Chapter 198: Elephant

In the afternoon, Martin's autograph signing event continued, with the location shifting to the South Coast Commercial Plaza.

Despite his mental exhaustion and the stiffness in his face and muscles, Martin maintained a warm attitude, ensuring he signed autographs for every fan who purchased a DVD.

Hollywood had its fair share of starlets, and the sheer volume could be intimidating.

By five o'clock in the afternoon, the signing event came to a close. Martin picked up a few newspapers and settled into the car, just as he had on previous days.

Bruce inquired, "Where shall we go?"

Martin retrieved a copy of the Los Angeles Times and responded, "Let's find a place to eat first. Afterward, I'll treat you to a facial cleanse. Only the gentlest cleanser can provide true relaxation."

"People can naturally understand bad guys," Bruce remarked. "You really know how to describe facial cleanser."

Martin chuckled, saying, "It's just a facial cleanser; there's no need to overthink it."

Bruce had no retort this time.

As Martin flipped through the entertainment section, he found no news about Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt today. It was clear the two were controlling the narrative.

While perusing the social news section, Martin's attention was drawn to a headline.

A few weeks ago, the FBI's Los Angeles branch had apprehended three Russian-American businessmen. Just yesterday afternoon, the Los Angeles federal prosecutor formally charged them with a series of crimes, including smuggling, human trafficking, and underground music manipulation. The prosecutor had also applied to the court to freeze their assets.

Martin asked, "Aren't many of the street workers in the old city Eastern Europeans?"

Bruce wasn't entirely sure, replying, "I've heard Mene mention that they seem to be primarily Eastern European whites and Mexicans." He added, "Are you thinking of helping them out?"

"Not interested," Martin casually remarked. "I'm not lacking in female companions."

Following dinner, the two changed cars in the underground parking lot, ensuring they had no pursuers. They then headed to a dance club together. Martin adeptly ordered two young dancers, and he and Old Bu indulged in the rejuvenating experience of a facial cleanse.

If you tipped well, you'd be treated to a new kind of facial cleanser that left you feeling refreshed and relaxed.

Bruce concluded after his session, "No wonder you and Wes Craven always come here to discuss work; it really gets the creative juices flowing."

As the facial cleanser was rolled over, Martin quipped, "If you ever find yourself with a mental block, just come here and try it. Your ideas will flow instantly."

Bruce, the rogue, suddenly had an idea involving Khloe Kardashian. With Khloe providing the facial cleanser, his creativity might soar, and he could even come up with a unique video script.

Of course, this wouldn't be an ordinary script but a creative one designed for video content.

While the two "bad guys" enjoyed their facial cleanse, three students they had encountered earlier in North Burbank arrived at their apartment.

Upon entering, the leader, Andre, stood before the mirror, inspecting the injuries on his face. Victor and Sergey sat on the sofa, gently massaging their sore spots.

Though not thin, the three of them seemed dwarfed in comparison to the basketball team, especially since they were always outnumbered when confrontations occurred.

Sergey, touching a particularly painful spot, clenched his teeth and said, "I'm going to get back at those jerks, Miller and Jackson!"

Miller and Jackson were the captains and vice-captains of the high school basketball team, and they were the ones leading the bullying.

Victor pondered, "Andre, didn't you break up with Judith from the cheerleading team?"

Ever since Andre started dating Miller's ex-girlfriend, the feud had escalated.

Initially, a small group had formed around Andre and his friends. However, when their father's troubles led to an FBI investigation and the subsequent rumors of their family's involvement in smuggling and controlling Eastern European prostitutes, the group disbanded, leaving the three Andres isolated.

From being the bullies to becoming the bullied.

If graduation didn't come soon, Burbank High School might need to take action.

Victor questioned, "Things used to be okay; why are they suddenly acting so arrogantly now?"

Andre, typically more reserved, replied, "It's because we're Slavs, our fathers are being investigated by the FBI, and our family members are getting arrested. They look down on us and figure that no matter how much they bully us, no one will come to our aid."

Victor sighed in frustration, "They keep targeting us like this. How can we establish ourselves in this school?"

"We're already eighteen years old," Andre declared with determination. "We'll graduate from high school soon and become adults. We can't rely on others now; we have to depend on ourselves."

Sergey, hungry, suggested, "I'll go out and buy some food."

Andre patted his stomach and said, "Buy plenty."

Sergey hurried out and returned quickly, but he came back empty-handed, reporting, "The credit card is frozen."

Andre had sensed something was amiss upon hearing this and immediately called their family lawyer. The lawyer informed him that the court had frozen all of their family's assets and issued a warning: "You three are not implicated, so stop concerning yourselves with these matters. There's nothing you can do. Don't put yourselves at risk."

