Model to Holywood

"Come out quickly, Luca and the others are really going to play a match!"

Amanda rushed into the break room and shouted.

It was hot at noon, so Rachel and a few others stayed indoors enjoying the air conditioning after finishing their scenes. They would only go back out once filming resumed.

"What do you mean by 'a real match'?" Rachel asked, putting down her script.

"Luca is playing a soccer game against a few of the school's soccer team players—he's taking on eight of them all by himself!"

Amanda excitedly gestured with her fingers.

"1 versus 8?" Lindsay Lohan curled her lip. "Pfft, what a showoff."

"No, really! Luca made a bet with the team earlier. If he loses, he'll buy them drinks! They even high-fived to seal the deal!"

Amanda was practically buzzing with excitement.

"Is that so? Let's go check it out!" Rachel stood up.

"Wait, don't go!" Lindsay extended her arms to block everyone.

"Haha, Lindsay, what are you doing?" Lacey, the fourth female lead, laughed.

"That whole 'bet and buying drinks' thing is fake! Luca's just trying to show off. He's probably already paid a few extras to stage a scene, all to get us girls' attention. If we go watch, we'll be falling for his act!"

Lindsay Lohan spoke with certainty.

"Why would Luca use that trick to get our attention?" Amanda asked, confused.

"Because he wants to date you, obviously. He's trying to impress you, Amanda. You need to be careful—he's a player!"

"Is that so? Now I definitely want to go see." Amanda pushed past Lindsay and rushed outside. The others quickly followed to watch the match.

"Idiots!" Lindsay fumed, shaking her hand in frustration. "You've all fallen for it!"

"Lindsay, why do you suddenly have such a problem with Luca?" Rachel asked, smiling as she put on her sunhat.

"That jerk's a total scumbag! He has a girlfriend, yet he's still flirting with women on set. He pretends to read books during breaks, acting all sophisticated and charming, just to catch girls' attention."

Lindsay was visibly annoyed.

Earlier, she had seen that jerk sitting quietly in a corner reading, and she couldn't help but notice an indescribable allure in him. It was sexy, almost like her seventh-grade English teacher—handsome, intellectual, the school's heartthrob. She was drawn to the scholarly vibe she saw in Luca, her heart pounding uncontrollably. She finally gave in and went to mess with him, only to realize he was just putting on a show. Damn it, she was furious—she almost wanted to gouge her eyes out.

"Damn scumbag!" she cursed.

Rachel smirked. "Lindsay, how do you know he's pretending? How can you be so sure he's doing it to get attention?"

"He admitted it himself!" Lindsay huffed.

"He told you he was up to something?" Rachel laughed and kept walking.

Lindsay stood there for a moment, stunned. That did seem odd. Why would he admit to faking it? Could it be that he's just an honest jerk?

She furrowed her brows, quickly following Rachel.

"Rachel, even if the reading was real, the soccer game has to be fake! One guy versus eight? And he made a bet? It's all staged, way too obvious!"

"Why couldn't it be real? Luca used to be on Brazil's national soccer team. Playing against a few college players is nothing for him. Soccer is about skill, not numbers."

"Luca was on Brazil's national team? No way!"

"You didn't know? Maybe you should ask your agent about him sometime," Rachel smiled as she adjusted her hat.

By the time they reached the field, filming had already started.

On the field, Luca was dressed in a bright red jersey, dribbling the ball swiftly through a crowd. Eight players from the opposing team were weaving around, trying to block him.

As he charged forward, the eight players quickly surrounded him.

But with a swift move, he slipped past three defenders in the blink of an eye, moving like a flash of red lightning on the green turf.

"Go, Luca!" Amanda shouted from the sidelines. Others cheered for the school team, though they were quickly hushed by the crew—after all, this was a film set, and random shouting would ruin the scene.

"Look, he's about to lose the ball!" someone exclaimed.

Tension filled the air as three more players lunged toward Luca, all aiming to tackle the ball at once.

Just then, Luca deftly flicked the ball with the tip of his foot, pinching it between the heel of his left foot and the instep of his right. He lifted it with precision and, in one swift motion, launched himself into the air, carrying the ball with him.

"Whoa!"

Luca flew over the heads of the defenders, leaving them staring in shock at the turf beneath his feet.

The audience was stunned.

"Was that a rainbow flick?"

"Yes! Last year, in the Japan-Korea World Cup, Turkish player İlhan used that same move to get past Brazil's defender Roberto Carlos. İlhan became famous overnight!"

"I remember that match! That move was so cool, and now Luca's doing it too!"

"Luca used to be on the Brazil team. If he hadn't been injured, he might have been able to compete with İlhan."

