You Belong With Me, El + Spotty = {M}aybe {M}ature

[Spotty]

From the moment she'd read the screenplay for You Belong With Me, a feeling of abhorrence had developed for the cutsy screenplay, mild interest aside. After starring in so many films, picking up the shy, outcast protagonist was somewhat difficult. However, Sabryna Lane Spence was never one to back down from a challenge and so she had allowed her agent to talk her into the role. Hell, it had been written with her acting abilities in mind, so...she supposed she owed it to the writer to be appeasing.

The annoyingly catchy "You Belong With Me" single -- by one of Daphne's discovered talents, Taylor Andrews -- had become one of her ringtones, though she'd never admit to such a fact. And, secretly, she found the scene where "Susie" taught herself the title song and played it..."coincidentally" interrupted by the male protagonist. Oh shut up, there were only so many ways these chick flicks could be original, it was refreshing to find one that wasn't entirely wretched.

Setting her oversized sunglasses upon the top of her head, Sabryna regarded the set with a small smile. It was ritual for her to visit the set on the first day of shooting and explore the various settings. The girl wandered from the various sets, making herself at home while trying to fit into the mind of Susan Brewer.

Brushing a lock of her dark hair from her face, she flopped down in the bed that belonged to one Susan Brewer. A guitar was placed on the surface of the bed, the various posters -- most notably a Beatles tribute and an image of Marie Curie -- providing an appropriate backdrop for a painfully shy, school and homework devout, geek. Gingerly Sabryna touched the guitar, strumming the instrument in contemplation, but without any idea of handling the instrument.

"You're going to have to learn how to play that, you know," The voice that materialized at her side caused her eyebrow to dart upwards, though recognizing the dry tone as her agent, Sabryna flicked her gaze to the ceiling before settling her green eyes on his face, "Think I'll be able to handle it?"

"I'll be surprised if there's anything you can't handle," her agent replied good-naturedly, shaking his head before handing over her script, "Though it's late, they finally signed someone for your opposing role. Zacharias Dresden, the one that recently won Idol? It's great publicity for you both; he needs the exposure and you could use a... brighter bit of publicity..." The latest stunt being caught in the arms of a former ex boyfriend while dating Beau McKnight -- the current prince of the teen scene -- really was a blow.

"...an Idol winner?" Sabryna could not believe her ears and stood up indignantly. "An American Idol winner! Jesus Christ, Phillip, I think I'm beyond thesesorts of gigs." She had lowered her voice to a hissed whisper, not trusting the wandering eyes of the set designers, managers, and other individuals building and producing the movie.

"You fucking owe me," she muttered finally, watching as he left without so much as a bitterly snapped retort. Oh, he was perfectly aware of Sabryna's nature. But, if he intended on keeping his job, one that with Miss Spence's unmatchable talent could ensure for a long, long time, he knew when to shut his mouth.

"When you're ready Miss Spence, we'll get you ready for makeup."

[TheElevatedEl]

Zachariah hunched over his worn acoustic guitar, obviously intent on the instrument. Behind him, his father had assumed a similar position. The elder Dresden’s thin, white blonde, shoulder length hair fell forward, obscuring the bright green eyes Zac had inherited.

“Zac!” Eva Dresden knocked quietly on the music room door before entering, earning slightly dirty looks from all three present there. Normally all four Dresden’s could be found here, clustered into the music room, each either practicing his or her own piece, or else working things out together. Today, Joe Dresden had a set of headphones plugged into his electric bass, and Bethany- Zac’s eighteen year old sister- had opted for the electric keyboard and a set of headphones instead of the actual piano. “Sorry!” Eva said hastily as Bethany in particular shot her an angry expression. “It’s Ted.” Zac lifted his brows.

“I told him I didn’t wanna be bothered…” he muttered somewhat unhappily- after the Idol tour and the photo shoots and the recording sessions, Zac had been looking forward to these two weeks- these two weeks where he could just return home, return to his tiny music room at home and just jam out with his family.

