Chapter 2 #3
“Likewise,” I said, and as we shook hands, realization plowed into me with the weight of a three-hundred-pound lineman: this was Xander Jones, lead guitarist for the Heartbreakers.
Without his usual square frames, he was surprisingly unrecognizable.
My mouth went dry, and I took what I hoped was an inconspicuous moment to collect myself.
“Are you here for the Immortal Nights panel?”
Xander stiffened. “Um, yeah,” he said, gaze dropping to his feet. “I am.”
I frowned, caught off guard by his sudden mood change. Had I insulted him somehow? Or maybe he was disappointed I hadn’t gushed over meeting someone as famous as him? Before I could figure out what was wrong, my back pocket vibrated.
Violet:
Everything okay? Haven’t heard back from you and I really need that water.
Unbelievable. Was she incapable of going two hours without me?
There had to be someone else who could help her.
Someone like Sadie. Surely the world’s greatest PA was able to fetch Violet a drink; she’d probably gnaw off an arm or sacrifice her firstborn for the opportunity.
Chances were, even if I left now, the signing would be finished by the time I located a damn FIJI Water and—
Wait a minute. The signing wasn’t over yet. What the hell was Xander Jones doing up here with me?
“Shouldn’t you be with the cast right now?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “Their panel ended a few minutes ago, but you were already in the green room.”
“I’m supposed to,” he said, kicking at an imaginary speck on the ground.
“And you’re not because…?”
“It’s complicated.”
Wow, because that clarified everything. Hint taken.
“Okay, well, I’ll be out of your hair in a second,” I said, strolling over to the minibar at the back of the room. Maybe if I brought Violet her water, she’d give me details about what was going on with Xander. “You can go back to napping or whatever.”
“You don’t have to leave.”
“No offense,” I replied, opening the refrigerator door, “but it seems like you want to be left alone.” Inside, I found a row of Coke, Red Bull, Snapple, and Dasani, but no FIJI. Oh well. Violet would have to deal.
“Look, I’m sorry,” he said, rubbing his chest as if he was in pain. “I wasn’t trying to be a dick, but today’s been shitty for me too.” He offered me a hesitant smile and gestured at the couch. “Wanna sit down and compare notes on whose was worse?”
I turned the water bottle over in my hands, deliberating.
Violet had yet to pay me, and I was afraid that if I ignored her, I wouldn’t get my money.
But I was also intrigued by Xander. Boy bands weren’t usually my thing, but I bought the Heartbreakers’ first album out of loyalty to Alec.
No one was more surprised than me when I wound up loving it.
Sure, some of the tracks were cheesy, but there were just as many songs with beautifully written lyrics about grief and growing up and disillusionment.
When would I get another opportunity like this?
“All right, sure.” I crossed the room and sat down before I could change my mind.
“Do you know Jewel Peck?” Xander asked, plopping down beside me.
“Yup. She’s the executive producer of IN. Known her since I was thirteen.”
“Oh, right.” Xander grinned sheepishly and scratched his cheek. “You probably know more about the show than me, don’t you?”
“Let’s just say that if there’s ever an Immortal Nights edition of Trivial Pursuit, I’d kick your ass.” I wasn’t an expert by choice, but after five years of Violet’s job consuming my life, I’d picked up a thing or two.
“Duly noted. Anyway, it was Jewel’s idea for one of us to make a surprise appearance today,” Xander said, and by us, I figured he meant the Heartbreakers. “When I heard, I immediately asked Courtney if I could—”
“Wait, who’s Courtney?” I interrupted.
“Our band manager. As soon as I heard about the panel opportunity, I volunteered myself. Appearing at Comic Con has been a dream of mine since I was eight.”
“That’s an interesting dream for an eight-year-old.”
He laughed. “My parents are huge Trekkies, like so obsessed they named my brother Scotty after Montgomery Scott. When I was a kid, our family vacations consisted of traveling to different fan conventions. My favorite thing to do was wander through Artist Alley in the exhibit halls and look at all the cool art. Can’t do that anymore, you know? I’d be mobbed.”
