Fake Datin Frances

01: Van Gogh Alive

"How long are we staying?" My gaze drifts around the constructed set of a tv show backlot then settle on Arvie. He's my half-brother and he's a famous director here in Manila. There's a Japanese woman running around, cursing the producer, director, writers, and everyone else in search of their main actress. She was nowhere to be found.

We're supposed to go to this Van Gogh Alive multi-sensory experience art exhibit somewhere in Taguig. Most people going to this show have been criticized, others think they just wanna put up i********: photos but that's not the reason why I'm going.

I wanted to make an impression on someone. I know it sounds cliche and I'm not one to slave pretend about something just to get attention, yet here we are. I guess there's always a first.

Arvie and I have a great relationship and he's the art connoisseur. He was very excited about this so there was no way that I was leaving without him.

"My main actress is having a tantrum. We're staying until she finally decides to come back on set."

"What if she doesn't? You gonna stay here all day?"

"It's Frances. She'll come around."

I took a deep, calming breath, "Someone really needs to tell her off."

"That doesn't work with her either."

"I'm not leaving without you."

I stared off thoughtfully and watched as my brother got up and talked to some other crew members.

"We could just scrap this and film another day." One of the crew members sitting in the corner talks to some guy glances at me then smiles. 

"Do you know where Frances is?" I asked.

He nods and points to a building on my right. I slowly walked inside and heard voices as I neared the restroom.

"Franz? Come out, let's talk, please." This was a Japanese girl, her voice is a low almost-whisper. One of them walks out.

I got in and witnessed two girls who looked all out of hope trying to convince her of going back on set. At one point all of them sighed in unison.

"You know what Kiera?! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Frances yells. Then two others walked out and I was left alone.

I stood in front of the mirror and stared at my reflection. How do I start talking to her when she just scared three crew members away?

"Excuse me? I've run out of tissue, would you care to—"

"No!"

Okay, that was my only plan, I'm all out of options now.

I checked my watch and it's less than forty-five minutes to the show. There's no way that I'm making it to Taguig in that amount of time but something inside tells me that I needed to try.

"Stop being such a whiny b***h and go back on set. There's a lot of people out there waiting for you to do your job. They have families back home waiting for them on a Friday night. You're so insensitive."

I hear her shuffling and a few minutes later the cubicle swings open.

I've seen her in the photos, magazines, billboards, and on tv. But never in real life. She was wearing a vintage Guns N Roses crop top, gray sweatpants, and a pink cap. She was breathtaking even if her eyes were all red and swollen from the endless crying.

I was waiting for her to snap back at me but instead, she walks closer.

And closer.

And —

"Woman, you're creeping me out." I stepped back as my hand gripped the edges of the bathroom countersink.

"Who the hell are you?" Her voice cracked.

"I—  I'm Arvie's sister."

"Hello, Arvie's sister. No one has ever called me a b***h before."

"Why do I find that so hard to believe?"

"In person. In my face. Who do you think you are?"

"I'm sorry I was j—"

"No, you're right. I'm being a total nightmare. I'll return on set if you do one thing for me... tell your brother to change the ending of the last episode."

"You're crazy."

"They promised me I was gonna end up with a girl. And not with that guy— Ariel. It's such an overused narrative, I'm done with all of it."

Now, this is fascinating. Tell me all about it, Frances.

I pretended not to care but my heart was pounding out of my chest. I've always dated girls and this was such a breath of fresh air. I still hate her though, "Are you kidding me? I'm a nobody. There's absolutely nothing that I can help you with. You know what, this was a waste of time. Have a good life." I was about to turn around when she firmly grips my hand.

"You're not going anywhere."

"Let me go."

"At least try and talk to your brother."

"Listen, lady, I don't know anything about your show. You can stay here all day. It's your choice."

"What about the crew and those families that you're talking about? If you're so selfless why don't you do it for them?"

She's also smart and manipulative.

"You're a lunatic."

"Can you at least try?"

Why is she so invested in this? I can't recall my brother telling me she's into women.

Then I may have agreed and immediately regret it.

She tapped her reddened eyes gently with a thin piece of tissue and sniffed heavily, "Thank you."

We both walked out of the building and everyone was staring at us. Some of them took photos and videos. This area was a little public so there were a lot of passers-by indulging in this drama.

What's so special about this girl aside from being absolutely stunning?

But I guess the fact that she wanted two girls to end up romantically in a show says something. That's interesting. The only thing that I know about her is that she's such a pain in the ass based on my brother's stories. He would tell me about her little shenanigans on and off the camera. He mentioned that she was also difficult on set. But when she's in the zone, she's very talented, hardworking, and has a lot of charm. She's also involved in a lot of charities. So I guess for the people who don't have access to those personal stories about her, they think she's like Mother Teresa or something.

Right now, I think she's the bane of my existence.

Then I heard people whispering and Arvie runs towards us.

"Oh thank god! Are you okay Frances?"

"No. I still don't like your ending. It's s**t. It's predictable. And this isn't what we talked about."

"I know, you know how much I love you but this isn't my decision at all."

"And we were renewed for another season? I AM NOT WORKING WITH THIS BRAINLESS MAN FOR ANOTHER SIX MONTHS!" She points at Ariel who rolled his eyes. He was a washed-up actor who's now trying his best to get his career back. Frances is currently huge in the business so they're hoping she could pull him out of the brink hole.

"This guy?! Are you kidding me?! He's as plain as cardboard!" She now starts yelling and everyone distanced away from her. She was shaking and looked like she was about to lose her balance so I grabbed her arm for support.

"That's enough Frances." Arvie crosses his arms.

She turns around, hugs me and starts sobbing, "Don't ever get into show business. They're all uncreative dummies!"

Oh, if only she knew.

I somehow felt bad for her at this point. I gently but awkwardly stroked her back to soothe her while my eyes jumped at the people around us. They kept taking photos.

"Okay enough everyone. Go back to— wherever you guys have to be. Nothing to see here." Arvie brushed everyone off and glared at the ones who didn't stop taking videos.

Then he signals me to go inside the van, I'm sure he wanted me to tag Frances along. My shirt was soaked with her tears as she looked up and pulled away from me.

"It's okay to not be okay. Maybe you can sit down and talk it out. I'm sure the crew is willing to listen to you." I tried to give her advice, maybe that will help.

"That's the lamest advice ever. Also, don't forget about our deal, talk to your brother or I'm making another scene." She wipes her tears with the back of her hand, smudging her mascara and leaves.

I can't believe I almost felt bad for her, she's unbelievable. How did my brother manage to work with her for at least six months?