“He said it was important.” Eva said with a shrug. She passed Zac his cell and seated herself at the piano. She ran her fingers lightly along the keys as Zac answered, face puzzled.

“Ted? What’s up I thought-….. what?” All three looked up now. “What? No… no that’s great. That’s. Yeah of course! Alright. See you then.” Zac hung up the phone and met his family’s expectant expressions. His face broke into a wide grin. “I got the part.”

Bethany jumped up. “What?!”

“That’s-“ Eva began.

“I’m going to be staring alongside Sabryna Spence. Sabryna Spence!” His father’s words of encouragement were drowned out by Bethany’s screams as Eva enveloped her son in a tight hug. He was glad they were saying everything for him because Zac suddenly found himself speechless. Idol. And now he was going to be in a movie! A movie! With Sabryna Spence!


Zac decided to dress to impress the first day of shooting. Most of his clothing was still pre-Idol- which meant stylish but for the trendy guy with a tight budget. Today he picked out some of his more recent buys- the clothes that would have cost his father a month’s worth of pay- and Joe Dresden was a doctor so he didn’t exactly have skimpy paychecks.

He wore medium colored blue jeans by some designer who’s name he couldn’t pronounce and a long sleeved button up the same green color as his eyes. He left it open at the neck and topped it with a light grey vest. After studying himself in the mirror for a moment, Zac shoved the sleeves up just passed his elbows. Black converses and a grayish black fedora, tilted at a jaunty angle, completed the ensemble. Overall, he was pleased with the effect- it was artsy, yet fashionable, slightly male model meets rockstar. And his short sandy blonde dreads and tanned complexion didn’t exactly detract from the look either.

He arrived with his battered guitar case slung over his shoulder- anyone who spoke to the singer on more than one occasion knew that that case was synonymous with Zac Dresden’s presence- he took it more places than most girls carried their purses.

Ted Copeland, Zac’s agent, met him on the set. Naturally, the singer wore a wide, slightly boyish smile. Excitement simply oozed from the expression. “Ted!” he shook the man’s hand heartily. Ted- who had finally gotten used to the warmth Zac showed on all occasion (a warmth he had never received from any other client) returned the gesture. The two made small talk for a moment, but it quickly moved on to business. Zac had let Ted lead the way. The agent seemed more nervous than Zac was.

“I take you have read the script? Fully?” Ted asked anxiously.

“Every word. And memorized it to.” He winked, and Ted relaxed slightly.

“Good. I… well…”

“What?”

“What do you know about your co-star?” Zac grinned again- his excited nervousness was apparent.

“I’ve seen all her movies, if that what your wondering. I’d seen them all before I got this gig.” Ted twiddled his fingers. “Why?”

“Miss Spence is…. Shall we say…” Zac’s smile faded very slightly. He could tell when his agent was trying to be delicate. “Shall we say ‘picky’ about her… fellow actors. I wouldn’t want her to have anything to use against you.” He eyed Zac’s dread locks, then the battered guitar case and resisted the urge to mutter, “Anything else.”

“Relax, Ted!” Zac said with a laugh. “How bad can it be?” The smile in his voice made it obvious he didn’t think anything about this situation was bad in the least. Ted halted and gave Zac a strained smile.

“She’s just through there.” He motioned. A man who could only be Sabryna’s agent was stepping out through the door. Ted nodded to him. "Maybe you should… get acquainted.” It was obvious Ted himself would avoid whatever room Sabryna Spence occupied like it was full of people with H1N1.

“Great!” Zac said brightly. And cheerfully, having no idea what he was about to walk into, Zachariah Dresden strolled through the door.

[Spotty]

Phillip Walden didn't so much as spare a glance towards the American Idol winner or his agent. The pair were going to cause him a pretty headache in the months to come, so he felt he simply didn't owe either acknowledgment...at the moment. Unlike Miss Spence, he was likely to warm up to them both much sooner than the young woman he represented. "Sabryna has an engagement at seven-thiry, so her driver will be here for her at six, I've also arranged for someone to make her trailer more comfortable, she will be arriving within the hour." Pulling out his blackberry, the man drew his brows together, checking through his notes and reminders to be sure that was all that needed to be relayed to the managers and director. He had business to attend to on Sabryna's behalf, as well as meet with her father, so he excused himself with that....but not before flashing an expression that clearly read, Good luck. to all those within hearing range.

