“Hey,” Doug said, catching up with her. “What’s happening?”
“Nothing.” Pandy turned on him, still angry. She willed herself to calm down. “I’m sorry. It has nothing to do with you. It’s just that the mayor is throwing a party for Monica, and I haven’t been invited.”
“So?” Doug laughed.
His lack of understanding only fueled her anger.
“Forget about it,” she snapped, wondering how this party was happening without her, and what it might possibly imply. “It’s just that I created Monica. It’s like you said; without me, there would be no Monica. But everyone seems to have conveniently forgotten this fact.”
“How do you know they’ve forgotten?” Doug asked.
Pandy stopped and gaped at him. She inhaled sharply as the realization hit her. “They’re trying to cut me out.”
Doug raised his eyebrows. “You really think so?”
Pandy pounded her fist into her palm. “Of course they are. Because they think they don’t need me anymore. They have SondraBeth Schnowzer. And she’s the perfect Monica,” she said sharply.
“Aw, come on,” Doug said. “I’m sure it’s not what you think.”
“If it isn’t, then why didn’t SondraBeth tell me about it? A party with the mayor? It’s not the kind of thing you forget about. And she tells me everything.”
“I doubt that,” Doug interjected.
“What do you mean?”
Doug shrugged. “She’s an actress. I’m sure she doesn’t tell anyone everything.”
Pandy’s eyes narrowed. “What were you talking about while I was off fighting with the director?”
Doug shrugged. “We were talking about Monica. And how much she loves playing her.”
“Of course she does,” Pandy hissed. She veered away and went to stand in front of a display of handbags in a designer shop window.
“Oh, I get it,” Doug said, coming up behind her. “You’re jealous.”
Pandy grimaced and shook her head.
“You think she’s taking away attention that belongs to you.”
Pandy’s phone rang: Henry. She hit ACCEPT and strode around the corner to take his call.
“Well?” she demanded.
“The party is for the film industry,” Henry informed her.
“So?”
“It’s for the film industry only. Some kind of celebration about Monica bringing the film industry to New York.”
“But Monica didn’t bring the film industry to New York,” Pandy wailed in frustration. “And if it weren’t for me—”
“Pigs would fly,” Henry cut her off. “You need to stop behaving like this. It isn’t attractive.”
Pandy hung up. She saw Doug standing on the corner, watching her, his eyes going back and forth as if he was trying to make a decision.
She dropped her phone into her bag and strolled over. She sighed. “Henry says it’s an industry party. For the film business.”
Doug nodded.