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Backstage is freezing, ca everyone, personal trainers are French-inhaling sloppily wrapped joints and a verystands, debating, by a table lined with cha as Jaelista about how neither one of them was cast in the latest blockbuster, about a sunrise in Asia, about Rupert Murdoch Barely able to smile when Linda taps lass of cha around us, the s up everywhere,asleep

A runway has been set up over the downstairs swiner just out of rehab and the show opens with a video of the designer’s boyfriend’s last trip to Greenland, a voice-over blah-blahs about his communion with nature and then the sounds of cold, icy winds are whooshing behind us, hts beco barefoot down the catwalk toward a giant gray screen and I’ with Frederic Sanchez and Fred Bladou, who produced the music for the show, and to co a foot They don’t notice

At the party afterwards I’ for the paparazzi-as instructed-with Johnny Depp and then Elle Macpherson and then Desne and then I’m sandwiched between Stella Tennant and Ellen Von Unwerth, a strained goofy expression lining ive a brief interview to MTV Taipei but the smy nose, and I have to break away frone, and when my vision returns to norhthe French prewith Lyle Lovett and Meg Ryan, and without really even trying I findhim, suddenly aware of just how completely tired I am One brief move the hand

He turns laughing, in thehard when he sees it’s me

"What do you want?" he asks

"I need to talk to you," I say quietly, trying to s

"Yeah ain "I think it’s important that we talk"

"Get out of here," he says i to their own conversation, he says soer," I say quietly "I think if you keep seeing Taer I think you’re already in danger-"

"I think you are an idiot," he says "And I think you are in danger if you don’t leave here now"

"Please-" I reach out to touch hi ot to stay away from them-"

"What? Did Bruce send you?" He sneers "How pathetic Tell Bruce Rhinebeck to be a man and talk tointo him "It’s all of the to help you-"

"Hey, did you hear ainst my temple with such force that ainst a column for support

"Just fk off," he says "Get the fk out of here"

Suddenly Ja into h the crowd

"Au revoir, dude," the actor calls out,Aain, keeps repeating it as she pullsthree, four, eleven times to pose for photos

Outside the Ritz the Christian Bale guy is at the base of the verdigrised colu to Jalares at us I follow Ja to the Cour Vendo to Jae of the plaza She’s cursing, unable to get to our car, and I’ up, uy is no longer at the base of the column Finally Jamie leans into theof a nondescript black BMW that brought us here and lets it go