Secrets of My Hollywood Life #4: Paparazzi Princess (23 page)

HOLLYWOOD SECRET NUMBER FOURTEEN: If you're a huge A-lister who can barely handle more than an hour talking about the film you were paid fifteen million to make, a regular press junket is not going to cut it. Why spend half a day answering the same questions when you can do it once for a huge audience? That's why the Toms of the world don't do junkets -- they do press conferences. A hundred journalists are packed in a room and they get
one
chance to ask their questions. They'll all also wind up with the exact same quotes since Tom only has to answer the same question once.

No one is doing a press conference for
Pretty Young Assassins
, that's for sure. Our movie may be starting to pop up on early "must see" movie lists, but no one on our cast commands that status yet. Even if a few already have the egos to match it.

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP. CLAP
. "Ladies and gentleman, the girl of the moment has arrived -- Kaitlin Burke!"

My
PYA
costar Drew applauds me as I enter the suite we're using as a waiting room. Drew looks good, of course -- great upper body, gorgeous tan jacket and jeans, perfectly styled dark hair hanging in his eyes, tan skin -- but that obnoxious grin ruins the whole picture. "And wow, you look, dare I say, normal? No under-eye bags, no dehydration. Wait a minute," Drew eyes me closely. "Are you Kaitlin's stand-in?"

How could I have ever dated this guy? "Hi, Drew," I mumble and take a seat on a couch at the opposite end of the living room. I'll just ignore him.

I look around the opulent room. Gorgeous striped fabrics on the wingback chairs, gold mirrors, huge flower arrangements, exposed beam ceiling, perfect lighting. The only thing that isn't beautiful is the fact I'm stuck in a room with Drew. Laney, Mom, Nadine, and Liz are waiting for me across the hall. Apparently Hutch wants to give us a cast pep talk before we start so our people have to wait outside.

Drew plops down next to me.

"I don't want to hear it, Drew," I say. I straighten my shoulders and I push up the sleeves on my Donna Karan flowy black shirt. I'm glad I wore the wide-leg dark denim dressy jeans and my favorite Gucci boots with this outfit. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to talk about things you know nothing about?"

"Oh, I know a lot," Drew says. "So does the rest of the world. This story is everywhere! Seriously, Katie Bear, I couldn't have written your fainting spell better if I faked it for the press myself." He hovers over me, smelling like coffee. "Give me a break. You fainted because you partied too much. Admit it." Drew asks. "Ava and Lauren would knock anyone out."

I will not let Drew get to me. I have to save all my strength for these interviews. I will not start a fight. But . . . "You should know," I snarl. "You dated them both."

"Snap!" Drew laughs. "Nice one, Katie Bear, but it doesn't change anything, does it? The press thinks you're a total screwup. Your fainting excuse is thin and that stupid song you did pissed people off. You're so damaged, you make me look good."

Drew's laughter is driving me crazy. My blood is beginning to reach its boiling point, but I try to remain calm. I do not need another headline-making fight on my hands. Especially when every reporter in the civilized world is right outside this door. Still I have to say something. "Maybe I did handle the situation poorly," I tell him, "but we all know the only reason anyone is paying attention to what happened to me is because I'm a celebrity. If I was an ordinary girl who partied too hard, the world wouldn't know about it."

"But you're
not
a regular girl, you're a star," Drew says. "Or at least you were one till now. Without
Family Affair
, you have nothing."

It takes all my energy to not punch him.

"Leave her alone, Drew."

Drew and I turn around. I don't know if Sky was here the whole time or if she just slipped in unnoticed. She struts toward us wearing a white silk tank, matching white pants, and white heels that give her the appearance of an angel. I know better.

Drew snorts. "Don't worry, Sky," he says. "I've left you enough time to make some jabs at her as well."

"The only one I'm going to be making jabs at is you," Sky says icily.

What? Sky is sticking up for me? Maybe I never got up this morning and I'm still dreaming.

"K may act stupid sometimes, but there is nothing stupid about fainting," Sky tells him angrily. "I happen to do it all the time because I, um, forget to eat." She looks at me. "I've just never passed out in public because of it, but being discreet has never been your strong suit."

"Thanks," I say dryly.

