Chapter 137: True premiere.
[Hyde POV]
We began shooting for the racing movie in Kenosha. A lot of the scenes would be shot in Chicago, but Kenosha was our base studio right now. Although I had to focus on the shoot, my mind kept wandering to the giant issue at hand.
'Are Jackie and I really going to end up together?'
The scary thoughts almost interfered with the shooting, but I had to power through.
The shoot ended at 5 in the evening. As I wrapped up the production for today, I heard a voice.
"Hey Hyde–"
I was startled by the hand touching my shoulder. My body instinctively jerked away and I turned facing the culprit while breaking into a fighting stance.
"Hey–" Bruce was startled and he broke into a fighting stance too. "What are we doing? Are we fighting?" He asked me curiously, flashing an innocent smile.
I lowered my fist and said, "Hey. Long time no see. Did you enjoy your trip?"
Bruce grinned, pulled his collar to show his skin and said, "Just look at this tan. I had a really great time over there."
"Good for you." I snorted sarcastically. "Meanwhile I have to work all day long this summer."
"That's your own choice, isn't it? You can't blame me for that. Besides, there's another person who has it much worse than you." Bruce sat on the empty red stool next to the director's chair.
I took a seat too and grabbed a beer can from my icebox. "Help yourself." I pushed the box to him.
He picked a beer too and cracked it open.
"So who got it worse than me?" I asked curiously.
"Jonathan." Bruce wiped the foam off his mustache. He had to fly all over the place to build up the distribution."
"Alright. He got it worse." I nodded slightly.
Jonathan had to deal with the newspapers, prepare interviews, deal with local stations for the tv previews, and also dealt with the theatrical print distribution.
Thankfully, when Bruce bought the distribution company, he kept most of the staf. I have met a couple of them since I helped with the marketing.
"So, the movie's going to come out tonight. How are you feeling?" Bruce asked, pretending to hold a microphone at me.
"Are you the reporter for my interview tonight?" I jeered.
"No." Bruce was slightly nervous. I caught his shift in expression and asked, "Wait. What's wrong? There is an interview, right?"
"There will be an interview tonight." Bruce checked his watch and said, "We should go now if we want to make it in time."
The premiere would be a red carpet event. All of the actors in the film were invited. They dressed up to the nines, with expensive suits and shoes.
The ladies wore beautiful dresses and did their hair elegantly.
The premiere was held in Kenosha as Bruce wanted. A lot of reporters from the local newspaper and the state, plus another few photographers of our own, stood outside the theater.
Flashes of lights were almost blinding when I opened the limousine door. Luckily I was wearing sunglasses.
I stepped out wearing a tailored chocolate-brown three-piece suit. The jacket hugged my shoulders perfectly before tapering neatly at my waist, while the slim-cut trousers fell cleanly over a pair of polished dark leather Oxford shoes.
Instead of the oversized lapels that were fashionable in 1977, mine were narrow and understated.
A crisp white dress shirt peeked out beneath the jacket, paired with a dark brown silk tie and a neatly folded pocket square that added just enough contrast without drawing attention.
The reporters took my pictures tremendously.
"Mr. Steven Hyde! A question!" One of the reporters called for me.
"Yes." I pointed at him.
"Are you nervous about the premiere? It's your first project to hit the theater–"
"Very." I interjected playfully. "I'm incredibly nervous right now."
The reporters chuckled for a bit. I answered a few more easy questions.
"What's on your mind when you wrote the drug assembly scene?" One of the reporter asked.
"I've sat through a lot of those. I got to tell you, it does not work. At all. So that's what I'm thinking when I wrote that scene."
Another reporter asked, "I heard you have two more movies waiting to be released? Is that true?"
"It's true. One will come out in September. The other one is still in early production, so I'm not even done shooting that yet."
"Are you going to move to Hollywood after this?"
"Not really. I'm going to stay here and build my own studio in this town."
I went inside the premiere after Bruce tapped my shoulder and notified me it was time.
Sitting next to me was Donna and Eric. They wanted to avoid the red carpet so they snuck into the hall hours ago.
The movie started, and the premiere went really well. After the premiere, I did a little Q and A with the cast members, answering the reporters questions.
Finally, my first movie was released!
