"You seem to be in a good mood today," Sean noted the moment I walked onto the set. His voice carried that mix of suspicion and amusement that only a director could manage before a long shoot.
I grinned mischievously and shrugged. "Just had a great sleep last night. Nothing else."
Beside me, Kevin Bacon let out a dramatic scoff. "Oh, really? Because from what I could hear, you didn't sleep at all. And because of you, none of us could either."
I blinked, caught off guard, and turned to look at him. Kevin's usually relaxed face looked strained, the faint shadows under his eyes giving him away. My gaze drifted around the set, landing first on Adrienne and then Laurie. Both avoided my eyes, pretending to be busy going through their scripts again. Jeannine, on the other hand, looked completely unfazed, chatting idly with a crew member as if nothing unusual had happened. Harry, standing near the camera rig, looked just as irritated as Kevin.
"Can we get a different cabin?" Harry asked, rubbing the back of his neck. "As much as I'm loving this whole summer camp vibe, some of us could really use a little privacy."
Sean frowned, his eyes bouncing between Harry and me. "Different cabin? Why?"
I only shrugged, deciding that silence was the safest answer.
"You all want a different cabin, then?" Sean asked, clearly trying to keep things diplomatic.
"Yes," Kevin and Harry said at the same time.
Okay, maybe my behavior last night wasn't ideal, but did they really need to gang up on me? I thought Kevin was cool, the kind of guy who could take a joke and move on. Apparently not. If he had a problem with me having sex in the cabin, he could've just told me. Instead, he went straight to the teacher like a tattletale kid.
Sean turned to the girls for their opinions. For a few moments, no one spoke. The quiet stretched across the set until Jeannine finally broke it.
"I don't mind the current arrangement," she said casually.
Kevin let out a low snort. "Of course you don't."
"I don't mind it either," another voice chimed in. Kevin and I both turned in surprise to see Adrienne speaking, her calm expression betraying nothing. As the film's lead actress and my character's on-screen girlfriend, her words carried weight, at least for me.
"I don't either," Laurie added simply.
Sean raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. A small, knowing smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he nodded. "Alright then. Kevin and Harry will get a separate cabin, and the rest of you will stay where you are. That's settled?"
Kevin looked stunned. His mouth opened, then closed again, before he shot me a glare. "That's not fair."
"You got what you wanted, didn't you?" I asked with an innocent smile, then turned my attention to Sean. "Anyway, shall we get started with today's scenes? We're introducing the six main characters today, right?"
Sean's expression softened. "Exactly. I went through the changes you suggested in the script, and I have to say, we needed your input from the start. Those small tweaks that add suspicion around your character's motives completely changed the story's tone. Brilliant work."
I laughed lightly. "You're exaggerating. You and Victor already did a great job with the script. I just added a few touches. I trust your vision completely."
That wasn't entirely true, but sometimes a small lie helps things move along. I couldn't have Sean second-guessing himself now of all times, especially on my first day as an actor in this film.
Sean gave me a grateful nod before turning to the rest of the cast. "I hope you all memorized the revised pages for today?"
Kevin, still sulking from earlier, muttered under his breath, "I think that's all we've been doing since signing this film. Every week there's a new script."
"I promise you, this version is the final one," Sean said patiently. "Alright, everyone, get into position. Let's run a live rehearsal."
I nodded and moved back to my spot. My cue came later in the scene, after everyone else had entered, which left me standing near the edge of the set, waiting for my turn. Today, we were shooting out in the open, so there was no need for artificial lights.
"Action!" Sean's voice echoed across the set.
From my corner, I watched the scene unfold exactly as it was meant to.
"Man, I can't wait for the camp to begin," Kevin said wistfully, leaning back as though he were already relaxing in the summer sun. He turned toward Jeannine with a mischievous grin. "Or maybe I don't want it to begin at all. We can do all sorts of things before the kids get here."
"You horndog," Jeannine said, slapping his shoulder with mock annoyance. "I told you, I'm not that kind of girl."
Kevin shrugged, the grin still plastered across his face. "A man's gotta try."
