AN: Lacking Powerstone guys. Dropped down from the top 20 even after the bonus chapter lol. Help me get up in the rankings.
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The girl stepped fully into the room, brushing a strand of short brunette hair behind her ear as she caught her breath. A few heads turned, some curious, some already recognizing her.
Willa Holland.
In his past life, Jack had seen her popularity as Thea Queen from Arrow, sharp, emotional, memorable. Here, she carried a different kind of presence. Not unknown, not exactly a household name either. Somewhere in that middle ground where people recognized her face but still had to think for a second.
Jack's eyes widened for a split second before he quickly looked back down at his script like it had suddenly become the most important document in the world.
'Oh. That's Willa Holland.'
His grip tightened slightly on the page.
'Okay. Stay normal. You've seen famous people before. This is fine. Totally fine.'
He dared another glance up.
"Sorry again," Willa said once again, adjusting the strap of her bag. "Traffic was a nightmare, and then I got pulled over for apparently 'rolling through a stop sign,' which I absolutely did not do."
A few quiet laughs circled the room as the tension broke.
The assistant director waved it off. "You're good. We're just getting started. Grab a seat."
Willa nodded and stepped further inside, her eyes scanning the table for an open spot.
Jack felt his heartbeat pick up slightly. 'Please don't sit here. Please don't sit here. Please don't sit here.'
She walked straight toward him.
'Of course she's sitting here.'
The empty chair beside Jack was the closest available, and she pulled it out without hesitation before dropping her bag lightly to the floor.
She sat down next to him.
Jack kept his eyes on the script, pretending to read the same line for the fourth time. 'Okay. Say something normal. Just say hi. People say hi all the time. It's not hard.' He thought.
As for why he was nervous, the reason was simple. He has a big kissing scene with her and it will be his first kiss on screen before cameras and people. So, of course, he was nervous as hell and a little bit excited.
He didn't say anything.
Willa placed her script on the table and exhaled quietly, still recovering from the rush. She turned her head slightly toward him. 'That's him. Okay. This is the guy. Looks handsome and younger than me.'
She studied him for a second.
'He looks calm. Why does he look calm? Is he calm? He better not actually be calm.' Willa thought.
Jack finally glanced sideways at her.
"Hey," he said, keeping his voice casual. "Rough morning?"
Willa let out a small laugh, grateful for the normal opener. "You could say that. I think the cop just wanted an autograph and didn't know how to ask."
Jack smiled. "That's one way to do it."
There was a brief pause.
Both of them knew it.
'Okay. This is the moment where it gets awkward.' Willa rested her elbows lightly on the table, tapping her fingers once against the script. "So," she said, tilting her head slightly, "you're Jack."
He nodded. "Guilty."
She gave him a small, curious smile. "I've heard a lot about you already."
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Good things, I hope."
She shrugged lightly. "Mixed. Mostly curiosity. Some skepticism."
Jack nodded slowly. "That sounds about right."
Another small pause slipped in.
'Do I bring it up? No. Don't bring it up. Why would I bring it up on our first meet?' Jack thought. His hands were kinda sweating.
Willa looked down at her script, flipping it open. 'He knows. Of course, he knows. There's no way he doesn't know. But why the hell am I getting this nervous all of a sudden? Is it because he's younger than me?'
Her fingers stopped on one particular page.
The scene.
She cleared her throat lightly.
Jack noticed the page number without trying.
Same scene.
'Yep. We're both thinking about it.' He leaned back slightly in his chair, keeping his tone relaxed. "First table read nerves?"
'Not just that.' Willa looked at him, then smiled faintly. "Something like that."
'Not just that either.' Jack nodded. "Yeah. Same."
Matthew leaned over from the other side, breaking the tension without realizing it. "You two look like you're about to take an exam."
Jack let out a quick breath of relief and chuckled. "Feels like one."
Willa laughed softly. "Yeah. High stakes exam."
Matthew tapped the table with his script. "Relax. Worst case scenario, we all mess up together."