While I was watching the movie, the system suddenly chimed in.
[Use 10 Rating Points to activate Box Ofice tracker?]
I widened my eyes in shock. Then, I decided to go for it.
'This is permanent, right? I don't have to renew it later.'
The system answered as if it had read my mind.
[Only movies under Steven Hyde's management could be tracked.]
'Good enough.'
The movie opened in 800 theaters at once. It was a huge swing for the distribution company.
'I'd feel a lot better if I can see if the movie's working or not. Otherwise, I'd have to wait almost a month before getting to see the numbers.'
In this era, there wasn't any box ofice tracking. Newspapers usually estimated it and no one would know the real number.
Ophelia suddenly poked at my shoulder just before the ending credit rolled.
"Hey, you're deep in thoughts." She said with a cheeky grin.
I smiled and said, "Yeah. You caught me."
She giggled and said, "Are you worried you're going to lose me?"
I turned to the screen again and saw Ophelia's image there.
"A little bit. Yes." I replied.
Ophelia was taken aback. Her face froze, and her cheeks blushed.
"Oh– Um… So you– You really want to be together with me, right?"
I held her hand and stared deep into her eyes.
Her breath turned heavier. I leaned in closer.
She closed her eyes and puckered her lips.
I whispered in her ears, "Together… We're going to make more babies together."
Ophelia was startled.
I grinned and said, "Maybe 2 more movies? Should we sign a multi-deal contract now?"
As the movie was released, I knew people would fall in love with her character. It was definitely her breakthrough performance in the industry.
I didn't want to lose her to the other directors. Not until she had some ground to stand on her own when she eventually moved to Hollywood.
…
[General POV]
California.
Inside a movie theater.
Patty addressed the critics there as soon as the movie was finished.
"Now that everyone has seen the director's work, I'm sure you'd give him a good review. Why don't we all go to my party to talk more about the movie?"
With Patty managing the critics around Tinseltown, Ross Rockwell– Bruce's older brother, was in New York, talking to the critics over there.
"This is his first movie, you know what I mean? I don't want him to get discouraged by some harsh review and stop making movies completely."
Ross lit up a cigar as he talked with his bodyguard.
The next morning, the Entertainment section of the newspaper was plastered with the reviews for the movie.
New York Times; Steven Hyde's first film resists the temptation to treat adolescence as either a moral crisis or a circus of vulgarity. Instead, he finds comedy in ordinary embarassment.
It's a warm, afectionate summer comedy with a few borderline raunchy jokes, but was disguised really well with the writers' Donna Pinciotti's and Steven Hyde's pension for comedy.
The song invoked the memory of having a crush on an older woman, something universal almost every boy went through once in his life.
-4.5/5
The reviews kept pouring in.
Inside Hyde's autoshop. The mechanics were all standing in front of Tyrell.
"You guys know what to do, right?" Tyrell asked, crossing his arms together.
The mechanics all smiled. When they got back home, they began calling their friends and quietly slipped-in the movie into their conversations.
It was a volunteer marketing force Hyde didn't know about.
"The man had done a lot for the town. This is the least we can do to pay him back." Tyrell mumbled.
In Illinois.
Brooke Rockwell– Hyde's ex-girlfriend saw his picture in the newspaper.
"He looks… great." Brooke bit her lower lips slightly, feeling bitter about her decision to break up with Hyde prematurely.
When she saw him locking arms with the actress in his movie, she couldn't help but clutch her chest.
"Damn him."
In Point Place. Donna read the reviews too as the newspaper came out.
"Amateurish writing? Who the hell is this guy thinking he can critique my writing?" Donna fumed as she read a critical review about the paper.
"It's Christian Daily. They even said he's trying to implant homosexualilty into the mind of young teen by doing the skirt scene." Eric gufawed.
Hyde laughed out loud too and said, "This review is freaking funny. They took it really seriously."
Only Donna was mad about the review. It was one hateful reviews amongst hundreds of positive ones, but it was the only one she cared about.
…
[Hyde POV]
I went to film the racing movie as usual the next day. We were shooting on the tracks instead of the studio. The scorching sun made my back sweat even though I was only wearing a tank top.
Then, I checked the box ofice tracking, since it updates in real time instead of weekly.