Then his gaze drifted to the other girl beside him. Adrienne, as Alice, was crouched near the camp's wooden entrance, fixing a mailbox with a hammer.
"Tell me, Alice," Kevin teased, "are you just as conservative with Jack? Because he tells me otherwise."
Adrienne rolled her eyes and set the hammer down. "You're lying. My Jack may be many things, but above all, he's a gentleman. And a gentleman never kisses and tells."
Kevin raised his hands in surrender. "You're right. He didn't tell me anything. But come on, you can."
Alice gave him a smirk and crossed her arms. "Let's just say he gives me exactly what I want, nothing more, nothing less. Leave it at that."
"Oh really?" came another voice. Laurie, as Brenda, stepped into the frame, her tone dripping with playful curiosity. "Because I heard he had the biggest tool you'd ever—"
"Brenda!" Alice exclaimed, scandalized. "I told you that in confidence!"
Laurie only grinned and threw an arm around her. "Relax, we're all friends here. I'll tell you all about Bill if you tell me about Jack."
"Ladies," Kevin interrupted, feigning offense. "I'm still right here."
"Unfortunately," Adrienne shot back, folding her arms. Then she glanced around, shifting the scene's energy. "Where the hell is Jack? He said he was running to town for some errands, but he's late."
That was my cue. "I'm here!" I called, jogging into frame. I leaned in and kissed Adrienne on the cheek before flashing the group a grin. "My jeep got a flat tire, and I didn't have a spare."
"Really?" Jeannine asked, raising an eyebrow. "So where's your jeep now?"
I turned toward her, giving a lopsided grin. "It's parked a mile away. You can come with me to check it out if you want."
"Hey! Back off, she's with me," Kevin barked, stepping protectively in front of Jeannine. His glare wasn't exactly fierce, but it carried enough irritation to make the moment feel real.
At the same time, Adrienne shoved me backward, her voice sharp. "You and your incorrigible ways! I'm warning you, Jack, I'll kill you if you cheat on me."
I raised both hands in mock surrender. "Hey, I'm just teasing. If I wanted to cheat on you, I wouldn't have said it in front of you, now would I?" I slid an arm around her waist with a grin. "Come on, let me show you how much I don't want to cheat on you."
Kevin, Jeannine, and Laurie groaned audibly from the sidelines. I shot them a smirk. "You guys can watch. At least the girls can, I won't mind." Then I jabbed a finger toward Kevin. "You, on the other hand, can go fuck off."
Kevin's face turned a shade redder because I had improvised that line. Originally, it was 'you cannot'. I had channeled some of my personal frustrations with him in the line and changed it to 'you can fuck off'.
Kevin opened his mouth to fire something back at me, but Adrienne pushed me away with a playful shove, regaining control of the scene. "You are absolutely shameless."
"Oh, I'm much more than that, babe." My grin never faltered.
Just then, Harry entered the frame, carrying a clipboard. "Hey, guys! Is Annie here already? She and I were supposed to work together in the kitchen, and right now I'm all alone."
"I'm sure she'll arrive before the kids do," I replied evenly, keeping my expression neutral and my tone clipped.
That moment, cold and detached, was deliberate. It created the mystery Sean and I had discussed. In the original version of the script, no one stood out as a possible killer, but in this rewrite, that was me. My missing jeep, supposedly stranded with a flat tire, is tied directly to Annie's death in the story, where she dies while running from a mysterious person driving a jeep. The tension with Kevin's character now had weight, too, since he would be the next to die.
It was all about planting seeds, subtle cues that would make audiences suspect me as the killer without confirming it outright.
"That was great, guys!" Sean called out from behind the monitors. "Now let's do it for real."
Unlike me, Sean never rolled cameras during rehearsals. I couldn't blame him; wasting film wasn't an option when you were paying for it yourself.
I took a deep breath, shook out my shoulders, and found Jack again, the version of me who lived inside that story. When Sean shouted, "Action!" I was ready, this time for the real take.
