chapter thirty-five: the ole razzle dazzle

"Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim."

~Finding Nemo

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"Breathe," Ethan said.

"Right. Got it. I'm fine."

"Just a little longer, then we're home free," he promised.

They went up the couple steps to the platform where Kelsey was met with an expanse of people cloaked in darkness.

What looked like lightning flashed every second, temporarily blinding Kelsey like a deer in headlights.

The noise wasn't as powerful as it was on the carpet, but now everyone was shouting at her and Ethan directly.

"Ethan, over here! Over here!"

"Kelsey, give us a smile! Turn this way!"

Kelsey's smile was frozen onto her face and she looked at every camera she could.

She felt like she was stuck on Broadway, forced to stand before an expectant audience, without a singing voice to entertain them.

"You okay?" Ethan whispered in her ear.

"Uh-huh," she replied.

He turned back towards the camera for a second, before leaning back towards her. His breath was warm against her skin. "Maybe we should've brought Roadkill along for the ride."

Kelsey chuckled. "You sure about that? I'm pretty sure he'd steal your spotlight."

A few moments later, they were ushered off the platform.

Kelsey wondered how much longer until they were in the theater.

A line of cameras was arranged in front of another backdrop, where celebrities were answering questions.

I can do this, I can do this.

A reporter dressed in a tight red gown immediately made eye contact with them and raced over before anyone could get to them.

"Hey Ethan," she said, "I'm Natasha Juniper!"

"Hi, Natasha."

"You look amazing!" She whirled towards Kelsey. "And we have a newcomer on the carpet tonight!"

Kelsey gave a strangled laugh.

"How are you feeling tonight, Kelsey? We've all been waiting for your first appearance together, and let me just say that you both look stunning!"

Kelsey didn't know whether or not to answer her first question, so she just said, "Thank you."

"Now, I have to ask, who are you wearing tonight, Ethan?"

"Prada," he replied. Kelsey thought the word sounded so strange coming from Ethan's mouth.

"What about you, Kelsey?"

Kelsey startled and looked at her. "Me?"

"Yes! Your dress is absolutely fabulous!"

Panic fled through Kelsey's veins. She'd never thought to look at her stupid tag. Becca had said it wasn't name-brand—should she have Ethan look? No, that would be too embarrassing.

"Um... Dillard's?"

The reporter threw her head back and gave an obnoxious laugh that grated against Kelsey's skin.

"You are too funny!"

A security guard stepped out of nowhere and gestured for Ethan and Kelsey to move on.

Ethan thanked the reporter and they moved on to the next man who shoved a mic into their face.

They went through the same introduction, and Kelsey caught sight of Becca standing two reporters away.

Becca happened to look over and Kelsey offered a tiny wave.

Becca, on the other hand, waved her entire arm and picked up her bustle in order to make her way over.

No, Becca, please not now.

"Hey girl!" she said, crushing Kelsey into a hug that sent the reporter into stitches.

"We can tell who's got the real chemistry tonight!" the reporter cackled.

"Hi Becca," Kelsey sighed.

"I have to go back, but I just wanted to say that you're doing amazing!" Becca squeezed her arms before dashing away into the spotlight again.

"That was so great," the reporter said. "Now, Kelsey, there was talk that you and Becca Lynn didn't get along at first. Is that true?"

Kelsey glanced at Ethan, her heartbeat quickening. "Uh, it took a while to get to know her."

"And were you involved in Becca and Jordan Mack's epic breakup?"

Kelsey's lips parted. She couldn't comment on that. She instinctively shrunk away.

"What about you and Ethan, then? How's your relationship going? Do you enjoy the spotlight?"

Kelsey's mind swirled. Suddenly, she was hot all over and couldn't breathe. The man stood far too close and Kelsey felt like the microphone was amplifying her rapid breath.

"I—" she whispered.

"I think that's enough for now," Ethan said. He gave a curt smile and lead Kelsey away from the reporter.

"We're done, don't worry," he whispered to her as they weaved behind the row of celebrities that were still doing interviews.

"I'm so sorry," she murmured. She should've been able to handle it. All she had to do was be polite and smile and evade questions. Instead, she made an idiot of herself on live TV.

Why couldn't she just be more confident and say the right things?

They were ushered to the threshold of the famous Grauman Chinese Theater, where the doors beneath the elegant pagoda were open.

When they entered, cool air bathed Kelsey's skin and she finally took a deep breath.

They walked into the theater, where people were speaking quietly up and down the rows of seats.

Kelsey welcomed the hushed voiced gratefully.

She and Ethan found their seat.

Ethan turned to her to say something, but an older man dressed in a purple tux clapped him on the shoulder and they began talking.

It was thirty minutes of Kelsey saying "hello" when Ethan introduced her to every celebrity that had ever existed.

The lights began to dim and everyone took their place.

Kelsey closed her eyes, relishing in the blessed quiet that swept over the theater, calming her pounding head for a few moments before the movie started.

It was surreal at first to see Ethan on the screen, but it was even stranger to see Becca acting alongside him as a quiet, sweet character who liked to wear cute dresses and pastel cardigans.

Ethan kept whispering to her about all the things that went on behind the scenes. He couldn't even keep quiet during his own movie.

All too soon, the movie ended and everyone stood up.

