Chapter Three
Miles
Okay, Miles, you got this. Fake it ’til you make it. One line at a time.
I gripped the script tight in my hands, eyes scanning the page like if I memorized it enough, the nerves wouldn’t eat me alive.
Renee’s voice crackled through the phone, calm and steady as always. “You’re ready for this, Miles. I’m the only one who saw what you can do. Don’t let them get inside your head.”
Her confidence wrapped around me like a warm blanket. I wanted to believe her—to believe that I wasn’t just the clumsy guy who forgot his lines last week or the new actor everyone whispered about behind my back.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped onto the set. The bright lights hit me like a spotlight on a stage I wasn’t sure I deserved to be on. But Renee was right—I had to keep going.
No matter what.
The moment I stepped onto the set, I caught it—the groan that wasn’t just the director’s sigh of frustration, but the low, exasperated murmurs from some of the co-stars. You could almost hear the Why is he here? hanging in the air.
It stung, but I swallowed it down hard. I wasn’t going to let their judgment make me shrink. Not today. Not ever.
“All right everyone, places!” the director called out.
We were filming a horror scene—dark, tense, the kind that’s supposed to make your skin crawl. Shadows stretched long against the cold walls, and my heart raced with both excitement and nerves.
When it was my turn, I steadied my voice. “You can’t escape what’s inside...”
But then the words tripped out, caught and tangled, like my mouth refused to cooperate.
“Cut!” the director barked, slamming his hands on the monitor’s edge. “Miles, again. You’re stuttering. Focus.”
Groans echoed around me—sharper this time. Eyes flicked my way, some filled with impatience, others with thinly veiled contempt.
I nodded stiffly and tried to shake it off. Tried to remind myself Renee believed in me. Tried to push the weight of those looks out of my chest.
But damn, it was hard.
Multiple takes. Over and over, we ran through that horror scene.
Every time I messed up a line or stuttered, the director yelled, “Cut!” and I could feel the eyes on me—some impatient, some annoyed.
It was exhausting. I kept telling myself, You’ve got to do this.
You can’t let Renee down. She put her faith in me when no one else did.
Finally, after what felt like a million takes, the scene wrapped. The cast and crew started to drift away—some smirking, some just indifferent. I felt the weight of their judgment hanging in the air.
I made my way over to Renee who had arrived during the scene, my heart still hammering from the day’s endless takes. She caught my eye and gave me that warm, encouraging smile she always had—like she genuinely believed in me, even when I didn’t.
“Miles,” she said, her voice low enough so only I could hear, “I have some good news. Julian Vale’s team really liked you. They want you to keep working with him for a week, abroad.”
I blinked. “Wait... seriously? Julian Vale? The Julian Vale, right? Not some other Julian Vale?”
She nodded, eyes twinkling. “Yes. They think you’ve got something. They want to see how you work with him outside of the studio. It’s a big opportunity, Miles.”
I felt my chest tighten. This was way bigger than anything I’d imagined—not just a role, but working closely with someone like Julian Vale. The model, the star, the guy who everyone said was impossible to work with.
“I mean...” I started, still in disbelief, “I don’t even know what to say. I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
Renee chuckled, shaking her head. “You’re more ready than you think. You’ve got heart, Miles. That’s what counts. And hey, maybe working with Julian will help you grow. You’ll learn a lot.”
I smiled, a little shaky but hopeful. “Thanks, Renee. I just don’t want to mess it up.”
She reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “You won’t. Just be yourself. That’s why they liked you in the first place.”
Before I could respond, a sharp voice cut through the moment.
Ethan, one of my co-stars, rolled his eyes as he walked past. “The Julian Vale wants to work with him? The barely-actor who can’t even get through his lines?”
His words hit like a slap, but I refused to let them shake me. I straightened my back and met Renee’s eyes. “Let them talk,” she said quietly. “You’ve got this, Miles.”
And maybe, just maybe, she was right.