Men Candy

[DonQuixote]

Fame Monster,
You are developing the story nicely.
The pressures of "reality!" TV and "innocent" staging to "clarify" things for the viewers.

They are in for some real soul searching, trying times, ahead, I'm afraid.

I'm looking forward to seeing how you develop the story for us.

 

[EasyRory]

Oops, posted in the wrong thread.

 

[FameMonster]

Chapter Nine: I'm his boyfriend

Jareds shoot went really well. He hadn't told me he had such a good connection with Devon at the castings but I was happy for him. Now he had a friend in L.A. as well. We all shot together at Les Deux, a nightclub. Normally we wouldn't be able to get in, but Lisa told us just to walk up front, and that the doorman knew to let us in. They would be filming our entrance as well so be were supposed to act normal. Or as I thought of it, as normal as you could act when camera's film your every move.

"Also" Lisa said, sounding very stressed. "Look, you guys this is a major shoot, all four together. So please stay in your own area, everyone who is seated there signed a release form so we can shoot you guys properly." I nodded. "And ow, keep your cellphone's on, so I can text you if anything goes wrong!"
I didn't really understand that but there was no time to ask, the shoot was starting.

Jared and I went in, personally I felt a bit awkward walking straight up front just because all the people in line wanted to get in as well. People just like us, only we had camera's around.

We got one of the best tables at Les Deux and the DJ was playing one of my favorite songs, Amazing by Inna.
When we were there for like ten minutes Devon appeared. Once glance in his direction told me my first impression of him hasn't changed.

Devon was really handsome. He wore a baby blue shirt with jeans, casual but nice.
Also his haircut was different, the first time I'd seen him he had short black spikes. His hair was longer now, and he had his hair down in a messy look, which made him even more attractive.

Mike came in shortly after Devon, he looked cute as well and wore a black tee saying "I'm with stupid" and an arrow pointing to the left. When I saw that I laughed, omg this was typical Mike.
"You are so lame" I told him, still grinning.
"Ow yeah, great to see you too Zac." He said, smiling as well. "So is this your Jared?" he asked after he gave me a hug. I loved the way he said YOUR Jared. It made it even more obvious he belonged with me.
"Yeah, that's my sweetie." I tapped Jared on his shoulder so he could meet Mike. "Jer, this is Mike, I told you about him remember?" I had to scream in his ear because the music was so loud.

"Ow hey man, nice to finally meet you! Zac has told me a lot about you." Jared shook Mike's hand.
"He did?" Mike grinned in my direction. "Nothing but positive things I hope?"

I tried to follow their conversation but I couldn't hear one thing. So I just gave up and turned to Devon, who was typing on his BlackBerry.
"So Devon, how do you know Jer?" I asked to break the ice. He stopped typing and looked at me. "We met at Area like a week ago or something. Who are you by the way?" he asked.
Or he was a really good actor and just played along for the camera's. Or he really didn't have a clue who I was. And to be honest, I thought the last one. But could he have already forgotten me after we met like a month ago?

"I'm Zac" I said, thinking that would remind him. Jared probably mentioned me already to him. But no, he seemed clueless.
"I'm his boyfriend!" putting emphasis on the boyfriend part.
"Wow, what? Boyfriend? Jared never told me he had a boyfriend." Devons eyes wandered to his BlackBerry again.
I tried to hide my sadness and embarrassment. Jared never mentioned me?
"Well, I am. Have been for the past two years."
Devon didn't say anything, he just nodded.

Okay, awkward! I thought, and I searched for Mike or Jared and took a sip of my drink.
They were talking and laughing, obviously they'd seem to get along. And for a minute I wished that Devon and me could hit it off like that. But there was just something about him. I don't know, can't put my finger on it but it just didn't seem right.

"Sorry, be right back." Devon told me. He stood up and went to talk to this guy who was just walking by. I took another sip and watched how Devon flirted with the boy.
I focussed on Jared again and how great he looked in his white v-neck tee. When my eyes came across Devon and that random dude a few minutes later, they were full on making out.

Devon was a player, obviously. He already had like five or six guys here staring at him. He really seemed like a spoiled, cocky asshole. He was just someone I'd never befriend, and to be honest, I didn't understand how Jared could be friends with him. He was just so different then Jer. More outgoing and flirty and cockier. I didn't like Devon. He was a bit too full of himself.

When Mike came to sit with me later I was semi-drunk. That way I seemed to be less annoyed with Devon. Everything became kinda funny and fuzzy around the edges.
When the DJ played We No Speak Americano I started dancing, all alone.
The alcohol gave me courage and enchanted by the music I felt free.
I saw from the corner of my eye how a camera focussed on me but I didn't mind anymore, it didn't matter.

I danced the whole night, with Mike, with Jared, alone. Only stopping to get something to drink. But Jared stopped me after five or six drinks, saying that he believed I had enough to drink for one night.
I wanted to tell him that I was fine but then DJ Got Us Falling In Love Again from Usher made me wanna dance with him. The alcohol made everything so much easier! Though I'd never been drunk in my whole life I felt amazing now.

The next morning I didn't even had a headache, so I figured I hadn't been drunk. Which was good because I was supposed to shoot at Pinkberry with Mike, recapping last night's events.
I ordered the seasonal Watermelon and waited for Mike. He appeared after a few minutes. When I saw him, a wide grin stretched over my face. I don't know what it was but Mike made me feel happy.

I talked about Devon, and how I awkward I felt around him and luckily I found my ally in Mike. He didn't exactly felt the need to be friends with Devon as well.
"He is so hot, but probably just a heartbreaker." Mike said to me.
"I don't know. Guess it takes one to know one." I stuck out my tongue to him.
Mike started laughing "shut up! I'm not a heartbreaker."
"Maybe not" I shrugged, "but you are cute though."
Suddenly he was very focussed on his Pinkberry and his cheeks turned a bit pink.
"Aawh you're blushing." Now I started laughing. "That's adorable!"
Mike just winked at me.

Although I didn't knew Mike that long, he and I were close friends already. It just seemed right, natural. As if it's always supposed to be this way.
I felt comfortable around him, not just in front of the camera but always. He is like my big hot brother I never had.

"I don't know what it is about Devon. He just acts like he's not interested in getting to know us." Mike said. Turned out he tried to talk with Devon as well when me and Jer were dancing but it just went the same as my conversation with Devon, awkward and short.
"I know, right? I tried to like be really frienly to him and tak to him and he just like didn't care." I took a bite of my Pinkberry, "And I don't really know what Jared's deal is."
"Why?"
"Well" I was trying to find the right words. "He's just completely different then the people Jer usually socializes with. None of his friends back home are anything like Devon."
"Don't get me wrong, I totally feel you about Devon, but maybe change is good!" Mike said, turning serious. "I mean, maybe Jared's here to find out what he really wants and who he really is. Aren't we all here for that?"

"Hhmmm, I never thought about it that way." I said while staring to the traffic.
Mike shrugged "Maybe you should"
I thought about his words when I saw the cars passing by. Mike was right of course.
Maybe I should give Devon a second chance.

I had a strange feeling in my stomach, why was doing doing the right thing feeling so wrong?


To be continued...

 

[Craiger]

I hope Mike isn't subtly undercutting Zac. He obviously is interested in him. And Zac seems a little too trusting for only knowing Mike for such a short time. I also hope Devon isn't quite as egotistical as he apprears. It sounds as though the two have each found friends they can relate to however. Interesting and informative chapter, FramMonster.

