The Accidental Movie Star by Emily Evans

Her camera flew up, and she bounced up and down in her lime-green shoes. The pale one in front of her stilled, but only for a second. She pushed toward a mango-scented foursome. Ashley moved left and got a jab to the ribs. Giggling and lacking any sense of personal space, the fan girls moved closer to the door, forcing Ashley back a step. Each one blocked better than the Houston Texans had all last season. The dry air hit her, so different from Houston, and she breathed in exhaust and the cooler temperatures that marked LA.Īfter two feet, Ashley couldn’t go forward, her path to the curb obstructed by four tweens wearing identical T-shirts. She grabbed the black handle of her roller bag and stepped through the glass doors labeled People around her had taken one look at the crowd and used alternative exits. The incoming text message read,īlack limo at passenger pickup, main exit. Why hadn’t Dad picked her up like he said he would?Īshley checked the screen. They held cameras, handmade signs, and an eagerness that foretold the arrival of some major star. Every minute Ashley had waited, at least ten more people showed up, most of them tweens accompanied by their moms.

The peeper belonged to a member of the crowd growing outside baggage claim. Ashley jumped up and clutched her warm phone. A second hand joined the first and teenage eyes peered in. Pink fingernails lay curled against the glass. The sound came from the glass wall beside her ear and she turned to look outside. “I’ll call and check on the car.” Dad clicked off. I thought it’d be fun.”Īshley swallowed and stopped searching the faces of the people coming through the door. Tired of waiting and moments from becoming a threat to the facility herself, Ashley grabbed her cell phone and dialed her father’s number.

Unattended baggage may, and unattended belongings will, be treated as a threat to the facility.” The announcer said, “Please do not leave your baggage unattended. She waited out the next public announcement, hoping it would be a message for her at passenger pickup. Her stomach twisted and she sank onto one of the seats, keeping one foot hooked around her bag so LosĪngeles thieves wouldn’t get any ideas. Successful people in Hollywood put work first, and Dad was successful. Everyone paired up and moved on except Ashley Herrington. All around her, passengers hugged their loved ones and headed toward the exits. The LAX baggage carousel kept rotating, but the tumble of arriving bags had ended about ten minutes ago.

The Accidental Movie Star by Emily Evans