"The reviews have been very favorable to us. So it might translate well to the numbers.''There's only two screenings at each theater last night. 800 theaters–2000 screens in total.'
The number I saw in the box ofice tracking was around 2.23 million dollars when it finally stopped. It was a huge number for the release time.
'Ticket price average is around 2.3 dollars. So almost 1 million people went to see the movie last night.'
Even though the numbers were good, I was still nervous since the printing budget and the marketing budget hadn't recovered yet.
'I need the movie to be at least 4 million for it to be successful.'
When I checked the numbers today, it was already at 3.7 million dollars.
I couldn't help but feel relieved.
Ophelia approached me, wearing a black hoodie and wiping the sweat on her neck with a tissue.
"Hey, it's really hot today." She fanned herself and pulled on her hoodie slightly. "I need to go back and change."
"Go back? You don't have to go back. Just go inside my trailer to cool of."
I bought a 1977 GMC Kingsley RV and modified it with future tech for maximum comfort. It has a shower, a folding bed, and two single seater couches with a retractable table at the side.
It also has a closet, a kitchenette, and a stove for cooking purposes. It was an upgrade compared to the high rise van I have– which I never used.
She sat on the couch–which would turn into a bed and sighed tiredly.
"You even have a tiger print carpet– it's not real tiger fur, right?" She asked, looking at the rug suspiciously.
I scofed and said, "I'm not going to hunt down an endangered animal."
Taking out a cold bottle of water from the fridge, I threw it at her slightly.
She caught it and drank it immediately.
"Ah, I can finally get out of the hoodie."
She held the edge of the thick sweater and took it off above her, revealing her drenched white tank top and black lounge shorts with a white accent on it.
"Do you need me to crank up the AC?" I asked, averting my gaze slightly.
"No. I'm fine. I just want to go back home and shower." She said, flopping down on the bed.
I nodded and told the driver to drive back to our town. The driver and the passenger side were separated with a partition wall for maximum privacy.
As I turned on the TV, Ophelia asked, "So what happened with the movie?"
I grinned and said, "We don't know. We won't know until a week or two."
"Oh." Her expression fell. "So I have to sufer to know the result?"
I chuckled and patted her head. "Not really. Just so you know, the movie… has already made the budget back. And everything from now on, will be profitable."
Ophelia gasped. "Really?" She grabbed my hand excitedly.
"Yup–"
The trailer hit a pothole, causing it to shake. I could stabilize myself easily– if she wasn't holding my hand. She fell backward, and pulled my hand to stabilize herself, but gained too much forward momentum.
Since she was sitting and I was standing, her head slammed first into my crotch.
Scratch that. She headbutted my nuts.
"Ow–"
The breath escaped from my lungs. My knees weakened and I slowly fell down on the floor.
"What– Steven! I'm really sorry!" Ophelia was frazzled when she saw my pain.
"Stop– Stop rubbing it–"
I had to stop her from trying to ease the pain. She blushed instantly and held her own left wrist in shock.
"Um, I think we need to ice it." She said with concern and embarrassment.
"I'm… I'm going to change my driver as soon as we get back." I said, covering my sore crotch, holding back my tears.
…
Back at my house. Jackie came to hang out after getting back from cheerleader training. All of my friends were there, including the kids.
I placed some ice on my crotch while I sat on the couch.
Donna gufawed and said, "Are you sure you got injured because of a pothole? Or did you try to do something with Ophelia, and she hit you in the balls?"
"I very much rather the second part. Because in that way, the injury wouldn't feel unfair."
Ophelia said quickly, "Again. I'm very sorry."
Kelso approached me and asked whisperingly, "So. Hyde. Do you have a bag?"
He wanted to smoke some joints. I glanced at Ophelia as I knew she wasn't smoking and said, "There's kids in the house. I do have some, but we're going to the Forman's basement if we want to light it up."
"Damn." Kelso was disappointed. "Then give me one. I want to watch Star Wars again, but this time, while smoking."
Jackie interjected, "You can't smoke inside the theater, you idiot."
"Hey! I'm going to smoke it outside before going in!" Kelso argued back.
Fez asked everyone, "Do you know the theater in the mall is open now?"
