by Claire, Ava
“Interesting,” Mia said quietly, her piece of paper still blank. “Mark?”
A guy a few seats away who looked like he just rolled off a wave in SoCal clicked his pen, obviously used to the limelight because he waited until all eyes were on him before speaking. “I think we just bring her in and have her talk to some other clients. Make up an all stars list of people we brought from D-list to A-list. Show her what we can do.”
All good ideas.
All very...predictable.
Missy leaned back in her seat, mulling them over. I had a feeling she’d go with door number 3 and not because Mark was batting his eyes at her. It just seemed like her style. Confrontational; almost like we were politely sitting her down and telling her she was at the bottom of the barrel and we were gonna upgrade her. It could work, done right. I just felt like every idea was just...too much.
“What do you think, Leila?” Missy glanced at me curiously.
I shifted in my seat, wondering if I should use something a little less maverick-y then silencing that nonsense. I wanted to be heard. Now was my chance.
“Nothing,” I said simply.
“Nothing?” Missy repeated slowly.
“Pampering her, spoiling her, showing our list of accomplishments?” I nodded agreeably. “They’re good. But after the first meeting and everything that’s happened since, she’s spooked. We can’t do something good. We have to do something she won’t expect.”
“Which would be?”
“Nothing.”
The murmurs that rippled across the room when I gave my suggestion were decidedly louder now and from the eyebrows rising skeptically, they thought I was completely nuts.
“Here’s the thing,” I explained, my voice a whip that cut through the chatter. I looked at Paul. “I loved your idea. I think it would have been relaxing.” Kara was next. “What girl doesn’t want to be spoiled?” I settled on Mark who was eyeing me warily. “And I think she’d benefit from seeing what we’re capable of.”
I sat up in my seat, remembering the first time Mia sauntered into this very room, already putting a wall up. Already making up her mind that she thought very little of Whitmore and Creighton and what we could do. The fear disguised as anger in the bathroom. The shaky mask in place at the hospital.
“Mia Kent has had a charmed life, even before Carolina, California. She was the only child, raised in a small town where she was treated like royalty. She was an unknown actress, but her talent made her a fortune nearly overnight. Her fans violently adore her.
Every day is filled with her being pampered and catered to. There's nothing new or remarkable about glitz and glamour to her. She doesn’t trust us, so any sort of blow by blow of what we are capable of would fall on deaf ears. We don’t need to chase her or woo her. She’ll come to us when she’s ready."
I was done. It was the most words I’d said aloud to anyone since I’d started working here and it was surprisingly not 90% uh’s and um’s. I could tell from the downturned looks on Paul, Kara, Mark and Sia’s faces that I'd stepped on some toes but the majority of the murmuring was that of approval. But the person in charge was Missy—and the verdict was still out.
She put her pen down, picked up the piece of paper in front of her and balled it up. “I think you’re right, Leila. We need to give her some room to breathe.”
She stood up, the Missy sign that the meeting was over. “Nothing it is.”
I broke into a grin in spite of myself, not even caring that people filed out of the room without giving me any props or show of support. We were all driven, wanted to be the one called on, the one that gave the right answer. But Missy standing at the front and following through with being more receptive meant everything.
She had a one on one with another client so she hustled out, leaving me alone when my phone buzzed to life.
Mia K.
Can u come over? No W and C stuff.
It was the middle of the workday but I didn't hesitate, plunking out a yes and asking for her address.
****
Everything in the building on 1567 18th street screamed new money. From the bordello red walls with glittering white crown molding and larger than life marble statues to the security guard who nearly tased me because I wasn’t on Mia’s approved list, it was too much. When I took in the hipsters lounging in the ground floor cafe reading Nietzsche and young socialites staring at their iPhones very seriously, I instantly felt an otherness that was different from my prior experiences with the filthy rich. Sure, I’d felt like I stuck out like a sore thumb when I went to Jacob’s apartment the first time and I still felt awkward at some of the more exclusive restaurants we went to, but this was a different feeling. Where old money looked down their noses at me, these people couldn’t even be bothered. I didn’t even exist.
I stepped up to the oversized door, swallowing a ‘wow’ as I gripped a knocker and rapped twice. I cleared my throat and got ready to call out her name, but stopped when I heard the lock disengaging.
The door swung open and Mia cocked her head to the side, bright eyes twice their normal size as she took me in. “You came?”
“Of course,” I said, flashing a grin.
She didn’t return it, but I saw something in her eyes that looked a lot like relief. She held the door open and let me step inside. As loud as her personality was I expected neon walls, a wooden chandelier, Warhol prints, and furniture that was more fashion than function. Instead, the walls were bare. The open concept floor plan just looked vast and empty except for a cluster of cardboard boxes and shopping bags in what I suspected was supposed to be the living room. The only real color was the array of wine and liquor bottles lining the island. Well, that and the lime green leggings Mia had on.
She flipped her hair over her shoulder, walking over to one of the boxes labeled ‘K stuff’. “Want something to drink? I have water, wine, beer, club soda?”
