[hider=The Texts] [color=lightblue]Zoey D. (Cell)[/color][right][color=#c3f6c3]Maddie[/color][/right] [center]____________________________ Sat, 06/11/2016 _____________________________[/center] [color=lightblue]Please don’t tell me you picked this music 8:38 PM[/color] [right][color=#c3f6c3]and if i did??? ;P ;P ;p 8:38 PM No judgfments allowed 8:38 PM[/color][/right] [color=lightblue]I knew it, it’s so you. 8:40 PM[/color] [right][color=#c3f6c3]hey no texting ata wrap party. What would Dillan think 8:40 PM Hes trying to do his speech that he clearly worked so hard on 8:41 PM lol hard on. Wordplay thats why they pay us the small bucks 8:41 PM[/color][/right] [color=lightblue]Lol You’re an actual child :) 8:42 PM[/color] [right][color=#c3f6c3]you laughed 8:42 PM bigdramatic speech, rightr up his alley 8:42 PM Reminds me of community theater 8:42 PM Or theatre if youre nasty 8:43 PM[/color][/right] [color=lightblue]You should’ve done a speech too 8:44 PM[/color] [right][color=#c3f6c3]and take his spotlight???? He’s lovin this 8:44 PM You can practically seehis blockbuster boner from here 8:44 PM[/color][/right] [color=lightblue]GROSS 8:45 PM[/color] [right][color=#c3f6c3]I can see you laughing >:) 8:45 PM[/color][/right] [color=lightblue]This is stupid, I’m coming over there 8:45 PM[/color] [right][color=#c3f6c3]Youll regret it >:P 8:46 PM[/color][/right] [center]____________________________ Sun, 06/12/2016 _____________________________[/center] [color=lightblue]How’s yer head? c:< 10:04 AM[/color] [right][color=#c3f6c3]rereading the script 10:04 AM[/color][/right] [color=lightblue]I didn’t even know you had something going 10:07 AM[/color] [right][color=#c3f6c3]I do Ill send to you 10:07 AM[/color][/right] [color=lightblue]Thanks 10:08 AM[/color] [center]____________________________ Thu, 06/16/2016 _____________________________[/center] [right][color=#c3f6c3]Z what doyou think of the diner scene 3:41 PM i think it fucks with the pacing 3:41 PM drags it all down 3:41 PM i need your magic red pen 3:41 PM ZoeyyyyyyyY 3:42 PM Hang on it doesn’t even need to be atthe diner 3:42 PM Could have it on the move 3:42 PM harder to shoot 3:43 PM Damn it I hate going through my own crap 3:43 PM[/color][/right] [color=lightblue]Sorry I was busy 3:44 PM I didn’t get the script, are you sure you sent it? 3:45PM[/color] [right][color=#c3f6c3]Omg im an idiot 3:45 PM shit ill send it asap 3:45 PM Sorry im a mess lately 3:46 PM[/color][/right] [color=lightblue]Don’t worry about it, if you’re busy you’re busy 3:46 PM But yeah, send me that script. 3:47 PM[/color] [center]____________________________ Sun, 06/19/2016 _____________________________[/center] [color=lightblue]Got it, I’ll let you know when I’m done reading 12:13 PM[/color] [center]____________________________ Tue, 06/21/2016 _____________________________[/center] [color=lightblue]Finished 7:54 PM[/color] [right][color=#c3f6c3]sorry to hear that 7:54 PM[/color][/right] [color=lightblue]It needs a little more oomph 7:55 PM[/color] [right][color=#c3f6c3]it needs a woodchipper 7:55 PM[/color][/right] [color=lightblue]I think we can salvage it. I’ll call you. 7:56 PM[/color] [center]____________________________ Fri, 06/24/2016 _____________________________[/center] [color=lightblue]Are you still staying at that cheap place on Transit? 5:13 PM[/color] [right][color=#c3f6c3]sure 5:45 PM[/color][/right] [color=lightblue]Up for another movie night? I’m bored. 5:46 PM I guess not. 7:32 PM[/color] [center]____________________________ Mon, 06/27/2016 _____________________________[/center] [color=lightblue]Busy? 6:21 PM[/color] [right][color=#c3f6c3]Never 7:01 PM[/color][/right] [color=lightblue]Time to brainstorm? 7:03 PM Earth to Madison 7:49 PM[/color] [center]____________________________ Thu, 06/30/2016 _____________________________[/center] [color=lightblue]Hey 10:43 AM Pick up your phone 9:54 PM[/color] [center]___________________________ Today, 07/01/2016 ____________________________[/center] [color=lightblue]I’m on my way 7:24 AM[/color] [/hider] Looking back on the series of texts, Maddie could definitely see how her silence might seem alarming. It certainly explained the frantic rapping on her motel room door. “Maddie? Are you in there?!” She heard Zoey shout, a little too loud for Maddie’s liking. Madison Garner sprang up from her cross legged position on the floor, shouting back, “Yeah, Zoey, it’s open!” The scrawny twenty three year old began hurriedly cleaning up the room, putting out her cigarette and flinging open the window. “Well, it shouldn’t be! Anybody could’ve walked in.” Zoey responded huffily, but with a hint of relief in her voice. Maddie was shoving an empty chinese takeout carton into the