"Oh. No, I didn't." Eric was taken aback. "We should go there this time."
Everyone left to go see the movie, except for Jackie.
"I don't want to watch the stupid Star Wars movie again!" Jackie whined and said, "Now put on the dancing tape. I'm finally at the part where they were dancing salsa."
I grimaced instantly. "Go watch it at your own house. I want to get some rest here."
"As if! You can rest while watching me dance. It's a win-win for the both of us." Jackie smiled slyly.
I rolled my eyes and said, "I'm going back to the basement."
"Still? Didn't you move out of the Forman's house because you were living in the basement there?" Jackie asked, then she shot a 'take a hint' glare to Ophelia.
Startled, Ophelia grabbed my sleeve softly to stop me from standing up.
"Um, Steven. Why don't you stay in your room tonight? I'm going to pack up now anyway."
"Pack up? Why?" I asked, startled by her words.
"Um, I have money now. So I'm thinking, I'm going to buy a house and move out of here. I can't impose on you any longer. I'll find a motel–"
She said with a dificult smile.
I patted her head and said, "No. You don't need to move out right away. Just stay here. Until you hear back from your dad."
There were no adults in her family right now. So I wanted to help take care of them a bit longer.
Jackie grimaced and asked, "Why are you stopping her from moving out, Steven? Don't you want to be alone, with a girl, in your house, without any interference?"
"I don't want to be alone with a girl, if that girl is you." I replied, fully serious.
Jackie gasped, fully ofended. Then, she crossed her arms and flopped down on the couch.
Suddenly, her stomach gurgled. Jackie covered it up immediately and looked at me with a shy expression.
I sighed and asked, "Want something to eat?"
"Um. Sure."
Her parents weren't around, so Jackie was left alone in the house. They went on a vacation, leaving their only daughter behind with the housekeeper.
I made some sandwiches for everyone. The kids joined in at the kitchen, turning the house quite rowdy with conversations.
It was quite fun.
Then, I shuddered at the thought.
'Did I just think of spending time with Jackie… as fun?'
I gagged a bit at the realization.
…
In the basement. I laid down on the bed, watching the giant TV while preparing to go to sleep.
Suddenly, I heard a knock on the door. I got off the bed reluctantly and asked, "Who is it?"
"It's me."
I opened the door and saw Ophelia wearing her conservative pink satin pajamas with her hair tied up into two buns.
"What is it?" I asked, not inviting her inside.
"Um, I just thought… I want to discuss something with you. Can I come in?"
I sighed and said, "Alright."
She went inside and her eyes glittered as she saw the giant TV.
"Wait, where did you get this?" She asked curiously.
"Japan." I replied teasingly. "What do you want to talk about?"
She giggled and said, "So. Um. Patty just called me…"
"You?" I was taken aback.
"Yes." She nodded. "She told me to think about signing with a management agency."
"You really do need a team now." I agreed with Patty. "Wardrobe, makeup, driver, manager to handle reporters and your image."
"Can't I just do that myself?" She asked, slightly nervous. "I don't want to sign with a talent agency. I won't be able to do the project I want if I do that."
"That's a misconception. It depends on the contract– Well, but it's true that you will lose your freedom a bit. In exchange, you can land commercials with very good pay, going to a major studio–"
Ophelia hugged me suddenly before I could finish.
Taken aback, I asked, "What's wrong?"
"I don't want to do all that. I just want to stay here with you… Can't I just do that?"
Confused, I said, "You can do whatever you want."
"What?" She pulled her head away and looked at me with a quizzical expression.
"I'm not forcing you to sign with a talent agency. I'm just telling you what the pros and cons are."
"OH!" She widened her eyes in realization. Then, she turned red instantly.
"Um, Patty asked you to call her back. So… I'm going to go to sleep now. Goodnight."
I nodded and waved at her as she left.
Then, I thought, 'I didn't realize she has a huge attachment to this town. I guess since her family's here, she didn't want to move away.'
"She does need a team… I should talk to Jonathan about it."
No longer than a day after I talked to the CEO of the distribution company, he sent me a four person team consisting of a manager, makeup artist, a road manager, and an acting coach.
It was good for her, however she would have to work very hard to pay her team members.