“Yeah, I get it. I was with Violet when she was swarmed once.” The two of us had been Christmas shopping when a fan spotted her and posted the sighting on social media.
One minute, we were making ourselves nauseous by smelling every bottle of perfume in Sephora, and the next, we were pinned against the back counter by a horde of teenage girls begging for pictures and autographs.
Xander’s entire face lit up. I had a feeling he didn’t expect me to understand his situation—how fame made everyday life complicated—but because of Violet, I did understand. “The fans mean well, but every once in a while, things get dicey.”
“More like terrifying. I don’t understand how you guys do it.”
“Do what?”
“Handle everything. The constant attention, the lack of privacy, the media scrutinizing your every move.” Violet’s life was a nightmare. Just thinking about swapping places with her made me feel as if I’d eaten something rotten.
He shrugged. “You get used to it. I’m not saying there aren’t days when all you want to do is shut the world out, but I’ve learned to deal.”
“Is that what happened today?” I asked, steering the conversation back to the original topic. I still didn’t understand why Xander Jones had been napping when he could’ve been onstage addressing thousands of excited fans.
A line appeared between his brows. “What do you mean?”
“With the panel. Did something happen that you weren’t up to dealing with?”
“Oh, no.” He raked a hand through his hair, then sighed as if the simple action was exhausting. After several silent moments, he said, “The truth? I didn’t go because I got cut from our cameo. Jewel broke the news to me earlier today.”
“Wait, what?” I gasped. “You’re not in any of the episodes you guys filmed?”
“Well, there’re a few scenes where the four of us appear as a group.
We’re some sort of vampire-hunting gang?
I’m not entirely sure. The point is I had zero lines in those scenes.
All I did was stand in the background and wave a pistol in the air.
The script literally read, ‘Vampire Hunter Number Three waves pistol tauntingly.’ The frustrating thing is I filmed this really sick chase sequence with Gabe Grant where I almost capture Luca, but apparently it wasn’t good enough to make the cut. ”
His explanation made my heart sink.
“I’m sorry, Xander. That blows.”
He shrugged. “It is what it is.”
At this, I frowned. Extra material—even full scenes—got axed from the final cut of an episode all the time. What I couldn’t wrap my head around was how Xander had been treated. “So let me get this straight—Jewel didn’t want you on the panel anymore because of your lack of screen time?”
“She never came out and said that, but when Oliver showed up…” Xander trailed off and shook his head.
The Oliver he was referring to could only be Oliver Perry, the lead singer of the Heartbreakers, which confused me even more. “I don’t understand. I thought you guys were based out of LA. What’s Oliver doing here?”
“We are, but his girlfriend, Stella, goes to school in New York, and he’s visiting her this weekend.
He dropped by to say hi. As soon as he showed up, Jewel started making comments about how he’d be perfect for the panel since he played the biggest role on the show.
I got the message, so I pretended I wasn’t feeling well and let Oliver take my place. ”
“You’re mad,” I realized.
Xander scrubbed a hand down his face. “Not at him specifically. It’s just… I’m disappointed, that’s all. I’ll get over it.” He pasted on a smile and changed the subject. “So what’s the deal with your sister? You seem pretty angry at her.”
It was clear he was done talking about what happened, so I forced myself to ignore the geyser of questions welling up inside me.
“Violet needed an assistant for the day. I agreed to help her, but only if she gave me a break to see a panel I was excited about,” I explained, trying not to scowl.
“That turned out to be a major mistake.”
“I’m assuming you missed the panel?”
“Yup.”
“What was it about?”
“SFX makeup.”
“What kind makeup?”
“Special effects,” I said. “It’s basically where you use prosthetics to create cosmetic effects in movies and stuff.”
“So like Mystique from X-Men?” he asked, referencing one of my all-time favorite Hollywood makeup transformations.
“Exactly,” I replied with a grin.
My interest in special effects makeup stemmed from my obsession with Halloween.
