"What the hell...?" Mary mumbles, staring at the magazine article on her phone. She shifts on the sofa of her trailer, scanning the article over and over again before quickly dialling a number. "Kenna, what the hell?!"
Kenna sighs. "It's nothing," she says. "Stuff like this is normal."
"Naked photo scandals are normal?!" Mary cries out. "Are you okay?"
"My lawyers are all over it," Kenna informs her. "They, uh, hacked my phone and got hold of the photos I sent Bash whenever we were apart... I'd been freaking out but Bash has only just calmed me down before you called."
"Shit."
"It's happened to Jennifer Lawrence and many other female celebrities," Kenna continues on. "But that doesn't make it okay. Those people who hacked my phone are just lucky that I'm not body-conscious enough to care. They can get a good look, it's not like they'll get to enjoy it."
Mary laughs wryly. "I like how you put a positive spin on it."
"Plus, it makes for publicity. Hyping up my zombie apocalypse movie," Kenna replies.
"So, do you and Bash send photos like that often?" Mary asks curiously.
Kenna giggles. "Mary Stuart, I thought you were sick of hearing about my sex life?"
Mary blushes, rolling her eyes. "I'm just curious!"
"Why? Do you and Francis-"
"Nope, too risky," Mary says. "And we're always together anyway for the real thing."
Kenna chuckles. "I guess it started last Summer when Bash and I were apart more often than together. He had a few clients abroad so one day, I sent him a picture when I knew he'd be in the middle of a meeting."
"Kenna!" Mary gasps, stuffing a baby carrot into her mouth. "Tell me more!"
Kenna sighs dramatically. "Well, if I must!" She laughs. "So, he sent one back when he was finished with his meeting and then we had phone sex. It was so hot and different and it spiced up our sex life. We didn't stop and it became a regular thing. Even if we got to see each other at home at the end of the day."
"Wow," Mary breathes out. "I think Francis and I are too average for that."
"Spice up your sex life! Mary, you should be experimenting since he's your first and probably your last with how much googly eyes you make at each other," Kenna jests. "Try something, like a sexy lingerie set or BDSM."
"Kenna!" Mary gasps, blushing furiously. "I-I don't know..."
"Oh, if you're scared to think about it, I could get Bash to drop Francis some hints-"
"Stop!"
Kenna cackles, sighing wistfully after. "Okay, you do you. You and Francis enjoy boring sex and I'll be here tying my man up and blindfolding him."
"Kenna, I'm going to hang up."
"What? You're such a prude!" Kenna replies with a giggle. "Do you know how many beds we've broken? I swear, that man can work his magic st-"
Mary hangs up, laughing to herself before she hears a knock on her trailer door. She answers it and spots a crewmember speaking into his earpiece. "Mary Stuart, here and present," she says lightly.
"Mary Stuart is arriving on set soon," the crewmember mutters before giving her a polite smile and going to get her co-stars.
"Hey!" A female voice calls out to her and she turns to see Rowan Levaud, her co-star heading up to her. "I thought we could walk in together."
Mary raises her brows, nodding. "Sure."
As they continue to walk on, forgoing the golf car for walking, Rowan asks, "I read the article about your best friend's goodies all over the world."
Mary rolls her eyes. "It's a horrible matter, it shouldn't have happened to her," Mary replies.
"It shouldn't," Rowan agrees. "But it did. At least her fiancé's pictures weren't plastered everywhere like hers was. Then again, I already know what's he's got."
Mary furrows her brows, turning to Rowan in surprise. "You know-"
"Sebastian de Poitiers? Very well," Rowan says.
How have I never known this? "Right."
"We were together for three years until he dumped me for Kenna Beaton of all people," Rowan says, although she seems at peace with it than not.
"Oh," Mary mumbles. "I didn't know-"
"How would you? We were a secret, only our families knew," Rowan tells her. "It's a shame this has happened to his fiancée but I don't think they're going to last anyway. This is only just the beginning of a giant crack in their relationship."
Mary stops, glaring at her. "You know nothing about Kenna or Bash and their relationship."
