Ch-109

Emma took in a deep breath before saying, "The problem is that I'm going on a trip with my dad's family during the same time you want me to shoot the film."

"You can go on a trip in September," Troy offered. "I will be going then as well. We can go together if your family doesn't want to."

"We've already made plans, Troy," Emma insisted.

"Please do this for me, Emma. I really need your help…"

Emma thought back to the conversation that led her to do the film called [The Perks of Being a Wallflower]. She didn't want to do it, but Troy had insisted again and again. When she talked to her mother about it, her mother said one thing: decide for yourself whether the film would be worth dropping the vacation plans.

After some thought, she decided that she wanted to do the film. If not for any other reason, then to make sure that she would be the one paired opposite Troy. A big part of her wanted to do a romantic movie with her boyfriend, and now that wish was about to be fulfilled. It would be so great!

Or so she had thought.

Troy was an absolute marvel of an actor and human being, and he showed his appreciation for her coming to shoot the film wholeheartedly. He personally helped her nail the American accent and even practiced all his scenes with her. The problem was that he wasn't the only person making the film.

On the first day of the shoot, she was just about to come out of her dressing room when she heard it.

"They're just milking all the [Harry Potter] fame in this film, getting Harry and Hermione together," a male voice was saying.

"Of course they are," a female replied. "Harmony is the most shipped couple in [Harry Potter] fanfiction. If only they'd thought of other things as well besides the popularity of the film. Emma is pretty, but more like kid-pretty. Not enough to make boys swoon. You know what I mean?"

"You mean flat?" the guy asked.

"That as well," the girl remarked. "And her acting is very… immature. It looks good in [Harry Potter], but this is an acting-heavy indie film that needs real acting chops."

Emma didn't want to hear them talk anymore, so she loudly opened the door to the dressing room and saw the faces of the two rapidly paling crew members. She knew she could have easily gotten them fired, but she didn't. In fact, she behaved as if she hadn't heard them at all. That is always the easier alternative when it comes to these things. She didn't like confrontations.

While outwardly she may have ignored their conversation, her mind couldn't move beyond their words. Was she really such a terrible actress?

Her thoughts reflected on her acting that day, and she kept making small mistakes again and again. It was rare for her to require so many retakes. Even while shooting [Harry Potter], the most retakes she had done for her acting were nowhere near what she had done in the very first scene of [Perks].

Troy tried to help boost her confidence, but it was too late by then. As days went by, she quickly realized that this role wasn't meant for her. Everyone on the set was a much better actor than her. Her insecurities grew more when she shot a scene with Lea Michele. All of Lea's scenes were passed in one or two takes, but Emma took upwards of five on average.

Her bad mood wasn't helped by the conversation she had with Lea.

"Don't you think Troy is hot?" Lea asked in between takes when Troy was with Chbosky, checking out the footage they had just shot.

"Sure," Emma said, acting nonchalant.

"Don't be coy," Lea egged her on. "I saw that Crocs ad of his, and he was hot as fuck in it. Don't tell me you wouldn't do him if you got the chance."

Emma shook her head in slight frustration. "I don't think he'd like that. I have a suspicion that he might be gay." While she said that mostly to dissuade Lea, there was a small feeling she had at the back of her head for quite a while. She had tried many times to take their relationship to the next level—not full-on sex, but anything beyond just kissing and holding hands. Whenever that happened, Troy would put his foot down, saying they were too young for it.

She had talked to Amelia, an older cousin of hers, about the issue. Amelia had told her frankly that many young boys are confused about their sexuality or are simply hiding it and using a girlfriend as a front. From that day on, Emma had been observing Troy very carefully. And there were some things she didn't like.

She had no doubt that he loved her dearly, as she did him, but maybe their love was more platonic than she thought.

"He's not gay," Lea burst Emma's bubble ruthlessly. "I saw him checking me out the day I auditioned for this role. Jonathan was also with me, and Troy didn't look at him at all. At least not the way he was looking at me." Lea sounded proud of the fact.

That stopped Emma in her tracks. If Troy wasn't gay, then why the fuck was he acting so shy of being intimate with her? Were those crew members right that she was too flat and kid-like to make boys swoon?

"Just imagine if I could get him to be my boyfriend," Lea continued, unaware of Emma's internal turmoil. "He's just so dreamy. And that body! God! I would literally kill someone to get him if I had to. Maybe I'll use our kissing scenes to show him how much I like him."

Emma couldn't counter her because that was the moment for them to begin shooting their next scene. Troy was oblivious to everything, and some part of Emma knew that it wasn't his fault that Lea kept bungling their kissing scene again and again so there could be more retakes. Yet, that didn't help her mood.

