Page 40 of Hollywood, Ending

“Sounds cool,” I said. “Yeah, I love that arc.”

A young woman had come up to our table. “Excuse me,” she said. I figured she was excited to meet the brilliant Brian Arawas, but she was looking at me. “Are you the guy who saved Juniper Castillo last night?”

“I don’t know about saved, but—”

“Oh my God. It’s so cool to meet you. I thought that was so awesome, seriously. I just wanted to say thanks.”

“Yeah, sure,” I said, and then she asked Brian Arawas if he could take a picture of us, which Brian did.

“I didn’t know you were such a star already,” Brian said, and I briefly explained that we’d just had a weird night, and then he returned to the movie. “Tell me about your familiarity with swords,” he said, and I laughed a little, because I thought he was kidding, but he wasn’t. Again, the baby doesn’t know it’s weird to shit in a diaper.

“Um, limited,” I said. I remembered Matthew telling me about how when he got to the last round of auditions for a surfing movie, they asked him if he could surf, and he said, “Of course I can surf. I’m Matthew Malone,” even though he’d never been surfing in his life and wasn’t even a very good swimmer.

“I’ve got a dance background,” I said, “and swordfighting is mostly dancing.”

“I love it,” Brian said. “I love that. I’m stealing that. The way you move in Andy Warhol Never Gets Old is positively spellbinding.”

I swallowed a bite of avocado and said, “Thanks, yeah. That was a great part.” My stomach was turning a little. “Juniper’s so good in it, isn’t she?”

“Ah, yes, the studio’s favorite Agrippah,” he said. “What was she like to work with?”

“Amazing. She’s so prepared. She is just, like, incredibly competent and professional and brilliant and most of all just very, like, ready. You never have to worry with her.”

“My only concern is that she’s too prepared, perhaps. So studied that at times she may lack that improvisational spark, the range that comes with being open to all the moment may bring. She’s more of a Bach than a Beethoven, if you catch my meaning. I tend to be most deeply attracted to Beethovens.” I did not catch his meaning.

“I really like her,” I said. “I think she’s got spark.”

“You’re certainly wonderful collaborators, although of course I’m sure you understand that there are many great actors interested in Garon.”

“Of course,” I said. “I’m sure you’ll find the right person.”

“Well, hopefully this week we’ll have you in for chemistry reads. The tool to the weapon, Kai. That’s what I hope you’ll hold in your heart.”

“Right,” I said. “Yeah, definitely. Thanks for breakfast; it’s so cool to meet you.”

“It is very cool to meet you as well,” he said.

_____

The ride back to the hotel was a little awkward; the conversation had ended, but now it had to continue for another twenty minutes. We arrived at last, and he got out of the car to hug me and told me he would love to work with me, and I said that yeah of course I would love to work with him, too, and then I was walking back to my room when I saw Bob and Zoe sitting at a table outside the Bel-Air’s restaurant. “Kai!” he shouted. “Funny seeing you here.”

Bob pulled me into a hug. “How was it? How was it?” He was a large man—not fat so much as large in every direction. He wore a suit, highly tailored. Nobody looks more like themselves than an agent.

“It was good, I think,” I answered as I shook Zoe’s hand. Zoe shook hands instead of hugging, and wore her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail, and I liked her because her face never revealed much.

“So what’d ya think of him?” Bob asked as we sat down at the table. A waiter appeared, and I asked for a cup of coffee.

“Um, I thought…I don’t know. He’s kind of pretentious.”

“Well, he’s a director.”

“I guess.”

“Brian’s a genius, and like most geniuses, he knows it.”

Zoe looked at her phone. “Apparently you’re all over the Internet today, Kai. You beat up a paparazzo?”

“No, a guy tried to get in Juniper’s car, and I…ensured he did not get in.”