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The idiot took another drag, appearing indifferent. “My sister’s nice, but she can be pretty uptight. She just needs to get the stick out of her ass.”
“Or.” Rick inched closer. “You could get the bong out ofyourass and start doing actual work like you’re paid to.”
“What the–”
“I can smell the skunk from you,” Rick said. “You’re not subtle about it, dude. You’re sloppy, and inconsiderate. How old are you, like twenty-seven? And you still can’t act like an adult?”
Ryan flinched. “How did you know?”
Smiling, Rick straightened proudly and went for a creepier voice. “I know everything about you, Ryan. Newport Coast Lofts? Penthouse apartment. Your place has a three-sixty view looking inside.”
Shocked, Ryan backed deeper against the wall. “What the fuck, who are you–”
“You’ll get to know me soon,” he whispered to Ryan, who whimpered and turned away. “Hey, look at me.” Rick snapped his fingers and lightly slapped Ryan’s face back in his direction. “Life isn’t always going to be easy. If you’re not careful, one day you’ll piss off the wrong person. If you’re unlucky, you’ll end up in prison and meeting the worst people… It’snotpretty.”
Ryan’s lips trembled. “You were inprison?”
Rick shrugged. “I’ve been to a prison.” It wasn’t a complete lie. He’d visited a former classmate convicted of tax fraud. SnatchingRyan’s cigarette butt, Rick placed it between his lips and inhaled. Blowing the smoke directly at Ryan’s astonished face, he took in another puff. “There are some things you can’t come back from.”
“What do you mean?”
“You know, Ryan.” Rick gave the cigarette back. “You’re kinda pretty, too. It would be such a shame if anything happened.”
Ryan’s mouth hung open, and he looked younger than he was. Almost innocent. Rick might have gone overboard, but at least the dolt was reacting. Indifference was worse than misplaced rebellion.
“If I were you, I would appreciate my sister and mother’s generosity and listen to them. Got it?”
Nodding profusely, Ryan stepped back to put a distance between them. Rick threw him a triumphant smile and turned to leave.
Back inside, Rick laughed to himself before deciding that Ryan wasn’t as bad as he appeared to be. Lazy, spoiled, yes, but he wasn’t a terrible person.
For the rest of the day, Rick endured being pushed around to get the right shots. He hadn’t seen Charlie since noon, and they were wrapping up soon. It was likely she could be stuck longer than usual putting out Ryan’s fire.
After the final approval to end the shoot, Rick immediately went to the bathroom and scrubbed his face off. A thick buildup of goo slid down the drain. It took almost ten minutes before he felt his real skin again. He washed out the slime in his hair and changed back into his regular clothes.
Feeling the day’s load lifting as the staff dispersed, Rick went to look for Charlie. Twelve hours of work and he only had a few crackers for a snack. He wondered if Charlie was up for a late dinner when someone tapped his shoulder. That someone was the only someone he wanted to see.
“Hey.” Charlie held a folder in her hand, her expression free of the distress she had on earlier. “Looks like you’re all done?”
“Yeah, they told me to clean up and come back tomorrow. Are you still working?”
“I was, but Ryan just told me to go home and that he’ll fix his mess,” Charlie said. “It’s so weird. I thought he was screwing with me, but he started calling up clients and apologized for his mistakes.”
“He didn’t.”
Charlie nodded. “He did. I think he might have realized he’s going to be out of luck if he loses this job.”
“Sometimes it takes the last second for it to click.”
She shook her head. “We’ll see if this is going to stick.”
“It’s going to take time.” Change didn’t happen overnight. Just like Rick. It was a work in progress.
“Did you want to grab something to eat?” Rick suggested, wondering if he was crossing a line too soon.
“I think I’ll stay and work some more,” she said. “I have a salad in my office, so don’t worry.”
Disappointment coursed through him, but he wasn’t deterred.
