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“Where the hell did that come from?” Nick said, looking directly at me. “She just unloaded!”

I rolled my eyes. “I know,” I said. “I was there.” I looked up at Adam, at the hurt on his face. “Are you okay?” I whispered.

He nodded. “You’d better go after her,” he said softly, trying to smile. “She needs you more than I do.”

I kissed his cheek quickly and sprinted after Lisa. I found her in one of the changing rooms, sitting cross-legged on the floor, crying. I went in and sat beside her, putting my arms around her.

“Do you want to tell me where that came from?” I whispered gently.

She sniffled once, and dashed her hand across her eyes. “I’m just so sick of him being such a know-it-all when it comes to this stuff,” she said hoarsely. “He thinks he’s Boy Wonder, that we’re all supposed to hang on his every word, and I’m tired of it.”

I took a deep breath. “You know that’s not true,” I said quietly, not wanting to anger her by seeming to take his side. I knew what this was about, and Adam just happened to be where she was choosing to vent her frustration. If she’d received a nomination, none of this would be happening.

“Of course you’d say it wasn’t,” she said. “You slept with him, he loves you.” She sniffled again. “And you’re in the same sickening boat as he is.”

“What?”

“You’re the fair-haired child around here, aren’t you?” she sneered. “Charlie Madison can do no wrong, and just because you’re not as legendary as he is yet, doesn’t mean you’re any less obnoxious.”

I pulled away from her, stung by her words. I had no idea she felt this way. “You think I’m obnoxious?”

“With your perfect job and your perfect boyfriend, and your stupid dilemma over a dress you know damned well you could have if you wanted it, yes, you’re obnoxious, Charlie.” She stood up. “I know you don’t try to be, and that makes it worse. And then to watch you get a Tony nomination for your first starring role? That’s just adding insult to injury.”

“I don’t know what to say to that,” I said, standing as well. I shoved my hands in my jeans’ pockets and waited for her to continue.

“Do you know how long I’ve been fighting my way through Broadway?” she snapped, turning on me, a tortured expression on her face. “Do you know how many auditions, how many rejections, how many bit parts I’ve been through to get here? I’ve been doing this since I was 17, that’s 10 long years, and you waltz in here with your perfect voice and take the nomination right out from under me? And now, of course, all of the publicity is about you and Adam. I knew as soon as he joined the show we’d be in trouble. My part is bigger than his, way bigger, and yet the show is somehow all about the two of you. How much does that suck?”

I took a deep breath, trying to keep the tears from welling in my eyes. What she was saying really hurt, I couldn’t deny that, but this wasn’t about me. I couldn’t help it if I’d been incredibly lucky so far. I envied her experience, her years of being able to do what she loved, in any capacity, but I highly doubted she wanted to hear that at the moment. When I’d first moved to New York, she’d seemed so glamorous, so sure of herself, and even since then, she’d never faltered in that image. She’d never let on that she was upset about not being nominated, not even when we’d been dress shopping that day.

“What do you want me to say to that?” I said after a minute. “What can I say that will make this any better?”

“You can’t say anything,” she said, flopping down on the chair in the corner of the room. She looked so defeated as she met my eyes. “Charlie, I wanted that nomination so much,” she said softly, all of the anger gone, replaced with a sadness I had never seen from her before. “I thought this show would do it, you know? I thought this was my break, and all my work would pay off.” She covered her eyes with her hands. “But I’m just your sidekick, your dumb blonde friend that no one cares about. Now I really know how Glinda feels.”

“No one looks at you that way,” I said, kneeling down in front of her. “I certainly don’t think that. God knows I wouldn’t have made it here without you. Who taught me how to handle New York cabbies? And who showed me where to shop for the best clothing at really good prices? And who keeps me smiling when I get too serious?” I paused. “And who made sure I got back with Orlando when we broke up? Lisa, I probably wouldn’t have him in my life if it weren’t for you. You’re not my sidekick, silly, you’re my best friend, and nomination or no nomination, you’re still one of the best actresses in the business today, and no one can ever tell me different.”