"I'm proud of K for not wimping out about this press junket," Sky says. "A lesser star -- like you, Drew -- would have been so mortified they would have canceled the whole thing. But that's not K. She is tough when she needs to be."

I'm so surprised by Sky's compliment; I don't know what to say.

Drew rolls his eyes. "Is there a hidden camera in here that I don't know about, Sky? Since when do you stick up for
her
?"

"K has been my costar for more than a decade, while you're a C-list star who is better known for your conquests than your work," Sky snaps. "Of course I'm going to stick up for her."

"I'm bored," Drew says. He walks over to the food table and pops a grape in his mouth. He actually looks too nervous to come back over.

I turn to Sky. "Thank you," I say gratefully.

Sky shrugs. "I'm protecting myself too, you know," she says with a twinkle in her eye. "You're worth more to me as an ally than Drew will ever be." We both laugh.

"I may have to tell Trevor that you really do have a heart in there somewhere," I say lightly.

Sky smiles. "I guess that's okay with me." She's quiet for a moment. "So how are you? I haven't wanted to ask while we're at work. Did you really faint because you were dehydrated or is something else going on?"

I bite my lower lip. "I don't know. It's everything lately. Aren't you scared at all about life after
FA
?" I ask her seriously. "We've spent our whole lives on that show. What if we never have another hit like this one? What if we never overcome our teen star status? Those thoughts keep me up at night."

Sky looks away. "Okay, maybe I am a
little
scared. Even if I do have a hot pilot on my hands."

"Congratulations on the show," I say and try not to sound jealous. Both Sky and Matty have great pilots that could be picked up for the fall. I could have had a TV pilot too, but I messed up. I guess I can't worry about it now. There's always next pilot season or even mid-season shows. New projects are being announced every day. And if I'm lucky, I'll get to do my first play this summer. That would be really cool.

"I'm excited," Sky tells me.

If Sky knows I wanted that part, she doesn't let on. "You should be," I say honestly. "You've got a great director."

"Who knows?" Sky says with a sly smile. "If you're unemployed next fall, maybe I'll get you a
one-time-only
guest spot. I don't need another Alexis Holden on my hands."

I laugh. "I'm sure I'll be too busy with my
own
hot project to try to take over yours, but thanks anyway."

Sky's face clouds over. "Wait? You have something lined up? What is it?"

There's a knock on the door and Hutch races in, looking as harried and frantic as ever. He's still thin, and he hasn't dressed up for the occasion. He's wearing one of his concert tees and jeans and has his yoga mat rolled up under his right arm. His publicist is two steps behind him and doesn't look pleased. Hutch sees me and breaks into a grin.

"Kaitlin!" he says. He shakes my hand vigorously and doesn't let go. "Thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"For what?" I ask, confused.

"For your well-timed hospital stay!" Hutch looks at me like I should know what he means. "It couldn't have been timed better. We had to turn people away for this junket. Everyone wanted in to have a chance to interview you. We're guaranteed to get a lot of press and it's all going to be about you."

Drew's jaw drops. "You're kidding me."

"Nope," Hutch says happily. "They're here to see
her
." Hutch shakes me strongly. "Say what's on your mind, Kaitlin. Don't hold back. I'll see you guys out there."

I'm speechless. Hutch is happy that I've timed my hospital visit to our junket? Should I tell him it's a coincidence? I bite my lip to keep from laughing till Hutch is gone. Laney, Nadine, Mom, Liz, Sky's team, and Drew's people file in.

"What's so funny?" Laney asks me.

"Nothing," I say.

"Are you ready for your interviews?" Laney asks. "You've got your fainting spell story down pat?"

"Um . . ." I start to say.

"Laney, girls, do you think I could have a moment with Kaitlin alone?" Mom interrupts. Everyone looks at each other and I glance nervously at Nadine. Mom motions for me to join her out in the hallway, where I follow her across to a suite that she must have been waiting in with the stars' families and entourages. The room is empty now. She shuts the door behind us and locks it.

Uh-oh.

"Kaitlin, I was hoping we could talk a minute before you go out there," Mom says, looking more awkward than I've ever seen her. "I feel like I owe you an apology."

I sit down on one of the couches and Mom sits next to me, leaving a huge gap between us. "Mom, it's okay, you don't have to say anything."

Mom grabs my hand. "No, I do!" she insists. She shakes her head miserably. "
Fashionistas
is right. I've been a horrible mother." She starts to sniffle.

