Without You (James Franco Fanfiction)

Chapter I

Scarlett's POV

I took one last glance at myself in the mirror for reassurance. I usually avoided mirrors before going out somewhere so I wouldn’t feel self conscious, but for some reason a little voice in my head told me to. Frowning at my appearance, I decided to change from my black dress to a pair of black skinny jeans and muscle top. I looked less sexy and more casual, which is what I was going for tonight. After all, what’s the point in dressing to impress when you’re only in the US for just over a month before you travelled back home to Australia?

Plus, I'm on my way to Seth Rogen’s house. Yeah, that famous guy who smokes a lot of weed and seems to never stop chuckling. He's one of my close friends, which always shocks everybody since I wasn’t famous myself. I met Seth about two years ago, when he was in Australia. He just happened to be at the bar my band were booked to play that night, and after the show he told us how much he enjoyed it. All five of us shared a joint and from then on, Seth has always considered us close friends. Whenever I visited LA I was always welcome to stay at his place.

Tonight, Seth was having a gathering at his place, celebrating his 31st birthday. Glancing at my phone, I realized I was running about ten minutes late and I had been text bombed by my band mates who were already at the party. I impatiently stared out the window and tapped my foot for minutes on end until the cab finally reached its destination.

Stepping inside with a bunch of other late guests, I was slightly overwhelmed by the amount of people there. When Seth was speaking to me on the phone, he said it would be a very low key party. I probably should’ve known otherwise though. Looking around the room, I recognized multiple familiar faces including Jason Segel, Judd Apatow and Jonah Hill which reminded me that is LA, not suburban Melbourne. Every woman I passed was wearing a short dress that hugged her body with fancy heels. Suddenly I felt rather dismal and underdressed as I looked down at my slightly tattered pair of doc martens.

Great.

I must look so odd.

On second thoughts, maybe I should have stuck with my dress. Shaking my head, I gave myself a silent pep talk. Confidence makes you look hot, and that’s what I was aiming for. Maneuvering through the crowd of people, I tried desperately to locate Seth. Feeling someone tap my shoulder, I spun around and grinned.

"Hey Lauren," I smiled, stepping forward to hug here, "Where’s that seemingly elusive husband of yours?"

Laughing, she nodded towards the back door, “Follow me.” Leading me outside, I could see Seth sitting at the the other side of the pool, smoking a joint and talking to someone who had their back to me. Spotting me as I walked over, Seth chucked his hands in the air, “Well, well, look who decided to show up!”

Grinning, I pulled him into a hug and stole the joint out of his hand, taking a small hit before passing it back to him.

“What, the supply of weed in Australia so dry you have to steal mine?” He chuckles, before waving his hand at the the man standing beside him. ”This is Scarlett. She’s a good friend of mine. She plays guitar in a punk band, so don’t mess with her.”

"Nice to meet you, Scarlett, I’m Jay," The lanky man with short, dark hair spoke as he offered me his hand, "I won’t mess with you."

"Baruchel, right?" I asked, shaking his hand. "I’ve seen you in Million Dollar Baby and Tropic Thunder. Great stuff, man!"

Nodding, he smiled at me, “Thank you, it means a lot!”

Just as I was about to say something, I heard somebody shout from across the the other side of the yard. My whole body went rigid and if I were an animal, my hackles would have risen by now. I closed my eyes and then quickly re-opened them, wishing that I had only imagined the sound of that familiar voice.

"Rogen!"

"Franco!" Seth chuckles, giving James a friendly punch in the arm, "I was worried you weren’t going to show up." Stepping aside, I quickly moved to cower behind Jay, using him to shield myself from James’ line of sight.

Laughing, James shook his head, “I would’ve shown up eventually. Freaks forever, buddy.” I rolled my eyes and resisted the urge to make a retching sound.

"Hey Jay, good to see you too. How you been man?"

"Good, just been hanging with Seth these past few days. Yourself?"

"Busy, as usual. And who’s this hiding behind you? A new girlfriend?" James asked.

"Actually, I just met her. James, this is Scarlett," Jay smiles, stepping aside to be polite. I cursed under my breath and glared in James’ direction. His expression immediately fell and his jaw clenched as I curled my hands into a fist whilst I waited for him to speak first. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Seth shift uncomfortably on the spot. He certainly had some explaining to do. 

"I didn’t know you were in town," He mumbled, scratching the stubble on his chin.

"You guys know each other?" Jay asks, looking from James and then back to me with a small smile. I nodded slowly, "You fucking bet we do." 

Turning to Seth, I patted him on the shoulder and forced a smile, “I’m going to go get alcohol poisoning.”

"I’m so confused…" I heard Jay whisper as I stalked off in search for some beer.

This night just took a turn for the worst.

I hate James Franco and I never want to see his face ever again.