Andre asked the crucial question, "What about the universities we applied to?"

The lawyer replied candidly, "There's no hope."

The other two overheard this and were left in a state of uncertainty, unsure of what to do next.

Victor sat on the ground, clutching his head in despair, while Sergey paced restlessly.

Andrei, the leader of the trio, contemplated their situation and asked, "We still have some cash. What are your plans for the future?"

Sergey couldn't contain his anger and blurted out, "I want to confront those who've been bullying us just because we're foreigners, immigrants. They've always discriminated against us, even before our family's troubles began."

Victor looked at his two friends, and Sergey continued, "Since we came to Los Angeles and started school, they've treated us like Siberian beasts. They even have derogatory names for us, like 'stupid bears.' Our roles have shifted from bullies to victims. It's an age of passion and recklessness. Even when I drink Coke, they mock me as deserving only antifreeze. When I mentioned wanting a girlfriend, a cheerleader named Bitchi laughed and suggested I find a polar bear at the zoo."

Andrei remained silent but retrieved a disc from a stack near the TV cabinet. He inserted it into the DVD player and pressed play. "Let's watch this movie," he suggested to his two friends.

They sat down on the couch, and the film they watched was an American production titled "Elephant."

Sergey grew increasingly frustrated as he witnessed the introverted male protagonist tolerating bullying without retaliation. "Fight back, you idiot!" he exclaimed, knowing that tolerance only invited more bullying.

The film's protagonists eventually acquire firearms online and decide to take drastic action.

Victor clenched his fist and exclaimed, "Yes, that's what they should do—eliminate those bastards!"

Andrei remained silent throughout the movie. Externally calm and mature, internally, he felt the awakening of his own impulsive side.

As the movie reached its climax with gunshots ringing out, Victor and Sergey cheered enthusiastically.

However, Andrei abruptly turned off the TV and posed a question, "How did our fathers establish themselves and succeed when they came here?"

Though they weren't involved in their fathers' affairs, they knew some details about their fathers' past.

Andrei didn't require an answer from his friends. He stated, "Our future is bleak. Our family is gone, our assets are frozen, and our prospects are nonexistent."

Victor and Sergey gazed at the turned-off TV simultaneously.

Calmly, Andrei announced, "I'm going to take down those bastards."

Victor and Sergey exchanged glances and nearly simultaneously replied, "Count me in."

Andrei retrieved a set of keys from a nearby drawer and reminded them, "Remember that kid at school who lost his driver's license? I used it to rent a small warehouse and discreetly stored some gear." The three of them headed downstairs, bought food with cash at a convenience store, and drove to the warehouse rental company late at night, locating the rented warehouse.

The warehouse wasn't spacious, measuring roughly twenty square meters. Andrei switched on the light, secured the warehouse door, and uncovered a wooden box hidden under a tarpaulin.

Sergey, impatient, opened the long wooden box, revealing an arsenal of firearms, including long guns, ARs, and Glock pistols.

They may not have been experts in marksmanship, but they were certainly familiar with handling firearms.

Victor loaded bullets into an empty magazine, and Andrei cautioned, "Now that you've made your decision, don't back out. If you do, don't blame me for not showing mercy."

Sergey, gripping an AR without a magazine, aimed at the wall, adopting a newfound air of confidence. "Tell us what to do."

Andrei had already made up his mind. "In a few days, it will be the open day at Burbank Middle School. It'll be crowded with visitors and events, including a basketball game. The very same basketball players who ridiculed us, along with Bitchi from the cheerleading team, will be in attendance."

He picked up a gun, taking a shooting stance. "We'll take them all out."

...

To capitalize on Martin's popularity, Warner Bros. integrated Martin's image into the promotion of "Sisterhood Of Travelling Pants." They even elevated him to the status of the lead actor on personalized posters.

In the revamped title sequence, Martin's name towered above the other three female leads and was on par with Blake Lively.

Taking it a step further, producer Brad and director Karpis made edits to post-production, nearly doubling Martin's screen time without altering the plot significantly.

During filming, Martin had relatively few scenes, but most of them made it into the final cut.

Among the cast, Martin was the sole actor with true star power.

The production team also released posters featuring Martin and Blake, portraying them as a loving couple. If it weren't for Blake's age, they would have used their on-screen chemistry to fuel rumors of a romance.

The camaraderie among the four heroines became a central focus of the promotional campaign.

"Sisterhood Of Traveling Pants" targeted a young audience, primarily around the age of 18. The highlight of the promotional effort was the upcoming Burbank Middle School Open Day event, which Martin and the four heroines would attend.