"Yeah, what a shame."

The film crew members who understood soccer were abuzz with excitement.

"Rachel, is Luca really that good?" Lindsay asked, her eyes glued to the field in awe.

"Can't you judge for yourself?" Rachel smiled, blinking.

After dodging six players, only two defenders and the goalkeeper remained.

The two defenders rushed forward aggressively, arms wide, ready to foul if necessary.

Luca didn't flinch. He smoothly executed a body feint, sending one defender crashing to the ground.

The school team's captain charged at Luca, attempting to grab him.

"Dirty move!"

At that moment, Luca lowered his body and feinted left. With a powerful flick of his right foot, he unleashed a strike with the force of a whip.

"Look, Luca's going to shoot!" someone shouted excitedly.

From eight meters away, Luca fired a shot. The ball rocketed through the air with incredible force, spinning toward the goal.

"Whoa, the angle's perfect! It's going in!"

"Yes, that curve is unstoppable! No way the goalkeeper can block it."

"Luca's amazing!"

Everyone's eyes were glued to the ball, waiting for that final moment when it would hit the back of the net.

Boom!

To everyone's surprise, the ball slammed against the crossbar and bounced high into the air.

"What a shame!"

"How did that not go in?"

"Wait, what's he doing?!"

Just then, Luca sprinted toward the falling ball. As it dropped, he executed a perfect bicycle kick, his foot connecting with the ball in mid-air.

With a sharp swoosh, the ball whizzed past the goalkeeper's fingertips and slammed into the top right corner of the net, spinning furiously as it hit the back of the goal.

The entire crowd froze for two seconds.

"Gooooooal!" someone screamed at the top of their lungs.

"Whoa, it went in!"

"A bicycle kick! Luca scored with a bicycle kick! That was amazing!"

"I can't believe he pulled that off!"

The audience erupted into applause and cheers.

"Wow, wow, wow! Luca actually did it! He nailed it in one take—he's incredible!" The director, Mark, pumped his fists in excitement, shouting.

"Calm down, Mark. We're filming a movie, not watching a real soccer match," screenwriter Tina Fey adjusted her glasses but secretly unclenched her own excited fists.

"Haha, Tina, Luca was fantastic, wasn't he? A great game and a great performance. He's not just a talented soccer player but an amazing actor too," Mark laughed.

"Yes, indeed," Tina crossed her arms, gazing at Luca. "Maybe he'll make this character even more special."

"He already has," Mark grinned, calling for a cut.

"Wow, was that really Luca who scored? He seems like an old man, how could he pull off such a cool move? Incredible!" Lindsay Lohan finally snapped out of her daze, blinking in disbelief.

"An old man?" Rachel laughed. "Why would you think he's an old man?"

"He acts like one! He talks so slow and moves at a snail's pace. He's not lively at all. But on the field, he's full of energy, so cool, so sexy—totally not like him at all!"

Lindsay furrowed her brow.

"Hmm, I can't believe I agree with you!" Rachel chuckled.

"Oh no!" Lindsay's eyes widened as she saw Amanda rush onto the field and excitedly hug Luca. Luca lifted her up and spun her around.

"See? He's not just an old man, but a creepy old man too!" Rachel giggled. "Come on, let's go congratulate Luca!"

"Hmph, I'm not going!" Lindsay turned her head, acting haughty.

"Haha, let's go!"

"No, no, don't pull me!" 

Lindsey reluctantly walked onto the field and saw Luca hugging Rachel. She curled her lips slightly, thinking, "What an old pervert, haha," and couldn't help but chuckle.

"Hey, Lindsey, want a victory hug?" Luca asked with a grin, spreading his arms wide.

"Nope, stay away from me, you old perv, haha!" Lindsey teased with a laugh.

"Old perv?" Luca raised an eyebrow. "I'm only five years older than you, how does that make me old?"

"You just are!" Lindsey insisted with a smirk.

"Okay!" Luca chuckled, taking the water Tony handed him and drinking it in one go.

"Luca, how did you just play like that? You were amazing! Even better than those big stars on TV!" Amanda exclaimed in awe.

Luca smiled slightly. "It's no big deal. The opponents were weak, their defense was off. It's easy to pull off in a casual game. In an official match, it wouldn't be that simple."

"But you're still amazing!" Amanda said, her eyes wide with admiration.

"Thanks!"

"Amanda, you're in trouble. He's totally got you hooked!" Lindsey joked.

"No, he hasn't!" Amanda blushed a little.

"All departments ready, actors in place!" 

"Scene 17, Take 6, Action!" 

After a short break, the crew started filming again.

(End of chapter)