half a dozen years, I grinded every day. I did commercials, industrial films, and bit parts in horror films shot in Eastern European countries that ended in ‘nia.’”
“Nia,” Boatwright mumbled.
“That’s right, Miller. Way to keep up. Anyway, somewhere in there I managed to get married to a sweet guy—nothing like you— who’d been a grip on one of those horror movies. He was good looking, gentle, and didn’t ask too many questions about my past. That was more than I thought I deserved, so I leapt at it.
“Eventually, I got guest parts on a few procedurals as rape victims, party girls, or adulteresses. That led to recurring roles as evil temptresses or doting girlfriends. Eventually I nailed a regular cast role as a rookie cop in a cable series that lasted half a season before getting pulled from the schedule. After that, it was a rookie detective on a network series that lasted a full season before getting cancelled. Things were starting to look up, Miller.”
Again hearing his name, Boatwright tried to open his eyes. They fluttered briefly before giving up. The sight of him struggling filled her with both satisfaction and fury. She was glad that he was in pain. But he had to be alert if he was going to accept responsibility.
She licked her lips, trying to stave off the dry mouth that had suddenly overtaken her. She felt nauseous and exhilarated at the same time. Everything was heightened. She was invincible.
“I know it’s a lot to take, Miller, but please try to pay attention,” she said, her voice rising in a wild, sing-songy rhythm. “It finally culminated this year when I was cast as one of the leads in a network legal drama. The show was picked up for thirteen episodes, giving me a level of financial security that I’d never experienced before. Fairy tale ending, right?”
She waited for a response but Miller wasn’t being accommodating so she answered for him.
“Wrong! That’s when the problems started. I learned that the show was going to be at Sovereign Studios, where my first brush with success had ended in crushing disappointment. Not great, Miller, but not the end of the world. I moved past it because I’m a trouper. But it kept getting worse. We’d been shooting for a few weeks when I discovered that the Marauder reboot would be shooting on the lot too. Well, Miller. You can imagine that didn’t sit well me.”
She was talking faster now but, despite her best efforts, the words were starting to bleed together.
“Soon after that, the dominoes started falling,” she continued. “I discovered that Corinne would be starring in the film. Then someone said they’d be filming on Stage 32, which was right next to Stage 31, where I worked. The soundstages even shared a connecting door, which meant there was a chance I might bump into the woman who stole the career I was supposed to have.
“But here’s the worst part, Miller. She didn’t just steal my career, she debased it. I read, along with everyone else, about her fall from grace, mostly a result of terrible on-set behavior and poor career choices. Every time one of her films failed, I felt a weird mix of satisfaction and disappointment.
“Sure, I was pleased to see the woman who ruined my career face her own struggles. Then again, if she had become a megastar for the next decade, maybe I could have accepted that at least I lost my dream role to someone more talented and deserving. But the woman’s failures only reinforced the truth: that I’d been wronged. Wronged, Miller!”
“I’m Miller,” Boatwright said. His words were now comprehensible but he clearly wasn’t comprehending.
“Keep up, Miller,” she spat. “We’re getting to the exciting conclusion here. Things went downhill from there. All her prima donna behavior started to put my show at risk. We lost production days because of her delicate constitution. My show might never get on the air because of her. She’s still finding ways to cost me jobs. The tipping point came when we bumped into each other in the commissary a week ago. Nothing major happened. In fact, that was the point. She sniped “excuse you,” stepped to the side like I had a disease, and continued on without another word.
“I have to tell you, Miller, it wasn’t so much the rudeness that upset me as the lack of awareness. Corinne Weatherly had no idea who I was, nor did she care. She was oblivious to the pain she’d