Sabryna wasn't in a good mood.
For one, her trailer had been practically bare. All of her usual furnishings, her clothing, her makeup and brushes, none of it had arrived on time. If she was going to be spending most of the next few months within this set and breaking in her trailer, she thought it completely reasonable that she was comfortable.

And, the recent news of her costar didn't assist in her bitter demeanor. There had been a rumor that Gregg Jackson was to costar in You Belong With Me, as he'd played a minor character in one of her previous films -- his very first film -- she was decidedly excited about the prospect of partnering with someone she'd help create. Not to mention, he was gorgeous.

Sabryna slipped back to her feet, resisting the urge to kick off her black stilletos and get more comfortable on the bed. Susan Brewer, the gawky, awkward girl wasn't as difficult to channel as she'd originally surmised. This role was going to blow her critics out of the water. She removed her sunglasses from her head, toying with Versace's latest with a small frown. There were some definite changes she would be championing for, but for now, there was other--

Her gaze found Zacharias and she lowered her hand to her side, eyebrow lifting slightly. Of what she knew of the American Idol winner -- which was very little -- she accurately assumed to what lengths he was trying to impress. From his designer outfit -- he probably couldn't even pronounce Canali -- to his too innocent, giddy smile, Sabryna was relatively sure she was going to be ill. Daph will get a kick out of this... She couldn't wait to relate the details of her unfortunate costar to her best friend.

Retrieving her purse, the girl decided to pretend she hadn't noticed him at all, aside from the sizing up she'd delivered in an all too...not pleasant manner. Pulling out her obscenely expensive cell phone, she expertly punched at the keys, sending a text off to Daphne to give her a teaser of her intial observations of Zacharias Dresden.

He needs to wash his hair. I'm pretty sure there must be rats living in it...xx, Sab

[TheElevatedEl]

The moment he caught sight of the pretty brunette lying on the bed, Zac fixed his expression into one less reminiscent of a child on Christmas. Cool, good natured, comfort was definitely called for in this case. He was a little put off by her all to obvious brush off. But maybe she didn’t realize who he was- he hadn’t been a part of the world of fame for long and lack of recognition was to be expected among his peers.

He set the guitar case down as he quickly decided how to best approach this situation. The case hit the ground and he touched a hand to the fedora and inclined his head in what he assumed was a dashing little motion. Zac wasn’t exactly completely oblivious to the fact that he could charm the pants off- excuse the phrase- almost any girl he met, and it seemed in this case a bit of that Dresden charm might be just be the ticket. And flattery. Flattery was always good with these actor types. “Sabryna Spence.” He took a step forward, entirely intent on shaking her hand. “Zac Dresden.” He introduced himself- assuming she’d at least know the name of her co-star even if she didn’t know his face. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m a big fan of your work.” There. Charming, polite, just the right amount of flattery.
Take that Miss Spence.

[Spotty]

His initial acts of "Dresden charm" were completely dismissed in favor of being throughly busy and devoted to her cell phone. When he spoke and offered his hand, Sabryna painfully drew her gaze away from the cell, slipping it back into her purse, while smoothing the front of her red shirt and dark skinny jeans; both from Gucci's newest line, of course. Adjusting her black and red checked scarf, she regarded Zac in mild curiosity as he spoke, eyes flicking down to his hand.

"Is he here then?" Glancing past Zac, she tilted her head in the slightest of manners, before returning her attention to him. Feigning embarassment -- which, wasn't that convincing -- she placed her hand on her cheek, shaking her head slowly, "Oh! You are Zac Dresden. I'm sorry for misunderstanding." She wasn't in the slightest apologetic. "Mm, my name is Sabryna Spence, it'll be..interesting working together on this project." And, sorry Elias for stealing your lines, if by "interesting" she meant "painful, irritating, and degarding".

