Desperate, but Not Hopeless

I never made it as a working class hero.

“I don’t wanna live in the modern world.”

Oh God. What the…?

“I don’t wanna live-”

It’s not time to get up now. I refuse to get up.

Millie’s hand reaches across over to her cell phone playing besides her, sure enough, it’s seven-twenty in the morning.

Not yet! Five more- wait a minute! Where’s my orange walls gone?

Millie sits up, looks around the cream and brown room, racking her brains as to where she is.

Shia’s! Oh Lord. Up Millie, right now!

How the hell did I end up staying here? Top, top? Where’s my…oh there. Oh shit! I stripped last night. What was I thinking?! I’m such an idiot…oh God! Shia saw. What was I thinking coming back here…this is gonna be all over the movie set by tonight and that was not the image I was going for!

“I don’t wanna live in the-”

Millie darts across the bed again and presses the ‘okay’ button on the cell phone to turn the alarm off.

As quickly and as quietly as she can she continues to get dressed.

Right. Go home, shower, get changed, beg Shannon to let me borrow her car, go to work.

Millie’s phone flashes ‘low battery’, she looks at the time.

On second thoughts, skip the shower.

Within minutes she’s ready and is just about to tiptoe out of Shia’s guest bedroom.

I should write a thank you note. Uhm…paper? Paper? Hah! Pen...oh my God!

Millie looks on the desk for a pen, not wanting to snoop she finds one in the top drawer.

Uhm…
Thank you for the guest bed and the cab home. Though you owed me for being late, right?
Sorry I didn’t say goodbye, I needed to go to work.
Don’t judge me.
Millie
X

Argh, no kisses, idiot! Well tough now, it’ll look obvious. It’s not as if it’s a real kiss anyway, it’s fine.

She picks up her bag and slowly opens the door, pokes her head out to check the coast is clear and leaves.

She tiptoes to the front door when she realises she’s barefooted.

Shit Mill. Shoes? Right, came in, he said, “do you want a coffee”. Normally I would take them off here…ankle straps! I need to sit down to take them off. Kitchen? Where’s the damn kitchen?

Millie starts to look in some rooms for the kitchen.

Library? With DVD’s instead of books, how cultured.

Living room…dining room. It’s gotta be near here – Hah! Bingo. Kitchen!

Millie quickly slips her shoes back on and leaves the house.

Shia is frantically searching the down stairs of his house. He’s currently in the living room, which is next to the front door.

SHIA: Where the fuck did I put it?

He continues to search high and low, mumbling to himself. Every now and then putting his hands on his hips to think where he had it last or to hope the item will pop out at him saying, “here I am. I was hiding from you.”

FELICITY: Hey baby!

SHIA: Felicity?!

She bounces into the living from the front door, leaving her bags behind and the door open. She squeezes Shia tightly, who has no option but to lightly hug back.

FELICITY: I came home early!

SHIA: I can see-

FELICITY: You’re supposed to be happy, not sarcastic.

SHIA: Looking upward where the guest bedroom is. Yay!

FELICITY: I knew you didn’t want me to spend my birthday in a stuffy music studio.

SHIA: Birthday?

FELICITY: Letting him go. Deflated. You’ve forgotten.

SHIA: No, no. I haven’t. I...erm…planned everything for tomorrow.

FELICITY: Aww. She hugs him again. Is it romantic?

SHIA: As always.

Felicity makes an “ekk” noise with glee and realises Shia from her tight squeeze.

SHIA: You going out?

FELICITY: Yeah. Lunch with my girlfriends. They made me come back for a birthday afternoon.

SHIA: And here’s me thinking you came back for me-

FELICITY: I did…I still want birthday sex! But not now. I have to get ready. Shouldn’t you be filming?

SHIA: Not until tonight.

FELICITY: Aww, I wanted to spend tonight with you.

SHIA: You can come down to the set-

FELICITY: What? Really?!

SHIA: Sure, anything for the birthday girl. But behave-

FELICITY: Practically jumping for joy. I will, I promise, I won’t get in the way. I need all the acting tips I can get for my new videos.

She bounces to where she dumped her bags and attempts to take them upstairs.

SHIA: Woah, woah, woah.

FELICITY: What?

SHIA: I can do that.

FELICITY: I’m a grown woman, Shia.

SHIA: Yeah, who…uhm…is great for finding things!

FELICITY: Ohh, is my birthday present up there?

SHIA: Taking her bags off her. What? No! Yes…no! All will be revealed tomorrow. I can’t find my cell charger.

FELICITY: It’s in the guest room, silly.

She pecks him on the cheek and bounces into the kitchen.

SHIA: What’s it doing in there?

FELICITY: Your cell was dying and you were on the phone, but I was drying my hair-

SHIA: Yeah, yeah. I get it.

SHIA: Lightly knocking on the door. Millie? Are you awake?

