Lights, Cameras, Outsiders!

Chapter 42

LCO 42

"Just for the record, Cruise, I don't know I do that stuff," I said once I was seated in the chair for them to take blood.

"It's fine. I don't know that when I chew I make some weird crackling noise," he said.

"Yeah, that's weird," I said. The nurse covered my arm with some sanitizer stuff and started to insert the needle in my arm. Cruise grabbed my hand before I knew it.

"Try not to think about it. How are things with you and Tommy?" Cruise said.

"I don't know. I think he's a little scared to talk to me but he talks to Matt a lot."

"That's good. Hey," Cruise used his index finger and moved my chin over to look at him.

"Don't look. What are you and Matt doing this weekend?"

"Going to New York."

"You never told me that."

"Yeah, Francis said a bunch of magazines were trying to get an interview and he knew Matt and I were trying to get a place so he's just gonna send us up there for the weekend."

"The apartment?"

"Yeah."

"Where is the apartment?"

"New Rochelle."

"Oh, nice. Don't look. You know what I'm doing this weekend?"

"What?" The nurse slid the needle out of my arm and threw it away.

"You're done. The doctor will see you in the procedure room for your catheterization test," she wrapped my arm and pointed to the procedure room. Cruise helped me up.

"What are you doing this weekend?" I said, opening the door to the procedure room.

"Going to LA."

"Why?"

"Come in, come in," the doctor said and patted the table. Cruise took a seat next to the table.

"How are we feeling?"

"Fine."

"Okay, good. We're just going to check if any vessels are blocked. This is a little uncomfortable but it'll be over with quickly. We're going to make an incision on your upper thigh and we're going to put a tube up your veins and check the vessels, okay?"

"Okay." He made my take my shorts off and put a blanket over my bare legs. When he made the incision, I grabbed Cruise's hand and squeezed. He started to stick the tube in and started to push the tube up.

"Why are you going to LA?"

"I got an audition for a part," Cruise said.

"What part?"

"For this movie called Risky Business. About some guy when his parents are gone who fucks up," he said, running his fingers through my hair.

"what genre?"

"Comedy. I wanna see my limits," he said.

"Do you need help going over your lines?"

"I guess."

"I can go over them with you."

"Good. It's an interesting script," he said with a smile.

"Do you think you'll get the part?"

"Maybe. Do you think I can land a main role?"

"Yes. I mean, you're dedicated to anything you do."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You're gonna be big one day, Tom." He smiled.

"You don't call me Tom."

"Cause I got another one on my coattails. He wants Matt outta the picture."

"Don't worry. I don't."