* 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩

               he’s  looking  at  his  phone  screen,  a  tabloid  pulled  up  with  a  headline  stating  he’s  once  again  on  the  one  night  stand  train  with  a  photo  of  someone’s  back  and  a  woman  infront  of  them.  with  no  other  photo  provided,  he  can’t  help  but  let  out  a  chuckle  that  vibrates  his  throat,  head  shaking  from  side  to  side.  “  —  ah.  tabloids.  just  assume  it’s  roman,  you  know,  sluttin’  it  up.  ”  not  a  far  fetched  assumption,  although  he  could  be  hooked  up  to  a  lie  detector  this  moment  and  pass  easily  —  that  man  in  the  photo  was  definitely  not  him.  everyone  knew  his  hotel  of  choice  was  the  ritz.

“ but it is you sluttin' it up , “ the femme states , brow raising as she averts her attention from her own phone to look at her older brother . “ since when do you care whose hotel sheets you end up using ? “ head tilts as she question , now clearly teasing as a hint of a smile appears in the corner of her lips . “ i heard they have excellent cleaning service , “ she taps on the screen of his phone with her almond shaped nail , before fully grinning at him . “ diversity , ro . diversity , “

⸻⸻⸻  it  isn't  too  late  ,  but  it's  dark  out  when  raine  finishes  up  the  last  of  her  meetings  ,  her  brain  just  a  hair's  breadth  from  shutting  down  and  body  aching  to  sink  into  the  plush  mattress  of  her  california  king  .  she  clicks  her  tongue  ,  a  text  from  her  driver  reading  sorry  ,  i'll  be  late  ,  and  in  retrospect  regrets  not  having  driven  to  work  herself  .  she  turns  around  to  wait  inside  the  building  ,  and  is  startled  by  a  figure  behind  her  .     “  jesus  !  ⸻  what  the  fuck  ,  dude  ?  you  scared  the  shit  out  of  me  !  ”

dipped in designer from head to toe even on set ( gotta' look fab for the fans / paps ) gaby scoffs as she continues talking on the phone with her manager . “ & i told you that i don't give a shit , make it happen ! “ that's the last thing she says before hanging up , opening the exit door so she can finally get the hell away from there when someone startles her too ⸻ by startling them first . for a moment , gaby stands still & simply observes the tiny creature before her ( not that she's cindy crawford but her confidence definitely adds on 10 inches ) trying to fight the urge to roll her eyes . “ yes , and ? “ she retorts , brow raising . “ maybe if you weren't lurking in the dark people could see you & avoid scaring you , hm ? there's an idea to try for the next time , “

‟ how much is it gonna take for you to come dance with me? ” the brunette questions after stealing a spot beside them, her usual soft smile on her lips. ‟ and don't you dare think about tellin' me no. you look way too nice to be sittin' around here, in a corner, doin' nothin'. ”

it takes her a moment to realize she's been talked to , dark orbs moving ever so slowly to meet up the gaze of a woman now sitting beside her at a party . who's ? she didn't remember , nor cared . “ i don't dance , “ gaby mentions , bringing her glass of whiskey at the tip of her full lips right before a brow raises . chirpy , happy-go-lucky people in the industry are a nuisance , mainly because gaby didn't trust anyone , especially good people with no intentions . “ yeah .... “ slowly , gaze moves down to inspect the woman a bit more , before adding , “ i'm good , “

as he leads the way, he can hear an extra pair of footsteps. the old guy must be following them. goddammit. they turn around and say, "listen, sir, i'm not looking for a fight." the old man doesn't actually look that old — probably on the younger end of middle-aged, but still, teddy doesn't feel like it's fair to fight a man with a head of thin, gray hair and a silver beard. if teddy needs to, though, he'll fight the guy... they try to give him one last warning, but before they can, the old guy swings. and shit, that hurts. the punch to teddy's nose elicits a choked gasp. "what the fuck?" they sputter out, hand flying up to their nose. when he registers the red liquid trickling out of his nose, he can't help letting out a guttural cuss in bisaya, "pisti yawaaa!" or, in english, fuck with the intensity of a thousand fucks. "cassie, call security. call security! my face, my face!"

the actress thinks she avoided that uncomfortable situation , genuinely believing teddy just showing up as her ' boyfriend ' would be enough for the old man to leave them alone but .... soon she realizes that's not the case . in fact , the blonde barely manages to react between teddy turning around to offer truce & a fist coming in his face . “ oh my - “ her words are cut in half when she notices blood coming down his nose , instantly stepping between them two as if her little presence could potentially stop a fight . “ are you insane ? “ one hand on her friend , while the other angrily points at the middle aged guy when the security comes along . “ he's crazy , he punched my friend for no god damn reason ! “ she explains , all while trying to help with the potential broken nose teddy might now possibly has .

