Chapter Five
Ashlyn looked around to see if anyone had noticed. Everyone was looking at the camera on the ground. Ashlyn hurried toward it to scoop it up and evaluate its injuries. Maybe it wasn’t so bad. Ashlyn knew that cameras like this were worth thousands of dollars, and she didn’t have that kind of money. Ashlyn kept trying to assure herself that it might not really be so bad. She just needed to look it over. It still seemed to be in one piece, and it had landed on a bed of pine needles.
Gary was already coming over toward Ashlyn, and his face was red with anger. Ashlyn backed away, leaving the camera where it was.
“Get out of my sight!” Gary sputtered, getting two other cameramen to carefully lift the camera onto a table to assess its damage. Ashlyn stopped for a moment. This didn’t mean she was fired. Did it? No, she wasn’t fired.
Ashlyn backed away, and she bumped right into Javon. He had seen the whole thing. He had caused the whole thing. He must have been what had startled her into jumping. Ashlyn suddenly felt angry. It was his fault! If she lost her job over him, she was not going to be happy!
All of those fluffy, fun feelings from the morning were gone as she turned on him in the full force of her anger. “I can’t believe you did that!” she shouted, her anger pouring out of her. “If you hadn’t startled me, then the camera wouldn’t have fallen!”
Javon shook his head and crossed his arms. “It was cute yesterday. It isn’t cute today.”
“What? Are you even having the same conversation as me? What were you even doing close to where I was filming?”
“I wanted to watch you, just so you know,” Javon said. “I didn’t know that was a crime. You said not to make any noise yesterday, so I didn’t. I guess nothing is right for you.”
Javon wasn’t shouting, but his tone was condescending which was enough to annoy Ashlyn. She wanted him to feel bad or apologize or tell Gary that it was his fault. If Ashlyn lost her job, that would stamp her resume. If Gary lost his part as an extra, no one would care.
“No, it’s not that. But you shouldn’t even be here. I thought our deal meant that you would leave me alone every single day of filming. I didn’t know we had to go on a daily date to pay off my debts.” Ashlyn crossed her arms, her voice becoming sarcastic.
“I never said that,” Javon said, his beefy arms crossed as well. “Don’t put words in my mouth.”
“Fine, maybe I’ll stuff them up your asshole,” Ashlyn replied. “That’s about where they belong.” She shook her head in disgust. “Are you trying to make me lose my job?”
“If you don’t know how to take care of your camera, I don’t think that’s my fault, even though you’d like to blame it on someone else. Maybe if you had been paying attention, if wouldn’t have happened.”
“I was paying attention!” Ashlyn yelled. “I don’t know what else you want.”
“I think you know what I want,” Javon said. He bit his lip and looked her over as though he wasn’t bothered at all by her problem. Ashlyn wanted to scream and tear her hair out all at the same moment. She stomped away. Maybe she was acting like a baby, but this was the worst possible thing that could have happened to her right now.
Gary called her over, and Ashlyn hurried. She had to beg him for forgiveness, explain what had happened. She didn’t know what exactly, but she had to do something, and she had to do it quickly to save her little career.
Gary’s face wasn’t nearly as red and angry as it had been before. Ashlyn wondered if this was his “you’re fired” face, like the calm before a storm. “Ashlyn,” he said, “it is Ashlyn, correct?”
Ashlyn nodded respectfully.
“This camera is worth over three thousand dollars.”
“Yes sir.”
“You are very lucky that nothing happened to it. It must have fallen just right on these pine needles to have not been hurt, but it functions correctly.” Ashlyn felt a little spot of rising hope within her. This wasn’t as bad as it had seemed. “You have one last chance. If anything like this happens ever again, then I will have to let you go. Do you understand?”
Ashlyn nodded. “Thank you! Thank you, Gary.”
Gary was already turning away. Ashlyn wanted to kiss the camera for its strength under inspection. She still had a job! She still had hope for the future! Ashlyn turned around to tell Javon that it was okay. The camera wasn’t ruined. Javon wasn’t anywhere around her. Ashlyn visually searched every square foot of the space used by their filming crew. He had left.