Trust Me Page #7

- And I got a text.

Come on in.

You want a beer?

Lydia, get Howard a beer.

No, thanks. That's okay. I'm good.

Just the last one.

You need to sign this.

Listen, Howard.

I'm really sorry about today.

That whole thing with Aldo

really got me turned around.

You know what I mean?

We're okay, though, right?

Yeah.

Okay. Cool.

Car's picking you up at 5:00.

Know your words?

- Yep.

- All right.

You can watch a movie on Pay-Per-View.

Lights out at 9:
00.

See you in the morning, Howard.

So... you must be pretty excited.

For the first day of the really

big movie that you're starring in.

Yeah, I totally am.

It goes on for months and months.

Sometimes it starts to feel like a...

almost like a new family.

Cool.

Okay, so I'm going to let you

get some rest.

I'll be there in the morning, of course,

just to make sure everything goes smoothly.

I almost forgot.

I know it's tomorrow, but...

happy birthday.

How did you know?

I noticed it earlier when I was

going over your contracts.

Open it.

Oh, Howard. It's beautiful.

I have this friend Doug

and he does family law, so...

What?

I never even saw him do anything.

- What if I imagined the whole thing?

- What if you didn't?

She's 14.

In California, that means she can't

be emancipated without his permission.

And there's no way he's going to give that.

Not with all that money on the table.

So we go to court, she loses the movies

and the money that might buy her a way out.

Do you really think you saw something?

I don't know.

- Yeah, I do.

- Well, you can't just leave her there.

Can you?

- Get dressed. You're coming with me.

- What? Why? Is something wrong?

I won't let you spend

another night here with that creep.

Get your things together,

we're leaving now.

Howard, stop it. You're scaring me.

- I know what he's doing to you.

- He's not doing anything to me.

You look me in the eyes,

you tell me I imagined the whole thing.

You do that, I'll walk out the door,

we'll pretend this never happened.

He never...

Okay, okay, okay. Okay, okay.

- Are you out of your f***ing mind?

- Look, I know it's an inconvenience.

- An inconvenience?

- I speak...

You want to shut down my $160 million movie

so you can make some futile attempt

to pull young Lydia out

from under her horny da-da?

- That's not an inconvenience, Harold.

- It's Howard.

That's a goddamn sh*t storm,

but it's your sh*t storm,

so you do what you need to do

but you make this go away.

- Or so help me God, you don't want to be you.

- I can't take her back there.

Then let's call the cops.

I got the commissioner on speed dial.

No, she won't do that.

She won't testify against him.

Then take her home.

Just for a minute, okay?

For a few goddamn days. Just long enough

until we get some film in the can

and then we'll hire her an assistant.

Some pissed-off type

with a big can of pepper spray.

You want me to pretend I don't know

what he's doing to her

- so the movie can start on time?

- Under the circumstances, I'm saying, yes.

You want to play kamikaze,

do it on your own time.

You want to keep it down?

I'm trying to sleep.

Sleep in hell, you wrinkly f***.

Look, you want to help her,

then do what it takes to really help her.

You know as well as I do,

if she walks onto that set tomorrow,

- he becomes 50 times harder to scrape loose.

- But she'll have a shitload of money

and she'll be doing what God

put her on this earth to f***ing do

and she's going to need you, Howard.

She's going to need you

watching her back 24/7.

That's why I'm going

to bump you up to EP.

- You're bumping me up to...

- Executive producer of this movie

which comes with half a point,

but, you know, f*** it. A full point.

- Oh, my God.

- 'Cause you need the clout.

So what do you say, Howard?

Don't you think she deserves a shot?

- Yeah, I do.

- So take her home.

- She'll thank you, believe me.

- Okay. Yeah. That's amazing.

It's an amazing town.

But I can't do it.

This movie starts principal

in seven hours.

If your client isn't standing on her mark

when my genius Chinaman yells "Action,"

I will fire her from the movie.

And then I will spend

the rest of my days

turning your life into a torturous sea

of flaming sh*t.

It's okay, Howard.

Ang said I was his only Sophia. He said

he wouldn't do the movie without me.

I know, honey,

but it's a weird business.

Sometimes people say something

and they mean it, but...

then things happen and it's not something

they can mean anymore.

I just want you to feel sure

you're making the right decision.

Well, do you think

I'm making the right decision?

I do, yeah, but I'm worried about

what could happen if we lose.

- We won't lose.

- I lose a lot.

- Are you trying to get rid of me?

- No. I promise.

- Maybe we should call your mom.

- No.

- Because I bet she really...

- No.

She knew and she left me there.

So she's not really like the first person

I call when I'm in trouble.

You know what I mean?

Yeah.

I do.

Okay.

Good night.

Can I...

What?

Can I have a hug?

Yeah, I can do that. Sure.

Is there any chance

you can get us in any earlier?

No, no, no, no. Thank you, Doug.

Okay. Bye.

Doug said the earliest he could get us

a hearing would be Friday.

He basically said you're right.

Without Ray's consent,

you don't stand a chance.

And not only that, but he could

sue you for loss of income.

I'm sorry.

I did 11 movies by the time I was 15.

But never a lead.

And then one day,

I got one.

"Surf Camp" with Jan-Michael Vincent

and Anissa Jones.

- From "Family Affair"?

- Yeah.

She was the first girl I ever kissed.

In a scene, whole crew watching.

I lost my virginity

in her trailer the next night.

Between her and the movie,

I was so happy,

I almost couldn't breathe.

She took me to this party up in the Hills.

Everybody was... coke and 'ludes.

I tried to get her to walk out with me,

but she wouldn't go.

So I left her there.

When I got to work the next day,

they told me she had OD'd.

The studio scrapped the picture

and nothing ever really happened

for me after that.

This is 36 years ago.

And I've spent that time

wandering this place

like some kind of ghost.

Trying to find some way

to get back there...

to feel like that again.

Like I'm somebody.

And just now,

in that room...

I did.

Hello, Ray.

- Ray?

- You are f***ed.

You are so f***ed.

- Tell him how f***ed he is.

- Very, very f***ed.

Do you think you're just going to waltz

in here and steal my little girl?

Pat here says you can't do that without

my say-so, and I don't f***ing give it.

So I'm going to go in there

and I'm going to get my daughter

and then I'm going to sue you for damages

and lost wages and emotional...

- Duress.

- Yeah, duress.

And then I'm going to file charges

for kidnapping.

And then... and this is

my favorite part...

I'm going to find you in the parking lot

- and I'm going to beat you...

- Ray.

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