"You're not a bad mom," I say. "If you didn't look out for me, who would?"

"But I take it too far," she blubbers. "I just want what's best for you, but sometimes I blur the lines too much. You should be my daughter first and my client second. Not the other way around."

"Mom --"

"No, let me say this," Mom tells me sternly. "I want you to be the best version of yourself, Kate-Kate, and sometimes I think that means the biggest actress there is, but in actuality, I realize, it doesn't have anything to do with acting at all. It has to do with you being you, and growing into the woman
you
want to become. That means allowing you to make some of your own decisions, even if I don't agree with them."

"Mom, I told you at the hospital, I know you're only trying to do what's best for me," I say quietly, but I have to admit, it feels good to hear Mom say these things. "And I trust your decisions -- sometimes -- but sometimes, I want you to listen to what I have to say. I've been in this field a long time and I know what kind of roles I want to take at this point."

Mom shakes her head. "I just don't want you taken advantage of. This town can be so tough and I don't want them to destroy you. I've seen it happen to too many other girls your age."

I squeeze Mom's hand. "They won't. I've got you, I've got Seth, I've got Laney. You're all helping me make good decisions. You just have to listen to what I'm telling you once in a while."

Mom leans over and hugs me tightly, practically suffocating me. "Okay," she sobs. "I promise I'll try! And if I'm not listening, you just tell me, okay? Sometimes I need a small nudge."

Small is an understatement, but why split hairs at a moment like this? "I will."

We walk arm in arm back across the hall and into the other suite, which is pretty loud with everyone crammed inside it. Laney, Nadine, and Liz are waiting anxiously in a corner.

"Everything okay?" Laney asks, looking concerned.

Mom and I smile at each other. "Everything's great," I say.

"Good." Laney smiles. "Now about your statement for today. Remember what we went over: You fainted. You didn't eat that morning. You hadn't drank anything. It was a fainting spell and nothing more. Got it?"

I look at their expectant faces. Nadine is fidgety, Liz is looking at the floor. Even Mom suddenly looks pensive. "Laney, listen, I was thinking," I start to say.

"Oh no! Don't do this to me now," Laney begs.

"Just hear me out," I say calmly. "This fainting cover-up is thin. You know it, I know it, even the press knows it."

"So what?" Laney says. "They can't prove anything. They'll be a few more days of press about this and then it will all blow over."

"But I'll remember it," I stress. "And this will come up again in some other interview. Maybe not tomorrow. Maybe not six months from now, but I'll know I was being fake. Laney, listen. I was scared before, and I thought this fainting story made sense, but what am I being scared of? Isn't the truth better than what the press believes right now? They know I wasn't dehydrated. The truth is, what happened to me in the grand scheme of the world is not that bad. So I freaked out. Teens do it all the time. Yes I partied a little hard, hung out with girls I shouldn't have and spent a little too much money, but I didn't kill anyone. I didn't do drugs," I remind her. "I'm just a girl who has a lot of responsibilities for someone my age and I needed to take a break from it all. It's pretty common, you know." I look at Mom. "I don't want to read some scripted quotes that lie about what really happened. I want the girls that look up to me to read my quotes and be able to relate. I shouldn't be ashamed of myself."

"I think Kaitlin's right," Mom speaks up, and Nadine's jaw almost drops to the floor. "I think we should let her tell the truth." Mom and Laney look at each other.

Laney sighs. "If you feel that strongly about this, then okay, do it your way," she says. "I guess you're right. You shouldn't have to lie about just being a teenager."

I smile at Laney proudly.

"The first roundtable will start in five," an assistant announces.

"Are you really going to tell them everything?" Liz whispers to me as I walk away to get a bottle of water.

"Yep." I feel so confident all of a sudden.

"This is going to be good," Liz says.

My phone rings and I answer it. "Hello?"

"Have you run from the hotel screaming yet?" I hear Austin's voice and instantly feel calmer.

I tell Austin what happened. How Mom apologized and actually agreed with me for once. I tell him how Laney eventually saw my side of things. I also tell him what happened with Liz. And how Sky defended me. The combination of all these things happening in the course of one morning made me realize if I can handle all of them, I can handle anything. A room full of reporters doesn't scare me.