It was a good thing she’d put up with Tom Taylor’s ‘perfectionism’ on set the week before because, otherwise, she’d never be able to survive working with her own best friend! Camilla had cornered her just after she’d gotten home from school, dragging her out to the FoodMart to work on . . . work on . . .
Frowning, Olivia came to a sudden stop, ignoring the irritated shoppers wheeling their carts around her. ‘What are we filming, anyway?’ she asked. ‘You never actually told me.’
‘Oh, it’s a music thing.’ Camilla bit her lip as she fiddled with her smartphone, adjusting the settings. ‘This goth/indie band are inviting young film-makers to submit footage for their new music video. The challenge is, they’re insisting it all be recorded on smartphones.’
Olivia stared at her in disbelief. ‘But you hate goth and indie music! You can’t even stand being in the same room as it!’
‘So?’ Camilla shrugged. ‘It’s going to be amazing publicity for anyone who wins. You’d never believe it from listening to their songs, but they’re huge.’
‘Really?’ Olivia felt a prickle of dread. ‘Wait a minute. We’re not talking about –’
‘The Pall Bearers!’ Camilla said cheerfully. ‘Have you heard of them?’
Olivia stifled a groan. ‘You could say that.’
Earlier that year, she’d been guilt-tripped into pretending to be Ivy at a Pall Bearers concert, so that she could get Brendan and Sophia into the show for free. If only I’d known that the band would invite me on stage. Olivia could laugh about her “singing debut” now but, at the time, she thought she knew how Ivy’s tummy felt when she accidentally took a bit of garlicky pizza.
‘Look,’ she said. ‘Have you really listened to their music?’ She waved a hand at the rows of newspapers and magazines on the racks beside them. ‘I can tell you, footage from a nice local supermarket really isn’t going to do it for a goth band that thinks shouting “I hate you” over and over’ – and over! – ‘again is clever.’
‘Oh, I’ve got all of that under control.’ Camilla’s eyes were flinty with determination. ‘I spent hours listening to their new song . . .’
And you didn’t go crazy? Olivia wondered. She would have needed earplugs and a tranquilliser to get through that torture!
‘. . . and here’s the thing: it’s about a relationship that’s ended badly, and it’s called “Yesterday’s News”. So, if their director has even half a brain, he’ll have to see the symbolism in all these newspapers and magazines!’
‘Uh . . . if you say so.’ Olivia sighed. She loved seeing her friend so fired up – but when Camilla was in full flow, there was nothing that could stop her, and no point in arguing. ‘Another take?’ she offered weakly, taking her place back at the end of the aisle.
‘Everyone stand back, please,’ Camilla called out. She flung out her left hand to hold back any other shoppers from stepping into the aisle. ‘Aaaaand . . . action!’
Olivia started forwards. Right. Walk normally! Half-smiling, she let her arms swing gently by her sides. Her chin was up, her eyes fixed somewhere in the middle distance, and her kitten heels clacked against the floor as –
‘Cut!’ Camilla yelled.
Are you kidding? Olivia swung to face Camilla – but for the first time that night, Camilla wasn’t looking at her.
‘We have an intruder,’ she said, pointing up the aisle.
Olivia turned back to look . . . just as a cute little boy raced past her, giggling. A harassed-looking woman scooped him up and carried him over her shoulder.
‘Mommy T-Rex!’ the little boy shouted gleefully. He flung his arms around her neck and grinned at the girls over her shoulder. ‘Raaar! Raaar!’
Olivia laughed. ‘Aww. Why not leave him in the shot? He’s adorable.’
‘I can’t see the Pall Bearers putting out an “adorable” music video,’ Camilla said.
Olivia nodded. ‘I guess not.’
A minute later, the aisle was finally clear again, with the little boy’s roars fading into the distance. For the twenty-first time that night, Olivia took her place at the end of the aisle. This time, though, Olivia stopped at the magazines halfway down the aisle, idly picking one up and flipping through it.
‘Cut!’ Camilla looked both annoyed and apologetic as she hurried over, releasing the crowd of shoppers she’d held back until then. ‘What’s with the improv?’
Olivia shrugged, trying to ignore the glares of all the shoppers who’d been held up for the take. ‘It felt right in the moment,’ she said.
‘We should really keep it simple,’ said Camilla. But before she could explain what she meant, her jaw dropped. ‘Run!’ she gasped.
Olivia didn’t even have time to look around before Camilla grabbed her arm and yanked her down the aisle, not slowing down until they’d turned the corner. Then, breathing hard, Camilla hid behind the corner display of birthday cards. She pushed Olivia behind her, and peered back up the aisle they’d come from.
Olivia stood on tiptoes to look over her friend’s shoulder. ‘What are we looking at?’ she whispered.