The Spark

Expensive American Food

I was dressed inappropriately for the restaurant. I don't mean boobs hanging out of dress. No. Opposite. I mean to casual and modest. The supermodel tall girls pranced around with six inch heels and mini dresses. I had dressed in a boxy black and white striped dress and a pair of ankle boots. Dad was dressed in designer khakis and button down. When he said we were going to a restaurant I didn't think the ones with burgers with gold dust. They actually had that on the menu.

The waiting list for the restaurant was about several months in advance. Yet when my dad called for a reservation and said "William Veil" they just so happened to have a table for two open it was on the most high end and popular restaurants in LA. Names go far here.

Dad studied the menu and I looked around, trying to find something that was less then one hundred dollars. A blonde girl came up to my dad and smiled, her friends giggled from the other table and egged her on.

"Hi, I'm Marcy. I'm just such a huge fan. Could I get your autograph?" She flashed her white teeth. My dad shrugged and signed her notepad.

"Also, could I get a photo?"

My dad gritted his teeth. "I'm kind of trying to eat dinner right now, Marcy. Maybe later?"

Marcy flashed her eyes and me and went back to my dad. "Of course, William Vie. Oh my God!" and she ran back to her table and her friends screamed and she showed off the autograph.

"Wow, that must happen a lot." I muttered.

My dad sighed "Tell me about, like can't a guy eat his dinner? But you know I've gotta be polite about it. Give the fans what they want. I don't want a bad reputation or something to go viral about me."

"Publicity is publicity." I shrugged.

"That's what management always says." He responded before sipping beer from a tall glass.

You ended up both deciding on a mushroom burger. Similar taste I guess. The waiter asked if I wanted a flute of champagne. My face went red and meekly asked for a coke. The place was so fancy all they had was dragon fruit sodas and such. What kind of place dosen't have god damn coke.

"So, Olive." Dad said, biting into is burger "I've got exciting news!"

I smiled "Really? What?"

"Get this..." He paused to chew and looked around "You're going to see me live on the Doctor Ken Show!"

"Oh, wow." I honestly wasn't that excited. Doctor Ken was a talk show host and interviewed celebrities. He was overly hyper and quirky. I wasn't sure why my Dad was so excited about me going.

"Cool, huh? I'm going to leave you a card and I'm going to hire a chauffeur to take you to Citadel's outlet strip downtown. Get out of Beverly Hills, you know? Buy an outfit for the show."

I smiled and thanked him. I was looking forward to the shopping. Citadel was famous for it's designer outlets like Gucci or Marc Jacobs. Something my mom and I could never afford.

We finished dinner by eight and I got a glimpse of the check. It was over three hundred dollars and I apologized for ordering too much. My dad laughed. "You should of seen the check when I took about ten people here. Over one thousand dollars!"

We left the restaurant and passed by a dozen sports cars almost identical to our own. Having a black Ferrari seemed kind of cliché.

We got home and my dad went up to his room. He was probably going to go to sleep early. I put on a pair of sweats and a tank top to lounge around the house. 

I saw Kaine outside smoking a cigarette by the pool and went out to join her. She looked at me and pulled out the pack.

"Care for one?"

I felt the same I did when the waiter tried to pour me champagne. I went red again.

"Ha ha, I don't smoke."

"Ah silly me, you're father would kick my ass out if I got you addicted too."

We paused for a while. Looking at the twinkling lights around the hills. So quiet you could hear cicadas. The movie stars and singers all safe in their sleeping suburbs.

"I wanted to be a star as a child." Kaine said with a sigh "I think being a house keeper of one will be the closest I will get."

"Don't say that." I said putting my hand on her shoulder.

She smiled weakly "You are still so young, believing dreams will come true. No one is ever truly happy. Not even your father. Not even you. Growing up you learn happiness is not a feeling but an idea."

And I hugged her. The sixty year old woman i met twelve hours ago, I was hugging her. Only twelve hours ago I was scared to meet my father, I was living in a New York apartment. I was crying over Adam. Now I am in California, in an actor's glass castle, hugging a woman i met this morning. Life is truly unpredictable.

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It was two am and I was crying in my bed. I must sound like a brat but I realized this wasn't a dream. What the hell am I doing. I got a sudden pain of missing my old, cozy room, and my mom, and my Hello Kitty sheets and the sounds of the city. I felt cold and sad. My room was perfect though. The bed was a cloud, the wifi was fast. The TV gleamed, hanging from the wall. Should I call my mom? She's probably having a good time with grandma and grandpa out in Maine.

I looked at my phone. Adam hadn't texted me. No surprise there. Neither did Mom. I decided to text Kat. I needed a girlfriend right now.

Me: Hey u up??

Kat: um, it's like 10. of course

Me: Oh it's 2 am in cali

Kat: ur in cali???!! :o

Me: lol yeah

Kat: so cool :) have u seen any stars? not that i care about stars. Hollywood should burn, evil capitalist corp. fuck hollywood.

Me: yeah, i saw a star, kind of.

Kat: cool, whatevea. ACTUALLY SO FUCKING COOL. so did u hear?

Me: wat

Kat: about Adam.

Me: Fuck Adam

Kat: He broke up Jenna

Me: Jenny?

Kat: Whatever. You know why?

Me: why???????

Kat: I heard through the grape vine it's because he likes u now.

I nearly dropped my phone. She had to be lying. I screamed into my pillow. Now? Of all times?

Me: ur kidding rite?

Kat: idk if its true. think its just a rumor. dont get ur hopes up.

Me: I don't like him.

Kat: Well i think u 2 make a cute couple.

Me: rlly? well igtg 2 sleep. Goodnight.

Kat: Night

Now I had a real reason why I couldn't sleep. Did Adam really like me? I'm sure Jack just made it up. Jack was good for that. I shut my eyes and thought about the magical day I had today and anticipated tomorrow.

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A/N: A lot of this chapter is texts, I know. But the Ken show one will be crazy, I promise. VOTE, COMMENT, FOLLOW. This chapter is dedicated to Jem, my newest fan!