𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄 𝐏𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐄¹, jack champion

040, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐟 𝐣𝐚𝐤𝐞?

040, 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞'𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐟 𝐣𝐚𝐤𝐞?
irl + social media

THIRD PERSON +
august 30, 2023

The day after Juniper's meeting with Lila, she and Jack found themselves back in New York, a city that never seemed to stop moving—much like Juniper's life. The quick flight was filled with quiet moments between them, a comforting silence after the whirlwind of emotions from her unexpected reconciliation with Lila. Jack had been his usual supportive self, holding her hand and letting her process everything at her own pace.

Once they landed, Juniper was right back into work mode. She had a skit to film for Saturday Night Live and though she was no stranger to the spotlight, the idea of acting alongside Jake Gyllenhaal was something she still couldn't quite wrap her head around. It wasn't just that Jake was a Hollywood heavyweight; he was also someone she had lightly poked fun at for years, all because of the infamous Taylor Swift "scarf" drama.

As the car drove her through the streets of New York toward the SNL studios, Juniper had a quick conversation with her manager about the day ahead. Most of the sketch would rely on CGI, which meant they could wrap it up quickly in a day or two. It was a relief, considering how packed her schedule had been recently. She had so many projects, performances, and personal matters swirling around her that it felt good to know something could be handled quickly. Still, the thought of facing Jake in person was making her a little anxious.

By the time she arrived at the studio, the nerves had faded, replaced with her typical focused determination. She was a professional, after all. And when it came to comedy, she knew how to laugh at herself and play into a bit. But the real kicker came when she was handed the script—a comedic Scooby-Doo sketch where she and Jake would play exaggerated versions of the characters Daphne and Fred alongside some SNL cast, getting caught up in a chaotic mystery-solving scene.

She had to admit, it was going to be fun. The entire sketch and monologue was full of playful nods to her career and Jake's past controversies, including one glaringly obvious nod to the famous scarf incident. It was something Juniper would've found hilarious from the outside, but standing in the rehearsal room, about to make the joke to Jake's face, was a whole different story.

Before filming started, she felt a buzz in her pocket. It was Taylor. Juniper had texted her a few days earlier, playfully admitting she felt a bit weird about working with Jake, and now, Taylor was getting back to her.

tay🤍✨
Hey, you're gonna kill it today. Don't worry about Jake—it's all water under the bridge now. Just have fun and make him squirm with that scarf joke, haha! Can't wait to see it! x

Juniper laughed to herself, feeling an immediate sense of ease wash over her. If Taylor could joke about it, she could too. Jake Gyllenhaal might've been part of pop culture's most dissected relationship saga, but today, he was just another actor, just another co-star she had to work with. Plus, it wasn't like he was personally invested in the drama anymore—hopefully.

With Taylor's words of encouragement in mind, Juniper strode confidently onto the set, ready to get to work.

Jake was already there, seated in one of the director's chairs, going over his lines. He looked up when she entered, flashing her a polite smile. "Hey, Juniper. Good to finally meet you."

She smiled back, keeping it casual. "Same here. Excited for this—it's gonna be hilarious."

Jake chuckled, clearly aware of the subtle elephant in the room. "Yeah, they really went all out with this one."