Thomas added from across the table, "That's the spirit. Collective failure builds character."
The room filled with light laughter again, easing the atmosphere.
Willa leaned back slightly in her chair and glanced at Jack again, this time a little more relaxed. 'Okay. He's normal. That's good.'
Jack caught the look and gave a small smile. 'She's normal too. Also good.'
For a moment, the awkward edge softened. Then both of them looked down at the same page again: The kiss scene.
'Okay. Not thinking about it. Not thinking about it.'
The assistant director clapped her hands once.
"Alright, everyone. Let's begin from page one."
Everyone lifted their scripts and adjusted their chairs.
Jack straightened slightly, his focus snapping into place.
Willa did the same, her fingers steadying on the page.
The assistant director glanced down at her copy. "Alright, let's start from the top."
Matthew leaned forward a little, already slipping into character with an ease that made it look effortless. His voice carried a familiar rhythm, relaxed and confident, drawing a few smiles from around the table as he read the opening lines.
Jack followed along closely, eyes scanning each line before it came up. He adjusted his posture without thinking, shoulders squaring, attention locked in. The nerves were still there, sitting quietly in the background, but they were no longer in control. 'Just focus on the lines. One scene at a time.'
Leslie joined in next, her tone warm and natural, blending smoothly into the flow. The dialogue started to build, each actor adding their part, the room slowly transforming from a group of people reading pages into something that felt closer to a real story.
Willa sat beside Jack, her voice calm when her turn came. It wasn't loud or overdone, but it carried clearly, with just enough emotion to feel real without forcing it. She didn't overplay anything, which made her lines land better.
Jack noticed it without looking at her. 'She's good. Natural.'
He stayed focused, waiting for his cue.
When his turn came, his voice came out steady, confident, carrying just enough energy to match the younger version of Mike without overdoing it. A couple of heads lifted slightly from their scripts.
Matthew glanced sideways for a brief second, then nodded once, almost to himself.
'Okay... Kid's good.'
The read-through continued, scene by scene. Jokes landed, timing adjusted, and a few lines got quick notes from the assistant director. Thomas threw in a slightly exaggerated delivery at one point, earning a round of laughter that broke the rhythm for a moment before they got back on track.
Jack relaxed more with each page. The earlier tension in his shoulders faded as the character settled into place. He stopped thinking about how he sounded and started focusing on how Mike felt.
Across from him, Tyler leaned into his role with easy humor, playing off the lines in a way that made the friendship dynamic feel believable even in a simple read.
Time passed more quickly than expected.
Then it happened.
The pages shifted.
Jack felt it before he even looked.
He turned one more page.
There it was.
The scene.
His fingers paused for half a second on the edge of the paper.
Beside him, Willa also slowed slightly, her eyes scanning the same lines. 'Here we go.'
The assistant director didn't hesitate. "Let's keep going."
The scene built naturally, starting with light dialogue. Jack kept his voice steady, staying in character, focusing on the emotional setup rather than what he knew was coming.
Willa matched him line for line, her tone soft but clear, letting the moment develop instead of rushing it.
Matthew took the role of Dom and Coach since the actors weren't present for the rehearsal. And the assistant director too the role of the narrator, explaining the actions.
---[Script:
MIKE
Who's that stone cold fox? Oh,
it's my girlfriend.
(walks over)
I'm glad you're here, Scar. This
whole scout thing's got me wicked
nervous.
Dom dribbles past, smiles at Scarlet.
DOM
I'm dedicating my first basket to
you, Scarlet.
MIKE
Way you shoot that might be mid-
season!
(to Scarlet)
Everything cool?
She smiles nervously, lies...
SCARLET
Oh yeah. Everything's totally
copacetic.
MIKE SCARLET
Totally? Totally.
REFEREE blows the whistle.
COACH HARVEY
Let's go! Remember, Boys, winners
get the girls. Losers please
themselves!
MIKE
(to Scarlet)
Excellent. Gotta run.
He kisses her cheek, starts off, turns back-
MIKE (CONT'D)
What's wrong?
