clear my thoughts. Then a flash of blonde hair caught my eye. I wasn't quite sure why, I was over it, sort of, and plenty of people had blonde hair. Then the crowd shifted and I got a glimpse of his face.

     Oh. My. God.

     I barely stifled a scream and reached into my bag, dropping the basket. I yanked out my phone, fingers dialing the number I probably shouldn't still have memorized after all these years.

     He picked up on the second ring. "Hello?"

     "Kaden, I think I saw him.... I think I saw Jared."

-READ ME-

Don't really like this chapter, it's a little awkward and filler-ish but it's a set-up chapter, so I need it... I really had no idea how to show the trailer for Call Me Cupid, so that ^^ came out. :3
Super excited for next chapter. Things get... Interesting. xD

Vote, if you like the trailer for Call Me Cupid.
Comment, if the Jared thing surprised you, at least a little bit.
Fan, if you like Xavier.

Update: Aiming for Wednesday. Latest Sunday.
Teaser: "You? You helped too?"
Question: Do you think Blake knew about Jared coming?

~JJ :)