It broke my heart that someone had just abandoned her in a cardboard box on the side of the road. When I’d found her huddled and wet on my way home from filming my last movie, it had been love at first sight. I wasn’t sure what breed of dog she was, but her fluffy fur made me think she might have some pomeranian in her… I just hoped she wasn’t a breed that would get too big. I stroked her silky fur, making her look up at me curiously.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your dinner. Go back to eating.”
Being left alone was really hard on her. I’d tried leaving Cleo with friends when I was working, but every time I left her for too long, she developed separation anxiety and stopped eating. I was so grateful that Aorta Studios had allowed me to bring her with me. If I had to choose between Cleo and the movie… well, I wasn’t sure what I’d do.
I sat up reluctantly and thumbed through my phone again. It had been a while since Oliver and I had hung out in public and if we didn’t keep up the image, the press would start spreading rumors that we’d broken up.
Hah.
If only they knew.
My ‘relationship’ with Oliver was just one of the many publicity hoops we’d jumped through for our film that would be premiering in a month. The public loved swooning over this type of fluff, pretending everything we said to each other in the movie was real, so we gave it to them.
As far as fake boyfriends went, Oliver was great. He and I probably would've been friends even if we weren’t forced to hang out with each other as a hazard of the trade. Of course, neither of us were crazy enough to actually date a co-star. When those relationships went bad, they had the ability to destroy an entire film and send careers spiraling into the dust.
Still laying on the floor, I rolled onto my back and sent him a quick text to ask if he wanted to get drinks. He responded quickly.
>Oliver: Publicist on your ass again?
>Me: You know me all too well.
>Oliver: Hah. I can meet up with you at ten.
As I was texting Oliver, I saw another call coming in. My mom’s number. I chewed my lip and sighed before ignoring the call.
Oliver and I chose a bar to meet up at and I texted my best friend Sara to ask if she’d come over to my house to spend time with Cleo while I was out, to which she responded with an enthusiastic, yes! With that settled, I decided to go over the script some more, but when Cleo nuzzled up to me, I melted into a big puddle and couldn’t resist taking quick a nap with her.
I left my phone in my dressing room and scooted into the room where props and costumes were stored. There was something about a dark prop room that felt so peaceful to me. I pulled down some heavy coats to make a comfy bed for me and Cleo behind a row of long dresses. It was a trick I’d picked up to get me through early rehearsals as a kid, and for some reason I never slept as well as I did in prop rooms. It was a safe place where no one could find me.
I bundled a jacket under my head and pulled another one over me as a blanket. Cleo batted at a fluffy dress before turning to me and nestling into the soft space under my chin. As much as she needed me, sometimes I needed her even more. I breathed a deep, relaxed sigh as all the stress of the world disappeared and I slipped into warm sleep.
3.
Amelia
I sighed as the mechanic wrote out the bill for my poor car. I didn’t even know if the heap of junk was worth the three-hundred bucks it would cost to fix. I did know I didn’t have the money. The club I worked at had cut my shifts back and cash was tighter than ever.
Thank God for credit cards, I guess.
Though I was quickly sliding into a deep pit of debt that I wasn’t sure I’d ever be able to dig myself out of. Unless I landed a big role.
I tried to hold my frustration in as I thought of the opportunity I’d lost that morning. This movie could’ve made all the difference in my future.
Damnit, I wouldn’t think about it.
Wouldn’t think about Jessica Black and her stupidly adorable dog or her unprofessionalism. I wouldn’t wonder how such a diva could get any role she wanted.
I swallowed another sigh as I snatched the receipt from the mechanic and headed for the bus stop just in time to see a bus pulling away. Perfect. I took a seat on the bench, hoping I’d get home in time to change for work.
Waiting for the next bus gave me plenty of time to practice not thinking about Jessica. And I definitely needed practice, because my mind circled around her the entire half-hour I had to wait.
And for the hour it took the bus to meander to the crummy end of town where I lived. It was dark by the time I began my walk home, and still, somehow, I couldn’t get that woman out of my head.
I unlocked my apartment and opened the door carefully to avoid tipping over the table next to entrance. My studio apartment was so small that I could barely move without knocking something over. Before I’d moved into the little hovel, I’d rented a place with two other girls who were also pursuing careers in acting. We’d gotten along great.
Until the day we all auditioned for the same role.
Well, I can’t really say I auditioned, because one of the girls swiped my alarm clock to keep me from getting up and just in case that wasn’t enough to prevent me from making the audition, she nabbed my car keys.