#and one-upping marvel with harry's pill addiction

[allthegothihopgirls]

thinking about how harry osborn was the biggest inspiration for roy harper circa snowbirds don't fly. what did they see in that man.

[javajunkieao3]

Beth/Benny Fanfic: Being Alive - Part 7

For all their weeks in Kentucky, Benny and Beth hadn’t discussed returning to New York besides the tense conversations before he visited her high school chess students.  After that, the conversation seemed to be tabled and Beth had been reluctant to bring it up, not wanting to push them into choppy waters, and also, somewhat selfishly, not wanting him to leave.  Part of her was always afraid that if they went back to New York, he would never come back, just like she could never stay.  But one morning, New York is pulled squarely back into focus when Benny says, “I have to go out there for a few days.  I should be back by Monday.”

           “Is everything okay?” she asks gingerly.

           “It’s my mom.  My brother called and said she’s been having some problems recently.  So, I’m going to go down there and try to sort it out.”

           Beth realizes that for all the time she’d known Benny, he hadn’t mentioned his family before.  She wonders then if it was because she never asked, and was she supposed to ask?  She also notices that he didn’t ask her to come with.

           “Okay.”  She hesitates before she asks, “Do you want me to go with you?”

           “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

           His words hurt more than she expected and she crosses her arms over her chest.  “Oh, okay.”

            “It’s not that I don’t want you there.”

           “You sure?  Because it sort of sounds that way.”

           Benny’s face softens and he says, “Beth, you should know by now that there isn’t anywhere that I don’t want you with me.”

           “Then why is my going with you a bad idea?”

           “The reason my brother called is to stage an intervention.  My mom’s an alcoholic.”

           Benny never mentioned this before, not even back during her drinking.  She thinks then of how difficult it must have been to hear what was happening to her. Maybe it was better that he was out in New York then.  She’d seen the haunted look in Harry Beltik’s eyes when he saw her and spoke of his own alcoholic father.

           “I can handle it,” she says.

           “I don’t want to put too much on you.”

           “You couldn’t,” she says.  “You’ve been there for me, Benny.  Time and time again, you have been there for me.  Let me be there for you.”

           “You’ll tell me if it’s too much?”

           She nods.  “I’ll tell you.  But it won’t be too much.  Let me help you.”

           He takes a long pause before he says, “Okay.”

---

           They fly out the next morning and take a cab down to his apartment.  It had been so long since Beth had been there, and if anything, her memory had recalled the place as nicer than it actually was.  She looked at the spot on the floor where the air mattress had been, marveling that she had actually slept on that dank floor for weeks on end.

           “Reminiscing?” Benny asks, palming her waist as he stepped past her.

           “I’m just thinking about how I should have made you take the air mattress.”

           “We both know I wouldn’t have agreed to that.”

           “And now?” she asks.

           “Only if you’re on it with me.”

           “When is your brother meeting us?”

           Benny takes a hold of her wrist and checks the time on her watch.  “He should be here soon.”

           “Are you nervous?”

           Benny shrugs, and she expected some quip about how Benny Watts didn’t do nervous.  Instead, he rakes his fingers through his hair and says, “All we can do is ask her to get help.  Beyond that…”

           “I know.”

           And she does, more than most.  Benny looks at her worriedly.  “Are you sure you’re okay doing this?”  

           The answer is yes, but before she can tell him there’s a knock on the door.  Benny opens the door and greets his brother.  It’s like looking at an abstract painting of Benny.  The similarities are there, but stretched and pulled out of dimension.  She steps forward to say hello, and he grumbles to Benny, “Why is she here?”

           “Don’t start, Cal.”

           “This is a family thing.”

           “Beth is my family,” Benny says in a hard voice.

           Beth feels a certain rush at his words, but its tempered by the boys’ continued bickering.  Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea for her to come.

           “You really think Mom would want someone other than us to see her right now?”

           “Mom is probably blitzed out of her mind right now. She won’t even remember who saw her.”

           Benny’s wrong.  Even in Beth’s drunkest state, she still remembered the people she saw. The calls she ignored.  Maybe not right away, but they all had a way of creeping back.  Usually in the middle of the night while she stared up at the ceiling, debating whether or not to take a third or fourth green pill.

           “That’s not the point,” Cal says.

           “I can stay here,” Beth offers.  

           “You don’t have to do that,” Benny says, glaring at his brother.  She steps forward and puts her hand on his arm.  “I don’t want to make this more difficult than it has to be.”

           Benny swallows hard and from the conflict in his eyes she can tell that as much as he had tried to give her an out before, he wanted her there.  He needed her.  She squeezes his arm and looks over at Cal.

           “Last year, I was addicted to pills and alcohol. I’m not sure how bad it is with your mom, but I’m pretty sure wherever she is, I was there at some point.  Maybe I can help.”

           Cal holds her gaze before he looks to Benny and says, “I thought all that Freud stuff was bullshit, but you really do end up with your mother, huh?”

           Benny shakes his head and says, “Fuck off, Cal.”

           “She can come.”