Craiger

 

[FameMonster]

Hey guys,

Thanks for your reactions! Means a lot to me. Here is the next update Enjoy and let me know what you think


Chapter 10: Beware of Jacob Meraz
Lisa and the crew filmed us for a few more weeks. I didn't know a shoot had so many people involved when I first came into the parking lot at USC. There was Damian for the sound, three assistents, Lisa, two people who took care of the lights,(usually) four camera men and one director.
I remember that I found it very strange that there was a director for a reality show, but Lisa quickly explained how the director made sure they shot everything from the best possible angle and that everyone did what they were supposed to do.

At USC the most teachers didn't mind being on camera and I felt more and more comfortable around them as time passed.
At days we didn't have to shoot I sometimes felt naked without my microphone, but then I remembered that we weren't filming. The other students stopped talking about Mike and myself, after the first week the camera's belonged with me as much as a backpack. The only annoying thing was that almost everyone, or hated me, or wanted to be on camera so they were sucking up to me. Stephen especially, the kid was following me around campus all the time and made it his life goal to be my friend, very strange.

There was only one guy (who was more man than boy) in my math class, he wasn't at all influenced by the presence of camera's. Could be he wasn't influenced by my presence, but I sure the hell was with his! He was tall, I guessed something like six foot seven. But that wasn't even the part that intimidated me, he was ripped! He was someone who had a reputation around campus. Everyone knew who he was, a lot of girls claimed that he fucked them and that he was amazing. And some boys were terrified of him because he threated to beat the shit ot of them, or actually did it. He was the kind of person to snap someone like me like a twig without thinking twice about it. From day one I already learned, beware of Jacob Meraz

So I was frightened when I saw him at the gym when Jared and I were working out together. He looked at me once but didn't give me any sign of recognition. Of course not, these were the kind of people who didn't care for love or friends, they only cared about themselves. Self-centered asshole.
Even though the camera's were there, I couldn't care less. I was seriously scared of Jacob right now. Again I saw how he pushed the knife against my face. The metal cutting in my flesh, his angry glare.

I couldn't say anything, like before I was paralyzed with fear. Jacob was by far the most muscular man in the entire gym. The black curls which hung over his eyes, the tattoo on his right shoulder and the chest hair which you saw when he wore a v-neck tee like right now made him look more like an animal then a man.
Jared was talking to me but when he noticed I didn't respond. He looked at me and followed my gaze to Jacob.
I guess he immediately understood why I was scared.
"Is that him?" he asked me urgently.
My mind screamed yes but not a single sound passed my lips.
"Are you okay?" he putted his hand on my shoulder.
"Baby, please" he sounded worried now. "just nod if you want to go, and we'll go! Forget that fucking camera's"
After what seemed like forever I slowly nodded my head. On one hand I really wanted to leave as fast as possible but at the other hand I was afraid he'd see me, come after me and beat me to death.
Jared dragged me with him. He walked to the corner farthest away from Jacob and looked me in the eyes. His gaze was worried.
"How the hell did you get so scared?"
I just stared into his eyes and felt the tears run down my cheeks.

About a week ago when Mike and I stayed late at school to do our homework, I heard some noise coming from outside. When my homework was done and I walked out to the parking lot I saw three guys in a corner. Jacob flexed, his biceps bulged and for a moment I thought the shirt was tearing apart.

Jacob clenched his fist and held it close to the cheeck of one guy. He trembled and closed his eyes, seeming to prepare for the punch. But Jacob whispered something. He was really angry and got a knife out of his jeans and pointed to the other boys with that.
When I saw the knife I was breathless, like someone punched me in the stomach. Only then I realized that all the things people have been saying about him were true, he really was dangerous! I wanted to do something, help the boys, protect them from Jacob, but I was paralyzed with fear. I couldn't move at all. My brain was telling my body what to do, but my body didn't respond. The only thing I could do was to stand there and look.
The other two seemed like they were about to cry. Jacob threathened them as well and the three of them ran away.

Jacob turned and saw me. My breathing accelerated and my palms got sweaty when his dark glare came closer to me.
He came to stand really close to me, the knife still in his hands. I could hear him breathing near me.
"You will never tell anyone about what you saw!" his voice was rough and his glare hostile. "Am I clear?"
My eyes filled with tears which made my sight blurry.
Jacob held the knife to my face, the metal blade was cold against my cheek. I started shaking, feverishly trying to get the hell outta here, alive.
"I said, am I clear?" his soft whispers made it all the more frightening.
I tried to remember how to talk but I couldn't. I could only think of the knife against my face.
After which seemed like forever I finally whispered "yes" so softly I wasn't sure I actually said it.

As I stared in his dark, glaring eyes something seemed to change. The inmistakable anger dissappeared and some unknown feeling got exposed.
Without saying anything, he removed his knife and walked away.

I wasn't relieved that he was gone, in fact I was even more scared he would appear all of a sudden and kick my ass.
After a few minutes I discovered he was really gone without hurting me. I ran to my car as fast as I could and made my way home.
Jared wasn't there when I arrived. I looked in the living room, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. But he was nowhere to be found! Confused and afraid I stood in the living room, wondering where Jared could be. What the hell was I supposed to do without Jer right now?
My legs started shaking and I went to sit on the floor. I started crying. Feeling desperately lost.
That's how Jared found me when he finally got home.

I never told him what happened, I couldn't. I just cried on his lap, the safety of his strong arms around me.
Jared wanted to know what happened of course, and the only thing I could say was his name between two sobs. Later I heard from Mike that Jared called him and asked questions about Jacob. So Mike wanted to know what happened as well. But I couldn't talk about it, not yet.

From that day I was haunted by nightmares, everytime Jacob going a little further. First the blade against my face, then a scratch on the arm. I cried again when I dreamed that he pushed the knife through my chest. Jareds concerns grew every passing minute and he told me he was going to Jacob and demand to know what he did to me. I cried, begged him not to, but now here at the gym he reached his breaking point. I saw it.

He didn't say anything in the changing room or in the car. At home he took me on his lap, looked into my eyes and pleaded for me to tell him what was wrong. And I wanted to tell him. But I was afraid that Jacob would come after him too.

And I rather die than having someone hurting Jared!


To be continued...

 

[DonQuixote]

FameMonster,
A VERY powerful, emotionally charged chapter.
You continue to keep us gripping the arms of our chairs, waiting for the proverbial shoe to drop.

 

[Craiger]

Oh boy! That was quite a sinister twist. I think I may be leery of Jacob Meraz as well. My thinking, though, is that his bark may be more than his bite. I have a feeling Zac may end up being friends with him, but, I will let you tell the story, FameMonster. Fun and mysterious chapter.

Craiger

 

[FameMonster]

Chapter eleven: I'm Zac

"Hello?"

"Hey Zac, this is Miranda. I have Dylan calling for you."

I heard two little beeps and got connected with Dylan.

"Zac, my man! how are you?" Dylan sounded excited. That made me more enthusiastic as well, every time Dylan called I was afraid he would say that the show got canceled. Luckily that was never the case.
"Hi Dylan, I am great! How are you?"

"Perfect thanks! But what I was calling you for.." Typical Dylan, he just got straight to the point. "We have a lot to do to promote the show and season premiere is coming up."

Promote the show? Season premiere?

"Uuh what do you mean?" Damn I hated this. I always felt like an idiot while talking to Dylan.

"Lisa didn't tell you this?" he asked.

"Nope."

Dylan sighed. "Okay, we will film like two more weeks before the season premiere. But of course we need to promote the show."

"Okay" I said slowly "And what do you want us to do to promote the show?" I had no idea what he meant.
I heard the door slam and Jared appeared. "Hold on, Jer is coming in right now. I'll put the phone on speaker."

Jared kissed me on my cheek came to sit next to me in the love seat.

"Hi Jared, I was just telling Zac how we are going to promote Men Candy before the season premiere in two weeks."

