Powering Through: A Sequel to Learning To Swim For Real

Chapter 9: Taking Care Of Business

Even though Kelsey had been "in the business" since she was twelve, she was still more than a little nervous when she went to the set the next day. She knew that what had happened between her, Robin and Al the previous day didn't even qualify as a spat in Hollywood terms, and that none of it would get anywhere beyond those walls, but it still made her stomach twist up. She had always been professional and had never been either on the giving or receiving end of any kind of strife, ever.

Jack knew how anxious she was, and made sure he was back from morning practice in time to kiss her goodbye before she left. She decided to have a car drive her to the set that day, just to calm her nerves. Jack had no classes on Fridays this quarter, which was lucky. If he didn't have his mysterious "appointment," she would've asked him to just come with her for moral support, but he did, so she didn't, and settled for asking if they could have a date night that night, like an actual date, so she'd have something to look forward to.

"I want to go out, like where people will see us," she said.

Jack looked at her in surprise, hand on the doorknob. He was standing at the front door, just in the some low slung jeans, and he looked so good Kelsey wished she could just drag him back to the bedroom and crawl under the comforter with him again.

"Really?" he asked. Kelsey usually liked to stay in, saying she spent enough of her life on display.

She nodded decisively. "I'll text you about a time once I know where we're going, okay?"

"Course," he replied, and Kelsey left after kissing Jack one more time, just because.

She was so distracted she had no memory of the ride to the set, and her stomach was in knots by the time she walked to make-up. She must have looked fine, though, because no one looked at her twice. She'd always been told this, however, about herself. She could be dying and people would tell her how good she looked. It was her Midwest heritage, she supposed, her solid Germanic stock. Her last name, Carlisle, was English or something, but her mother's maiden name was Fenstermacher, and most of the last names on her family tree were similar.

They began the last of the shots to filmed on this particular soundstage. They'd be doing the exterior pool shots beginning Monday, then moving on to another location for the rehab center shots, then some outdoor scenes, then Rio for the outdoor scenes there.

Robin and Al treated her with the same amount of friendliness and courtesy as they had two days ago, before the meeting, and Kelsey did likewise. Everything was fine, on the surface, between the three of them, and Kelsey's biggest issue was with Ryan, of all people.

"Kelsey, we're supposed to be really in love at this point, come on," Ryan said during a break. "You look at me like I'm dipped in shit, like I'm going to contaminate you or something." He looked at her, arms crossed. "What's up?"

Kelsey looked around, trying to find a diplomatic way to put it. She and Ryan had been lovers, very briefly, while filming another movie, and their relationship had remained, at least on his end, a little physical and flirty ever since then, as evidenced by the disastrous party she and Jack had attended earlier in the year. Kelsey, however, had been feeling more and more put off by Ryan since that night.

"I don't know," she finally said, shrugging. "I'm in a serious relationship now, I feel kind of grossed out by anyone else touching me, I guess."

Ryan stared at her in disbelief. "You can't be serious," he responded. "You're an actor, Carlisle! This is your fucking job! There are actors out there who are actually married, you realize that, right? Are you ever going take your work seriously?"

He turned away, shaking his head.

He was right, Kelsey knew, and that made her angry. She couldn't spend her entire career only working with people she liked, people who didn't piss her off or give her the creeps. Otherwise she was going to have a very short career.