----

           It’s about an hour’s drive out to where Benny and Cal grew up, and the atmosphere can only be described as tense.  The scene in Benny’s apartment clearly demonstrated that he had a complicated relationship with his brother, and during the drive, Beth felt like somewhat of a referee between them.  It was a role that her personality made her particularly ill-equipped to play.  

           Benny parks the car in front of a tidy looing Tudor house.  Thinking of her own past, Beth notes that Benny’s mother at least is well enough to remember to take care of the lawn.  They walk up and Cal pulls a key out of his pocket and unlocks the front door. The smell hits them immediately, and Beth knows it intimately.  While the two men recoil, Beth feels a lurch of yearning.  

           “Mom?”  Benny calls out.  “It’s Cal and me.”

           They walk through the house slowly.  The kitchen is messy with dishes piled in the sink. She spots a half-finished bottle of wine, but no wine glasses.  Makes sense, Beth thinks.  At a certain point, the glass just becomes a hindrance to the task at hand.  The living room is in a similar state of disarray. She can feel Benny grow increasingly tense beside her, and it only grows when they find the bedroom empty.  But, Beth knows where to find her.

           “Fuck,” Benny breathes out.  His mother is asleep fully dressed in the bathtub.

           “Why the hell would she be in the bathtub?” Cal says, and his confusion distracts Beth because the choice makes perfect sense to her.  The coolness of the marble against hot skin.  The way you sink into the basin, feeling yourself contained at all four corners as the world spins out of focus.

           Benny strides past her and crouches in front of the bathtub.  He’s all action, which she knows is an ineffective tool against the inertia of drunkenness, but maybe it can work this time.         “Mom.  Mom, wake up.”

           The older woman stirs, her eyes bleary as she gazes up at her son.  “Benjamin?”

           “Mom, you need to get up,” Cal says forcefully. Everything about him had been forceful since Beth met him.

           “Cool down,” Benny says in a tight voice. “Give her a moment.”

           The woman’s eyes shift to Beth and she says, “Who are you?”

           “I’m Beth.”  After a pause she adds, “It helps to shift to your knees first.”

           “What?”

           “Getting out of the tub.  It’s easier to shift to your knees first.  You have better balance.”

           It takes time for Mrs. Watts to process what Beth said, but then she clumsily leans forward and pulls her knees beneath her. She stands slowly, her sons each taking one arm.  They maneuver her down the stairs with effort and then the talk begins.  You’re hurting yourself.  We’re worried.  You’re out of control.  All of it’s wrong, but of course, they don’t know that.  How could they?  Beth stays mostly out of the conversation, washing the dishes in the sink.  Behind her, Mrs. Watts insists, “I’m fine.  I just had a little too much last night.”

           “Mom, we found you in the bathroom,” Cal says.

           “I don’t see how that’s relevant.”

           Beth hears the hardness in her voice and knows that they won’t change her mind today.  But they continue to try, Beth drying the dishes and stacking them quietly next to the sink.  When she’s finished she turns around, her heart breaking when she sees Benny sitting next to his mother.  He pulled the chair close and he’s leaning forward earnestly as he speaks.  Beth places the dishrag on the counter and presses her back against the cool granite.

           “I know what you’re feeling,” she says in a low voice.

           Mrs. Watts looks up at her and smiles unkindly. “Oh, you do?”

           “I do.  Right now, you’re feeling hungover.  But, it’s the other feeling.  The stillness.  The world has so much noise, but after a certain point, everything goes still and all you can hear is the beating of your heart.  But by that point you don’t remember that you can ruin it, so you drink more, and then you create your own sort of noise.  Your heartbeat is too loud.  Everything is too loud.  So, you drink more to drown it out until you either get sick or pass out.  And then you start it again.”

           “Who are you again?” Mrs. Watts asks.  Her voice is so soft that it’s almost a whisper.

           “I’m like you.”

---

           Ultimately, Mrs. Watts refuses any help and summarily throws her children, and Beth, out of her house.  Cal tries to go back in, but Benny grabs his arm and says, “It’s no use. Today wasn’t the day.”  Beth can see the worry in his eyes, and she thinks then that maybe Cal’s forcefulness had just been a way to hide the gnawing fear.

           “We’ll try again later,” Benny tells his brother.

---

           Back at the apartment, Benny asks Beth if she would mind having some people over that night.  This was one of the things that Beth never understood about Benny. She never felt comfortable in a crowd, but with Benny, it was where he thrived.  She still remembered the first time she saw him, sitting there in his leather duster and hat surrounded by people.

           “I don’t mind,” she says.

           A few hours later, she’s playing simultaneous chess games with Benny, Levetov and Wexler.  Cleo watches from the side, as usual, puffing away at her cigarette. She and Cleo greeted each other as they always did, but Beth felt part of herself withdrawn around her.  Beth didn’t entirely blame Cleo for what happened in Paris, but part of her could not help thinking that if Cleo had never showed up in Paris, she would have won that game.  She isn’t naive enough to think that the drinking wouldn’t have happened at some point, but it wouldn’t have happened then.

           When Beth is finished with the games – she wins them all – she goes into the kitchen to put together something for them to eat. Cleo comes up to her, pressing the smoldering edge of her cigarette into an ashtray on the counter.

