Copyright © 2008 by Jen Calonita All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Little, Brown and Company Hachette Book Group USA 237 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10017 Visit our Web site at www.lb-teens.com First eBook Edition: May 2008 ISBN: 978-0-316-03239-1 Contents One: The New Girl in Town Two: TGIF Three: Dressed for Success Four: Seeing Red Five: I Heart Alexis Six: Bliss Interrupted Seven: Learning Curve Eight: Fever Hysteria Nine: Alexis Exposed Ten: What Happens in Vegas,Doesn’t Always Stay in Vegas Eleven: Dance as if No One’s Watching Twelve: Read It and Weep Thirteen: Crossroads Fourteen: Do or Die Fifteen: Truce and Consequences Sixteen: You Can Run,but You Can’t Hide Seventeen: The Last Supper Eighteen: Happy Birthdayto Me Acknowledgments A Preview of Secrets of My Hollywood Life Also by Jen Calonita: Secrets of My Hollywood Life and Secrets of My Hollywood Life on location For my parents, Nick and Lynn Calonita, with much love FAMILY AFFAIR—SEASON 15, EPISODE 4 “The Truth is Always the Hardest to Hear” FADE IN: 1. INT. HAMILTON HOSPITAL, PAIGE’S HOSPITAL ROOM— AFTERNOON PAIGE has fallen into a coma after having surgery to repair the damage she sustained to her vertebrae from the limo crash on the day of KRYSTAL and LEO’s wedding. DENNIS, KRYTAL, LEO, SAMANTHA and SARA cling to each other as DOCTOR BRADEN discusses Paige’s weakening condition. DR. BRADEN I’m not going to lie to you, I thought we lost her. But she’s stable now and we have high hopes that she’ll pull through this. DENNIS My wife has to make it, Dr. Braden. How can we help her? DR. BRADEN Talk to her. We’ve found that sometimes people in comas can hear their loved ones. Unfortunately, in Paige’s case, the coma isn’t her greatest obstacle. KRYSTAL I know the surgery was rocky, but I thought you said it was a success. DR. BRADEN It was, but Paige also lost a lot of blood and needs a transfusion. Paige’s blood type is quite rare and no one in your family is a match. SAMANTHA Our mother is a fighter, Dr. Braden. She beat breast cancer, a drive-by shooting, and survived the Buchanan Manor fire. I know she’ll hold on till we find someone. Dr. Braden pulls Dennis, Krystal, and Leo aside to continue talking. Through her tears, Sara sees COLBY, the tall, beautiful new girl at Samantha and Sara’s school. Colby’s wearing torn jeans and a beat-up hooded sweatshirt. She’s standing at the vending machine, but can’t stop staring at the Buchanans.