Hello Mary Lou! [Ricky Nelson]

Chapter Twelve

I knew before anyone said the words out loud.

That's the thing about being on a television set every week—you start to notice the small changes before they become big ones.

The way conversations stop when you walk into the makeup room. The way the script supervisor avoids your eyes. The way your name... just isn't on as many pages.

I sat on the edge of my bed, the script clutched in my hands so tightly the paper had gone soft at the corners. My name—Mary Lou—only showed up twice. Twice. And neither of those times was I standing next to Ricky.

Instead, there she was.

A new girl.

New lines.

New laugh cues.

New everything.

I didn't need anyone to tell me what that meant.

They were replacing me.

And if they were replacing me as his girlfriend on the show... well, what else could that mean? Shows didn't keep girls around if they weren't useful to the story. Everyone knew that.

I blinked hard, trying not to let the tears fall. I wasn't going to cry.

Not over this!

Not over something I should've expected. Girls like me didn't last forever on television. There was always someone newer, prettier, easier to write for.

Still... it hurt more than I wanted to admit.

Especially because it was him.

Ricky.

I pressed the script to my chest and leaned back against my pillows, staring up at the ceiling. I wondered if he knew. If he'd read the script already. If he'd said anything.

Or worse... if he hadn't.

A soft knock came at the front door, echoing faintly down the hallway. I frowned, wiping quickly at my eyes before swinging my legs off the bed.

♡♪♬♪♡

"Coming!" I called, my voice a little thinner than usual.

I padded down the hallway, smoothing my skirt, trying to look like I hadn't just been sitting there feeling sorry for myself. By the time I reached the door, I'd nearly convinced myself I looked normal.

I opened it.

And there he stood.

Ricky stood on my porch like he always did—easy, calm, like he belonged there. His hair was perfectly combed, that familiar soft smile tugging at his lips. But the moment his eyes met mine, the smile faded just a little.