She looked down at me for a minute, as though undecided on her next action. Then a small smile began to creep around the edges of her mouth. “You’re a pain in the ass, you know that?” she said, her old humor creeping into her voice. “Here I am, trying to feel sorry for myself, and you’re spouting shit like that. I feel like an asshole now, thanks.”

I reached up to hug her, then stood up again. “You could have told me sooner that this bothered you,” I said seriously. “You don’t normally keep things like this to yourself. If I’d known you felt this way, I wouldn’t have made such a big deal about it, and I’m sure Nick wouldn’t be throwing it around the way he is, either.”

“But I don’t want you thinking that I’m not happy for you and Adam, because I am,” she said, standing as well. “I just felt kind of left out, you know?”

I nodded and put my arm around her shoulders. “I know,” I said. “But I’m sure you’ll get the nod next year, and then you can rub it in my face, okay?” I sighed. “I think you’d better say something to Adam, though. He kind of got dumped on, and it’s not really his fault.”

She chuckled and sniffled again. “Yeah, I was a bitch,” she said. “It’ll be fun to put together a medley, and who knows? The whole show may just win, and that would be pretty amazing.”

“And Adam knows what this is all about,” I pointed out as I opened the door to head back to the green room to warm up. “He was just warning us that it’s a challenge to do these medleys, that’s all. He is the old man of the group, remember?” Lisa liked to tease him because he was a good nine or ten years older than her. The cradle-robbing comments regarding me were lots of fun, too, given the twelve-year age gap between us.

She smiled. “Oh, I’m aware,” she said.

“Are you okay now?” I asked, before I led her back into the green room. “No more freak-outs?”

“I’m better now, yes,” she said, nodding. “I’ll be good from now on, I promise.”

We went back into the green room to finish our warm up. I saw Lisa pull Adam aside as we all went to get dressed for the show. I don’t know what was said, but I saw her hug him, and he was smiling when they parted, so I guessed all was well again.

After the show, I headed home, thinking it would be a good time to curl up with a movie in the living room, since I’d have the apartment all to myself. Jeremy had shown up at the theatre to take Lisa home with him, and Orlando was out having drinks with his friend, whoever that was, so I had some time to just relax.

When I got home, I went into my room, threw on my old pink fleece pajama set, tied my hair on the top of my head in a bun, and went into the kitchen to make some popcorn. I was just taking the bag out of the microwave, when I was startled by a knock at the door. Figuring Lisa had forgotten her key, I hurried to open it.

“You really should keep your key in your purse,” I said as I pulled open the door. To my surprise, and horror, Sean Bryant, the actor who’d originally had Adam’s part in the show, and who’d tried to rape me on New Years’ Eve, was standing in the hallway, a nasty smirk on his face.

“If I carried a purse, or had a key, I might just do that,” he said, leaning against the doorframe. “So, did you miss me, Charlie?”

I clutched the door, and made to close it, but he was too quick for me and stuck his foot out to stop me from slamming the door in his face. I held my breath as he brushed past me, into the apartment.

“What the hell are you doing here?” I hissed, keeping the door open. I crossed my arms over my chest and glared at him as he strode around the living room, looking like he owned it.

“I came to say hello,” he said, shrugging. He picked up Orlando’s script off the coffee table and flipped through it. “I’m guessing the Hollywood hotshot is still around?”

“Yes, he is,” I said. “And he’ll be back any time, so you should really go.”

“Why?” Sean sat down on the sofa, making himself perfectly at home. “You don’t think he’ll be happy to see me?”

“I somehow doubt that he will be,” I said, keeping my tone nasty to hide the fact that fear was building in my stomach. The last time I’d seen him, he’d cracked my ribs and given me some pretty painful bruises, not to mention the scar on my left thigh. I hated the idea that I was alone with him. “Sean, just go, okay?”

“But it’s been so long since we’ve talked, Charlie,” he said, almost in a sing-song voice. His eyes flashed at me, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. “Why don’t you come over here and tell me you’ve missed me?”

I shook my head and stood my ground. “Do you want me to lie to you, Sean?” I said. “I think I’ll stay where I am, thanks.”

