‘Good luck,’ Ivy whispered.
Olivia strode out of the room and Ivy crossed her fingers, hoping that the world would just give her sister a chance.
Chapter Ten
Olivia slipped on to the red velvet seat beside Mr Vega. During a video after the commercial break, she’d been escorted out into the audience so that the cameras could see her reaction as the award was announced. Almost immediately, a cameraman closed in, his huge black camera lens pointed right at her.
Jackson stood at the podium and smiled at the audience. He didn’t show any of the stress that Olivia guessed he might be feeling. The last thing he’d had to deal with before going on stage was her being upset. ‘And now, I am delighted to announce the nominees for the Brightest New Star award, given to a debut actor or actress with a bright future in Hollywood.’
Olivia knew she had about ten seconds before her face was splashed across the huge screen in the auditorium and broadcast live to the nation – they always showed the faces of all the nominees as the award was being announced. She ignored the panicky feeling that was welling up in her and focused on one moment: it was just after Christmas. Ivy, Mr Vega and her parents were sitting together in the Abbott’s kitchen. All the crazy family together.
That’s what matters in all of this, Olivia thought to herself.
Jackson called out clearly, ‘Olivia Abbott . . .’
There was an awkward silence, then a smattering of polite applause. Everyone in the audience was in full formal wear. One old lady was wearing a tiara and the man next to her was wearing a full tuxedo.
Olivia just kept thinking about her family, to distract herself. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her big face on the screen.
Jackson read out the other four nominees, whose applause was clearly more than polite. It’s almost over, it’s almost over, Olivia kept telling herself.
‘And the winner is . . .’
Olivia felt her heart thumping through her body.
It would be amazing to win, but it was next to impossible. She knew the votes would have been cast long before Jessica’s video stunt; there was no way she could have made that big an impact with just one small role in a Jackson Caulfield flick.
But a little voice inside her said, ‘It was big enough to land the Eternal Sunset role!’
It was like slow motion as Jackson opened the gold envelope and then looked her way. He locked eyes with her and read out, ‘Olivia Abbott!’
There was a loud whooping noise – that sounded distinctly like a certain sister of hers – and then an awkward hush descended on the audience.
Mr Vega squeezed Olivia’s hand. ‘Go on,’ he told her. ‘Enjoy your moment.’
Olivia stepped out into the aisle and walked up on to the stage, squinting under the glare of the lights.
‘Congratulations, Olivia,’ Jackson said, leaning into the microphone, as Olivia strode towards his podium.
Now she could see that the huge auditorium was packed. There were hundreds of people staring at her. Young girls were scattered through the rows – clearly Jackson fans, judging by their scowls. One of them, wearing pink taffeta, stuck her tongue out at Olivia.
Jackson handed her a tall glass trophy and the envelope. She glanced down to see that it really was her name written there.
She stepped in front of the microphone and said, ‘I’m so surprised, but happy.’ Jackson gave her a huge, proud smile and Olivia knew that this might be her only chance to set the record straight about her and Jackson.
‘I know some of you might be disappointed by the video that you saw earlier – believe me, that took me by surprise. But so did falling for this wonderful person.
‘At the beginning of the year, I was a nobody – just a Jackson fan standing at the barriers when a film set in my home town was being shot. Then, in a blur, I had a role in a movie and a mega-famous boyfriend. It was totally overwhelming, but the best feeling ever.’
She smiled at Jackson and there were a few faint sounds of ‘ooh’ and ‘ah’ from the audience. The pink taffeta girl was grinning now. ‘We never meant to mislead anyone, but it was all so new that we didn’t want any more pressure on our relationship.’
She stopped, not sure if there was anything else to say.
In the pause, someone called out, ‘We love you, Olivia and Jackson!’ The old lady with the tiara clapped and nodded while the girl in pink whooped and cheered.
Next to her, Jackson applauded and winked.
‘Thank you so much for this award,’ Olivia said. She saw Harker standing in the wings giving her a thumbs up. ‘There’s just one more thing I have to say. A big “thank you” to my sister, Ivy. We are complete opposites, but she is the best person I know, and more people should be like her. Without Ivy, I wouldn’t be here today. We all need family, right?’
The auditorium exploded in applause, and Olivia felt so much better. Jackson scooped her up in a huge hug, which just made the audience cheer even louder.
When the noise settled, Jackson whispered in Olivia’s ear. ‘You have to announce the next award.’
Olivia nodded.
He pressed an envelope into her hands.
Olivia looked out at the audience, which had more welcoming faces now, and said, ‘I’m honoured to be able to present the next award: the Brightest Star award.’ The nominees were all written on the back of the envelope. ‘The nominees are: Beverly Bonds, Naomi Coleman, George Morrow . . .’ She had to take a deep breath before saying the next name, ‘Jessica Phelps, Mark Richter and Emily Tipman.’
As she fumbled with opening the envelope, a hush fell over the audience. She could see Harker watching from the side of the stage.