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Zara was dressed to kill. Or maybe just maim. She’d tried to look her best for tonight. She’d bought a new dress, a midi-length silk dress the colour of an aubergine.

It accentuated her breasts, which was no accident. She was pretty sure Tess was a boob girl.

If Zara could keep Tess hypnotised by her chest, maybe she could make her forget certain stupid confessions of feelings? It wasn’t an airtight plan.

Zara was currently lurking around the entrance of The Eclipse, taking it in. The premiere was everything it should be.

The cinema gleamed, the marquee shone, and red carpet ran underfoot, a hopeful splash of colour against the familiar grit of the street.

Zara could see Tess flitting through the crowd in the lobby, laughter on her lips and a glass in her hand, chatting with Fi and Nina Clarke. She looked extremely hot in a tailored black satin suit. She also looked happy, despite everything. Zara was glad. Tess had worked herself to the bone for this night, and she deserved to enjoy it. Whatever happened, she would at least have this.

The cinema was packed. Nina’s presence had brought the press, and the press had brought the crowd. The place was bustling with people, a mix of familiar locals and strangers in expensive shoes and slicked-back hair.

Nina was delirious to be here, that much was obvious. She was practically hanging off Tess. Zara thought she might have a crush. Zara couldn’t blame her. Tess was easy to crush on, especially in those trousers. The way they cupped her pert bottom was worthy of its own premiere.

Tess turned and saw her. She walked out of the doors to meet her. ‘What are you doing out there? Come in,’ Tess said.

Zara approached timidly.

‘Wow, by the way,’ Tess said, looking Zara up and down.

‘Wow, yourself,’ Zara replied shyly.

‘You OK?’ Tess said, leading Zara in.

‘Yeah, why?’

‘Because you look gorgeous but…’ Tess began.

‘What?’

‘You also kind of look like you need a shit,’ Tess told her.

Zara had to laugh. ‘Yeah, sorry. I will relax, I promise.’

‘It’s OK, you know. I’ve accepted it. You don’t have to come to my rescue. Not again,’ Tess assured her.

‘They said they’d print it tomorrow,’ Zara said.

‘That’s great,’ Tess said with a small smile.

‘It could do something.’

‘Yeah, it might,’ Tess said. But she didn’t mean it. She didn’t think an article in a local newspaper was going to do shit. She was probably right about that. But Zara didn’t care. She had to try. She had to show Tess that her love had value. That Tess could rely on her. So she’d spilt the beans about the bank, named names, everything. She’d asked not to be named herself, but that wouldn’t much matter. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out who the whistleblower was.

‘Come on, let’s get a drink,’ Tess said, leading her down to the bar.

***

Two glasses of champagne later, Zara was feeling a little more mellow. Being with Tess on her big night, she could almost pretend everything was OK. But all that went to shit when she saw Deborah walking up to the bar.

‘Fuck!’ she exclaimed.

‘What?’ Tess said, following her eyeline. ‘Fuck!’ she echoed.

‘Ignore her,’ Zara said.

‘Why is she here?’ Tess said, horrified.

‘Ignore her.’

‘She’s here to gloat, isn’t she?’

‘Probably. Let’s not give her the satisfaction,’ Zara said, taking Deborah in. Why did she need to be so effortlessly beautiful? Why did she need to be wearing a dress that made Zara’s outfit look like something she’d fished out of a bargain bin?

And why the fuck was she here with Phillip? The tux-wearing bastard was sidling up to her, ordering a drink!

‘OK, now this takes the piss!’ Zara muttered.

‘What?’ Tess asked, trying not to look.

‘She’s here with him! Phillip.’

Tess shook her head. ‘Ignore him,’ she advised.

‘The brazenness of it!’ Zara hissed.

‘Ignore him,’ Tess told her.

They were a matching set—him radiating a kind of smooth, self-assured power that made Zara’s skin crawl, and Deborah, with her dark, predatory eyes, scanning the room like it was her kingdom.

‘Fuck ‘em. The film’s about to start,’ Tess said.

‘OK, let’s head in,’ Zara agreed.

As they turned, Zara nearly screamed to see Deborah step in front of her.

‘Tess, I had to come and say the place looks wonderful,’ she said to Tess.

Tess rolled her eyes. ‘I hope it’s worth whatever you pay.’

Deborah was surprised, but only for a second. ‘Ah. You know.’

‘Yeah, I know,’ Tess said. ‘I guess there’s no point asking you to keep it open to the public?’

‘The plebs will have the multiplex,’ Deborah said.

That was Zara’s limit. ‘You have absolutely no class,’ she told Deborah.

Deborah let out a startled guffaw. ‘No?’

‘No. Because it’s something you can’t buy,’ Zara told her. ‘Just like Tess.’

Deborah’s viper smile faltered for a second. ‘Money buys enough.’

Zara felt a strong urge to smack the woman ‘round the face. But before that could happen, Tess, perhaps sensing impending violence, took her by the arm.

‘Come on. She’s not worth it,’ Tess said gently into her ear. Zara let Tess pull her away.

Zara looked back once to see the expression on Deborah’s face. Her eyes were fixed on Tess. Just for a moment, Zara could see the devastation under the fa?ade.

Zara was horrified to feel some sympathy for her in that moment. Because she knew what it was to love Tess and not have it come back.

***

Zara and Tess found their seats in the back. But Zara’s eyes scanned the audience instead of the screen.

She watched Deborah and Phillip take their seats closer to the screen. They didn’t deserve to be here.

But Tess had sold a portion of tickets to the public so there was nothing to stop them but the price of admission.

The curtains opened, and the film began. Zara’s phone started to buzz in her purse. Shit, she’d forgotten to turn it off. She could only hope Tess wouldn’t hear. Tess didn’t like phones in the theatre, putting it mildly.