And then, the worst thing happened. Someone clicked her and Troy together and sold the photo to TMZ. If there was one thing that Emma wanted above anything else, it was her privacy. That was one thing Troy had taught her over the years—maintaining your privacy as a public figure was extremely important.

And now, her love life would become a topic of dinner table conversation worldwide.

She didn't want to snap at Troy, but she couldn't help herself. She was livid, and she didn't know whom to take out her anger on. Troy seemed like the most obvious scapegoat. She regretted her words soon, but by the time the realization hit her, she was already in her hotel room.

"It's okay, love," her mother rubbed her back softly. "You will be fine."

Emma didn't say anything, just went to bed, the events of the entire day swimming in her head. Hopefully, the media reaction wouldn't be as bad as she was expecting it to be.

(Break)

It was worse. Overnight, dozens of reporters and paparazzi surrounded all of their hotel entrances. As soon as Emma stepped out of the hotel, tens of cameras and mics were shoved in her face, each one shouting questions.

"Emma, is it true that Troy and you are a couple?"

"Don't you think you're too young for a relationship?"

"Who initiated this union? Was it you or Troy?"

Questions like these, and many more, were thrown at her in quick succession. From her media training for [Harry Potter], she knew that rapid questioning was a tactic used by reporters to confuse their targets and make them slip up. So Emma firmly kept her mouth shut and looked for an exit. Right, left, wherever she turned, more of those vultures appeared, ready to descend upon even the slightest hint of vulnerability.

Thankfully, security was quick to come to her rescue, keeping the vultures at bay as Emma and her mother were ushered into a car.

This wasn't the first time she'd been papped, but it was definitely the first time so many of them were there. Emma could only close her eyes tiredly as the reality of the situation dawned upon her.

"I'm so sorry, love," Jackie consoled her daughter lovingly. "I didn't want you to face this. That's why I was so hesitant about letting you date Troy."

"But I have to face it now," Emma said. "There's no other way."

"There is," Jackie said firmly. "It won't be easy, but you can do it. You know what I'm talking about."

As much as Emma didn't like it, she knew exactly what her mother was talking about.

(Break)

PixelWarrior77: Wait, hold up. Troy and Emma are dating?! TMZ just dropped a bombshell!

SereneDreamer: WHAT? Noooooo!! Troy was supposed to be mine! That wicked witch Hermione! This is insane!

QuantumFox: Can't believe it... Two of the biggest teen stars together? The internet is gonna explode! Harmony forever!

DarkMatter69: Called it. They've had too much chemistry in their interviews. No one smiles that much around just a "friend." Does it mean we can see Harry and Hermione also getting together?

FireStarter12: Don't know about that. But TMZ though? They get stuff wrong all the time.

LunaBliss: It wouldn't surprise me if it's true. They've been seen together a LOT lately. Plus, who wouldn't ship them?

NovaKnight: This is... unexpected, to say the least. If I didn't know any better, I'd say Troy needs something to stay in the news. First, it was the break-in, then that half-nude ad, and now this? I wonder if he's going to address it.

QuantumFox: You forgot the suit his bio-mom filed against his parents, which didn't even go to court.

SkyDreamer64: I mean, he's in the public eye 24/7. So anything that happens to him is reported quite enthusiastically. Btw, how do you keep something like this a secret? I feel bad for them, tbh.

GlitchInTime: They're both probably freaking out. Emma always seemed super chill, but this is gonna be everywhere. Poor gal.

ChillVibesOnly: I'm sure they'll handle it with their hundreds of millions worth of wealth. Talk about hogging all the money to yourself.

PixelWarrior77: The internet's already blowing up with phrases like Troyma and Harmony. People are way too invested in this relationship. Some ppl. smh. They are just kids!

QuantumFox: Oh, for sure. The shippers are gonna have a field day with this. But imagine the drama if they break up!

SereneDreamer: Yes!! Break them up right now! I want Troy for myself!

DarkMatter69: I wonder if this is just a PR stunt. You know how Hollywood is. "Let's date for a movie promo" type of thing.

FireStarter12: Could be. Though I'd like to think my Emma won't play those games. She's so cool.

LunaBliss: Yeah, Emma's always been genuine. If they're dating, it's real. And honestly, I'm here for it. They're cute together!

NovaKnight: Same. They'd be like Hollywood's new power couple. Both smart, talented, and drop-dead gorgeous.

SkyDreamer64: Power couple? They're not even 16 for God's sake! Who lives together forever at that age? Now they'll be forced to make this work with all this scrutiny on them. I hope the media doesn't eat them alive.

GlitchInTime: Facts. They should just be able to enjoy it without everyone watching their every move.

ChillVibesOnly: Agreed. But we all know how it goes. They're going to be on magazine covers for weeks now, making millions more.

