Me Against Her (Cate Blanchett x OC)

Ruminations

"My mind's already made up." I said, "I've been here for six years and have been consistently passed over for a promotion. I think it's time for me to leave and grow elsewhere."

"I know there's been a lot of change lately, and you feel stifled. But I think you can contribute a lot to our lineup next year, and that..." she paused for a second, as if to ponder the consequences of uttering these next words, "you belong at STC, Edith."

"Thank you."

"And of course, I'd like to offer you to stay on new terms - a 20% raise and a part-time assistant. So you wouldn't get dirt on those pretty shirts of yours all the time." 

I laughed, "I know for a fact that our donor budget isn't enough to cover that. Trust me, I've run the calculations myself many times" 

"I'm well aware," she furrowed her brows, "it's not coming out of the donor budget." 

Right. I forgot that she was a loaded Hollywood star. 

"I appreciate the offer - can I think about it tonight and get back to you?"

"Sure," she said, "just one thing, please don't tell Andrew about the new terms yet."

-----

"So what I'm hearing is...you get to work under Cate Blanchett AND you get more money?" Abby was practically screaming at me back at our apartment, "And you told her you'd...think about it?" 

"She's uppity, aloof, and condescending. You didn't see her belittling my ideas before. And you don't know what it's like to work with someone that doesn't share your vision." 

"What has theater done to you? It's making you talk like a rich person." she said, "Tell me, were you born into a giant heap of dough that you can rage quit any time you want?" 

"No."

"Do you have a better offer on the table that you can take or use to counter this one?"

"No."

"Is it her fault that you called her a dumb actress?"

"No, and I may have called her old too..."

"Then shut the fuck up, bitch, and suck it up. I'm not paying your share of the rent." 

I elbowed her gently in the ribs, resulting in a painful yelp from her. But I knew she was right. Abby and I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks together, and after we graduated college, she went into finance and I theater. And she had been keeping my feet on the ground ever since. Mostly because she wanted to help someone "with a dream and who hadn't sold their soul to corporations". 

-----

The next day, I arrived at the office early to tell Cate and Andrew my decision. As I walked down the hall leading to their office, I heard the faint sound of them arguing once again. As I drew nearer, I realized that their words echoed clearly against the empty walls - their door was wide open. 

"...you're nuts! She's going to be a lot of trouble for us -" 

"Andrew, I think it's for the best. We're new here, and we need on-the-ground support. She may be a little stubborn and hotheaded, but she's smart, and I think she's got some good ideas..."

"She's a brat! And she has too many ties within the organization. It'll backfire on us. We need to get our own people, people we can trust." 

"Everyone we know and trust is over 40. We need someone younger. She's right, we can't keep the company afloat just by catering to 40+ audiences anymore." 

The blood froze in my veins when I realized they were arguing about me. I didn't dare take one step further, so I hid behind the doorframe where I could catch every word with ease. 

"Andrew," Cate's voice rang loud and agitated, "remember why we chose to do this in the first place? You were tired of the industry in LA...we wanted something simpler, more artistic, without the strings of fame attached. Right now we have everything we need to make that happen here at STC, but you're not going to be very fulfilled if nobody comes to see our work." 

"That's bullshit - your name is now attached to the theater. People will come flocking in!"

"But I'm struggling, okay?" her voice was cracking, "I've been receiving a dozen pitches a week, and I already offended several people I thought were my friends by turning them down. They all thought 'she's Cate Blanchett and that she thinks she's too good for us' - but in reality we just don't have the budget and bandwidth to produce all of their work...we need to use the connections that the theater already has so that we can have a softer landing. It's a small town, Andrew, our reputation travels fast." 

"You're saying that you want to keep Edith around to do the dirty work for you?"

"Yes, but not just that." she said, "I think she's capable of more." 

"She wants our jobs! You're in way over your head here - "

"Well, aren't you!?" Cate was practically shouting, "Are you going to sit there and tell me that this hasn't been more difficult than we ever thought it would be?" 

"Fine, do whatever you want. But do it with your own money." Andrew's voice took on a nasty tone, "People pretend I don't exist in pitch meetings anyway. Who cares what Mr. Blanchett thinks?"

"That's not what I meant - "

Rapid footsteps approached, and before I could move, I basically bumped into the two of them by the door. It was clear that I'd been eavesdropping the entire time. 

"I'm sorry, I can come back another time," I fumbled for words. 

"Oh go to hell!" Andrew spat the words at me and left in a fit. 

I was left face-to-face with Cate. 

"I'm sorry about Andrew," she whispered, "he hasn't been his usual self. It's nothing personal. But...I do understand if you wish to leave the company." Her words were placid, but her eyes were pleading. 

I wanted to tell her on the spot that I was leaving for good. That toxic bosses were starting to become the story of my life, and that I was having none of it anymore. The words were on the tip of my tongue. 

But the deflated look that Cate wore on her face gave me a secret sense of triumph. She and I both knew that everything would fall apart if I left right now. She won the battle but lost the war. 

"I'm just here to tell you that I'm happy to stay a bit longer." I said briefly. 

"Good," she said, not flinching a bit, "let's get to work."