The Assistant

o n e

She paced around surrounded by boxes.

"Lana you don't get it. Planes are awful, this apartment is awful, my boss is going to think I'm awful and I'm just going to rot out here!"

"You need to calm down. I knew you were a mess but not a nervous wreck." Her best friend laughed through the phone. "Listen, don't go to bars, don't drink, wake up on time, and avoid things like becoming a vegan and you should be fine."

"Why do you say the whole vegan thing?"

"Because that's expensive and you could barely afford McDonald's what makes you think you can afford a kale salad?"

"Well, aren't you helpful... either way I'm scared. What if they make me write a script in like ten minutes? What if they make me handle a budget-"

"No one in their right mind would let a newbie handle things like that. Not to be an asshole. You might end up like a dog handler."

"Huh?"

"Like you get to handle Angelina Jolie's dog if you're lucky."

"Well, thanks." She sounded much more annoyed now. Gwen flopped on the floor still on the phone with Lana. "But still do you ever think that you're in too deep?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean maybe I should go home. Become an accountant, or maybe an English teacher or something."

"Gweniver... You can't back down now-"

"Oh, why not!" She began to get frustrated. How could Lana even get to have input anyways, she wasn't the one out here all alone. "You're sitting in your home surrounded by friends."

"Alright, if I'm being honest not only have you spent too much money on a BFA in film but you're also dyslexic so becoming a teacher in New York or LA or merely anywhere would be mildly impossible."

"I could always go to like Kentucky..." Gwen began to sound hopeless now.

"No no no! If I were there I would beat your ass. What happened to all those people you had to prove wrong? And all that time, where the spiteful crazy fucking Gemini and or Cancer that I know!"

"Alright, I get it. I'll unpack my shit."

"Great because you of all people would never survive in the countryside. Now I have an audition tomorrow and you have work so I'm hanging up on you." The phone line went dead.

"Thanks best friend..." Gwen mumbled. She slumped against some piled up boxes. Her phone began to ring again. "Hello?" She sounded wide awake.

"Is this Gwenivere Thomas?"

"Yes, um who am I speaking to?"

"Maria Westgate. I'm calling to remind you that you are to report to set tomorrow at 7 am. No later." God, she sounds like a bitch.

"Oh thank you! And Ms. Westgate you can just call me Gwen."

"That's great." She could tell Maria did not care. "Also go to bed, it's 10 pm. I was honestly hoping you wouldn't answer this just to show that you are somewhat responsible."

"Ms. Westgate-"

"What?"

"I just have one questions."

"No questions I can answer them tomorrow." The line went dead for a second time that night.

Gwen let out a long sigh and walked into the very small bedroom. Her bed was still sitting on the floor as she had lacked a bed frame. There was barely enough room in there for a small dresser and desk let alone anything else. She had laid down on the bed and looked around at the things in her room. An empty desk, an empty bathroom, and an empty closet. At this point, it had clicked that she should probably for once in her life plan out her outfit the night before. She walked back to that tall stack of boxes and looked around opening the top box up. She pulled out a towel and brought it to the bathroom leaving it on the toilet. She then began to unpack the box near her bedroom door pulling out a few bras and a various aray of lacy underwear along with some unmatched socks. She lazily wedged them into the top drawer and threw the empty box aside. She then pulled out her nicest jeans, they lacked the least amount of holes. She grabbed a very flattering pink shirt and left them at the edge of her bed. She dug through her boxes and found a pair of wedges that would satisfy the outfit enough hoping the job wouldn't consist of a large amount of running and unburied her makeup placing it on the desk. She then shut the light off and crawled into her bed like the hermit she was deep down inside and looked out the window. Not only did it lack curtains but it also lacked blinds leaving her supposed to be dark room slightly less dark then wanted. She tried to ignore it and looked up at her ceiling sighing yet again.

"God, if you are real please don't make me regret this." She closed her eyes realizing she was going to have to keep herself alive.