LONG SHOT: We hear nothing but see Mike's body deflate. He
steps away from Scarlet towards center court.
Muffy and her friends mock Ed and laugh hysterically
ED
Do you really think Muffy's in to
me?
Mike, in a daze walks right past Ed. Takes his place for the
jump ball. The Crowd stomps and cheers LOUDLY.
The Ref is about to toss the ball. Mike looks up at the
stands, sees a crushed Scarlet heading for the exit. Mike's
torn. Play or go after her. He goes after her.
COACH HARVEY
Where you going!? O'Donnell!?
INT. FITCH SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL/TUNNEL - NIGHT
Mike rushes in.
MIKE
Scar! Wait.
She turns, slumps against the wall.
Mike catches up to her.
Mike leans in and kisses Scarlet.
---
The assistant director read the stage direction out loud.
"And then they kiss."
Silence.
Not long. Just a second.
Long enough.
Jack felt every person at the table still for that brief moment. It wasn't dramatic, but it was noticeable.
He kept his eyes on the page.
Willa did the same.
Then Matthew cleared his throat lightly from the other side. "Very professional," he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for a few people to hear.
A couple of quiet chuckles followed.
The tension broke instantly.
Jack took a deep breath, a small smile forming despite himself.
Willa let out a soft breath too, her shoulders relaxing a fraction. 'Okay. Not as bad as I thought.'
They moved on.
The rest of the scene continued without interruption. The emotional tone shifted, dialogue carried forward, and the story kept moving as if nothing had happened. Then there was some dialogue improv on the spot to make certain scenes more natural.
But something had changed.
The edge was gone.
By the time they reached the next scene, Jack was fully settled. His lines came easier now, his reactions more natural.
Willa leaned back slightly in her chair. 'He didn't make it weird. Good.'
Jack glanced at her for a split second before looking back at his script. 'Yeah. This is going to be fine. It's just a kiss. Why the hell am I thinking this too hard? Haley's gonna freak out. Shit! She's the one I should be worrying about. How do I break the news to her?'
The table read continued, voices overlapping in rhythm, the story taking shape one line at a time.
...
[2 PM]
The table read wrapped up on a steady note, the last few lines landing without any major stumbles. Chairs shifted as people stretched, scripts closed, and conversations picked up all over the room.
Jack leaned back for a second and exhaled slowly. 'That went better than I expected.'
Matthew gave him a quick pat on the shoulder as he stood up. "Told you. No one died. Always a good sign."
Jack smirked. "I'll take survival as a win."
Willa gathered her script beside him, glancing his way for a brief moment. "You did good," she said casually, like it wasn't a big deal.
Jack nodded once. "You too. Felt natural."
She gave a small smile before turning to talk to one of the assistants, leaving it at that.
The next part moved quickly. Wardrobe assistants came in with measuring tapes, calling people one by one. Jack stood still while one of them took his measurements, arms slightly out as numbers were read out and written down.
"Chest… shoulders… inseam…"
Within minutes, it was done. Jack grabbed his backpack again and stepped out into the hallway, following the general flow toward the food area.
Lunch was already set up in a large open section. Long tables were filled with trays of pasta, grilled chicken, salads, bread, and many other options, plus drinks. The area was somewhat crowded. Most of the cast were just standing and eating, while the sitting area was almost empty.
Jack picked up a plate and went straight for the spaghetti and meatballs. He piled on a decent portion, grabbed a fork, and went to the sitting area. Hunger hit him the second he smelled the food. He found an empty spot and sat down.
"Finally," he muttered under his breath before taking a big bite.
That was when he saw her.
Willa was walking in his direction, plate in hand, scanning the table for a spot.
Jack froze for half a second mid-chew. 'She's just having lunch. Relax. Not everything is about you.'
He looked down at his plate and took another bite like nothing was happening.
Willa stopped near the same table. For a second, it looked like she might walk past him.
She didn't.
Instead, she stopped a few feet away, shifting her plate to one hand.
"Mind if I sit?" She asked.
----
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