Ruby Parker Hits the Small Time by Rowan Coleman Page A

face.
    â€œOh, hi, Jade. Yeah, yeah, I do, but listen, I’ll call you back, OK? Something’s just come up.” She put her phone down. “You’ve already set up a meeting with Liz Hornby?” she said, looking at me.
    I am an actress, so, really, I should be very good at lying. After all, everything I do on-screen is basically me trying to convince people I’m someone I’m not. But when it comes to actual lying—off set and in the real world—I’m terrible. I can’t look at the person I’m lying to and my voice goes all silly and small.
    â€œEr, yes,” I said, trying to sound normal. “It’s all been arranged, but it can easily be unarranged. There’s a new part coming up, but …”
    Just at that moment, Pilar arrived with two drinks. Nydia and I both took ours and drank them down in one gulp.
    â€œBut it’s ridiculous! How can I teach you to kiss?”
    Anne-Marie said. “It’s not something you teach . It’s something you sort of just learn .”
    I sighed. “I can’t just learn it, Anne-Marie. I haven’t got time to learn it or anyone to learn it with. It’s supposed to be my first kiss, and I want my first kiss to be with Justin. It’s got to be perfect.”
    Anne-Marie grinned like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland . “You fancy Justin de Souza, don’t you? Justin, the star of the show, the teen hunk! You fancy him and you seriously think that he might like you! You! Poor guy—has he read the script yet? He’ll probably resign when he does and then you won’t have to worry anymore.”
    I stood up and looked at Nydia. “This is pointless,” I said. “Let’s just go.” Nydia stood up too, but Anne-Marie waved for her to sit back down . She did with a plonk .
    â€œHang on,” Anne-Marie said. “Kissing scenes are easy, really. You don’t even have to worry about tongue. You just need to get the mood right; get your nose in the right place and you’ll be fine. And as you’ve so got the hots for Justin, you’ll have no problem. You just need someone to practice on. I’ll arrange it, OK? If you stick to your side of the agreement, that is.”
    I looked uncertainly at Nydia. “OK, but when? I’m on the set tomorrow and I got the new scripts today with the kissing scene in them. The read-through will be on Monday and we’ll start shooting it Thursday.”
    Anne-Marie thought for a moment.
    â€œTomorrow evening. Here. No one will be here anyway.”
    â€œOK,” Nydia and I said together.
    Nydia picked up her bag. “Listen, Anne-Marie, thanks a lot for doing this …” she began.
    â€œDon’t thank me . You know why I’m doing it. I must be the only girl in the world whose father is a movie producer and won’t pull any strings to get her parts. He says if I want respect in the business, I have to make my own way. Well, I’m making my own way. I’m pulling your strings and that’s all, so don’t start getting all excited and thinking we’ll be friends. We won’t. Ever.” She picked up a magazine from under her chair and opened it. “You can go now. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
    We walked through the house and down the long drive, back to the real world of traffic fumes and noise.
    â€œWell, that was hideous,” I said. “I’m so sorry I was late.” Nydia scowled at me. “I’m sorry, Nydia! I wouldn’t have been, honest, but Mum wanted to ‘talk’ to me and I couldn’t just go, could I? Not with her and Dad …you know.”
    Nydia sighed. “I know,” she said. “But she’s so horrible to me, Ruby. She’s even more horrible to me than she is to you. I just don’t get why; I really don’t. What have I ever done to make her hate me so much? She makes me feel like I’m not even a