La Pantera

Ch.15 My Movie My Rules

November 1982

Song for Chapter: Get off My Back by Bryan Adams

The cast had moved to filming in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Stevie was very excited about it, considering the East Coast was where she felt at home. It was her habitat, the place where she let her true personality radiate. She had been learning the choreography for her routines in the film nonstop, wanting to do them right. She found nothing wrong with playing a stripper even though she was 16 ; she had consented to it so why would it be a problem? She looked old enough in her opinion and the director's as well, so she had no reason to believe anything negatively about it. At least that's what she thought at the time.

Training for this movie alone had caused her to gain some weight back , mostly muscle in her legs and glutes. Stevie didn't mind it too much, in fact she embraced it as it symbolized her sobriety of 4 months. She was currently in her black leotard for the audition scene at the end of the film, waiting for the camera to roll. "Hey Stevie!", Adrian Lyne called, bringing a tall athletic man with him. "This is gonna be your stunt double for some tricks here.", he declared. "Wait wait wait, whatdya mean stunt double? I told you I can do the tricks already!", she snapped in frustration. "It'll be more believable if a man does them for you.", he reasoned. Stevie scoffed loudly. "You serious?!", her voice rose a bit. "This is my movie young lady.", Adrian warned. "Okay and I get that, but lemme tell ya somethin'. I've proved to everyone here I can do my shit. Watch me film and you'll see what I mean.. got it?!", she barked. Adrian called action before watching Stevie film her scene, waiting for himself to be proven right. His smile fell however, when Stevie landed her front flip somersault trick  before doing another front flip and landing on her one foot, her opposite leg pointed out on the floor. Everything she did, she did with precision. The music poured through her as she spun , did twirls, pumped her fists in the air, and made her presence known.

As soon as she finished, she walked up to Mr. Lyne. "My movie, my rules...", she growled at Adrian and the stunt double before walking away to grab water from a chair. "Who do you think you are to be saying that type of shit to me?!", he snapped. "Stevie motherfuckin' Costa! You NEED an actress like me who can do all her shit and be done in no time! You NEED someone who can do their tricks and not have to waste money on someone like this loser!", she snarled. Seeing he had humiliated himself in front of what was supposed to be his set, Adrian shook his head. "Take 5.", he glared at Stevie. She curtsied mockingly before going to use the restroom.

Filming soon finished that day and Stevie was allowed to head back to her small apartment in that area. Good thing she was getting paid good money each week as the lead because she didn't want to run behind on rent and bills. She was walking down the sidewalk that chilly evening when she heard some girls laughing her way. She turned to face them and saw they were sitting on a bench where the buses picked people up. "Somethin' funny?", Stevie snarled , her eyes flickering under the streetlight. "Ya look like a dyke you whore!", the one called her way. The other witches laughed as Stevie's jaw clenched in anger as she stalked over. "What'd ya cawll meh?!", her accent drawled as she got closer. Two of the girls noticed the real danger as the taller girl got closer. "Uh noth-.", one tried to say but the ringleader stood up to face Stevie. "We said you look like a dyke. Look at you, dressed like a man in that outfit.", she taunted Stevie. Stevie growled before pushing the slightly smaller girl into the glass wall behind the bench, gripping her head tight by the hair and the other hand around her throat. The ringleader's cheek slammed hard on the wall and she grunted in pain, growing afraid when she realized she couldn't escape the stronger girl. "I'm giving you one chance to say sorry....ya don't say it I'll slam ya in here until your face is fucked. NOW SAY IT!", she roared. "IM SORRY!", the ringleader choked out. Stevie then shoved her towards the other girls, smiling menacingly now. "Don't make me find yous again...got it?!", she barked. They nodded their heads and scurried off like mice caught by a cat. Stevie wiped her mouth with her thumb before strutting back to her apartment with confidence now.