She let her hand return to her side, not taking up the offer of shaking his hand.

[TheElevatedEl]

Zac's smile wavered for a moment. So she was one of those girls. Fine. The smile came back so quickly, it was hard to know if it had ever faded, but there was a distinctly cool and unaffected air now- none of the warmth it had held before. Two could play at this game.

Zac was a pro at picking up on little... attitudes like Miss Spence presented him with- some people were to oblivious to notice when people were laughing at them. Zac was not. And when confronted with little veiled insults and 'casual' disses, he was quick to counter. That quickness to counter was often counter acted by his quickness to forgive- he couldn't count the number of times he had 'insulted' someone right back only to have them realize he was not to be taken lightly and back off- after which time he was perfectly happy to forget there had ever been an attitude and treat whoever as if they were the best of friends.

"Don't worry about it." He said 'graciously,' giving his own little bit of false acting. "I'm used to people not recognizing me." He smiled happily. "You know, being new to the business and all, only those people who... you know... make it a point to be up on the latest stuff really know who I am." He studied his nails for a moment, then met her eyes. His expression was still 'kind,' forgiving (maybe pitying?) even but there was a wicked gleam in his eyes. "You're probably way to busy to concern yourself with that sort of thing." He glanced quickly down at her top, then back to her face- as if confirming this statement. He smiled brightly and pointed to the guitar behind her.

"That yours?" And from the amiable grin it was again hard to detect that he had ever been anything but warm.

[Spotty]

What was he doing now, checking out her chest?
Sabryna's other eyebrow darted upwards at his comment, though she offered a bit of laughter, shaking her head slowly once more.

"I have been rather busy," she confessed coyly, deciding to ignore the disguised insult for retorting with one of her own, "This will be my third film this year, but if I hope to work on as many as I did last year and the year before, I'll be even busier for the rest of the upcoming months." Tapping her sunglasses against her lips, she regarded him for a couple of minutes, "Not all of us have the time to catch up on...that sort of television. Though I do religiously watch Kenny Kim Can't Lie."

Following his gaze to the guitar, she shrugged, lips turning downwards slightly, "For the next few months, I suppose it belongs to Susan Brewer." She didn't know how to play a guitar, that was her third and final complaint of this movie. Too bad stunt doubles couldn't be employed for this flick.

[TheElevatedEl]

Zac raised a brow. He almost wanted to retort again, but honestly, he hadn’t really watched much Idol before his tryout so he couldn’t say he really blamed her. “Mmm? Well, I already know Susan Brewer can’t play yet.” A tiny smirk. “Can Sabryna Spence? Ted- my agent- he said he didn’t know if you played.” Ted had indeed suggested that Zac might have to help the Spence girl out if she didn’t already know how to play. “I think we have a few minutes before they really need us.” He was moving toward his own case. “Maybe we can… play for a sec.” In Zac’s opinion, music was a universal language. No matter how disdainful most people began, it was hard not like someone after a bit of a jam session. It was one of the few things he had actually really liked about the script- most of it was teen flick cutesy but cliché scenarios and plot twists. But the guitar scenes he had felt were actually realistic. As he spoke he had bent and flipped the latches on his case revealing an extremely battered light colored Ovation guitar. He lifted it out by the neck now, his expression cheerful and questioning. Of course there was also the same excitement and intensity that seemed to cloud his features whenever he laid hands on a guitar. This was passion incarnate and it was apparent- at least to someone who actually looked- even before he started to play.

“Why don’t you show me what you can do?” Something told him she wasn’t the type who could resist a bit of a challenge.

[Spotty]

The challenge was met with a scowl of displeasure. She glanced back towards the guitar, returning her attention to Zac as he retrieved his own guitar. Out of distaste, her nose wrinkled, eying the worn and old instrument.

While the guitar scenes may have been Zac's favorite part of the film, Sabryna absolutely loathed those scenes, and as previously thought, had wished it was as easy to opt of them by enlisting a stunt double.

