I came back home half-conscious. Dusk had taken over the entire sky, and I wondered how much longer it would last. I hate it when day turns into night and I'm stuck in some dead point.
I opened my messages. Thirty-three unread ones from Cassie. Soon it would be time to text her goodnight and put my phone away. She never falls asleep until I send that one word. Just as I was about to write it, she called me.
"Where are you?" I asked.
"I don't know, I had a bit to drink!" she shouted into the receiver.
"Who are you with? Shouldn't you be at home?"
"Maybe I should," her voice dropped, breaking instantly. She sniffled. She's high, I can always tell. "Ryan...they fired me. Do you understand?! They fucking fired me from the agency!"
I straightened up at that information. That couldn't be real—she had always been their favorite. It just didn't seem possible. Unless she had done something and gave them a reason. Truth be told, Cassie is a problematic person, but not so much that…
"Because of your friend," she added. "I was supposed to have a shoot on November 1st, but they decided to make room for Mike instead. And that's how they got rid of me."
"But not everything's lost, darling," I tried to comfort her.
"Of course it is! I argued with them, I screamed at them, and I hit Tom in front of everyone. Do you get it? In front of everyone." Silence followed. "They said they never want to see me here again."
"I can talk to Tom."
"I have to go," she ignored me. "I'll call later, bye."
The call ended.