"Okay, I'll listen." Jared looked at me with his eyebrows raised up. 'two weeks?' he mouthed to me. I shrugged.

"So I set up a few interviews for the four of you. Promote Men Candy, smile, be friendly, but I'm sure that's not a problem."

Interviews, for us? wow.

"Uuhm we don't know that much about Men Candy, just that we are being filmed. What if they ask questions about things we don't know? I asked quickly.

"Already thought of that." Dylan said. "I have written down everything there is to know about the concept that is Men Candy, every answer to every question they could possibly ask. Just read everything, learn everything and memorize it. I already sent them so they should be at your place tomorrow."
"Okay" Jared said. "And which magazines are interviewing us?"

"Right, about that. I added a list with names of the magazines and who are going to the interview."

"We aren't going all together?" Jared asked.

"No, well maybe one I don't know" Dylan said and my heart fell into my stomach. Why is it that everything that has to do with Men Candy separates me and Jer? First the shoot at school, now this. I want my boy with me for that kinda stuff!

"But everything is explained on the papers!" he added.

"Further I wanna tell you guys that you are doing amazing! We're busy to edit everything in time for the season premiere, but from what I've seen we have a new number one show coming your way! So keep it up and I'll talk to you guys soon! And we also got to plan the photo-shoot! Damn so much work to do.." Dylan kept talking and talking, he always did when he was busy. But my mind stayed with the photo-shoot part. I looked at Jared and he didn't really seem impressed

"Okay rewind!" I said before Dylan would change the subject again. "Photo-shoot? what do you mean photo-shoot?"

"God, why don't you know this?! Lisa should have explained everything to you already." Dylan sounded frustrated and I almost felt sorry for asking, almost.

"Okay for the series promotion and stuff we need to have you guys all four together in a bunch of professional pictures! I'll give you a call when the photo-shoot is arranged! Bye boys!" And again, without waiting for our goodbye's Dylan already hung up the phone. That guy needed to chill out and take a vacation or something.

The nxt morning we got our press papers and the list. I was nervous that I'd have to be interviewed together with Devon but luckily not.

I had an interview at In Style, Star, Gossip Guide and Celebs. All tabloids.

My first interview was with Mike at Gossip Guide, of course this was without the camera's.

Luckily I was busy a lot, or with school, or Men Candy, or Jared, or Mike, whatever. I had always something going on. Leaving me exhausted every night. Sometimes I still had nightmares, but none so frightening as the time that Jacob wanted to stab me in my stomach.

That was the only time every I cried because of a dream. Jared was confused when he saw me sobbing that night and I couldn't keep it to myself anymore.

So I told him what Jacob did, how he threatened me and how I got paralyzed with fear. Jared held me against his warm bare chest and promised me that he would never let anyone, doesn't matter how big he might be, hurt me. And that he would always be on my side, protecting me.

After our talk the nightmares faded more and more to the background and I tried not to think of it as much as possible.

"Okay, so tell me Mike." The inexperienced fake-blonde girl who was interviewing us, looked at me. "What is this Men Candy all about?"

"Zac" I corrected her. "And Men Candy is a reality show, following myself, Mike.." I looked at him for a second and smiled. "And my boyfriend Jared and his friend Devon. The camera's follow us around L.A. to see what the life of gay teens is like."

The blonde girl looked at me as if I was talking Chinese. About half a minute after I stopped talking she realized that I had finished and she asked the next question.

"Aaah, so it is like, a gay show?"

Mike answered this one. "It's absolutely not like that. I mean of course being gay is a big part of the show but it isn't like a sex-obsessed, anti-straight guy fag show."

"And how have you been acting now?"

I got frustrated with the bitch. Seriously come on, was it so hard just to LISTEN and actually pay attention to what we're saying?

"It's not acting" Mike again. "It's a reality show so everything we do, we would have done anyway, only now there are camera's around. But the show is NOT scripted, we just arrange shoots and we'll see what happens when the camera's are rolling. Nothing's scripted, nothing's set up. It's just really us living our lives."

I remember the pages in the papers Dylan sent us. We needed to say at least once to every magazine that the show was NOT scripted and that we were doing our normal stuff.

Blondie looked like she didn't even had a clue where she was now and I was seriously questioning her mental health. Was it possible to get brain damage from dying your hair?

The other interviews weren't really different, and what I heard from Jared his weren't either.
According to him, we got the wacky people because Men Candy wasn't a popular show yet. Once the episodes aired and it became a hit like Dylan kinda promised, magazines would be waiting in line to interview us.

At Sunday I got a call from Lisa, asking me to come to the recording studio that afternoon. Just like Dylan she hung up on me before I could even object. She was stressed like crazy because of the season premiere as well, I figured. Mike told me he heard Devon and Lisa talk and she said that all the editors were busy till like 2 'o clock every night, just to get everything ready.

I entered the building and walked to the reception area.

"How may I help you today?' A nice boy from my age asked.

"Hi, I'm here for the a meeting with Lisa Pierce from Young Music Generation."

He nodded, "okay follow me please." He stood up and walked into the huge hallway. We walked in silence until we reached a door half way past the hall.

"Here you go," the boy said, "studio five, Mrs. Pierce is already inside."

"Thank you!"

I opened the door and saw a typical recording area for a singer. I recognized the panel with like a thousand buttons from television, and behind that a smaller room encased with black padding. In the middle was a chair and a big microphone on a stand. Lisa was discussing something with a guy who sat behind the panel.

She heard me come in and smiled, wow Mike was right, Lisa looked more tired than usual.

"Hey Zac, this is Leroy, he'll be in charge today." I shook his hand.

"You are probably wondering why you are here today?" she asked.

I nodded and Lisa continued, "Well, we have showed the pilot to different focus groups. To see how a show like this will be received by the audience. And they think you are most relatable."

Most relatable? me? How could anyone possibly relate to me, I was just an ordinary gay guy, doing what guys do when they are young.

"Uuh, okay" I said slowly, "but what am I here for then?"

"Before every episode we need someone to recap the previous events, that makes it easier for us if we want to create a cliffhanger effect at the end of one episode. During the recap at the second episode people remember the previous episode and they get back in that Men Candy vibe." She searched to find the right words. I never saw Lisa doing that! She must be even more tired then she looks!

But even though I got her idea. I'd seen it myself with popular shows, at the beginning of the episode, a recap from the last episode. Introduce everyone at the beginning of the show, stuff like that.

"And you want me to do that?" I asked, amazed.

"Yess, I told you people thought of you as most relatable, so you'll be doing this before every single episode."

"Wait" I almost screamed at her, "Before every episode?"

"Yess" Lisa said, obviously shaken because of my reaction. "So that means the story is getting told from your point of view actually. And you tell what happened with the other cast members."

She told me to get in the smaller room. I got a script and headphones while Leroy did some things to the microphone. After that he closed the door and went to sit at the panel. It was silent and I could hear myself breathe. "Can you hear us?" all of a sudden I heard Leroy's voice.

"Yeah I can" I said, my voice sounded weird though the headphones.

"Okay" Lisa said, now remember you are narrating. Try reading it like you explain it to someone, like you're telling a story."

I nodded and looked at the script.

I'm Zac,
I recently moved to Los Angeles with my boyfriend Jared and I just started as a Freshmen USC. So far it has been (pause) an interesting experience.
This is my boyfriend (pause) Jared, no matter what happens, I can always count on him. He's down to earth and the most important man in my life.
Mike is my classmate at USC, he is bisexual and had a hard time dealing with it. But now he's ready to start living his new life with his new friends.
Devon is the real deal player. If he isn't at a club having the time of his life, he is somewhere flirting with a cute guy.
We all moved to L.A. this year (pause) Some of us to work, and some of us to play. But this is our chance to make it, (pause) in the city where they say dreams come true.


