Like a Star, page 18
Summer told Neverland how she would love to learn from the Sun, but she felt too small next to him. Neverland told her that it was okay to feel small next to someone with much more experience than her.
Actually, I’m happy you feel small only next to the biggest title you could earn in this industry. It means you are not intimidated by the other stars. You crave the light of the Sun. I think you should get closer to him. Joe is a friend of mine. He’ll be good to you.
He’s always nice, texted Summer. But he’s also very busy. I noticed he likes to sit alone in a corner of the left wing and read the script. I always want to ask him what he is looking for, because I bet he knows the whole play by heart.
Neverland laughed. Summer smiled at his text. She felt incredibly comfortable with this man she didn’t personally know. Ask him, Summer. It’s okay to feel small as long as you have the will to grow, he wrote. My advice to you is: the closer you get to those who are big, the bigger you’ll become.
Summer felt warmth in her chest when she read that. Neverland had awoken feelings she couldn’t name. But they felt good. They gave her peace.
Feel big, Summer, become big and dare to cross that door. I will be waiting on the other side.
Neverland couldn’t know how that simple sentence motivated Summer to the core.
I will be waiting for you.
For her, this was a promise, a mission. The consequence of becoming a star. Somewhere in all their texting, a dream had awoken inside her. A dream of sharing the stage or the camera with Neverland. Knowing the day would come when she’d meet the man who believed in her potential was probably her most precious thought.
The SAG Awards were approaching.
Summer noticed the stars were getting affected by the Sun’s talent and they were doing better and better with each rehearsal. But she also noticed Joe was seeking more time alone. He was isolating himself in the dark corner of the left wing. Because of her chores, she was one of the few people who needed to pass frequently by the left wing. She was getting used to seeing him sitting there when he was not on the stage.
So, when she didn’t see him there or on the stage, curiosity filled her, and she sat there in his place. She got the script as well. And she knew the whole play by heart. She loved it, especially the character Dulcinea. She hadn’t told Neverland, but lately in her dreams she was performing Dulcinea’s scenes with Joe’s Don Quixote.
Her heart skipped a beat when the Young Sun sat next to her and asked about that particular act. Scene five, the one when Don Quixote vowed to protect his lady. For a moment Summer forgot how to breathe. Her body wanted to run away, and her shyness was reaching new levels of idiocy. But the look in his eyes helped her regain her composure. She had so many things to say about that scene.
“I think that is the beginning of Don Quixote’s quest,” she told him. Joe’s look didn’t change one bit. She couldn’t tell if she was right or wrong.
“What is your name?” he asked, his voice smooth. She had paid attention to the sound of his voice because it amazed her how different his real voice was from his Don Quixote voice.
“Summer…” she muttered. His intense gray eyes were fixed on her. It was impossible to look away. Those eyes gave back to her something she thought she had lost. She felt seen. Completely appreciated by the one looking at her.
“I’m Joe.”
“I know,” she said, then blushed. “I mean, hi Joe, umm, Mr. Sun.”
Joe laughed. Summer looked at him in wonder. He looked so approachable. He laughed like a kid and Summer got a déjà vu she couldn’t understand but it felt warm inside. The melody of his laughter made her smile.
“Joe,” he said kindly. “Nice to meet you, Summer.”
They looked at each other in silence for a while. Their minds were unaware of their bond, but their souls recognized each other. Without words, just by talking with their eyes, they traveled back years ago to a cold winter day in Chicago when, just by sitting next to a little Summer, he lit up her dark world with fireworks.
Fireworks.
That was exactly what she felt when Joe Starlex sat next to her and called her by her name.
“I agree with you,” the Young Sun broke the silence after what felt like hours just staring at each other’s eyes. “Don Quixote was born in Alonso Quijano’s heart before, but it’s Dulcinea who gives purpose to his quest. She sparked the flame inside him.”
Summer was listening attentively. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening. He was sharing his thoughts about his character with her.
“A character needs a purpose in order to move forward. Much like we humans do. A man with no purpose is not fun to watch.”
“So, Don Quixote’s idealism, his quest, is about…”
“Love,” said Joe. “He is moved by the purest form of love.”
J.K. Wales called him to the stage. The Young Sun gave her a warm smile before leaving. She watched in awe as his body transformed the moment he set foot on the stage. That is the aura of an actor, Summer thought. A person capable of being anyone they need to be.
And that was the first time Summer talked to the Sun. She admires him, she understood as she was touched by his performance. What she couldn’t understand was the fireworks singing inside her. Her heart was racing, and she couldn’t tell if it was because of his excellent acting or because she was remembering the sound of her name in his lips.
The next day Summer heard Sophia Draxl, the actress playing Dulcinea, and Jacob King, the actor playing Sancho, talking about how Joe was repressing himself. She didn’t understand what they meant until later that day. All this time Summer was sure he had done perfectly. Apart from Shonny Faith’s Feline performance, she hadn’t seen anyone as good as Joe’s Don Quixote.
But she hadn’t seen anything yet.
Three days before the SAG, in the middle of the best rehearsal Summer had seen so far, J.K. Wales stopped everything and told Joe that it was time to meet Don Quixote.
