father had always said that people from that state were flakes and screwballs. How he knew this, I didn’t know, since he’d never been there. This offer felt so foreign to me that I agreed to a glass of Chablis so as not to make any waves. Besides, I thought a drink might help relax me and calm my nerves.
I drank the wine quickly on account of my uneasiness. Apart from the occasional sip of wine during communion, this was my first real taste of it. The first gulp was not so good, but it grew on me as time passed, so that I didn’t hate it as much. Gil refilled my glass, although the wine had already made me light-headed, thanks to an empty stomach. I hadn’t eaten, and so I slowly sipped from that second glass.
Watching Willow on that iPad was beginning to irk me. As talented as Willow was, I knew she couldn’t carry the entire show on her own. Where were the rest of us? She needed drama and friction. Where was her supporting cast?
Loud, aggressive banging on the door jarred me out of my train of thought. This was followed by the sound of the doorbell ringing. Gil took out his phone and fidgeted with it for a few seconds. Then he passed it over to Willow, now composed after her long crying spell.
“Oh, Christ!” she said.
“You know this boy?” her father asked.
“Not as well as Katie does.”
“I do?” I said.
“See for yourself,” Willow said, stretching out her long arm so I could see who was at the door. Video cell phone surveillance. Was there anything these people didn’t have?
“Shit!” I said, covering my mouth. “I’m so sorry for swearing, Mr. Briggs.” Father and daughter laughed.
“It’s Gil to you, Katie. And believe me, I heard much worse from six-year-olds when I worked at the Disney Channel.”
More banging. More doorbell ringing.
“What do you want to do about him, Katie?” Willow said.
“Could you make him go away? Tell him I’m not here.”
“With pleasure,” Willow said, standing.
“Sit down, bunny. I’ll deal with this clown,” said Gil.
“No, Daddy, I’ll shoo him away. But you should film this encounter. It’ll make for good drama.”
“Great idea.” He picked up his camera and followed her as I trailed after them.
“Why don’t you just break up with him, Katie? He’s such a loser,” Willow said.
“We’ve been together for two years. I can’t just break up with him like that. I’m not even sure I want to break up with him.”
“If you stay with him, I promise you’ll end up married, with three bratty Drews running around by the time you’re twenty-five. Then you’ll wished you’d listened to me.”
“Don’t worry.” I laughed. “I know what I’m doing.”
Willow walked over and opened the door, and I heard Drew shouting, but Willow didn’t back down. I stood behind the door, listening to Drew complain. She told Drew that I wasn’t there and to go home. She lied so convincingly that she almost persuaded me that I wasn’t there. Drew, however, wouldn’t take no for an answer. He said he knew for a fact that I’d come to this house, because he’d followed me here. Willow called him crazy and threatened to call the cops if he didn’t leave. Drew swore at her and made some threatening remarks. Finally, the door slammed shut. Willow ran over to the window, giggling, and I followed behind, using her body as cover. I peeked over her shoulder and through the shutters and saw Drew hopping into his truck and then speeding off. Tipsy, we both laughed.
“What a dork,” Willow said.
“He doesn’t own me.”
“Forget men. Right, Dad?”
Gil laughed from behind the camera as he filmed us. Willow clasped my hand in her own and swung it up and down. I turned and looked up at her. She had to be seven inches taller than me and ten times more beautiful. Her translucent blue eyes had returned to their natural state, and she looked ravishing. Was it the alcohol? Or had performing in front of the camera changed her mood? In my tipsy state, I laughed at her every silly utterance.
“Fuck all men. Right, Katie?”
“Yeah, fuck all men.” I blushed, feeling like a badass for saying the F word.
“Not all men, mind you,” Gil said from behind the camera.
“All but you, Daddy.” Willow pulled me over to where her father stood filming and kissed the camera, leaving pink lipstick on the lens. It felt so ridiculous that it made me giggle.