Behind The Screen

Behind the Screen

“Im telling you Alex, “Grace said from behind her changing screen, “She’s doing something to Andrew.”

“So you say, but what’s your proof?” Alex asked as he lounged back on the black sofa that faced the screen.

“My proof is that Andrew completely ignored me during breakfast these last few day. That combined with—God dammit!”

“What is it now Song?” Alex asked with his eyes rolling.

“The zipper is stuck! Would you be a dear and give me a hand?” Grace asked as she poked her head from out behind the screen. Alex gulped as he stood and walked over to the screen. “Well? You can’t get the zipper through the screen you idiot. Now come and help me.” Alex licked his suddenly dried lips as walked behind Grace’s changing screen. And he froze. Grace’s had put her hair up in a messy bun while she was trying to change out of her dress. As Alex raised his hands to the zipper at the back of the red, strapless dress it was dead quiet. Not a single word from either of them. Alex gripped the zipper with one hand and put his other on the dress to make sure it didn’t snag. The zipper came down easily to the small of Grace’s back. They stood there, neither moving. Alex out of shock and Grace because she knew what he saw.

“Y-You’re not wearing a—“

“It has one built in genius.” Grace said as she finally turned around.

“Right.” Alex breathed out, not looking as the small brunet girl in a quickly descending red dress.

“Alex, you are going to help me figure out what that witch Mandy did with Andrew, right?” Grace asked, moving her hands to Alex’s head so he had to look at her. “Right?”

“Grace—

“And that enough of that.”

“Mom! Come on! Alex was just about to say whether he would help Grace take down Mandy!”

“Annabeth dear, you are on the show. You play grace. You filmed this not three day ago. You know what happens!”

Annabeth sinked down into the pillow and blanket fort she made and muttered out an “I still wanted to watch it.” Unfortunately her mother heard her.

“Yes, yes I know. You and your wanting to have as close to a normal life as possible. But don’t I don’t understand how that includes watching a purposely bad show that you are on. Why don’t you watch something else? Or go outside? It’s your day off from filming and you don’t have any homework today. You don’t have any homework, right?”

“No I don’t have any homework mom. And all the other channels’ commercials are talking about ‘Back Stage’ and I can’t take any more talking about whether or not Grace will chose Andrew or Alex. And then there are the channels that are trying to figure out if im dating either of their actors. This was the only choice left.” Annabeth said adding a soft “Besides I never saw the finished version ‘till today.” Into her TARDIS blanket.” She looked at her mother who stood in front of the TV, with the remote, and quickly added a, ‘Besides it’s raining.’ into the blanket as well.  Thinking quickly, Annabeth said, “Cody and everyone is coming over anyways. We were going to have a ‘Back Stage’ marathon where we laugh at everything but I guess I’ll just have to cancel.” Her hand wasn’t even out of the fort before her mom tossed the remote to her.

“Oh, no need for that. Im leaving for London anyways. I won’t be back for a few days so I arranged for Ms. Sweet to stay over.”

“Ms. Sweet?!”

Ignoring her daughter’s outraged cry Ms. Tyler laid a kiss on her head and grabbed her purse before walking out the door, throwing a “Remember dear, no parties!” before she walked out of the house.

“Great, now I have to invite people over.” Annabeth muttered to herself. Grabbing her phone she sent out a quick group text to a few of her cast members.

Beth— Mom MIA. Marathon anyone?

Zack—cant. filming, saying im not distracted from home enough. WTF?!

Cody— Im in. wait 5 then open the door.

Natali— popcorn?

Beth— popcorn.

Natali— gimme 5 and ill be there.

With the no longer lie set up, Beth removed herself form her precious pillow and blanket fort to begin making the popcorn. Because if there wasn’t popcorn by the time Natali got there, heads were gunna roll.

“Five, four, three, two…” Beth sung open the door at one to be met with a fast going Cody on a skateboard. She watched as his board hit the small cliff in the floor her mother had put in to keep him from skating all over the house. And she watched as he flew from his board and landed on the couch.

“Five.”

“FIVE?!” Cody shot up to look at Beth, his eyes wide. “Why?!”

“I took off points for destroying my fort. If you didn’t do that than you would have gotten a 7 because you’re still hitting the cliff.”

“Ugh!” Cody smashed his face back into a pillow having a muffled “You’re killing me woman!”

“So you always say when she don’t give you a perfect ten.” Came from the open doorway.

“Nat!”

“Don’t ‘Nat’ me you little punk. You know it’s true.” Turning her attention from Cody’s overdramatic display of sadness, she looked at Annabeth and took in her attire. “Let me guess. Your mom wouldn’t give you back the remote?”

Nodding her head, Annabeth agreed silently agreed before saying, “The popcorns in the microwave. It should be done soon.”

“K.” And with that Natali jumped over the back of the couch, narrowly missing from landing on Cody, who moved out of the way. “Come on! Let’s get this show on the road!”

“I second that!” Came Cody’s response.

Laughing ‘Beth climbed over the back of the couch, sitting herself on the other side of Cody and turned the TV on.

“You know I can never get used to this.” Cody said as he watched himself go across the screen in the opening credits of ‘Back Stage’. The girls silently agreed by nodding their heads. They could never get fully used to watching someone who was them, yet wasn’t, on the screen.

“Excuse me, but who are you?” a girl with black hair, pale skin, and grey eyes asked.

“Me? Im Grace Song. Are you Mandy Parrish?”

“Yes, I am. But why are you, Grace Song, in my room?!”

“I was assigned to be your new roommate.”

“Roommate?!” Mandy’s screech was heard on the basketball court not far from their dorm building.

“What was that?!”

“Mandy probably met her new roommate.”

“Mandy got a roommate?! Yeesh, I feel sorry for that poor girl.” “I’d feel sorry for Mandy, Alex. You should have seen her. The girl is short but hot. She might even give Mandy a run for her money this year for ‘Most asked out’.” He said, the last part ending in a laugh. Alex thought over what his friend said.

“Hey Andrew?”

“Yeah man?”

“Think I got a chance?”

“Dude I don’t think I even have a chance.” Andrew said with a laugh.

As the show went on, the three Annabeth, Natali, and Cody were silent. The only sound coming from the three were laughter as they watched their show.