Fan Fiction |
by distant origin
“The broom closet,” Jerry said curtly as Liz sat beside him.
“Nope,” Liz said. “That’s occupied too.”
“Lucky you found this place then,” he said, standing up.
Liz reached for his arm to stop him from going. “Everyone knows the sea is right behind the concert hall,” she said. “I’ll even bet that we’re not the first celebrities to hang out here while waiting to be called for a performance.”
Jerry turned around to look at her but shook her hand off his arm. “I’ll bet we’re the first actors to get sent out by the director of a show though.”
“Well, actually I’m an—“
“Actress, I know,” he finished as he sat back down beside her on the bench.
A corner of Liz’ mouth turned up as she turned to face the waters. “I feel as though we’re back in 3rd grade and we just got scolded by the teacher,” she said, laughing.
Jerry leaned back and stretched his arms. “I’ll bet our CLASSMATES are gossiping about us then too.”
Liz chuckled. “Who cares if they’re gossiping? Everyone makes mistakes.”
Jerry turned his head to look at her.
Liz raised her eyebrows expectantly.
“How do you do it?” he asked.
“Do what?”
“Think that way,” he told her. “How can you not care about gossip? And how can you still smile after that episode in there?” he pointed his thumb toward the concert hall where they knew most of their fellow celebrities were.
Liz looked at him for a moment, and then looked back at the sea just as the wind blew. “I’ll let you in on a little secret,” she said, closing her eyes as her hair flew around her shoulders. “You can’t please everyone.”
Jerry raised an eyebrow and turned to look at her face.
Liz opened one eye to look at him, and the smiled and opened the other. “It’s impossible for any human being to be able to please everyone,” she asserted. “Even if you start out with a ton of fans admiring you, sooner or later, there will always be someone who will criticize you, and even if you change to please that person, eventually, more and more people will appear, and they will criticize you for many other things,” she shrugged and then leaned back on the bench beside him. “So the only thing you can do really, is just be yourself. And if anyone has a problem with that, critics, fans, co-stars, DIRECTORS—let them worry about it.”
Jerry looked at her for a moment, taking in all of what she said. She DID have a point. “But aren’t you afraid that you might lose your career?”
She turned her head to look at the puzzled expression on his face. And then laughed out loud.
“What?” Jerry asked, wondering if there was something on his face that made him look funny. “What?!” he repeated, when she didn’t stop laughing.
Liz was shaking her head. “You really are every bit as career-oriented as they say you are.”
Jerry still didn’t get it. “So? What’s wrong with that?” he asked.
“Nothing,” she said. “It’s just… Let me put it this way,” she said, leaning closer to look into his eyes. “In ten years, or 20 if you’re lucky, when your good looks are gone, and they will go—it’s a fact of life, and you can’t model or be a teen idol anymore, when you look back at all your achievements, what would you want to say about your experience?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “That you worked hard?
“Of course,” Jerry replied almost instantly.
“Really, she said, not surprised. She shrugged and then looked back towards the ocean. “I’d rather say that I had fun.”
Jerry looked at the girl he had been spending the last few hours with and had heard so much about but had only begun to really see then. He never expected a fellow celebrity, as young as he was, to know so much more about life as compared to him. He suddenly began to understand how she was able to be so cheerful and laidback yesterday when they were having dinner, and how she couldn’t care less whether she was late or not, or if people gossiped about her. A new realization dawned on him as he saw her raise her eyebrows as if to question him. He smiled, thinking how weird it was that he used to find that same expression of hers annoying, but now thought of it as something that lit up her beautiful face. “I think I’d also rather say that I had fun,” he said.
She grinned. “Wasn’t it fun to have seen the veins almost pop out of Mr. Ho’s head?”
Jerry laughed, remembering. “Very fun,” he said. “Especially when his whole face turned red as he pointed us to the door.”
“Or when he scratched his head and some of his hair fell out!” Liz added, chuckling.
They were both laughing now, as they reiterated more funny events that morning even before the rehearsal started. They looked as if they were really good friends.
Maybe we already are, Jerry thought, suddenly feeling incredible lucky to have been asked to settle his differences with the wonderful, wonderful, Ms. Elizabeth Chang.