The Invisible Silver Lining [CURRENTLY BEING EDITED]

Chapter 4

RE-EDITED

-CFF

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Unfortunately, I miss most of the movie. My mind cannot escape the idea that I met Xander personally. In a Los Angeles park of all places. I'm not all that familiar with him as an actor. If I remember correctly, his real name is Alexander Kingsman. 'Xander' must be the name he uses to try and escape fans, I suppose. The only film I can recall watching that he was cast in was some teenage movie musical about a high school romance. It wasn't that great of a film.

Was Xander in the park running away from fans that nigh? Blank excuses are the explanations my brain can come up with. Now I'm even more curious concerning my 'hero' and how he found me. LA parks aren't exactly the smallest when it comes to size. Usually they're dirty places as well, not a stereotypical place one imagines that celebrities hang out at. Running from fans seems like a logical explanation.

Maybe he heard me crying? Maybe he's a really good guy deep down, and he felt bad, so he stopped? Or possibly it was just an accident and he felt embarrassed about my tears the entire time. All of these pondering and more rattle my brain. I know I'm not going to find answers for any of them. As we walk out of the theater, my friends jabber on about how amazing the film was. I say nothing.

The three of us enter the food court when Sara notices I haven't said anything. After ordering a couple of fruit smoothies we find a table to rest at in the corner of the court. I stare at my drink, eyes wide and taking slow breaths; not partaking of the rich strawberry sweetness before me. Is this what shell-shocked feels like? 

"Evangeline! Evie, what's wrong?" Megan's voice breaks a part my bubble of focused silence. Moving my eyes to meet those of my best friends, a whisper sounds, "It was him. Xander." The two of them exchange excited glances. "Who was?" urges Sara. 

"Jackson; in the movie."

If it were physically possible Megan's open jaw would have hit the table top. Sara stares at me, probably wondering if I've been taking the wrong medications. "Are you sure?" She asks after about a minute, caution in her eyes. Confirmation comes through a nod, "Positive." Leaning back against the booth, Meghan does several double takes between Sara and I but says nothing. 

"I'm not joking," I continue, not wanting to sound like a liar. "I just don't understand why he was out there that night." My hand reaches for my smoothie, hoping the flavor will give me something else to think on. Sara's voice gets softer, as if she's afraid she'll be overheard. "Evie, do you have any  idea who that is?"

"Of course I do! At least, I'm casually familiar with who he is. I'm not entirely out of the loop. Liz kept me up to date on the Hollywood stuff, you know that doesn't really hold my interest. Even when she showed me stuff I hardly paid attention." My green straw swirls lazily about in the smoothie cup as my fingers twist it. "She loved the life in those magazines. She would have flipped if she found out I actually met a famous person." A tear rolls out of my eye, and I quickly reach up to brush it away. This is supposed to be a happy day. My friends follow my lead with the smoothie, drinking theirs in silence.

But I should know better that the silence won't last long. My friends are hardly quiet people. Megan speaks up, offering an apology for the both of them. "We're sorry. We shouldn't have made you come out today." Sara nods along until I offer them both a smile. "Don't be. I'm glad I'm hanging out with you two again. I needed a break from all the thinking I've been doing lately.

"Now, you didn't tell me about your decisions. Are you both still going to Sea View High next year or are you transferring?" Sara and Megan are both a year younger than I, in age and school. But we're all around eighteen so it doesn't matter much to us. Sara is the first to pipe up. "Yup. I almost had Brandon to the point of asking me out last year, so if everything goes as planned we should be dating this year." 

I laugh, not surprised by the answer I've received. Sara has been after Brandon, one of the basketball players at Sea View, since freshman year. She's persistent if nothing else. 

Megan juts in, "And I have a chance at a major softball scholarship for college if I stay." Megan is incredible when it comes to sports, though softball is her strong suit. Sara takes cheer and theatre is my forte. A genuine smile forms this time as Megan continues. "And you? You still going to USC? Pretty amazing, dreamer."

The University of Southern California is my dream university. It's no surprise that my friends know how much it means for me to get into this college. I've wanted to go there since the seventh grade, the same year I decided I was going to pursue a professional acting career. "Yes." I grin, letting the idea of going to USC give me happiness. "Going to the college of my dreams to do the thing I want to do more than anything else? Of course I'm excited."

Sara raised up her drink with a grin, beginning a cheer. Megan and I clink our plastic cups together, as Sara calls out in excitement, "To next school year!"