The stars, as if they knew what was going to happen, stepped down off the stage. The Elite got excited as they walked out of the stage, anticipation running through their veins. Summer didn’t understand what was happening, but she could feel that it was something big that everybody had been earnestly waiting for.
“Come, Summer.” Suray held her hand and took her to the right wing where most of the Elite had gathered.
“What’s going on?” she asked. “The play was going perfectly…”
“Shhhh,” Clarissa cut her off. “Shut up, freak. The Sun is finally going to show his real talent.” She stared at him with dreamy eyes as if she was contemplating something divine.
The main cast went down to sit next to the director. But J.K. went up to talk to Joe personally. Joe was himself; Summer could tell. A twenty-two-year-old genius actor dressed as an old thin knight, but not even all that professional makeup would cover his good looks. That was what all the girls were thinking until the moment Joe Starlex was left alone on the stage.
“Show us, Joe,” said the director once he sat next to his cast. “Scene twelve,” he ordered.
The lights shone on the Young Sun and naturally, totally effortlessly, just like magic, the transformation began.
Scene twelve was Don Quixote’s monologue and musical solo. Summer had seen it a hundred times—it was her favorite part of the whole play. The first time she saw Joe perform it, she thought he was at his best. She hadn’t imagined he could do even better. All this time he had been the best actor on stage, but apparently that wasn’t even half of his potential.
Summer could only think of Shonny Faith’s otherworldly performance.
The Sun has it too, she thought as electricity ran down her spine. Joe Starlex was no more. The moment he opened his eyes, his extraordinary presence consumed the stage, and when he talked his aura consumed the whole Majestic Theater.
So, this is the Young Sun, Summer thought, watching as the lights played tricks on her eyes, making her see a pair of magnificent wings on the back of the actor. In that moment, everybody in that room was watching the real Don Quixote of La Mancha.
Summer cried.
When the Sun finished his monologue and the stage went black, Joe received a standing ovation from the Elite and everybody who was watching from the wings.
“And that is nothing yet,” said Clarissa, clapping nonstop. “Wait until you see him on opening night.”
Summer was clapping as well. She had been moved to tears by his performance and had engraved it deep into her soul. Suray and Carol Marie were moved to tears as well. It was easy to empathize with Don Quixote’s idealism when you were an artist trying to make your dreams come true.
Summer wondered what it would feel like to act alongside this extraordinary actor. What kind of performance could you reach by acting next to him?
“It might be hard being an actor…” murmured Carol Marie. Summer looked at her, skeptical. “I mean,” she continued, “if I were an actress, I would be scared to get on the stage after him… I mean, I will surely be…”
“Overshadowed,” added Suray. “Yeah, I feel the same too.” Summer understood then. Those who achieved the title of Sun and Moon could not, by any means, be considered ordinary people.
Lionel was in the public that day. Summer had been seeing him a lot, for he came in place of Frank to see the play’s progress. Most of the time, he waited for Summer. He liked to take her home, and when he got the chance, he invited her to eat. Summer had become used to his company and considered him a friend.
Having the Devil’s right hand as your friend was to have a powerful ally. To Clarissa’s horror, the Elite were forced to be nice to her in his presence. Summer enjoyed the change of attitude, especially because she knew it was a painful act on their part. What really surprised her was the intimately close relationship Lionel had with the Sun. Usually, Lionel was a very serious and intimidating man and Joe was an enigmatic, charming character, but together they were different people.
That night, Joe and his manager Thomas came to dine with them. Joe noticed Lionel was leaving with Summer and suddenly tagged along. Watching the Young Sun, the man who merely an hour ago magically brought a legendary character to life, tease the Devil’s right-hand man was like watching a scene from a comedy movie. It was a little bit surreal to have dinner with two of the most powerful tycoons of Starland in a very high-class restaurant.
“They are childhood friends,” Tom told her as the two boys were laughing together.
Summer looked at them in awe. When she thought of childhood friends, Matt’s annoyingly smug face came to mind. But Joe’s and Lionel’s laughter brought back other kinds of memories. Memories of an abandoned theater and a group of boys that she had treasured so much they kind of seemed like a distant dream now.
“So, Lio,” said Joe Starlex in a casual tone, “I didn’t know you were on such friendly terms with the storyteller.”
“The storyteller?”
“That’s what Jazz calls you,” Lionel replied quickly. Joe laughed at him, and Lionel blushed. “Well,” he added, regaining his composure, “I do have strict orders from Frank to take care of her.”
“And that’s it?” said Joe, who was paying attention to Summer’s facial expressions. Lionel was oblivious that his cold words could be harmful. Joe’s tone warned him to be careful.
“I do enjoy her company as well. I have no doubt Summer is going to be a splendid actress.”
Summer smiled. She was beginning to feel out of place, but hearing that Lionel enjoyed her company calmed her down.
“You are not the only one, it seems,” said Tom. “I’m pretty curious as well. I didn’t get the chance to watch your audition, but I heard the tales about that day.” Summer was blushing. “You liked it, right, Joe?”