To be continued...

 

[Craiger]

Nice update, FameMonster. I think, for some reason, they are keeping Zac and Jared separated. Lisa either hasn't been relaying all the information to the guys or this is Dylan's way of springing it on them. I also wonder if Jacob Meraz has been planted by the reality show to get some type of reaction from Zac. But there again, I am surmising things and I need to let you tell the story. Look forward to more.

Craiger

 

[DonQuixote]

FameMonster,
A very interesting chapter - the "Reality" series starts to feel less and less "unscripted" - no matter WHAT the O-fficial claim is.

I'm enjoying your story, and look forward to your continuing chapters.
Thanks for sharing your time and talents with us.

 

[FameMonster]

Hey guys,
Sorry that I haven't been updating my story for the last month. But school is killing me, and I needed to figure out what I direction I wanted Men Candy to go to. Anyway here is your new update, enjoy reading and let me know what you think!




Chapter Twelve: Man Candy; Jared Style!

Hey guys, it's Jared. When I was cleaning our apartment last week I found this. I know I shouldn't read Zac's personal stuff, but his whole life is turned upside down and I am worried about him.
It took me some time to figure out how to respond to everything Zac wrote. He left things out, things I think you should know about. So therefore I wanted to share my part with you.
Zac is my boy and I love him no matter what. But he can't express his feelings very well. So that's why I decided to kick in. Man Candy: Jared Style!

Talking about Man Candy, I gotta admit I had my reservations but in the end it kinda worked out, we get huge paychecks, just to do what we would have done anyway, only now there are camera's to join the fun.

I knew Zac was nervous when we started this whole thing, some times that boy worries too much, and this being a gay show, I think he wants to prove that he is comfortable with his sexuality, I disagree with him on that one. Don't get me wrong, he's in a good place now and he came a long way to get there.
In the beginning when we started dating, he wouldn't even hold hands with me. Not because he was ashamed of me, but because he was ashamed of himself. he was insecure about his body, and sexuality and almost everything I could think off.
That's why I'm so prouf of him right now, he's really putting himself out there! Being on a GAY tv-show. That's a huge step!

Personally I couldn't really care too much about the camera's. Come on, try me, I have nothing to hide. People will always have their opinion about me, whether justified or not. So at one point in my life I just stopped caring about what people said. I am who I am, love me or hate me. I do what I do, take it or leave it.

That is kinda annoying Zac, me saying everything out loud. I'm sorry but I just can't stand fake people. I hate it when they say they are your friend in your face, and talk shit about you behind your back. Fuck that shit, those people aren't worth any of my time. I am everything but fake, and I have no problem saying what I think to your face. Things I say can be hurtful I'm not gonna lie. I never hold myself in. Well, there is one exception of course, Zac. He's sweet and I love him. but he doesn't have a thick skin. He'll take things too personal and I don't wanna fight with him. I wouldn't even be on this show if it wasn't for him. I'd do everything for my man!

I don't know how to describe my feelings for Zac. It's like words aren't enough, they don't cover it. All I can say is that I like the person I am around him. He makes me happy, like the raging storm of fury inside me turns into a cool summer breeze. Kinda ironic actually how an insecure guy like Zac can handle an asshole like myself.

All of the things he wrote about me, I don't know. I think he sees me as his shield for the storms of the outside world, think he kinda sees me as his safe place where he feels at home and loved and beautiful.
I love that he sees me that way but I also think love makes blind. It's like he doesn't see my bad habits or imperfections. He doesn't see my bad temper, or cursing or my need to be right, or my big mouth.

But anyway, back to Men Candy. Zac has been handling all of that strange camera stuff pretty well. At first it was kinda weird having a camera in your face while you talk about your day, but whatever, I don't care.
Seeing myself on tv was really fun though. YMG aired the commercial for Men Candy all week and I think tomorrow we have the photo-shoot for first season. Kinda excited about that, can't wait to tell everyone in the world that Zac is mine!

Zac, hearing that name always make me happy but lately it gets me worried.
When I found out that he wrote this whole experience down, I was particularly interested in the part about Jacob Meraz, but like I told you, he isn't good with writing down his feelings and I think he just wrote down the most basic stuff to look back on things later. But assumed from his behavior from the past few weeks, he did what he always does when things get tough. He hides it and moves on. This works on the short term, but it eventually will get to him.

I can remember that afternoon perfectly.
It all started when I found him, crying in the living room. And let me tell you, he was a fucking mess! I came home after doing the groceries and there he was, pale as a sheet, his big blue eyes widened from fear and tears running down his face.

All kinds of emotions ran through me, but first of all I wanted him in my arms, and it kinda seemed like the thing he needed at that moment.
I didn't do anything, just kissed him on his head and whispered that everything was gonna be okay.
I don't know how long we sat there together. I tried to comfort him while my head was full of questions, how did he get so upset? WHY did he get so upset? what happened? who where involved? and especially, who the hell was there to blame, with other words, who was I going to punish?

Of course I demanded to know what was wrong, but he didn't say anything, he couldn't. Every time I started about what happened he shook his head and tears filled his eyes. One time I held him when he started crying again, and he told me a name, Jacob Meraz.

Finally I had something to work with. When I came back from filming one day, he wasn't home yet and I called Mike, hoping Zac wasn't hanging out with him. I told him about the entire situation, how he got home so upset and everything, and Mike told me Zac had been avoiding him for the last few days. That's another thing Zac does, when he suffers, he suffers alone. not accepting any help and pushing people away. I decided a long time ago I wouldn't let him push me away.

Mike told me a little bit more about that Jacob kid, apparently he was this huge muscled guy and most of the kids were afraid of him. Damn are we in High School? I tried to suppress a sigh. Everything he told me was downright childish. Jacob bullying everybody, come on, that loser probably has family issues. Mommy didn't love him or daddy beat him up every time he did something wrong. And now he is pushing away every form of friendship and love, just because he is too damn sorry for himself. Seriously dude, get a fucking life!

I thought that if I gave Zackie some time to get everything straight for himself he would come around and open up to me. But him being Zac, that was a waste of time.
The situation in our apartment got awkward. I didn't know what to say to him without upsetting him. And he didn't wanna talk to me. So we didn't talk at all.

For a few days we went through the motions of being together, but there was a huge gap between us. Getting bigger every second he chose not to trust me.
One night I woke up because Zac was crying. And that was the straw that broke the camel's back for me. Whether he would like it or not, he was gonna tell me what was going on.

"Baby, come here" I said, while I took Zac in my arms, like always he would find his favorite spot on my chest. For the next few minutes I'd let him cry but clearly he wasn't going to say anything.

"Babe, you gotta tell me what happened" I said calmly.

Zac shook his head.

"Yeah you do! Don't you understand I'm fucking worried about you? Don't you know what it's like for me not to be trusted by you? I don't get why you don't wanna open up!" I clenched my teeth together. He needed me right now, he didn't need my big mouth.
Zac didn't respond.

"Sweetie, I love you" I said with a soft voice "but it's killing me that I can't do anything. You should have seen yourself lately. You're a ghost! Numb, pale as a sheet, you barely eat, barely sleep." He pulled himself tighter to me. My shirt had wet spots on it now because of his tears.
"If you don't wanna talk to me, maybe it's best if you'd talk to a professional." I added.

He clenched his fists in my embrace, and finally, FINALLY he talked.

"Jacob threatened me."

At first I felt an overwhelming relief. Finally I broke the wall he's been putting up for the last few days, he finally opened up to me!

But then I realized what he was saying. Now I was the one clenching my fists. What the hell was that Jacob kid trying to do?

