‘Why macadamia nuts?’ says Suze, who has been reading the list with interest.

‘Because Lois loves them,’ I say. ‘It said so in Health and Fitness. So I’ll pretend to love them too and we’ll connect.’

‘But what can you say about macadamia nuts?’ objects Suze.

‘I don’t know!’ I say defensively. ‘I’ll say, “They’re really nutty, aren’t they?”’

‘And what will you say about kettlebells? Have you ever even seen a kettlebell?’

‘That’s not the point. Lois’s done a kettlebell DVD, so it’s a good conversational topic.’

We’re in my room getting ready for the Actors’ Society Awards or ‘ASAs’, as everyone calls them. And I can’t help feeling a little bit hyper. I have to get it right tonight. I have to make a good impression. I’ve analysed Lois’s style endlessly over the last few days and I’ve got loads of ideas for her. I think she could go far more young and glam. She wears dresses that are too old for her. And who does her hair?

‘I read another piece in Variety today saying Lois’s career is on the skids,’ says Suze conversationally. ‘Hair up or down?’ She grabs her hair extensions in one hand and piles them in a knot on her head. I look at it critically.

‘Up. That looks amazing. And it isn’t on the skids.’

‘Well, her price has fallen. Apparently she’s really moody. Shannon’s worked with her. Shannon says she’s permanently on the edge.’

‘Shannon’s just jealous,’ I snap.

I’m getting a bit sick of this Shannon. After our departure from The Black Flag, Suze got herself a day’s work as an extra on a TV show called Cyberville and made a new friend called Shannon, who’s been a professional extra for over twenty years. Shannon considers herself an expert on Hollywood and Suze treats all her views with total reverence and keeps spouting them back to me. I mean, honestly. Just because you’ve been in The Matrix, it doesn’t mean you know everything.

‘Lois just needs an exciting new look,’ I say firmly. ‘Which I will give her.’

‘What did Luke say about it?’ Suze turns, her voice muffled by hairpins in her mouth. ‘You never told me.’

‘Oh. Um.’ I play for time by lining my lips carefully, even though I’ve already lined them.

‘He is OK with it, isn’t he?’ Suze gives me a sharp look. ‘Bex, you did tell him, didn’t you?’

‘Look.’ I cast around for the best answer. ‘There’s no point telling him yet.’

‘You have to tell him!’ Suze shoves a sparkly hair clip into her hair. ‘You can’t just join Team Lois and he has no idea!’

‘I haven’t even met Lois properly yet,’ I retort. ‘What if we don’t get on? Then I’ll have told Luke for no reason. I’ll wait till I get hired and then I’ll tell him.’

I don’t want to tell Luke yet about meeting Lois. First, because I secretly know that Suze is right – Luke might raise objections. And secondly, I want to tell him when I’m already a success. I want to prove that I can make it here on my own.