“Don’t tell me you’re still mad at me over what happened,” he said, chuckling. “That was months ago, get over it.”

“No,” I said. “If you want to know the truth, I hate you for what happened. I’d be perfectly happy never to see you again, and if you don’t leave, I’m calling the police.”

He shrugged as he stood up. “This is New York, my dear,” he said, taking a few steps toward me. I fought the urge to back up. “It’ll take them at least an hour to get here.”

“Then I’ll call Orlando,” I said, the knot in my stomach growing ever bigger. “He’ll be here in less than five minutes.”

“Yes, let’s do that,” Sean said, a mean gleam in his eyes. “I’d love to see my favourite prissy boy again. Do you think he’d be able to take me?”

“Damn it, Sean, just get the hell out,” I said, anger bubbling to the surface. I resolved not to be afraid of him.

“I heard you were nominated for a Tony,” he said, in a light tone, as though we were discussing the weather. He took another step toward me. “You know, if it weren’t for you, it would have been my nomination, too, not Pascal’s. How do you think I feel about that, Charlie?” A hard edge entered his voice. He was unshaven, and his hair was longer than I remembered, and, if it were possible, he seemed even more menacing. “How do you think I feel about you costing me my career?”

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. “Sean, don’t blame that on me,” I said quietly, my voice loaded with anger. “You were fired because of your own actions, not because of me.”

“I bet you’re fucking Pascal, aren’t you?” he sneered, disregarding what I said. “You wouldn’t give it to me, but I’m sure you’re passing it out freely to him. Am I right? You seem to only give it up to really famous guys. You might want to get that checked, Charlie. Wouldn’t want you to get a reputation as a fame whore, now would we?”

“Okay, enough is enough,” I said. I moved quickly for the phone on the end table beside the sofa, but again he was too quick for me. He slapped my hand away roughly, and grabbed the phone himself. He tossed it on the floor behind the sofa, then went and locked the front door.

“Oh no, we can’t have you doing that, now can we?” he sneered, grabbing my wrist and jerking me down onto the sofa. “I’m not finished here yet, and I don’t need one of your pretty boys coming in and spoiling my fun, now do I?”

Without hesitation, I reached over and punched him, hard, in the jaw. To my surprise, he punched me back, every bit as hard, if not more so, but he missed my face and hit my shoulder. Pain ripped through me, taking my breath away. I went to get up, but he pulled me down again.

“That wasn’t smart, Charlie,” he hissed, his grip on my arm tightening. He flexed his jaw. “Good thing you’re weak, or that would have hurt.”

“Fuck you,” I said, twisting my arm sharply, hoping to get away. I brought my other hand over and began clawing at his bare arm. He simply shook me off and pinned both of my hands together in front of me.

“You’re going to listen to me, you little slut,” he hissed, right beside my face. He kissed my cheek and I thought I’d vomit right there. His breath was hot and sour, and I turned my head away to escape it. “You’re going to listen to every damned word.”

I tried not to whimper as he forced his elbow over my throat, pushing my head into the back of the sofa. The look on his face could only be described as twisted as he looked at me over his arm. I tried to struggle, but he only tightened his grip, cutting off my air supply. I choked and he loosened a little.

“Have I got your attention now?” he said, his tone teasing and angry all at the same time. I didn’t move. “Our little encounter on New Years’ got me thrown in jail for a few weeks, did you know that? And I have five hundred hours of community service to do, as well. Do you know how much time that is, Charlie?” The hand holding my wrists together squeezed painfully. “And do you know how hard it is to pay my bills when no one will hire me? I was homeless when I got out of jail, since Nick threw all my shit out of the building, and I didn’t have anywhere to take it. Have you ever been on a New York City street at night, Charlie? It’s not a nice place to be.” He squeezed my wrists even tighter, and I almost flinched. I stared straight ahead, ironically at a picture of Orlando, Lisa, and me on top of the TV. I concentrated on Orlando’s face, on Lisa’s smile, on my own dress, anything to keep me from losing my mind. I felt the sofa shift as Sean moved closer to me. He was pressed against my side now.

