Senior Year Box Set

I glanced at Dad, and he gave a little head-shake to signal that I should ignore my mother and not start a big fight. Lexi looked concerned, which surprised me.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“If you’re not there, I’ll have to find another celebrity bartender.”

I blinked a couple of times in confusion, and then both Lexi and my mom burst into laughter. I’d been punked.

Duke came into the kitchen to let Peggy know something was going on with the boys. We heard a commotion in the living room. That couldn’t be good.

“I’ve got this,” I told Peggy and left my mom and Lexi to their evil plots.

“Dave! Coby! What are you boys doing?” I asked as I walked in.

Dave had somehow gotten on top of the coffee table and was holding a toy over his head while Coby tried to reach for it. It looked like Dave had outsmarted his younger but bigger brother. That was until Coby retaliated and pulled Dave off the table on top of him. Not the best plan ever conceived.

What happened next showed why you should only have boys. Instead of tears, the two little brats were a giggling mess. That was until Duke snatched the contested toy from Dave’s grip. Their focus turned from playing keep-away with each other to my trusty hound. Duke ran around the coffee table, showing off his prize. The boys teamed up, and the chase was on.

With Duke’s help, I wore out the munchkins. Peggy told me to get them their baths and to put them to bed.

◊◊◊

Lexi and I had gone to my apartment after I’d put the little ones down.

“Why are you really here?” I asked.

“Kendal took over the management for Chloe, and Kent suggested I needed to take a few days off.”

There had to be a story behind that.

“Don’t leave me hanging,” I prompted.

“Chloe has a new fixation, her costar Chad Dickenson. They found her in his trailer.”

“Hang on. Isn’t Chad like mid-thirties and married?” I asked.

“So?” Lexi asked.

If you asked me why I hated Hollywood, I would bring this up as an example. What I couldn’t figure out was why Chloe being in his trailer was a big deal. It wasn’t like they would have been the first on-set hookup. Even if he was ten or more years her senior and married, it wasn’t anything new. Still, something didn’t add up. Besides, why would that get Lexi sent on a sudden vacation?

“There’s something you’re not telling me.”

“I had to sign an NDA,” Lexi said.

“A nondisclosure? What the heck for?” I asked.

“If I tell you, you have to promise not to say anything to another soul.”

Clearly, Lexi was dying to tell me. It had to be good, so I nodded my assent.

“Chloe had handcuffed him to the bed, cut off all his clothes, used a ball gag on him, and shoved something up his bum. His wife walked in on them.”

“What?” I asked in shock.

This was big, even by LA standards.

“Remember, you can’t tell anyone,” Lexi reminded me.

“Why did you get in trouble?” I asked, trying to piece this all together.

“They had to suspend filming. Chloe’s mom blamed me because I was supposed to be watching her daughter. I pointed out that she was there too, which made her demand I be fired. Kent had to come to the set to smooth everything over. I might have some ‘pent-up anger issues,’” Lexi said, making air quotes.

“Why?” I asked.

“Because I let my feelings be known about what a crazy wench Chloe is and that her mom is probably the cause of it.”

“And Kent didn’t fire you?” I asked.

“Hell, no. He had to make a big show in front of the client. Kent agreed with me that they are both batshit crazy. He gave me a few days off for hanging in as long as I did. I think he also wanted me out of town because he told Kendal she had to take them on. Kent’s worried that Kendal might want to do me bodily harm.”

“What happened with Chloe?” I asked.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” I asked in disbelief. “She didn’t even get sent to crazy town again?”

“No. They have to finish shooting the season.”

“What about Chad and his wife?”

“The rumor is she kept the gear Chloe used and promised Chad that if he wandered again, she would leave him like that for a week.”

I was flabbergasted at what actors got away with. An average person would’ve done jail time for tasing police officers. Not Chloe. Then she basically kidnaps and sodomizes a guy, and nothing? Even his wife gave him a pass. What got me was that Lexi was the only one who had suffered any consequences from all of this. I guess it really was true that if you were rich or famous, the law didn’t apply to you.

“So, you decided to come here to hide from Kendal?” I asked.

“That, and I figured you would want to comfort me and help me recover from all my trauma.”

Yep, best PA ever.

◊◊◊

Chapter 24 – Senior Skip Day Friday April 21

This morning, I found myself at Our House for breakfast. Lexi had arranged things so that everyone could meet there and then caravan to Tracy’s lake house. Mary had set up a buffet and let everyone help themselves. I loaded up on pancakes and cinnamon rolls with the gang.

The place was packed when Lexi stepped up on stage to make announcements.