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To him.
“I overdid it on the coke last night. When I got home, I took some sleeping pills, and I guess the combination fucked me up. When I arrived on set this morning, I was dizzy, and I passed out. They sent me to a private clinic, pumped my stomach, then pumped me full of saline. I signed myself out an hour ago.”
“You’re using regularly?” Reed asked quietly.
“Every fucking day. I need it to keep up, Ree. I’m always exhausted.”
Tired from working non-stop. From hiding. From lying.
From everything.
I waited for the lecture, the derision. But of course, this was Reed. I should have known better.
“You’re not the first—or last—person I know who’s dealing with addiction. But Tay, you need to talk to someone. Today was a warning. Your body is going to quit on you if you don’t cut that shit out.”
“I know, I know. It’s just that Vic has me lined up for back-to-back movies this year and I need the energy. He found me a dealer who gets me the good stuff, none of that low-grade shit. Vic said?—”
“Fuck what Vic said! He just wants to keep you coked up so he can shove you back out there to make more money to line his pockets.”
“He’s an agent, that’s the way they are.”
“Not all of them. Besides what he’s doing to you, working you to death and encouraging your addiction, there’s the other shit that’s going on. Are you even aware of the talk about him? He sexually harasses his female clients. It’s the worst kept secret in town.”
My head was pounding now, throbbing like a motherfucker.
“I… I didn’t know.”
Well, I’d heard the rumors. But I ignored them. As always, my career took precedence.
“I’m such a selfish bastard,” I sighed. “Why the fuck are you still my friend?”
“You’re not selfish, Tay, you’re ambitious. To a scary degree. But you don’t need to push so hard anymore. You’ve made it.”
“It’s never enough,” I confessed.
“That’s why you need to talk to someone. I can refer you to my therapist. She’s great. But it sounds like you need detox for the coke. Take a few months away from work and get your body healed,” Reed encouraged. “But the first thing you should do is cut Vic loose. A day of reckoning is coming and he’s going to be held accountable for his actions. And you don’t want to be associated with a man like him. It’ll ruin everything you’ve worked for.”
Despite my headache and body chills, I knew Reed was right.
Somewhere in my foggy brain, the warning he issued clicked.
“Text me the contact info for your therapist,” I replied. “I think I’ll call Henn, too. If she’ll ever talk to me again.”
“It’s done. And I’m sure Henn will happily take you back as a client.”
“I hope so.”
“Can I come over now? I need to see you,” Reed insisted.
“I don’t want you to see me like this.”
The line went dead, and I was left staring at my phone.
It was the first time that Reed had ever hung up on me.
Five seconds later, my phone buzzed. It was Reed forwarding the contact details for his therapist.
I’d texted Vic that I didn’t want to be disturbed the rest of the day.
