The question isn’t who’s going to let me; it’s who’s going to stop me. -Ayn Rand
Bellamy
“You’ve got a few interviews lined up over the next couple days. I know that none of you like hearing this shit, but it’s necessary. Interviews mean exposure, which leads to more people hearing about you, maximizing your fanbase and at the end of the day that means more money for everyone. I don’t know about the lot of you, but I’ve been eyeing a new Prada bag.” I overhear Evie talking to the boys, I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but it’s a bit hard to do when we’re stuck on a bus with each other. “Bell?” I turn my head to the left and look over to Evie, who’s staring me down. “I haven’t booked many interviews for you quite yet considering that we’re still dealing with your PR nightmare, and honestly, we’ll probably be dealing with that for the next five years, so we’re gonna buck up and just say fuck it. Okay? I want you shadowing the boys, seeing how they handle interview questions. There’s a possibility someone might get ballsy and ask you something. Under no circumstances will you answer, do you understand me?”
I immediately glance over to Jase, Rocky, Miles, and Syd – all who look at me like I’m a lamb getting ready to be slaughtered. “I got it. Don’t you worry about me, Ev’.”
“Oh, sweetie. You don’t have a damn thing. Tell me that after you meet with Summer.” She laughs, going to sit down at the barstool in front of the small island along the kitchenette. I stay seated on my comfortable position on the plush couch, thinking about none other than Summer Poole – the woman who helped expose me to the entire world, also known as the Devil.
There was no proof that Zac was the one who sent her the naked pictures of me, but I knew deep down it was him. No one else could have had access to those photos. Absolutely no one. I had sent them through Snapchat, and he must’ve screenshotted them. Only, I didn’t know when I sent them that he would use them as a form of revenge and blast them out to the ice queen of the media world. That’s where Summer came into play, she got my pictures and had a field day, sending them out everywhere that she had access to. I was her story. While she ruined my reputation, she gained followers. How messed up is that? I was crying myself to sleep for weeks, and she was out partying amongst the elite, celebrating her success – tearing me down piece by piece.
I was just newly signed and starting to gain momentum in the music industry when the photos leaked, and within one second I was branded a whore. Not exactly a way to keep my image up, is it? People loved to say that I was the one who leaked my own photos to Summer as a way to get in the spotlight, it was a “publicity” stunt. That’s bull hockey, and we all know it. Never have I wanted to be exposed in such a way.
Evie has been a godsend, a tough lady, but a godsend nonetheless. She’s put together anything and everything that she could to help me repair my reputation. It started out with going to hospitals and singing for sick kids, then to the animal shelters donating my hours, which ultimately led to benefit concerts and somehow that turned into me booking not only more gigs but also helped promote my music. I wasn’t just the ex-girlfriend of Zac Depp who made her fame by her cover videos on YouTube. I was Bellamy Mason, rising star.
There have been times where Evie and I have butted heads, but at the end of the day she does what is best for us, and that’s all that matters.
***
“Are you sure you want to be here?” Jase questionably asks me. I know exactly what he’s thinking, that I won’t hold myself together once I’m face to face with Summer, and who knows – maybe I won’t. But I will sure as heck try.
I simply nod my head at his question. Yeah, this woman may have scorned me, but I am the bigger person, and I can’t wait to show her that.
No…what I can’t wait to do is show her that her attempt to ruin me failed. I may still be dealing with a lot of crap from trolls, but she doesn’t know any of that. The only thing she will see is me, standing before her, with a poo-eating grin on my face.
The group of us have been sitting in a small room with two leather couches for the last forty minutes. It’s just passed five in the afternoon and the guys were supposed to start their interview at about four-thirty. Evie ended up passing on attending so she could go schmooze some big wigs in the radio world, meanwhile, we’re left here waiting on the Ice Queen to summon us, and by us, I mean the guys.
“She’s sure made us wait long enough,” Rocky huffs, stretching his legs out across the floor in front of him. “I’m damn well gonna make myself comfortable waiting for the Ice Bitch.” He lugs his arm around me and pulls me against him until I lay limp against his side.