"Why did he threaten you baby?" It took all the self-control I had to be the loving, sweet, caring boyfriend Zac needed right now. I wanted to beat that dude up for hurting my boy! I'll let him feel how much pain he caused if I break his jaw or something. But somehow, he is gonna pay!

"I made homework with Mike, we filmed together and then when I wanted to go home, there he was in the hallway, threatening three boys. He had a knife." More wet spots on my shirt, he was crying again.

The hatred I already felt for Jacob, got about ten times as bad when I heard the word knife. In that split-second a hundred different scenes shot through my head from Jacob hurting Zac. One even worse than the other.

"After he was done with the boys he came to me. I.. I didn't know what was happening, I only thought of the knife in his hand and I couldn't move anymore." I kissed him on his head and hugged him even tighter, just so he knew he was safe here with me.

"And then" Zac continued "he pushed the knife against my face and made me swear I wouldn't tell anyone."

"Sweetie I'm so sorry!" I said to him, as calmly and caring as I could. "Is there anything I can do for you, anything?"

"Yes" he looked me in the eye. "promise me you won't go to Jacob. He's like thee times bigger than you and you can't take him."

I laughed once without humor. "We'll see about that." Don't give a damn if he is bigger, the bigger they are, the harder they fall.

"Baby please!" he said to me with pleading eyes, still wet from the tears. "I can't bear it if I you are going to him after I told you all this." New tears started running down his cheek. "If he hurts you, it will be my fault and I'll never forgive myself! Promise me you are not going to try to beat up Jacob!"

When I saw the fear and concern in his eyes. I knew I could never do anything to hurt him even more, so I promised.

I embraced him and he took my hand. When I woke up the next morning I found his hand still placed in mine.

**************************************​

Okay, that's enough for now. I just heard Zac came home. I don't exactly know what to do with the entire situation, the only thing there is to do is press charges I think. But then again, there is no proof.
Anyway just to get his mind of off everything I'm taking Zac to the gym, the camera's are coming too so it should be fun!

Take care!
Jared


To be continued...

 

[Craiger]

Hey FameMonster,
Great to have you back writing, but school is more important. So, write when you can and we will be here waiting.
Interesting chapter. Jared obviously needs to be cautious in dealing with Zac. However, I don't think he will be able to keep his promise about not confronting Jacob. Looking forward to more.

Craiger

 

[DonQuixote]

Fame Monster,
Sorry it's taken me so long to read your update and get back to you.
A very powerful installment.

It will be interesting to see how the dilemma is resolved.

 

[thermodynamics]

I just read the story up to now. I love it!

It does seem as though reality TV is much more planned (not necessarily "scripted") that it appears.

I can also tell that there's going to be some relationship drama between Zac and Jared. It's TV. Not that I like it.

 

[FameMonster]

Chapter Thirteen: Let's get this party started

It was like 8 o' clock on a sunday morning. Jared parked in the spot that said 'reserved' at the YMG-studios. I yawned, why did we have to be here this early?
Jared called Lisa to tell us we made it and she told Jer to get to studio 6.

When we entered I couldn't help being amazed. I didn't know what to expect but I centrainly didn't expect this. There was this massive space, half of the room was all white with rounded corners so that the walls floated seamlessly into the floor. And the other half was filled with make-up stations, racks with clothing, couches, and one corner for catering.

Today was the photo shoot for Men Candy.
I spotted Lisa at a table full of Starbucks coffee and donuts. Me and Jer walked to her for instructions. Our voices sounded weird and hollow in this huge area.
She took us to some make-up stations, each station had a big mirror and some big round lights on the sides. Mike was there already.

"Hey Mike" I tried to sound cheerfull.
He held a plastic plate with scrambled eggs and a donut. He waved.
"Ooowh who's idea was it to have a eight a.m. call time?" Jared complained and he sat down in a chair next to Mike.
"Mine" Lisa said a bit cranky "Zac sit down, here is Anna, she'll be doing your hair and make-up today" A skinny girl with black hair and a white tee walked to me. "And Jared and Mike, yours are on their way here."

"Woowwoowwooow" I said, grabbing Lisa by her arm. "I know I'm gay but that doesn't make me a girl! I don't need make-up!"
She sighed, "no time for discussings right now. Deal with it!" And she walked away, talking into her headphones.
Season premiere was only a few days away so Lisa was on edge right now, obviously.

"Don't worry sweetie, I'm gonna make you look really good!" Anna said happy with a high-pitched voice.
I sighed, okay so obviously I didn't have a choice. "Okay, sooo what's the plan?"
"That's the spirit!" She went through my hair with her fingers. "So you have like really pretty, thick hair so I there's not much work on that, only some blonde highlights maybe. And for your face I'd say a light foundation."

I looked at her in the mirror and chuckled. "You do realize I didn't understand a word you were saying, right?" Anna started laughing with me. She was easy to be around. "I'm gonna dye little blonde strands of your hair. Just to emphasize your pretty face, and a light foundation hides the little imperfections of your skin, little birthmarks, zits and stuff like that. Just so your skin looks a bit nicer on camera."
"Okay, I can be stupid for asking but why dye my hair when I'm a natural blonde already?" I asked.
"Just so it looks a bit more L.A. Your hair colour is so pretty don't get me wrong, but we can emphasize it just a bit more. Do you mind if I dye your hair?"
"Nope, not at all." To be honest it seemed kinda cool, I was gonna let Anna do whatever she wanted and if I didn't like it, she would notice.

Meanwhile Rebecca and Stephanie were working on Mike and Jared after being yelled at by Lisa for being late. I was happy to have gotten Anna, she seemed way more into it then the other two at such an early call time.
My mind wondered while Anna was working on me. I noticed Devon wasn't here yet. Just when I wanted to ask Jer if he heard something from Devon he walked in, in a white cloth robe. He seemed happier than I'd ever seed him before.

"Hey guys, looking good." He said with a happy smile "Ooh Zac I love your hair!"
"Thanks" I said kinda surprised. I thought he didn't like me that much but maybe I was wrong, or he was excited about the shoot or whatever, as long as he was friendly it's okay. "What is that robe for?"

"So I don't spill anything on my outfit. Wanna see what we are wearing?" He sounded really excited, stripped off his white cloth robe and revealed a black v-neck shirt which complimented his chest and biceps and a pair of jeans with damaged and faded effects. With that he wore a shiny silver ring on his thumb. He looked HOT to say the least.

"Ohmygoood, that is insane! I love it!" Jared almost screamed. Devon gave him a smirk and turned around so we could see how the pants hugged his ass.
"Damn boy, you look hot!" Mike said. "Is everyone wearing that?"
"You bet!" Lisa said while pulling a clothing rack with three bags from behind her. "Here they are. After your hair and make-up, pull these on, the personal assistents are coming to bring your jewelry in like ten. So put everything on and come to me and the photographer."

I was kinda nervous. I mean Mike was ripped, Devon obviously worked out and Jared was my pretty boy and he loved going to the gym. I was the only one who wasn't super muscular like the rest of them.

Since my hair took the longest the rest of them were ready and standing with the photographer before I could get dressed. To my surprise my v-neck was white instead of black. I also got a silver dog tag and a silver with black ring and loved the blue jeans.

When I walked to the other boys I saw Jareds eyes widening, like he liked what he saw. And that made me a little more confident. I saw Mike smile and it seemed like Devon had to put in a little more effort to keep his smile in place.

"Everyone, this is Juan Gonzales, and he'll be our photographer today." I heard Lisa say. She pointed to the young latino photographer. He was kinda cute with long curly black hair to his shoulders. A little short but he had a nice smile.
To my surprise Dylan walked in. I didn't know he was gonna be here today.
"Hey boys,looking good!" He greeted us, after that he walked to Juan together with Lisa and they started whispering.

