Chapter 14: Estrangement

After leaving the Airship Bar, Simon stood on the street, staring at the neon lights flickering in the twilight, feeling indifferent about Courtney's recent decision.

It's hard to make it in Hollywood without a bit of cunning.

Night had just fallen, and the streets of Santa Monica were bustling, making the walk back to his motel seem reasonable. However, Simon soon realized he had left his backpack in Courtney's car.

His light gray canvas backpack, which rarely left his side, contained his contract with WMA, several screenplays, and the storyboards for "Run Lola Run"—practically all of Simon's current possessions. These items weren't valuable to others but losing them would be a big hassle for him.

Turning back to look at the bar's entrance, still crowded with a long line, Simon was contemplating his next move when he saw Courtney emerging from the crowd, her face clouded with frustration. It was clear she had been kicked out because of him.

Courtney spotted Simon but only glared at him before heading straight to the parking lot.

Simon had no choice but to follow. As they reached the parking lot and Courtney began to unlock her car, Simon said, "I'm really sorry, Courtney. I didn't expect things to go this way."

"What good does your apology do me now?"

Courtney glanced at Simon, opened the car door without saying another word, and sat in the driver's seat. She rested her arms on the steering wheel for a moment, then couldn't help but kick the dashboard in frustration.

Her plans for the evening had been all set. Matthew Broderick's friend was interested in Kristie, who was considering accepting his advances to bring Courtney into Matthew's influential Hollywood circle.

With the success of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and the earlier "WarGames," Matthew had risen to the ranks of Hollywood's leading men, his status on par with Tom Cruise before "Top Gun." Getting into Matthew's circle could have been a bigger boost to her career than a good agent.

Now, everything was ruined, and Kristie might even resent her.

Simon didn't know about Courtney's calculations, and even if he had, he wouldn't regret the punch he threw. He wasn't someone who tolerated disrespect well and wouldn't sacrifice his dignity to appease others.

Watching Courtney fume in the car, Simon waited a moment before pointing to the passenger seat, "Courtney, could you pass me my backpack?"

He almost wanted to throw the backpack out and drive away.

But calming down, Courtney realized that Simon had intervened to stop someone from harassing her. Her anger was more about Simon's refusal to lower his head even slightly in the confrontation.

Hesitating, she finally said grudgingly, "Get in the car. You're not planning to walk back, are you? It's too far."

From there to the motel was over six kilometers. Simon certainly didn't want to walk that far. Hearing Courtney's begrudging yet softened tone, he smiled, walked around to the other side of the car, and got in. Starting the car, he asked, "Aren't we waiting for Kristie?"

Courtney, driving out of the parking lot, shook her head, "She's probably not coming back tonight."

"Then, how about we grab dinner somewhere? My treat."

Neither had eaten since the afternoon.

Courtney hesitated again, not looking at Simon, "Before we go, I need to be clear about something. I'm not planning on dating anyone for the next few years. I want to establish myself in Hollywood first."

"I understand," Simon nodded, making light of the situation, "Then we should pick a cheaper restaurant, or I might end up washing dishes to pay for the meal."

Courtney, sensing Simon's light-hearted tone, felt a twinge of sadness but laughed it off, "I should've mentioned this after dinner. I'd have liked to see you stuck washing dishes."

They ended up at an inexpensive fast-food restaurant.

After a simple meal, Simon had Courtney drop him off near his workplace at Griffin Supermarket and walked the rest of the way back to his motel.

In the days that followed, Courtney still visited the supermarket where Simon worked, but far less frequently. Even Roger Griffin, the supermarket owner, noticed the growing distance between them.

Occasionally, during brief chats, Courtney complained that Kristie had moved out of their shared apartment, forcing her to look for a new roommate to share the rent.

Unaffected by the bar incident, Simon continued his routine work life, waiting for news from WMA about the "The Butterfly Effect" screenplay.

A week later, having saved enough money, Simon bought a used bicycle for $30 at a flea market near Venice Beach. Not only did this solve his transportation issue, but it also added an essential prop for "Run Lola Run."

Meanwhile, at WMA, after nearly a month of preparation, Jonathan Friedman finally presented the "The Butterfly Effect"

 screenplay and a carefully planned packaging project to various Hollywood studios.

Thanks to the attention from top executives like WMA president Norman Broca, the project didn't go through the usual promotional channels but was directly sent to the desks of senior executives at major studios.

The intriguing screenplay of "The Butterfly Effect," coupled with WMA's aggressive promotion, quickly piqued the interest of studio executives.

Under normal circumstances, such a well-crafted, budget-friendly screenplay that fit recent successful trends would have seen Hollywood studios starting to bid within a week. However, due to WMA's strategy of creating a package deal, the reactions from the studios were mixed.