"She has to make at least 140 grand a year in order to pay everyone their salaries."
Chapter 138: Alternate Timeline Access.
[Hyde POV]
Today is Saturday. I didn't have any movie shooting planned out, but I would have to film a music video this evening.
"I probably should check out the writer perk now that I have the time."
Van Halen and Gloria Gaynor had come back to the town as I ofered them a free music video creation too.
According to the box ofice tracker, the movie had made over 6 million dollars in just a couple of days. The number was still climbing up, and I estimated the numbers would reach 10 million this first weekend.
"That means the movie is a huge success!"
Even Jonathan didn't know about the numbers yet. He was still anxious about it. I didn't tell him since I couldn't show the source of my information.
I lazed around in my bedroom, watching some music videos on my large TV while checking the system notification.
They wouldn't have been eager to come, if I didn't throw in a promise to include their music video into my TV production for free.
[Storyline credit: 1
Redeemable options:
Alternate future world access. (1 credit– 1 week)
10 Rating points.
Deep Web access.]
"I don't really need the rating point. The deep web scares me a little. So I guess it's the alternate future world access. The access is… I guess their internet, right?"
As I clicked redeem on the alternate future world, a random roulette appeared in front of me.
"Ah, the timeline is randomized."
If I get a timeline before 2025, the ticket would be wasted.
"I don't really need to think much about it. The process is out of my control after all."
The roulette started as I pressed the button. It rolled for quite a while before stopping.
[Alternate World– 2075 Internet Access.]
[Achievement Unlocked]
[-Writer's Privilege
-First Alternate Timeline Access
-Reward:
Unlocked TV Archive
• That '90s Show]
"Whoa."
Two panels popped up at once.
"Oh. That 90s Show is a spin-off continuation of the 70s show. I'll watch it later."
First, I wanted to check out the new internet.
'How is the world diferent compared to my time?'
There were a few suggested websites when I opened up the internet browser. I picked one and scrolled through the articles there.
"Every article is talking about the new game, 'Fantasia'. It's a deep dive VR huh?"
I began gathering all the information I could about the game. Then, I visited the online shopping mall there, just to get to know the technological level of this world.
It was highly advanced, even when I was checking out the toy section.
"Even the superheroes are diferent. Who is Captain Federation? Spider-kid? SuperDude?"
But the best part of it was the superhero toys being sold in the online market. The quality of the items were insane.
"They are toys, right?"
I was really surprised by the quality. Then, I checked the phones categories.
"iPhone 67? Damn…"
It was a bracelet with holographic projection on it. I decided to buy one to check out the money diference.
The price listed on the shopping site there was around 1000 dollars.
But when I linked my bank account and tried to pay, it only took 10 dollars for me to get the phone.
"1:100? Inflation is going strong over there."
It took me hours to figure out the new internet. Surprisingly, there was a lack of social media over there.
I checked, and the government in the world had banned all sorts of social media in the year 2030 since it was interfering with the developmental brain.
There were a few more reasons, but I just skimmed through those.
There was also a website similar to Youtube there called VideoWatch.
"Wait. The phone is already being delivered?"
I thought it would take at least one day. But deliveries in this world are extra fast. I could get anything within 3 hours if I bought it locally.
"Let's check the Fantasia VR headset price… It's 2000 bucks. It's pretty cheap."
I bought it too. The main reason for buying it was the time dilation the VR headset provides.
One hour in the real world was about 1 day in the VR world.
But I could only use it for four hours a day. Any more than that, my brain would melt into a puddle.
I also decided to check out the movies. I subscribed to a streaming app called Holo, which provided me with thousands of content for just 10 dollars per month.
"Is this Hulu? Whatever."
There's only seven-day access for the internet. I didn't want to waste them.
"I'll start buying stuff first and think about how I'm going to use them later."
…
Marketing ofice.
I met up with Miss Gaynor inside the conference room. She wore a purple sequin dress with thick makeup on her face.
"Why are you alone?" I asked, confused. "Where's your manager?"
"That bastard?" She fumed immediately. "He squandered my earnings, making me fall into deep debt. I fired him instantly after I found out."
She gnashed her teeth and clenched her fist.
"Damn." I nodded and asked, "Are you okay? How deep is your debt?"