Kelsey followed Ethan as everyone waded out of the theater. Countless people stopped to congratulate Ethan on the movie, and Ethan went to find the director in order to thank him.

Kelsey clutched Ethan's arm like a lifeline as they made their way to the limo.

Just one more thing to endure.

"So how long does the afterparty last?" she asked.

"We'll only stay for ten minutes or so. I hate those things."

Kelsey climbed into the limo and drew her knees to her chest. She rested her head against the window and exhaled. "Your movie was really good."

"You think so?" Ethan undid his tie and reclined back in the seat as the limo rolled forward.

"Don't you?"

He shrugged.

There it was again. That empty expression that always crossed his face that never glowed with pride or got excited.

"So how'd you survive?" Ethan asked.

Kelsey nodded weakly. "Still alive."

"Was it really bad?"

She looked up at him with a guilty expression. "I'll let you know when the afterparty is over and I can breathe again."

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Kelsey walked into the Beverly Hills Hotel and raised her eyebrows. "You've got to be kidding me."

There were dozens of celebrities flooding the ballroom. A calm blue glow reigned down onto the crowd, where balloons bounced around in the air like bubbles.

Ice statues graced three spaces in the middle of the room, but they were too strangely abstract for Kelsey to identify.

"You know, after seeing this, I think you could afford to decorate your apartment a lot better," she said.

Ethan scoffed. "It's not like I paid for all this stuff."

A middle-aged man in a pinstriped suit walked up to them, a glass of champagne in hand.

"Hey John," Ethan exclaimed, shaking the man's hand heartily. "What's up?"

"Nothing much, man. Just wanted to say that you've got another great one in the bag."

"Thank you." Ethan gestured to Kelsey. "This is my girlfriend, Kelsey Harris."

Kelsey offered a smile and extended a hand. "Hi, nice to meet you."

The man sported a bushy white beard and twinkling blue eyes. He was round in the middle like a bowling ball. She wondered how many movies had cast him as Santa Claus.

"Kel, this is John Radford," Ethan explained. "He's been my mentor since I first came to L.A. and helped get me my first movie audition."

"You're even more beautiful than the pictures," John complimented.

"Ah, well, I've heard blue lighting makes you look a lot prettier than you really are," Kelsey replied, feeling like all the compliments she'd been getting were just a formality by now.

"Hey, is it okay if I run to the bathroom real quick?" Ethan asked. "I'll make sure John doesn't leave you to the wolves out there."

Kelsey heart thudded in her chest. "Uh, yeah, sure."

"I'll take good care of her, E," John promised.

Kelsey watched him go with a worried expression.

"So I hear you're a chef," John said, taking a sip of champagne and leading Kelsey over to the drink table.

"I mean, I could be." Kelsey laughed. "I went to culinary school and stuff but alas, I'm working at a movie set. I've moved up from being an intern, though."

"Ah, well good!" he exclaimed, handing Kelsey a glass. "You know, my wife was interested in baking for a while there. She went to Paris and trained for a few weeks, then got tired of it. Have you ever been to France?"

Kelsey almost snorted out her drink. "No, I can't say I have. In all honesty, I haven't traveled much past my home in Kansas. Besides coming here."

"How has California treated you so far?"

Kelsey traced her finger along the rim of her glass. "It's been unexpected."

John chuckled. "Well, I have to say I haven't seen Ethan smiling that much at a premier since his first one when he was seventeen. I think the press owes that to you."

"He said you got him his first acting audition," Kelsey prompted.

John nodded. "I did, I did. You know, after what happened with his cousin, he needed a distraction."

"How did you two meet?"

"I was a regular attendee to the theater he worked at."

Kelsey's ears perked up. "Really? Ethan doesn't like to talk about it much. What were his plays like?"

John's face grew thoughtful. "He was a talent," he mused. "You probably noticed that Ethan is a ball of energy all the time."

Kelsey laughed. "Definitely."

"It was like he was meant for the stage. Running around, dancing, singing, flipping over things. All that energy just seemed to spread through the crowd to where you could almost feel your hair stand on end with electricity." John shook his head and took another drink. "I sometimes regret encouraging him to go into film."

"But it seems like that's what he wanted at the time," Kelsey murmured.

A voice came from a few feet away. "John! Over here!"

John waved to a woman in a white dress, then turned back to Kelsey. "I'm really sorry, that's my wife."

"It's okay," Kelsey said. "No worries."

"Thank you for entertaining an old man for a few moments." He laughed.

"Oh no, thank you. It was nice to meet a friendly face."

John gave a slight bow before disappearing into the crowd.

Kelsey tried to make herself look busy and tasted one of the cream puffs that were on the table.

Stale.

She turned back around and surveyed the crowd. Where was Ethan?

Then, she caught sight of someone.

Her cropped platinum blonde hair, flashy dress, perfect makeup.

Kelsey had never seen her before, but some instinct churned in her stomach that immediately made her uncomfortable.

She told herself it was nothing, but when the woman made eye contact and scowled deeply, Kelsey knew.

Althea Stellan.

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Hey everyone!

~Do you think Kelsey will make it through this movie premiere? XD

~What will happen with Althea?

~General thoughts?

Thank you so much for reading! I'm going to try to get a chapter up on Tuesday like usual, but I'm out of town, so...yeah XD {Don't forget to comment, vote, and share!}