Under the Bronson Stars

Chapter One: The Scandal

Amber

AMBER RICE – HOMEWRECKER?

AMBER RICE: DID SHE OR DIDN'T SHE?

IS AMBER RICE THE NEW HOLLYWOOD BAD GIRL?

AMBER RICE AND HER JOURNEY FROM SMALL TOWN GIRL TO NAUGHTY SEDUCTRESS.

HOW AMBER RICE RUINED THE PERFECT MARRIAGE.

Amber's manager Morris slammed a stack of magazines down on the glass coffee table between them. He read off each one, the headlines becoming worse and worse as he went on. He even went through a couple of online tabloids and blogs, all saying the same thing. At the end of it, she felt as tiny as the silver pinky ring Morris always wore on his left hand. He seemed to be waiting for a response from her, but nothing seemed suitable. Was she supposed to apologize for those headlines? Was she supposed to express her regret over the nightmare that he was surely facing right now with damage control? Or was she supposed to try and defend herself again even though Morris didn't even believe her?

"I'm sorry," she offered as the silence grew in her living room.

Eventually, he moved to sit down beside her and handed her an envelope. Gingerly, she took it, afraid to find out what was inside. Maybe he didn't want to represent her anymore. Maybe five years of giving her all in show business was all for nothing after this scandal. She was already calculating how much she had in her bank account so she could figure out how long she could live before getting a new job. She could see the next headlines now: Amber Rice Working at McDonald's.

Gathering her courage, she opened it and found one plane ticket inside. She navigated the piece of paper easily and found the airport: Parker Hayes. That was only two hours away from her hometown of Bronson—her tiny town that she had tried so hard to escape from.

"You're sending me back home?" she cried. She could detect a hint of hysteria in her voice, which she hoped Morris would understand after the hellish couple of weeks since the scandal surfaced. One look at him and she knew that this wasn't some silly, little trip; he had a plan.

"Amber," he began. He placed his heavy hand on hers in what he probably thought would be reassuring. But it only served to confirm her fears. "This is only temporary. We think that it would be best if you lay low for a while. Let this whole thing blow over and get back that Amber we know and love. It's not a big deal. Celebrities get caught in affairs all the time."

She wanted to protest that she was never in an affair with Mr. Barkley Caine—director extraordinaire who was happily married to his childhood sweetheart for the past twenty years. But of course, in true Morris fashion, he continued as if the truth didn't matter.

"The important thing is saving what we have. We need to remind people of the fresh faced Amber—the sweet, small town girl that came out of Bronson. They need to remember the person you once were, and they need to discover the person you can become. So I'm sending you back home. Just for a month. Unwind, relax, go back to your roots and all that. The media will eat that up. And then you come back and we'll begin our plan of attack. How does that sound?"

Awful, she wanted to say. But her mouth was so dry that she couldn't even bring herself to lie and say that it was okay. Morris knew what he was doing. He knew every single aspect of the industry and he knew how to move her like a chess piece in this game. Although she trusted him with her career, she couldn't escape the feeling of dread that Bronson brought up in her. She didn't even feel any relief that Morris wasn't dropping her. It was only one month. She was coming back, but she still had to live in Bronson for a month. God. Her parents would never let her live this down.