The driver

Chapter 5: Compromise

"Where the hell were you last night dude?" Puck said as Finn joined him for coffee.

"I had to bail early… I had a headache," Finn lied.

"How the hell are you an actor?"

"Okay, I was upset about Quinn, sue me," Finn admitted.

"Jesus dude, are you sure you had a headache and not menstrual cramps?"

Finn glared at him. "Look I know you work for me and everything but do you think you could at least pretend to be my friend?"

"Friend? Dude I'm your publicist, I'd break your legs with a baseball bat if I thought it would get you a decent weekend opening."

"Well at least you're honest."

"Look, Quinn's a babe, I'll give you that but there are plenty of babes out there, your last three girlfriends were Blake Lively, Rihanna and Megan Fox for Fuck's sake."

"I've talked to Megan Fox like three times dude, and I'm pretty sure she's the only girl on the planet who's actually dumber than me."

"The point is we're trying to sell an image here. Guys want to be you, girls hate you because they secretly want to fuck you, that's your persona. If you go around acting like a crybaby bitch over every hot girl who dumps you then you can lose everything."

"I don't know man, I'm just tired of it. I feel like I got into this business for all of the right reasons and I've been successful for all of the wrong ones," he said dourly. "I actually like to act, I'm good at it, but all anyone cares about is what girl I'm supposedly sleeping with."

"Dude, guys like you don't win Oscars, they make shitty movies, bang supermodels and make their publicists rich."

"Guys like me? What kind of guy am I?"

"I didn't mean it that way man, I'm just saying it's tough out there bro, and right now you can't afford to have an identity crisis. Maybe when you're 40 but not now"

"Hold that thought" he said as his phone started to vibrate. "Hello?" he answered.

"Hello this is Robert Graf, I'm calling about your screen test for 'The Dead Folk'"

"Yeah, I heard I would be hearing from you, I have to say I'm really excited about doing this movie."

"That's the thing, we've actually decided to go in a different direction for our second lead."

"But, I thought…"

"I'm going to tell you the truth and I promise I'm not just saying this," Robert said. "Your audition was a revelation, when I heard the name Finn Hudson I was skeptical, but I was incredibly impressed with you, we all were."

"I don't get it, those all sound like good things," Finn said confusedly.

"They are good things, but when it came down to it you just didn't fit the character. Arthur Fox is supposed to be this bitter, broken kid, and frankly, no matter how good of an actor you are you still look like an Abercrombie model."

"I can do bitter and broken, I can, just let me prove it to you," Finn pleaded.

"Look, it's not all bad news. Joel and Ethan would still like to work with you. We think you'd be perfect for the role of the traveling salesman."

"But I'd only be in the first and last scene."

"It's a very important cameo. I know this is a disappointment so I'll give you some time to consider."

"So, can I ask who got the part?" Finn said.

"Well, it was between you and Anton Yelchin."

"Anton Yelchin, yeah he's good I guess," Finn said dejectedly.