A Shift

"Hey, Cathy, did you go off to make another movie?"

"Which celebrities were in it this time? Tell us all about it!"

"Yeah, what's the story about? Share some details!"

Faced with the crowd of girls swarming around her after class, Catherine raised her hands in exasperation. "Wait, wait, I just took some time off, that's all. Why does everyone think I went off to shoot a movie? Can't I take a break for something else? Like... like... like..."

She struggled to come up with a reason. To be honest, she didn't have any other excuse for taking a month off. She didn't want to jinx herself or her family by making up something like a sick grandparent or personal illness.

"Alright, what do you want to know?" Catherine asked dejectedly, seeing the girls pull up chairs and sit in a half-circle around her, waiting eagerly. But before they could ask, she suddenly stood up, placing her hands on the desk. "Listen up, everyone. Filming a movie isn't as fun as you think. You have to completely, unconditionally obey the director!"

She left her desk, walking up and down the aisle as if she were performing in a play, waving her hands dramatically. "If the director says you can't eat, you can't eat. If the director needs you to cry, you have to cry right away. If the director wants to shoot in the middle of the night, you—cannot sleep!"

The girls around her widened their eyes in astonishment, but Catherine continued, "If you can't do what the director demands, you'll get yelled at! No mercy! They'll yell at you until you cry. No one will feel sorry for you, no one will pity you, because you didn't do your job. So getting yelled at is what you deserve. That's what it's like to make a movie! Do you think it sounds fun now?"

Catherine finally ended her speech and, taking advantage of the girls' stunned silence, took a step to the right. After a moment, one girl raised her hand and asked, "Cathy, is what you said all true?"

"Oh, darling, I promise—it's not!" Catherine replied with a sly smile. Then she darted to the door beside her, quickly slipping out, leaving behind a chorus of excited chatter.

The laughing girl finally stopped running when she reached the grassy area outside the building. She took a deep breath in the sunlight, recalling the way her classmates had believed every word she said. It was just too funny. Well, she'd pulled pranks like this before, but they had never been as fun as this. Maybe it was because she had finally figured out who she was and let go of her burdens?

"Cathy! I've been waiting for you under the tree for five minutes, but here you are just wandering around. Did you turn into a directionally challenged person after coming back from New York?" Jessica's angry voice came from nearby.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Jess. I got held up by my classmates." Catherine quickly gave her a hug, trying to soothe her, which took Jessica by surprise.

"Did something happen?" Jessica asked, puzzled as she looked at her.

"What could have happened?" Catherine shrugged.

"Come on, Cathy. You're like a different person compared to a month ago. Do you remember those two weeks before you went to shoot Hide and Seek? First, you wouldn't even hug me, then you wouldn't even hold my hand. I thought you were starting to hate me. But when I saw you again on the school bus this morning, you seemed like your old self again." Jessica paused, tilting her head thoughtfully. "No, wait, there's still something different, but I can't figure out what."

"Alright, enough about what's different. Am I not still me?" Catherine teased, pinching Jessica's cheek.

"Fine, but... what was up with you a month ago?" Jessica asked after a moment of thought.

"Well, I was just too into the role," Catherine said, rolling her eyes. "You know, it's a horror movie, and I got a little too caught up in the character. I completely lost myself in it, and it almost drove me crazy. So..." She shrugged.

"Really? Are you okay?" Jessica asked, alarmed, grabbing Catherine's shoulders and studying her face closely.

"Alright, alright, Jess. If something were wrong with me, I wouldn't be standing in front of you right now," Catherine replied, rolling her eyes but feeling a bit touched.

"Are you sure? I heard that people with split personalities don't realize they have another personality," Jessica continued seriously.

"Even if I didn't notice it, don't you think the people around me would?" Catherine couldn't help but laugh. She grabbed Jessica's shoulders and leaned in close, face-to-face, speaking menacingly, "Alright, Jess. If I really do have a second personality, the first thing I'll do when it comes out is come find you!"

Jessica recoiled slightly, sticking out her tongue before changing the subject. "By the way, what were you saying on the bus? Lindsay came to your house?"

At the mention of Lindsay, Catherine let go of Jessica and pouted. "Yes, last night after I got home from New York and had dinner, she suddenly showed up at my house—what a fool. What if I hadn't come home yesterday?"

"Did something happen at Lindsay's house?" Jessica asked.

