“Yeah, grips are hot.” I sat up. “Whoa, I’m a little dizzy.” I spritzed water on my face with the spray bottle.

“I’m going in the pool,” Nicole announced, rising heavily from her chair.

I squinted down at the water. A thick layer of dirt, eucalyptus leaves, and dead bees floated in a wide ring around the edges. I shook my head. “Not me.”

She jumped in, splashing water and onto the burning cement. It evaporated with a snaky hisssssssss that seemed to go on forever. I lay back down and let myself drift off to the sounds of the men flirting with each other and the whoosh of cars and trucks barreling down the 101.

I startled awake. What? Had someone said something? Steam rose off Nicole’s wet footprint where she stood before me blocking my sun and wrapping a towel around her waist and thighs.

“I think I fell asleep,” I mumbled, reaching for my drink. The ice had melted. It was warm and syrupy.

Nicole sat on the edge of the deck chair and peered at me over her sunglasses.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s just… Why don’t you try a different acting class?” She reached over me for the sunscreen and her breasts sloshed over the tiny triangles that made up her bathing suit top.

“I don’t know,” I said. “I mean, I’ll be working now most of the time, and I’m going to need my nights to study lines and stuff.”

Nicole snorted and took a sip of her drink.

“What?”

“You don’t want to hear it, so I won’t say it.”

“Oh God, Nicole, just say it. Say it and get it over with.”

Nicole moved her sunglasses onto her head and gave me a stern look. “I’m not trying to be mean, Jax. I’m not. I just think you should take your career seriously.”

I sat up. “Goddamnit, I am taking it seriously,” I proclaimed.

She was purposely poking at my insecurities. I’d often confided how frightened I was of being seen as a fraud. I’d gotten an agent because of my father and now with no previous acting experience, I’d been hired for a job.

“Don’t get hysterical Jax, I’m just saying.”

“What do you want, Nicole?” My heart beat fast, my cheeks turned hot.

She leaned forward, placing her hands on my knees. “Look, I just don’t want to see you get fired. You’ve been partying a lot lately and—”

“Oh my god, what does partying have to do with anything?” I threw back defensively. “So, I miss one boring acting class.”

“More than one.” Nicole said “See? Now you’re lying to yourself.”

“How dare you!” I sputtered, shoving my feet into my flip-flops. “Go fix your own rotten life and leave mine alone.”