"Okay let's get this party started" Juan said after a few minutes. "First we are going to do the group shots and after that the individual shots." He had a little accent.
"Okay, Zac I need you here up front." I walked to the spot in the middle he pointed out. "Jared, go stand behind Zac." At last Jer was close to me.
"Mike, go stand next to Jared only a bit more in the back." Mike did what was asked of him and looked at Juan with questioning eyes.
Juan smiled and said "a little further.... and stop. Perfect."
"Devon, go stand next to Mike, only not in the way that Jared is blocking you, so you need to get more to the side."

"Okay, now everybody smile! in three, two, one..." and the camera flashed.
Juan, Lisa and Dylan went to the computer which displayed the photo's. They quietly discussed them, they looked at the screen and at us, and back to the screen again.

After some time Juan resumed his position behind the camera. "Okay, we're gonna change some things. Jared, put your hand on Zac's shoulder."
I felt Jareds warm hand and winked at him.
"Devon, how about crossing your arms for the next shot?" Juan continued "and Mike, instead of face forward how about if you stand profile and look at the camera over your shoulder."

I heard the others settle into their new spots. Juan took a picture and I looked at Dylan as he waited for the picture to appear.
He leaned forward and looked at Lisa. She nodded, he smiled and said "that's perfect Juan, thank you!"

"My pleasure" he said to Dylan. "Okay boys, time for the individual shots, let's start with Jared."
"Wait a minute... What if we make a shot of Jared and Zac together" Dylan said while looking at me.
At that moment I couldn't have been happier!



To be continued...

 

[Craiger]

Hey, FameMonster,

Things are moving along and I would love to have been at the photo shoot. With the season premiere about to begin I have a feeling there will be more intense photo shoots coming up.
I wonder where Jacob fits into all this? He has to appear sooner or later.

Craiger

 

[DonQuixote]

FameMonster-
And the stress levels are going to crank up more than a notch.
Let the games begin.
Fame.

Sounds good, so far, but why do I still have this sense of foreboding?

 

[FameMonster]

Chapter Fourteen: The very first episode of Man Candy

I checked my hair and outfit once more in the mirror before Jared and I made our way to Area. The jeans with faded spots and the tight black shirt were casual but not too fancy. I just hoped I didn't spill a drink on them tonight. Designers sent me and Jared a box full of their clothes like a week ago. I was wearing underwear from Calvin Klein, jeans by G-Star and a shirt by Diesel. I looked it up online and the outfit together was over 700 dollars. Just to remind myself that I was just an ordinary boy I wore my Black AllStars. Jer laughed when he saw me. He hugged me while stating I was the cutest thing he had ever seen.

We arrived at Area a little late.
Just like that one time at Tigerheat, when we waited in a long line to get in; a line just like that one was waiting for Area now. Only now no one could get in because it was closed for a private viewing party from Young Music Generation.

I grabbed Jareds hand and intertwined our fingers. "I have to admit, I'm kinda nervous."
He grinned and kissed me on the cheek "Why? Sooo everyone across America is about to get an inside look in your personal life. You have nothing to hide right?"
I laughed "no, but still. I don't know, it's just weird that sooooo many people will be watching. If we have to believe Dylan that is."
"Or maybe no-one will be watching, if I believe myself that is." Jared laughed. "Come one babe, be excited! how many times we get to go to a private YMG party? Smile a little!"
I looked at him and couldn't help but smiling.

Since we started shooting Men Candy, it had completey taken over our lives. Especially the last few weeks, we had been shooting almost every day, at work, in the gym, at clubs, at home, while going out to dinner, shopping. Everything, hell I didn't even know what they did with all that footage.

The only thing we saw was the commercial of Men Candy which had been airing all week now. A preview of what was going to happen in the first few episodes. It was kinda strange seeing myself but kinda cool as well. Like YMG took my life, picked out some pieces, runned it with some cool music on the background and aired it on national television.
Honestly I couldn't believe that Dylan really thought this show was going to be a hit. Just four random boys just living their lives in L.A.

An seven-foot-tall poster of the four of us was placed at the entrance of Area. It was the photo taken at the photo shoot. It had also appeared in a few magazines. I liked the picture. It had written MEN CANDY in black letters across the top and "... not so sweet as you'd think" in smaller writing just under that.

"Okay, that is random." I heard Jared say.
I chuckled once, "you could say that again! It's so ... huge"

We stood there for some time, gazing at ourselves. But then we heard some photographers yelling. "Zac, pose for me", "Jared, give us a smile." "How about a kiss?"
I clutched Jareds hand tighter and we walked to the red carpet. I tried to be natural, as natural as one can be while being totally uncomfortable.

'You wanted this' I told myself while photographers snapped my picture.
I thought of all the celebrities I used to admire while watching them get their picture taken in front of the banners covered with logo's on my old tv in my room back home. And now I was standing in exactly the same spot. Although it felt kinda weird, I did it, I made it. After all those years fantasizing it finally came true. The glamour and fame of Hollywood were becoming reality.
I saw the Hollywood Sign, which was far away and hard to see when it was dark, but I saw it. I said a silent 'thank you' to all the opportunities that Hollywood had given me and smiled again to the photographers, not uncomfortable anymore.

Inside, the club was packed. Everywhere I looked I saw advertisers, staff members from YMG and family members. Jer followed me while I was searching for firmiliar faces. I saw Miranda in a beautiful Gucci evening gown. The gold fabric looked amazing with her brown hair. She gave me a huge smile.

For the occasion, my parents flew in from back home. They were standing at a table with some food on it. And I was sooo excited to see them.
"Hey guys" I cried out happily. "Ohmygosh I missed you so much!!"
I hugged my mom, while my dad embraced Jared, and the other way around.
I lifted up Tyler and give him a kiss on the cheeck. "Oowh getting heavy boy! Are you taking good care of mommy and daddy since I'm away?"
"Of course!" he said while hugging me. "I'm five already!"

"Got that right. God I missed you little man!" I said returning his embrace.
Tyler was amazing! And even though he could ignore the hell out of me some times, I really missed the kid here in L.A.
With his baby blue eyes and his dark brown curls he had every adult won over in just a second. "I'm going to look for celebrities" he told me proud.
"Oh no, no, no Ty, you need to stay here with mommy and daddy okay?" I panicked a little with the thought of Tyler walking around this crowded plaze all alone."

"We are so proud of you guys!" my dad said. "Yess, isn't this exciting?" My mom added.
"Yeah, sure, just kinda too much to wrap my head around." I smiled to them.
"Are you okay sweetie?" mom asked concerned "you need anything?"
"I'm fine" I said while placed his hand on my shoulder. "I have Jer, and Mike .... and Devon" I added. "I'm okay, really."
My parent could be so concerned over nothing. When I still lived with them it kinda became a pain in the ass, but now, seeing them here. Realizing I missed them so much, a kinda missed that too.

We were just standing with Jareds parents when Dylans voice came out of the speakers.
"People, if I could have your attention!" he was standing in front of the room in front of a huuuuge plasma screen. "As you know, tonight is a very special night for four amazing boys. Let's give it up for Zac, Jared, Mike and Devon! I need you guys here up front"

The room started to applause as we made our way to Dylan. I threw Mike an excited but nervous smile. I hadn't talked to him tonight, he was with his own family for sure. Mike wore a black button-down shirt and dark blue jeans. He looked lost and unsure, just the way I felt.