               momentarily,  there’s  a  look  of  offense  on  his  face,  looking  down  at  himself  as  if  he  was  trying  to  see  himself  from  her  lens.  “  i’m  hot  !  ”  he  comments  loudly  and  full  of  defense,  gaze  returning  to  the  blonde  next  to  him,  waiting  for  her  to  answer  the  initial  question  that  was  provided.  “  i  don’t  know  !  aging,  stress,  brooke  gets  a  hold  of  some  scissors  and  wants  to  experiment  being  a  barber  —  endless  ways  !  just  answer  the  question  —  would  i  still  be  fuckable  while  bald  ?  ”

brow raises at his words of defense , purposely teasing him further as she continues observing him as if he's in the wrong . “ whatever you say , “ she plays along , even offers a shrug to her performance to seal the deal . but , cassie eventually gives in with a sigh , hazel orbs rolling inwardly as toby continues to pester her about a response . “ yes , you will still be fuckable while bald , “ she repeats , before continuing further , “ you will be the best looking bald man this world has ever seen , every man & woman will find you irressistable , everyone will rather drop dead than turn you down - “ but she can't continue , not when she breaks character & bursts into laughter . “ was that good ? “

            walking  into  cassie's  kitchen,  ro  has  to  pause  for  a  second  as  they  take  in  their  surroundings.  just  about  every  surface  the  kitchen  had  to  offer  had  been  decked  out  with  baked  goods,  the  air  smelling  as  if  a  unicorn  had  just  thrown  up  right  then  and  there.  she  had  never  seen  this  many  cupcakes  in  one  place.  "  oh  wow,  you  weren't  kidding  when  you  said  you  were  awake  all  night,  huh  ?  "  walking  further  into  the  kitchen,  they  started  inspecting  the  multiple  trays  presenting  themself.  "  wait,  are  these  actually  different  flavors  as  well  ?  "  taking  one  that  looked  especially  appetizing,  she  dipped  her  finger  into  the  frosting  to  taste  it.  "  god,  this  is  heavenly  !   i'm  not  sure  if  i  should  be  more  happy  that  i'll  be  able  to  take  some  of  these  goodies  home  or  worried  what  had  you  up  baking  all  night  ...  " 

there's nothing unusual about this , at least , not in cassie's mind there isn't . so what if her entire kitchen is full of baking goods ? .... or maybe there is , but it's not something she's willing to admit . “ i've been up since 3am , couldn't sleep so i decided to do something useful , “ the actress admits with a small shrug , taking another fresh tray of cupcakes out of the oven . a glint of proudness overcomes her when ro notices the cupcake diversity , all smiles as she nods . “ we got coconut cream , cheesecake , raspberry , vanilla , dark chocolate , lime , pink lemonade .... “ the femme starts to count , finger pointing each time a flavor is being mentioned as if having ten different cupcake flavors is normal for someone who doesn't own a bakery . cassie simply chuckles at her friend's latest statement , as she takes the mittens off her hands . “ oh , no need to worry , i'm fine , “

the  more  he  thought  about  it ,  the  more  flaws  he  would  find  about  it .  however,  the  same  can  be  said  about  pretty  much  any  career  in  the  world  of  entertainment .  in  the  end ,  he  cannot  imagine  doing  anything  else  so ,  the  point  is  accepting  that  life  is  all  about  sacrifices  and  some  cost  more  than  others .  it's  only  a  matter  of  time  before  he  becomes  numb  to  it  all ,  which  wouldn't  actually  be  all  that  bad .  her  words  offer  an  immense  amount  of  comfort  for  milo ,  he's  not  particularly  good  at  feeling  low ,  leaning  more  towards  being  incredibly  high  energy  as  much  as  he  can  possibly  be .  but ,  we're  all  humans  after  all ,  kind  of  hard  to  just  be  all  optimism  all  the  time .  “    yeah ,  i  know .  it's  just  tough  to  get  out  of  your  head  sometimes .  ”   he  shrugs  his  shoulders  in  a  '  what  can  you  do  ' ,  defeated  type  of  way .  tone  expressing  exhaustion ,  but  not  physically ,  instead  it  was  more  mental .  as  she  speaks  again ,  he  flips  a  switch ,  his  expression  matching  the  one  on  cassie's  features .  “    hey  now ,  those  are  your  words ,  not  mine .  i  never  said  such  a  thing .  ”  hands  going  up  in  defense ,  a  trace  of  an  innocent  smile  on  his  face .  he  obviously  knows  she  would  be  fine  by  herself. ,  he's  doing  it  more  for  a  selfish  reason  since  he  always  craves  being  around  people .  and ,  he  also  happens  to  enjoy  being  in  cassie's  company .  at  the  blonde  girl's  admission ,  he  initially  doesn't  react ,  pausing  for  a  moment  before  his  hand  flew  to  his  mouth .  “  not  my  sandwich  .  .  .  who  would've  thought  i  would  one  day  live  my  very  own  ross  geller  moment .  ”  he  relaxes  back  on  the  chair .  “  you're  lucky  i  like  you ,  cause  i've  ended  friendships  for  less  than  this .  ”   as  much  as  he  tries  to  play  it  off  as  if  he's  being  serious ,  his  tone  obviously  comes  out  more  playful .  “  did  you  like  it  ?  my  mom  sent  me  like  six  of  them  but  somehow  doesn't  believe  me  when  i  tell  her  they're  good  ?  now  i  can  tell  her  they  have  cassandra  oliver's  seal  of  approval .  ”

