Page 70 of All That Remains
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The next afternoon, John came by unannounced since I'd missed four of his wake-up calls. He stood at the foot of my bed, blaring an ambulance alarm on his phone until I started awake. After panicking in vain, I threw a pillow at his head.
"Mornin', sunshine!" he shut it off with a ridiculous laugh and plopped down onto the foot of the bed.
"Mate, you'resoannoying."
"Is there any other way to be?! It's a new day! The sun is shining!" he declared, snatching the covers off me. I scooted towards the head of the bed and curled into a ball—shivering in nothing but my briefs.
"Go away."
"Y'sure about that?" he chuckled. "I come bearing news."
"Don't want it."
"Sure you do."
"Nope, pretty sure I don't."
"Whelp, alright then. I'll just tell Spielberg you declined the miniseries. It's a shame though—"
I was up in an instant, groggy-headed; temples pounding. "What'd he say?!"
"Ah ha!Thought that'd get you..."
"Mate, c'mon!" I knelt in the center of the bed and watched him milk my suffering as long as possible. "Talk to me,Jonathan, give me some good news, mate..."
"It's yours. You got it."
"Ahhhhhhhhh!" I screamed, jumping up and down on the bed, not caring that I was intensifying my migraine. "Fuckyesssss! I knew it! Ifookingknew it, mate!"
He made a show of applauding, then took his jacket off and tossed it onto the foot of the bed. "We've got work to do."
"Tell me about it," I agreed, sinking back onto my knees, nearly puking from the motion sickness.
I didn't have to say anything. John hopped into action. He fetched me aspirin and a bottle of cold water which I drank straightaway. Then I lay down while he cooked me breakfast and charged my phone. Hands down, he was the best, most versatilemanager on the planet, and he was pretty decent in the kitchen too.
24
That afternoon I felt considerably improved and became living proof that when you drink, you borrow happiness from tomorrow. Here I was, half the day wasted, and onlynowable to shower and leave my room. John and I rode back to his house and picked Jen up for lunch, and ended up shopping downtown. I purchased a new watch and a pair of shoes to put a pep in my step, and got stopped for photos by so many fans I couldn't tell whether I was going or coming.
When the paparazzi began to tail us, we booked it back uptown and ended up at a low-key café in their neck of the woods, where I ordered more breakfast and refused to remove my sunglasses. Halfway through, I pulled my phone out and felt a pit in my stomach when the notifications weren't the ones I’d hoped for. Earlier I told my mum and a few friends I’d landed the role, even though I was forbidden to, and the only texts I saw were their well wishes and demands for a callback.
"That's like the sixth time you've checked your phone since we got here,” Jen said, through a mouthful of corned beef. “And that's not counting how much you looked at it downtown."
"Hey, look, mind your business, woman," I grinned.
"I know what he's looking for," John piped up.
"Ugh, here we go..."
"Then tell her, unless you want me to."
"Alright, alright," I conceded. Jen perked up, all ears. "I saw him."
"Oh, c'mon! You can't just leave me hanging like that?!When? Where? How?"
"You didn't even tellme, by the way. I've beendyingto know too," John added, facetiously. He couldn't care less and was only feigning interest to ally with Jen and annoy me. I cleared my throat, then took a sip of water with my pinky up. Jen threw a sprinkle of salt at me.
