ChapterTwo
KRYSTAL
Iheld out my phone so they could scan my boarding pass. This flight out of Orange County was cheaper than out of LAX, but the flight times were awful. It was already nearly midnight, and as much as I wanted to take the flight in sweatpants, it would be just my luck that a producer was on the flight and I’d miss a golden opportunity because I was dressed like a slob.
After fifteen years struggling to find work, I had finally gained some traction. Small commercials had turned to supporting roles and, finally, two movies for Faithmark last year where I was the quirky best friend. My relationship with Faithmark was taking off, and my recent recurring stint onLaw and Orderprovided some additional depth to my acting credits.
I loved the acting. Every time I stepped on set, I knew I was doing exactly what I was meant to do. The worst part was that I was far from home. I’d tried to convince Mom to move closer more than once, especially after Dad died. Arizona would be great for her. And no ice. Indiana winters always made me nervous; I hated driving in the snow and ice. But Mom was adamant that she was staying in Minden—where she’d always been.
“They want you to do the callback,” Priscilla whined in my ear.
The call from the hospital had been one of the scariest moments I could remember. Walking out of the audition had been an easy decision. I said another prayer of gratitude that Mom was okay. If a concussion and a broken back could be called okay.
But my mom was healthy. Fit. Even so, it sounded like recovery would be a long road. Which meant I was headed home to help her.
“I’m sorry, Priscilla. I’ve got to go. That was a tiny role. We’ll survive. We’re holding out for Faithmark, anyway.”
“Any part is a good part,” she chided. “And you dropping out after getting a callback doesn’t look good, Krystal. It’s all about reputation in this town, and people talk, you know.”
I rolled my eyes. I appreciated my agent and all the work she did to help me get parts. “Sometimes there are things more important than getting the part, Priscilla. I’ve got to go home for a couple months. We’ll be in touch,” I said and hung up the phone.
I slowly followed the line of people making their way down the jet bridge and thought about home. Minden was special. For whatever reason, Minden remained vibrant when so many other small towns had faded into oblivion. The people worked hard, prayed harder, and supported one another.
I chuckled. Sometimes I said Minden couldn’t possibly be farther from LA. I didn’t mean geographically. Finding a true friend out here had been hard. Impossible almost. Anyone who was also an actress was bound to see me as competition. Anyone else was inclined to see my attempts to make it in Hollywood as laughable and naive. I was neither.
Instead, I mostly walked alone. I had roommates, of course. It was practically required when rent was three grand a month. I earned a little from my acting jobs, but even now it was sporadic. Most of my income came from my virtual assistant business. I’d stumbled into it because a friend of mine who was an author needed someone to manage things for her. As I took on more and more clients, my business was enough to pay the bills. Not much more, though.
I enjoyed the work, but the biggest benefit was the flexibility. Unlike being the stereotypical actress working as a waitress, I didn’t have shifts or anything preventing me from showing up at auditions or coming in for a taping at the last minute. More than one of my credits had likely been just because I was available when no one else was.
I grabbed my seat and settled in with my earbuds. In six hours, I would land in Chicago. And not long after that, I’d be in Minden.
For two whole months.
I was looking forward to seeing my hometown. I just didn’t really know if they’d be happy to see me. Especially Bryce. Whenever I came back for quick visits, I saw him for a few minutes. A quick wave hello and a polite how are you. Monica and I texted occasionally, always saying we needed to schedule a call or a girls’ trip, but never doing it. She never said much about her brother.
And I never asked.
What right did I have to ask about him? I chose to leave. He chose to stay.
No surprise there.
Bryce had always been as firmly planted in Minden as the massive pine tree in the middle of the town park. We had that in common. Both of us had always known what we wanted. And we’d gone after it. Bryce had been a junior firefighter in high school, doing all the work and training necessary so he would be able to jump right into the department when he graduated.
And I’d taken acting lessons, thrown myself into theatre and theatre camps so I could become the very best performer possible. It always meant I would leave.
I never wanted to hurt Bryce. I could still remember the day he’d confessed that he wanted to be more than friends.
And I’d admitted that I was leaving Minden after graduation. He’d been my best friend. I thought he’d known.
I must have dozed off, because the next thing I knew, I heard the ding overhead and the captain announcing that we were making our descent into Chicago. I flipped on my phone when the wheels touched down, but no new notifications rang through.
I’d debated how to get from Chicago to Minden, even considered grabbing the Greyhound. In the end, I got a rental car. I would have to drop it off in Terre Haute later in the week.
First things first, I pulled up to the hospital. It was still barely 8 A.M. I knew the room number, so I found my mom’s room after a quick stop at the gift shop for some cheery daisies—her favorite.
I carried them in front of my face as I walked in, until I heard her laugh. I lowered the bouquet, a huge grin covering my face.
“You’re here!”