I shook my head and she abandoned the cardboard box and went to the fridge. She emerged with a Miller Lite, studying me as she popped the lid.
“Scott had some stuff to do, that’s why I-” She turned her back to me, chugging it like she was in the Sahara and just found a bottle of water. Once she was done she dropped it in the trash can with a metallic crunch that told me she drank booze like a fish drank water. As much as I wanted to find out the truth about her shiesty friend, it was fairly obvious she didn’t want to talk about him. Besides, I was there to support her, not make her more uncomfortable which meant it was probably time for a subject change.
I walked to the island, running my fingertips across the granite countertop. “You just moved in?”
“Sure, six months ago.” She leaned on the opposite side of the counter and shrugged her denim clad shoulders. “I’m kind of a gypsy. No use unpacking because I just can’t stay in one place. It’s in my blood.”
And my attempt at steering the convo out of dicey territory put me right in a pile of awkward. Everyone knew about the show moms who made Mommy Dearest look like mother of the year. They were driven and if you stood in the way of the direction they believed their kids’ career should go, they would plow right over you. School, family, even childhood was put on the back burner as they worked for their lil' one’s big break. And once that break came, they were right there; pulling the strings, acting like their ability to turn their children into a commodity meant they were owed respect and gratitude.
If all the show moms in LA were put on a single team, Charlene Kent would be the MVP. Before I even started following Mia closely I remembered news articles about her mother nearly costing her starring roles because producers refused to deal with her. Before her fourteenth birthday there were rumors that Mia was thinking about emancipating herself. She’d laughed them off, but from the way her face hardened as she talked about blood, maybe there were some truth to it.
She tossed a look at me and snorted. “You can stop looking at me like I’m gonna break into a million little pieces.”
I l
et out a nervous chuckle, swatting the truth away. “I wasn’t-”
“You were,” she glowered, standing upright. “Worried bringing up my mom would send me spiraling back into the dark pit. Ask me anything about her. I’ll show you how fine I am.”
This whole thing was proof of how fine she wasn't. “Mia...”
“Ask me.”
“How’s your mother doing?”
“No idea. I haven’t talked to her since my birthday.”
The photos of Mia smiling, happy on her eighteenth birthday took on a whole meaning.
I met her gaze slowly. “You were free.”
She was the one that broke away first, turning back to the fridge. Back to the booze. Besides the fact she wasn't legal, it was nowhere near the socially accepted time of getting plastered.
“You think that’s a good idea?”
The hiss of the gas escaping from the bottle and her prompt guzzling of it was my answer. She was throwing down like it was Friday night with a tolerance that would impress the most prolific of frat boys. I thought coming over would help her, but right now, I just felt like I was making things worse. After all my talk at the meeting, I wasn’t even following my own suggestions. I was doing the exact opposite...I was driving her to drink.
I stood up, at a loss for what to do. “I know you’ve got a lot on your plate-”
“Huh,” she interrupted, gesturing around the quiet expanse of her apartment with her empty bottle. “It looks like I have nothing on my plate. My personal assistant stopped answering my calls and I’ve been receiving delicately worded emails from producers. They all apologize but they’ve ‘found new talent’ or are ‘going in a different direction”.”
I gave her a sympathetic nod. “They’re just being overly cautious. They'll be back once everything calms down.”
“Once everyone finds some new star to stalk? Once the Mia Kent Suicide Watch ends?"
I cringed, remembering my horror when I saw that TMV, one of the more dick-ish celebrity gossip new sites, actually had a countdown widget on their front page. They docked the time with every new article published about Mia.
“Once they realize that you’re here to stay,” I said, taking the anger and trying to turn it into something positive. Something empowering. “Once you make a comeback.”
She wagged a finger at me. “No Whitmore and Creighton stuff, remember?”
I held up my hands innocently. “I didn't say anything about contracts or Whitmore and Creighton. You’re going to make a comeback whether you sign with us or not, if that’s what you really want.”
She didn’t look remotely convinced of that. “Yeah right.”
“I am right.”
“My mom says that I’m done. That I’ve completely ruined my career.” Her face changed, every line deepening, wrinkles and a world weariness coloring her eyes that seemed like too much for someone her age. “My little sister is her latest project. Maybe she'll get it right this time.”
I didn’t miss the contradiction. “I thought you hadn’t spoken to her since your birthday.”
She pulled her long hair into a low bun, her eyes narrowing. “The media’s already called me plenty. Brat. Idiot. Washed Up. Might as well add liar to the mix.”
I leaned on the counter, dropping my chin in my palm. “I guess it’s genetic then.”
“What is?”
“Lying.”
She reared back a little, double taking. “Excuse me?”
“You lied, and apparently so did your mother.” She looked confused and it was morphing into anger so I explained. “Your career isn’t over, Mia.”
“Oh geez,” she huffed, breezing from the main room to the next and coming back with a black bean bag. She dumped it near the fireplace and slumped down onto it. “I guess this is the moment where you tell me that if at first you don’t succeed blah blah blah, rough patch, blah blah?”