I loved everything about October 31—from its roots in ancient Celtic harvest festivals to trick-or-treating, because who didn’t enjoy free candy?
There was always a palpable excitement in the air during the days leading up to the holiday: families carving jack-o’-lanterns to display on their front porches; little kids deciding if they wanted to be princesses, superheroes, pirates, or ghosts; friends scaring each other shitless at haunted houses.
Like horror movies, Halloween was an ode to the macabre and monsters that went bump in the night, terrors we could experience one day a year without ever being in real danger.
But if I had to pick my favorite part about the holiday, it was the process of crafting the perfect costume.
You wouldn’t catch me dead in a sexy nurse getup or devil’s horns.
I relished the challenge of coming up with a concept that was original or clever or whimsical, which was how I discovered Melody.
I’d been searching for the perfect DIY costume when I stumbled across her evil mermaid makeup tutorial on YouTube.
The contrast of gore and glitter immediately caught my eye, and I was able to transform myself into a creepy version of Ariel using everyday items from around the house.
The only thing I’d had to purchase was latex paste. After that, I was hooked.
“I was really pumped to meet Melody Nguyen. She’s this amazingly talented makeup artist who was on the panel. I watch all her YouTube videos religiously.”
Xander cocked his head. “The Melody who just won an Oscar for that indie film? What’s it called again?”
“Yes! Midnight Slips By,” I said excitedly.
“She’s the youngest person to ever win an Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
No surprise though. Her attention to detail is stunning.
And don’t get me started on her prosthetics.
They’re mind-blowing.” A small smile crept onto Xander’s face, and I realized I was rambling.
“Sorry, Melody is kind of an idol of mine.”
“Hold that thought.” Xander pulled out his phone and scrolled through his contacts before hitting Call.
“Hey, long time no talk. How are you?” he said when someone answered.
“Yeah, so I’ve heard. I’m here too… Well, I was supposed to, but that fell through, and now I have some free time.
You wanna meet up? There’s someone with me who’s dying to meet you. ”
My eyes went wide. Holy shit. Was Xander talking to who I thought he was?
“Yeah, sounds like a plan,” he said with a nod. “See you in five.”
“What was that all about?” I asked, trying to sound calm.
“It just so happens that I know a certain makeup artist.” He leaned to the side so he could shove his phone into his back pocket. “Have you seen the music video for our song ‘The End of Love’?”
I beamed. Of course I’d seen the video—it was the band’s first single and largest hit off their debut album. “The apocalypse one.”
“Yeah, where we turn into zombies. Melody did all our makeup for it. Would you like to meet her? Obviously her panel is over, but she’s still here.”
“Are you serious right now?” I exclaimed. “I’d legit sell my kidney to meet Melody.”
“One hundred percent serious. No internal organs required.”
“Oh my God, yes!” I wanted to explode off the couch, whoop with joy, and dance around the room, but I forced myself to rein in my excitement by taking a deep breath. “Thank you so much, Xander. This is beyond amazing.”
“Does this help make your craptastic day a little bit better?”
“So much more, you don’t even know.”
A crooked smile appeared on his face. “Then it’s my pleasure.” Standing up, he stretched, then nodded at the door. “Ready when you are.”
My phone buzzed again.
Violet:
Seriously? If you’re going to ignore me, you should turn your read receipts off.
“Give me one second,” I said, holding up a finger.
Knowing she wouldn’t be able to answer in the middle of a signing, I called my sister.
As expected, it went straight to voicemail, and I left a message.
“Hey, Vi. Just wanted to give you a heads-up that I’ll be taking the rest of the day off.
Good luck finding someone to replace me, but if you do, give them my regards.
I have an overwhelming amount of sympathy for them. ”
Xander whistled when I hit End. “Wow. You’re seriously pissed, aren’t you?”
“Actually,” I said, a smile tugging on my lips, “I’m feeling pretty good right now.” After all, I was about to meet Melody Nguyen. Giving my sister a figurative middle finger was an added bonus.