Joe Starlex was eating when he got hit by the question. Summer immediately turned to him. The Sun watched her audition? He was there? She knew Lionel was there, with Jazz and Frank and… her sponsor? Lionel wasn’t allowed to talk about him. She had tried before to ask him about Neverland, but the only answer she got was that he was a well-established actor.
“It was a very impressive interpretation of Feline,” the Sun said in his smooth voice. Her heart skipped a beat when she met his silver eyes and she believed what the most talented actor in the world was saying about her. For some reason, she wanted to cry. But she heard something that destroyed the beautiful bubble she was living in. A voice that dragged her back to reality in the cruelest possible way.
Just a few tables ahead of them, Matt Carter was sitting with the superstar Alexandra Wood. Summer couldn’t see Matt’s face, but she could never mistake the sound of his presumptuous voice.
Feeling nauseous, she went to the restroom.
Inside, she lost her composure. She definitely didn’t want to cross paths with Matt now. If she got to choose, she’d rather not see him until she’d become a bigger star than him. She hated the person she was when she thought of Matt. He brought out the worst in her. Emotions so dark she didn’t know she had them. She tried to think of what excuse she could make in order to leave before them. They were in the middle of the meal, what were the odds that Matt would see her? Would he recognize her? He probably wouldn’t look at her since the Sun was sitting at the same table.
She chose a bad time to go back to her seat. The moment she sat down, Alexandra Wood stood up to greet the Sun. She was the same age as him and Summer recalled they might have acted together on Broadway when they were younger. Alexandra was one of the most popular singers in America. A beautiful African American from a family of famous musicians. She’d begun her career as a child-actor and then decided to focus solely on music, but recently she had returned to the cameras.
“Hi Joe. Long time no see, you,” she said casually as she approached.
“Alex, hi!” replied Joe.
Alexandra already knew Tom and Lionel; Joe introduced Summer as someone who was working with him on the SAG’s opening. He made it sound as if she was acting as well. Alexandra looked at her with curiosity. Summer didn’t know this, but it wasn’t common to see the Young Sun having dinner with a girl. Even if they were not alone.
Summer covered her face with the dessert menu as Matt approached. He introduced himself to Joe and the rest as he stood confidently next to Alexandra Wood. Tom knew who he was because of Tamarah, his manager. Lionel also knew who he was, but that was because as the Devil’s right-hand man he ought to know every star in Starland. To Lionel, Matt was another number in his database. But he was also aware of his connection to Summer; he had met his parents, after all. Lionel watched Summer carefully. She was covering her face; her hands were sweating, and you could feel her discomfort from miles away. But the singer wasn’t bothering to look at anyone apart from the Sun. Joe, on the other hand—and this made Summer enjoy the moment to the fullest—was clueless about him. He didn’t know who that arrogant brat was, and Matt was confident enough to assume the Sun would have known about him. Summer was fighting the laughter bubbling up inside her. Joe Starlex became her new hero, and by the time Alex and Matt went back to their table, Summer was in an incredibly good mood. The guys assumed she liked the dessert. But Lionel began to wonder what kind of current relationship she shared with the Milky Way star.
Things went fine, Summer thought as they were getting ready to leave.
She got the chance to see Matt’s megalomaniac ego get crushed by the Sun’s honest light. She was right before; Matt didn’t even bother to look at her. He didn’t see her, didn’t feel the need to look at anyone apart from the Sun. Summer, for once, was thankful for his self-centered and rotten personality.
But nothing could be that perfect for that long. The moment she stepped out of the restaurant, she was recognized by Tamarah, who called her name. Summer was fast and acted as if she hadn’t heard her, but deep inside she knew she had been discovered by Matt’s manager.
She entered Lionel’s car with Joe and Tom, and they left. But Summer couldn’t forget Tamarah’s voice calling her. And that made her realize how much she didn’t want to deal with Matt. Not now when she had a wonderful life of her own. Not now when she had finally found a dream to follow. Not now when she was actually happy.
ACT 22
Joe was playing the piano. It had been a long time since his own melody filled his house. Tinker Bell was lying next to him. She loved when he played music. Because of his job as an actor, Joe had to cultivate different skills for his characters. Piano and basketball were his favorites.
Truth be told, Joe was happy.
He wasn’t thinking about why. He was just enjoying the feeling as the music filled him. His phone vibrated and he smiled. It was the text he had secretly been waiting for. Lately, Joe paid a lot of attention to his phone. Last year he’d even considered not having one, as he believed they were a distraction and he never had time to waste. But texting with his sweet protégé made him appreciate the small machine.
Summer was telling him about the Sun—about himself. She was very happy the Sun had talked about Don Quixote and Dulcinea with her. It was a funny sensation writing about himself without telling her he was the Young Sun. But it was wise not to.
Plus, Joe liked to be Neverland. It kind of reminded him of his childhood.
At first, he was against the idea of sponsoring an aspiring actress. And he was probably right, it wouldn’t have been a good idea if the candidate was anyone else but Summer. The thing was, Frank was right: Summer was special. Just how special, he was really looking forward to seeing.
Texting with Summer had become part of his routine. It became as normal to him as locking himself inside his private theater. And by that, I mean that he really liked this new part of his life.
