Page 126 of Badd B*tch

My phone rang, and I swallowed the whiskey, hissing at the burn as I swiped to answer. "What."

It was Adam. "He's gonna recover, but the film is on hold until he can come back. Your parts, at least. We'll do some B-roll, I suppose. They’re saying several weeks, at least, if not a few months."

"Adam, it was—"

"I fucking know, Lore," Adam snapped. "It's not your fault. It just sucks. We don’t have the budget for this delay, and it's fucking Marek James. He's arguably as famous as you and Dawson."

"Oh for god's sake, Adam, do not put me in the same breath as Dawson Kellor.”

"Quit feeling sorry for yourself, asshole. You didn't kill him. Your career will survive this. I promise."

"You can't promise that, Adam."

"Maybe not, but this picture is gonna be good. This is a setback, that's all." A pause. "The footage is fucking baller, though."

"The footage?"

"The last take! Jesus, keep up, twinkle-toes. That was some inspired swordplay. I'm thinking of rewriting the whole last act. You win, not Lucius. Instead of Aurelia saving you, you earn your freedom, but you'll never be her equal. So she still has to choose, right? Her great love, the farmer-turned-slave-turned-star gladiator? Or the life she's always known? The Empire, the wealth, the palaces, the servants? It’s so much stronger if she doesn't have the crutch of your life to lean on when making the decision, right?"

"Adam."

"What, twinkle-toes?"

"What do I do now?"

"Go home? Stay away from the paps, don't give 'em a thing."

"Home." It came out bitter.

“Oh. Right. Well…go somewhere."

"Helpful."

"Hey, I'm not your mama, kid." A voice in the background came through, muffling whatever he said next. "I gotta go, Lore. It wasn't your fault. Take a few months off and regroup. Just…don't get fat, okay?"

I laughed. "Nice, Adam."

"No, I'm serious! We can't afford to get you back into shape. You gotta stay sharp, my man. It's a break, just until Marek can finish filming that scene. The rest of yours are done, so we don't need you except to finish that scene and maybe a few reshoots."

That was my last scene, dammit. A few more moves, and I'd have been done.

Fuck!

"Fine. I'll go somewhere. And not get fat."

“I’ve heard Alaska is amazing this time of year. Go fishing or something, man. You've had a time of it lately."

I cackled at this, because that was the understatement of the century. "You're a dick, Adam."

"What? I'm serious."

“I’ve had a time of it lately? That's your go-to phrase for the shitshow that’s been my life for the last year?"

He paused. "Um. Yes. Listen, I really gotta go; Marek is going back for surgery right now."

"SURGERY?"

“You fucked him up good, twinkle-toes."