Chapter 6

Sentiment about Corinne DeLoie broke down into two clearly definable groups: those that were firmly in her court, and those that were completely opposed.

Those that were in her court were supportive of her actions to protect herself from someone who was abusive, power-mad, and amoral.

Those opposed to her felt that she should have felt grateful to have a job, and that she should listen to whomever was in charge, because that was just how things are done in the world. If the job changed while she was involved, well, that was just what happened. In their own jobs, that happened all the time, and they were just supposed to go along with it. Why should she be any different? Did she expect special treatment or something?

Corinne DeLoie’s actions had caused a debate to spring up over the treatment of actresses in the movie industry, and it didn’t stop there. It spilled over into treatment of women in workplace roles, and how women were perceived in society in general.

The biggest issue was why she hadn’t been charged with a crime for the injuries she had inflicted on Conrad Brauer. The furor eventually reached a level that brought District Attorney’s office out to made a statement.

“The investigation into the incident involving the assault of Miss Corinne DeLoie by Mister Conrad Brauer has been concluded. Conrad Brauer was previously charged with five counts of felony assault and two counts of battery against Ms. DeLoie. That has not changed.

“Ms. Corinne DeLoie will not be charged with any crimes related to the incident. She did not instigate any portion of the physical altercation, and was assaulted when she attempted to leave and de-escalate the confrontation. When it became clear, based on the video evidence available, that she would not be able to escape the confrontation instigated by a much larger and violently-combative aggressor, Ms. DeLoie defended herself. In the process of defending herself, Conrad Brauer was injured.

“Ms. DeLoie broke no laws, and did not exceed the definition of reasonable actions in the defense of her person. Let me make myself perfectly clear in this: would it have been necessary, in that situation, Ms. DeLoie would have been justified in whatever level of force was necessary to stop the assault and end the confrontation, up to and including deadly force, which, from my interview with Ms. DeLoie during the investigation, she most certainly is capable of. Mr. Brauer should be relieved that such actions were not necessary. Ms. DeLoie is certainly grateful that it was not required in this confrontation.” When she had effectively ended the altercation, she ceased her actions, as is required by law, and called immediately for police and paramedics, which is also required by law.

Questions were shouted at the assistant District Attorney on the case, but after he answered just a few, he said, “Okay, thank you. That is all for today.” Then he turned and walked away from the podium set up outside the prosecutor’s office in the government center, ending the press conference.

The official statement from the prosecutor’s office didn’t change a thing. If anything, it seemed to make things worse.

“Ms. DeLoie, its Janet at National Artists. We have been told that the contract you had for the movie with Harrison Ford will not be upheld from the studio end. They will be reassigning the part to someone else. We let them know that they are still required to pay you, since this is being done without explanation. They assured me that you will get paid, but they have decided that you simply aren’t the right fit for the character anymore. Personally, this looks like a blackball from Conrad Brauer’s friends and supporters. I know that the executive producer for the role is Brauer’s distant cousin. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. We will continue to represent you, and support your career as we have always done. Keep your head up. At least one of these idiots will prove that they have guts enough to work with you again.”

“Shit.” Corinne was in Mattson’s house this time when the voicemail came in. They were sitting cuddled up on Mattson’s couch this time, doing a marathon of older B movies. They were up to Buckaroo Banzai when Corinne let the call go to voicemail.

“What is it, dearie?” Mattson turned and looked down at his best friend, who was scowling at the screen with her phone held limply in her had furthest from her best friend.

“Everyone has backed out of every upcoming role I have, including the one we had just started shooting, ‘Two-Moon Memphis’. That was this call. They are abandoning me because I beat the shit out of some gigantic dickless bastard who hit me first.” The bitterness in her voice surprised even herself. It was shocking for Mattson to hear. He pulled his friend close with both arms, holding her tightly to him as she started to sob.

“Hey, sweetie, it’s okay. You are going to be okay. Shhhh. Alright now. It’s okay.” He comforted her as she quietly sobbed.

