The Best Movie Actor In Hollywood!-Chapter 25

The sharp click of high heels echoed down the corridor. Crew members milling about instinctively cleared a path as Britney Spears, hidden behind a pair of large sunglasses and flanked by her assistant, turned toward her private dressing room.
Britney Spears had only been a household name for a year, but she was already a superstar in her own right.
As she reached the door, her assistant scurried ahead to open it. She held it ajar until Britney stepped through, then followed her inside.
The moment she stepped inside, Britney felt her heel press against something. Glancing down, she saw a newspaper on the floor, its bold headline leaping out at her.
"Britney Spears's New Music Video Star is a Christina Aguilera Fan!"
Seeing Christina Aguilera's name instantly brought back a flood of unpleasant memories.
She bent down to pick up the paper and saw it was the U.S. News & World , a tabloid that specialized in gossip and scandal. Beneath the splashy headline was a photo of a young man who, if she remembered correctly, was one of the three candidates auditioning for her music video. He had come highly recommended by the director, Martin Jackson.
"He's a fan of that bitch?" Britney's mood soured at the very thought of Christina Aguilera.
Angrily, she crumpled the newspaper, tossed it into the trash can, and sank onto the sofa without a word.
Seeing Britney's inexplicable fury, the assistant hastily poured her a glass of water and discreetly stepped aside.
Britney sat on the sofa, stewing over her unpleasant history with Christina Aguilera from their time in the Mickey Mouse Club. She particularly bristled at the memory of Christina calling just to gloat after hitting it big last year.
"Wait!" Suddenly, an unfamiliar young woman's voice called out from the hallway. "You forgot your Christina Aguilera poster."
Then Britney heard a male voice reply, "That's not mine. Why would I want anything to do with Christina Aguilera? She's ugly, she can't sing, and only an idiot would buy her album."
Can't sing? Ugly? Only an idiot would buy her album? Hearing those words, Britney felt a sudden rush of satisfaction. Her mood instantly lifted. The guy in the hall was absolutely right; he had practically spoken her own thoughts out loud!
"Matthew, are you sure this isn't yours? I'll throw it out then."
This time, the woman's voice was fainter, as if the two of them were walking away. The man's muffled voice replied, "Throw it out. I don't care."
"Hmm, Matthew?" She frowned, thinking. A moment later, she remembered. "I think I saw him at the last audition."
The assistant glanced at the time and whispered, "The audition is starting soon, Ms. Spears."
She was completely bewildered. One moment, Britney had been fuming, the next she seemed fine, and now she was actually smiling.
Outside the audition room, Amanda led Matthew toward the dressing room and asked, "So, how was my performance?"
Matthew gave her a thumbs-up. "Amazing. You're a natural-born actress."
The dressing room was just ahead. "Go on in," Amanda said.
Matthew sighed, stepped into the dressing room, and found a place to wait.
To be honest, his plan was crude, even a little absurd. Anyone in their thirties or forties, or even a twenty-something with a bit of life experience, would have found the whole thing too staged. But Britney Spears was only eighteen—in many ways, still just a kid.
Since he wasn't willing to sell his ass like Michael had, this kind of scheme was a gamble. He was betting everything on the chance that Britney Spears truly hated Christina Aguilera.
If Britney truly despised Christina Aguilera down to her bones, his chances of success were high.
Matthew dared to take the risk because he had nothing to lose.
...
Just after eight-thirty, an assistant named York entered the dressing room to tell James Blunt it was his turn to go to the audition room. As he was leaving, he saw Matthew and gave him a nod.
Michael saw that Matthew had even managed to befriend one of the set assistants. Though jealous, he also had to admire Matthew's knack for getting people to like him.
"He's a smooth operator," Michael thought. He shifted his body slightly, genuinely confused as to why his ass was still on fire several days later, but he remained full of confidence. "But even if you're good at pulling strings, I'm the one who's going to win in the end."
Giving Matthew a pointed look, Michael approached him with a strange walk. Matthew smiled at him and asked, "Still sore?"
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Michael's face. "A little."
He quickly changed the subject. "What did Helen want?"
"She gave me a lecture," Matthew said, choosing his words carefully.
"Why?" Michael was puzzled.
"I called Helen after lunch with you that day," Matthew began, feeding him a line. "I wanted to pull out of the audition, but Helen wouldn't let me. She screamed at me, chewed me out, and then forced me to come."
He shook his head. "Today is your day. Why should I even be here?"
"You're a great friend, Matthew." Hearing that he'd wanted to voluntarily withdraw from the audition, Michael was touched, though not deeply. "I'll definitely help you out if I make it big."
Matthew treated the conversation with Michael as an acting exercise. "I'm sure that day will come soon."
Michael laughed. If I get famous, I won't help him, he thought. After all, Matthew didn't help me when I asked. This is just a little payback.
Matthew and Michael continued their casual conversation, and a little over ten minutes later, York pushed the dressing room door open again.
"Matthew." He beckoned. "You're up."
"Coming," Matthew replied, hurrying over.
Michael watched the dressing room door close behind Matthew, the smile vanishing from his face without a trace.
Just then, James Blunt walked back into the dressing room, his disappointment plain to see.
"Ten minutes, tops," Michael thought, glancing at the clock. "And Matthew will be back in here looking just like him."
The minutes ticked by. Fifteen minutes passed in what felt like a flash. Michael casually rubbed his backside and couldn't help but check the time again.
"It's only been fifteen minutes. He'll be out in another ten," he told himself, maintaining his composure.
Another ten minutes went by. James Blunt had already finished removing his makeup and left, but there was still no sign of Matthew.
Michael tried to remain patient, but another ten minutes passed, and the dressing room door still hadn't moved.
"What's going on?" Michael was clearly getting anxious.
He rubbed his sore backside, lost in thought. "No, absolutely not. Director Martin will definitely keep his promise."
But forty minutes had passed, and Matthew still hadn't returned. A sick feeling began to churn in Michael's stomach, and panic started to set in. Had he paid such a terrible price for nothing?
Michael's expression tightened as he thought about everything that had happened that night—the humiliation he had endured, the pain that was still burning inside him.
What if... Martin Jackson didn't keep his promise?
"No, he has to give me something in return," he muttered, almost deliriously. "He has to, he has to, he has to..."
...
Meanwhile, in the audition room, Martin Jackson, the director, whispered to the record company representative standing next to him, "Are we done?"
The record company representative glanced at Britney, who peeked out from behind her monitor and gave a slight nod.
"Yes," he told the director.
"Cut!" Martin Jackson shouted, stopping the audition. "Matthew, come here."
In truth, he had tried to dismiss Matthew after just ten minutes, but Britney Spears had insisted they continue.
Matthew emerged gracefully from behind the beach backdrop, standing before Martin Jackson and the record company rep with a humble expression, as if that night at the hotel had never happened.
"Are we finished?" Matthew asked.
"Let me ask you a few questions." Britney finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked directly, "You're Matthew?"
Matthew nodded. "Yes, I'm Matthew. Matthew Horner."
"Before you came in to audition," Britney began, remembering how she'd noticed the trash cans in the hallway and that one of them did, in fact, contain a poster of that Aguilera bitch. "Were you the one who threw away the Aguilera poster?"
Matthew gave a shy, practiced smile and answered, as if making an excuse, "Someone handed it to me, and I just tossed it."
Convinced, Britney Spears simply said, "You can go."
Martin Jackson waved dismissively at Matthew, who turned and left. Just before the door closed, he heard the director say, "York, bring Michael in here."