Page 63 of Joey

We spent hours posing for fake photos. Wald has already sent them on to his fake memory guy for Photoshopping. And we’ve got a good start on the fake social posts. By the time this weekend comes around we will have a whole history to show off.

It’s gonna be great.

“Brooke?” I say.

“Mmm?”

“You sleeping?”

“Trying to.”

“You don’t have anything you need to talk about?”

She rustles under the light covers, shifting her body away from mine and turning onto her stomach.

“I’ll take that as a no,” I say.

“I’m just tired. And yeah, it’s strange. I don’t have any opinions on this day yet. Maybe in a year I’ll figure it out.”

“Wait,” I say. “What?”

“Oh, come on,” she says, tuning over to face me. “Do not act like this day was normal. I don’t care who you are. This day was weird.”

“That’s what I said!”

“You think it’s weird funny. I think…” She pauses and flips over again. “You know what? Never mind.”

“No. What’s going on?”

She sighs and lifts up her head to side-eye me. There’s a full moon outside and it’s kinda bright in here. Normally I’d pull the curtain closed but I sorta like looking at her. “I should be asking you that.”

“OK. I’m listening. Ask me anything.”

“You don’t get to pretend, all right?”

“We’re all pretending.”

“No, we’re not. Well, yeah. OK. We are pretending to be long-time friends and you and I are pretending to be lovers. Fine. That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“Then what are you talking about?”

“Your detachment, for one.”

“My what?” I can’t help it. I laugh.

“Yeah. You…” She takes a deep breath. “In one sentence you say things like, ‘We’re buying a house and I’m getting you a ring.’ And in the next breath you say, ‘My friends want to fuck you. I don’t. But I will. As long as you understand it’s meaningless.’”

“So which part of that bothers you?” I ask. “The part about Wald and Huck or the part about me?”

“You!”

“That makes no sense.”

“It makes total sense! I’m your girlfriend!”

“You’re not my girlfriend. You’re an actress.”

“I’m actually not an actress. I’m a liar.”