take a picture of all my flaws

9

Lauren

"What do you mean you need me to come back to L.A.?"

"We need to do some reshoots of a couple of your scenes, and we're also filming a lot of the behind the scenes interviews and commentary for the DVD," one of the Silverhollow producers tells her, and she sounds a little desperate. "A lot of the fans will be upset if you're not in any of the bonus DVD content."

And that's supposed to be my problem? Lauren thinks to herself, but instead, she sighs, running a hand through her hair as she paces across her apartment. "I don't know. I've only been here like two months, I can't start cutting class when it's only October. I wanted to do this year right, take a break from it all."

The producer sounds a little exasperated in her response. "We understand that, but under your contract-"

"My contract expired when I wrapped. Which I did." Lauren argues, snapping when they try to guilt her into it. "I have obligations here. And it's not like I'm not going to be in the behind the scenes stuff, if I recall correctly you have a blooper reel and I'm sure plenty of cameras were shoved in my face when I was trying to take a break between scenes."

"It'll take a week at the most," the producer almost promises, "it wouldn't be long, but it's important that you're here. And if we're being technical with it, you haven't finished shooting until you complete the DVD extras that all the main cast members are involved with."

"What're you going to do? Come up to Stanford and drag me back to L.A. by my hair?" Lauren sarcastically retorts. "I was told I wrapped. I had a goodbye party. Then I left. We're done here."

She hears the producer's frantic, "Lauren, please," but she hangs up anyway, flopping back onto the couch. She lets out an irritated scream into a pillow, completely sick of this kind of thing. She was done. Finished. She knows she can't give in; if she goes back now, they'll try to get her back for more things, until she's sucked into filming season four and balancing her final year of university. She can't do it anymore; it was too stressful, and even though acting is the only thing she's ever genuinely loved to do, the consequences of being on the show had done nothing but made her life hell.

She just wants to get through college and not think about her acting career. If she even wants to continue with it; she's still not sure on that. It's not that she doesn't love it anymore – she does, and completely losing herself in a character is honestly like therapy to her and being away from has left a hole in her chest – but she can't stand the spotlight. If only she could pull a Hannah Montana; it's the fans that ruined it for her, the horrible invasive ones who bullied her into a fucking anxiety disorder, but the nice ones are too few and far between for Lauren to feel anything but resentment towards them.

She picks her phone up again, and immediately dials Camila's number. She hopes she's not busy; she could really use a pick-me-up, and even if she can't exactly tell Camila what's wrong, she finds that being in the younger girl's presence just makes her happy.

(And not because of her huge crush, thank you very much.)

Camila is just easy to be around.

"Hi," Camila picks up her phone, "wasn't expecting a call, figured it was my mom since she's legit the only person who ever calls me."

"Well, call me old-fashioned, but I like to call people," Lauren tries to act cool, but now she feels awkward and uncomfortable, worried if it's weird that she called, hating the stupid anxiety for making her constantly second guess herself. "Are you doing anything right now?"