"Unfortunately, I don't have time for...that," she retrieved the script from the bed behind her, setting her sunglasses on the top of her head in a practiced manner. "You'll excuse me, won't you?" This was asked in as icy of a tone as she could muster, and she slipped past him, heels clacking on the floor with each of her steps.

"Where's Phillip?" She snapped at the closest set manager, sending him scrambling to find her agent, while she disappeared for makeup and wardrobe.

[TheElevatedEl]

She swept passed him and for the first time Zac’s smile actually fell. So much for universal language. If Sabryna Spence had wanted to offend him she could have chosen no better response. For a moment he stood, trying to figure out what exactly he had done to invoke her disdain. Zac had always been a fan of Spence’s work. Even her teeny bobber films- she was a phenomenal actress. The few talk show he had caught her on made her out to be maybe a little full of herself, but cute none the less.

This was not at all how he expected his first day of filming to begin. But something told him chasing her down and maybe calling her a heartless bitch was probably not the best idea he had ever had. Part of him wondered if he should look over the script once more, but the moment he had set hands on it, he had memorized it obsessively. He could even quote the stage directions.

Wiping the scowl from his face, Zac returned his ovation to it’s case, shut it and was about to pick up the case and follow her out when he spotted the prop guitar still laying on the bed.
He couldn’t resist.

It looked like a nice guitar- a Gibson. But it lacked that… that loved feeling that no guitar was complete without. He bet it wasn’t even in tune….

The thought of an unturned guitar was to much to bare; Zac took a seat on the bed, propped one ankle on his knee and picked up the guitar. It was out of tune. He spent a moment or so tuning it, gave it a quick strum. It had a nice sound- not as warm as his Ovation, but nice all the same. Experimentally he picked out the first few chords of “You belong with me.” He glanced around. No one was watching. This wasn’t exactly his normal type of song- obviously- but he had obligingly learned it after he got the script.

Obviously he wasn’t about to sing the real words- well written though they might have been, it was a strictly female song. But he couldn’t resist singing a few bars of the refrain.

He was sinking into the music now, becoming absorbed in it in that way that he did. This was why he had won Idol. Zachariah Dresdon’s passion for his art was unmatched.

He slipped easily into a new song now. The Beatles were a constant source of inspiration and unbidden, the lyrics of “If I fell” sprung into his head. He didn’t even bother to make sure the door was still shut and no one was watching now. He had, quite honestly, forgotten he wasn’t sitting in his music room at home anymore.

This was such a beautiful song…. He personally felt he didn’t do it justice, but that didn’t stop him from trying. “If I fell in love with you…” His head was bent, apparently staring at the strings, but his eyes were closed. “If I give my heart to you…..”

Fuck Sabryna Spence. She could bring an entire theater to tears just by shedding a single one herself, but she couldn’t do this.

[Spotty]

She had flat out refused to wear the overalls. If the director could find her a single person in this country that willingly wore those atrocious things, she would reconsider. But even if it meant paint splattering her designer jeans she'd worn onto the set, she'd do it. Fortunately, someone had procured a pair of faded jeans, worn holes in the denim in a stylish yet common fit. Hair in braids, glasses on her face, and a black and white checked shirt gave her the semblence of a typical high school student... albeit a...relatively cuter version of one.

Makeup had consisted of removing most of her usual makeup; lighter mascara, paler foundation. Sabryna Lane Spence was definitely glamorous, but Susan Brewer was her polar opposite.

"If Phillip doesn't meet me at Leo's tonight, I swear to God my father is going to call him in the morning, and-- he'll be there? Fine." Snapping the phone shut, she handed it to a member of her staff. She was informed the director would be meeting them soon for the first scene and instructed to head inside. The sound of a guitar playing, however, caused her to pause. Eyebrow lifting, she listened to the guitar and Zac's singing.

Ugh.

Making herself known, she cleared her throat, glancing around to locate the director. Phillip better have warned him that she had somewhere to be this evening and filming better begin...otherwise she was going to be even more displeased than she already was.

