This story is a continuation of the story for The Lakes.

132. Peace (11/8/20)

Naomi was driving fast, a bit too fast for Addison's liking. She held onto the dashboard for dear life, holding back a nervous chuckle. They had been able to leave their townhouse without anyone seeing, but they had made the mistake of taking Addison's car. It was a bright orange Volkswagen Bug, and most notably, Addison had used it in one of her photo shoots to advertise "The Girl Who Came First." Photographers and reporters were sure to notice the car driving down the highway. It wouldn't be long until people were following them.

Naomi must've noticed how worried Addison had become, so she slowed down and turned on the radio. She made sure to choose the instrumental channel, so as not to bring about the controversy with their name on it. Addison began drifting in and out of sleep as she relaxed in the passenger seat.

She began thinking about last year's Oscars ceremony, the one where she was up for Best Actress. Her acting career had been doing well up to that point. It started with her featured role in "Rich Girls," where she played the socialite Mimi. The role wasn't large (the film starred Hailee Steinfeld and Florence Pugh, two actresses who regularly worked with the director, Olivia Wilde) but critics still praised Addison's comedic timing and good-looks. The film was about Steinfeld and Pugh's characters, who became friends in college but are now returning to Pugh's hometown which is, you guessed it, full of rich people. On their vacation home, they attend a high school party hosted by Mimi, Addison's character. She was only in a few scenes, but got to act alongside Steinfeld and Pugh, and was also given a handsome on-screen boyfriend to kiss.

When "Rich Girls" came out, critics loved Steinfeld and Pugh's chemistry, but were also interested in seeing what newcomer Addison Pike was going to do next. Her agent tried to convince her to accept television roles, but Addison wasn't ready for the small-screen yet. She was handed smaller roles in an indie thriller and a small coming-of-age flick, but neither received much traction. Then, she agreed to do television. Her next project was an eight episode mini-series on Netflix called "Missing." Addison played the role of Maddie, who's accused of killing her best friend after the friend is decreed missing. When she first read the script, Addison believed the concept was a bit worn-out; she had seen it done a million times. But then the project changed writers, and the whole show improved thanks to the brilliant writing and performances. Addison starred alongside Henry Golding, who played the detective, and another up-and-comer named Kira Chang, who played Addison's best friend. The show was critically acclaimed, and Addison received her first Golden Globe nomination. That night, after downing two shots of tequila, Addison's name was called for "Best Actress in a Limited Series." She had won her first Golden Globe, and a few months later, received an Emmy nomination for the role.

It was there that she met Naomi, who was a caterer at the event. When the two met in the bathroom, Naomi explained that she wanted to be a singer, but was working at the catering company while she waited to hear back from different record companies. Since tequila was coursing through Addison's veins, she announced that Naomi was "her best friend in the entire world" and the two decided to keep in touch.

But, as it turns out, having any sort of relationship as a celebrity was tricky. Addison was being followed home by numerous photographers and reporters, and everyone was curious to see what she was doing next. Rumors spread that she would be in the next James Bond film, while others believed she was finished with acting. Despite her increasing number of followers, no one seemed to pick up on her relationship with Naomi. What started as a friendship slowly morphed into a romantic relationship, and Naomi and Addison moved in together six months after meeting at the Golden Globes. She was finally working on her music, and Addison received a few different scripts and offers every week.

Addison remembered that first week Naomi moved into the townhouse with her. She spent the morning and afternoon reading over scripts and taking calls with her agent, while Naomi worked on her music. Over lunch, Addison mentioned a few of the ideas she had read about, making sure Naomi promised secrecy.

"One of them's from Marvel," Addison had said, gesturing to the script. Across the table, Naomi's mouth dropped to the floor.

"You get to play a superhero?" Naomi squealed. She loved anything Marvel released, even though Addison found them a bit tedious and repetitive. "Which one? Is she from the comics?"

Addison shook her head. "No, to both questions. They want me to play the love interest to someone called...Quicksilver?"

Naomi laughed. "Quicksilver has super speed! That's so awesome, Addison! Do you know who's playing Quicksilver?"