"That's none of your business Steven." She paused and added softly, "Ah, I didn't mean it in a mean way. I just don't want to think about it anymore."
"Just tell me." I smiled. "You're my teacher. And I have a couple hyenas behind me. I'm not sure if I can get your money back, but I can make your ex-managers' life a living hell."
She gufawed, looking relaxed now.
"Oh. I forgot who I am talking to. You almost burned down the school when I gave you extra homework. You're the type to never let things go easily."
"Wait. You know about that?" I asked, shocked.
"I know it now." She said teasingly.
I widened my eyes and coughed immediately to avoid getting deeper into the subject.
"Alright. I have a couple ideas about the music video. By the way, are you under any management right now?"
"No. I'm handling things myself. So just tell me what you want to do and I'll decide if I want to go on with it."
I smiled and said, "I'm not asking because I'm looking down on your creative decision. I'm asking because of contract matters. Do you have a lawyer to take a look at the contracts? Should I call one for you?"
"Ah." She widened her eyes in realization. "I don't have one. Do I really need one?"
I thought about it and said, "Not really. I'm giving you the rights to everything. So you're going to own the music video after this. You can do whatever you want with it."
She grinned immediately. "Then, I don't need to lose money paying lawyer fees."
After talking for a while, I found out she was about a hundred and twenty thousand dollars in debt.
The records had sold. The money simply never reached her. It was the same old story that happened to a lot of artists in this era.
Her former manager had been taking commissions from almost everything she earned while quietly neglecting the finances behind the scenes. Taxes had gone unpaid for months, bills piled up, and he kept assuring her that everything was under control.
By the time she discovered the truth, the Internal Revenue Service had already begun demanding payment.
Between the unpaid taxes, accumulated interest, and several personal loans taken out to keep touring, the debt had snowballed into six figures.
To make matters worse, the record label was still recouping recording and promotional advances before paying out royalties.
"So every time I thought I'd finally get a decent royalty check..." Gloria sighed bitterly. "...there was always another deduction."
I leaned back in my chair. "That's one hell of a manager."
She scofed. "That's one word for him."
She crossed her arms before adding, "I trusted him." Her eyes flickered with uncertainty.
After calming herself down, she finally smiled and said, "Alright. So when are we going to shoot the music video?"
"We can do it tonight. It'll be a short shoot for your part."
I wasn't lying. She only has to sing the song once while dancing in the middle of a disco arena, underneath a spotlight.
The dancers would do the rest. It was a really easy shoot.
We had the concert first. I didn't sing on stage tonight, so I monitored the event from backstage.
"Hmm. She fell on stage and damaged her spine… When did this happen? 1977?"
I was reading the articles and life story of Miss Gaynor. I got curious after hearing about the embezzlement.
Then, I chuckled and said, "The incident won't happen at my venue, right?"
I kept looking out for her with an eagle eye while she was performing.
But she managed to finish up her songs without any incidents.
While the concert was ongoing, I checked the internet shopping site.
Then, I found something interesting.
"A companion robot?"
I knew the technology was already being studied in 2025, but the robots were really humanlike.
It gave me the vibe of the movie, 'Companion'.
"Wait. I can use this."
There were a few kinds of robots being sold in the market. The price tag was really steep.
One robot cost around 10 million dollars. I could modify it however I wanted, within legal limits.
"Eh, it's too jarring for me to bring the robots here in this era."
I decided to shut down the idea and focused on another.
"Ooh, a hyperrealistic mask with facial muscle sensor. It can copy my expressions perfectly."
I bought that one instead. Then I found another thing.
Drone with controllable claws.
The claws were connected to the human hand sensor, so it could operate smartly.
"This is freaking sick."
I bought the drone too.
…
Once the concert was done.
"You guys barely made it to the show." I said, standing in front of the Van Halen band.
"Our van broke down on the road." Eddie was annoyed. "We had to hitch hike to get here."
They hadn't signed with Warner music yet, so their management was still sloppy.
I nodded in understanding and said, "It's fine. You still gave your best out there."
"So about the music video?" David Lee Roth asked with a slight nervousness.
"I'm still going to do that. We'll do it tomorrow. I'm going to finish up Miss Gaynor's shot tonight."
