CEDAR CREEK SERIES

Dylan:

“It Girl Dylan Daniels seen leaving the club last night with another mystery man, is it over for her and Carter Mason? And if it is, hey Carter I’m single! Hit that follow button and I will keep you up to date on all of the details as they come out!” I was scrolling through TikTok and yet another creator who was talking about my relationship for clout. I was constantly a topic of conversation between TikTok and tabloids, which I happened to find hilarious because the actual story is way less juicy. 

Dylan: You home?

Carter: On my way over Princess.

Carter lived accross the hall from me which made keeping apperances easier. of our fake relationship. We were best friends and nothing more but letting the public think we were a couple was easier. We didn’t lie, but our publicist just said never to commit to an answer either way. It was easy to assume since we were always together and it’s not that we weren’t flirty but there was no spark. We went on a date once and it was friend vibes instantly but we were both new to LA so we just kept texting and hanging out and 3 years later we are everyone’s favorite couple. It makes it difficult for the people we actually date sometimes, but it lets our actual private life stay private. Neither of us had a relationship last more than a few months, Carter had too many groupies and got bored easily and I just never got the same spark as my childhood crush. It worked well except on the nights we’re not so careful, then we have to do “damage control” before Monique blows our phones up. 

“How was your night?” Carter asked plopping into my bed and his eyes stopped on my Mr. Rabbit sitting on my night stand. “Oh no princess Dylan that bad?”

“It wasn’t ‘bad’ it just wasn’t that good.” I said rolling my eyes. The model I went home with last night was fast and rough and couldn’t find a clit no matter how many times I put his hand on it. It was just never as good as how I imagined it would’ve been if Jax didn’t say no to me.

“You know Dylan, if you’re ever in a bind I’m right accross the hall,” he winked at me. I smacked him and rolled my eyes again.

“Wanna go to Starbucks with me?” I got up and started finding clothes.

“Are we going out to be photographed or are we just getting coffee?” Sometimes we had to make nice for the people watching us. We weren’t crazy famous we were C list at best but I think we intrigued people more by our coyness.

“Well I’m sure Monique is pissed about me being photographed last night so America’s Sweethearts need to go make nice with the public before she skins me alive.” I headed to the bathroom and changed.

Monique Maines was Carter and I’s publicist and she was convinced that us being the IT couple would only be good for our careers. Any time either of us was photographed talking to someone else, which wasn’t often but often enough she hated us for it, she lost her shit. If our careers tanked, so did hers. Carter was a professional baseball player but he also did modeling in college. He knew he would never be getting max contracts so he hired Monique to make him the ultimate brand. He has more brand deals than I can keep track of and he does commentating in his off time, his retirement plan is set.

There’s a Starbucks around the corner from our apartment building where paparazzi are always hanging out. We walk in holding hands, keeping our heads down but after we order we sit by the window and make sure we’re laughing and playing our parts. If baseball ever failed Carter he could be an actor, he makes America believe he is in love with me. Twenty minutes later there’s a picture on Instagram of Carter pushing my hair behind my ear. ‘All is Well in Paradise as Carter Mason and Dylan Daniels Are Seen Out in L.A.’ 

“We still going to that movie premiere tonight?” Carter asked as we walked into my apartment. “I don’t have a work out tomorrow so we should be good to go.”

“Yup. Now that Flawless has been canceled I may have to start doing cheesy rom coms to keep my career afloat.” Flawless had been my TV show that lasted 3 seasons but had been pulled since my costar Jace Mathews could never get his head out of his ass. Last season he cost the studio so much money just from pure lateness, crashing his car into the side of the building, and all the bad press that followed him, they said we were done. 

“Or maybe you should take that break you’ve been wanting. You don’t have any projects right now right?” It was true, I had nothing filming this summer but that was also because I had been blowing off auditions. 

“Don’t remind me. Monique is going to be all over my ass tonight.”

“Well you could always just be my trophy wife. She would love to market you as an MLB wife, get you a bunch of brand deals.” He wasn’t wrong, any time we did an ad together it did WAY better than either of us on our own. Although he wouldn’t like it when I became the MLB Allison Kuch, and he became Mr. Daniels. 

“I could never marry you! Have you seen how disgusting your bathroom is?” I said hitting him with a pillow. 

“You’ll find work, enjoy the break and come party with me. I gotta go to the gym but I’ll see you at 7.” He kissed my forehead and went next door to his apartment. 

I wish I didn’t have to worry. I wasn’t actually worried about finding work, I was getting a lot of offers for parts lately without even auditioning. I was worried that this isn’t what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. I did a few movies in between seasons of the show but it was getting harder and harder to play a high schooler which is primarily what I’m wanted for. I know a lot of actresses who do it up until 25 but I was over it. The only problem is I don’t know what else I would do if I quit acting. 

Getting ready for the red carpet was actually a ton of fun but it took literally forever. I liked getting glammed up and having someone else do my makeup. It was like getting to be a princess for a day. I’m only a B list actress so tonight wasn’t about me, but I still had to play the part if my career was ever going to explode. I needed to smile at the right people and make nice with casting directors. Tonight was just as much an audition as going to a casting room. 