And it didn't even appear that Zac had changed for the scene. Jesus, amateurs.

[TheElevatedEl]

It took a moment for the fact that that sound had come from neither him nor his guitar to sink in. When it did, Zac jerked his head upwards. He immediately felt a tiny –probably imperceptible- blush climb into his cheeks, Damnit. And she had changed. Of course he’d be required to change. Zac resisted the urge to glare and instead plastered a smile on his face. Not only was he behind in the make-up/costume depart, but he had unconsciously sunk into what his mother referred to as ‘music mode.’ All the Dresden’s had a tendency of sinking so far into their music, that they were seriously annoyed when interrupted. Zac was resisting the urge to let his annoyance so- after all, this wasn’t exactly the time or place to invoke music mode. He examined her for a very short moment and said, quite obviously, “Guess I should change.”

And left.

The make-up artist was seriously annoyed with him for being late, but it didn’t really take her long to dab a bit of concealer here and there- after all most high school boys didn’t go around covered in make-up. This was supposed to be look natural.

When he returned to the set, he was wearing a non-descript black T-shift and a simple pair of blue jeans- classic ‘bad- boy’ attire for these types of movies.

By the time he got back to Sabryna, most of his anger from before had faded. At least now he knew what to expect from her. He smiled politely upon his return, but wasn’t really bothered to say anything; she would probably shoot it down anyway. Instead, he mentally rehashed the script and wondered what scene they would start with.

[Spotty]

"Alright, what we'd like to do is go ahead and tackle one of these study session scenes. Hopefully we'll get through all four and have you on your way to your engagement." Good, Phillip had told the director.

Sabryna nodded, settling herself at the table laden with Calculus, chemistry, and biology books. She picked up a couple of pieces of paper, eying the various formulas and riddled with information. She readjusted the glasses on the bridge of her nose, glancing towards Zac as he entered the set. "Hopefully," Sabryna replied dryly, another thinly veiled insult meant for Zac. Oh, she doubted they'd get through more than one scene. Acting wasn't about memorizing lines and regurgitating them to the camera. Zac might have found himself clever when it came to a guitar and changing the pitch in his voice, but...he could never excel with performing this way.

"Ready for your debut, Zacharias Dresden?" While to anyone else it would have appeared a good-natured, teasing gesture, the brief flicker of contempt flashing through her green eyes made it too clear that it was a challenge.

A challenge she clearly didn't expect him to win, let alone mildly succeed in.

[TheElevatedEl]

Zac nodded to the director, watching him intently as he spoke. He ignored Sabryna and her muttered ‘hopefully’s but when she came right out and spoke to him, Zac couldn’t ignore the obvious challenge in her voice. So this stuck up little porcelain princess thought she was the only person in the world who could act? She was about to have her little ivory tower shattered. Singing and guitar playing- that was his main talent, his true talent. But his acting came in at a very close second. Would he ever consider himself a truly great actor? Probably not. But he could hold his own as Sabryna’s male lead just fine.

“I was ready about a day and a half after Ted handed me the script.” He countered pleasantly. “And call me Zac. Using my full name like that makes me sound all full of myself, Sabryna.” He blinked cheerfully as he took his place beside her and returned an expectant gaze on the director. He was downright eager to get started.

[Spotty]

Sabryna lifted an eyebrow at his retort, but she decided not to comment. Getting into character was a short process, maybe, but important all the same. She adjusted the glasses once more, a habit she had adopted for Susan's character. Brushing one of the dark braids over her shoulder, she opened the book before her, settling a painfully shy smile on Zac.

"What answer did you get?" Her brows drew together as she attempted to view his work, an expression of exasperation settling over her face. He hadn't even started on the assignment. If Zac had been prepared after a day and a half, he would recognize this as the first study session and scene seven. And, she hoped he remembered his lines.

Her suspicions and opinions concerning Zac were carefully concealed behind Susan's shy posture and innocence....Sabryna Spence wasn't a damn good actress, she quite literally could become a whole new person with just a batting of her long, pretty lashes. Eat your heart out, Zac...