"Please, Bash gets bored. That's who he is," Rowan tells her, hands in her pockets as she sighs with a roll of her eyes. "He's incredibly jealous too and all these people looking at his woman? It will be time before he explodes and they end things."
"Look here, Rowan-"
"Stuart, Levaud, your scenes are in separate buildings. Get there now," the director snaps at them before walking off to shout at more people.
"Rowan, mind your own business," Mary warns her before leaving.
...
"Who's calling you at two in the morning?" Francis mumbles tiredly, snuggling into Mary's back as she answers her phone.
"This is Mary..." She says with a yawn.
She heard sniffling before a soft, "I'm outside. Can you go somewhere with me?" rings through her ear.
Mary sighs, pulling Francis off her. "It's Kenna," she says, hanging up. "I'll be back."
"Is she okay?" He asks tiredly, frowning.
"She will be," Mary assures him. She presses a kiss on his waiting lips before he falls back asleep, turning on his other side and hugging a pillow. She chuckles and heads into the bathroom to use the toilet, wash her hands and face and brush her teeth before getting dressed in a Nike getup and leaving with her keys.
Before she knows it, she's at McDonald's tucking into half a Big Mac with Kenna crying over her half.
"What happened?"
"We got into a screaming match," Kenna mumbles, wiping her cheeks. "This stupid scandal has ruined everything..."
"I thought you guys were playing it off, seeing the good that-"
"I lied."
"Oh."
Kenna rolls her eyes. "Do you remember how you felt when Henry and Gideon sent around the photo of you?"
Mary tenses up, pulling her hoodie tighter onto her body in protection. "I felt exposed, invaded, embarrassed, hurt... Angry. A lot of anger."
"I feel the same now," Kenna sniffles. "I know how you felt now."
"But this is worse," Mary says. "I was just taking off my hoodie from my sports bra in that photo. These people have literally got hundreds of private photos between you and your partner and have plastered them online for all to see. Everyone knows what you look like and it's disgusting because they didn't even go for Bash, they targetted you."
Kenna sighs, covering her face. "Bash is a jealous guy, I know that. We both knew what we were getting into when we got together, but this... this is insane and he won't even look at me. He said he got a lot of crap at work for it and now, it's my fault?"
"I don't think he meant-"
"Like I made this happen?" Kenna continues, cutting Mary off. "He could lose his job and clients, sure, whilst I could only gain publicity from this since he isn't about the 'celebrity life' as he so calls it, but he can't blame me for this!"
Mary tuts. "I don't think he meant that," Mary tells her. "See it from his position. He's hurting for you. And to be honest, this is bad for normal people. His business could take a big hit but it's neither of your faults. It's the arseholes' who did this to you in the first place!"
"We're supposed to be 'for better or for worse'. How can I be with him if he's not going to support me during this? The 'for worse' part?"
"I'm sure he's processing everything and doing damage control," Mary assures her. "He loves you. He thinks the whole world of you."
Kenna blinks back tears. "Can I stay with you guys tonight?"
"Kenna... Talk to Bash," Mary says. "Talk things through."
"But he-"
"He didn't mean it. Otherwise, he wouldn't have called your silent phone thirty times in a row," Mary states, gesturing to Kenna's blinking phone that has the couple on the screen. "Answer it. Go on."
Kenna pouts, slowly bringing the phone to her ear after accepting the call. "Hello?"
Mary watches tears slip down Kenna's face and then the woman is smiling happily, biting her lip between her teeth as she listens to whatever Bash has to say. Eventually, Mary sees Kenna hang up and she can't mistake why there is a blush playing on Kenna's cheeks and a satisfied smile.
"He, uh, apologised in so many words. Said that I assumed he was blaming me because he'll never blame me because he loves me too much," she mutters, using the napkin to wipe her face off. "And promised me something you'd refuse to hear about after you hung up earlier."
"Kenna!" Mary cries out, blushing with her eyes wide. "Must you speak so... open?"
"God, Mary, it's sex," Kenna says, laughing. "If only our teachers found out you were no longer the Virgin Mary."
"Kenna!"
"What? It's just-"
"Shut up."