Anna had rolled her eyes at me, but agreed. “Whatever, Griffin. I don’t see how they’d be upset with you doing a commercial, but if you really don’t want me to say anything, then I won’t.” Then she’d given me a fond smile and kissed my nose. “Have a safe flight and a great trip…and say hi to your parents for me.”

A tidal wave of remorse had washed over me after she’d sweetly wished me well. I’d almost told her right then and there that I was a crap-filled lying douche, and filming a commercial wasn’t really why I was flying to L.A. But I was so close to getting what I wanted; I just had to be strong for a little while longer. The look on her face had actually helped me contain the truth. She was so wonderful, so trusting. I couldn’t stomach breaking that trust by confessing what I was really doing. The words just wouldn’t come out. I knew I’d have to tell her one day, but today wasn’t that day. I’d deal with the consequences of my actions later, once the action had paid off for me. For us.

I’d rented a limo for my stay in Los Angeles, and the driver was waiting for me at the airport when I touched down. I had him take me to a five-star hotel near the studios, where I had a room waiting. I could have stayed with my parents like I’d told Anna, but it was too risky. My family would talk to Matt’s family, who would in turn talk to Matt, and if he found out what I was really doing here, I’d never hear the end of it.

My driver rang me early the next morning to take me to the set. Really early the next morning. My eyeballs stung as the air hit them, and I nearly told the fucker to come back at a decent hour. But then I remembered what was happening today and I sprang to my feet. Today was the day I became a TV star.

I practically skipped to the car I was so excited, and even though it was a ridiculously early hour, I texted Anna once we started moving. Almost showtime.

Her response was fast; she was probably up early with Onnika. It’s not even eight in the morning yet…you must be dying.

Yeah, kind of. I was so excited though that I didn’t care how early it was. I responded to her text with a winky face. She could interpret that any way she wanted to.

When we got to the gate of the studio, my heart started pounding with excitement; this was so fucking awesome. It would have been even better if Anna was here to share it with me, but there would be another time for her to come check it out, I was positive of that. The driver had my credentials, and we easily passed through the gate. Harold was waiting in the parking lot with a golf cart when we pulled up. He smiled as he waited for the driver to open my door. Once I was out of the car, he extended a hand to me. “Mr. Hancock, it is so good to see you again. How was your flight?”

“Groovy,” I said, looking around as I shook his hand. “So…where do we go first?”

“Glad you asked. I’ll give you a brief tour of the set, then it will be on to hair and makeup. After that, I’ll introduce you to the rest of the cast and we’ll do a read-through. If all goes well, filming will start tomorrow.”

As we got in the cart, Harold gave me a sidelong glance. “Did you get a chance to memorize the script?”

I scoffed as I leaned back in the stiff seat. “Of course, dude.” Mostly.

As we drove along, we passed warehouses with various costumed people milling about. I saw Roman soldiers talking with zombies, rough and tough cowboy types sipping coffee with a man in a dog costume, and more cheerleaders than I could count. I’d just entered awesometopia.

After what felt like five hours, we finally made it to the warehouse we’d be using; it was in the very back corner of the lot. Harold parked the cart, then we climbed out. “Now, we’re sharing this warehouse with a few other productions, so it’s going to feel a little cramped at first.” He gave me a bright, cheesy grin. “But as soon as we get picked up and we’re a hit, all that changes. Only the best for you.” He patted me on the back.

Smiling, I draped an arm around his shoulders. Only the best for me…now we’re talkin’.

I followed Harold through the massive building holding various sets, and when we finally got to my show, tentatively titled Acing It, my heart started beating faster. This was it! My chance at glory.

The first set we walked through was a typical bar with a stage set up for a band. It was so eerily similar to Pete’s, I almost wondered if Harold had taken notes during his visit and given them to the set designers. It just made my job that much easier; I already felt like I was home. As Harold walked us through the bar set, he said, “First, we’ll get you to wardrobe. They’ve got your outfits pretty much done, but they’ll want to test them. Then we’ll get you into rehearsal. Once the first episode is in the can, I’ll start shopping it around to networks.”

Harold looked back at me; he was still wearing a big shit-eatin’ grin on his face. “But don’t you worry about that part, Mr. Hancock. This is going to be an easy sell. Cult classic is written all over this thing.” I nodded in agreement. I’d already known that.

After checking out the bar set, we went through a living room and bedroom set. As I gazed at the thin mattress where my character—Ace Gunner—presumably slept, I wondered if he’d be gettin’ lucky on the show. With a name as fucking cool as that, he really should. Plus, he was a rock star, and I knew from experience that being a rock star meant sex, sex, and more sex. I wondered if Anna would be cool with sex scenes, then decided she would be. It’s not like I’d be penetrating anybody or anything.