Out Of Focus (Wattys 2023)

31. You're Not Getting Out Of This One, Movie Star.

Oliver can remember scenes like these in movies he's watched dozens of times, but he's never imagined he'd be in one.

Three things are all happening in quick succession:

1. Carmen and Clide have thrown jackets over his and Shayne's heads and are trying to discreetly guide them to the blacked-out car Pen has sent over to their place for them; planning to take them to a dedicated and undisclosed crisis room she's already secured.

2. He can hear Carmen swearing under her breath as she guides them towards what he assumes is the car, only to send them all crashing down into the parking lot when she trips.

3. What feels like a thousand flashes of light descend upon them all, all at once; what he now realizes is a swarm of paparazzi and their cameras.

So much for witness protection, he thinks to himself as they all shield their faces and start sprinting in the direction of the car.

"Oliver, what would you say to the other ladies?"

"Oliver. does this mean the show is canceled?"

"Oliver, what do your parents think about this?"

"Oliver, what would you say to your fans?"

It's a flurry of questions that follows them all the way to the Porsche that Carmen throws him and Shayne into.

"Godspeed boys, we'll look after mister snitch until this all gets wrapped up."

It's all she says, offering a wink before the door is slammed in their faces; leaving only the muffled sounds of noises on the other side; and the sea of photographers for them to stare at in utter shock.

"Well that could have gone worse," his voice says, the first to break the uncomfortable silence, "at least they seem to be focusing all of the heat on me for now."

The driver glances back at both of them with a pained expression on his face, before raising the blacked-out divider in the luxury car and pulling off.

"Define worse," Shayne says, when he's finally seemed to catch his breath. "I can't think of a lot of ways that could have been worse other than my parents physically being here and chewing me out themselves. This certainly isn't going to do me any favors in the respect department."

Oliver sighs. "I'm sorry this has to come out like this. On the bright side, we're both probably cashing our last Hollywood checks."

Shayne smooths down his messy hair and collar before adding, "And how is that supposed to make either of us feel better?"

Oliver shrugs. "I don't know mate. I've honestly just been mostly in shock the past few hours. Maybe a good chewing out from Pen will help."

That gets a long groan out of Shayne who sinks into his seat, Oliver responding with a laugh. He can't believe that they're here, being shuttled away to some undisclosed spot in a city that feels so foreign all of a sudden. It should feel like home, it shouldn't feel like he has to run away from it, but Sydney isn't exactly a fan of his right now. He can't imagine most people are.

"I think it's time for the moment of a truth," Oliver says, pulling his phone out of his pants pocket.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Shayne asks. "My notifications didn't give me a lot of hope that Twitter is going easy on us. God only knows what Ethan posted, and now that we know Chloe's also in on it, it's not looking too hot."

Oliver bites his lip, knowing that Shayne is likely right on that front. He doesn't want to look. He honestly just wants to get to wherever Pen is taking them, apologize profusely, and have her guide them out of this mess. But also, if he's being real with himself at this point, he knows not looking will haunt him.