Chapter 13: Say Goodbye Hollywood
Riley didn’t want to be nosey but the expression on Marshall’s face was one she’d never seen before: fear. He looked as terrified as she’d been acting, not a moment ago.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, panic running through his voice. “You what…” He took the phone away from his ear, covered it with his palm and cursed. After a minute he composed himself and returned to the call. “… where’s Hailie…. Okay… okay…” There was a long pause, as if the person on the other end was explaining a story. “Look… I’m going to be there as soon as I can… I promise… Which station are you at... okay… okay.” Another long pause. “Apologizing isn’t going to help at the moment. We’ll talk about this later…. Okay bye.” He hung up the phone, looking pale, like he’s seen a ghost.
He turned straight to Paul. “We’ve got to cancel the shoot. I’ve gotta go home.”
Paul nodded. “I’ll talk to Kyron.”
Both of them glanced at her and Paul practically ran to tell the director, rather than her. Marshall swallowed and looked away, headed straight for his dressing room. Frustrated, Riley stood up and followed him as fast as she could in the pinching heels. Niether of them wanted to tell her what was going on. Which only meant really bad news.
“Marshall!” She called out, following him. He ignored her. “Marshall!”
She finally caught him at his dressing room door. He was just about to open it but she reached out and held it shut, blocking him from access. “What’s going on?” She asked, rapidly. He looked very uncomfortable. She gave him her more sincere look. “You can tell me. It’s okay.”
He looked side to side and spotted people at the end of the hall. “Inside.” She let him in, eager to know what had happened. It must be bad if they had to cancel the whole music video. Closing the door behind her, softly Marshall began to pace, as if walking would ease all his emotions. He looked hurt and frustrated, no longer in fear.
“What happened?” She asked, slowly, sensing this was a big deal.
Marshall drew in a deep breath. “Kim got arrested.”
That wasn’t what she expected. She frowned, “What for?”
“Possession of Cocaine.” His pacing didn’t stop.
She sighed. “She can go to prison for that.”
Marshall ran his hands over his hair. “You don’t think I fucking knew that?” She recoiled when he snapped at her and he sighed, stopping his pacing. “Sorry… that was out of line.”
“It’s okay,” She insisted. “Is Hailie okay?”
He eventually nodded. “She’s in school. She doesn’t know yet. I need the next flight to Michigan but I’m not sure I’ll make it in time ti pick her up.”
“Can’t you call someone?” She suggested. It’d be sad if he didn’t have any friends to rely upon in these sort of situations. Marshall’s eyes lit up, as if he’s thought of someone. He whipped out his phone and started dialing.
“Yeah Proof… I need a favor.”
The next hour passed in almost a blur. There wasn’t much she could do but sit back and watch this explosive situation unfold. Marshall spent most of his time on the phone talking things through with… what was it? Proof… in private. When he’d finally shown his face, he and Paul had an intense conversation which basically landed him the next flight from LA to Detroit. Riley had no idea what to do with herself, as most of the crew were now waiting around for orders and everyone else was losing their marbles over the fact that Marshall was bailing. The only bright side was that she was able to get changed out of that damn costume and put on some normal clothes.
She eventually found Mark, sitting in one of the warehouse break rooms, making coffee. He seemed a little stressed and looked upset as he saw her approaching. She knocked on the door, softly. “Hey…” He gave her a very weak smile and started drinking out of the Styrofoam cup filled with black coffee.
She knew he didn’t want to say anything. He was hiding something. “What happens to me now?”
Mark kept drinking but eventually he lowered his cup and tossed it into the trash can by the door. “We go back to Miami.”
Riley felt disappointment and sadness well through her. “You mean that’s it?”
Mark sighed and nodded. She looked down at the carpet. That was it. No music video. No finally making it in the show business world. No big break. No…. more Marshall. She felt the emptiness rise in her. This was all a waste of time. A waste of emotion. It was like someone had held all her dreams out in front of her and then crushed them before her very eyes. And the result shattered her.
The carpet started to get blurry and suddenly there were dark patches on the ground. She was fucking crying. And once she realized, she couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. Not wanting to lift her head, she kept her watery eyes glued to the floor. Hopefully Mark wouldn’t notice.
But she was wrong. Mark pulled her into a hug. He truly felt bad about the whole situation. It was really a run of bad luck. She couldn’t help but soak up Mark’s warm embrace. She felt bad for not remaining professional. Any person should have accepted the news and not let their emotions get into it. But she’d worked so hard.
“I know,” Mark returned. That’s when she realized she’d said that aloud. He released his hold of her and looked her in the eye. “You deserve better. You’re talented and hardworking and absolutely beautiful. We’ll get you another job. I promise.”
Riley nodded, mopping up her weakness with a tissue. “Thanks.”
“I spoke with Paul,” Mark said, softly. “He says they’re still going to pay you top dollar for coming out here. They even covered your hotel fees and flights back. But we still have a few more days here. Oh and he and Kyron both wanted to write you letters of recommendation for your work. They were very impressed. And so was I.”
Riley could only smile. Recommendation letters from those types of people were worth a lot. It’d make getting another job easier. That and they’d been so generous in paying for her trip down here.
Mark shrugged, “Besides, this is good experience for you anyway. It’s not every day that you get to work with Eminem.” He nudged her in the ribs with his elbow, giving her a suggestive smile. It would have been funny if nothing was actually going on between them…. Which made her wonder… where all of this left them now…
YOU ARE READING
INFINITE (Eminem Fan Fiction)
Fanfiction"It's like an explosion every time I hold you, I wasn't joking when I told you you take my breath away. You're a supernova..." Riley Stuart, upcoming model, forced her dark and lonely past away until she is offered an opportunity to work with famou...
