January 8th 2017
Scarlett
The morning after the girl had attempted to rob me, I was wracking my brain to try to figure out why I recognised her. And where I recognised her from.
"Oh my god," I groaned, rubbing my forehead.
"You alright?" Colin asked, walking into the kitchen.
"My brain does not want to work this morning," I grumbled.
He chuckled, causing me to stare at him with annoyance.
"You were incredibly drunk last night," Colin replied. "I'm surprised you even remember."
I shrugged. I stood up and said, "I'm gonna go get a coffee before I go to work."
"Alright, be careful love."
Colin came over to me and placed a kiss on my lips. I got my purse and put it in my small bag, along with my phone. I was careful to make it secure over my shoulder - just in case. I wasn't drunk anymore, but I still didn't trust the streets of New York. It was 10am; Rose had gone to daycare and I wasn't required to be on set until midday.
~~~✸~~~
I drove to The Mug & Muffin - one of my favourite coffee shops by far. They do an excellent black coffee. When I entered, it wasn't that busy. There were a few people sat in the booths, and I noticed a girl stood at the counter, talking to the barista who served me yesterday. Wait, the girl? I watched her and noticed her brunette hair was greasy, her clothes were shabby and dirty and she looked exhausted. My eyes narrowed as my brain worked.
"Holy jesus-" I muttered under my breath, realising she was the girl who had attempted to rob me yesterday.
I walked over to the counter, trying to not attract her attention. Seeing the state she was in, I doubted she had attempted to steal my bag just for fun. The same barista the girl was talking to noticed me and walked over.
"Hello again," she greeted with a smile.
I smiled back politely.
"Can I have a black coffee please?" I asked.
The barista nodded and I read her name tag. Angie. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the girl walk away from the counter into the corner booth, holding a cup and a brown bag in her hand.
"What pastries do you have?" I asked.
"We have brioche, butter croissants, chocolate croissants, beef pasties, chicken pasties, pork pasties, lamb pasties; take your pick," Angie replied with a smile.
"Could I have a butter croissant please?"
"Of course."
Angie took a croissant from the shelf and put it in a paper bag, then passed it across the counter, before going to make the coffee.
"Could I ask something?"
"Sure, go ahead love!"
"Who's that girl in the corner?"
Angie replied, "Oh she's a regular. She comes in every day for her latte and croissant. By the sound of it, she's not the best fed at home and sometimes can't afford it. But we can spare one croissant and a latte."
I listened to this with a nod. Angie seemed to not be bothered about telling me - whether that was a good thing or not I couldn't really judge.
"She's a young actor, you know?" Angie told me, putting a cup over my coffee and passing it to me.
"An actor?"
"Yeah, she's looking for a job. Very responsible young lady."
"Can I talk to her? I might be able to interest her in a job."
My brain was working furiously now. It was as if my hangover had completely disappeared.
"Sure, but she might not wanna talk," Angie replied with a smile.
"Thankyou," I thanked her, paying for my order.
I then picked up my order and walked over to the corner booth. The girl was staring out of the window, fidgeting with her fingers. I didn't fail to notice the black bruise on the side of her left eye as I watched her.
"Hey," I let her know I was here.
The girl's head whipped around. She took a moment to look me up and down. Her eyes widened when she recognised me and she leapt to her feet in panic.
"Hey, hey, it's okay," I assured her.
The girl slowly sat back down, watching me warily.
"Can I sit down?" I asked, gesturing with my head to the empty seat opposite her.
She nodded, and I sat down, placing down my coffee and the croissant. The girl was clearly uncomfortable, so I asked, "What's your name?"
"Ray," she replied quietly.
"I'm Scarlett," I replied with a smile. "I couldn't help but notice that you were also here yesterday."
"I'm here everyday," Ray told me in the same quiet voice.
I wanted to ask her about yesterday night, but I knew she wouldn't want to be pressed about it, so I instead apologised, "Sorry about my friend last night."
"What do you mean?" Ray asked, although I knew she knew what I meant.
"She punched you, didn't she?"
"Oh yeah, I-I'm fine."
Ray subconsciously rubbed the back of her head where my friend had struck her. I knew it had hurt her, for the yelp she had let out was full of pain.
"I'm sorry about last night," Ray apologised, slowly rocking herself side to side and tucking her hands under her thighs. "I didn't mean- I mean I did mean to, but I didn't know..."
She cut herself off and I smiled slightly.
"Anyone else would've called the police," I told her seriously.
"You were about to," Ray said bluntly.
I blinked a couple of times, puzzled.
"Oh."
I must've forgotten that detail in my drunk state.
"I needed money and I guess I didn't think," Ray admitted quietly, looking around to check nobody else had heard her.
"How come you need money?" I asked her.
Ray was clearly not being looked after properly. She looked too young to be living on her own, so why would she need money so desperately?
"None of your business," Ray replied harshly.
I blinked, taken aback by the sudden harshness in her tone. The girl turned her head to look out of the window again, stopping rocking and taking her hands from under her thighs to fidget restlessly.
"Are you okay?" I asked softly.
Ray shrugged her shoulders. We sat in silence for a minute, until I said, "I've seen you before."
She looked at me and tilted her head with confusion.
"In a few films and TV shows," I elaborated. "You're a good actress."
The corners of Ray's mouth twitched but she turned her head again to continue looking out of the window.
"I don't suppose you've already got a job?" I asked.
"No," Ray replied.
"There's a role that hasn't been taken in the film I'm working on," I told Ray.
She looked at me with surprise.
"You're also an actor?"
"Mhm."
Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me.
"Wait, you're Scarlett right?" she asked.
I nodded slowly.
"Yeah I told you."
"Like, Scarlett Johansson?"
I shrugged one shoulder, a smile forming on my face. I saw her blue-grey eyes light up slightly.
"You could always audition for the role," I told Ray. "It would likely pay quite a bit, considering how much screentime you'd get."
"I-I mean I guess?"
I pulled my phone out and found the description for the role. I hesitated before passing her my phone.
"Can I trust you not to run off with it?" I asked.
"I have my own phone," Ray replied, blinking with confusion.
I passed her my phone but shuffled closer to the edge of the seat, just in case. The girl squinted as she read what was written. I noticed that her eyes were darting about, as if she was watching a fly on the screen.
"Can you read it?" I asked, concerned.
"Of course I can read!" Ray replied, sounding indignant.
But there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.
After what was probably 10 minutes, she passed me back the phone and said, "I can audition. When are auditions?"
"10am, next Sunday," I told her, putting away my phone.
"Alright," Ray nodded. "I'd better go, I need to get home."
She stood up and left the shop quickly. I was concerned as to why it had taken her 10 minutes to read a document that should've only taken a minute or two. I know she could just be a slow reader, but that slow? If I happened to see her at the auditions I might ask her.