He sees me standing in the doorway and stops. I give an awkward wave. He turns away.
“No, I get it, you make the calls,” he sighs into the phone, the fight draining out of him. “But let me know about Hemsely as soon as you hear. OK, talk soon.”
He hangs up and tosses his phone down on the couch.
I loiter nervously. “That didn’t sound good.”
“Yeah, that would be an understatement.” Blake’s face twists into a sarcastic smile. “Since my entire career just went up in smoke.”
“No,” I gasp. “What happened?”
“My agent called. They had the first screening of Judgement Day, and it bombed.” Blake shakes his head. He turns away and suddenly slams the flat of his hand against the wall. “Fuck!”
I flinch, shocked at his sudden outburst. I’ve never seem him like this. “Hey, it’s OK.” I quickly cross the room and place a soothing hand on his arm. “Talk to me, it can’t be that bad.”
“It is.” Blake’s face seems to crumble. He sinks back against the wall. “They hate me, Zoey,” he says, hollow. “The studio boss, the publicity people, everyone says it’s a piece of shit.”
“That’s impossible,” I argue, but he just pulls away, scowling.
“Three months I spent in the studio, acting against a green screen, pretending to have conversations with people who weren’t even there. I knew something was wrong, I just knew it. But everyone told me, you make a movie in the editing suite, the director will pull it together. And with all the music, and special effects…” Hhe looks ill. “And I believed them too. Fuck, I need a drink.”
He heads past me, down the hall to the kitchen. I follow, arriving just as he pulls a beer from the fridge and takes a long gulp.
I watch, chilled.
“It can’t be as bad as you think,” I try to reassure him. “Maybe they just need to work on a different cut—”
“The studio’s already poured a hundred million dollars into this thing!” Blake explodes. “They gave me a shot, to carry the whole movie. And I fucking let them down!”
“Is that what your agent said?” I ask, trying to bring him back. “I’m sure once you have some time to calm down…”
“The movie will still suck. And this is only the beginning,” Blake explains, looking stressed. “Once the press picks up on it, they’ll crucify us. And critics, reviewers… We’ll be lucky if it breaks even when it releases. Bad word of mouth can sink a movie before opening weekend.”
I take a breath, watching him. I hate that he’s hurting right now, and I don’t know what to say to make it better. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I know how much this movie meant to you. But there will be other parts. The role you’re shooting now is great, and Dash loves what you’re doing—”
“Dammit, Zoey, you’re not listening to me!” Blake yells, echoing in the huge space. He catches his breath, lowering his voice. “I’m sorry, but you don’t understand. I shouldn’t even be doing this movie! If I’d done what my agent wanted, and picked another big blockbuster part, I’d be back in Hollywood with my next starring role already locked down. Now, nobody’s going to hire me again with this kind of negative buzz. My career over, before it’s even begun!”
I don’t believe it, but I can’t argue with him, not when he’s like this. “Let’s eat,” I say, trying to calm him. “Forget about this whole thing, just for tonight. There’s nothing we can do about it, not right now, but we’ll think of something. I promise you.”
Blake meets my eyes, and there’s a distance there I don’t recognize. “There is no ‘we,’” he says, hollow. “This is my problem. Look, I’m not in the mood to hang. I need to go clear my head.”
“But—”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Blake puts the beer down and walks away, heading out onto the back deck. He slams the door behind him, and takes off down the steps, onto the dark, windswept beach.
I sink back against the counter, tears welling in my throat. He’s in pain, I get it, but he’s shutting me out. Acting like he’s all alone in this, when I’m right here, ready to help.
“I’m guessing he’s a no on the pizza.”
I turn. Dex is back, his dark hair wet from the shower.
“I…yes, I guess.” I wipe my eyes quickly, trying to hide my tears.
He gives me a sympathetic grin. “Don’t worry. Baby brother will come around. He just needs to let off some steam, that’s all.”
“You heard?” I ask, biting my lip.
Dex nods. “I got the general gist of it, yeah. Don’t hold it against him,” he adds, moving to grab Blake’s abandoned beer. “Reviews are tough, and for someone like Blake… Well, you know.”
I pause. “I don’t know if I do.”
“Just, things have always come easy for him,” Dex explains. “He had everyone line up and hand him this role, tell him it was going to make him a superstar. He’s been banking on that all year now.”
“He’s worked for it!” I protest. “You know how long he’s spent auditioning, taking classes. He’s talented, I’ve seen it myself.”
“I know, I’m not saying he’s not,” Dex agrees, taking a gulp. “But that’s the dizzying thing about Hollywood. You go from unknown to A-list overnight, and you lose a bit of perspective, that’s all. I mean, a year ago, he would have been over the fucking moon to be doing this movie with Dash,” Dex adds with a wry look. “But now he’s acting like it’s small-fry.”