Hiding Out in Hollywood (Celebrity Love)

Chapter Two

Haven't heard from you in a couple of days. Everything still good with the column?

Emily glanced at the text message on her phone. She set her bag and yoga mat down on the living room sofa, the only spot free of the boxes and clutter that had been left piled up in every room but her bedroom since she and her best friend, Shelby Marlowe, had moved into their new Hollywood Hills apartment earlier this week.

The text was from Wally Hood, and the column he meant was the first that would be posted for "Celeb Wore Wha-a-a-t?," her new byline for Wally Hood Goes Hollywood.

Good to go, Emily typed. You'll have the final version this afternoon. She hit send.

The celebrity fashion column had been Wally's idea, and Emily hadn't been sold on it at first. Shelby had persuaded her to look at it as a chance to get more readers for Zeeked, the fashion website Emily had founded and had been running since her senior year of college, and as extra income to help her afford their new apartment. After considering Shelby's argument, she'd decided it was a good opportunity and had agreed to do it.

Now, though, Emily was wondering what she had gotten herself into. She mostly trusted Wally, since he'd told her side of the Cory-and-Jesse story to the world and had stuck by her ever since. Things had quieted down after that, and Wally had made a point of keeping her name out of any new posts related to Cory that ran on Wally Hood Goes Hollywood. Until this week, that was, when he'd decided her appearance at a charity event was the perfect lead-in to promote her new column.

Emily launched her phone's web browser, where the article Wally had posted a few days ago was still open in one of the tabs.

Happily Em-er After

SPOTTED: Emily Watts at the Microsoft Theater in downtown L.A. last night, for a rare appearance at the star-studded Reach Out 'N' Rescue charity event. Sources in attendance say she looked as radiant as ever, and rumor has it there's a new man in her life.

It's been several months since Emily's then-rocky personal life was a well-documented fixture of the Hollywood scene, when she was involved in what was thought to be a love triangle between her, Blistering Twilight singer Cory Sampson, and Jesse Cinder, guitarist for what we hear is the now-defunct indie band Ashes of Brooklyn. Both C-Samp and Flameboy were notably absent from last night's fundraiser, which was held to raise money for several animal rescue non-profit organizations.

C-Samp, we're told, was resting at home, where he's recuperating from a broken ankle. As we reported last week, he suffered the injury after tripping over ex-girlfriend Cady Sugarman during a pick-up basketball game between his band and crew and hers. The ill-fated game followed a music festival both had performed at. To update all you Blistering Twilight fans, the band's postponed North American tour dates have not yet been rescheduled.

Hanging out with your exes is only going to get you in trouble, C-Samp. We'd hoped your experience with the Em-Girl had taught you a lesson about that, but you might have time to ponder it while laid up at home.

Jesse Cinder, we imagine, didn't make the relevance scale for this event, and he seemed to have had a scheduling conflict anyway. We're told the function overlapped with his shift serving food at Hollywood dive bar Big Wangs. Maybe he's working there to scout out the karaoke talent—after all, with Ashes of Brooklyn singer Cole Brooklyn and drummer Gavin Hunter having returned to New York City, it looks like Cinder may need to form a new band.

So who's Emily's new beau? She's keeping mum so far, but we're pretty sure we'll get it out of her soon. If you missed the official announcement earlier this week, Ms. Emily is joining forces with us here at Wally Hood Goes Hollywood for a new weekly feature we like to call, "Celeb Wore Wha-a-a-t?"