"Well... her parents were fighting, and it really upset her. So she ran away and didn't want to go back. She ended up spending the night with me, and Mr. David took her home this morning."

"She slept with you?" Jessica pouted, feeling a bit unhappy, but Catherine didn't notice.

"Yeah, she came all alone, and I felt sorry for her." Catherine crossed her arms and sighed as she looked up at the sky. Last night, when Lindsay had asked to sleep with her, she had wanted to refuse. Things were different now that she understood herself better—who knows what she might do in a moment of weakness? But seeing the red-haired girl's pitiful expression, and thinking about her family, Catherine just couldn't harden her heart. Couldn't she give her a little warmth? After all, Lindsay's breakout role had been shamelessly stolen by her!

So, in the end, the two of them did sleep together. Fortunately, Lindsay quickly fell asleep, probably because she was tired. But just like Avril, she clung to Catherine like a stuffed animal. Do all girls like to sleep hugging a stuffed toy? At least Catherine wasn't like that. Well… she didn't really consider herself a girl.

As she breathed in the scent of the girl in her arms—including her own—Catherine couldn't help but feel a bit restless. Like a thief, she cautiously ensured that Lindsay was sound asleep before gently kissing her on the cheek. If she hadn't been repeating to herself, "She's only seven! She's only seven!" who knows what she might have done.

Damn it, even though I used to be a Lolita fan, I'm not a girl fan! It would be terrible if someone knew about this and sued me for molesting a girl. A 12-year-old girl molesting a 7-year-old, well, I'm afraid that's unprecedented, right? But what if she didn't sleep with Lindsay, but Jessica? Or Nat... 

Catherine was lost in her strange thoughts when she suddenly felt a pinch on her cheek, snapping her back to reality. Jessica was frowning, pinching her cheek, and said, "You're always daydreaming, Cathy. Can't you focus for once?"

Catherine's cheeks turned slightly red. She had been thinking about Jessica earlier—how embarrassing! If she was going to daydream, she shouldn't do it in front of people! She cleared her throat and asked, "Alright, what's up, Jess?"

Jessica, still pouting, said with a slightly jealous tone, "I'm really curious. Why did she go to your house instead of mine? My house is definitely closer to hers than yours is. She comes over to my house to play all the time, so why did she go to yours?" She didn't say the last part aloud: "And she even stayed overnight with you."

Catherine didn't catch the underlying tone and thought for a moment before responding, "Maybe she was afraid that if she went to your house, her parents might come and get her." It was indeed a strange situation, especially since they hadn't even spoken on the phone.

Jessica seemed to accept this explanation, shrugging it off without asking more. She changed the subject, "By the way, did you see 'Sleepless in Seattle,' the one you wrote the screenplay for? Meg was amazing! I absolutely loved her!"

"'Sleepless in Seattle'?" Catherine was momentarily confused, then remembered that Jodie Foster had mentioned on the set of "Hide and Seek" that "Sleepless in Seattle" had already been released on Valentine's Day, February 14th. Hmm, I wonder how Nancy's version turned out. How did Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan's performances compare to the original?

"Oh no, I forgot to watch it." Catherine spread her hands, then asked, "What did you think, Jess?"

"Um, I thought… it was really good." Jessica thought for a long moment before giving this simple review.

Catherine rolled her eyes. Was she losing her mind to actually ask Jessica for a movie review? But with the film being released on February 14th, it was probably too late to check the newspaper reviews. Damn it. I just hope Nancy's version gets good reviews.

As she sighed, another thought crossed Catherine's mind. Including "Sleepless in Seattle," "Hide and Seek," and "Léon: The Professional," she had sold three screenplays this year. But that wasn't the important part. The real issue was if all three movies were box office hits—which she didn't doubt. She roughly remembered the box office numbers for "Sleepless in Seattle," plus it was released on Valentine's Day, and the film wasn't technically challenging. As for "Hide and Seek," with Al Pacino and Jodie Foster on board, and David Fincher directing, and the fact that she had fixed several plot holes in the script, it was bound to perform better than the original. Not to mention the effect of inflation. Even though she couldn't recall the exact box office for "Léon: The Professional," it was hailed as a classic, so it probably wasn't low.

But then, there was a problem. If all three movies were hits, it would be hard to avoid drawing the attention of the film companies, wouldn't it? Catherine felt a headache coming on. I should have used a different name for the screenwriting credits!