A music video shooting in the 70s was quite easy. Micheal Jackson shot his first MV for 3 minutes standing in front of a green screen.
"I have booked a hotel room for each of you. You can rest up before tomorrow's performance there."
David smirked and said, "You know, usually after a concert, we had a party. You know, thrown by the organizer."
"We're stretched too thin already. So if you want a party, do it yourself." I said playfully.
"You'll be there, right?" David asked curiously.
I shook my head and said, "Sorry. I already have a prior engagement."
After sending everyone away, I went back to my house and went inside the basement.
"Full Dive VR, engage."
After putting on the VR helmet, I laid down on the bed and counted to 10. But before I could get into the game, I paused the dive and took off the helmet.
"Did I just choose gaming over going to a rockstar party? Am I turning into a nerd?!"
I stood up, wore a nice shirt and vest, then went upstairs.
"Hey, want to go to a party with me?" I asked Ophelia who was wearing her pink checkered pajamas.
"..." She was stunned for a few seconds. "Yes." She replied and quickly went to change.
Half an hour later, she was finally ready. Black long sleeve shirt that hugged her body. A plaid skirt and leggings that's giving her outfit a contrasting look. Her hair tied up into a messy bun.
"You look cute." I said casually.
She was taken aback and blushed. "Oh… Thanks." She said happily.
"Where's the party going to be? Are these clothes appropriate?"
"It's at a bar. So yeah."
…
The bar was packed with the party goers. Ophelia and I sat in a booth to talk after mingling for a while.
"Can I ask you a question?" She asked suddenly.
"Go on." I said, drinking my beer slightly.
"Sarah. Are you not sad that she's not around anymore?"
I was taken aback by her question. "Hmm. I am. But not devastated. We know this is going to be a temporary thing from the start."
Then, I asked, "How about you?"
"What about me?" She blinked twice, confused.
"Anyone you're interested in?"
She gasped, pulling back with a teasing look on her face. "I didn't know you love to gossip."
"I don't." I smirk. "I'm just curious."
"Or you want to know because you want to ask me out." She said playfully.
"Would that be so bad?" I played along.
She went silent for a while. "Wait, are you serious–"
Before she could finish, a guy sat next to her, but he was staring right at me.
"Hey. Steven."
"Donnie. Are you enjoying the party?" I asked him casually.
Donnie was the lead actor of the first film I directed. Ophelia was comfortable with him, so she just scooted over to let him sit there properly.
He has a serious look on his face. "Not really. I want to ask you something. I need you to be honest with me."
"Alright. I'll try."
He nodded slightly and said, "Do you think it's the right time for me to get married?"
Ophelia widened her eyes instantly. "Wait, are you going to propose to Selena?"
"No." Donnie replied, fidgeting with his fingers. "But, she wants me to do it now."
"An ultimatum?" I asked, amused.
He nodded and said, "She told me to propose, or she's going to break up with me. I do want to propose, but I don't know if the timing's right."
Ophelia interjected, "Um, if you want to marry her too, why are you afraid of the timing?"
"You mean, your career timing?" I asked with a scof.
He smiled bitterly and said, "That is what I'm thinking about, yes."
"And what about your career prevents you from doing this?" Ophelia asked, slightly irked.
"What about the honeymoon? The baby? Can I be there during the pregnancy? I don't want to just marry her, and work my ass off the entire time. What's the point of getting married if we can't be together."
Ophelia was taken aback, truly not expecting the answer. "Oh. I thought you're going to say you can find someone better– never mind."
"Are you going to Hollywood after this?" I asked him.
"Not sure. Am I?" He asked me back.
I grimaced and said, "How should I know? I'm not your agent– OOOOOOhh."
I finally realized why he was asking this. "You have no agency either."
"That's right. So I don't really know what I need to do in the future. I was hoping you can shed some light on what I'm supposed to do."
I sighed and glanced at the party crowd. The sight of them dancing around without a care in the world made me a bit jealous.
"Alright. I'll help you. Come to the ofice tomorrow. We'll draw up a plan. I'll contact some people."
He grinned and shook my hand excitedly. "Thank you!" Donnie left quickly.
