Off the Record by Camryn Garrett (read more books TXT) 📕

to say since we’re all, well, working. But it doesn’t feel like work. After all, I won a contest to be here. This—writing, reporting—is something I’ve always done on my own time, after school or work. But it is a job. I glance at the other reporters around me. No one looks excited or nervous. Does this feel like a normal office job to them?

The room has one big, circular table in the center where people take their seats. Right away, other reporters pull out their notebooks and sheets of paper and recording devices. I grab a seat on the far right, which leaves me directly facing Penny. She raises an eyebrow at me.

I’m not sure what that means.

Alice seems to notice, since she gives me a look as we’re sitting down.

“Well,” she whispers, “maybe this will be as interesting as Housewives after all.”

I would nudge her, but I don’t want to call too much attention to us. I force myself to take everything in. There are a few people sitting against the walls, chatting quietly to each other. They aren’t sitting with us, but they’re dressed pretty professionally and were already here when we got in, so I’m guessing they’re PR.

I don’t know why, but PR people seem scarier than other journalists. Maybe it’s because they’re basically access in human form. If you can’t work with a PR person, there’s really no chance of you getting the story. They’re probably here to make sure everything goes smoothly—meaning they’ll shut us up if we approach a topic they aren’t happy with. I swallow and glance down at my questions. Probably better to stick with the “normal” stuff, then.

I glance up to see both Penny and Marius looking at me. Marius smiles. Penny doesn’t.

“All right, looks like that’s everyone,” Dennis, the director, says, patting his hands against the table. “According to the people who run this thing, we get thirty minutes with each group. So get ready to do your worst!”

He and the cast—Art, Grace, Marius, and Penny—laugh. The PR people in the back do not.

“I suppose I’ll start,” a lady with a French accent says. “What do you hope audiences will take away from this movie?”

That’s how it goes. Everyone has their recorders faced toward the talent and alternates between asking questions and writing things down. I mostly stare at my notebook, but I look up at everyone when I don’t think they’re looking.

“I really think Art and I just wanted to work together again,” Dennis is saying now. “We’ve been getting together over the years, running into each other, and every time, we’d always say, ‘Wow, we need to find something to work on together.’ It was just hard to find something that wouldn’t be a waste of time.”

“So that’s interesting,” a man says, adjusting his cap. “This was a chance for the two of you to work together again, after a string of box-office successes in the nineties. But it wasn’t exactly going to be fun. How did you come to the heavy subject matter?”

“It was after seeing stories like this in the news,” Dennis says. He tosses a glance at Art, who nods. Without a cowboy hat, his long ponytail rests openly on his shoulder. “Not necessarily Peter’s story, but seeing that conversion therapy is still legal in many states, and wanting to do something about it.”

I want to raise my hand, but no one is doing that, just talking and artfully stepping around each other if they speak at the same time. It doesn’t seem like the type of thing I’m made for. I swallow, but my throat remains dry.

“Um,” I say. My voice sounds squeaky, so I clear my throat. “Do any of you have a personal connection to the story? Besides watching it in the news?”

Dennis stares at me like he didn’t realize I was here. For a second, the table is silent as everyone seems to think. The other journalists hold on to their pens, waiting for an answer. Marius stares right at me. Silent.

“I think a lot of us have family members who are gay,” Art offers up. “My son is gay, and I wouldn’t want anything like this to ever happen to him.”

The rest of the cast nods, seemingly pleased with this answer. It’s…not exactly what I was expecting. I thought they’d talk a bit more. But maybe it’s not the type of question anyone wants to answer in front of a bunch of people.

“So,” another journalist says, “Grace—”

“I’m sorry,” Marius says, cutting them off. “Josie, you asked me a question the other day, and I never got to answer it. I want to answer it now.”

Everyone looks at me.

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.

“You!” Art says, pointing a finger at me. “You’re the little lady from the press conference.”

I try to slide down in my seat, but Alice smacks my shoulder.

The other journalists continue writing. Something tells me they’re also writing about me—the journalist who got called out by name by one of the stars of the movie at a roundtable. On the bright side, I’m not being called out in a bad way. At least, I don’t think I am.

“Yeah, it’s her,” Marius says, leaning forward. “It was a really good question—if you weren’t there, Josie asked me how race influenced my character’s experience. She didn’t get the time to finish, but I’ve been thinking about it for a while.”

Penny turns her attention back to me. I can’t read her expression.

“I think, even though it’s not explicit, it influences him a lot,” Marius continues. His gaze bores into me, but it’s so heavy that I don’t think I can look away. “Peter’s pretty much the only Black person in his community, besides his mom. Between not being able to be out—or really open—about his sexuality and then being one of the only people of color, he’s pretty isolated, so that influenced how I played him. I wanted him to be quiet and sort of—I don’t know—”

He pulls