SF Chapter 185: Oscar
Oscar day had finally arrived. Fully dressed for the ceremony, Dani headed into the kitchen just as Mischa and Lexi returned from the hairdresser.
"Whoa, look at you two," Dani said, walking over and running a hand across their robes.
Lexi immediately slapped his hand away. "Don't even think about getting any funny ideas, Dani. You're already completely dressed for the ceremony."
She shifted slightly to the side before glancing at her friend. "Mischa," she called.
Mischa had been a little distracted, admiring Dani. "Oh, yes."
"I was just admiring how incredible the Gucci tuxedo looks..."
Dani teased her. "Just admit you thought I looked sexy," he said, playfully nibbling her ear.
Mischa lightly pushed him away with both hands. "Lexi is right. Stop it, Dani. And you're gonna mess up my hair," she complained.
Lexi returned to fixing his clothes, paying particular attention to his tie. "We have all night after the party."
The two girls were only attending the Vanity Fair party - one of the main post-Oscar parties.
"You bet!" He grinned.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Mischa gave him an odd look. "Are you expecting someone today?"
Dani frowned and shook his head. "Not that I remember. My dad and Gloria are picking up Sis in a limousine... and I'll stop by my mom's house to pick her up."
He started toward the door. "Who could it be? Is Alan still annoyed?"
[Daniel commentary]
Sitting on his couch, Dani explained, "Here's the thing, after the Oscar ceremony, there's the real deal: the Vanity Fair party."
"After having to endure four hours of a ceremony, nothing's more fair than a party!"
"But Vanity Fair is very selective with its guest list," he continued. "So I managed to only get five extra names on the guest list."
"My friends got invitations on their own, and so did my parents and Gloria because of the studio."
"So the interested parties were: Phil, Sis, Haley, Mitchell, Cam, and Alan. Charlie declined since Lisa couldn't go - I didn't put her down as eligible... I like her, but the rest are family, and I've known Cam for years."
Dani concluded, "Alan was the 'lucky' one. Not only did he not get to go to the party, he even got to take care of the kids..."
[Commentary ends]
Dani opened the door and was immediately surprised.
"I'm back!" Prudence smirked, surrounded by several suitcases. "So, is there a little room for me here?"
"My dad's still annoyed at me because my boy is a playboy..." she added with a pout.
"Prudence!" Dani pulled her into an embrace. "Of course there is."
After kissing her, he grinned. "And you can pay your rent with your body."
"That'll be easy," she grinned back, "especially with you looking as dashing as you do right now."
"Prudence," Lexi scoffed. "You know the ceremony is today, right?" Even so, she stepped forward and gave her friend a light hug.
Mischa followed with one of her own.
"Yes, that's why I moved my trip up," Prudence said with a nod after hugging them.
She raised two fingers in a V sign. "I managed to graduate even earlier. The school was happy about it!"
"I can imagine why..." Lexi remarked. Prudence was basically the kind of troublemaker schools were happy to get rid of.
"Great!" Dani placed both hands on her waist. "But as much as I like you, Prudence, I'm still taking my sister to the Oscars."
"I told Lexi and Mischa the same thing when I got the news."
Prudence merely shrugged, completely unbothered. "I knew that. And I know you're a siscon, Dani," she teased.
"Hey," he exclaimed.
Turning to the other two girls, she explained, "It's a Japanese term, very common in manga. It means, like, a guy who has sister issues. Loves his sister too much. Sometimes, way too much..."
Dani grimaced. "Ew."
Mischa pulled a face as well. "Like incest? Jesus, who would want to read that?"
Dani ignored that when another thought suddenly occurred to him. "Oh, crap, the party! I need one more invitation now," he said, making a face.
"If you're talking about the Vanity Fair party, you don't need to worry about me, Dani," Prudence smiled. "I talked to Uncle David, and he got me one."
"What about the hairdresser and the other stuff?" Lexi asked.
"I already chose my dress, and I just need a hairdresser to give my hair a little touch-up," Prudence replied, dismissing her friend's concern.
"Wow, Prudence." Dani stared at her in amazement. "You're like one of those self-cleaning machines!"
Everyone chuckled.
Lexi went back to adjusting his tuxedo. "It's almost time, Dani."
"Huh, Lexi's still the best wife material among the three of us," Prudence joked.
Lexi gave her a flat look before answering, "That's for sure! Not that it's a big deal, competing against the two of you..."
"Heyy!" Mischa pouted, suddenly catching some unprovoked friendly fire.
The quartet continued teasing each other for a little while before Dani left for his mother's house and then headed to the ceremony.
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Already at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, where the Oscars were being held, Dani spotted his dad, Sis, and Gloria arriving and walked over to meet them.
"Whoa, you two look stunning," he said, complimenting both women.
"Ay, you also look like a Hollywood star, Dani," Gloria replied with a smile as she hugged him.
"Yeah," Claire agreed with a nod, sounding a little emotional.
Jay gave his son a pat on the shoulder before looking around. "Where's your mother?"
"She was proudly walking with me when we ran into a famous director. I kind of got shoved aside," Dani chuckled.
They chatted for a while until a reporter called from nearby, "Dani Harper, over here," trying to get his attention for an interview.
Dani walked over with his sister, the two arm in arm - just as he had been with his mother earlier.
"How does it feel to be the youngest screenwriter ever nominated for an Oscar?" the reporter asked.
"Hmm, it's incredible for me," Dani said with a normal answer.
Another reporter nearby, however, called out with a much bolder question.
"So, do you like them older, Dani?"
"Oh, I like it. But this one is too much!" Dani replied.
Claire, already making a face at the question, turned her head toward her brother.
"You need to make up your mind," he remarked. "Either you accept me saying I don't like them that old, or you'll have to accept it if I show up with someone your age."
"Because you'd absolutely judge me if I did!"
"He's my brother," Claire quickly clarified. "He's so funny, isn't he?" she said with a forced smile, giving his arm a few not-so-friendly smacks.
While they were still being interviewed and photographed, Gloria came over. "I want a photo too," she happily went toward their side.
"And this is our-" Claire began.
Dani finished for her. "Momi." Seeing his sister's expression, he immediately corrected himself. "New momi!"
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After walking around the ceremony for a while, meeting and being greeted by several well-known celebrities, Dani went to the bathroom.
On his way back, he approached an older man. "Mr. Spielberg, nice to meet you."
"Dani Harper, right?" Steven Spielberg asked before Dani even had a chance to introduce himself. "One of the people I wanted to talk to."
Dani raised an eyebrow.
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