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We finish our first day of filer, and so, so we should enjoy this reprieve; but we lost two hours between California and Texas, which ht am feel like six am Exhausted, Meredith and I climb into one of the cars that will transport us back to the hotel, and Brooke collapses onto the seat next to me She’s basically a life-sized Barbie doll: perfect build (thin, but curvy where it counts, long dancer’s legs), perfect bone structure, clear blue eyes, blonde hair Everything is pretty and flawless Ninety-five percent of what people notice or talk about is her appearance, despite her acting skill "Are you guys hungry? Because I’ht of food, reourmet pizzas and salads, but I had first-day jitters and couldn’t eat

"Yes," Meredith and I chorus

Thanks to celery stick lunches, no-bread dinners and lots of cardio, Meredith and I are both slim, with physical features unlikely to inspire either resent review over so about the shape of my ass any day My hair color (and Meredith’s) would be ter to Chloe, fake hair color expert, who’s been trying to get s like, "It’s so freaking dull," for ives the driver directions to a corner bar and grill a few blocks from the hotel, where we sit by theand watch as people leave their don offices I ask if she’s been to Austin before, and she says, "I grew up here," s when they spot her, one waving with a shy grin Laughing, she crosses her ar, "I would chew hilances back twice, disappointed and earning a punch in the arm from one of his friends

How does Brooke find the tih life experience to cause this level of sexual ennui when I don’t have tiular date? My ranted, I’m more likely to spend them with Emily than with a boy Boyfriends have been rare--only three Tere fellow actors and the other was a friend of Emily’s We broke up because I literally never saw him

Brooke scans the place after we’ve eaten, her eyes settling on two young professionals sitting at the bar "I want an older guy," she says As if she’s called his naht in the htly ajar She s to behis reaction, looks over as well

If either of them watched Life’s a Beach, the teen series Brooke spent the last two years doing, she’d look faes I watched the shoith Ely siirl character Is this an act, or was her character so convincing because she was essentially playing herself?

She turns back to us, silky hair tossed over her shoulders, and the guy at the bar can’t tear his eyes away from the back of her head "It’s been a while since I was in Texas Maybe it’s tiod," Meredith says "You are so bad"

"I try" Brooke laughs and flashes a quick s whether or not to walk over "Let’s get out of here"

Chapter 8

REID

I spot E around--looking for azes connect, she smiles shyly I return her sot a running co lack of boots and cowboy hats he’s seen since landing in Austin

"I get the whole ‘keep Austin weird’ and ‘we’re an artsy, freethinking town,’ but you’d think they could at least nod towards the conventional Marlboro ive the place an authentic Texas feel" He huffs a sigh and twitches his head, his hair lifting and falling right back where it was

Occasionally someone in the media or the public sees my blond hair and blue eyes, adds ‘lives in California,’ and concludes surfer dude Standing next to Tadd, though, I could be froht as a razor, has two options: feathered straight down around his face, as it is now, or spiked straight up That, coupled with clear blue eyes, a perpetual tan and his propensity to actually say things like dude, edge , not Texas, right?"

He peers attheo look for your personal Marlborojust over a thousand ht now," he retorts

"How do you know that?" I ask Tadd has aan innate knowledge of US geography

"That is not the point!" He pretends exasperation, and I laugh as conversations fade and eyes widen near us "The point is where the hell are the cowboys?"

"Dallas?"

"Har-de-har," he deadpans

That’s when I spot Brooke co onto the set I haven’t seen her, in person anyway, in years She’s even ly so Ato proceed She’s talking to Meredith Reynolds when she sees me My role in School Pride has been well publicized--it can’t be a surprise that I’m here Even still, she appears taken aback I stare at her with just a hint of a smile I don’t want her to know that her face still has the power to take th of one heartbeat, and then her face goes passive She never wavers in her conversation, turns away, doesn’t look at ain

We’ll have to interact at some point Her character is the sister ofparts with each other Plus, in a group this small, there will be interaction between all of us, socially If we’re wishing each other dead, even silently, it won’t go unnoticed