           “I always love watching you trounce them.”

           Beth doesn’t respond, because she doesn’t know what to say.

           “It’s good to see you,” Cleo says.

           “It’s good to see you, too.”

            “I can’t believe the last time we saw each other was in Paris.  That feels like practically a lifetime away.”

           Beth nods.  “Yeah, it’s been a while.”

           There is another stretch of silence, and Cleo lights another cigarette.  She takes a long drag, the plume of smoke leaving her mouth like an elongated sigh.

           “I’m sorry that I made you drink.”

           “You didn’t make me do anything,” Beth says. “I could have stayed in my room. I chose to meet you.”

           “I didn’t know about…” she takes another drag from her cigarette.  “Anyway, Benny was pretty agnry when I told him we met up.  He wouldn’t talk to me for months after that.”

           Beth glances over her shoulder at Benny and sees that he’s watching them.  His eyes are asking her a question and she nods slightly.

           “It’s in the past,” Beth says, turning her attention back to Cleo.  And with that, she feels herself release the resentment she had held since sitting across from Borgov in that gilded room, sweat dotting her hairline.  It truly was in the past, and what did it matter?  She got sober.  She beat Borgov.  It all worked out in the end, even with the detours.

           Cleo grins hesitantly and Beth returns the gesture.

           “Hey, how’s the food coming along over there?” Wexler calls out.

           “Keep your pants on,” Cleo calls back, eyes sparkling.  “The women are talking right now.  Your food can wait.”

----

           Cleo and the boys leave around one in the morning and Beth and Benny play one more game of chess – he wins and she blames it on the hour – and then go to bed.  The next morning, she wakes up to an empty bed.  The apartment is cold and she puts on Benny’s robe, wrapping it tightly around her small frame.  She begins to walk out of the bedroom but stops at the doorway. Benny is at the kitchen table with his back to the bedroom.  She can tell he didn’t hear her wakeup because his shoulders are tense, his movements are short and jerky as he takes a sip of coffee and puts the mug back down on the table.  She walks out and she can tell when he hears her because he rearranges his body, giving her an easy grin.  

           “Morning.”

           “Good morning,” she says, sitting next to him.

           “There’s coffee in the pot.”

           “I don’t need coffee right now.”

           “Okay.”

           His body goes tense again.  “Benny-“

           “I don’t think I can go back to Kentucky right now.”

           She takes a deep breath.  “Okay.”

           “My mom needs help and I can’t put that all on Cal.”

           “I understand.  I can stay here for a few weeks.”

           “I don’t think it will be a few weeks.”  His hand tightens around the mug.  “She’s really bad, Beth. She was never this bad before-“

           He stops himself and she fills in, “Before you came to Kentucky.”

           He nods.  “I checked in more.  I think it helped.”

           “What about Cal?”

           “They never had as close of a relationship.”  

           Beth nods quietly.  “I’ll stay here as long as I can and then we’ll figure it out.”

           “I’m sorry, Beth.”

           “You don’t have to apologize,” Beth says.  She thinks of Alma and how she would have done anything to change what happened in Mexico City.  “She’s your mother.”

           Benny takes her hand and kisses it.  “Sometimes I wonder how I ended up with someone like you.”

           “It’s the hair.”

           “I should have tipped my barber more then.”

           “You actually went to a barber?  I always just imagined you in your bathroom with kitchen scissors.”

           He grins and leans in to kiss her.  He stays close, forehead pressed to hers and murmurs, “We’ll get through this.”

           He says it like a statement, but Beth knows him well enough to read the underlying question.  It’s a rare show of vulnerability, and Beth wraps her arms around him, pressing a kiss just under his ear.  “Yes.  We’ll get through this.”

[peeterparkr]

pretty woman iv|t.h.

collaboration with @marvelousxtsh  and @misformarvel my girls ♡  here’s the next one, enjoy.

a/n: Okay so the exciting part is finally arriving, you know, you might wana watch the movie and listen to the song NON-STOP, btw, just as you’re finishing the chapter press play to this song ;)  

series masterlist- i. ii. iii. iv. v.

after breaking up with your boyfriend, losing your job and barely hanging on to any hope, Hollywood’s sweetheart bachelor party might be the easiest way to get money.

summary: a series of ‘one on one’s

warnings: language, mentions of addiction, fake marriage

paring: tom x reader

word count: 3.8k

our masterlists: marcia | melanie | nancy

Comments & reblogs are appreciated. Be kind.

It was a hard night, the hardest they had in a long time. Amber fell asleep on his shoulder in the drive back to her home. Tom was tired but still shaken by the adverse events of the night. He contemplated the city, from the slum area they were at to the magnificent condo, where his fiancée lived. Tom remembered his talk with Y/N earlier, and he felt guilty to think he was the most miserable being on earth. Maybe love doesn’t exist and what we have is the nearest thing to it. His proposal came back to his mind, he could have done it so much better. He could have tried, at least, to make it better. Now he was asking for a miracle to release him from this absurd charade, which almost happened that night. He would never forgive himself if something happened to Amber. He could not bear to lose her.  