trash when Zoey pushed open the door. She glanced at Zoey to just in time to see her fearful features turn into disapproving ones. She sniffed the air cautiously and asked, “Is smoking allowed in here?” “I doubt it.” Maddie answered with a shrug, and began raking her hands through her hair in an attempt to look neater, though it was far too late to disguise the state she had been in for the last week or so. Maddie had only started working with Zoey a months ago, but they had hit it off quite well. They seemed to be on the same page about a lot of things. Unfortunately for Maddie, that meant that Zoey had a knack for seeing through Maddie’s facade. She pointed at the takeout leftovers in the garbage and asked, “When did you eat that?” “Last night.” Maddie lied effortlessly, picking up the pillows and bed sheets off of the floor where she had haphazardly thrown them. “Sweet and sour chicken. Came with rice, but I’m not a fan of fried rice.” She threw the sheets back on the bed, but not before cringing once again at their busy floral pattern. Maddie turned back to Zoey and watched as she picked up one of many crumpled sheets of paper that were on the floor. In response to the unspoken question about the scarcity of her texts, Maddie told her sternly, “Zoey, I was working. And that’s balled up for a reason.” Her protests didn’t stop Zoey from unfolding the paper and reading it, however. With a quick eye roll Maddie dashed to the bathroom to wash her face and change her clothes. Zoey continued the conversation through the bathroom door. “If you were working, why didn’t you call me? I would’ve helped. We’re supposed to be partners, remember?” After splashing water on her face, Maddie asked, “Are we playing questions?” Her voice reverberated on the tiles of the bathroom walls, the bright fluorescent light flickering harshly. “Wha-” Zoey sputtered. Her voice was muffled through the door, but Maddie could practically hear her blushing. “That’s not funny.” “Seriously Zoey, how many different ways can I apologize?” Maddie dried her face with her towel, regretting that the water wasn’t all that refreshing. “Just the one would be nice.” Madison froze, the revelation that she hadn’t even apologized to her friend yet shot through her like a well deserved bullet. “Oh.” She mumbled weakly before shuffling back to the door and sticking her head out so she could look her friend in the eyes. She took a deep breath, as if preparing to be punched, and said, “I’m sorry, Zoey. I’m sorry you had to come all this way to check up on me, I should’ve called you back. It was terrible of me not to. I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” Zoey softened a little, but her arms will still crossed. “...you still owe me a movie night. And a brainstorming session.” Maddie disappeared back into the bathroom and pulled on some new clothes. “It’s a little early...there’s a park a few blocks from here. I’ve been there a couple of times. The fountain there would be great in a shot.” After quickly getting dressed, Maddie burst out of the bathroom and practically dragged Zoey out of the motel room into the overpowering sunlight outside. “Come on, I want to show you.” [center]--July 1st, 8:47AM--[/center] “It looks like a sea urchin.” Zoey wrinkled her nose at the fountain, crossing her legs on the stone bench they sat on. “Mm.” Maddie replied, an unlit cigarette clenched between her teeth. She was glaring at the ‘Smoke Free Zone’ sign across the way, as if giving it the stink-eye long enough would make it vanish. She gave up quickly, turning her attention back to Zoey. “I was thinking space probe.” She glanced at the park around them; the summer heat hadn’t been kind to the grass. It had been burnt to a crispy brown, which meant that there were no kids in the playground area, much to Maddie’s relief. She didn’t like being around too many noisy people. After a moment, Maddie spoke up again, this time about work. She had been thinking about what to say about it the entire walk here. “I’d rather just scrap that whole script, really.” She leaned back on the bench, watching the sky. “Either start from scratch or find someone else’s. I mean, there are piles of more deserving scripts sitting in some agent’s office somewhere.” Zoey squinted curiously at her colleague. “Madison, are you feeling okay?” “I’m good, really.” She answered a little too quickly. Madison hated how often Zoey asked questions, it always made her feel like she was on the defensive. A conversation with a friend shouldn't feel like a wrestling match. Maddie knew that she would leave eventually, though. It was a pattern in her life that she took some small comfort in. “Is this about [i]Socks[/i]?” Zoey