Simon left the Zeppelin Bar, standing on the street and gazing at the neon lights flickering in the twilight. He felt no disappointment over Courteney's choice just now.
A purely innocent girl without a bit of cunning would struggle to navigate Hollywood's fame-driven world.
It was just after nightfall, the busiest time on Santa Monica's streets, so walking back to his motel wouldn't be an issue.
But then Simon realized his backpack was still in Courteney's car.
These days, he rarely let that light gray canvas backpack out of his sight. It held his contract with WMA, several scripts, and the storyboards for Run Lola Run—pretty much all his worldly possessions right now.
To outsiders, they weren't worth much, but losing them would be a huge hassle.
Simon turned back toward the bar entrance, where the long line still stretched out, wondering what to do. Then Courteney's figure emerged from the crowd at the door.
Seeing the sullen expression on the girl's face, Simon realized she must have been kicked out because of him.
Courteney spotted Simon too but just shot him an annoyed glare and headed straight for the parking lot.
Simon could only follow. As they reached the lot, he said to the girl unlocking her car door, "I'm really sorry, Court. I didn't expect this."
"What's the point of apologizing to me?"
Courteney glanced at Simon, silently opened the door, and slid into the driver's seat. She rested her arms on the steering wheel for a quiet moment, then couldn't hold back and kicked wildly inside the car.
Tonight had been all planned out. Matthew Broderick's friend had a thing for Kristy, and she was planning to say yes, then pull Courteney into Matthew's circle along with her.
Matthew Broderick came from a showbiz family with deep Hollywood connections.
With Ferris Bueller's Day Off's success, plus WarGames from a few years back, Matthew had two blockbusters under his belt and was now a top-tier Hollywood heartthrob, on par with Tom Cruise before Top Gun.
Getting into Matthew's circle would boost her Hollywood career even more than having a great agent.
Now, it was all ruined.
And maybe Kristy would hold a grudge against her too.
Simon had no idea about Courteney's schemes, and even if he did, he wouldn't regret throwing that punch. He wasn't one to swallow insults, but he also wouldn't compromise his dignity without limits just to appease.
Watching the girl throw a tantrum in the car, Simon waited a moment before pointing to the passenger side. "Court, could you pass me my bag?"
She really wanted to hurl the guy's backpack out and drive off.
But calming down, Courteney realized Simon had only gotten into trouble trying to fend off the guy harassing her. What irked her was his refusal to even slightly back down earlier.
So, after hesitating, she said gruffly to Simon, "Get in. You planning to walk back? It's so far."
It was over six kilometers from here to the motel—Simon definitely didn't want to walk. Hearing Courteney's begrudging but softening tone, he smiled and went around to the other side, pulling open the door and sliding into the passenger seat. As she started the car, he asked, "Not waiting for Kristy?"
Courteney steered out of the parking lot, recalling the earlier scene, and shook her head. "She probably won't be coming home tonight."
Simon hummed in acknowledgment, then added, "Well, let's find a restaurant for dinner first. My treat."
From his afternoon shift until now, Simon hadn't eaten, and Courteney likely hadn't either.
At his suggestion, Courteney hesitated again, keeping her eyes on the road ahead without looking at the boy beside her. "Simon, I have to make one thing clear first. For the next few years, I'm not planning on getting a boyfriend. I want to establish myself in Hollywood before thinking about that stuff."
"I get it," Simon nodded, cracking a small joke. "Good thing—now I can pick a cheaper spot. Otherwise, I'd have to stay and wash dishes."
Courteney sensed his lighthearted tone, feeling an inexplicable twinge of disappointment, but she played along with a casual laugh. "I should've eaten dinner before saying that. I'd love to see you stuck washing dishes."
Even as she said it, Courteney was well aware of Simon's finances, so she chose a cheap fast-food joint.
After a simple dinner, Simon had Courteney drop him near the Griffin Supermarket where he worked, then sent the girl on her way and walked the rest of the distance to the motel.
In the days that followed, though Courteney still showed up at the supermarket where Simon worked, her visits were noticeably fewer. Even the owner, Roger Griffin, sensed the growing distance between them.
During their occasional chats, Courteney griped a bit about Kristy moving out of their shared apartment, forcing her to find a new roommate to split the rent.
As an insignificant nobody, Simon's life wasn't affected by the bar incident. He kept up his routine work pace while waiting for news from WMA on The Butterfly Effect script.
Another week passed like this. Using the savings he'd scraped together by skimping on meals, Simon bought a secondhand bike at a flea market near Venice Beach for $30. It not only solved his basic transportation needs but also added a key prop for his planned Run Lola Run.
Meanwhile, at WMA.
After nearly a month of brewing and coordination, Jonathan Friedman finally pitched the The Butterfly Effect script, along with WMA's meticulously crafted full package deal, to Hollywood's major studios.
Thanks to the attention from company higher-ups like WMA president Norman Brokaw, the project skipped the usual layered screening channels. Instead, it was delivered directly to the desks of vice presidents and above with decision-making power at the studios, via WMA's internal connections.
With its gripping story concept, polished screenplay, and WMA's full-throttle packaging push, The Butterfly Effect quickly captured strong interest from the studios' top brass.
In normal times, a script like this—exciting story, modest budget, fitting recent hot trends—would spark bids and even bidding wars among the studios within a week of circulating in Hollywood.
But this time, since WMA aimed to make The Butterfly Effect a packaged project, the reactions from Hollywood's film companies varied widely.