“Now no one will ask me to the spring dance. I might as well be—God, Lani, you’re doing it again!”

“Cut!” the director yelled. He slipped off his canvas chair with a groan, slowly ambling up to his star. “Jennifer. Sweetie. What is it now?”

“Lani’s totally standing in my light!” Jennifer said, pointing an accusing finger at the brunette.

“I am exactly where I’m supposed to be!” Lani shot back. “If you’d bothered to be at rehearsal, you’d know that.”

“I don’t need rehearsals to know that you’re totally making a shadow on my face. You need to move back.”

“Any farther behind you, and I’d be invisible to the camera!”

“Good, maybe then they wouldn’t have to see that zit growing on your chin.”

Lani gasped, her hands flying to her face.

“Geez, nice kid,” Cal mumbled in my ear.

I waved him off, shushing him as the director yelled, “Makeup!”

One of the ladies in overalls immediately descended upon the brunette with a pot full of flesh-colored goo, as the girl ducked her head, her cheeks a bright pink.

“And can we get another light in here?” the director asked, pointing toward Jennifer. “Everyone else, take five,” he said with a resigned wave of his hand. As he walked away I could hear him mumbling to himself, “Or ten, or twenty. Not that it matters, we’re so far behind already…”

The crew scattered, and Jennifer happily sauntered off set.

I nudged Cal in the ribs. “I’m going in.”

I did a quick jog over the camera tracks, watching Jennifer as she slipped out the side door. A minute later I followed, squinting in the sunshine, a harsh contrast to the darkened set. I spied Jennifer a few feet away, sipping an iced latte. Though where she got it from, I had no idea. There didn’t seem to be anyone else around, let alone a Starbucks. The magic of being a teen-ebrity.

“Hey? Jennifer, right?” I asked, approaching the actress. I noticed Cal move off to my right, trying to blend into the scenery. Luckily, Jennifer didn’t seem to notice, too engrossed in her creamy drink.

“Yep,” she answered, slurping through her straw.

“How’s the shooting going?”

Jennifer shot me a wary look. “Fine. Who are you again?”

“Samantha Stevens. I’m on that new Steven Bochco show, two doors down,” I said, waving my hand in a very vague direction.

Luckily, Jennifer didn’t seem to need specifics. “Oh. Right,” she said, between sips. “Yeah, I heard that’s a really cool show.”

“Well, it’s no Pippi Mississippi.”

She shot me a wan smile. “Right, like the Emmys are gonna be calling me any day now.”

“Hey, you won a Kid’s Choice Award! That’s awesome. Besides, you’re wicked popular,” I said, laying it on thick. “I see your name all over the place.”

“All over kid’s lunchboxes.”