The driver opened the door for them. Tom lifted Amber in his arms, bridal style. She looked peaceful and fragile. For a moment he saw Amber the way the world did, and he didn't like it. Amber wasn't like that at all, she was a thunderstorm. He wanted to hear her laugh cracking the uncomfortable silence. Maybe love didn’t exist, and this was the nearest he would be from it.

Amber woke up as soon as he placed her under her bedsheets. “I don’t deserve you, schatzy” she muttered, her eyelids still heavy.

“You know that’s not true” Tom smirked, sitting on the bedside table. “You’ve been beside a hospital bed day and night for weeks if that’s not enough to deserve this.”

“I did it for me, I needed a quiet place to read my scripts," she giggled tiredly. “It was the least I could do for you, Tom. It was my fault”.

“Well, you encouraged me to do that stunt, but I was the one doing it without following the instructions” Tom grabbed her hand.

“You broke your back Thomas, you could’ve died, or worst, become a veggie.”

“Amber!” Tom stopped her. “I’d stay, but I have to change, and pick up my family from the airport, so promise me you’re gonna rest and you’re not gonna do something stupid.”

“Pinky promise, nothing stupid. At least not today” she smiled, throwing him a kiss. Tom turned the lights off and left the apartment. It was a long night and the next day was going to be longer and harder.

-

“Care to explain yourself, Y/N?” Cassie was waiting for them in their living room with her legs crossed as they entered the room. Her frown was furrowed, and her chest was covered by her arms. She was wearing her blue dress, and the red lipstick was still on. Her cold stare made Y/N uncomfortable as they strolled down to her. Maddie was carrying the red dress, as her friend watched them intently.

Y/N was wearing the sweatshirt she had borrowed from Diego. “I’m sorry, I was trying to save Mad’s friend.”

“I don’t fucking care. Look, we had a deal, you had to behave, right? And what did you do? Blow a fucking client up?” Cassie’s sharp voice was full of poison, making Y/N step back.

“Do you know how mad Senator Warren was? You ditched him and cost me a big client! All so you could have what? A fucking fairytale with Tom Holland and bang him afterwards?”

“I didn’t bang-”

“Of course you didn’t, you left. Where did you even go?” Cassie asked, and before Y/N could even answer Cassie shook her head. “You know what? I get all of this for you and then you back away the first minute. Get out, Y/N. Get out of my house.”

“No, Cassie-”

“Do you know how much money you cost me tonight?” Cassie retorted.

“Cassie-” Madeline stepped in, but Cassie was quick to shut her up.

“No, Madeline. You don’t fucking understand, because you guys got paid by Amber and me? I didn’t get anything, so whatever Amber paid for her, I get the money.”

“Well okay…”

“But I meant it, get out of my house.”

-

The ride from LAX to the hotel was eternal. Tom had a terrible headache and his parents hadn't quit talking since he picked them the airport. His mom was really excited about the wedding. He felt terrible.

The twins knew the truth about him and Amber, but Tom couldn’t tell his parents and little brother about it. They were convinced of his happiness and were very fond of Amber. Maybe that was one of the reasons Tom thought marrying her was a good idea. It made sense for everyone else, they looked perfect together.

“I can’t believe the big day is almost here” Nikki pressed his hand, showing her excitement. “Time flies. It’s like we met Amber yesterday, and she’s becoming a Holland in about three days.” Tom nervously laughed and kept driving with the last image of Amber he had in his head; passed out, laying on a stranger’s bathtub.

Tom booked rooms for his family at the same hotel he was staying in. What a marvelous idea you dick, he told to himself remembering the mocking glances of the staff when they saw Y/N walking beside him. Those glances would be on his parents now, on Amber. He did nothing, but guilt was there, ready to torture him for a while.

Haz and the twins received them with big smiles and long hugs.

“Where’s Amber?” Nikki asked right after she finished squeezing her sons. Sam panicked, and Harry tried to hide a smug grin. Before they could come up with something, Haz invented an acceptable excuse.

“My bad, I should’ve told you before but didn’t want to ruin this moment for you all. Amber called me, she tried to reach Tom, but you know the lack of signal at the airport. She’s kinda sick, so she stayed at home. She's fine now though, says it’s just a stomach bug.”

“Stomach bug, huh?” Nikki said in a suspicious tone “this isn’t a weird way to tell me I’m becoming a nan, is it?”

Tom's eyes went wide open, the twins could barely contain their laughs. “Actually, we grabbed some street food last night, and it was a terrible idea. But you know she’s more delicate than I am so poor Amber, I should probably go to see her” he tried to complete Harrison’s version. “You should check-in and go get some rest. I’m sure you need it after so many hours flying.”

The twins stayed with the rest of the family, Tom and Haz made their way up to Tom’s car. Haz was the one to break the silence.

“You still got time to cancel this whole thing. You know that?”

“Don’t fuck with me now, Haz. I’m not in the mood,” Tom snapped.

“Tom, you’re going to get married, this is nothing like accepting a role in a movie,” Haz warned his friend with pity. “It’s an actual fucking marriage, this is your life.” He knew that sugar-coating the thing wasn’t going to help at all.

