The Truth About Hollywood

My back was hunched, trying to keep myself from getting pelted with raindrops, as I made my way up the driveway of my house. There was really nowhere else I could go, so I couldn't get too much more creative.

I flung open the door, not even realizing that the door was unlocked. Standing in the living room in a damp denim jacket with her black hair sticking to her face, was Gia. "Why didn't you tell me?" she questioned, her eyes puffy and red. "Your dad called and told me."

"Gia?" It was almost like she wasn't real, wasn't there. I hadn't seen her in the longest time... I was just too caught up in working on the show and with all the drama with both Mom and Danny. All of it together meant that Gia just kind of fell through the cracks.

"Yeah? You sound like you don't even remember me." Hurt colored her face. It was time for serious damage control.

"No, I'm sorry. It's just... I haven't seen you in a long time. Everything has been so hectic... I'm just not really sure how I let that happen."

"You're just a big shot Hollywood star now. No time for little people like me." She pulled her jacket tightly around her and started for the door.

"Stop." I stepped in front of her, staring right into her eyes to let her know that I was serious. "You know that's not true. I've just had a lot of drama going on, you know?"

"Oh, so you got Danny, huh?" I cocked an eyebrow, so she continued. "I live for gossip shows, remember? The fact that your show is coming out in a week is making you guys hot news. They got pictures of you guys outside the mall and in the parking lot of the studio."

My jaw dropped. I thought that paparazzi were supposed to be crowds, swarms, of cameras in a star's face, not lurkers who snap pictures without anyone knowing about them. I felt completely violated, almost like someone had gone through my underwear drawer or something.

"Are you serious? I'm not even famous yet."

"You're staring in a huge show gearing towards a teenage audience. You might as well be." Gia stopped for a second and surveyed my shocked face. "You really had no idea about that, did you? Do you not watch E! News anymore?"

"I haven't in a long time," I admitted. "I'm all over it?"

"Along with Stella, Danny, and to an extent, James, John, and Annabelle."

I let out a long, exasperated breath. "It's starting already," I muttered. "This was the one part of show business that I wasn't ready for."

Gia shrugged. "Ready or not, it's here. So you better get ready for it." She sighed and came over and gave me a hug. "Sorry. I didn't mean to throw that on you now. You don't need it."

"No, I didn't, but I'm kind of glad you told me. It's not really important now though." I took a deep breath before asking how much she knew about Mom's condition.

"Not much," she informed me. "Just that she passed out. Your dad called me not too long after she got into the hospital, telling me to come here so that I could be with you until he came home to bring you to her. He didn't know what time he'd be able to get here, so it just turned out that I got here after he did. I just used the extra key that you guys keep taped to the inside of the mailbox to get in, only to find that you guys weren't here anymore."

"Well, she's going to die," I said flatly. "The doctors are giving her intense chemo, but it more than likely won't work because it hasn't in the past."

"I'm so sorry," Gia whispered, hugging me again. "So wait...shouldn't you be there?"

"I..." I stopped and smashed my lips together. "I couldn't take the news." As I described what happened, Gia's eyes got wider and wider.

"Okay, might I say that Danny is the sweetest guy that I've ever heard of. He sounds like something out of a Nicholas Sparks book." I raised an eyebrow at her, and she backtracked a little. "Maybe not that sweet. Anyway, it doesn't matter if you freaked out because you need to go back. Worse comes to worst, your mom dies and you hate yourself forever because you weren't there to say goodbye. Even Danny is there. Did Danny even ever meet your mom?"

"No," I whispered, running a hand through my hair. Then, I grabbed Gia's hand. "How did you get here?"

"In my car...why?"

"Because we're going back to the hospital." I threw the passenger's door of her car open and climbed inside, while she did the same on the driver's side.

"That's my girl," she smiled encouragingly. She put the key in the ignition and started her car, pulling out of the driveway and leaving the house behind us.