Page 27 of Keep It

Sally glares at me as I make my hasty escape, her eyes screaming, “Coward”.

Stepping into the fresh air, I start to panic. You can’t just decide when to start filming, that’s just not how it works. The thought of telling Rachel that the lead actor has decided the shooting schedule almost makes me break out in hives, but the thought of going back in there and telling Danny to leave is not an option.

Fortunately–or unfortunately–I spot Sarah outside the food truck typing on her iPad. Taking a deep breath, I approach certain disaster.

“Uh, Sarah?” I ask

Sarah replies with a vague “Hmm?”

“Yeah, so Danny is in makeup right now.” I say, gesturing to the truck behind me.

Sarah’s brow furrows, glancing at her watch. “Why did you do that? He’s not supposed to be in makeup for another twenty minutes.”

“Yeah, so I know that, and also he knows that. But he— uh—well he doesn’t seem to…care.” I finish lamely.

Sarah looks at me blankly. “What?”

“Yeah, he seems really keen to uh, get rolling.”

“Right, so I will go and tell the director, and the DOP and the sound guys and the art department that Danny is ready toget rolling.” She says it so flatly that the words swallow me whole.

Humiliation burns my cheeks but I have nothing to say. My teeth bite into my lip hard enough to sting.

“I thought your job was to handle him,” Sarah says. “So handle him. We’re not starting any earlier.” She strides off muttering under her breath.

My lip will be chewed off by the end of this shoot, and I am going to send my plastic surgery bill to Danny Covington’s door.

Shamefaced, I return to the makeup truck but linger outside for the rest of Danny’s time. When he finally emerges, I can’t even look at him, my embarrassment at getting told off hardening into fury in my gut.

Fuck this man thinking he can treat us all like servants, ready to obey his whims at the snap of his fingers. My fury morphs into resolve as soon as Danny opens the door. I stand with my arms crossed and what I hope is a fierce glare.

Danny doesn’t even acknowledge me as he brushes past me in the direction of the costume truck. Unlike my earlier hesitance, I have no qualms about grabbing his arm and pulling him to a stop. I will jump on his back and tackle him to the ground if I have to.

He glances down at my arm with an indistinguishable look on his face.

“Your trailer is that way,” I say, not bothering to point.

“I’m going to costume.”

“Not for thirty minutes you’re not.”

“They’ll be ready for me.”

“No, they won’t.”

“Yes, they will.”

“No, they won’t.”

“Look I haven’t got time to play this game with you, freckles.”

“Aucontraire, you have buckets of time, thirty minutes in fact.”

Danny rolls his eyes. “Give me a break. I’m being a good boy and ready to get this over with. You should be happy.”

“I’ll be happy when you just do the things you’re supposed to do when you’re supposed to do them.”

“I’m going to costume.”

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