“Yeah, and exactly because it’s my life I can decide to do it,” Tom retorted, Haz knew better. His friend didn’t want to do this. And the whole bullshit farce had come too far. Yes, to say they were dating was no damage, but marrying her, giving away his life to every single producer just to get himself the lead parts wasn’t exactly the guy Harrison knew. Tom had lost his essence.

“You don’t love her, you shouldn’t be marrying someone you don’t love,” said Harrison, trying then to convince him with the feelings and not with the life card, he didn’t know what card to pull anymore.

“Lots of people do that, love is bullshit anyway,” Tom shrugged.

“That's cause you haven't found it,” Harrison tried to convince his friend.

“Ah, piss off, Haz,” Tom rolled his eyes and cackled cynically. “Don't pull that kind of crap.”

“Okay, well let’s get real,” Harrison crossed his arms “I know for a fact you shouldn't get married, and Amber? Fucking Amber Healy? Are you willing to put on with all her crap? Just last night you had to look up for someone to get her out of an overdose.”

“She’ll change,” Tom looked away.

“You know that she won’t,” Haz stated.

“It’ll make me look good if I marry her. People want me to marry her,” Tom gritted his teeth.

“But do you, Thomas, do you want to marry her?” Harrison asked.

“Yes,” he hesitated.

“Bull,” Haz took a deep breath. “SHIT.”

“I can’t do anything right now, it’d kill my career if I backed away today,” explained Tom, “and I can't do that to Amber, and besides you’re not helping with this.”

“I’m your bloody best friend, and I can see that you’re unhappy and you’re ruining your life. Harry and Sam think so, too.”

“Well, I’ve already made my decision. I can’t cancel it now,” Tom shrugged, “I owe her don’t you think?”

“What she did for you is no reason to marry her. Don’t get me wrong, I love her, she’s awesome, and as a friend, she’s amazing, but she’s no wife material, she won’t make you happy.”

“Well, at least I’ll have you there,” Tom threw his hands in the air in defeat.

“Not for too long, and you know that Tom,” Haz shrugged.

-

Amber was texting in the back of her car, wearing big sunglasses to cover the big dark circles around her eyes, she had a bottle of water and was drinking some pills to cease a headache the hungover had given her. She was tapping her foot nervously as she approached the place she had been in last night. Just a few days until the wedding, and there were still a lot of things to do, and she couldn’t care any less.

It was all a farce, and it bothered her, not because of Tom, no. She loved him. But she was tired of showing her charming facade to the cameras and audiences. Giving away her perfect life and hiding her true feelings, her roots. It was impossible to keep it a secret, and without Tom, her career would’ve been ruined by now. Because, of course, someone who looked at her expected her to be what she was, an actress part of the infamous Taylor Swift squad, and every teenage girl’s role model. If only they knew. Such a mess she was, and she wasn’t proud of it, but she kept living her life as if nobody was watching because nobody was.

The latin neighborhood looked better in the morning, but it showed the true colors of the place. Amber’s gut gurgled up as she looked out to the small houses.

The place where she had made Tom go. It wasn’t fair to Tom. He deserved much better than her, and it made her feel guilty. She always wanted to make it up to him but ended up screwing up, just like last night. He couldn’t catch a break.

She arrived at the blue house and just stared at it, barely remembering what had happened. “Okay,  Alton,” Amber said to her driver and bodyguard. “It won’t take me long, but if anything happens I’ll scream or something.” she patted his back as she slid off the car.  She rang the doorbell.

“Voy (I’m coming),” the voice answered, Amber, waited up. Diego opened the door, confused to see that Amber Healy was standing right in front of him again in less than 24 hours. He was wearing a blue outfit, Amber assumed he was a nurse. “Oh.”

“Hello,” Amber greeted him and walked past him, without asking for his permission to go in. Diego stared at her and glanced at the car but then closed the door. He cursed internally, Y/N and her troubles chasing him down again and again.

“Miss Healey, this isn’t a good idea. I told you and your friends last night, but it seems like I haven’t been clear enough. This neighborhood is filled with people desperate to make some bucks, and this is Los Angeles, how long do you think it’ll take the press to post pictures of you entering my house?”

“They probably are looking up for me on the other side of the city, expecting to see me in my wedding dress, I think we’re good, and I’m gonna be quick,” Amber said. “You saved my life, and I’m getting married in about three days. You may think I’m a kook or something like that, but I really want you to come to the wedding.”

“What?” Diego laughed, thinking about how bizarre it all was. He saved Amber Healey from an overdose, who was brought by his ex, who was a prostitute now and probably hooked up with the actress’ husband to be. “I guess Y/N’s invited too” he added jokingly.

“Well, her friend Madeline’s coming. If you want I can invite her too and then you can make a move to gain her back since you’re obviously still not over her” Amber giggled and pointed at the framed pictures of the formerly happy couple.

Diego cleared his throat. “Qué? (what?) I’ve been meaning to unhang them, but I never have the time,” he explained embarrassed. “However, I’ll have to decline your offer.”

“Okay” Amber sighed and made a dramatic pause “Time to be honest, I guess. The thing is I did some research today, and I know you work with people who have this, how to say it? Inclination.”

