Page 106 of Scoring the Player
“Right.” He rubs at the back of his neck and looks between me and Jane.
Bev comes for him again and Eddie stands, still looking apologetic for outing Jane. “I’ll be right back.”
“Yeah, of course.” I force a smile, but I’m still completely thrown by the Jane news.
Neither of us speaks until Eddie is out of the room.
“I’m so sorry,” she says immediately.
“You were on a TV show?!”
“Yes.Sing Your Heart Out.” Her smile is pained. “And some commercials and other things.”
“Sing Your Heart Out,” I say the name, trying to jog my memory. It sounds familiar, but I can’t remember if I ever watched it.
“It was a show about a group of pop star sisters slogging through a Midwest middle school, and in the summers, traveling the world and performing for millions of fans in their spare time.” She says it all a little dreamily and animated, like she’s repeated it a million times before. “It ran four seasons. Penelope was a guest on the final season. Our uber-talented cousin who joined us for part of the tour. That’s where she got her big break.”
“He called you Ivy.”
“Ivy Greene. My agent didn’t think Jane Greenfield had a good enough ring to it.”
“How is it possible I didn’t know this?”
“I wanted to tell you a million times.”
“So, you were some famous child actor and then you just quit acting?”
“After the show was cancelled, I tried to get other jobs, but after what felt like a million rejections, I decided to get my GED and go to college.”
“How has no one else recognized you?”
She shrugs. “It was a kids’ show that ended almost five years ago. I’ve grown like five inches since then and got boobs. Plus, I had green hair.”
“Green?” I shake my head. “Wait. I think I do remember it.”
She smiles a little sheepishly.
“Why didn’t you tell me? Do Daisy and Violet know?”
“No. No one knows.”
“But, why not? You’ve done so many amazing things. You should be proud.”
“It’s just that people sometimes get weird when they find out. Especially people outside of LA. I got recognized at the Phoenix airport once. This sweet girl, a year or two younger than us. And when she asked what I was doing now, and I said I’d stopped acting, she looked like I’d said I decided to kick puppies and tell children that the Easter Bunny is a sham.”
I snort a laugh.
“At least when I was living here, I was just another out-of-work childhood star, you know? LA is full of them. But when I decided to go to Valley, it felt like a fresh start. A new me. And then I met you, Daisy, and Violet.”
Childhood star?!That phrase is never going to sound normal. But I get wanting a new start.
We fall silent for a few moments. Wow. My best friend is a child star, and I’m hanging out in a rock star’s dressing room. What even is my life?
“I should go and let you do your thing,” she says. “This is why I didn’t want to come. I was afraid someone might recognize me, and this is your weekend. I’m going to go back to the hotel and meet you back here later.”
“Oh no,Ivy, you’re sticking with me. I have so many more questions.”
* * *