PixelWarrior77: Wonder if this means we'll see them together at some big event soon. Red carpet moment, anyone?

QuantumFox: Oh yeah, can't wait to see the fan art that's definitely about to flood the internet.

DarkMatter69: Brace yourselves, the Troy and Emma fandom just entered a new era. I can't wait to see how much the Harmony fics will blow up on fanfiction.

(Break)

"We knew from the start that this would come out," Dad said over the phone. "It was inevitable."

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I have to like it," I whined like the moody teenager I was.

"That's life, son," Dad said sagely. "You can't always get what you want. Have you talked to Emma about your next step? It's been days since it came out."

"Not really," I confessed. "These last few days, ever since the news came out, she's been giving me the cold shoulder. We haven't talked about it at all. Actually, we haven't talked about anything at all except when we are filming. Her sole focus is on completing the film. I hate this feeling of being ignored."

Neither of us spoke for a few moments.

To ease the situation somewhat with the cast and the crew, I had told everyone on the set that Emma and I were just practicing our kissing scene when the paparazzi photographed us. That, combined with Emma's mood towards me, had almost everyone convinced it was true. Shooting had moved smoothly after that. The only difference was the increased security around to keep the paparazzi at bay.

Honestly, I didn't care what anyone thought about me. All I cared about was Emma. Her apathy towards the situation hit me like a speeding truck. Why was she ignoring me and the issue so blatantly? I had no idea.

"I guess I'll see you soon, son," Dad said.

"Yeah," I whispered before disconnecting the call.

I wanted to wreck something really bad, starting with the face of the asshole who clicked the photo of Emma and me. The picture in question was all over the internet and the tabloids by now. Despite it being taken late at night, the photo was clear as day, and it was obvious that the two teens kissing were Emma and me.

I knew a big part of the fault lay with me for kissing her in public, but I guess I'd gotten complacent. I was so used to kissing her casually after wrapping up the day's work, that it felt weirder not to do it. Not that I'd kissed her at all since the photo was leaked.

"Are you okay?"

I looked up to see Mila Kunis, who was playing the role of Candace, my sister in the film, standing there.

"Yeah," I said uncertainly.

"Don't worry, it'll all blow over," she said confidently. "I don't know or care if you're dating Emma or not, but I can tell you about me. When I started dating Mac, the media acted similarly. And now, no one cares about anything."

Mila Kunis had been dating Macaulay Culkin for the last two years, so her advice made sense.

"How long did it take for things to settle down?" I asked curiously.

She pondered over the question for a bit before saying, "A few months. Later, I found out we could've avoided all that ruckus if we had released a public statement. Since Mac and I kept our relationship status vague, everyone was eager to 'catch us red-handed'. If I could go back in time, I'd tell my younger self to shout it out to the world so they'd leave us alone."

"I'll keep that in mind," I nodded at her in gratitude for her advice. "Thank you."

"It was my pleasure," she smiled at me. "Are you ready to do our scene now?"

"Yes," I smiled back at her as we took our positions.

It didn't take long for Chbosky to call out, "Action!"

I moved over to the van where Mila was sitting in the back and said my line, "I just couldn't sit there any longer, so I got you some food in case you got hungry."

Sitting there, wearing an oversized jacket, Mila looked heartbroken. She sobbed quietly as she said, "You're such a nicer person than me."

"No," I shook my head slightly. "Don't say that. It's not true."

"I'm sorry I didn't let you eat lunch with me on your first day of high school." Her eyes were watery, and she couldn't control the tears from falling down her cheeks. Shame was evident on her face.

"No, it's okay," I said softly, bending down to her level beside the car. "How about you lay down and have some rest? Okay?"

Mila came forward and hugged me tightly. "Thank you, Charlie." She couldn't hold back her tears anymore. I rubbed her back softly and shushed her before letting her down gently onto the car seat. I kissed the top of her head before smoothing her hair back as she rested.

"Cut!" Chbosky called out. For a few moments, no one said anything because Mila and I were both still caught up in the emotions of the scene.

This was undoubtedly my favorite scene in the film and the book. In this scene, Charlie's sister gets pregnant by her boyfriend, and Charlie takes her to an abortion clinic without telling their parents. They have a tender brother-sister moment together. Unfortunately, in the original timeline, this scene was deleted for reasons that remain unknown to me. I wouldn't let that happen in this timeline.

It took me some time to regain my composure after that emotion-heavy scene. Eventually, I turned to Chbosky and asked, "So how was it? Do we need to redo it?"

"No," Chbosky hastily cleared his throat. "It was good. Let's move on."

Only then did I realize that many crew members were touched by the scene and were wiping their eyes.

I smiled inwardly. Still got it.

_____________________________________

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