A Night They'll Never Forget

A Night They’ll Never Forget

A Short Story 

I took a steadying breath as I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I slid my hands down my sides, feeling the rough texture of the sequins on my gown. My palms were sweaty, my face flushed and it took a conscious effort to slow my heart rate. Later that night, I left my LA hotel room to be chauffeured downtown in a luxurious car and spent the evening schmoozing with A-list celebrities. I certainly looked the part, with my done up hair and makeup, a fresh manicure and six-figure dress. Playing the part was another issue altogether. 

I never expected this to be my life. I was always a theater kid. I started doing school plays as an awkward preteen and fell in love with it. As I got older, my adoration for performing grew. I went to auditions and rehearsals. I spent hours reciting lines, singing and hitting my marks. After I graduated college with a degree in theater, I moved to NYC to pursue a career on Broadway. 

Those early days were a struggle. I expected it to be hard, but I couldn’t have predicted how hard my reality was. I couldn’t afford to eat more than one meal on most days. I kept trudging stubbornly forward. After three years I finally landed my first big breakout role, playing Barbara in the show Beetlejuice. I was elated. I had so much fun working that show. Finally, I was seeing my hard work pay off. 

At one of my Beetlejuice shows, I was noticed by a casting agent working on a movie called Outlier. I signed on, thinking it would be good for my resume. I never expected the movie to be such a raving success in the box office. I was never able to turn back after that. My life no longer felt like it was in my control most days. In Hollywood, there is an expectation for how to be; how to look, how to act, how to talk. I no longer worried about where my next meal was coming from, but if you asked me then if I was happy… I say no. 

I stepped out of the car to a sea of bright flashes and people yelling my name, all hoping for the perfect picture to sell. I did my best to look like I belonged there, like I actually fit in. At least soon, I’d be inside with a drink in my hand to take the edge off. 

As I stepped through the doors I took a second to take in my surroundings. The decor was immaculate; hundreds of matte, silver and white balloons built into a giant arch with a background of greenery for social media photos. There were floral arrangements on pedestal stands around the room, candles lit on each of the tables, and string lights draping under the ceiling like twinkling stars. 

I found my name on the seating chart and made my way to the table. My colleagues showered me with compliments on my appearance then continued gossiping about who was there, what they were wearing, and speculated on who they’re sleeping with. I smiled and made a good show of it, but inside I was cringing at how much I loathe these people.

I stepped away, in desperate need of a breath of fresh air. It was while I was walking towards the door to a seemingly private terrace, that I heard it. Two voices, male and female, speaking to each other in whispers. 

“I think we need to leave… Something is wrong here.” Said the female voice. 

“Meg, please, we are fine. Why are you constantly trying to ruin opportunities for me? This is a good chance for me to meet some big time people in this business. Just have a drink and relax.” He hissed. 

“Spencer, I’m serious. There are rumors… I just have a bad feeling about this. I don’t want to be a part of it.”  

“It’s always the paranoia with you. What exactly are you talking about and maybe I’ll consider leaving? Otherwise, I’m not blowing an opportunity on a hunch.” 

“Please, babe… listen, we can go anywhere else you want to right now, do anything you want. I just don’t feel safe here. It's hard to explain why right now, I don’t want anyone to overhear us…” 

At that, my heart dropped to my stomach, momentarily scared that she somehow knew that I was standing there, eves-dropping, but I made no move to leave.

“Spencer, please listen to me… people are sick of people like us. They don’t like the money that we have and they’re struggling just to survive. It’s all over the internet. They are pissed off about how unfair it all is. They’re rising up…” 

“Oh, please. We’ve worked hard for what we have. If those ‘normal’ people made a little bit of an effort in their lives maybe they’d be able to feed themselves. It’s not our fault that they are lazy. I refuse to feel bad about it. You don’t need to worry about everything you see on the internet.” 

“It doesn’t matter what you do or don’t think right now… they’re fed up and this gathering of hundreds of us is a perfect opportunity for some kind of…vengeance or something.” 

“I’m done with this conversation, Meg.” At that, I heard footsteps coming towards me. My heart skipped a beat and I nearly tripped over my gown as I tried to get far enough away that he didn’t suspect I was listening. I glanced over my shoulder as he walked by, my black wavy hair hiding most of my face. I saw him give me a once over as he went. I peered around the corner and saw Meg, hands on her hips looking straight up at the ceiling. She took a few deep breaths and followed her boyfriend back out to the party. Whatever she suspected was going to happen tonight, she pushed it aside to protect her image. 