“Dylan. Dylan. Dylan.” I tried to look where my name was being called but I couldn’t stand red carpets. It was the same meaningless questions and the same judgy faces about what dress I was wearing and how my hair was done, and Carter was more famous than me anyways, so he usually just soaked up the attention. It entertained him way more than it did me. If I could avoid them I would, strategically I liked going down right after big stars so I could slip through the cracks. 

“Dylan, are the rumors true that you’re cheating on Carter?” Carter was holding my hand dragging me through as quickly as possible but we had to get photographed so hopefully someone would print something positive about us. We knew the game and Carter played it well, I was lucky to have him as my best friend.

“Would I be here if they were?” Carter asked, kissing my cheek and putting an arm around my waist.

“The pictures that are out there have been taken out of context. Carter and I have a close group of friends and my so-called new boyfriend is a mutual friend who was just making sure I got home okay.”

“Who are you wearing?”

“What are you going to do now that Flawless has been canceled?”

“Is your career over?”

“You haven’t done a movie in over a year, why is that?”

“Hey Dylan.” Jace came over and put his arm around my shoulders and leaned into my ear. “Should we give the paparazzi something to talk about tomorrow?”I felt his breath on my neck and all the hairs on the back of my neck stood up I immediately couldn’t focus on anything else going on. 

Carter noticed my sudden mood changed and pulled me away from Jace with a smile and nod in his direction. He steered me away from the flashes and the questions and into the premiere party. We mingled around the room, we really were the idealistic couple. Too bad the thought of kissing him would be like kissing a brother. His shaggy blonde hair and beach boy bod went very well with my fiery red hair and we were both too tall. Our kids would be unstoppable. 

“You good?” he was so confused at my sudden mood change. “You look like you’re going to faint, do we need to leave?”

“No, I just need some water. Do you mind?” he squeezed my hand and headed to the bar. 

I thought I was in the clear from the stress of it all when my publicist cornered me, she was always trying to change something, and her favorite term was “damage control.” We were always controlling some sort of damage, I was walking talking damage so at least she had job security.

“What were you thinking?” she screeched. “You cannot get photographed partying with anyone other than Carter. Are you trying to ruin the sweet good girl image we’ve spent three years building?” she scolded me as she pulled me into an empty corner.

“It’s really not that big of a deal Monique, besides I’m not a sweet good girl and I’m sick of acting like one. I don’t want to act 24/7.” Monique insisted that I be the southern belle, she also insisted that I never claim I’m from South Carolina, I lose my thick drawl and never wear boots out in public. “We were photographed this morning, we came here together looking as in love as ever. It will blow over.”

“Well when you start working again you can decide what your new image can be. And whatever that was with Jace knock it off. You do not need his bad press rubbing off on you. You have a ton of auditions when your show stops filming and you need to nail them or all you’ll ever be is Carter Masons girlfriend who had a tv show once.” She wasn’t wrong, I was recognized more often as Carter’s girlfriend than Dylan Daniels. 

“I know. I’m sorry. You’re really good at your job but I don’t even know that I want to keep acting. LA isn’t what I want anymore.” I had kind of thought that my show being canceled was a blessing in disguise. I was an average actress, but I didn’t have passion for it. I fell into it by accident. I just wanted to do something bigger than be the girl from Cedar Creek. I was a big fish there and bored out of mind. 18 year old me never realized that meant I’d be a small fish everywhere else. But, I was still bored out of my mind. 

“Then move to New York but you have to keep working. Once you land a franchise then you can slow down and decide which auditions you take and which you don’t.” That was always her solution, ‘move to New York, go on Law & Order, but always keep working.’ 

“Sorry Monique, I need my girlfriend, but we’ll see you later.” Carter swooped in and steered me toward the doors. 

“Thank you,” I whispered into his neck clutching his jacket for dear life.

After the premiere we ended up at our favorite club. Instantly drunk girls were drooling, it didn’t matter that I was sitting five feet away. They knew we were ‘together’ and yet they would still hit on him. They did this to all the baseball players really. I’d seen girls wait for wives to go to the bathroom and then just walk up and grab a guy’s dick.

“Hey Dylan, martini from that guy over there.” The bartender handed me a drink and then nodded toward a male model that was sitting on the other end. I cheersed toward him and then took a drink. I wasn’t really a martini girl, but a drink was a drink. He took it as an invitation to come and sit by me.

“Your boyfriend is a douche. Making out right in front of you like that.” He gestured toward Carter in the corner making out with some groupie. “I’m Ryan.”

“Maybe. What if I’m a douche too?” I said putting my hand on his knee. He looked surprised, but only so. After all, he did send me a drink with my “boyfriend” five feet away. 

“I’m in town for a few days doing some photoshoots. Wanna take this to my hotel?” he asked.

“No. But thanks for the drink.” The last thing I wanted was another story and another model in my bed. I was tired, tired of it all.