“Do you know what I do for a living now, Charlie?” he continued, his tone conversational, a complete contradiction to the horrible words that were coming out of his mouth. “I collect garbage for the city, Charlie, that’s what I do. I went from being one of the most respected actors in our business, to collecting the fucking garbage. I don’t know about you, but I don’t consider that a step up in the world, Charlie.” He said my name in almost every sentence, and the way he said it made it sound like a dirty word, like he was talking about crap or pawn scum, or something equally distasteful. “Do you know what I thought when I found out Pascal had taken my part?” His eyes flashed hatred at me as he got right in my face again, blocking my view of the picture on top of the TV. I had no choice but to meet his eyes as his arm tightened on my throat and he pushed my wrists against my chest.

“Sean,” I rasped, hoping I could reason with him, but the word was cut off as he pushed his arm even tighter against my throat.

“Shut up,” he snapped. “Do you know what I thought, Charlie? I thought it was a fucking joke. I’ve known Pascal for quite a while now, and I’m amazed he took a part as small as Fiyero. His ego is bigger than Orlando’s. But then, I thought to myself, he must be getting something extra out of the deal, and knowing how hot you are for these big shots, I figured you were it.” He leaned in close again and kissed my lips. I tried to turn my head, but his hold on my neck got tighter. “Are you his bonus, Charlie?” he whispered hoarsely. “Are you the piece of ass that keeps him with the show?” He sat back again and laughed, a cold, cruel sound that made me flinch.

Unexpectedly, he let me go. I gasped in air and clutched my throat, which burned from his grip. It took me too long to get my bearings, though, and just as I made to stand up, he threw me down on the floor. I was dizzy from the lack of air his arm had caused, and couldn’t get up fast enough. He grabbed my shoulders and flipped me over on my back, slamming my head into the carpet. He pinned my arms above my chest and straddled my stomach, leering down at me. I froze for a moment in absolute terror, knowing what he was capable of. I’d gotten myself away from him before, but I didn’t know if I could do it again.

He ground my arms into the carpet, and I knew there’d be carpet burns from the force he was using. He held both my wrists with one hand again, and brought the other hand down to my breast. He lightly caressed it through the fabric of my pajama top, and I began to struggle in earnest to get away from him. He grabbed my hair and slammed my head into the floor again, stunning me for a moment.

“Just relax, Charlie,” he said, all of his hatred clear in his voice. “I’m sure you’re so used to this, it won’t hurt you.”

Panic ripped through me and I began to struggle again. He laughed as he held me down, and one hand came over my throat. He squeezed roughly. I kept telling myself I wouldn’t let this happen, and my mind was frantically trying to figure a way out, when he gave me the perfect opportunity.

He sat up straight, using his free hand to push my top up over my stomach, while holding my wrists together near his chest. He was positioned over me so that my legs were free. I quickly brought one leg up as fast and as hard as I could, my knee connecting with the top of his back, just below his neck.

“What the fuck?” he gasped as I kicked him again and again, until he finally loosened his hold on my wrists enough that I could get them free. I clawed at his face with both hands, ripping at the skin as I continued to kick him. It didn’t take long for his shock to wear off, and he slapped me, hard, across the face. I refused to stop fighting, though, and grabbed a handful of his hair, yanking as hard as I could to the side. It was enough that he shifted his weight, and I rolled out from under him, jumping immediately to my feet.

I turned to run into the kitchen for the phone, when he tackled my legs from behind, bringing me down hard, my left shoulder connecting with the coffee table. I had just put my hands over my head to protect myself from more blows, when we heard keys in the front door. Relief flooded through me as I felt Sean still above me, his grip on my legs easing. I pulled myself away from him, trying to focus through the pain that was screaming in my head.

It felt like everything was happening in slow motion now, as the door opened, and I heard angry voices, four men and a woman, screaming. I saw Orlando out of the corner of my eye, saw him hit Sean directly in the face, saw Sean fall back, and two other men grab him. I saw Lisa with the phone to her ear, yelling into it. I saw Adam kneeling beside me, trying to get my attention. And then I saw nothing.