I, on the other hand, was unsure how I could continue with this charade given what I had just heard. I continued out onto the terrace and pulled out my phone. I typed out a message to my boyfriend, John: “There is talk of something big going down tonight.” Almost immediately he responded: “you’ve got this.” I stood up straight, rolled my shoulders back and made my way back inside. 

I decided to take a stroll around the room, just for the show of it. After that, I could just sit down and sip on my drink until the circus was over. If there was anything remotely interesting about the event, it was the decor. I looked closely at the plants, in particular. There were spectacular arrangements of greenery: eucalyptus and italian ruscus. And gorgeous bouquets of juliet roses and orchids. I bent down slightly and cupped my hand around a dusty pink rose, taking in its aroma. Something strung around the stem caught the light. I took a closer look and noticed that there was a small wire, barely noticeable at all unless you were looking for it. I glanced around to make sure I wasn’t being watched, reached in and gave the wire a slight tug. I felt a bit of resistance as if the wire was connected to something at the bottom of the vase. Not willing to risk any more of a scene, I moved along. 

“Ladies and gentlemen, can I please have your attention?” An announcement blared over the speakers. I looked up to see a man dressed in a tuxedo, microphone in hand. “We will begin dinner shortly, if you could make your way to your seats.” 

A soft jazz band played on the stage as one course after the other was presented. I moved the food around on my plate, but I didn’t have much of an appetite. I’m sure the food was divine, just as everything and everyone appeared to be that night, but my stomach felt unsettled. The conversation I overheard had me rattled, unsure of how the night would end. 

My phone dinged in my purse and I reached for it. It was a text from John, again: “How is it going? Everything alright?” 

My eyes darted to the person sitting on either side of me, taking care they didn’t see my screen. I responded: “I’m ready to go.” 

I shoved my phone back into my purse and excused myself from the table, feigning the need to go freshen up. Soon the host would be back to clamor about accolades and accomplishments but I wouldn’t be there for any of that. My part of the evening was done and it was time for me to go. 

While all of the guests of the evening were busy eating, I quickly made my way back to the main entrance and slipped out of the front door. The paparazzi that were stationed there earlier, shutters going wild, had all gone back to their cars to wait for the event to be over. I appreciated the solitude. 

I was only alone for a moment before a black SUV appeared.  It pulled up slowly, as if the driver was skeptical they were in the right place. But I knew they were. John and Luke were here for me. 

Luke is John's big brother. He’s ex-military; his job had something to do with explosives. He is one of the smartest people that I know, albeit a bit haunted by his past. He was the mastermind behind all the little bombs in the flower vases. He knew exactly how many we would need in order to take out a whole room of celebrities in one fell swoop. 

Meg was right, you see. People are tired of it. Tired of the obscene displays of wealth shoved in everyone’s faces. Tired of watching these people pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a singular night just to celebrate more wealthy people. Tired of the elite club that is Hollywood. They don’t ever stand up for what is right. They rarely use their platforms for good. They sit idly by in their million dollar homes while people suffer. It’s time that we rise up. That they are sent a message that they can’t ignore.

I climbed into the backseat, pulling the train of my gown in behind me. 

“Ugh, God those people are awful.” I said to the guys as I leaned forward and gave John a quick peck on the cheek. John gunned the gas and we pulled away. He drove us across the street to a parking garage, a safe enough distance away from the venue while close enough that a handheld detonator would work to finish the task that had been months in the making. 

“This woman in there, she was onto us. She tried convincing her boyfriend to leave. How did she know?” I wondered. 

“Shit, I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. No one was suspicious of you, were they?” John asked me. 

“No, I don’t think so.” I let out a breath and relaxed back into my seat. 

“Great, let's get this done then.” Luke says as he leaned down to his bag to pull out a device that looked exactly like a video game controller. He fumbled around with some buttons on the device and finally hovered a finger over a large button in the center. Time seemed to slow down for a moment while he pushed it firmly down and held. At first, nothing happened. But before I had time to look up, a large explosion nearly deafened me. 

We watched as the flames began to grow brighter and brighter. Soon there were sirens in every direction and the Channel 5 helicopter shining a spotlight overhead. I am suddenly overcome with the reality of what we’ve done. I suck in a breath as the feeling of dread overcomes me. I wanted to send a message; I wanted to make the world a better place. But I suddenly feel as though I’ve accomplished quite the opposite. As we drive away from the chaos, I cannot help but wonder: what have I done?