WHEN SCARLETT OPENED her eyes for the first time the next morning, she was unable to block out the consistent dinging noise coming from her phone. Every couple seconds a noise came from her nightstand, so the blonde begrudgingly reached out to grab the device to determine what all the ruckus was about.

—————

TEXT MESSAGES
( group chat )
BOXING BITCHES™️
( jas 😎, letty 🤬, char 👸🏽 )
6:43 AM

jas 😎
WAKE UP DUMBASS

char 👸🏽
helloooooo?
earth to scarlettttttttt

jas 😎
HELLO BITCH WE HAVE SOME
QUESTIONS ABOUT TOM
y'know the freaking ACTOR

char 👸🏽
omg it's like 2 pm your
lazy ass is not still sleeping

letty 🤬
have you dumbasses never
heard of time zones???????

they're really interest bc
I'M IN SWITZERLAND
IT'S 6 AM 🙄🙄🙄🙄

char 👸🏽
oh

jas 😎
good morning 😁😁😁

letty 🤬
die.

jas 😎
anyways

WHAT WAS TOM'S LAST
NAME????

letty 🤬
idk it started with an h or
something he's like my age

char 👸🏽
is this him??

letty 🤬
um yeah  how'd you get a
picture of tom???

jas 😎
OMG YOU DUMBASS
THAT'S TOM HIDDLESTON
AS IN THE FAMOUS ACTOR

—————

Scarlett stared at her phone in disbelief. Her eyes were now wide and void of any trace of exhaustion as she sat up in her bed. She clicked out of her text messages and immediately opened up her twitter. She typed in 'tom hiddleston' and tapped on the first result.

He had 3.4 million followers. Unknown actor, her ass.

Scarlett quickly opened her internet tab and typed his name in there. Some of his films popped up there - the Avengers, Thor, Crimson Peak - all very well known and popular. She recognized the titles immediately, but her hectic training schedule never really allowed her to sit down and watch them.

There was also something else coming up when she googled Tom's name. All of the articles on the first page mentioned a breakup. She clicked on one of the articles and skimmed the words quickly. He had dated Taylor Swift?! Apparently, they had just broken up.

Scarlett clicked her phone off and dropped it on the bed beside her, overwhelmed. She buried her face in her hands for a second and took in a deep breath. She had been talking to a very well known actor last night, and she had smelled like a distillery! She'd probably never get the chance to make a better second impression.

Then she remembered last night's conversation. Breakfast! Hopefully the Brit was an early riser.

She hurried and changed into something casual - a black graphic tee-shirt and some athletic pants - and quickly brushed her teeth. She evaluated herself in the mirror and decided that her bare face was sufficient enough for breakfast.

Jogging down the hallway, she just barely caught the elevator as it was closing. There was a man inside, tiredness it his eyes. It was evident that he wasn't used to being up so early. He looked a little shocked when Scarlett's hand jutted in and stopped the closing door, but he didn't impose.

"Excited for breakfast?" he nearly slurred, rubbing his eye with the heel of his hand. He looked to be in his late forty's with graying hair.

"I just have some business to settle with someone," Scarlett clarified with a tiny shrug. The elevator closed and they slid down towards the main floor.

The door dinged and opened to reveal the nearly empty lobby. Some workers were going about their way, but there were very few guests up at this hour. The pair walked wordlessly towards the cafeteria, unsure if they should make smalltalk. When they entered the breakfast hall, Scarlett was delighted to see there were a few people eating - one of them being Tom.

"Tom!" Scarlett and the elevator man both called out in unison. There was a slight variation in their tones. Scarlett was slightly cross, but the man was jovial and tender. Nevertheless, Tom looked at them both with a wiry smile. Scarlett and the elevator man turned to eye each other suspiciously due to their jinx moment.

"Hello, Mark," Tom replied, motioning towards the seat next to him. "Scarlett."

He was wearing a black collared button-up shirt and lighter colored trousers. His messy brown hair was just tamed enough to look like it had been styled that way purposely.

"Hello, Tom Hiddleston," Scarlett replied stiffly, opting to stand next to the table rather than sit at it. She found herself slightly angry with him for lying. Tom look at her quizzically due to her pointed tone, but decided not to say anything. "Or should I call you Loki? Or Thomas Sharpe?"

The actor groaned audibly and closed his eyes to conceal his eye roll. She must have done her own research last night. Blasted internet.

"What happening here?" Mark asked in innocent confusion, looking between the two rapidly in an attempt to piece the puzzle together.

"Last night, Tom told me that he was some small actor or something," Scarlett clarified moodily, nearly to the point of skulking.

He shook his head lightly in disbelief. "I was simply protecting myself," Tom corrected her with slight irritation, though he did his best to play it off as innocence. He had lied, so what? It wasn't like it was something major - he just didn't want the attention that came with his fame. He was more than his career.

Scarlett continued to brood, arms crossed tightly across her chest. She refused to look at Tom, and he let out a sigh.

"However, I am sorry if you were offended by my actions. I promise to be forthcoming from here on out," he proposed with a raised brow. Scarlett looked to him and cracked her cold demeanor, smiling instead. Tom grinned back. "I hope that means you'll be joining us for breakfast?" He prompted, looking towards the open seat next to Mark.

Scarlett simply continued to smirk and nodded slowly, walking off to the breakfast station to tell the cook what she wanted. Tom let his smile fade as he poked at his omelette.

"New friend?" Mark asked in a whisper that was louder than he intended, jerking his thumb over his shoulder to point to the blonde. "I thought we went on this trip to avoid the entire female species?" He joked, but the question was slightly serious. The purpose of the trip was to help Tom get over his break-up, and Mark wasn't sure bringing some girl into the mix was safe for either of them.