"Okay" Dylan continued. "Before we take a look at this new, very exciting show I wanted to tell you guys how much fun we had creating it. The last few weeks may have been rocky but it's all coming together tonight!" The room went dark and people clapped and cheered again.
"With that I wanted to say I'm very excited to present to you, the show that is going to push boundaries, the show that will make a difference, the show that I hope will be around for a very long time. Ladies and gentlemen, the very first episode of Men Candy!"
More cheers and applause while the screen played the video I saw my face looking at something in the distance. "I'm Zac" I heard myself say over the surround sound speakers. And the screen showed what I was looking at; the USC campus.

I was stunned as the opening credits started playing over the new Rihanna song and shots of me, Jared, Devon and Mike, all four doing different things. The final image was me looking over my shoulder to the camera and smiling.

"Oh .. my .. god!" I whispered slowly. This feeling was so strange but exciting and new as well. It really was me on that massive screen. I was mesmerized "I know babe, strange huh?" Jared said softly. I couldn't even answer, I just nodded.

The opening credits faded and turned into a shot of me walking into the already full classroom, history from Mr. Brown.
The camera's zoomed in on my face, I was obviously bored, and startled when the teacher angrily asked something about the Cold War.
Then it cut to a shot from me with a worried expression and people laughed.
Mike answered and I smiled to him, while he smiled back a bit shy.

Music started playing again and we saw Devon, sitting in a restaurant with a cute guy. He obviously flirted with him a lot and the people at Area whistled. After that I saw him and Jared meet in a club. I remembered that night, we had a huge fight to get this scene on tape.
Next was Mike and myself, when we first met on camera. After that he was working out with his personal trainer Trevor while talking about the new year at USC and friends and living in L.A.

After that we were in the club all together, me, Mike, Jer and Devon. Mike and Jared were chatting and Devon was making out with that random guy. ''Oh no!'' I thought, this was the scene when I was drunk and danced on DJ Got Us Falling In Love Again. They actually showed it? With my parent and little brother just at the other end of the room? My cheeks turned pink with the thought alone. But luckily it wasn't half bad. It just seemed like I was having fun, I didn't seem that drunk and it was kinda innocent. At least enough for my parents to handle I hoped.

The song kept playing while the shot cut to a bird's-eye view of Los Angeles all lit up. The words ''produced and created by Dylan Lang" appeared and the credits began rolling.
The lights went on again and the room was clapping and cheering. Now the tention was gone, now I knew what they did with all the footage and how they edited. I was very happy with that first episode. Even though they showed me drunk, it was kinda innocent and harmless so if this was the worst I could get, then fine.

"Ohmygoood, how awesome was that?" I asked the others.
"Dude, that was so cool!" Mike sounded excited instead of nervous now.
"When did you do the voice-over at the beginning?" Devon said, not smiling.
"A few weeks ago" I answered. "Isn't it cool? It was kinda last-minute"
I didn't tell anyone about the voice-over, just Jared knew of course.
"Well you did great!" Jer said smiling, backing me up. "We all did great, let's get a drink."

I went to the bathroom first. On my way out a huge man turned around while carrying a heavy set of speakers, knocking me to the ground.
I was dizzy for the first few seconds and my back hurt a little, it all happened so fast some time already passed before I actually realized I was on the ground.

"Fuck! I'm so sorry!" I heard the man say. "Shit, Zac are you okay?"
He helped me up, and I couldn't help but noticing his enormous body. He was huge, like one head taller than me, and people already said to me I was tall.
"Yeah I'm fine! Uuhm how did you know my name?"
He chuckled, "I saw the episode just a few moments ago." I chuckled too.
Now I got a good look at his face, he was incredibly handsome, strong. He had facial hair but trimmed it down nicely.
"I'm Samuel" he said "but most people call me Sam."
I shook his hand, "Nice to meet you Sam."

He smiled at me before he lifted up the heavy looking speakers and carried them outside. I smiled a bit, Samuel seemed nice. Maybe I'd see him again some time, I certainly hoped so, I didn't have that much friends in L.A.

"Oooow there's our playboy! I heard Mike yelling when he saw me. Come on grab a drink, have fun! We're celebrities now" he laughed.
Jareds hand searched mine and as soon as he'd found it our fingers intertwined. And I knew that through everything that might happen from now on, I always had that hand holding me, and supporting me no matter what.



To be continued...

 

[DonQuixote]

Fame Monster,
As they say, The first episode is in the can.

So, the preview of the Premier episode seems to have gone well, and they are closer as a result. Lots of emotions and hype surrounding everything.

Nice installment.

 

[FameMonster]

hey guys,
I'm sorry I've kept you waiting so long again. But my life is really busy right now, All I'm trying to say is don't give up on me. I will keep posting for Men Candy, only it can take some time. Anyway enjoy the next chapter and let me know what you think



Chapter 15: I'm sorry

I yawned and glanced at the clock on my nightstand, 1 p.m. My head was pounding but it was time to get up.
I saw a red light blinking on the phone when I got to the living room, one new message. I pressed the button to play while I grabbed some cereal.

'Hey Zac and Jared, it's Dylan here. I have some news for you about last night's episode. Why don't you meet me for lunch at Villa Blanca, how about 2 p.m.? See you there, bye!'

I took my cereal to the couch and ate it in peace, hearing Jer softly snoring in the other room. Last night we saw the first episode of Men Candy and I had to tell you, it was kinda okay. Weird at first but cool. That Dylan called didn't really surprise me, he probably wanted to tell us in person that the show sucked and that they were stopping immediately.

Last night was fun though, mom and dad had to leave during the afterparty because dad had an important business meeting today, but I loved seeing them. Even though they couldn't stay that long I was grateful for them showing up.

After I finished my cereal I took an Advil, my head felt like exploding. Note to myself, don't drink that much anymore. Usually I know when to stop but last night I didn't even notice how much I drank, until I woke up this morning with a hangover.

"Jer" I yelled to him in the bedroom, the sound of my voice breaking the silence caused another jolt of pain going through my head. "Babe, get up we're having lunch with Dylan in like an hour!"
I heard some moaning and sighing, "what?"
"I said, wake up, we're having lunch at Villa Blanca in like an hour!"

- - - - - - - -

"So guys, thanks for meeting me here today." Dylan said when Mike, Dylan, Jared and myself sat down. "I have some news for you about the show."
Devon raised his eyebrows. "And you couldn't tell us this over the phone because? God my head is killing me."
Dylan summoned the waitress, "can I have two bottled of water please? Flat?"
She came back just moments after that, and when everyone got something to drink Dylan continued. "So I wanted to tell you personally, Men Candy is a hit! It was the best-rated show for women from eighteen till thirty-four, and kinda surprisingly, for men as well." He sounded super excited.

"Oh... My....God" Mike said slowly. "It's a hit? For real?"
"Yes it certainly is!" Dylan laughed and Mike shouted "wohooo" through the entire restaurant. Devon gave him a glare and rubbed his temples.
"So, what now?" Jared asked.
"Now" Dylan said slowly "your life is about to change. Things are gonna be very different. From now on you will be recognized almost everywhere, people will want to take a picture with you or get your autograph. The moment you'll leave your apartments people are gonna get crazy over you."

I chuckled a bit, I'm sure Dylan was overreacting right now. What he just said fitted a famous moviestar of singer, not us.
"Everything okay Zac?" he asked.
"I'm fine, but Dylan come on. We're not celebrities or something, get real."
"Oh this is real. Look and you'll see what I mean, it's already starting." He pointed his head to the waitress and the hostess. They were looking in our direction and whispering and pointing to us.
"Get ready because it's coming fast Zac, fame over night. You need to be ready." He looked in my eyes.

I felt a litte awkward, why did I feel he was just talking to me and not to Jer, Devon and Mike?
"So, I assume next few weeks are going to be a bit crazy, paparazzi, fans and stuff. But it will be great." Dylan continued.
I believed him.

