Bea let out an annoyed groan as soon as the red and blue lights stopped down the street. She could hear the sirens even when the Gourmet's doors were closed. The tips were shitty enough as it was, but now the patrons were leaving faster to try and get a glimpse of whatever had happened down the street. How skipping out on the tip made them any faster, she'd never know. At least most of these cheapskates still had some food left on their plates that she could pick at once they were gone.
What had been a packed house at the start of her shift had now become a ghost town. Checking the clock, the Gourmet wouldn't fill up again until people stumbled their way out of The Pit. Hell, Bea was supposed to be one of the people drinking her face off in there right now. But she had to cover the shift of one of her coworkers. She had to pay back the favor from last week when she ditched work to rush to an audition for a soup commercial. Another swing and a miss. When she dreamed making it in LA she didn't think it would involve critiques telling her that she didn't hold her joyously enough. Alas, it was the life she lived.
With the diner practically empty Bea sat down with a newspaper and started circling more acting jobs listed in the classifieds. She'd film any dumb commercial right now if it meant it was something she could add to her resume. Not to mention, the cash would make sure she wasn't short on rent this month...
again. It really wasn't her fault that she didn't make that much money. When she did get cast in a part she would celebrate with her friends and usually blow her money and booze and drugs before she remembered to set aside the rent portion. She longed for the day where she didn't have to decide between partying and homelessness.
The rest of her shift passed pretty quickly with no one to wait on, and she had the lack of tips to prove it. The faint silver lining was that Bea found some casting calls that were coming up soon. Most were for commercials, but one was to be an extra in a movie. That could be huge. She heard that sometimes if the leads like their extras they can get a line or two. Getting a line in a movie would be the most impressive thing she'd have done since moving to Oceanside. But she was getting ahead of herself, and the audition was still two weeks away.
Bea punched out and walked the few blocks back to her apartment. Passing the crowd still lingering behind the cop cars, she slowed down to sneak a peek.
"Hey, what happened over here?""She was a jumper." The stranger answered, without looking away from the crime scene.
She raised herself onto her tiptoes to try and sneak a peek, and caught a glimpse of the edge of a piece of tarp. What the hell was the point in waiting around here if they had already covered the body? As morbid as the thought was, Bea knew that people only lingered to see if it was someone they knew. This city could break down any one of them. A few too many cracked under the pressure.
Once she made it to her apartment she changed to head out to The Pit. Thank god that place was the exact opposite of fancy. She spent more time styling her hair into wild curls that framed her face than she did changing into the zebra print dress and denim jacket. Adding some chunky, neon green bracelets and Bea was ready to go party. She confidently strode to the bar, walking right past the obnoxiously long line. She was almost at the door when a guy reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Hey, you can't just sip ahead of everybody. We've been waiting forever."
Yanking back her arm, Bea gave him a once over and scoffed.
"First of all, don't touch what you can't afford. Secondly, you're right. Waiting in line is a bummer...for you." Walking away, she couldn't believe the audacity of that guy. Anyone who came to The Pit often enough knew that she was an expected face. It's exactly why she didn't have to wait in line.
"I was starting to think you had snuck in when I turned my back." Rig said, spotting her before she approached him.
"And miss saying hi to my favorite bouncer? Not a chance. I had to pull a double at O.G.""Another audition?""Another failed one. Apparently I don't look happy when I eat soup. Who knew?" She shrugged as she made her way inside. She didn't bother checking to see who was here and who wasn't. Right now, her main concern was fixing how sober she was. Elbowing her way into some bar space, she waved Robin down.
"Can I get two shots and a Screaming Orgasm?" She chuckled darkly as she fished out some money from her handbag.
"It's a sad day when you realize you have the drink more often than the real thing. Better make that three shots instead of two."