Moxie didn't like to admit how much she needed to simply be around her mother sometimes, even as an adult. Whenever she found herself in freefall, her mother knew how to keep her steady. Be the parachute to help her land safely. Due to living on opposite coasts for most of the year, they didn't have as many of these outings as before. A painful reminder that life kept moving, often in different directions, even if it was for the best.

The worst part was knowing there was nothing wrong with needing her mother, or even both of her parents, really. But acknowledging it meant accepting that she didn't know as much about life as she thought she did, and, as the friend who prided herself on helping others, she found that a difficult pill to swallow.

Milena King had a small break in her schedule and had extended her stay in Los Angeles, which Moxie used to her advantage and called for a girls' day. As her mother often did, she spent the beginning of her week at the King children's apartment cleaning and organizing. Moxie had finally convinced her to step outside for some fresh air. There weren't many cozy places nearby their apartment, unfortunately, so they ended up at a local trans-owned coffee shop that Moxie frequented.

"So... Mick told me you turned down the biopic."

Moxie chugged a strategic amount of hot chocolate to avoid answering the question. Unfortunately for her, she was talking to her mother, so winning that predicament was not viable. "Technically, yes, but we barely had a conversation."

"Kind of hard to have one when you're walking out of the room, though, right?"

"You're being very loud, mother."

Milena laughed and eyed her carefully, assessing the emotional state of her eldest child. Moxie really had been spoiled when it came to the cards she had been dealt in life. Having parents who not only gave them a leg up in nearly every facet of their wellbeing could not be ignored, but, more importantly, they maintained a good relationship with both of their children, even into adulthood. Too many of Moxie's friends had shared about the strained or entirely nonexistent relationships they had with one or more parents. Having a good parental support system was not something she could ignore, given her circumstances.

"What's the hesitation?" Milena asked. "You love movies. You used to want to be an actor or do something with film. That's why you begged me to bring you along with me all the time."

"I know, but—"

How did Moxie admit any of her conflicted thoughts without crumbling in the process? She couldn't very well confess any of it without ruining the image of her parents' trusted friend and colleague. And, even more importantly, she couldn't trust that she would be believed anyway. Not by her family, but by anyone else. Once she exposed something like that, inevitably, the dominoes would begin to fall, whether she wanted them to or not. Considering the entertainment industry's track record, there was no guarantee that what happened after would help her in any way, assuming something did happen.

She thought about it, though. She thought about throwing everything away and telling her mother. Moxie tried to imagine a right and just world where she received justice for what had been done to her, and a world where she healed from it, as well as a world where that promised land existed for all people.

Instead of being honest like Moxie had always promised she would be, she came up with an excuse.

"Wanting to be an actor and actually, you know, acting are completely different. Can you imagine the headlines if I fuck it all up and make a fool of myself? Nepo babies and their mediocre talents strike again. Everyone's kids will be coming after me with pitchforks."

She was being dramatic, sure. There were far worse people in the industry who didn't earn their platforms.

"Oh, but you're overestimating the nepo baby part, my dear. They'll burn you at the stake first just for being a woman, and then for being a lesbian. The nepo baby part will probably be the most endearing."

Moxie laughed and threw a straw wrapper at her mother, who flicked it back onto the table.

Even the Patrick aspect aside, Moxie treaded lightly when it came to career opportunities; partly because she didn't want to overextend herself, which would, in turn, result in work she wouldn't be proud of, but also because she cared about public perception, despite the impression she gave off. While she didn't want to deny herself a good opportunity that suited both her desires and work schedule, as well as allowed her to prove her worth in a craft she committed her life to perfecting—not that perfection was such an attainable thing—she knew her limits, as well as the limits of the people around her. Moxie also never wanted to undeservedly take a spot that was better suited for someone else who did not have the same level of privileges she did.

"Maybe one day," she mused, hoping her mother didn't care enough to hold her to it. "I just think I'm a bit too focused on music right now. With the last album, the tour wrapping, Mick and I wanting to start recording the next one. I don't think that, even if I wanted to, taking on an acting project is the best idea for me right now."

Milena smoothed her hand over Moxie's short hair before lovingly patting her cheek.

"Sometimes I still worry about you folks being out here on your own, and then other times like this, you remind me how much you've grown."

"Because I'm turning down a possible job? God, you really are a mom."

"Knowing your limits is very mature," Milena said. "This industry eats people up all the time, especially when they're already overworked and tired. If you can say no and continue doing what you love to do, then I think that's a good choice to make."

Moxie thought l the people who didn't have the luxury to say no. Or all the people who said no but were never listened to.

"Speaking of... how's Cruella really doing?"

Maybe grabbing lunch alone with her mother wasn't the best idea after all. If Mick were here, he could have distracted her from asking about the two most pressing things in her life.

"You sound awfully suspicious for it being 11 am."

"Well—" Milena shrugged. "I get the sense she's one of those people who, despite her best efforts, hasn't been able to say no as easily."

Moxie knew what she meant, even if it didn't come out the best. Cruella was a former child star, after all, and they weren't exactly known for being treated appropriately. As young as she was, Cruella had a long list of credits to her name, and though, of course, her tastes changed over the years as she grew up and matured, many of those projects didn't read as something she would have chosen to do if it were fully up to her.

"She seemed off the other day after the premiere. Like she had a lot on her mind and nowhere to pour it all out," Milena continued. "So did you, but I figured you wanted to talk about it at another time."

Was this the other time that she was supposed to be comfortable confronting what was on her mind? Was this when she should have opened up to her mother while she still had her within her grasp? Ideally, probably. But Moxie didn't know where her problems started and ended, especially when they involved other people.

"Have you ever met someone and just kind of felt like... I don't know. Someone who just feels like the air is always so heavy around them, you know? Not 'cause they're a problem or that they cause all these problems themselves. Like, life just always seems to throw something their way, and now they're constantly walking around with this big open wound? And you can tell they're struggling with it, with something, but they never want to admit it."

"Yeah," Milena exhaled softly. "You try to be there for them, remind them they have someone in their corner who cares, but sometimes, being there for someone isn't quite enough."

Moxie picked at her fingernails. "Every day, I wake up, look online, and see a new story about her. How she's Hollywood's wild child, moments from spiraling out of control again. I saw a poll the other day about when they think she's going to check back into rehab, and even what kind of rehab, 'cause no one knows exactly why she went in the first place. Maybe I'm overreacting, but I keep worrying that I'm going to wake up one day and find some horrible headline about her and..." She trailed off.

"What kind of headline?"

Moxie shrugged. "I don't even know. That she's cheated on me. Or gotten hurt. Or yeah, maybe she's gone back to rehab. Something bad."

"Have you talked to her about this?" Moxie shook her head. "It seems like you're looking for answers everywhere but from her. You're getting sucked into headlines written by people who know nothing about her. People who, as you are aware, literally profit off of chaos and speculation."

Her mother was right, of course. Laid out as simply as a mother could. Moxie didn't want to admit that she fed into the media frenzy, despite spending so much time criticizing it.

"I think your first step, before you keeping freaking out about something you aren't sure is a serious concern yet, is to talk to her. Don't accuse her of something. Don't be angry at not knowing. Just... give her the space to open up. You'd be surprised by how easily the truth comes pouring out, good or bad."

"Yeah, maybe you're right."

Of course, she was right. Milena King was always right, even when she was wrong.

Her mother smiled at her like she was watching the sun rise. "You're doing alright, my love. Don't overthink it."