"Action!"

John quickly exited the drugstore and walked at a fast clip down Hollywood Boulevard. There was a camera in front of him for the close up of his face, which was what they were shooting at the moment.

After they entered the shady part of the street, the director yelled, "Cut!" and John walked back to the drugstore so they could reset and do it again. Hopefully they'd at least finish with the close up shot and move on to the long shot today. While he was on the inside of the door a makeup person came and dusted the shine off his nose and tweaked his hair a little bit so it would show to its best, curly perfection in the close up.

John bit back his irritation at the fussing.

There was some sort of delay in resetting the camera, and John's irritation mounted.

Pat, his publicist, who was inside the drugstore with him, saw his expression. "Johnny, you know this is all part and parcel of acting. It's a physical medium, and looks matter."

"I know that," he responded, hand on the push bar of the door. "But sometimes I wish I could just take my face off and leave it at home, you know? Be known for something else?"

"You must admit, though, that it's a nice face, and it's gotten you far," Pat said with a pacifying smile.

"But it's not all I am, dammit. Sometimes I'd just like to wander into a coffee shop, chat up the barista, and order a latte, you know?"

But he also knew he was being the worst kind of hypocrite to hate his face and all it stood for, all it had brought him, as he stood poised to set Hollywood on fire with his first starring film role. He didn't get this part because everyone knew he could act, he knew that. He'd gotten this part because he was Johnny Darling, formerly of The Jacks, one of the most popular boybands ever. And it didn't hurt that, among the four boys in the band, all of whom were very easy on the eyes, he was considered the best looking of the lot.

John knew all of this, but it still rankled that he was known for his face and body, and not for his brains or personality. He did have a pretty nice singing voice, too, he knew, not that this would be showcased in any way in this movie.

"Ready, Johnny?" the cameraman asked.

John nodded. How ready did he have to be to open a door and walk down the street, he wanted to ask?

He noticed the police barricades at either end of the street, holding back the hordes of girls who'd somehow found out where he'd be shooting today and had come to watch. At least it was only him today. Some days he had outdoor scenes with Hyacinth O'Dell, his costar, and his fans literally lost their minds when they saw the couple together.

"At least Hy isn't here today," Pat remarked, echoing John's thoughts. "I'm amazed that girl has held it together this long, what with the death threats and hate mail and all." John's fans didn't like any women who might be in his orbit.

"Hy's a pro," John responded. This was her third movie, and she was riding high on her previous successes.

"You like her? You guys a thing?" Pat asked curiously. "Anything I should know about?" The studio was pushing hard for an on-set romance.

John shrugged. "I do like her. We'll see if it goes anywhere."

He thought about Hyacinth O'Dell, his beautiful costar. She was nice, funny, and stunning.

Maybe?

They were finally ready for the shot, and John once more pushed the door open and walked down the street, bathed in the warmth of the Los Angeles sun.

*

"Hy?"

"Yeah?"

"You really like him? Johnny Darling, I mean." Clem looked over at her sister, who was sitting in a corner chair of her new house in the Hollywood Hills, holding a mug of tea.

Hyacinth smiled into her tea. "I think I might, yeah."

Clem watched her sister and wished she had her pencils with her so she could sketch her. Her face was slightly obscured from the steam of the tea, but anyone could see it was a beautiful face. Large, blue eyes, framed by lashes a shade darker than her blond hair, blinked as she continued to smile at her sister.

"But you know he likes to be called John now, not Johnny," Hyacinth admonished. "Just like he's using his entire last name, Darling-Ezekwesili."

"Right, so Johnny's just a nickname now?" Clem asked, taking a sip of her own tea.

"Exactly," Hyacinth responded. "You can understand that, right? Or do you not have a preference? Would you rather be Clementine than Clem? I mean, it is the name dad gave you before he died."

Clem shrugged. "I don't mind, either way," she said. "I love Clementine, but I've been Clem my whole life, except when you or mom are angry with me. I like both."

"Well, John's definitely all about being taken seriously, trying to break out of the boyband mold, so he's John Darling-Ezekwesili now."

"He's dreamy," Clem said casually, not wanting her sister to know just how true she thought those words were. "It would be so fun if you two were to become a thing, I think."

Hyacinth smiled. "I think so, too. But it's early days yet, we only just met, you know?" She set her tea down and looked frankly at her sister. "But enough about me, what about you? Anything new on the guy front? Anyone interesting in any of your classes?"

Clem rolled her eyes. "Please, Hy, everyone knows you're the beautiful twin. Who's going to notice me? With my mousey hair and slight tummy, I might as well be invisible. I mean, UCLA is filled with tons of gorgeous women, women who look like you, frankly. I'm just background."