“Now I’m really confused. Did you stalk me?” Diego frowned.

“I’m sorry, but after what you did for me I really trust you. I tend to overstep, but I really need your help. I don’t want to do this anymore. I don’t want to do this to Tom anymore”. She looked down and started bouncing one of her legs, clearly nervous. Diego recognized all of those gestures, she was asking for help with and without words. She was crumbling, and she wanted it to stop. But not for herself, she did it for Tom.

“Look, Amber. I can help you, but you have to do this for yourself, not for him, you don’t owe him anything,” Diego’s voice was soft. “You can’t be forced to do this.”

“I’m not being forced,” Amber shook her head, “I want to do this because I don’t want him to put with all of my crap.”

“Linda (pretty), if he’s marrying you he’ll kinda have to. And you’ll have to deal with his shit too. If you’re not willing to, well, bad news. That’s what happened to the couple in those pictures.”

“When you love somebody you’re willing to change for them,” Amber said. Perhaps she didn’t love Tom the way she was supposed to, but she did like him, and she wanted him to be happy with her.

Diego, oblivious of the true nature of Tom and Amber’s relationship, felt so sorry about the girl in front of him. He saw Tom as some Hollywood dude, and after seeing him coming along with Maddie and Y/N, and his girlfriend in such state, Diego saw Tom as a dickhead.

“I’ll help you girl, but I’m not coming to the wedding, I mean, how weird would that be.”

“Are you kidding me? If you’re helping me you need to come to the wedding, I need to start the day of the wedding.” Diego frowned and she did her “duh” face.

“Do you even need me there? If anything happens I’ll go or-”

“I need someone to stop me.”

“Can’t Tom do that?” Diego scowled. Her fiance wasn’t helping her. Apparently, Tom had been too busy banging Diego’s ex to pay attention to Amber.

“He’ll be too busy covering me up, and speaking with everyone,” Amber hissed. “Look, maybe you’ll hook up with someone nice. I don’t know, who do you fancy? They’ll probably be there.”

“You know what, I admire your totally out of the place type of humor” he grinned. “I’m coming to your wedding, and I’m keeping you sober.” Amber smiled “Then we’ll talk about Elizabeth Olsen,” he joked.

“Well, here’s your invite,” Amber handed it over. “Now I better leave, have to try my wedding dress.”

Amber was determined to change and convinced that this handsome latino was the one to help her. She liked him as much as Maddie and Tom, and Haz, and the twins. They all had something in common, they seemed to care about her.

She made her way back to the car with a grin on her face. Her phone started to ring as soon as she sat in the back seat. “Yes?”

“Amber?” Madeline’s voice sounded through the speaker.

“Hey, hübsch,” Amber grinned. “I thought I’d never hear from you again, what can I do for you?”

“I’m glad you asked, I do need a favor” she replied in a shaky tone. "I'm sure you remember Y/N, my friend."

“Well yeah, I was drunk but no that drunk,” she laughed.

 “Sweetheart, you passed out,” Maddie chuckled and then cleared her throat, “anyway, she needs some help, and I was hoping you'd give it to her. If it's not too much to ask, of course.

“Define help,” Amber requested. “If it’s got anything to do with Tom, I’m afraid-”

“No, no, it’s more complicated than that,” Maddie didn’t sound as cheerful as Amber was used to. “You see, I’m afraid… Look, last night was her first night with us, with Cassie and I, and she blew away one of Cassie’s long-term clients...”

“Oh, her first time, and girl scored no other than Tom fucking Holland, lucky bastard,” Amber laughed.

“Ambs,” Maddie’s voice was cold. “Cassie kicked her out of our place.”

Amber took a deep breath. “Where do I fit into this?”

“She’s going over to Diego’s place, but honestly, she needs to get out of there. I just don’t want her to return to that life, you see, Diego is just too busy with all his medical school thing, and he’s an asshole, and he’s super controlling-”

“You don’t like him,” Amber said because there was nothing wrong with him. What Amber had seen, Diego was a guy who didn’t know what to do anymore with his relationship. Maddie just had something against with him.

“No, I don’t. Look, he may not be that bad, but ugh, I just don’t want Y/N to be with him anymore, and-”

“I’ll take care of her, be her fairy godmother. Let’s give this Cinderella a fairytale” Amber chuckled. “Do you have any idea where she might be?”

“She took a cab so she might be arriving at Diego’s place in any minute,” Maddie said.

“I’ll see what I can do,” Amber hung up and asked her driver to go back to Diego’s place, just in time to see a broken and crying Y/N getting out of the car.

-

Haz and Tom were waiting at Amber’s house. Haz sitting down in the living room as Tom helped himself out in the kitchen, unsteady as he realized Amber was not in her place, the places she could have gone had Tom feeling uneasy. So he was pouring himself an orange juice as he walked from one place to another, trying to calm himself down.

“And you still wanna marry her,” Haz muttered, rolling his eyes. Tom was cracking his knuckles, worriedly. “Okay, Tom-” Haz tried to get his attention, “Tom! Please, can you chill? She probably went out for some breakfast.”

She hadn’t answered the phone, and Tom was dying. What if she had passed out in the middle of somewhere? Or what if she was lost?

