SLEAZE: A Hollywood Comeback Story (Book #1)

Chapter 37

When Scott and I were seven years old, we got yelled at by my mom for standing in my backyard and taking turns staring at the sun. Even though we’d been ushered inside and lectured by my parents on the risks of retinal damage and blindness, I could still remember how grumpy Scott had been with me for beating him in our made up competition. The truth was, though, that I’d been cheating the entire time; I’d looked at the sun for about half a second before turning my attention to the clouds that hovered in the sky.

My fondness of cloud watching was a habit that’d been born out of a punishment. Whenever I threw tantrums as a child, my dad would scoop me up and set me on a blanket outside, always telling me to look for shapes in the clouds until I’d calmed down. Fifteen years later, I found the sight of clouds oddly comforting and as Sophie and I laid on a picnic blanket and gazed up at the sky, I felt wholly relaxed.

I could hear Sophie breathing and although she’d originally fidgeted this way and that, she now seemed completely immersed in the blue and white painting above our heads. I glanced at her from the corner of my eye and watched while she licked her bottom lip, grateful that the awkwardness in the car hadn’t affected our moods for the rest of the day. Despite my best efforts to be subtle, Sophie must’ve felt my stare because she smiled and rolled onto her side to study me.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked, letting go of my hand to brush her hair from her face. She’d forgotten a hat to wear and had declined my offer to buy her a baseball cap emblazoned with the words Santa Barbara in neon stitching. Expecting someone to realize who she was, Sophie had understandably been worried about sitting in the park when we’d first arrived. Luckily, the giant sunglasses perched on her nose helped to hide most of her face and even I had trouble recognizing her when they were on. I shook my head.

“Nothing, really,” I replied, turning to face her as well. “You?”

“College.”

“What about it?”

Sophie reached past the edge of the blanket and pulled up a handful of grass, filling her palm with little green spears and then letting them fall back onto the ground. “What’s it like?”

I shrugged, unsure of how to answer. “It’s different for everyone.”

“What’s it like for you?” she asked, lifting her sunglasses slightly so that I could see her eyes. She was looking at me with curiosity and I thought about the answer for a long moment before replying.

“Fun, mostly. I mean, my classes are hard because of my major and finals suck for everyone but other than that, I have no complaints.” I propped myself up with my elbow and watched while Sophie continued to mow the grass around her. “I really miss it actually. Why do you ask?”

“Just wondering,” she said quickly, looking away. “Sometimes I think it would’ve been nice to go.”

“You still can,” I said, surprised at how embarrassed Sophie seemed by the topic. “It’s a good experience.”

Sophie sighed and wiped her hands on the blanket. “Yeah, I guess. Maybe someday.”

“Sure,” I said, nodding. “No rush. You've got your hands pretty full these days, anyway.”

“It’s funny, but I never even considered it before I met you,” Sophie admitted. She’d turned her attention to one of the blanket’s tassels and sat tugging at the loose strings. “Now I can’t help but think that maybe I should have some normal experiences like that before I get too old.”

“Being normal definitely isn’t all that it’s cracked up to be,” I said. “Most people would give a kidney to have your life for half an hour.”