After a few minutes of murmured support and hugs, she settled down to rest comfortably for a moment. Then she pulled herself partially out of his grasp and reached up to pull his head down towards her before planting a soft, gentle kiss on his lips. It felt right to her, so she kissed him again, this time with a little more feeling. She was hurting, emotionally stung and wrung out, and it just felt right. She surrendered to the moment, and continued the kiss, reveling in the soft, gentle feeling and the warmth that she felt inside that swelled up and overrode her senses and her thoughts as she sought comfort without thought to consequences.

Mattson’s heart leaped. It was everything he ever dreamed it would be, but he never even dared to hope that his deepest secret desire might possibly ever become a reality. Now that it did, he didn’t want it to end, but he also didn’t want to scare her away by escalating things. So he simply settled for kissing the lips of the most perfect creature in the entire universe, and the one girl, and now young woman, that he had loved so completely and so silently in agony, always terrified that his secret might be revealed and he would lose the friendship (and the person he cherished above all others) of this magical person.

Corinne came to her senses with a start, realizing with at least a little embarrassment and more than a little shame that she was kissing her best friend. She pulled away suddenly, and he relaxed his hold on her, letting her go. Then she realized that he had been kissing her back. And it felt soooo right...

“Mattson? What does this mean? How do you feel about me?”

Mattson looked at her for a long moment, an unreadable expression on his face. Then he sighed and looked away. “I...” He couldn’t say it. It simply wouldn’t come out. His mind was in too much turmoil from the kiss, and the discovery that he felt more for her than just friendship. He saw it in her eyes; she knew that secret he held deep inside himself, and had tried, almost perfectly, to keep it from ever coming to light.

“I’m five years older than you, Cory.”

Light dawned anew in her eyes. “Oh my ... god...”

“Yeah.” He said quietly.

“How long?”

“How long what?”

“How long have you been in love with me, Mattson?”

He was silent for a long time, not trusting himself to speak. She reached out and grabbed his arm with both hands, and shook him gently to try to get his attention.

“I have to know, Mattson. I have to know.” She said it with some urgency, as a thought, merely the beginning of a concept, began to form deep in the recesses of her mind, a place of emotion and turmoil that roiled and tossed about like the waves of a stormy sea with all the uncertainty her life was currently experiencing.

“I think I fell in love with you by the end of the shooting on ‘My Baby Blue’.” Shame filled him as he said it, and another tear tried to make it out of his eyes as he suddenly contemplated the end of the one relationship he had in the entire universe that mattered to him.

“Oh my.” There was silence as Corinne tried to ride through the emotional waves inside herself, looking for a rock of truth. One presented it to her, but she found that it was not going to save her quite as easily as one might think at first glance. Did she really... ?

“That is why I never said anything.” It started to come out in a rush, and suddenly unburdening himself to her seemed like the only thing to do, consequences be damned straight to hell. Better to be hung for a wolf than a sheep. “I was nineteen, and you were barely fourteen. It would have been a problem. I would have been labelled a pervert, or a child molester. Or worse, a pedophile. I couldn’t do that. I couldn’t do it to you. Then as you got older, and made it to eighteen then nineteen, I couldn’t take the chance that you might suffer by my telling you how I really felt. Plus,” tears broke free now, and made their way down his handsome, anguished face, “I never wanted to lose your friendship, Cory. You mean more to me than anyone I have ever known. I can’t lose that. I can’t lose this with you! I don’t know what I would do without you! And if I hurt you, I would just ... want to ... die...”

It was shocking, she thought to herself, but she had to be honest with herself: it wasn’t a surprise. Not even a little bit. Mattson loved her so completely, she realized, that he couldn’t take even the slightest risk that she would reject him. What was a complete surprise was how she felt in return. She loved him. No, it was more than that.

Corinne DeLoie was truly, madly, deeply in love with Mattson Childers. It was the only thing that truly made sense about their relationship, she discovered. And when she finally let herself say it inside, a smile washed over her face that threatened to split her cheeks.

She focused on the person sitting next to her on the couch, and she saw that his hands were held tightly over his eyes. She had to reach him so that she could pull him out of himself and back to her.

“Mattson. Honey, look at me. Sweetie, come back to me. Please, honey? Look at me?”

Her coaxing voice and gentle hands finally made their way through the wall he held up around himself in his grief, and he allowed her to pull his hands down. But his eyes were still held tightly shut, and he tried to keep his head down.