Touch of Hellfire (Original Version)

☕️74☕️

"And action!"

"Why can't you understand that this is a big deal?! I thought you loved me!" Claire yelled.

"I do but if you leave, we'll break up and I love you too much to lose you," Mike said.

"I love you too, but I need to put myself first, I'm sorry," Claire mumbled.

"Well....line!"

"Cut!" I yelled. "Mike little reminder, this is improv, you make it up as you go along, there are no set lines, we are doing this because if you wanna be on the big screen, you need the ability to think quickly on the spot. Claire, give me a boy's name, a girl's name and a flower beginning with the letter B."

"Benny, Belinda, bluebell," she smiled.

"Exactly. Mike give me the same combo with the letter L," I said, folding my arms with my signature bitch face.

"My lady," Finn was coming down the stairs, with Colin. "You don't go here asshat!" Claire yelled up the stairs. "Is he from the Theatre department?!"

"No, he's a Yale boy," I told her. "Oh ew," Sophia grimaced. "I am here to invite a certain Columbia girl to a party hosted by the very man you so charmingly pranked," Finn told me.

"Logan is inviting me to a party?" I wondered.

"Well, you're my plus one," Finn smirked. "Does this cockiness do you any favours?" I raised my eyebrows folding my arms.

"I did come all the way here."

"To be cocky."

Finn had a little smirk on his face. "Fine," I gave in. "But this isn't a date, we're just hanging out," I clarified.

Colin laughed. "Forever in the friend zone."

"Why me?"

"What?"

"Out of all the girls in Yale..Connecticut, you chose one that just wants to be friends..why?"

"The party's tonight in the Rainbow Room," Finn told me. "You do know I'm working tonight, right?" I asked him.

"Oh right," Finn looked a little bit embarrassed. "And I work at the Rainbow Room."

I got my notebook out of my bag and wrote something and gave it to him. "Whoever finds me first..gets a free drink."

***

"Private party, it's the worst," Rosa said to me. I wiped down the surface of the bar. "Who's the host?"

"Mitchum Huntzberger," I told her as I was pouring the drinks. "Are those champagne glasses, stacked up in a pyramid?" she pointed over there.

"Oh, not that phony thing!" I complained.

"Do you know Mitchum?" Rosa asked me. I looked at her, she wanted an honest answer out of me.

"Never met him, but his son is a friend of mine," I explained. "Good friend?" she wondered.

"Haven't known him for that long," I told her. "Recent friend."

My phone started ringing. "Can I?"

"Yeah go on," she nodded. I walked off into the storeroom to take the call. "Hello?"

"GRANDMA AND GRANDPA ARE BACK TOGETHER!!"

I actually held the phone away from my ear because Rory literally screamed into it. "Oh that's great news!" I smiled. "Grandpa wants us both to be his best men, he couldn't chose one," Rory told me.

"Best men?" I raised an eyebrow. "Wrong order, they're having a vow renewal ceremony, you should bring a date," Rory told me. "Where are you right now?"

"Work. I'm working this dumb party that Logan's dad is hosting," I sighed.

"Oh, right," Rory mumbled. "Well I should get back to work, I'll talk to you later," I said. "Okay, bye."

I hung up and I went back outside. I went back behind the bar. "Family?"

"Yeah, my sister," I slid over a drink to someone.

Logan, Finn and Colin came over to the bar. Finn gave me what I wrote for him earlier. "A deal's a deal."

I poured him the drink and handed it to him. "You're welcome, now stop being a cocky bastard," I said, donning the bitch face.

"One day Gilmore," Finn told me. "On the twelfth of doesn't-existuary?" I smirked.

***

"Don't let go!" Tessa yelled. "Come on don't be a wimp," I laughed. "But how did you get in here! Rockefeller Centre!" she exclaimed.

"Because I'm that good and since I work in the Rainbow Room, I am an official Rockefeller employee," I smirked.

The two of us were skating together. "Shall we? Just like old times?" Tessa asked me.

I nodded.

"Start spreading the news!" we sang while holding hands. "I'm leaving today! I WANNA BE A PART OF IT! NEW YORK! NEWWWW YOOOORK!"

Tessa tried to twirl but ended up falling on her ass. "OW! It hurts a lot more than you think," she grumbled.

She grabbed my ankle and I ended up falling flat on my face.

"You bitch!" I giggled and the truth was...she was right.

It did hurt a lot.

The two of us walked back to the apartment. "Chinese or Thai?" Tessa grabbed the phone.

"Chinese, I wanna check my email first," I called over.

I opened my laptop and I saw an email...from Jess.

I opened it and read it.

Heath

That was quite embarrassing, but I did manage to get the draft sent. Thanks for telling me that I sent it to the wrong person. I'm glad that you found this somewhat good...it was very rough.

And I promise to check before I send a porno book to someone, you have my word.

I hope you're okay, if you need anything I'm always here

Yours

Jess

A small smile crept onto my face as I typed a reply.

Jess

I am okay, thanks for asking. I hope you are too. Sending drafts to a publisher, that's a big deal, congratulations.

Nothing really to report, except new job, workload is 200% bigger than it should be.

And I'm here too, if you wanna talk.

Heath