Chapter 11: Chapter 11 – Roasted

 

“Cut! Alright, Eric, you take a break, and get ready for the next scene.”

Penny Marshall spoke in the megaphone as the staff members busied themselves. The upcoming scene was the one where Mike, donning a large and wet suit, walked around the school hallways searching for the mysterious janitor.

It was afternoon of the first day of shooting, the set was located at a private high school in Beverly Hills. When the school board had learnt about the script’s content, they readily allowed the crew to film for free, on the premise that the name of the school in the script had to be changed to theirs. This was a win-win situation as the crew received a free location for shooting which greatly saved the production budget, and the school would gain the best kind of publicity. The crew had deliberated shortly before quickly agreeing.

They had taken a lot of simple location shots in the morning, so they decided to shoot the scene of Mike looking for the old janitor in the afternoon.

Eric, the way you’re dressed right now is seriously shabby! You look like one of those dirty hobos from downtown!” Drew Barrymore mocked as she sat crossed legged on a chair.

Eric certainly wouldn’t care about the words of a thirteen-year-old girl, so he indifferently replied, “Hey, Maggie, that’s no way to speak to your father.”

Drew sneered, “My father? As an eighteen-year-old virgin? You’re overreaching.”

Jennifer Aniston came holding a towel at this time, and hearing Drew making fun of her sweetheart, she immediately retorted, “He’s still better than a certain someone by a hundred times.”

Drew didn’t take Jennifer seriously as she condescendingly eyed her from head to toe. Finally, she revealed a derisive smile as she stood up from her chair and deliberately wriggled her own slender waist.

Eric had to say that such an act from Drew was really a low move.

Jennifer’s plump figure was the achilles heel that nurtured her low self-esteem. To make such a mocking gesture at her in front of the boy she liked was like stepping on a cat’s tail.

Jennifer threw away the towel she was holding and rushed towards Drew. One should not be fooled by her sweet and innocent smile, Jennifer was a girl who worked and lived in Los Angeles alone; how could someone like her not know how to fend for herself?

Catching a glance of an impending war, Eric quickly stopped Jennifer; he held her hands and sat beside her as he affectionately bit her earlobe and whispered sweet words to her.

Feeling Eric’s breath on her slender neck, Jennifer couldn’t help but giggle. She coquettishly made a fist and gently hammered on his shoulder, “Eric, you’re so bad, how can you say that.”

Drew had perked her ears up but couldn’t catch what Eric had said, so she wrinkled her nose and grunted as she turned around and pretended not to care.

“Eric, get ready for the next scene.”

“I’ll be right there, Penny.” Eric patted Jennifer’s soft hands, stood up and walked towards the set.

As for why Drew kept nitpicking at Eric, it had started this morning. Although he and Jennifer hadn’t really put a name to their relationship, anyone could see that they were very close. Some made fun of them, some were envious, and others, like Drew, were just annoyed.

She didn’t know why but when she saw the two of them together, acting so intimate, Drew felt a sense of discomfort, especially when she saw Jennifer reveal a pure womanly smile full of bliss. As a result, she jeered at Eric at every occasion she found, except when they were both on set.

The entire crew knew that Eric and Drew were like fire and water, however, once the two of them faced the cameras, their performance was nothing short of professional, they rarely had any NGs at all. Since Drew’s antics didn’t affect the shooting, Eric and Penny didn’t really mind. They had already discovered half a month ago that she was more mature than her peers.

“Hey, supersized girl, what did that guy say to you?” Drew couldn’t take it in the end and pretended to be indifferent as she nonchalantly asked.

“You know, you’re seriously pathetic.” After Eric’s dissuasive words, Jennifer had calmed down, but her words became bolder since he wasn’t around.

“Pathetic? Me?” Drew was startled as she stared at Jennifer with wide eyes.

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“Ha, what a joke! I’m the movie’s lead actress while you’re just an extra with a few minutes of screen time, and you still have the nerve to call me pathetic?”

Aniston replied with derision, “So what if you’re the lead actress? You’re just your mother’s personal wallet. I’m different; I might just have a small role, but I at least have my freedom. I also have a talented and amazing boyfriend who wrote a movie script at just eighteen years old, and is also the movie’s lead actor. His novel has even hit the shelves across the nation. But what about you? Your father pretends that you don’t exist and in your mother’s eyes, you’re only a tool to make money. You couldn’t take it so you started to indulge in alcohol, drugs and sex, in an attempt to escape from reality. I noticed how Eric’s lack of attention towards you brought about your feelings of jealousy. You’re just a broken, hurt, and fettered pathetic little girl.”

 

BOOM –

 

As if a bomb had gone off in her mind, Drew felt like she was standing naked in the coldest of winters.

 Even if she was mature for her age, she was still only thirteen years old. Most girls her age would be high school freshmen full of curiosity and anticipation towards their upcoming first love. Jennifer’s words had revealed all the wounds that Drew had desperately tried to keep buried.

Seeing Drew speechless, Jennifer displayed a satisfied smile. Had Eric been here, however, he would have done everything to prevent her from saying such harsh words to a child.

After successfully completing several shots, Eric returned to the rest area, a little surprised to see Drew curled up in the corner with her tiny head buried in her arms. Curious, he asked, “Annie, how come the two of you are so quiet?”

Jennifer proudly replied, “I beat her with my words. She was unable to refute, so she’s sitting there quietly.”

“Huh that’s amazing. Drew’s words can be quite vicious and she’s not easy to deal with. Well, let’s go. Remember to do your best during your scene to leave the director with a good impression.”

“I will.”

As the two people walked intimately on the set, the earlier storm seemed to have quickly passed, but was that really the case...?

During the remainder of the shoot, Drew stopped teasing Eric and became unusually quiet. Eric and Jennifer were engrossed in the filming and didn’t pay attention to her abnormal behavior.

***

“Nice, great job guys!”

At the end of the day, after the completion of the last scene on the shooting schedule, Penny Marshall held a pen as she said to Eric, “We originally hoped to complete filming within ten days, but judging by the pace we’re going at, it will probably take a week at most. I know we’ve already discussed this during your audition, but I have to say Eric, your performance is really exceptional, do you really have no acting experience?”

Eric laughed, “Actually Penny, I lied. I played in a lot of movies in my past life, and I seem to have retained the experience.”

“Past life? Oh you’re talking about Buddhism's theory of reincarnation.” Penny Marshall took the truth as a joke, and replied, “Well, it seems like your little girlfriend is getting anxious. Go on, and remember not to be late tomorrow.”

“See you tomorrow, Penny.”

“See you tomorrow.”

Eric started the car, and left together with Jennifer.

No one noticed the lonely figure of Drew Barrymore standing in a corner, staring at the departing car with resentment in her eyes as she muttered, “Just wait and see, Jennifer Aniston, you little bitch, I’ll get you good... I’ll make you regret every single one of the words you said to me today...”

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