if there's one thing cassie can understand , it's being stuck in her own head too often : even more especially now , when she's finally in control of both her career & personal life , there's an immense pressure she puts on herself . part of her still thinks her mother might be right , how she's nothing without her to manage it , which explains why she pushes herself even harder now to prove her wrong , to prove them all wrong . also a bit sad when one thinks about it , the lengths she has to now strive to just to make everyone believe she's good enough , talented enough to be where she is even when she often times not believes it . so she just nods at milo's words , opting no to comment anything on the subject that hits a little too close to home . however , she smiles when they start to act playful around each other again ⸺ something they do often , & something she finds herself desperately needing , especially now . “ sure , sure , “ her energy matches his , & she's already moving over a little on the couch she's so selfishly occupying . “ you can sit here if you want , “ she informs , just in case . as if they're truly in a sitcom scene , cassie starts to chuckle as he plays off the hurt party , unable to help herself , especially when around him . a little humor & laughter is something she definitely appreciates , especially when she's feeling down . “ have you now ? i must be real special then if you're considering me an exception , “ she comments in a playful tone , all smiles as she continues looking at him . “ oh , they're amazing ! are you kidding ? i wish here was more than one in that fridge , that's how good it was , “ despite her continuous playful tone , she's being quite genuine too . “ how is your mom , by the way ? it's been a while since i saw her , “

               having  a  previous  dream  of  either  caring  for  animals  or  people,  evelyn  thankfully  could  admit  that  she  could  stomach  quite  a  few  things  —  however  she  also  was  not  the  biggest  fan  of  the  horror  movie  genre.  she  enjoyed  the  psychological  aspects,  the  mystery  of  who  is  beneath  the  mask,  but  some  specific  movies  within  the  genre  consistently  made  her  angry  with  how  stupid  the  people  could  be.  usually  the  one  to  scream  out  for  someone  to  run  away  from  the  house  and  not  into  it  while  in  a  movie  theatre;  frustration  being  a  personality  trait  she  wears  well  during  specific  topics.  “  of  course  i  have  time  to  chat,  i  always  have  time  for  you,  ”  she  teases  with  a  soft  smile,  taking  a  sip  of  the  warm  liquid  that’s  within  the  cup  that  was  handed  to  her  by  the  blonde.  “  please,  you  never  have  to  apologize  to  me,  cassie  babe.  i  was  also  extremely  busy  during  that  event,  wanted  to  try  and  know  everyone  there  but  there  were  so  many  people  !  you,  however,  i  heard  all  about  it  and  say  the  word  and  i’ll  happily  sneak  onto  the  disney  set  and  put  nair  in  his  hairwash.  ”

the smile on the femme's features widens as her friend acknowledges the time they spend together , taking a much needed sip of her matcha latte ( yes , she's one of those tiktok aesthetic girlies ) as she leans back on the chair . “ oh ! speaking of people there , i met chris evans & i .... i went blank ! i could not speak properly , it was embarrassing ! “ cassie mentions with a lighthearted chuckle , but her demeanor slightly changes at the sole mention of the incident that the tabloids still write about . “ ugh , “ is all she comments about it , before making a face . “ plus , did you hear zombies 4 is in production soon ? so i get to see him on two sets , i can't escape even if i want to , “ another sigh leaves the blonde , as she takes another sip of her latte . “ i've been listening to ' thank u , next ' by ari , trying to get in a different kind of mood but it doesn't help when all i wanna sing along to is ' before he cheats ' by carrie underwood .... & yes , i've been thinking about keying his car , no lie , “ cassie admits , jaw slightly clenching at the sole thought process she's been having lately .

