𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨, 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 ( 𝙬𝙖𝙡𝙠𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙘𝙤𝙗𝙚𝙡𝙡 )

𝙛𝙞𝙛𝙩𝙮-𝙛𝙞𝙫𝙚

CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE

spotted

connor showed up five minutes late with his bowl cut dampened with sweat from running. i initially thought that all three hundred seconds of anticipation would turn me the same, grossly distressed way, but time was moving like a bullet. if he hadn't profusely apologized for showing up tardily, i wouldn't have realized the insignificant mishap.

"trust me, you're good," i assured him, snatching maeve's diabolical beanie and offering it to connor as a towel. she accepted her burglary and patted her head since the hair revealed stuck up like she was electrocuted.

it was easy to cool off, especially as the day went on and the ground did so too. before we knew it, we were setting up equipment and committing to memory any hazardous cracks in the concrete. the boys reviewed lines as maeve and i discussed our vision of the scene.

"hey, we know this scene," she said eventually, sensing my hesitant zeal. "i mean, we literally wrote it. and how many times have we envisioned it? like, ten million? we got this."

"you're right. and i guess we do have the perfect spot for it. and really good actors. and really hot directors."

"all valid points," she giggled. "try to ignore that part of your brain that's freaking out, saying all those months of prep might not add up to anything. 'cause it's actually the opposite. it's gonna work out because we put in so much effort."

"thanks," i said, giving her a tight smile. the tension in my shoulders was fading away already. with that fresh feeling of agility, i wrapped my arms around her. "let's do this!"

˚ʚ♡ɞ˚

"and the caleb i know would never go to one just to get some girl," said peter bitterly. i watched in amazement behind the camera held by maeve as our second take was going as smoothly as if it was mounted on a dolly.

"she's not just some girl." if we were in medieval times, i'd be cheering in the streets at how flawlessly that line was delivered. now that was an execution to remember!

maeve and i had to walk backwards, and though the boys were traveling at a steady pace, balancing focusing on them and behind me in worries of repeating the gym class incident was quite difficult. at some points, i was so immersed in the scene unraveling before me that i had to silently regain my balance when my foot caught on a slab of concrete raised by tree roots. luckily, the boys stayed immersed too.

we wanted to capture one long shot with both of the characters walking down the sidewalk, then other, closer views for displaying emotion and intimacy. eventually, they would all come together seamlessly. but the editing process was estimated to have a bigger budget than filming, because of how many caffeinated drinks we were going to need to buy.

we got to the end where peter deserted caleb and said, "see you later, man," disappointed in his friend, all without tripping up or on the sidewalk.

the first shot was so solid it could be cut in half. get it? cut! i called out that word, and we all clapped and cheered, proud of ourselves. maeve gently set down the camera, then not so gently took my hands and jumped up and down. we squealed in exhilaration.

catching her breath, maeve said, "guys. that was so good. you're so convincing that i really wanna punch both caleb and peter in the face right now."

"you sure it's not that you just wanna punch me and connor 'cause we have acting skills?" teased walker, chuckling at how maeve gave him the finger. "but yeah, i think that turned out awesome. good job guys."

she reached out to get the camera again. after discussing briefly what we wanted to see, maeve said, "action!" and the scene got going, first right up in connor's face. then, once we got a good take, we got all up in walker's face. as usual, his eyes were stunning, and through the viewfinder i admired the flattering visuals. honestly, i couldn't help but just admire him. he was back in his element, and nothing was more attractive than passion.

the lighting was stunning as well. the fact that it was because of the sun beginning to set was slightly alarming, but it gave a contrasting hopeful vibe to the scene that, with the right color grading, could turn into a really compelling visual concept. i held my hands up to my smiling face. how was i so anxious when this was coming together so beautifully?

so far, peter avenue had been silent; i assumed that was because some people were crazy and ate dinner before six. that was until the final close up take was nearing its end. a car came dawdling down the road. that's fine -- in real life cars drive past. it was just another realistic aspect that the viewers and characters would not pay any mind to. however, it was sauntering.

i tried to ignore it, keeping it in my peripheral vision. eventually, whoever was in there drove down the road from us and i lost sight of the car. phew. we could always crop them out or isolate the dialogue audio. as i thought that, the last line of dialogue was spoken, and after a few seconds, i shouted, "cut!"

we once again all cheered and jumped like we were in the party scene. i high-fived connor so hard my palms turned as red as my frigid fingers. "alright," he said. "it's getting pretty chilly out. wanna run to my house instead of walking to warm up?" it sounded like we had both a walker and a runner in the cast.

the journey to the second filming location commenced, by us moving our feet at a normal pace. after telling me i did great, walker opted to hold the camera for us. i handed it to the gentleman just as the car from earlier went past us, this time in the opposite direction. now, i looked at it. it was the same model as dad's car.

"imagine if that was my dad," i said to maeve, pointing to the shrinking car in the distance.

"probably was," she said casually.

"are you saying he, like, tracked me or something only to leave without a word?"

"yeah. sounds like something he would do," she chuckled.

i took out my phone and checked his location. he was flagged as being in my direct vicinity. "huh, i think you might be right again."

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thank you for reading chapter 55!

has anyone else been super busy with school? my head has been hurting not only from all the homework but also from WRITING WITHDRAWAL. sorry to the committed readers lol