Work Text:
Amanda wakes up tired in the middle of the shoot week with very little hope that she’ll make it to the end. She skips making coffee at home, deciding to make a really strong pot in the office instead.
The card she pulls today gives her some hope at least: The Chariot
Key words: victory, success, ambition, determination, willpower
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Today in particular is a really bad day. This entire shoot week has her fatigued to death. Every little annoyance feels like a real grievance. On days like today, she’d like everything to go as smoothly as it possibly can, but it's simply not happening.
She got a little snippy with one of the PAs today, and she can't deny that she was kind of a bitch. She feels horrible once she realizes what's happening and she takes herself out of the building before it gets even worse.
She’s hidden herself away from everyone else in her car, feeling deeply embarrassed by what just happened. She would have been stewing in this feeling for a lot longer if it weren’t for the muffled knock against her car window.
It’s Arasha. She motions for her to join her inside.
“You okay?” Arasha asks as she takes her seat.
She takes a breath. “You saw that?”
Arasha’s features form into a grimace. “Yeah...it was a lot.”
“God, they must all think I’m terrible.” Amanda holds her hands to her temples, slightly pulling on her face and rests her forehead against the steering wheel.
Arasha immediately pulls her away in case she accidentally hits the horn and causes a commotion. “Hey, you’re not terrible. You’re exhausted, and so’s everyone else.”
“They all probably hate me,” she whines.
“I don’t think so. We all love you, and we know your heart. People don’t just stop loving you, even when you’re being a piece of shit.” she tacks on a joke at the end just because she can.
Amanda can’t help but give her a small smile.
“Okay.” she takes another deep breath “Okay, I’ll go back in there.”
“Yes, and you’ll apologize and it will be fine.” Arasha says as she places a hand on her arm.
She gives Arasha a nod. “It will be fine.”
She's learning that Arasha holds a certain wisdom that many her age do not possess. She is kind, but true - holding her accountable, but also incredibly understanding.
She is balanced - heart and mind.
Arasha always seems to be in control.
Yes, she likes to lie and manipulate for fun, but that’s just her comedy.
It takes a lot of audacity to move to LA when you’re an aspiring actor. Every acting teacher ever will say that acting in LA should only be pursued if you do not see yourself doing literally anything else because submitting yourself to this pursuit means dealing with too many things out of your control.
She remembers Arasha lying about booking a Marvel movie, and fully believing it. How could she not when Arasha has always been so determined to break boundaries for what it means to be South Asian in the YouTube creator space? How could she not when she has known her to be nothing but focused and strong-willed?
All she knows is that if and when Arasha books something big one day, she’ll be there cheering for her in the sidelines - proud to be her friend.