RYAN DESTINY as ALEXANDRA CRANE in STAR (2016-2019)

no one would ever mistake teddy for some great genius. but it doesn't take one to figure out what's going on here. so he wastes no time in approaching the blonde. "hey, c," they say, and try to sling an arm around her. he gives the old man a quick glance, before turning away, as if to indicate that old guy wasn't worthy of attention. "this is a pretty boring part of the club," they tell her. "c'mon, i'll show where the good stuff's at."

luckily for her , teddy gets the situation off the bat , which explains a breath of relief that drops from the blonde's lips as they move his arm around her . cassie doesn't mind the physical contact : in fact , she welcomes it wholeheartedly as she leans against it , hazel orbs now solely on them ( she's afraid to look behind him ) . “ oh , is it ? “ she asks , but plays along quickly with a nod . “ please , “ tone's almost desperate as she's already on the move , ready to follow him anywhere but here .

               unlike  when  she’s  not  in  character,  evelyn  is  an  angel  on  set;  constantly  following  the  direction  the  director  wants  and  always  asking  if  she  could  better  a  scene  with  anything.  complaints  about  the  fake  blood  would  be  heard  in  quiet  rambles  within  her  home  but  when  in  the  chair  she  is  silent  and  smiles  at  the  makeup  artist  making  sure  the  splatters  mimic  the  proper  way.  thankfully,  today  was  far  from  the  fake  gore  that  was  needed  for  a  horror  movie  and  they  were  shooting  the  early  stages  of  the  movie,  evelyn  standing  before  a  mirror  to  fully  glance  at  the  beauty  of  the  outfit  upon  her  body.  the  blonde  is  seen  before  her  speaks,  bright  smile  forming  on  evelyn’s  lips  as  she  spins  on  her  heel.  “  look  what  the  cat  dragged  in  !  ”  she  exclaims,  moving  towards  her  close  friend.  “  god,  it’s  like  your  a  mind  reader  !  i  got  a  couple  hours  left,  but  they’re  shooting  scenes  without  me  right  now.  ”

despite being a big fan of the franchise , it's interesting to know that cassie's not usually into horror movies . seeing fake or real blood in real life ? she's positive she'd pass out cold in a moments notice . however , there's something about scream that's both amusing & scary ( to her , at least ) which explains why she's been a fan since the first movie came out ( maybe it's also because drew barrymore's character is basically her in real life too ) , so she's happy when her friend isn't in full gory assemble as she hands her the coffee . “ oh , perfection ! so you've got time to chat , “ cassie's all smiles as she sits down in one of the many lightweight folding armchairs around , crossing her legs . “ i'm sorry i haven't found the time to come & say hi during the white party .... things have been a bit ... hectic , as you've probably heard , but that's why i'm here now , to see you & catch up ! “

the  demand  was  huge  for  the  new  movie  ,  following  the  last  part  that  got  released  and  it  definitely  was  something  that  none  of  them  could  escape  ⸺  either  in  interviews  or  instagram  comments  and  if  the  situation  was  any  different  ,  he’d  be  happy  to  reunite  with  his  costars  ,  work  with  her  again  ;  but  the  universe  was  not  on  their  side  ,  both  of  them  receiving  a  call  days  after  their  fight  on  the  white  party  ,  one  thing  that  everyone  and  their  mothers  heard  about  .  as  he  walks  into  the  room  ,  he  avoids  looking  at  the  same  spot  she’s  always  in  ⸺  next  to  his  ,  and  he  tries  to  avoid  the  tension  in  the  room  that  grows  even  more  when  he  walks  in  .  “  sorry  my  dude  ,  it  was  either  being  late  or  scratching  someone’s  car  on  the  parking  lot  .  what’s  up  ?  ”  fist  bumping  the  director  before  he  walks  to  his  seat  while  clearing  his  throat  ,  the  someone’s  car  being  cassie  as  it  was  always  the  rule  for  the  two  main  actors  to  have  everything  next  to  each  other  ,  even  a  parking  spot  .  “  i  was  trying  to  avoid  another  breakdown  session  .  ”  it’s  more  of  a  hiss  through  his  teeth  as  he  finally  sits  down  next  to  her  ,  loud  enough  only  for  her  to  hear  but  quiet  enough  for  everyone  else  to  stay  out  of  their  business  .