(Break)
The walk back to the cabin that evening was as tiring as it was satisfying. No matter how exhausting the day got, there was something deeply fulfilling about being on set. I loved filmmaking, but I loved being in front of the camera even more. I wouldn't call myself the best actor around, but the rush of becoming someone else, even for a few minutes, was addictive.
Everyone from the main cast had left earlier, while I stayed behind to go over the approved scenes with Sean. Afterward, I took a quick dip in the lake, the cool water washing away the fatigue of the day. By the time I made it back to the cabin, night had fallen over the camp. I had skipped dinner earlier, not feeling particularly hungry.
The moment I stepped inside, I sensed something was off. The air felt heavy, thick with unspoken tension. All five of my castmates were standing, boys on one side, girls on the other, locked in a silent standoff.
"What's going on?" I asked cautiously, half-dreading the answer.
"You," Kevin snapped, turning toward me with a bitter scowl. "It's all your fault. I don't know what you've done to the girls, but they're all taking your side."
"That's rich coming from you," Adrienne shot back, her tone sharp. "You've been flirting with me every chance you get. I don't know how much clearer I can make it: I'm not interested."
Kevin let out a short, humorless laugh. "And you're interested in him?" He jabbed a finger toward me. "The shameless guy who struts around naked, swinging his big dick and pretending not to care? The one who's managed to steal all of our screentime just by cozying up to Sean? Have you noticed how every new revision cuts down our lines, but not his?"
He glared at me, eyes burning. "Guess who gets all the good dialogue?"
The accusation hit harder than I expected. For a moment, I couldn't even respond. When I started helping Sean with script adjustments, I never intended to give myself more screentime. Sure, it had worked out that way, but that wasn't the goal. I was thinking from my character's perspective, trying to make the story stronger.
"So that's what this is about," Jeannine said before I could speak. "You're jealous of Noah. I have fewer lines than Adrienne, too, but I never complained. I knew what I was signing up for."
"Yeah, but…" Kevin's voice trailed off. He had no real counterargument.
"I think you should go," Laurie said firmly. "Both of you. Let's calm down for the night and talk in the morning."
Kevin looked around the cabin, searching for anyone to back him up. No one did. Harry, true to form, stayed quiet. He was a passive guy, not one for confrontation. Without a word, he grabbed his bag and started for the door. Kevin hesitated for a moment longer, then followed, shooting me a glare that could have cut glass before stepping out into the night.
The room fell quiet. The sound of the door closing seemed to echo longer than it should have. After a pause, Jeannine crossed the room and wrapped her arms around me.
"Ignore him," she murmured. "He's just jealous."
I hugged her back, though my mind was elsewhere. Maybe Kevin wasn't entirely wrong. On some level, maybe I had focused more on my character than the others. Not consciously, but enough to shift the balance of the story. It was something to remember for the future; a good film isn't just about one person. Every character deserves their moment.
Still, I had no intention of talking to Kevin or Harry until they apologized first.
(Break)
I lay stretched out on the wooden pier, wearing nothing but a pair of blue Speedos. The boards beneath me were warm from the afternoon sun, and the rhythmic splash of water filled the air. Adrienne rested her head on my chest, her skin glistening faintly under the sunlight while the others laughed and played in the lake nearby.
After a while, she lifted her head and looked up at me, her eyes squinting against the sunlight. "Come on, let's go in the water. We'll have fun."
"Maybe later," I said, smiling lazily. "You know I'm not much of a swimmer. You can join the others if you want. I won't mind."
She hesitated for a moment, studying me with mild annoyance before finally getting up. As she walked toward the water, her bikini clung to her curves tightly, the movement of her hips leaving little to the imagination. Her round ass swayed from side to side perfectly.
I let out a playful whistle. She turned, tossed me a wink over her shoulder, and kept walking until the waves reached her knees. When she disappeared into the water, I leaned back, folding my hands behind my head, and closed my eyes. The sunlight warmed my face, and for a few blissful moments, I let the hum of the lake wash over me.
Then, suddenly, a shadow fell across my face.
