Not in the Script by Amy Finnegan

gulp, because Brett keeps touching me—and his lips are, like, an
inch
away. “She’s only digging a hole for herself.”
    His breath is warm and smells like peppermint Altoids.
    â€œBut Kassidy was forcing that smile, right?” I blurt out, tryingto distract myself. “Which could mean she isn’t entirely comfortable standing there with that donation box, but she’s doing it anyway. That could say more about her than anything else.”
    â€œBecause she has a higher purpose than the rest of the high school scum,” Kimmi adds.
    â€œPerhaps she does,” McGregor says. “She might even be the most important character on the show. Only time will tell.”
    Brett holds up a hand as if he’s thought of something brilliant. “
Or
, Kassidy could turn out to be just as cliché as the actress who plays her. Resident diva, mean girl, ex-cheerleader who’s stuck in her long-lost glory days. You name it.”
    â€œI was
never
a cheerleader!” Kimmi snaps.
    She draws a sharp breath, poised to continue, but McGregor clears his throat and turns to Brett. “Mr. Crawford, cliché is the arsenic of television. Certainly you aren’t meaning to imply that I’ve hired dull, predictable actors. If that were the case,
you
wouldn’t be sitting here.”
    â€œPoint taken!” Brett says.
    The conversation continues about Kimmi and her character. I’m not sure how long, but when I look down at my binder, I’ve drawn about three hundred
X
s on a blank page. When McGregor switches to Brett’s character, Brett nudges me. “Hey, Picasso, we’re talking about your award-winning castmate now. Pay attention.”
    He’s a player
.
    â€œRight,” I say, not looking at him … ignoring him.
    I begin to draw smiley faces instead.
    The group comes to the conclusion that Brett’s character, Bryce, is a perfectionist. He controls his world by placing its many pieces into tidy compartments. Each character has a connection to thesemi-unsupervised and trouble-causing school paper, a central element for storylines in the series.
    â€œYou’ll see as this season progresses,” McGregor says, “that Bryce holds this group together with an astonishing ability to calm the storms of teenage life. He’s certainly the most mature one of the group.”
    â€œThen no wonder you hired me,” Brett says, making everyone crack up. “Since I couldn’t be more like that.”
    Most people think McGregor was at least a little punch-drunk when he came up with his second-nature method for casting, but I like the theory behind it. I really do have a hidden vixen inside me that makes me want to stop being so appropriate all the time and ignore the potential consequences—which is likely the reason I’m attracted to guys who are bad for the
better
side of me. Does that mean Brett has a more responsible side of him wanting to get out?
    â€œNow, Mr. Elliott,” McGregor says, “let’s discuss your character, Justin.”
    Jake sits a little straighter, but Kimmi doesn’t even give him a chance to reply. “Wait a minute, I need to know something first,” she says. “Why do all of these characters’ names start with the same letter as the actors’ names who play them? That’s so weird.”
    Every time Kimmi phrases a question like this, the producers and studio execs narrow their eyes at her. Kimmi better catch on to that quick. She has the very false impression that because she’s an actress, her face is higher on the totem pole than anyone else’s. But a lot of these people were in this business before most of the cast was even born, and they have enough influence in this industry to kill our careers like bugs under their thumbs.
Squish
.
    A gracious actor is a working actor—that’s the best advice I’veever been given from an industry veteran. Or in