Apex

15 | pride

JUNE 1 - 4

DAKOTA

Hollywood felt like a world away, but it followed me everywhere. Whether I was behind the camera on the set of Apex or dodging the influx of paparazzi on the island, I couldn't escape the reality that it was a part of me now. I could no longer be at war with my identity.

And so I threw myself into my work.

We were preparing to film a scene when the protagonist - Brenna's character - drowns. Though the scene was designed to occur in the ocean, it was going to be filmed in a large fish tank. There were a lot of technicalities to consider when filming a scene like this, intricate details that I was determined to incorporate. I refused to settle for anything other than perfect.

Brenna claimed not to be nervous, but I thought that was an act. While nothing out of the ordinary had occurred recently, we still feared that events from the screenplay might translate into reality. A drowning on Friday Island would have dire consequences; it would indicate that we were all heading into dangerous territory.

It was Monday evening when I found the time to take a break and stopped by the movie theater on Front Street. The lobby reeked of burnt popcorn, a telltale sign of a new employee, and I smiled to myself. That damn machine was my nemesis back when I first started working here. 

I located Syd at the ticket stand with Allix sitting in the chair next to him.

Technically, Allix wasn't allowed to be behind the ticket stand, but she was an exception to the rule. The reason for that was because the owner, a woman named Joan, happened to adore us. She was a cheerful woman in her sixties with a passion for film and dotting on her employees as though she was their fairy godmother. When we were in high school, she was constantly trying to hire Allix or serve her free food from the concession stand. Neither were ever accepted.

"Hey," I greeted and hated that I didn't immediately register why they were both wearing rainbow attire. Luckily, my confusion didn't last longer than a second. "Happy Pride Month."

Allix graced me with a radiant smile. "The first day is my favorite."

Syd, wearing his rainbow beanie like a crown, draped an arm around Allix's bare shoulders. "You'd tell us if we were bad allies, right?"

"Of course," she said. When she glanced up at me, her eyes lit up like sapphires catching in the sun. "I'm pretty sure I saved your poster from last year's Seattle Pride Parade. The one with all of the glitter."

"The same glitter that you sprinkled in my hair," I recalled, wrinkling my nose at the memory. "It wouldn't come out for a month."

"Tragic but festive."

"Can you proofread this?" Syd asked suddenly, sliding his phone in front of Allix.

It was a text message, but I couldn't make out the contact on the screen. There appeared to be a purple square emoji accompanying the name. It might have been one of the Zodiac signs.

"Don't be an idiot," Allix scolded after a beat, returning Syd's phone. "If you're going to ask her out, do it in person."

I stiffened, realizing that I was entirely out of the loop. I wouldn't flatter myself and think that I always had a handle on what was going on in my friends' lives, but I prided myself on being a quality confidante.

"Syd," I stated, feeling awfully needy. "Who's the girl?"

Syd threw his hands up in mock defense. "Jesus Christ, everyone needs to take a chill pill. For starters, I'm not asking Brenna out. I'm asking her to hang out. There's a difference."