“Wasn’t she going to try her wedding dress today?” Haz asked in an attempt to calm him, it worked. Tom stopped and glanced at his best friend, he was right. She was going to try it, that was it.

“Oh, right,” Tom sat down on the floor. “Sorry, I freaked out.”

“And you guys haven’t even married. Anyway, in other news and crazy nights with crazy girls, you left with one last night, huh?”

Tom cleared his throat, his face turning red with embarrassment. “It’s not what it looked like.”

“Uh-huh,” Harrison smirked. “She looked pretty. Such a pretty woman you left with, honestly.”

“I wasn’t the one receiving a lap dance,” Tom reminded him. “But, no, I actually saved her.”

“Such a prince charming,” Harrison laughed, teasing his friend. Tom rolled his eyes.

“It was her first time, and she didn’t want to be there. Then this old filthy senator tried to take advantage of her and well, I took her out.”

“And?” Harrison raised his eyebrows.

“And we went to McDonald's, and then we just talked,” Tom shrugged. “She was scared, she’s had a tough life.”

“Did you like her?” Harrison was being constant with the questions, trying to poke Tom’s nerves.

“I only spent a few hours with her, man. I wouldn’t be able to know, I mean-”

“Ah, you liked her,” Harrison stated. “You should’ve made a move.”

“I didn’t, because I don’t like her and because, if you can’t remember, I’m getting married in three bloody days,” Tom scowled.

“Yes, you’re getting married in three days with someone you don’t love,” Haz insisted. “Look, mate, I’m not telling you this to annoy you, I’m not being shady, I’m concerned about you. And I do care about Amber too. And she’s got a problem, Tom, she has to face it, and this whole fake marriage thing is not helping.”

“So what you’re saying is I should look up for someone who I do love?” Tom frowned.

“I don’t know, might help you, you’ve been so moody these days, you need to at least get laid, man,” Harrison spoofed. “And we both know you’re not getting some at your wedding night."

“Do you even hear yourself?” Tom was getting pissed.

“See! So bloody moody and edgy,” Harrison laughed. “Look, man, I’m just saying, at least you need a diversion, maybe that girl from last night could help.”

“And how would I even contact her again?” Tom scowled.

Before Harrison could come up with an answer the door was opened, with Amber waddling and clicking her heels, she looked up from her phone and smirked.

“Hello, Schatzy,” she grinned. “Harrison, hey,” Amber hadn’t closed the door behind her, and Alton walked in with a pair of dirty suitcases.

“Amber, where were you?” Asked Tom, worried.

“I was getting you a new assistant, schatzy!” She squeaked, as she turned to the door. Y/N walked in.

tag list (ask) <-If you’re using this one please specify it’s for Pretty Woman

[newyorktheater]

Alanis Morissette

Harry Connick Jr.

Playwright Stephen Adly Gurigis

Samuel D. Hunter

Donja R. Love

Luke Kirby

Below is a selection of New York theater opening in December, organized chronologically by opening date, including the one Broadway musical, “Jagged Little Pill,” with songs by Alanis Morissette and the one Broadway holiday concert, Cole Porter sung by Harry Connick Jr.  Off-Broadway,  there are new plays by Stephen Adly Guirgis, Lucas Hnath, Samuel D. Hunter,  one Donja R. Love, and the team that created “Once” comes back with another Irish musical based on a movie.  La MaMa is building an entire festival around the revisiting of its 1974 production of an Ancient Greek tragedy, Folksbiene is bringing back an 1878 Yiddish musical fairy tale,  and Park Avenue Armory is pulling out the stops for a 1937 German-language drama adapted by Christopher Shinn.

December is of course the month for holiday shows, and lots of  puppets! — including by such masters as Basil Twist, and Bread & Puppet’s Peter Schumann.

Each title below is linked to a relevant website. (A reminder that the opening date is often not the same as the first performance for the public; most shows have a preview period, before an official opening.)

Color key: Broadway: Red. Off Broadway: Purple, blue or black.Off Off Broadway: Green.Theater festival: Orange.Puppetry: Brown. Immersive: Magenta.Christmas Show: Gold

Check out the whole 2019-2020 Broadway season and the Fall 2019 Off Broadway offerings.

You might also be interested in my pages to buy  hottest tickets and cheapest tickets.

December 1

A Christmas Carol The Musical (Players Theater) 

The 11th annual holiday staging of Dickens’ tale, one of a half dozen such projections this year, including one already opened on Broadway. (Look for a separate post on all the holiday shows.)

Flying Lessons (The Pit) 

On a dark night, as a storm brews on the horizon, three women take refuge in an abandoned house. Their presence awakens a strange and shadowy world of memory and desire where fantasies are possible…if only for a night

La Cucarachita Martina (Teatro Sea)

in rock-n-roll musical based on a popular Cuban and Puerto Rican children’s tale of a little roach who learns many lessons on her journey to find true love.