It stopped. And then started again. And again. Why was her phone going bonkers?

‘I need the toilet,’ Zara muttered. Tess nodded.

In the toilet, Zara opened her phone to find multiple texts from colleagues, all with the same link to the local newspaper. The article was online. It had gone up a day early. Zara hadn’t even thought to check it today.

She read the headline, a slow smile spreading across her face.

Bank employee says Heritage TRUST is Pushing Cinema to Default, Paving Way for Private Buyout.

And underneath, Whistleblower tells all!

Zara read on, and man, it was damning. Everything she’d told them was in there. She felt a rush of exhilaration, quickly followed by dread. There was no taking it back now.

It would be great if that exposé messed up Phillip and Deborah’s plans. But in her heart, Zara wasn’t even sure it would even embarrass them. You couldn’t embarrass the soulless.

She headed back in and found her place. Tess gave her a warm smile of greeting. Zara sat down and squeezed her hand, feeling grateful to have her for however long that lasted.

Zara forced herself out of her head and did her best to focus on the movie. She was glad she did. Nina’s film was excellent. Zara found herself drawn in despite herself, the story pulling her away from her own fears. For a while, she let herself forget everything, losing herself in the film’s slow, haunting rhythm.

As the credits rolled, Tess was first on her feet, standing up to applaud. The rest of the audience followed suit. Nina took to the stage, modest and grateful, thanking everyone with a shy smile. Her stars were hot on her heels, a bit less shy about receiving plaudits.

Once everyone had clapped themselves out, Tess said, ‘Right. After-party.’

Everyone began to file out. Zara watched them all go. They looked satisfied. Tess was right. This was a great way to say goodbye to The Eclipse.

The after-party buzzed with energy, half in the bar, half in the lobby. The drinks were flowing, as well they might. A whisky company was sponsoring this thing. A serene Dylan and a sour-faced Jerry were circulating the lobby with trays of logo-bearing glasses.

Zara watched from the sidelines as Tess moved through it all, a calm centre in the storm, chatting to patrons, laughing with Nina. She looked so at ease, so happy, that it made Zara’s heart ache. Deborah was still there, hovering like a shadow, but Tess barely spared her a glance.

Fi walked over. ‘This you?’ she asked quietly, showing the article on her phone.

Zara gave a small nod.

‘Wow. I can’t believe you did this.’

‘Your sister doesn’t know it’s out yet,’ Zara told her. ‘So don’t mention anything tonight. She’s having a good time. I don’t want to spoil it.’

‘But this is good. It’s great. I was going to egg the bank. This is way better.’

Zara smiled. ‘You might want to hold on to those eggs, Fi. The truth is that I don’t know if the article is enough. I didn’t have any evidence. The article is just reporting that I told them all this.’

‘I don’t know about that. I put it on our social media. The shares are insane. Everyone is furious.’

‘That doesn’t surprise me. It’s disgusting. Of course they’re angry,’ Zara said. ‘They should be angry.’ She sighed. ‘Tess is acting like it’s fine, which is weird.’

Fi shook her head. ‘It’s not fine. She’s upset about it. But she’s gained something in this. I think it’s softened the whole thing a lot.’

‘Gained?’ Zara asked, confused.

‘Yeah. You.’

‘Oh,’ Zara muttered, paying Fi no mind. She was rooting for them in a rather unrealistic way. ‘I wouldn’t get your hopes up there, Fi. Long term, I just don’t know if she’s going to be able to forget the part I played in this.’

Fi looked at her like she was utterly stupid. ‘Do you know how many times Tess has left me in charge of the place since she took over fifteen years ago?’

‘How many?’ Zara asked.

‘Trick question, she’s never done that. She lives here. Well, she did. Recently, she’s… I can’t believe I’m saying this, but she’s had a work/life balance. She’s like, “Fi, I’m just going out for a few hours. Lock up for me.”’ Fi looked like it was the craziest thing she’d ever heard in all her life. ‘She’s like a normal person!’

Zara struggled to think that meant what Fi wanted it to mean. ‘Well, she’s letting it go, I guess.’

‘Tess doesn’t let anything go, Zara. You should know that by now. She never did it for Shit Tits.’

‘Who’s Shit Tits?’ Zara was compelled to ask.

‘Deborah,’ she said, with a look like she’d just swallowed her own vomit. ‘That’s what broke them up.’

Tess had said as much. But it was no comfort to Zara. For all she knew, she’d be in Deborah’s shoes any day now.

Zara saw Tess approaching.

‘Don’t mention the article,’ Zara reminded Fi.

‘I don’t think I’ll need to,’ Fi said, looking past Zara.

There was a murmur, a ripple through the crowd. No, hang on, it wasn’t in the room. It was coming from… What the hell was that?

Tess joined them. ‘I need another drink. Is Dylan still serving, or has he gotten too baked to stand yet…’ she trailed off, looking in the same direction as Fi. A tall man was blocking Zara, so she couldn’t quite tell what they were looking at.

Then the front doors opened, and Zara heard it—the distant sound of chanting, voices rising in unison. She moved toward the entrance, pushing her way through the crowd, and when she stepped outside, she saw them. A mass of people gathered, holding signs, their faces lit by the streetlights, voices echoing down the block.

She heard Tess’s voice behind her, low and startled. ‘What the hell is this?’

Zara turned, her heart in her throat. She didn’t know what to say. Because she didn’t know what the hell was happening. Could it really be what it looked like? ‘It might be… I wasn’t going to mention it tonight. They published the article today but…’

‘SAVE OUR SCREEN! SAVE OUR SCREEN!’ the crowd chanted. A few of them were holding up copies of the paper.

Zara looked at Tess. Tess looked at Zara. Was this happening?