She hadn't even bothered to ask. She was only halfway through the script, and she already knew she was going to turn down the role. Not only did she not get to play a superhero, but the character she was offered was as thin as paper. The only notable traits about her was that she was a journalist, and that she loved Quicksilver. She didn't even have a last name.

Addison had turned down the role for two reasons: one, because all the female characters, including the one she was offered, were poorly written; and two, she had received the script for "The Girl Who Came First" two weeks later. Compared to the Quicksilver script, the writing was much more advanced, and the characters were three-dimensional and felt like actual people. Addison knew she needed to be picky about which roles she played, or else she would be stuck playing a stereotype.

"Do you remember that Quicksilver movie from last year?" Addison's voice broke through the silence in the car. "Did we even see it?"

Naomi nodded. "I made you see it with me, remember? And you were upset because the script was different."

The memories flooded into Addison's brain. She clearly remembered sitting in the back of the theater with Naomi, baseball cap on, watching "Quicksilver." They had gotten Haley Lu Richardson to play the love interest role, but in the film, she was much more fleshed-out than Addison remembered. It was even revealed in the end-credits scene that she was going to get powers in the future films. Addison had never been more upset, but her mood lightened when "The Girl Who Came First" started receiving Oscar buzz.

"The Girl Who Came First" was a modern-day retelling of Rebecca by Daphne du Marier. It followed Addison's character, named Charlotte, who meets a man on a getaway in Greece, and the two elope. The whole film focuses on Charlotte's spiraling, as she realizes that the man she met in Greece is not who she thought he was. It was revealed at the end of the film that Charlotte's husband had killed his first wife, which Charlotte had not known about. Charlotte seeks revenge by killing her husband, and she realizes that she has now become just like him.

Addison had read the script in one sitting when she received it, and by the time she finished, she knew she had to take the role. She and Naomi traveled to Greece to film, and they spent every night together. By the time the film wrapped, Addison knew she wanted to spend her whole life with Naomi, but she wondered at what cost.

Then the film was released, and people lost their minds. Critics praised Addison's drama-turning performance, since many of her previous projects (except for "Missing") had been comedies. The Oscar nominations were announced in January, and "The Girl Who Came First" received six nominations: Best Picture, director, costume design, adapted screenplay, and best actor and actress. Addison was thrilled, of course, but figured she wouldn't win since Viola Davis was also up for nomination.

"Naomi," Addison said again, noticing that they had reached the woods. "Do you remember going to the Oscars with me?"

"How could I forget?" Naomi let out a laugh. "We got to sit next to Saoirse Ronan. If she would've asked me to leave with her, I would've done it, no questions asked."

Addison gasped humorously, despite the importance of the announcement made this morning. Addison knew that everything that had happened was her fault. If it wasn't for her career, she and Naomi could be together without any questions. Naomi was only just starting her music career, and Addison felt as if the controversy would ruin everything. Not to mention the fact that it was her idea to run away from the problem, shut off their phones and live in her lake house for a few weeks, where no one could bother them.

"Naomi, I'm so sorry," Addison's voice cracked when she spoke. "This is all my fault. We...we could be together if it wasn't for everything."

"Don't say that," Naomi replied as she took a left turn towards the lake. "Like I said back at the house, this isn't your fault. Everyone is just so obsessed with you."

Addison tried to laugh it off, but in her heart, she knew it was true. Previous to the announcement, she had been hush-hush about her sex life and relationships. No one really asked, except for a few interviewers, but most of them knew that she liked to use her platform to talk about social issues that needed fixing. When she and Naomi had attended the Oscars together, everyone believed that they were just friends. And Addison made sure it looked that way. She didn't hold Naomi's hand. She didn't kiss her backstage. And when Viola Davis' name was announced for Best Actress, she didn't cry on Naomi's shoulder. She had kept everything a secret until now.

Naomi pulled the car into the driveway, and the wooden lake house came into view. It was so secluded that the car pushed past trees and shrubbery to reach it. Addison couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.