Chapter 18 Ripley
Ripley
The first thing I do on Tuesday morning as I head to hair and make-up is check social media.
The show premiered last night, and I was such a nervous wreck I couldn’t look at the internet to see what they were saying.
Luckily, we had Nathan’s birthday party to distract us – Garrick did a great job, and Nathan was so happy.
It’s all I could have asked for, and so much that I didn’t.
If the premiere had gone wrong, I would’ve woken up to Mom telling me this was a failure. So when I get up and she is already gone – which I’m used to – I guess it’s business as usual.
I open TikTok and start searching for Beeloved. A ton of people are reacting to the show and it’s actually super positive. They love the setting of a fairytale theme park and – no shocker – they’re loving Garrick. They talk about how easy he is on the eyes – fair enough – and how charming he is.
My shoulders sag with relief. Maybe this is actually going to work. Because as much as I tried to pretend it would, I wasn’t truly sure. But with the hype we’ve been doing the last month alongside the FTG team, I should have guessed it would get a ton of attention.
‘Imogen, hey,’ I say when I see her lounging at a table in the break room, eating a candy cane. Her hair is arranged into two buns on either side of her head and tinsel is twisted into it. It’s incredible how different the place feels when the park is closed.
‘Hey there, Superstar.’ She smiles cheerfully. ‘Did you see we’re a breakout success? I’m quoting People.’ She laughs. ‘I promise I don’t normally talk like that.’
Her brightness makes me chipper by association. ‘I did. Seriously, thanks again for your help with the FTG side of things on social. You guys are killing it.’
She plays with her gold necklace. ‘I’ve trained Tristian well.’
‘Maybe you can show me how to do that with Garrick,’ I mutter.
She laughs again. ‘Good luck. That one’s a wild stallion.’
I say goodbye and head upstairs to see if the show pony, Garrick, is ready for his morning date. Everything might be off to a good start in the public eye, but we can’t let off the gas. The next episode airs tomorrow, and we’ve got to keep up the momentum.
When I walk in, ‘Shut Up and Dance’ is playing, and it’s the line about Juliet. Garrick, with his phone out, the culprit of the music.
‘Hilarious,’ I yell over the sound. ‘Did you have that cued up and waiting for me to walk in?’
He cuts the music, a broad grin on his cheeky face. ‘I did.’
‘He’s been waiting for twenty minutes with his finger on that button,’ Pierre says, putting the finishing touches on Garrick’s look.
‘Just to annoy me? That’s some intense dedication,’ I tell him.
Garrick stands, his body inches from mine in the small space. I ignore my dry throat, swallowing to loosen it.
‘Ripley, you call it annoy, I call it admiration.’
‘OK.’ I keep my lips tight, so I don’t accidentally smile and let him think he’s winning this battle of wills. ‘I’m here to escort you.’
Garrick claps Pierre on the back. ‘Pleasure as always,’ he says before turning to me. ‘Juliet, I am at your service.’
Pierre looks between us, amusement shifting his features, and I grab Garrick’s sleeve to yank him from the room.
‘You ready to find love?’ Melika asks, following us to the park.
‘Keeping my eyes peeled as we speak,’ Garrick says. My cheeks flush when I glance over to find him already looking at me. His eyes widen like I caught him, and he quickly turns away, stumbling over his feet.
What was that about? He wasn’t referring to me, right? Because that would be weird. It must just be Garrick being Garrick.
Yes. That’s it.
‘You’re an expert at sword fighting, so this should be easy for you to teach the girls,’ I tell him when we reach this morning’s filming location. We’re trying to mix it up, so all the areas of the park are shown and viewers don’t get bored.
‘I don’t feel like I gave you a proper lesson the first time we met,’ Garrick says. ‘We should have a do-over.’
The memory of our first encounter flashes in my mind. I thought his cocky, cool-guy persona was going to be unbelievably tedious to interact with on a regularly basis, but now I actually find myself looking forward to our stolen moments.
Not that I’d admit that to him.
‘Let’s get through today and we can circle back on that.’
Garrick stands in front of the Knight School stage while the girls wait around back to come out on cue.
‘Tell us a little about your experience almost going to the Youth Olympics,’ the producer says.
Garrick’s eyebrows raise, pale skin tingling a little pink with embarrassment. This is what I like to see.
‘Do you have a story there?’ I ask. Embarrassing Garrick is not something that happens very often. He’s the type who can brush anything off, so I enjoy watching him squirm.