cassie feels like her luck has run out considering the timing of this god forsaken table read : sharing the same the room with her ex isn't something she exactly wants , especially when she's not exactly eager to fix the situation between them either . after all , why should she ? he's done & said enough at the white party , making her believe he's no longer the boy she used to know , the boy she fell in love with . no , things are different : they're different , & while the truth's painful to word out , cassie knows now they're no longer that cute disney couple that graced the covers of teen magazines . the dark orbs she used to love being mesmerized with ( she could've stared at them for hours ) she's now trying to avoid , fumbling with the pen in her hand , ignoring the fact he's bound to sit beside her ( like usual ) . the comment about her car doesn't go unnoticed but she keeps her cool , jaw clenching as she waits for him to sit down . the femme originally didn't want to respond , give him the satisfaction of showing her reaction but the second comment ? her instincts kick in first & her feet moves underneath the table , hitting him as hard as she possibly could without causing a scene , appearing as if she's doing nothing with the way she's looking elsewhere . luckily for him though , she's wearing sneakers instead of high heels ( something she wishes would be different for the first time in her life ) . “ funny , i was also trying to avoid bringing more friends who's mouth you can slip your tongue into , “ the femme also hisses back under her breath , now trying her best to remain calm .

it's  sad how  you  are  entitled  to  hand  in  your  privacy  when  you  decide  to  join  this .  you'll  find  that  you  won't  survive  in  it  if  you  do  anything  but  that  or  even  attempt  to  refuse .  words  cannot  seem  to  form  in  milo's  head only  offering  a  scoff  in  response,  him  not  even  understanding  himself. the  situation  feeling  ironically  comical ,  although  there  isn't  anything  funny  about  it .  “   ah ,  of  course .  how  silly  of  me  to  even  ask .  ”  he  nods  repeatedly ,  a  short  laugh  escaping  his  lips .  adorable ,  he  couldn't  help  but  think .  “  that's  an  understatement .  today  was  a  tough  day ,  had  to  keep  repeating  the  same  scene  again  and  again .  i  was  obviously  out  of  it  today .  ”  he  looks  away  from  her ,  the  disappointment  written  all  over  his  face .  although  this  is  not  something  that  happens  to  shake  or  affect  milo  too  much ,  being  too  sickly  optimistic  to  care ,  but ,  somedays  it's  rather  difficult  to  get  out  of  your  head .  however ,  the  sour  expression  didn't  stay  long  enough  on  his  face ,  rapidly  replaced  with  a  smile ,  not  allowing  himself  to  keep  the  energy  of  the  room  too  low .  “   you  offend  me ,  cassie .  i  would  be  an  awful  host  if  i  just  left  you  here  all  alone ,  which  goes  against  everything  i  believe  in .  also ,  i  wouldn't  have  been  able  to  rest  anyway .  i  would  be  thinking  the  worst  is  happening  and  you  can  call  me  dramatic  all  you  want ,  but  i  don't  trust  a  single  person  outside ,  you  never  know  what  they  could  do  for  a  single  picture .  ”  

truth be told , cassie doesn't imagine her life different : how could she , when this is all she's ever known her entire life ? from the moment she can remember ⸺ she remembers the cameras & the lack of privacy . sure , sometimes she does try to envision a ' simpler life ' , the kind she would've led if she wasn't here , but ... she cannot possibly envision something she's never experienced to begin with . it's a bit sad really , just how much her mother pushed her into this business , never allowing her to have one moment to herself & only caring about profit . perhaps it explains why cassie , after all these years , is very much inexeprienced in a lot of things ( despite one would assume ) , living a very sheltered life . it's only now , with her family out of the picture , is she trying to get some of that control back . his little laugh makes her smile , corner of her lips turning but she's not shy about her choice of entertainment , not around milo anyway . “ oh , i'm so sorry to hear that , “ she's genuine , very much understanding a tough day on set & just how much it can drain someone . “ hey , “ she calls out when he's looking away , hand reaching in his direction ( even though he's very much out of reach ) , “ ⸺ it's okay , tomorrow's another day , “  tone's as comforting as she can muster at that moment , offering a smile alongside it . hand drops as he starts talking however , hazel hues rolling inwardly at the words coming out of his mouth . “ are you saying i can't be left alone without a chaperone ? “ she's teasing , head tilting slightly to one side , a hint of a smirk playing on her pretty features . “ i mean ... fine , if you insist on staying , “ she's trying to play it cool , but in truth she's glad he will stay with her : not willing to yet admit she's feeling a tad bit scared to be alone , or the fact she's very much fond of his company altogether . “ also now that you're here , “ a guilty expression shows up , nose wrinkling up as she motions towards the mini fridge . “ i might've , kinda' .... eaten your sandwich , “ both hands go up in defense , as she shrugs . “ ⸺ i'm sorry , “