I opened one eye and saw Jeannine standing above me. Her hair was dripping wet, sending rivulets of water down her shoulders, and just like Adrienne, her bikini left very little to the imagination. The sunlight caught the tiny droplets on her skin, making her seem almost luminescent.
"Hey," she said with a teasing smile as she sat down beside me. "How come you didn't come in the water?"
I shrugged casually. "Didn't feel like triggering your boyfriend even more by groping you. Because honestly, I don't think I could have kept my hands to myself, given how scorching hot you look right now."
Jeannine laughed, throwing her head back freely. "You're a terrible flirt. I don't know how Alice deals with you."
I propped myself up on my elbows and leaned closer, my tone dropping to something more conspiratorial. "Alice and I have a deal. As long as the other person doesn't find out, we don't mind a little fun. We're young. We should enjoy life while we can. 20 years from now, we'll all be married, have kids, and be too busy paying bills to even think about things like this."
She looked thoughtful, her smile fading into a small, uncertain frown. "It makes sense when you put it like that," she admitted. "But I don't think Ned would agree."
I glanced toward the lake, where Kevin Bacon, Ned in the film, was splashing water at the two other girls, laughing loudly.
"Leave him to me," I said with a grin. "I'll make him understand. What do you say? Want to take a walk with me?"
"Right now?" she asked, hesitant but intrigued.
Before I could respond, a sharp cry split through the air.
"Help! I'm drowning! Something's pulling me down!"
It was Alice's voice.
I was on my feet in an instant. The laughter on the lake turned into panic as I sprinted to the edge of the pier. Without thinking twice, I dove into the water, cutting through the surface with a clean splash. My arms moved furiously, and within seconds I reached her. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I lifted her until her face broke the surface.
"Are you okay?" I asked, worry filling my voice.
Immediately, a wide grin spread across her face as she splashed water at me.
"I got him in the water!" she laughed, turning to the others. "I won the bet, guys!"
"You," I said, narrowing my eyes playfully before tightening my grip around her waist and pulling her back under. We wrestled in the water, laughing and struggling until the familiar word cut through the air.
"Cut!"
The cheerful energy vanished at once. Harry and Kevin, who had been making smart remarks from the background, went quiet, and the rest followed their lead.
"That was a great shot, everyone. Let's move on," Sean called out after a short pause.
Kevin was the first to step out of the water as soon as the shot was cleared. He didn't wait for Sean's next instruction; he just walked off toward the changing room, dripping and clearly annoyed. Harry lingered for a second, glancing at us uncertainly before following him.
It wasn't hard to figure out what had upset him. Originally, Kevin's character, Ned, was supposed to fake a drowning scene, and both Alice and I were meant to save him together. But now, the script had changed. Alice had nearly drowned instead, and I had saved her alone, making me the hero, while the others watched it from the side.
"Is everything alright, Noah?" Sean asked as we reviewed the footage on his monitor. "There seemed to be some friction between you and Kevin."
"He's pissed that his role got cut down," I admitted. "He thinks it's my fault. Letting me room with the girls probably didn't help either."
Sean shrugged, unconcerned. "Doesn't matter much. He'll be gone in a few days anyway, once his character becomes the first male to die."
"I still think you should talk to him," I suggested. "What if he starts badmouthing the film or you after the release?"
Sean paused for a moment, then nodded slowly. "You're right. I don't care much about what some rookie actor says, but it's better for the movie if everyone's on the same page."
I nodded and started heading toward the cabins. The shoot was done for the day, and I was looking forward to a long, quiet shower. But before I could leave, Sean called out again.
"By the way, tomorrow there'll be no scenes for Kevin or Harry because we'll start shooting your sex scenes. I know you wanted to push them to the final week, so you could get to know the girls first, but that would raise costs unnecessarily if we kept the actresses around longer than strictly needed. And seeing your chemistry today with Adrienne and Jeannine, I know you can do it."
I sighed inwardly. I had known this day was coming and had weeks to prepare myself for it, but that didn't make me like it any better.
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AN: Read up to 40 advanced chapters on my website, or check out my other story, Dreams of Stardom.
Link: www(dot)fablefic(dot)com