153
Continued from previous page…
After triumphantly parading around the kitchen for the next few seconds, Gina looked down at the wriggling Wiedlin and realized that if she could drop someone to the floor like that without a single punch being thrown, she could also drop an extra command into the mix for good measure.
“Jane, get up off the fuckin’ floor,” instructed Gina. “Jeezus Christ, it wasn’t that funny.”
Jane concluded her bout of laughter, sat up, and coughed into her fist. “Oh, yes, it was,” she stated as she pushed herself up to her feet. “Because you get ticked-off so easily… I’m sorry, Bean, but you crack me up… Your timing is impeccable.”
“I don’t know what I ever saw in you,” said Gina.
“I think you thought I was cute,” said Jane, brushing off the imaginary dirt from her pantleg. “Wasn’t that it?”
Gina took another swig of her bottled beer before answering. “I did think you were cute… But I think I liked the fact that you could play the guitar more than that.”
“Oh, gawd,” Jane groaned. “I could barely play back then,” she explained as she reached for her beer off the table.
“Yeah, but you were cute.. with your little.. pixie haircut,” explained Gina. “Now you’re just more glamorous.”
“Glamorous? Are you kiddin’ me?”
“Well, ever since you started doin’ movies, you’ve had to keep your hair at a certain length.. Ya’ know.. in case anyone calls,” said Gina with a hint of resentment.
“Yeah, but I would hardly call this style glamorous,” said Jane, modestly.
Gina pulled out a chair and sat down. “No, no, I like it like that,” she said as she leaned back and brushed her hair back with her hand. “All shaggy and everything… You look like one of those gorgeous British rockers from the sixties.”
Jane pulled up a chair and sat down next to her as well. “It would be nice if I could actually get some speaking parts.”
“Heeey, you’re famous for that,” Gina teased as she leaned over and facetiously rubbed Jane’s knee. “You danced around a little bit.. you announced who you were.. you got shot, you fell down… You play a dead person really well, Jane.”
Jane jutted out her jaw and gave Gina a dubious glare. “Thank you, Gina. You’re so complimentary.. Wonderful review.”
“You’re welcome, hon,” said Gina, sarcastically, as she straightened herself back up. “Maybe you’ll have more luck in this next one comin’ up.”
“I don’t speak in this one, either,” Jane revealed.
Gina had to suppress her chuckling because Jane made this statement right in the middle of her chug of beer. Gina coughed a little bit as the liquid went down the wrong pipe, then she offered-up a sympathetic response— albeit in a smart-ass way.
“Ohhh, I’m sorry,” she lamented. “Well.. don’t you worry, Jane… Pretty soon.. they’ll see.. how well you play a mute… Then things will change.” Gina winked her eye, pointed her finger at Jane, then characteristically took another swig of her beer.
At this point, Jane had to come to the conclusion that Gina was being a bit of a bitch. She was obviously jealous that Jane was at least getting some attention from the movie-makers in Hollywood, and she was just covering up her envy with sarcasm. In Gina’s defense, however, she wasn’t really concerned whether or not the movie-makers called her anyway. She was completely content with the way things were going in her life at the present moment. She was just being a jealous twit.
But, in order to turn the tables on her, Jane had to alter the course of the conversation and aim it directly towards the peck of trouble that Gina was currently facing.
“What are you gonna do, Gina?”
“About what?” she asked back, nonchalantly, as she continued to savor her carbonated beverage. Gina knew exactly what Jane was referring to, but was still glowing from her contemptuous attitude and didn’t want to get down from her esteemed pedestal.
“About hitting a fucking car, dumb-ass… The cops are probably banging on your door right now.. There’s probably a warrant out for your arrest.”
“Ahh, let em’ bang,” Gina retorted. “Whatever the problems are.. Whatever the damage is, I’ll pay for it.”
Jane rolled her eyes, folded her arms, and glared into Gina’s eyes. “You just don’t get it, do ya?”
“I never will,” Gina replied. “Hey, I’m a fuckin’ rock star… I’m doin’ what I’m supposed to be doin.”
MEANWHILE, UPSTAIRS IN KATHY’S BEDROOM…
“Here, put these on,” said Kathy as she threw a pair of jeans onto the bed.
“Don’t I get my choice?” asked Belinda.
“You wanna come take a look? They all look the same,” replied Kathy, extending her arm towards the dresser drawer like some kind of game show assistant.
“No.. these are fine,” said Belinda, grabbing them off the bed. In an instant, she realized it didn’t really matter what she was wearing as long as it wasn’t Gina’s gym clothes.
“You.. of course.. on the other hand.. have your choice of an exquisite array of glorious, rock and roll T-Shirts, at your disposal,” explained Kathy, as she whirled about the room. Now she was, indeed, acting like Vanna White.
With a knee-jerk reaction, Belinda impulsively muttered, “Do you have any Bee-Gees?” she asked. In reality, considering the current predicament she was in, she hardly cared about what T-Shirt she was going to wear. Her favorite band simply popped into her head.
“Of course,” answered Kathy, mockingly. “Why.. Belinda, my darling.. What on earth would make you believe that I don’t have any Bee Gees T-Shirts?
Kathy slid open the drawer to one of her other dressers and began searching through her stacks of nicely folded T-Shirts, while Belinda started stripping down to her underwear in order to put on the pair of Kathy’s blue jeans.
“Voila— here it is,” exclaimed Kathy, triumphantly raising the shirt into the air.
“Am I going to fit into your tennis shoes?” asked Belinda. “I got big feet.”
“You know what? You’re in luck,” stated Kathy. “I accidently bought a pair that’s one size too big the other day… They should fit you perfectly.”
“How did you buy the wrong size?” asked Belinda, slipping the T-Shirt over her head.
“I don’t know.. I think the clerk brought the wrong size out from the back.. I didn’t even look. I had my arms full of other stuff and I was kinda’ in a hurry… I didn’t even realize it until I got home.”
Belinda adjusted the T-Shirt to fit snuggly onto her body, then symbolically smoothed it down in order to remove any wrinkles.
Then she did something that took Kathy completely by surprise.
She placed her hands on her hips and addressed Kathy in a disconcerting manner.
“I’m mad at you,” she stated.