Defying Fate: The Unstoppable Eileen



The next morning dawned with a rustling that roused Paulina from sleep, her head pounding as if it were trapped in the grip of a vice. Squinting against the bright light, she realized she wasn't in her own bedroom. Her brow furrowed as she pieced together the hazy memories of the previous evening-her split with Chester after a whirlwind week-long romance, the sorrow she had tried to drown in a sea of alcohol, and the late-night heart- to-heart with her friend Eileen.

Glancing to her right, she spotted Eileen, murmuring in her sleep or so Paulina initially thought. It was only when she heard her own name being whispered into the phone that she realized Eileen was awake, quietly chatting with someone on the other end.

She's on the phone? What was it about Eileen's phone last night that she couldn't remember?

Irritation clawed at Paulina as she listened to Eileen's side of the conversation. "She was plastered; what was I supposed to do, toss her out on the street?"

A chill male voice responded from the other end, "Her assistant could've picked her up."

"How am I supposed to know if her assistant is in the loop about her and Chester? That's her private business. Besides, what would I say when they ask why Paulina got so wrecked?"

Egbert sounded displeased. "Used to sharing a bed with others?"

Eileen's lazy retort followed. "It's no big deal. I've crashed with the girls-like Blythe and others before."

A brief silence ensued before Egbert asked, "What about me?"

Eileen shot him down playfully. "Dream on, buddy!"

The line went quiet again, and then Eileen asked, "Are you getting up?"

"Later," he replied.

"Why's that?"

"I want to watch you a bit longer."

Eileen wriggled under the covers, burying her face before peeking out again. "Still on for that inspiration trip with Barton today?"

He hummed affirmatively. "He's looking for that creative spark."

Eileen sighed. "His movie's taking forever. And he's dragging you along for the ride? You really that into it?"

"It's got potential," Egbert said simply.

Nodding, Eileen suggested, "Well, I won't keep you. I should get going. Hang up?"

"No, let's keep talking."

Eileen hesitated, "Y'know, I think my phone's starting to overheat, maybe we should " "Hm?" he challenged.

Eileen gave in. "Never mind, it's your old phone anyway. I won't shed a tear if it fries." He chuckled, then reminded her, "Have some breakfast."

"You too," she replied.Content bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

They continued to hold their phones, and after a pause, Eileen nudged him. "Get up." "You first," he countered.

"No, you first."

Paulina sat there, listening to this back-and-forth, until she couldn't take it anymore. She flung the covers aside and bolted upright, startling Eileen, who turned to find

Paulina glaring at her with a,

net

twitching mouth and clenched fists.

Eileen ended the call with Egbert hastily, switching the phone to silent mode before turning to Paulina with a sheepish greeting. "Hey, you're up."

Paulina's jaw worked silently as she

"

grabbed her clothes and dressed in

a rush. Once decent, she turned to Eileen with a promise, "I won't tell anyone. She remembered the phone call from the night before and now understood the whole

piêture-they were an item!

Paulina couldn't help but feel a sense of vindication. Eileen and Egbert together were far more palatable than the thought of Aurora, who had ridden the coattails of the "Spring Couple" fame, ending up with Egbert.

As Paulina left, she encouraged Eileen with a serious nod, to which Eileen could only respond with a perplexed echo of encouragement.

Eileen later arrived at the set to find tension thick in the air. She learned from a crew member that Paulina and Chester had racked up dozens of No Good takes, and not a single scene had been successfully shot all morning.

She looked toward the stage where Carrol was on the verge of a meltdown, vigorously explaining the scene to Paulina and Chester so many times that his trademark topknot was coming undone.

As the temperamental Carrol fumed, Paulina maintained an icy composure.

Meanwhile, Chester was profusely apologizing.

"Ms. Lopez," the stylists called out, "time to change."

"Alright," Eileen replied and headed backstage to change her outfit.

When Eileen re-emerged, the set was suddenly pierced by a sharp "slap" sound. Onstage, Paulina had smacked Chester across the face.

The entire studio fell into a hushed silence.

"Cut!" Carrol threw down the script, bellowing, "Paulina, what's wrong with you today? How many times do I have to tell you? It's supposed to be a playful tap on Chester's cheek, not a slap! What are you doing?"

Some crew members rushed to Chester's side, quickly applying ice packs and tending to his injury.

Despite Paulina's aggressive behavior, which was tantamount to a public confrontation, Chester, pale-faced, refrained from uttering a single word of complaint.

Even when Carrol scolded Paulina, Chester stepped in to defend her, "Director Carrol, I'm sorry, so sorry, it's my fault. I must've distracted Ms. Paulina, please don't be mad at her."

After that, he turned to Paulina with a pained expression, "Ms. Paulina, if you're unhappy with me, let's talk it out offstage, okay? If you want to punish or hit me, I'll accept it, but can we please finish this scene first? Let's not make everyone else stay late because of us."

Chester spoke with earnestness and a pitiable look.

Some crew members began to whisper among themselves, "First it was Ms. Lopez, now Mr. Chester. What did they do to deserve this?"

"Ms. Paulina, let's just get through the scene, okay?"

"We're all part of the same team here. What kind of grudge could possibly justify slapping someone in the face?"

"Ms. Paulina, whatever Mr. Chester did wrong, please forgive him. He's a good guy."