“You realize this is gonna give her the wrong impression, right?” I mumble, automatically knowing how she’s going to twist this scene and say that I’m in a relationship with Rocky. It’s like a sixth sense that I have. Maybe once you’re scorned by the media you start thinking how they think or think about the different ways that they can get a one-up on their colleagues.
“I’m holding your lil’ butt just like I’d hold my baby sisters, if I had one,” he chuckles,
“You are not,” Jase growls lowly, rolling his eyes at Rocky.
Out of everyone, I’ve noticed that these two bicker the most. Nothing ever comes of it, but they fight like an old married couple. It’s amusing, lightening the mood exactly when I need it to. This time it doesn’t, though.
“Take your paw off Bellamy before Summer gets the bright idea that we’re all fucking her.”
“She won’t think I’m fucking her. I can hardly stand being in the same room with her,” Miles hisses, causing me to gasp in shock and glare at him.
“Will you just tell me what in the hell I did to you that makes you hate me so much?” I snap, shocked at the fact I even cursed, which is something I only do when I’m singing or extremely pissed. I don’t get it. I just don’t understand why in the hell Miles hates me. He always has, and maybe he always will, but I damn well deserve an answer! And what I don’t deserve is to be treated this way.
“It’s more what you didn’t do. You didn’t work your way up from the bottom playing at no-name clubs. You sang other people’s songs in front of a camera and the only reason you were discovered is that you were riding on Depp’s fame. That is the reason you’re even in this room with us because you saw an opportunity with him and started playing your own game.”
“She isn’t Kallie, stop treating her like she is,” Syd barks, jumping up in my defense. Kallie Hart, Miles’ ex-girlfriend. Oh my gosh. How I should have known. He hates me because he thinks that I’m just like her. The only difference is that Kallie actually used her boyfriend to get noticed, I didn’t. All I did was continue to be supportive of Zac, while having a bit of fun on YouTube. I never knew that my channel would blow up overnight, or that I’d be getting a call from a major record company. It was a once in a million shot. There was no way that I could’ve seen what the future had in store for me.
“She is nothing like Kallie,” Jase jumps in, and the next thing I hear is Rocky going, “Yeah,” in total agreement with his other two bandmates.
“That’s bullshit, and you all know it. Bellamy is just like Kallie, and you’re all too blind to see it. Especially you, Jase. You’re like a fucking puppy dog practically in love with her, co-writing songs in the middle of the night. You think we don’t hear that shit? You’re getting played just like I was, man. I only hope that you realize what kind of leech she is before it’s too late.”
“Wait. Hold up a minute!” Syd snaps at Miles. I sit up and stand. Rocky tries to grab my hand, but I’m too quick for him as I take a few steps away, turning towards Miles.
“Well, this leech is going to get lost.” I knew that Miles didn’t like me, it was so much more than obvious. Only, I didn’t fully comprehend just how much until today. I can’t blame him, in a way I can understand why he hates me so much. Kallie took him through the ringer. But just because I empathize with the way he feels doesn’t mean I’ll stand around and be his punching bag. He can talk as much crap about me as he wants. I refuse to stand around and listen to it.
Quickly, I walk towards the door and shut it tightly behind me, continuing down the hallway until I turn the corner and am faced with none other than the Ice Queen herself, Summer Poole. “My, my. I could hear your lovely little squabble from my office. Care to tell me what has the pack in a spiff?”
“Go see for yourself.” In the back of my mind, I know that I shouldn’t have added any more fuel to the fire. My simple comment is just going to give Summer ammunition for when she goes to interview them. Is it wrong that I don’t care? That I’m too hurt by Miles’ comment to even give a damn on what she asks? The only thing I want to do right now is run into the city and get lost. I just want to explore, to see, and most importantly, not think about anything that just happened. After all, I’ll have plenty of time to do that when I get back home tonight.