Page 19 of Hollywood Undercover
Chapter 8
SEBASTIAN lounged backin the armchair under the breeze of the ceiling fan. He was at his retired ex-coworker’s house. It was another day in a long stretch of days off. He relaxed his long legs and looked at the TV setup. A cable box archaically sported a twisted wire hanger. He shook his head and gave a snort of amusement when he noticed the program onTV.
“Guess who’s living it up in the French Riviera? Our cameras caught rock star Lexxi Rock poolside with a handful of her socialite friends at a hotel in the exotic locale! Rumor has it she’s completely over her breakup with cheater, Wilkes Barracks…” The low volume of the television was drowned out by the sound of a vacuum cleaner in the nextroom.
Ice clinked and the last droplets of iced tea sloshed to his lips as Sebastian took a sip from his glass. After his daily workout in the gym in his basement, he had gone over to his old friend Clint’s house. It was a lazy Saturday morning; exactly how he liked to spend his time when he had weekends off. They talked about old times while Clint’s girlfriend, Beth, did housework in the other rooms. Sebastian did his best to visit a few times every month so Clint didn’t have to feel so isolated, holed up in the house after his devastatinginjury.
The tidy living room was crowded with a bulky teal sectional, an overstuffed armchair, and too many houseplants. Beth had added tiny touches with hand-sewn flower print curtains, the plants, and framed classical art prints on the wall. The smell of whatever they would have for lunch permeated theair.
There were many evenings spent in his buddy’s living room over the years; mostly taking in sporting events and joking about their friends from work. These days Sebastian only visited sporadically and although he felt guilty about it he couldn’t help it. Their lives had gone off in different directions. He was happy to still call Clint Caleb his friend after everything that hadhappened.
Sebastian looked over at Clint. “Why do you watch this crap, man? Put it on ESPN orsomething.”
“What? It’s entertainment.” Clint laughed. Crow’s-feet crinkled around his eyes, and his belly shook. He puzzled over celebrity segments, scratching at his shiny bald head. “I like to keep up with the celebrity news, you know? But don’t tell the guys, though. Keep that on the QT. If anybody asks, Beth was watchingthis.”
“What the hell do you find entertaining about celebrities? Most of it isn’t real. After all, they’re justpeople.”
“They’re not just people. Look at them. They’re in a different world from everyoneelse.”
“Last time I checked, the media still covered planet earth,buddy.”
“Don’t bust my balls. You know what I meant. And besides, have you ever seen any of them in our part of the world? Nameone.”
“That’s not thepoint.”
“Case closedthen.”
“Okay, okay. For the sake of putting this shit to rest, here’s an example. I grew up with that girl they were just talking about…right here in Tucson. In real life, she’s just another pretty girl with a nicevoice.”
“No kidding. Lexxi Rock? Get out of town. I never knew that.” Clint shook his head and said, “Nah, you probably read that somewhere. No way you know her personally. You would have told mebefore.”
“I’m serious. She was Alexandra Storme back when I knew her. As a matter of fact, her dad is still my neighbor. Damn, time flies. That had to be…what, eight years ago. She went to school out west, and fell off my radar completely. But man, she was hot back then. Next thing I know, I’m hearing her songs on the radio, and she’s all over the celebritynews.”
“You’re telling me that if we ran across Lexxi Rock right now, she’d recognize your ugly mug?” Clint crossed his beefy arms, showing off expanse of colorful tattoo art. He grinned in disbelief. “That’s prettycrazy.”
“Hmmm. I don’t know if she’d recognize me. I look so different now. Who knows? We went to the same high school, but she was one of the popular chicks. If she noticed me back then, it was because I was an awkward looking douchebag with pimples and a bowl-cut. Trust me, you don’t want to see the yearbookpictures.”
“And, look at you now, Bash. You’ve got a never ending trail of hot chicks in and out of your house at all hours. Chicks dig firefighters. I wish I was still—ah, well, I told you, you need to hook me up and show me your workout routine. If I shed about thirty or forty pounds, I might still be able to catchup.”
“Yeah, right. I’m so much of a stud, the guys down at the firehouse want me to try out speeddating.”
Clint looked at him with a cocked eyebrow. “Noshit?”
“Noshit.”
“I might need to get the guys to pick me up for thatshow.”
Sebastian shook his head, chuckling. “Not a chance!” He leaned back in his chair as the entertainment news anchor went to commercial break. “I can’t believe she’s out partying in the Riviera while her dad’s here in thehospital.”
“What are you going onabout?”
“I saw them pick her dad up by ambulance the other night. I wonder how he’s holding up. Alexandra was never selfish like that. It doesn’t seem like the girl I remember, but I guess it’s like they say. Money changespeople.”
“I thought you said she was one of the populargirls.”
“Yeah. She was pretty hot. Even back then she could sing her ass off….” He patted his pockets absently, feeling for his always-misplaced phone, unable to find it as usual. “Hey, what time is it? I have to be back at the house before noon. I’m expecting adelivery.”
Clint checked his watch and whistled. “You’re cutting it close, brother. You might want to head out now. I happen to know from experience those UPS guys won’t leave that blow-up doll waiting on the porch for you. You got to be there to sign forit.”