December 2

Winter Puppet Parlor (HERE)

HERE’s annual celebration of puppets, in time for the wonders of winter, featuring musical guest Yoko Reikano Kimura. With performances by Basil Twist, Admiral Grey, Glenn Marla (with Hana Malia and Jezebel Express), Julie Atlas Muz, and Peekaboo Pointe

Cosmos Within Us (New York Live Arts) 

The piece explores the intricate connection between memory and the senses, drawing us inside the mind of Aiken, a 60-year-old man who suffers from Alzheimer’s, a

December 3

Barber Shop Chronicles (BAM)

Nigerian-British playwright Inua Ellams presents black barbershops in six cities, with stories set to an Afrobeat score.

December 4

Harry Townsend’s Last Stand (NY City Center)

Len Cariou and Tony Craig Bierko star in this comedy about a father and son

MsTrial (New World Stages) 

A renowned trial lawyer and his young associate celebrate a legal victory in a drunken party that causes everyone “o question what they know about desire, consent, winning, and losing.

Keep (St. Ann’s Warehouse) 

Daniel Kitson returns to St. Ann’s Warehouse with his latest solo piece ,about how much past the present can reasonably contain.

Amahl and the Night Visitors 

This opera is being performed at the Holy Apostles Soup Kitchen on Ninth Avenue

December 5

Lauren Patten (center) as Jo, with the company of “Jagged Little Pill,” performing “You Oughta Know.”

Jagged Little Pill (Broadhurst) 

An original story by Diablo Cody (Juno) that incorporates the songs from Alanis Morissette’s 1995 album of the same name. A suburban family and the community in which they live have more problems than are apparent on the surface, including addiction and rape culture.

Anything Can Happen in the Theater (York)

Gerard Alessandrini (creator of Forbidden Broadway) showcases the songs of Maury Yeston.

The Honey Lets Go Home Opera (Theatre for the New City)

A raucous fantasy on the perils and promises of 2-dimensionality in contemporary life, presented by the legendary Bread & Puppet theater company.

December 6

The Trojan Women (La MaMa)

A recreation of Andrei Serban and Elizabeth Swados’s take on the Euripides tragedy, featuring a cast which includes members of the original 1974 cast, along with artists from Guatemala, Cambodia and Kosovo. Part of the Trojan Women Project Festival

December 8

The Sorceress (folksbienne at Jewish Heritage)

Written in 1878, The Sorceress (Di Kishefmakherin) is one of the earliest works by Avrom Goldfaden, the acknowledged father of modern Yiddish theatre. It was brought to America in 1882 by a 14-year old Boris Thomashefsky, who would go on to become one of Yiddish theatre’s biggest stars.

December 9

Halfway Bitches Go Straight To Heaven (Atlantic)

Stephen Adly Guirgis (“Between Riverside and Crazy“) explores the harrowing, humorous, and heartbreaking inner workings of a women’s halfway house in New York City, helmed by John Ortiz (LAByrinth Artistic Director) in his off-Broadway directing debut.

Greater Clements (Lincoln Center) 

Samuel D. Hunter’s new play takes place in the fictional town of Greater Clements, Idaho, a mining community where properties are being purchased by wealthy out-of-state people, forcing out lifelong residents. Judith Ivey portray Maggie, ready to shut down her family-run Mine Tour and Museum, when an old friend pays a visit. Although I’ve never been to Idaho, I’ve liked every Hunter play I’ve ever seen, from Whale to Lewiston/Clarkston.

December 10

Judgment Day (Park Ave Armory)

Christopher Shinn adapts Ödön von Horváth’s 1937 play that is part moral fable, part sociopolitical comedy, and part noirish thriller. A cast of 16 is led by Luke Kirby (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Slings and Arrows) who portrays a stationmaster momentarily distracted, resulting in a tragic train crash.

One in Two (The New Group at Signature)

Donja R. Love, inspired by his 10th anniversary of being HIV positive, offers an unflinching portrait of being Black and queer today

December 12

The Thin Place (Playwrights Horizons)

In this new play by Lucas Hnath (A Doll’s House Part 2), a friendship develops between two women—one who’s recently experienced a strange loss, and another who communicates with the dead.

Harry Connick Jr. A Celebration of Cole Porter (Nederlander)

December 15

  London Assurance (Irish Rep)

A parade of eccentric characters and merry mishaps ensue in Dion Boucicault’s 1841 comedy of manners.

December 16

Sing Street (NYTW)

The “Once” team has turned another movie into a musical. With a book by Enda Walsh, “Sing Street” takes us to Dublin in 1985 where 16-year-old Conor and his schoolmates, turn to music to escape troubles at home and impress a mysterious girl. Rebecca Taichman (Indecent) directs.

December 19

Gaz (La MaMa)

Workers prepare their powerful commodity, a futuristic gas that has become the only source of energy for the entire industrial world.

December 27

Up Close (New Ohio)

Guided by Jane Jacobs’ rules for a healthy community in The Death and Life of Great American Cities, 30 artists offer family-friendly immersive theater experiences. I loved this last year 

December 2019 New York Theater Openings Below is a selection of New York theater opening in December, organized chronologically by opening date, including the one Broadway musical, "Jagged Little Pill," with songs by Alanis Morissette and the one Broadway holiday concert, Cole Porter sung by Harry Connick Jr.