Besties

Fired

I was curled up in sweats and the black Superman t-shirt Tom made me buy on the couch, a tub of Ben and Jerry's ice cream in my hands and tear stains down my cheeks as I stared at the TV. I was watching the latest episode of Supernatural alone. Tom was busy so he hadn't been able to make it over in time to watch the episode with me. He was recording it at home and had promised to come over as soon as he had time.

It turned out to be worse than I imagined when I'd gone back to work. The actor who'd come on to me, Charles Michael Davis, had spread a rumor that I was sleeping around with the producers of the show and that was the only reason I'd gotten the role that I had. I had tried to ignore the whispers that followed me around set, but pretty soon, it had become too much and the producers became concerned that the rumors would be leaked to the press. So, in an effort to save themselves before they sullied their good names and the show was jeopardized, they fired me. Charles had a smug look on his face as I had left set, and I had held my head high and ignored his and everyone else's eyes as I headed out to my car.

However, as soon as I got home, the waterworks began. Now, since I didn't have Tom around to cheer me up, my only comforts came in the form of Ben and Jerry's and the Winchester brothers. After the episode ended and my ice cream was gone, I just curled up in a ball on the couch and fell asleep.

I woke up sometime later when somebody sat down on the couch next to me. I pried my eyes open slowly. My eyelids were heavy and I could feel dried goop in the corners of my eyes from crying so much. I reached up and picked all the crust out before forcing myself to sit up and look over at the other end of the couch. Tom was sitting cross-legged facing me.

"Hi," I croaked, throat thick from the combination of crying, ice cream, and sleep.

"Hey. So, we seriously need to talk."

"Do we have to?"

"Scarlett, you're a mess. Let me help you."

"What can you possibly do to help me, Tom? I got fired for a stupid rumor that that asshole spread just because I wouldn't sleep with him."

"I can help you by keeping you stocked up on an endless supply of Ben and Jerry's, give you my Netflix password so you can binge the first seasons of Supernatural while I'm busy, and while I'm here I can watch the new episodes and just be there for you in general."

"Tom?"

"Yeah?"

I was quiet for a moment and he quirked an eyebrow, waiting for me to continue.

"I already know your Netflix password."

"You... Of course you do," he slapped his palm to his forehead and I giggled. "But I'm still doing those other things."

"Yeah, okie dokie. Thanks, Tom."

"What are friends for?"

***

The next couple of months were dubbed "The Dark Period" by Tom because all I did was eat ice cream, curl up on the couch, and watch my beloved Winchester brothers. My agent called a few times to try and discuss what happened and get me to agree to audition for another project. Tom actually took the lead at first talking to her about the incident, but once she was all caught up to speed and her calls turned into audition suggestions, we ended up ignoring her completely or I yelled at her that I didn't want to hear it.

I eventually did start getting up and around, doing other things besides binge on TV and dairy products. I took up baking and found that I was really good at making apple pies. The first time Tom found out about my new hobby, he insisted on being my official taste tester.

My apple pie was his favorite.

He called it Heaven on Earth.

I would sometimes get super creative and make crazy designs on the crust besides the usual lattice or dome with five eyelets in the middle. When he requested the pie for his birthday, I put a Superman "S" on top. There were finally spurts of the old Scarlett coming back.

I still had days or even weeks where I'd backslide and only want to be on the couch with Ben and Jerry's and Supernatural for company. Sometimes Tom on there, too. And I continued to turn my agent down any time she called with another potential audition for me.

But life was slowly returning back to normal and as the more time passed, the less and less what Charles did crippled me when I thought about it. Everything was good, and I was sort of starting to feel like me again.