For the next few weeks nothtings really changed, although Men Candy seemed to have taken over television. Commercials, previews, episodes, everything. I couldn't watch TV for more then an hour or I heard Men Candy this or Men Candy that.
Another thing that happened since the beginning of the show was that almost all of my friends from High School texted or called me after they saw the show. And not only them, neighbours from back home, old classmates whom I didn't even know hadd my number and even some teachers wanted to talk to me, saying how much they liked the show. It was until then I realized how much people actually watched Men Candy, it was kinda flattering.

Also because of Men Candy, people started to treat me differently. I could devide the people at school in two groups. Or they hated the show and stayed as far away from me and Mike as possible, or they totally loved us and did everything they could just to be seen with us.
There was only one exception. Jacob Meraz.
I still got sweaty hands and my heart started racing when I saw him but he always kept his distance and over time I panicked less and less when I saw him.

On a Wednesday I had a shoot with Mike, our class together and working on a History project after school.
"So what do you want to do then? Make the White House out of sugar cubes?" Mike said after an hour of mindstorming.
I chukcled, "I don't know, if that will get us a A, fine, but I swear, Mr Brown hates me for some reason. So what we have must be amazing to say the least."
"And what if we try the Cold War? I don't know if it's just me or what but that guy gets everything back to the Cold War. He's like obsessed." Mike got a water bottle out of his bag and took a big sip.
"Obviously" I said. "But seriously we need to find something good here or..." I didn't finish my sentence, the voice I heard turned my insides into ice.

"Excuse me" a rough, manly voice said. "Zac, can I talk to you for a minute?"
I looked at the one who said the words but I didn't need to see who it was, I already knew. I stared into the grey eyes of Jacob.

"Uuhm" I stuttered, kinda nervous that he talked to me, but I didn't do anything and Mike was with me so he had no reason to hurt me, he wouldn't, would he? "Yeah sure."
We walked away for a bit so Mike couldn't hear us, but one of the cameraguys followed.
"I'm sorry this is private." I said to the guy, "no camera for this, go film Mike or something, please."
"No can't do, reality is reality. Besides the guy is already miked. Just let me do my work, and please pretend like I'm not there."

I sighed, this was NOT okay. But at least now Jacob knew he couldn't threaten me here. It would air on national television, which made me feel a bit more confident, at least I wasn't alone this time.
"Well I just wanted to talk about events from our previous encounter." Jacob said.
"I'm sorry if I might have given you a wrong impression and I just wanted to clear the air between us." He looked me straight in the eye and surprisingly sounding sincere. "So I apologize for my inappropriate behaviour and I hope we can leave all of this behind us now."
The face, his gestures and the sound of his voice. It was a bit too perfect. A perfect line, spoken by a perfect actor. I didn't trust him anything he said.

I took a deep breath, "and why do you wanna do that? It's not like you know me or something." The fact that I wasn't alone with Jacob right now make me less scared of him, actually when I thought about it, yeah he was like two foot taller then me, and okay his muscles were huge, but besides that he had nothing. He hadn't got any friends at school, he probably worked out every day so I figured his social life wasn't amazing outside of school. And I had a loving boyfriend, great friends, I was starting to feel at home in Hollywood, AND I had my own tv-show. I wasn't the loser here, he was.

That thought made me chuckle, "I'm not scared of you Jacob. To tell you the truth, I feel sorry for you."
His eyes darkened and he clenched his fists. For a moment I thought he really was gonna beat me up here and now and my hands got sweaty again so I hastily blurted out "but it's okay. I accept you apology."

The dark glare on his face dissappeared and he smiled a little smile. "Thank you" he said.
"Just stay away from me" I said and walked back to Mike. I was so tired of feeling scared when I was around him. I didn't want to do that anymore, so he'd better stay away.

At home I told Jared all about it, and how they filmed it. He agreed with me that Jacob probably did this just to get his face on national television but whatever, it was over now.

The bell rang, Jared answered it and got back into the living room with two packages and a note in a kinda bad penmanship.

'Hey boys!
Here is a little gift from me, you can decide who gets which one but I hope this will make it easier for the crew to stay in touch with our new It-boys!
Hope you like it,

Dylan'

The packages contained two phones. A new Blackberry Bold 9700 and a new Sidekick LX 2009. Jared let me choose, as sweet as he is, and I chose the Sidekick. I loved the swiveling screen, and with the Internet data plan we could check our mail, or tweet or do whatever through the phone.
Now I loved Men Candy and Dylan for doing this, and I almost forgave them for filming this afternoon with Jacob.

The Blackberry started beeping and buzzing, and Jared answered it.
"Hello?" and he mouthed 'Dylan' to me.
It was quiet for a while and then he said "Yeah sure, and by the way, thank you so much for the cellphones! They are amazing."
He handed the phone to me "Dylan wants to talk to you as well" and raised his eyebrows.

"Hey Dylan" I said, "Thank you so much for the Sidekick, I love it!"
I heard him chuckle "I'm glad you like it, already thought you'd pick the Sidekick." and I laughed as well.
"But that wasn't why I am calling." All of a sudden he was all business again. "I saw the footage of this afternoon with that tall Jacob kid. What happened, you two got in a fight or something?"

Wow great, he wanted to know about Jacob. Just as quick as my happy mood appeared when I saw my new phone, it dissappeared now. I didn't want to talk about Jacob.
"Uuhm" I bit my lip, something I always did when I got nervous. "I really don't want to talk about that, it was just a misunderstanding."
"Hmmm, okay but we do have a bit of a problem." he said slowly. "The footage is amazing and I definetely want to use it in one of the upcoming episodes."

It was silent for some time and I realized I had to say something. "Okay, so what is the problem? Didn't Jacob signed a release form? "
"Yeah, he did. But the camera's weren't around during your fight." A fight, a fight? How is someone threatening one other a fight? In a fight you can at least talk back to the other.
"So, what do you want?" I had a feeling where this was leading to and it wasn't gonna be fun.
"I know this is a lot to ask from you right now but we need you to explain to the viewers what happened. I want you to play the fight with Jacob so we can use that footage before the apology, that way it's all clear."

My heart started racing again and I felt like someone kicked all the air out of my stomach. He couldn't be serious.
"You've got to be kidding me! Seriously Dylan no, I don't wanna see him ever again!"
Dylan sighed, probably he thought that I was being a pain in the ass right now but I didn't care. "I don't ever wanna see jacob again. Didn't I make myself clear this afternoon? I'm not doing it."
"Zac," Dylan's voice was soft and father-like "do I need to remind you that you signed the contract? I know that it's gonna be awkward for you and I'm sorry but you've got to do it."
"Contract my ass. No means fucking no! I could say in the voice-over what happened," I can always make something up, Dylan doesn't have to know. "What the hell Dylan, I thought we were making a reality show here, well I don't know but shouldn't a reality show be REAL?"

"You are mad" Dylan said, "and I get that. But this is still real. It's just, well we can't film you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. That's total madness! So sometimes we need to recap events that we missed on camera. Just to make it clear for the viewers." His tone got pleading, "come on Zac, you are the most popular one on the show. Please do it, for sake of Men Candy?"
"No!"
"Well, you signed the contract which means you have to do it, if you refuse you can be kicked off the show." Dylan was all business again.
"So?" I challenged him.
"So that means you need to pay back everything we invested in you, plus the salary you got and believe me, that's a lot of money."

I was furious, he had no right to ask me this, well ask? Demand is a better word. But he obviously did, and I simply didn't have a choice. What the hell did I sign up for?

"Fine, just tell me when and where."



To be continued...