Not in the Script by Amy Finnegan Page A

layman’s terms: don’t be a brat.
    Kimmi is lucky this time because McGregor seems amused. “Do you know, my dear, that I usually respond to that question by changing a character’s name to something a little less appealing? Rather than Kassidy, for example, you could be called Kipper.”
    Kimmi’s jaw literally drops.
    â€œAh, then maybe Karp. With a
K
.”
    She snaps her mouth shut.
    â€œOr perhaps,” McGregor goes on, “I could just explain that such a method of naming my characters helps me—a fading old man—to mentally attach the same first initial to one character and one actor. Yes, yes, I know that begs another question: What if I have two actors with the same first initial? Well then, I just change one of the
actors’
names—happens all the time in Hollywood.” He has a playful gleam in his eye. “Jake over here used to be called Eddie.”
    â€œYep, all my life, but then
Emma
screwed that up for me,” Jake says. “My mom’s having a tough time with the change, but she’ll deal.”
    While my attention was on Jake, Brett had written something on my script:
Tucson is boring. Let’s do something tonight
.
    How can a heart flutter, stop, and then shoot into someone’s throat in less than a second? I read the note again to make sure I didn’t misunderstand.
    â€œNo?” Brett says. “Why are you shaking your head?”
    I shook my head? Really? I said
no
to Brett Crawford? So easily?
    â€œJustin is the type who likes to start fires, just for the fun of it,” Kimmi says, so I guess we’ve moved on. But I didn’t notice because I’m busy starting my own fire—burning Brett. My
former
laptop wallpaper guy. “He noticed that Bryce was bugged by the crumbs, so he took another bite of toast.”
    I write back:
Sorry. Tons of homework
.
    Brett reads my reply and flicks my leg with the back of his hand. Then he turns to McGregor and says, “Justin doesn’t just
start
a fire. He stirs it to see how hot it can get, and then he feeds it a gallon of gas.”
    â€œExactly right,” McGregor says. “Which leaves your character, Miss Taylor. What do we learn about Eden in the all-important first scene of the series?”
    â€œEden is a spoiled only child with nothing to do but shop and stick her nose into other people’s business,” Kimmi answers for me. “She justifies her bad habits by writing columns for the school paper on fashion and student affairs.”
    McGregor drums his fingers together. “Thank you, but in this first scene, we only know about the shopping bit of that,” he tells Kimmi. “The rest isn’t introduced until later.”
    â€œTrue, but I need a break. So there you go. That’s what Eden is all about.” Kimmi stands, but everyone else stays in their seats. She gives a little cough. “Is that okay?”
    â€œIt doesn’t appear to matter,” replies McGregor. “But I suppose we can take a twenty-minute break. When we return, we’ll let Emma answer my question.”
    Before Brett can say another word to me, I grab my bag and take off. I need a place to hide—not just because of Brett, but because I have to tell Rachel about The Bod. She’ll be so happy that she will put me into a good, normal mood.
    But Brett’s flip-flops are soon slapping on the concrete floor behind me. “Hey! What’s up with you, Taylor?” he says. I pretend like I don’t hear him and walk even faster, heading for therestrooms. When he speaks again, he’s closer. Too close. “Why are you ignoring me?”
    He stops just short of following me into the women’s bathroom. My hand is already on the doorknob. “I just need to … um, make a call,” I say.
    â€œIn the bathroom?”
    I shrug and try to avoid eye contact. In his well-worn navy tee, Brett looks too much like a poster I