FELICITY: Baby, Michelle is here!

SHIA: Okay, have fun.

FELICITY: I will, see you tonight. Love you.

SHIA: You too.

The front door closes.

Shia knocks a little louder on the door.

SHIA: Millie? It’s after eleven, and I’m pretty positive you’ve got some job to go to…Millie? You’ve not died on me, have you?

Shia crinkles his nose, in thought.

SHIA: I’m sorry if you’re not decent, but I really need my cell charger. If you didn’t wanna come out because of Flick, she’s gone now. Millie?

Shia opens the door slowly and looks at the bed that was quickly made up. He opens the door more and sighs a little.
Realising she’s left Shia walks in to get his charger and only sees her note on the way back out. Upon reading it he smiles, puts the note in his back pocket and leaves the room, closing the door behind him.

Millie opens her front door to her housemate drinking what looks like water.

Ah, the morning vodka pick me up. The morning drink to wash away the shit night before-

SHANNON: The dirty tramp is home!

MILLIE: I don’t have time for this.

Millie goes past her and upstairs to her bedroom, Shannon on her heels.

SHANNON: You don’t get out of it that easily, Missy. You stripped last night-

MILLIE: How do you know? You weren’t even in that club last night!

SHANNON: Gregg told me.

MILLIE: He’s always in that damn club!

SHANNON: Yeah, he works there!

MILLIE: At the bar support…literally!

Millie starts getting ready for work while Shannon keeps talking at her.

SHANNON: Whatever. All I know is, you left, then Charlie on the door saw you getting in the cab with a man, you’ve not been home all night and I’ve just witnessed you creeping in-

MILLIE: I didn’t just creep in-

SHANNON: Call it what you will! Where have you been?

MILLIE: That’s nothing to do with you.

SHANNON: I care about you.

MILLIE: Do you think Gregg cares about his wife? Shouldn’t we tell them about you two?

SHANNON: You always bring that up!

MILLIE: True though.

SHANNON: Whatever, Gregg loves me.

MILLIE: You were his stripper at his bachelor party. If he loved you that much he wouldn’t have got married!

SHANNON: He felt sorry for her, and this isn’t what we’re meant to be talking about. You’re the subject matter here; so don’t go changing the subject!

MILLIE: There’s no subject to change.

SHANNON: Where were you last night?

MILLIE: Nowhere special.

Millie walks past Shannon and goes into the bathroom, closing the door before Shannon can follow her in.

SHANNON: Fine! Be like that. Don’t tell me.

MILLIE: ‘Kay.

SHANNON: Damn girl! You will tell me.

Shannon looks at her empty glass and goes back to the kitchen for a little top up.

A few minutes Millie joins her in the kitchen, all ready for work.

MILLIE: Can I borrow your car?

SHANNON: Nearly choking on her drink. What the hell happened to yours?

MILLIE: I sold it, remember?!

SHANNON: Right, right. To pay your half of the bills.

MILLIE: Actually that month you’d lent Gregg six hundred bucks and I paid your half.

SHANNON: Phft. That’s a technicality.

MILLIE: Whatever, can I borrow your car?

SHANNON: Not until you tell me who you got in the cab with last night.

MILLIE: Fine. Bye.

SHANNON: Millie!

She catches Millie before she leaves.

SHANNON: Just tell me. I swear I won’t tell anyone.

MILLIE: What the biggest mouth in LA?!

SHANNON: Aww come on. Please?

MILLIE: No.

SHANNON: Aww come on Millie. I thought we were friends.

Ohh and cue water works. I don’t have time for this Shannon. If I tell you it was Shia LaBeouf, you’re gonna think I fucked him, which I didn’t nor would have wanted to.

SHANNON: All my life I wanted a best friend, someone who looked out for me, told me things. And with you I honestly thought I’d found that. But how can you have a best friend when she doesn’t even trust you?

MILLIE: Fine, Shia. Shia La-fucking-Beouf. Happy now?!

SHANNON: How the fuck did you manage to snag a cab with Shia LaBeouf?

MILLIE: I worked with him, now can I have you car keys?

SHANNON: When did you work with Shia LaBeouf?

MILLIE: He’s the lead in the movie I got the lines for-

SHANNON: You were working with Shia LaBeouf?!

Yes! Are you fucking deaf? Not so deaf when you’re listening to gossip not meant for you, though, are you?!
And funny, isn’t? You were so upset a minute ago. The crocodile tears soon stopped.

SHANNON: And you never thought to tell me…wait! He was with you yesterday, when I picked you up, wasn’t he?

MILLIE: Yes. Now can I have the car keys?

Shannon passes her keys over to Millie.

SHANNON: So, did you fuck him?

MILLIE: Going out the door.Nope. Bye.

SHANNON: Taking a sip of vodka, and going back to the kitchen. My big half black ass you didn’t fuck him.