True Face of Society

"So your friend rejected you?" Tony asked Natasha wolfing down the dinner she provided.

Natasha grit her teeth and glared at him. From Tony's tone, it was clear that he had expected such an outcome right from the beginning. In hindsight, Tony had never been optimistic about using Barney to get into the circle.

Did he already know that Barney would turn his face? If so, he could have at least warned her of the possibility before. She wouldn't have been this embarrassed if she knew there was such a possibility.

"You too think that I am simply talking out of my ass?" Natasha growled.

"Don't take it wrong, Nat. You have to admit what you said sounds crazy. If not for seeing you working for it for the past few days, even I might not believe you," Tony shrugged. "And this guy has not been in touch with you for more than a year. Moreover, the last time he saw you, you were running around the streets with us. It is only natural that he rejected you."

"He he he…" Natasha laughed sarcastically. "So, you too think I can't become an actress?"

She stabbed the meat on her plate viciously to let him know what kind of answer was the correct one. If he noticed, Tony didn't display any signs of it at all.

"Whether you can become or not doesn't actually matter. To him, you sounded like a naïve girl who wanted to use him as a springboard to enter the business. Of course, he isn't going to help you," Tony said shooting her a dry look.

"Urgh… I thought he was my friend. And he would help me out for old time's sake," Natasha grouched throwing away her knife.

"He he he… friends?" Tony asked sarcastically. "Oh, Nat, friendship and other stuff never mattered to well-off people like him. They can betray you at a moment's notice for profit. If you bring him profit, he would sing about your friendship to the high heavens. If you don't bring him profit, he would turn his face immediately. Just like what he did."

"You have no connections for him to take advantage of. You are a newbie in the circle. In short, you don't have any value to him. Why should he help you? Out of the goodness of his heart? Come on Nat, haven't you learned about this society yet? I thought you were the smartest of the three of us," Tony said blinking at her as if he couldn't comprehend her thoughts.

Natasha could only stare at him blankly. Being called stupid by Tony was a new experience for her. It brought the anxious heart in her under control. Under his blank stare, she thought about her actions recently.

In a way, Tony was right. She had been anxious to get into the industry. She didn't want to delay any time. And it had caused her to create some unrealistic fantasies in her mind.

Tony was right. Why should Barney help her? Their current friendship was a shadow of what it was in the past. Just because they played together when they were children? Get lost, that kind of stuff only happened in stories.

It was completely unrealistic. As Tony said, she didn't have any value to Barney at this stage. So, it was only natural that he refused to help her out. She had learned how cruel this society was from the streets. Her recent thinking had been naïve.

Didn't Sean kick her out after she had an accident just to save a few bucks? And didn't Mrs. Ropier practically threaten her into disappearing from the city to protect her son's reputation? That was how society worked. She had learned those hard lessons on the streets of New York.

Only interests and profits matter. Human relationships are the cheapest in this damned society. And it is already a miracle if your friend didn't kick you when you were down.

Streets of New York had taught her these lessons very clearly. What kind of betrayals and traps she didn't face on the streets? She survived them all, didn't she?

Compared to them, Barney's refusal to help was nothing. Poverty and hunger had taught her a lot. There is no one way to accomplish something. How many times has she faced setbacks on the streets of New York? Hadn't she dealt with them? So, there was no need to worry about the spilled milk.

In fact, she wouldn't be this anxious and desperate in the first place. No, something had changed within her recently. How can she forget the hard lessons she learned so easily? It must be the influence of the counterpart's memories.

Her counterpart had a pretty good road heading into the industry. Sure, she did work hard for it. But, when the time came, her entry into the industry had been pretty easy. One of her parent's friends introduced her to the circle. So, she entered the circle smoothly without any setbacks.

Maybe it was the influence of the counterpart's memories. Maybe it was that some of the screws in her head were knocked loose during the accident. Maybe it was something else entirely. It didn't matter to Natasha what it was. All she cared about was that the rosy film in front of her eyes was lifted with Tony's words.

She couldn't afford to be naïve anymore. This was a society that was based on the exchange of interests. She couldn't act like she was an innocent little lamb. Thinking that everything would go her way was way too unrealistic.

"You are right," Natasha let out a sigh and started picking the disk in front of her. "I got myself giddy thinking everything will work out smoothly. When has anything gone smooth for us, eh?"

"Good," Tony nodded smiling at Natasha. "I was afraid that I needed to knock some sense into you. Good to see you have your head out of your ass now."

Natasha bit off a chunk of meat and flipped Tony in response to his statement. But, Tony just laughed.

"So, what is your plan now?" Tony asked taking a bite of the meat.

"Not sure, I can't use Barney's line now. He is not even willing to introduce me to some other agent. So, waiting for him to provide an opportunity is just stupid. But, he did have some good insights. I don't know what to do regarding them," Natasha said chewing slowly.

"About what?"

"Screen Actors Guild. According to Barney, actors registered in the guild will have a lot of benefits. But, many low-level crews do not sign them to reduce costs. So, I am confused about what to do. Should I sign up with the guild and try to get projects through there? Or, should I try out some low-level crews?"

"Don't be in a hurry," Tony said chewing his meat. "From the sounds of it, signing up can bring you some benefits. But, you need to consider your own situation now. Right now, the priority is to get a project and brush your face on the screen a few times."

"You are right? But, most crews only recruit among guild members according to Barney. Then, shouldn't I join the guild?"

"Nat, we aren't from here. We don't know anyone around here. It is hard for us to operate on any kind of project. But, we are from the streets. That means we have some understanding of how low-level stuff works. So, I suggest you find some low-level stuff first instead of looking for big projects," Tony said seriously.

"First enter the circle. Entry is always the difficult step. Especially, to outsiders like us. Once you do, you can use the connections you forged there to find better opportunities. Who knows, someone might even like your work there and introduce you to an agent. Isn't this a reliable method?"

Natasha didn't reply. She merely nodded to Tony's statement. Soon, the topic changed and they both began to talk about other stuff. Natasha also learned that Tony had made contact with an old buddy of his in the city.

Tony and Jeff had helped him out of a tight spot once in New York. The other party had recognized the favor and was willing to help Tony settle in Los Angeles. So, Tony was currently trying to catch up through his link and find some work.

Natasha was ambivalent regarding it. She really didn't want Tony to go back to that life, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She didn't even have a job herself. How can she persuade a stubborn mule like Tony in such a situation? So, she could only reluctantly nod along as Tony began to talk about his friend.

Soon, the dinner was over and alcohol was let out. They both drank to their gills and reminisced about those glory days when they were strutting around in the streets of New York.

Night fell and both drunkards fell asleep talking about old times.

*****

A/N: Check out my other stories and let me know your thoughts...

Support me at patreon.com/kkephemeral