Scarlett Johansson was running late. Again. She stepped on the gas and sped across the intersection. "You've got to be fucking kidding me," she groaned when she heard the siren and saw the flashing blue and red light in her rear-view mirror.
She pulled into a parking lot at the side of the road and cursed her bad luck. Of course there were cops nearby at this particular time and place. Scarlett turned off the engine and lowered her window. The cop car parked next to her and she saw two officers leaving the vehicle and approach her. They were a somewhat comical duo: the shorter cop on the right had a stereotypical bushy moustache and serious expression while the younger one on the left wore sunglasses - although it was cloudy - and walked with an arrogant strut.
"License and registration, please," Moustache asked. Scarlett opened her glovebox and handed him the papers. He stepped away to check them. Sunglasses took his place, resting his elbow on the side mirror. He cleared his throat in some childish attempt to seem important. If only that brat knew who he had sitting before him, Scarlett thought.
"You know how fast you were going, miss?" he asked.
"I-- Uh, I'm sorry, officer," she said, opting to cooperate and get this over with quickly instead of acting resistive. She squinted her eyes and read his name tag, "Officer Dover, I genuinely didn't mean to."
"Right, no one ever means to but they all do anyways." He looked away and sighed in what could only be described as a gesture of self-importance. "Do you have anything in the car that shouldn't be there?" Scarlett furrowed her brow. "Guns, drugs, you know," he explained.
"No, officer," Scarlett said. She looked at her watch. This was horrible. In an attempt to remedy her belatedness, her excessive speed had only delayed her further. "Is this going to take long, officer Dover? I'm supposed to be somewhere. Important meeting." She offered a mirthful smile to alleviate the situation.
"Hold on a second." Officer Dover took a step back, hooking both thumbs behind his belt. "Hey, Mark," he called over the shoulder to his colleague, "we've got a celebrity on our hands." He addressed her again, and said, "Nice to meet you, miss Johansson. Apologies, didn't recognize you with the cap. I'm a big fan actually. You're perfect as Black Widow and loved you in Lucy."
"Thank you, that's kind of you to say."
Officer Mark came up next to Dover. "Celebrity or not, you can't go double the speed limit and get away with it."
"I understand and I apologize," Scarlett played the complaisant citizen. "I'll pay the fine. Please can I go? I've this meeting--"
"Important meetings for important people. Celebrities think their short-lived relevance on the screen places them above the law," said Mark. He faced Scarlett directly. "This'll take as long as it needs. Should've thought about that before you drove too fast." He walked to their vehicle and stepped in while continuing to scan her papers. Was this officer Mark serious?
Dover noticed Scarlett's astonished expression and explained, "Wife cheated on him and wants a divorce. He's been like this a lot lately."
Scarlett smiled awkwardly and welcomed the silence that followed. But inside she was annoyed. That officer Mark had no reason to project his personal problems on others. She shouldn't be the victim of his irritation. She put on a smile again when Mark came back shaking his head. "Paperwork is in order, but that doesn't waylay the fact you were going way too fast. We'll have to bring you in. Might be your driver's license gets suspended."
Scarlett's jaw dropped. She'd never been taken into a precinct. She also didn't want this to be the first time. "Please, officer, this was a dumb mistake, I'll own up to it. But taking me in is a bit farfetched, isn't it?"
"Farfetched? Miss celebrity thinks we make up rules out of thin air when it suits us? Why not let everyone choose how fast they drive? There has to be regulation otherwise the streets would be filled with victims of car crashes..."
Dover placed a hand on his colleague's shoulder. "Alright, Mark, better let me handle this from here."
Mark rolled his eyes and turned to leave.