Hyacinth looked at her sister reproachfully. "You know, you must know how much I hate it when you talk like that, Clementine?" She rose and approached her sister. "You have all this gorgeous brown hair, like sable, and just the most beautiful dark eyes, lots of guys would go for that, you just don't try."

"Easy for you to say, you have Johnny Darling, with his cheekbones and hair and body." Clem tried to change the subject. "Speaking of which, when can I meet him?"

"You want to come to the set next week? You don't have class on Thursdays, right?"

Clem nodded.

"How about Thursday afternoon, then?" Hyacinth sat back down, crossing her long, tanned legs under her body like a child.

"Sounds like a plan, Hy," Clem answered. "Kim and Alan are going to be so jealous."

"How are they, anyway?" Hyacinth asked. "Now that I don't live at home anymore, I hardly see them."

"They're fine," Clem responded absently. "You know, we thought it was a catastrophe when Alan decided to go to USC instead of UCLA with us, but it's been okay. I mean, we still get to see him and have sleepovers and all that good stuff."

"Aren't you guys a little old for sleepovers?"

"We're only 21, I don't think so," Clem laughed. "We can't all have successful movie careers and our own mansion in the Hollywood Hills like you, Hy."

"Ha! I'd hardly call a 60 year old bungalow a mansion," Hyacinth retorted. "It's perfect, though, I love it here." She turned to her sister. "Do you really like it? You don't think it's too old or frumpy or anything?"

"I do like it," Clem assured her sister. "It's perfectly you, comfortable, homey and gorgeous." She looked around enviously. "You're going to have it all, Hy, the looks, the career, the guy, I mean, could your life be any more perfect?"

"You know, I probably am going to have a pretty nice life," Hyacinth mused. "I'll at least have a moderately successful movie career—"

Clem snorted. "Moderately?"

Hyacinth shrugged dismissively. "But what matters most is you and mom, having you two in my corner. The rest is all just extra."

Clem looked at her sister, touched. "You know we'll always be in your corner, Hy, you know that, right? I'll always love you, even without the glamorous movie career or whatever. You're my sister, my twin, my other half."

Hyacinth crossed her eyes at her sister, lightening the mood. "Thanks for that, sis." She rose once more from her chair. "So, what do you say we get our shopping day on the road?"

Clem, too, rose. "Hey, I got here half an hour ago, I'm just waiting for you."

"Kay, just lemme get dressed," Hyacinth responded, depositing her mug in the sink on her way to her bedroom.

Ten minutes later they were headed out in Hyacinth's new BMW convertible, hair snapping in the breeze created by their speed. Los Angeles was of course at its sunny best, as it was most of the year.

In the first shop they entered, Hyacinth was spotted almost immediately by a group of fans. They pulled out their phones and started recording her as she perused the racks of clothes. Hyacinth saw them and rolled her eyes at her sister.

"At least it's not paparazzi," Clem said sympathetically.

"I don't know, at least with paps you know where you stand," Hyacinth responded. "With fans, you never know what they're going to do with what they record."

After a few minutes, she'd had enough, as Clem knew she would, and Hyacinth approached the fans. "Would you mind not recording me right now? I'm just shopping with my sister, you know, trying to have a little family time?"

"Ooh, your sister's here? Which one is she?" One of the fans asked.

Clem waved from her place near a stack of summer sweaters.

"That's your sister?" Even from where she was, Clem could hear the disbelief and disappointment in their voices.

"Yes, it is, and like I said, we'd like a little privacy, if you don't mind," Hyacinth said, her tone curt.

"Are you and Johnny Darling dating now?" Another girl asked.

"John and I are friends," Hyacinth responded as she turned away. "And thanks for understanding, girls."

"They're probably over there saying what a bitch you are," Clem said as they moved to a different part of the shop.

Hyacinth shrugged. "Nothing I can do about that, especially if they can't figure out why I don't want to be photographed while I'm fucking shopping with my sister."

"Come on, Hy, don't let them get in your head. Let's just find something that will knock John Darling-Ezekwesili on his ass when he sees you tomorrow."

Hyacinth smiled at her sister. "Sounds like a plan. And let's get you something that will knock those UCLA guys for a loop while we're at it."

Clem grinned. "I don't think such a garment exists, but whatevs."

Hyacinth nudged her with a shoulder. "None of that, I told you."

The sisters moved down the racks of clothes, and Clem reflected that she, too, was lucky to have Hy in her life.