Tom just shrugged plainly. "I find that conversation, with anyone, really, helps me keep my mind off of Taylor," it was visibly painful for him to say her name aloud, and Mark frowned. "Besides, I find her rugged Americanism to be quite charming."

Mark recoiled at his words. "I'm an American! What about my rugged Americanism?" The older man protested adamantly, mocking Hiddleston's accent when he quoted his words.

"You, my friend, have been tamed by Hollywood," Tom chuckled, stabbing a slice of sausage and bringing it to his lips. He quite enjoyed Mark's company, and he found comforting in teasing his older-brother figure.

Scarlett returned to the table with a plate full of eggs and fruit, plopping into the seat next to Mark. She began to pick at the fruit, looking up briefly to notice Tom and Mark staring at her.

"Tom," she piped up, feeling the need to break the silence, "I'm sorry to hear about your break-up."

Tom nearly winced, instantly casting his eyes towards his plate. Scarlett felt instant regret for even bringing it up, setting her fork down on her napkin. She had just suffered from the worst case of word diarrhea ever. So much for making a better second impression.

"Wow, I can't believe I even-"

"Scarlett!" A voice bellowed, loud footsteps approaching from the rear. The woman in question turned around and watched with confusion as Faraday came sprint towards her in his pajama pants and oversized tee-shirt. He looked extremely worried and anxious. "We've got to go...now!"

Everyone at the table seemed to forget about Scarlett's slip up and shifted their focus. "Is everything alright?" Tom asked with a furrowed brow.

"I tried to keep her out, but they wouldn't listen," Faraday continued, grabbing Scarlett by the shoulders in an attempt to get her to stand. "C'mon, c'mon, c'mon."

Mark looked as equally confused as Tom and Scarlett. "Who is her?" He asked cautiously.

As the group quietly fussed, a new group entered the cafeteria. A woman was head of the pack, a whole entourage of paparazzi behind her. Silence fell over the few cafe-goers as they tried to piece together what was happening. Scarlett looked towards the door and squinted, and upon realizing who it was, stood.

"Honey, I'm home," Tonya Gruber decried in a sing-song voice laced with too much honey. Scarlett eyed up the woman she despised, quite unsure how to handle it. She was the last person Scarlett wanted to see - except for Scott, of course.

Tonya was taller than her nemesis, skin dark enough to proudly represent her Spanish heritage. Her hair was a vibrant purple-pink color that was as flamboyant as her attitude.

Scarlett automatically walked towards the woman to contain the situation to one side of the room, having no desire of dragging Tom and Mark into the whole situation.

"What in the hell do you want?" Scarlett hissed as she nearly went toe-to-toe with the woman across from her. She knew Tonya's type - she loved to make a big show, but she was hesitant to actually pull the trigger when the time came. Proving that you weren't scared was a great was to diffuse the situation.

Tonya simply chuckled. "Just came to see what you were up to...in person," she shrugged and poked a finger into Scarlett's chest. She allowed her eyes to wander over to the table of Tom, Mark, and Faraday. "What do we have over here?"

Scarlett stood on her tiptoes and blocked her gaze from the boys. The paparazzi didn't hesitate to snap pictures of that.

"Well, you've seen what I'm doing. Now, get the hell out."

Tonya snickered and looked to the paparazzi behind her; she probably winked or some bullshit along those lines. She was enjoying playing the ring-leader of the media circus. "Well, I'm actually just checking into Pine Grove Resort, neighbor!"

"Neighbor?" Scarlett gawked.

"Yep," Tonya held up her room key in front of Scarlett's nose. "Room 209, right next to you!"

Scarlett cursed under her breath and took a few steps back, pacing in a little circle. How in the hell did this even happen? What kind of psycho went about with the intent of provoking a fight at every possible turn?

"I'm gonna go settle into my room, sweetheart," Tonya smiled wickedly through her darkly painted lips. She then dared to reach out an pat the top Scarlett's head - a dig at her height.

That set Scarlett off. "Keep your fuckin' hands off me, you grimy bitch!" The tiny blonde instantly slapped Tonya's arm away with an audible smack, and the paparazzi's cameras all flashed in a frenzy. Instantly, as if he had been there the whole time, Faraday had a strong arm wrapped around her waist and lifted her into the air. She kicked and clawed at the air, but she was pulled from the fight before it began.

Tonya simply laughed as the cameras blazed. Faraday set Scarlett back on her feet by the table. The blonde instantly reached for the plate her breakfast was on and threw it like a frisbee. Unfortunately, her aim wasn't what she had hoped, and the plate hit a wall near Tonya instead of hitting the woman herself.

The scarlet headed fighter ducked out of the kitchen, the paparazzi following after like puppies. Soon, Scarlett and the boys were left alone in the cafeteria.

Tom and Mark simply stared in disbelief at the pacing woman in front of them. Faraday cussed under his breath feverishly as he thought of the hay-day the media would be having. It would be impossible for him to run damage control on this. Scarlett simply tossed her two new friends an unreadable look and shook her head.

Without another word, she stormed out of the cafeteria, her destination unknown.

"Letty!" Faraday called after her, taking off to follow her when she didn't show signs of stopping.

With the chaos finally ended, it was just Tom and Mark at the table. They stared at each other incredulously.

"Is she still charming?" Mark teased, slicing the tense air with his dry humor. Tom simply tossed his elbow into Mark's ribs and shook his head as the older man let out a hearty laugh.

"Maybe I spoke too soon about Miss Parker," the Brit shrugged. "Or maybe she's just a heartbroken woman with too much to prove."

Mark raised a brow.

"What?" Tom scoffed, tossing his crumpled napkin onto his plate. "She's not the only one who can type a name into a search engine."