‘Not much to talk about. I was really great, obviously. And I thought about showing it off to the world.’ He shifts, twirling his sword, stance casual as ever.
‘But I didn’t think it would be fair to all the other kids to realize there was no way they’d ever beat me.
I wanted to do the world a favor and let them have a chance at winning. ’
That’s not the real story. From the little version I heard, Garrick ended up not going to the Olympics because his mom got sick. But as fun as it is to make Garrick squirm, that’s not a line I’m willing to cross.
I decide to go easier despite my better judgment. ‘Is there a lady you think will excel at this?’
‘Why? You want to try your hand, Ripley?’
‘Focus, Garrick. I know those are words you’re probably used to hearing, so why don’t you try to follow them this time.’ A shudder runs down my spine as I sound exactly like my mother.
‘Yes, ma’am.’ He gives me a salute.
The team created a plan for the date, but Garrick slips into training mode with practiced ease, so they’re letting him roll with it.
The girls laugh and enjoy whacking each other with sticks, so it’s all working out.
I can already see the show version playing out in my head, with the music and B-roll interviews.
‘His sword work is pretty good,’ Melika whispers.
‘Think we can bother him for a private lesson?’ Nathan asks – not dressed as an elf today.
Watching Garrick stand behind the girls and instruct them how to use the sword, I have this weird feeling deep in my stomach.
Perhaps a seed of jealousy? I want him to show me how to do that.
He has this look of focus on his face when he’s teaching them.
This feels like the most realistic Garrick.
He’s good at it too – both the teaching and the sword fighting.
It’s too bad he never got to go to the Olympics.
I think he might’ve liked it beyond the obvious showing off.
It makes me warm to him, which is a dangerous thought.
I shouldn’t be thinking anything about him.
But I find myself studying him the whole time we do the shoot.
Which is why I see him examining himself in a sword reflection and realize that he’s just as big of an idiot as I thought he was. But even that makes me smile.
‘Hey, Sofia,’ I call over as she waits by the stage while Garrick has a one-on-one with Kahoa. ‘Come here a sec.’
‘What’s up?’ She greets me with a dazzling smile of straight white teeth. She is wearing an outfit more suited to a horse-riding lesson than a sword fight, but she looks super cute.
‘We need to take some promo shots for this episode. Do you mind doing some modeling?’
‘Of course.’ One moment to the next, she slips from casual mood to full model Barbie.
‘Awesome. Imogen and Tristian are near the castle if you want to go with your sword. Shouldn’t take too long.’
‘Good.’ She sighs with relief. ‘I don’t want to miss my time with Garrick. Any insider tips that might score me some bonus points with him?’
My smile stiffens. I swallow hard as a tightness squeezes my ribs. ‘I don’t think that’d be fair. Sorry,’ I add as I notice my cold tone.
‘No worries.’ She shrugs before bouncing off to Imogen and Tristian.
I follow her progress before turning back to Melika and Nathan. ‘What?’ I frown when I notice they’re both staring at me. I rub my face in case I’ve got food on it from breakfast and no one mentioned it.
‘Nothing,’ Nathan says, but his voice is too high to be normal.
‘Shut up,’ I respond, tightening my hands around my tablet.
‘I didn’t say anything.’ But I know that look. It means he’s getting ready to give me some advice he thinks is wise and sage.
‘Great, because there is nothing to say about anything.’
Melika snorts. ‘I think a lot is being said without words.’
I purposefully try to look anywhere but at Garrick for the remainder of the shoot, which is very hard since he is the center of everything. I don’t want anyone else besides Melika and Nathan thinking there is something worth talking about – especially my erratic heart.
‘If you want more background on that case, you should check out Morbid. Their podcast does great coverage of it,’ Maya tells me as we walk through the Fairytalers’ entrance and into the backstage area. We just wrapped filming a scene where a few girls spent time with Garrick doing rides.
‘Oh, I’ve listened to their spooky eps. They’re so fun.’ Nathan slurps the last dregs of his warm apple cider. ‘Ripley doesn’t do ghosts, though.’
Maya has been chatting about some of the true crime cases she’s studied. ‘I’m with you, girl. I need some hard evidence before I make my decision.’
‘Thank you!’ A big puff of white breath exits my mouth. The night air is chilly and the tiniest snowflakes flicker through it. ‘Finally, someone who shares my love of logic.’ We’ve hung out with a few girls, and Maya is one of them we clicked with instantly.
‘Stop! You know you love my whimsy and childlike curiosity.’ Nathan boops my nose. ‘Maya, I need your professional opinion on Jack the Ripper.’