The Sackler Trap

Red Flags With Brown Eyes

Agnes pulled the round brush through my hair as she applied the diffuser to my now glossy black locks. "You'll wanna stay away from Sackler," she advised abruptly.

My eyebrows shot up. "How can I stay away from him if we're going to be co-stars?" I asked.

She smirked. "You know what I mean." She moved around the chair to work on another section of my hair. "He's a player. That's all I'm saying." She muttered under her breath as if to herself, "A real player..."

I glanced over at Adam where he stood laughing and talking with a few of the show's regulars. One was the actress who played his current love interest in the show, a gorgeous blond by the name of Eve Gardiner. Adam and Eve jokes abounded of course but she seemed impervious to Adam's charms; rumor had it she was dating a prominent movie director twenty years her senior. Then there was Arthur Blunt, a pleasant, fatherly man in his middle fifties who played the Dean of Students at the school where Pat McClure taught. I had met them all and so far they seemed like a friendly tight knit group who welcomed me with open arms.

I giggled as I watched Arthur ruffle up Adam's already messy black hair. "I doubt he'd be interested in me," I said.

"Ha!" Agnes laughed. "Wanna bet? After rehearsals today, he'll invite you to coffee. With the rest of the cast of course. You know, to discuss the show? Then after coffee, he'll want to walk you home. Just you and him. Then he'll ask you out for drinks...again, just you and him. Then he'll ask you out on a proper date...to a nice restaurant."

I glanced at Agnes in the mirror. "I'm failing to see the downside here, Agnes," I joked.

"Just wait. And when he thinks you're ready, he'll ask you to spend the weekend with him upstate in his cabin. And that's when you become know as an Upstate Girl."

I stared at her. Was she serious? I burst out laughing. "An Upstate Girl?" I asked. "Are you joking?" It was the most absurd thing I had ever heard.

Agnes hummed, "Ohhhh, there have been tons of Upstate Girls. And the thing is, once you become one, that's it. He's done with you. On to the nest conquest. And you have to live with everyone knowing what you did and what you are."

"Hmph," I mused. "Well, don't worry. I'm not going to become an Upstate Girl. It's not part of my plan."

Agnes raised her brows. "Oh, you're one of those who has it mapped out, huh?" she said wryly. "Well good luck with that. And I mean it."

I laughed. It sounded ridiculous. I wondered if Agnes was putting me on, so I said no more about it. When she and John were satisfied with my hair, I joined the rest of the cast for a run-through of my first scene. The director of the show, Sharon Greene, was wonderful and very encouraging.

She laid a hand on my shoulder. "I really want to film the scene where you break into Pat's apartment today. But don't worry, first we'll warm you up with Adam...rehearse your first scene with him. Ok. So, he comes in, finds you asleep on his couch..."

Angela: Didn't anyone ever tell you it's impossible to sleep when someone's staring at you?

Pat: How the hell did you get in here?

Angela: Your locks are surprisingly easy to pick.

Pat: You fucking broke in? I should have known...

Angela: Pat don't yell at me. Chris and I broke up...

Pat (runs a hand through his hair): Well, I'm calling our parents right now. They can just take you back.