asked. [i]Without our Socks[/i]. That was the last project they had finished together. It was just a short surreal low budget film they had done about a brother and sister who lived in their parent’s backyard. No money, but a lot of heart. It was screened at a small-time festival but the audience response wasn’t enthusiastic. Their agent Gavin hadn’t been pleased about it. “I’m done worrying about [i]Socks[/i]. I’d rather move on.” Maddie said, staring defiantly as a passerby looked disdainfully at the unlit cigarette dangling precariously from her mouth. Completely ignoring her response, Zoey continued. “I mean, Dillan told me how you can get sometimes.” “How I can get.” Maddie deadpanned, after putting the cigarette away and fiddling with some gravel on the ground with her feet. “He said-” Zoey started. Maddie interrupted with a bark of a laugh colored with a bit of anger. “Dillan bought a station wagon ‘ironically’, so I really don’t care about his opinion of me.” “A break from it all usually helps me.” Zoey didn’t seem to want to back down. For the life of her, Maddie couldn’t see why talking about this right now was so damn important. “Yeah, speaking of breaks,” Maddie sighed. “I gotta take a piss. I’ll be right back.” She got up from the bench and marched towards the women’s bathroom, aching to get in the shade and away from the third degree for just a minute or two. Once she rounded the corner of the building and was out of eyesight of Zoey, Maddie relaxed a little, leaning against the cool brick wall. However, before she had the chance to process her thoughts, she heard someone else approaching the building. A man in a suit appeared from the other side of the building, holding a thick envelope. Before Maddie could ask why he was wearing a suit on such a hot day, the man placed the envelope into her hands and said in a low voice, “Open this when you’re alone, preferably at home.” Maddie looked at the envelope in shock, but when she looked back up to question him, he was already gone. [center]---[/center] This couldn’t be real. But here it was, clenched between her hands. [indent] [i]Congratulations Maddie Garner, You have been selected for the Vorace Lalune Award for Excellence. You will find your plane ticket inside this envelope, as well as a credit card for you to pay for any expenses you may need to cover. The pin number for the card is 0415. Use it as needed. Your agent has already been informed of your sudden departure and knows that you will not be available during your week vacation. Au revoir, Agatha Lalune[/i] [/indent] There was a round trip plane ticket in the envelope, along with a card and a passport. Maddie was reading it over and over, leaning against one of the sinks inside the bathroom. Her hands were shaking from barely controlled excitement, the flapping paper was the only sound she could hear. It was unsettling her even more, so she began to talk out loud. “Never heard of Vorace Lalune. Could be a scam...but scams don’t pay for passports, and they sure as shit don’t give out credit cards. And flying…” She started pacing back and forth, rubbing the paper nervously between her forefinger and thumb. “...probably France. Always wanted to go.” She stole a quick look outside the door to make sure no one was eavesdropping. After seeing no one, she continued. “Agent, probably Gavin? They must’ve seen one of my…” Maddie trailed off, slowly realizing that Zoey was still outside, waiting for her to come back. She stuffed the envelope into her purse and her hands into her pockets, trying to steel her nerves as she went back outside. Once she did, she saw that Zoey had moved from sitting on the bench to lounging underneath a nearby tree. As Maddie approached her, Zoey explained. “I was melting on that bench.” “Y'know Zoey, I think you’re right. I could use a break.” Maddie said, sighing and shrugging, feigning acceptance. “My nerves are just...shot. I think a week off would do me some good.” Zoey stood up straight, looking relieved and a little surprised that Maddie agreed with her. “Oh, yeah? Where are you gonna stay?” “I’ll give Brad a call.” Maddie lied again. She had told Zoey some time ago that she had a brother. The truth was that she didn’t even know anyone named Brad. “He lives a few hours away.” “Oh yeah, I forgot. I remember you telling me that he lived near here.” Zoey said, following Maddie who was heading for the park exit. “Wait, isn’t he the one who collects bugs?” “Yeah.” Maddie chuckled. “It’s gonna be a weird vacation.” As she headed back into the direction of the motel, Maddie could see a corner of the envelope sticking out of her purse. She stared straight ahead as they walked together, eyes bright with excitement.