“Nope.” I kicked off my pumps before padding over to where she was slouched, watching me cautiously. I dropped to the floor a few feet from her, folding my legs beneath me. “This is where I tell you that it’s not easy and if you’re not ready to put in the work, don’t.”
“So reverse psychology, then?”
I slashed the air with a hand, dismissing that. “You’ve got enough people trying to get in your head. I'm not one of them. I just want to be the one person that tells you the truth.”
“Is that right?”
I dipped my head. “Yep.”
She sat up a little, her expression softening. “So what did your people say about me?”
“They wanted to send you to a spa, give you a bunch of swag, and sell Whitmore and Creighton to you.”
“Wow,” she snickered, finally looking like a kid. It was a good look for her. “And which of those ideas was yours?”
“None of them. I didn't want to do anything.”
She didn't buy it. “What? But you’re here.”
“After you called me.” I crooked my thumb over my shoulder. “My purse is too small for a contract and you’re the one bringing up Whitmore and Creighton.”
“Yeah, but...” Her mouth hung open, her forehead wrinkling as she racked her mind for some way to support her theory that I was there for some bigger agenda or purpose other than helping her.
I didn’t even tell Missy I was heading over to see her because something in Mia’s voice told me she needed a friend more than a publicist.
Quiet stretched between us as she looked at me, trying to weigh out her options. To trust me or not to trust me.
“Scott’s kind of an asshole, isn’t he?” Mia said finally, trying to seem nonchalant. Like it was no biggie.
I guess she was still testing me. Yet the way she chewed on her bottom lip, she was definitely testing herself. Seeing if she could handle the truth.
I couldn’t answer why I felt a bond to a girl who seemed intent on scaring me away, but the Scott thing was easy. “Yes, he is.”
She sank deeper in the chair. “I confronted him after I saw a video of him talking crap about me. How he told me I needed help. And apparently I pop pills like candy and fired or pushed away anyone that tried to help.” Her voice tightened. “Wanna know how he helps me? By buying weed and alcohol and finding me pills when I run out. When I called him out he said-” Her nostrils flared as she balled the hands on her knees into fists. “He said he should've just let me die.” She spit out a bitter laugh. “Great friend, huh? My fucking hero.”
I wouldn’t be the one that said I told you so. I knew if there were any parts of her that doubted his intentions, he’d proven what kind of person he was. But this wasn’t a victory. There were so few people she had in her life that wouldn’t gladly sign up to be a close source in some tabloid story. Sometimes the most toxic person imaginable can seem better than facing life alone.
“He’s my only friend. How pathetic is that?" she whispered, sucking on her bottom lip sadly. "I never got close to my costars because Mom was always there, telling me that I was better than them. That if I wanted to be the best I didn’t have time for friends. I didn’t believe her, not really, but you just don’t question her. Ever.”
“But you did,” I told her. “You got your own place-”
“And I still can’t bring myself to change my number. Or not answer her calls. Or tell her to go to hell. Because even though she’s the freaking worst, she’s my mom. She’s the only person I got.”
“That’s where you’re wrong, Mia.” I glanced up at her. “You’ve got me.”
“You?” she snorted. “You’re my publicist.”
“Did you sign something I didn’t know about?” I challenged, standing up with a groan as my muscles popped. Served me right. The only exercise I'd been getting was of the bedroom variety. “You got anything to eat here? I’m starving.”
She was still considering what I said, but she managed a no.
I went to my purse and pulled out my cell, my heart swelling in my chest when she got up and walked over
to join me with a smile on her face. A real smile.
“Pizza it is.”
****
“There’s a Mrs. Whitmore here to see you. I’m sending her back.”
The line went dead before I could tell Natasha that under no circumstances did I want her to send Jacob’s mother to my office. Figures. If I were anyone else she would have checked with me first, but I was Leila Montgomery, her sworn enemy or whatever. Apparently the play nice at work thing Missy and I were trying out hadn’t trickled down to her friend.
I had bigger fish to fry than Natasha’s attitude. Two knocks sounded at my door and I didn’t need two guesses to figure out that it was Alicia. I jumped to my feet then sat back down and opened every folder on my desk. Maybe if I looked really busy she’d go away. I doubted she’d come all the way here just to bother me. We’d trade barbs and she’d slink off to Jacob’s office to tell him what a huge mistake he was making if he married me.
I might as well get it over with. “It’s open.”
She strutted into my office, wearing head to toe cream, pairing a sheer blouse with wide leg trousers. Her salt and pepper hair was held back with a pair of oversized shades and her gray eyes stormed as she took me in, paying no mind to my desk as she eased into one of the chairs in front of me.
“I hope I’m not intruding,.”
I didn’t even bother playing this little cat and mouse game. “Would it matter if you were?”
“Not really,” she answered, at least doing me a favor by not pretending this was some sort of social call between friends. “I know you’re a busy girl so I’ll get to it.” Right. She said it like she thought the extent of my busy-ness was trolling the internet for new ways to spend Jacob’s money. “I’ve been following that poor actress’ story through the news.”
I raised an eyebrow, guessing she was talking about Mia, but not sure why she would care.