Ophelia narrowed her eyes on me and said, "I thought you're going to take it easy tomorrow?"
"Eh, I'll take it easy once summer ends. So back to you. What did you want to say before? I didn't catch it."
"Oh." She blushed. "Nothing. I already forgot about it."
We drank more beers.
"Good. Cause I can't really ask you out."
"Oh. No." She was taken aback. "You definitely shouldn't."
"Not that I don't want to. But I don't really want you to be gone too."
"Yeah. You're a director, I'm an actress– Wait, that's not it. I'm gone? Why would I be gone if I date you?"
I scofed and said, "Can't you see it? Every girl who ever dated me before, all of them are gone now."
Ophelia went silent for a second. "Wait, are you serious?"
"Yeah." I nodded. "It's a curse. If you ever want your friends to have a good career or luck, you should bring them to me. Because after I fall for them, it's either them going to move out and make a lot of money, or go to college, or just marry a guy in Paris."
"Who married a guy in Paris?" Ophelia scrunched her eyebrows, confused.
"Kat Peterson. I just found out about it today." I chuckled. "Apparantly she married a really rich guy too."
She batted her eyes at me and said, "So did every girl you ever go out with get that sort of luck?"
I leaned forward and said, "Let's figure it out together shall we. Alright, my first ex. She went to California with 300 grand as a divorce settlement, opened up a few stores there, and became a really successful businesswoman."
"That's one." Ophelia leaned forwards too, giggling and propping her head with her arm.
"The second one, which is actually two people… opened up a cleaning business, got really successful and they moved out to Chicago."
"I want to know about the 'actually two people' part, but I guess they count as one?" She was a bit confused.
"Threesomes." I replied casually.
"Ugh. I don't need to hear that." She grimaced slightly.
I laughed and said, "Third one. She got a scholarship to go to college and chase after the librarian degree or something. She's the one I truly was in love with. But she chose to break things up because in her words, we're going to settle down if we keep dating."
"That sucks." She listened attentively.
"Yeah. Alright, the fourth one, is actually three people."
"You can just skip that part. Or simplify it." She said with a slight uncomfortable expression.
I joked, "Well. You can't blame me for that. I just want to spread out the luck."
"Ugh. Disgusting." She shuddered slightly, which made me laugh even more.
I laughed and said, "So. I can't really date anyone. Even though I found them… really, really cute."
Ophelia grinned and flipped her hair slightly.
She thought about it seriously and said, "Well. I know how you would think it's a curse, but it can also be another reason."
"What reason?" I asked, curious.
"I mean. They all left, because they are ambitious women. So wouldn't that mean, you just have a type… instead of, you know, a curse."
I widened my eyes for a bit. Then, I said, "Should we test it out? See if it's a curse or a type?"
"What? You want us to date?" She said, faking revulsion.
"No, I'm thinking a random skank."
"Oh." She was disappointed.
"Well, I'll date her, and I'll treat her right. In three weeks, you're going to see. She's definitely either going to go away, cheat, or just overall fade into obscurity."
"You know what? I'll do that. Let's bet on that."
"Alright. Ten grand?"
She inhaled sharply and said, "No. Ten bucks. I won't bet ten grand, are you crazy?"
"I'm not crazy. That's how confident I am about this curse."
She giggled and said, "Alright. Then, 10 grand– No, I still can't do that. I can do 3 grand, at max."
"Then, 1 grand is fine."
"1 grand it is. So, do I get to pick the girl you're testing this on?" She giggled slightly.
"Sure. Let's look around, shall we?"
There were a lot of girls at the party. Ophelia was pointing out at a few of them.
"What about her? She's cute."
"She is. But she has a boyfriend. I'm going to respect that." I replied.
"What about her?" She asked, pointing at a slutty brunette.
The brunette was wearing a halter top, mini skirt and was dancing around confidently on the dance floor.
I widened my eyes slightly as I recognized her from her role in a movie I like. A spoof school rom-com comedy called, 'Not Another Teen Movie'.
She played Chris Evan's sister in the movie.
"Alright then. Let's test it out." I put my beers down and walked up to the girl.
…
[General POV]
The next day.
"So, you drank a lot with him. Instead of asking him out, you made a bet with him, to see if he can date another girl? An