Chapter 53: Female Lead Selection
[Chapter 53: Female Lead Selection]
'Have you changed your mind?' Ryan chuckled to himself. He understood Elizabeth Olsen's perspective well; just a short while ago, he was relatively unknown, but that was far from the case now.
"I noticed the role of operations manager is still vacant, and I'm no longer involved in event preparations. I think you still need me!" Elizabeth had written in an email.
Ryan didn't reply right away, deciding to leave her hanging for a few days.
"Did Scooter approve the budget? I think you should take the opportunity to film a music video," Trey suddenly suggested.
Filming a music video was her specialty, with the budget typically covered by the record label upfront.
"But Harlem Shake doesn't really need a music video, although Tremor..." Ryan pondered. The music video script had come along with the song, so it was practically ready-made, and Tremor indeed required a music video for a second promotional push, especially in Europe.
The question was, where could he find that stunning leading lady for the music video?
...
Ryan's first thought was to contact the NEXT model management agency, which had plenty of tall, beautiful girls.
He quickly called up his former agent.
"Ryan? What made you think to call? Didn't you say you were in Nashville with the female director? Did you get dumped?" The woman on the other end asked right out of the gate.
It was no wonder that his former agent had misunderstood; she was referring to Trey. Compared to Trey's more traditional reputation, Fizz was someone who liked to have a bit more fun off the clock. In her view, a middle-aged single woman taking a young guy like Ryan into her home must have ulterior motives.
"Not at all! We're still on good terms," Ryan replied, glancing over at Trey in the room, and then he got to the point.
"You're filming a music video? So you signed with a record label? That's awesome! You must have some skills; did you sleep with a few female executives?" Fizz teased, knowing Ryan could charismatically charm his way through nearly anything.
"Harlem Shake... is that your song? Shit! I was just debating whether to pull a few models to get a little buzz going with that," Fizz was surprised, not realizing Ryan had produced Harlem Shake. It had indeed blown up, but the song's success didn't always equate to the artist's fame, which explained why various imitators had popped up.
The Harlem Shake trend swept through college campuses and other industries, and when Ryan went on his radio tour to Miami, he took part in DJ Irie's radio show, and the day after, even the Miami Heat filmed their own version in the locker room.
"Wait. Aren't you shooting the music video for Harlem Shake?" Fizz's interest waned at Ryan's clarification.
"This might be better than filming a music video for Harlem Shake," Ryan explained, mentioning Tremor's success in Europe, along with the mention of that rising sixteen-year-old model Piero had talked about.
"She's busy right now, no time for that," Fizz immediately dismissed Ryan's suggestion.
"Busy hanging out with a millionaire?"
"No way, she's far too young for that. She's the golden goose at NEXT; I've got to take care of her," Fizz said seriously.
Fizz suggested a few other names, and Ryan looked them up on the agency's website. Besides artistic photos, there were also detailed body measurements listed.
"If possible, come to New York for a personal audition," Fizz emphasized "personal".
Ryan wasn't satisfied, feeling that Fizz's suggestions didn't measure up to the vision he had in mind for the music video.
Professional models often had those "high-fashion" looks, but their bodies were often too flat; this might suit designers' tastes but not necessarily the general public.
Considering the quality of the music video, Ryan didn't agree immediately and instead said he'd think it over.
...
Should he ask Scooter for potential candidates? Ryan immediately shot down that thought; such performance opportunities were golden resources, and many would willingly strip off their clothes to get a slice of it.
He simply couldn't think of other potential options at the moment, but Ryan wasn't in a rush.
"What's with this woman; she sounds like a total bitch?" Trey asked.
"Because she is one," Ryan stood up.
"Did you sleep with her?" Trey asked, becoming alert.
"Not at all," Ryan replied as he made his way outside.
"Where are you going?" Trey inquired.
"School," Ryan replied without turning around. He had been away for half a month, and he had fallen behind on his studies and needed to catch up with Abigail.
...
"Can I take a picture with you?"
"Sure."
In the library, Ryan stood up for a photo with a classmate, who naturally leaned into his embrace for the picture, looking quite charming. "Hmph." This left Abigail feeling somewhat annoyed. In just half an hour in the library, she had already been interrupted four or five times.
After Taylor, the school generated another star in Ryan, causing students, especially girls, to pay him extra attention. With Ryan's good looks and his star power, he drew much more interest than Taylor ever did from the guys.
"This is my number, you can reach me anytime," the girl said after they finished taking the photo, slipping a note into Ryan's hand. She left, glancing back with frequent waves.
As soon as Ryan sat back down, Abigail snatched the note from his hand and tossed it into the trash.
"Let's go somewhere quieter," Abigail suggested.
Ryan rested his chin on his hand, looking at her. "How about a hotel?"
Abigail tapped Ryan lightly on the head. "Can you even study at a hotel?"
...
"This... you can solve the quadratic equation... ...did you, um..." Abigail's voice was ups and downs, pausing constantly.
After some time, Ryan gave Abigail the "answer" she wanted.
...
Once Ryan got out of the shower, he noticed Abigail's gaze and immediately, she grabbed a book to cover herself up.
"I might not be able to drive you home; I have to go back and cook for Trey," Ryan casually mentioned. In reality, Taylor had texted him an hour before, asking him to pick her up after work since she had specifically asked her mom not to come today.
"Uh-huh. Drive safe, I think I'll take a nap," Abigail said, pulling the covers up. She was feeling a bit tired.
"Oh, and..." Abigail began.
"I know about your birthday party tomorrow night," Ryan cut her off as he rushed out.
...
"Why are you in such a hurry to see me? Missing me already?"
"No, I'm not," Taylor's voice quivered with emotion.
They were in the break room of the Blackbird Studio, where Taylor had locked both the inside and outside doors to ensure no one could come in.
After a brief intermission of fun, Taylor picked up her guitar and dedicated a song for Ryan, her form looking pristine.
♫Come feel this magic I've been feeling since I met you
Can't help it if there's no one else
Mmm, I can't help myself...♫
Taylor softly sang with a voice that held an innocent clarity, her golden hair cascading, while her right foot tapped along to the beat, revealing painted toenails. It was a simultaneously pure and tantalizing sight.
This time, the lyrics actually mentioned Ryan's name, and even the title was Hey, Ryan. According to Taylor, it was adapted from another song.
Ryan sprawled out on the sofa in the break room, leaning his head back, feeling it was the most relaxed he had been in a long time.
Was it time to break down the barriers between them and work together closely?
After thinking about it, Ryan decided against withholding anything and began to share details from the afternoon spent with Abigail.
"You two really have no shame," Taylor pouted, clearly unhappy.
Thinking about Ryan's inability to shake off Abigail anytime soon only made Taylor even angrier, and she immediately pounced on him.
"Give me all your answers! Don't leave anything for Abigail." Taylor huffed.
"Well, that depends on how hard your equations are to solve," Ryan laughed.
"By the way, Mary Jane called to check on me today," Taylor suddenly added in a cozy moment.
"That Mary Jane?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah, the one we met at Redneck Mud Park," Taylor responded.
Ryan started thinking...
She could probably help out with selecting models for the music video.
*****
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