Page 8 of The Pursuit of Happiness
Selene goes silent for a moment and then speaks back into the phone, “Yes, a car will be there in five minutes.” A second later she lowers her voice almost as if whispering, “Are you okay?” I know immediately that she’s not talking about my mental state because it’s clear as day that my mental state is utter shit right now. She’s referring to my physical state. “I-” I stutter, “I don’t know. Can we talk about it when I get home?” My voice splits and I lose the battle against my unwanted tears.
Selene sighs, “Okay. I’ll be at your house. Talk soon.”
I nod even though she can’t see me, “Okay.”
As I’m about to hang up she adds, “I’ll text you when the car gets there and what kind it is. If you see any paps, do not answer any questionsat alland absolutely donotlet them see your face if you’re crying. Keep your head down,” she demands.
I nod as I hang up. I hide behind a large pillar in the lobby so that I’m out of view and wait for Selene to text me. In a little under five minutes she finally does and it’s with the car details. I hurry to exit the hotel and once I’m on the sidewalk, a camera flash catches my attention. My stomach immediately sinks and I hold both hands up to shield my face as I rush towards the car, holding my tears at bay. Once I spot it, I notice the driver waiting by the back door, holding it open for me. I ignore the shouts of the paparazzi and the badgering as I sprint for the door, hiding my face the entire time. I jump in the back and the driver quickly shuts the door behind me.
He rushes to the driver’s seat and begins driving, making quick work of saying hello to be polite. He doesn’t engage in any conversation and I silently thank him because I am in no state to be having any conversations of any sort right now.
I can’t stop the tears from streaming down my cheeks and I can’t stop myself from feeling so betrayed. I didn’t know Slater Nicks before last night, but after talking to him and spending some time with him I didn’t think he had it in him to do this.I feel like such a fool for misplacing my trust and I feel like an even bigger fool for underestimating his ambition. The betrayal turns to hurt which forms a bitter taste in my mouth. I feel like the biggest fool on the planet right now for thinking he actually had interest inmeand not just the Muse Award.
I rest my forehead on the cold glass as I cross my arms over my chest. I watch the busy streets of Los Angeles fly by, the sea of bodies, cars, and shops turning into a mirage before my eyes as the reality of my situation sinks in. Slater Nicks just ruined my entire career and it may never recover from this now that the entire world has seen that video.
Chapter 2
Aria
I open the onyx,wrought iron doors of my gothic style house and my stomach sinks in fear of what I’m about to walk into. I know Selene is pissed and I don’t want to face the music, but I know I have to. I practically stumbled up my driveway in a heaping mess of tears and regret.
I step inside after mustering the courage and immediately kick off my shoes. My house is silent, too silent. I wait to hear the sounds of Kiko and Taz’s little meows coming from somewhere, but they don’t come, which tells me that they’re with Selene. I tread carefully through the dark hallways of my house, my bare feet cool from the temperature of the black and gray tiles beneath me. I walk all the way to the living room and brace myself for the worst just as I turn the corner.
As I expected, Kiko and Taz are curled up on someone’s lap, but that someone isn’t Selene. Selene stands off to the side, her arms folded across her chest. She wears one of her signature multi-thousand dollar designer pantsuits and her hair is slicked back into a low bun at the nape of her neck. Her pale skin reflects the yellow light from the ceiling and she scowls at me, disappointment clear on her face. Usually, I find it pretty hard to take Selene serious considering she’s a whole foot shorter than I am, but right now I’m so mentally exhausted, defeated, betrayed, disgusted, humiliated, the list really just fucking goes on and on, that I can’t even make light of the situation. Her angry glare is cutting me, but not nearly as deep as Slater’s betrayal did.
I focus back on the people -yes multiple people, not just one- who are seated on my victorian style couch and frown when I take in the worried looks on both Brody and Ivory’s faces. Kiko, my tortoiseshell colored cat is curled up in Brody’s lap, purring as Brody scratches her head and Taz, my psychotic orange cat, is sprawled out in Ivory’s lap giving me a look of distaste as if he himself saw my sex tape and is internally muttering phrases in cat language like,she is such a slut, this dumb human,andI only stay here because she feeds me expensive ass food.I’ll remember that the next time he meows at me for treats, I promise myself.
I’m not too surprised to find Brody and Ivory here along with Selene. They’re my best friends and this situation affects them just as much as it affects me, but what really surprises me and catches me off guard is the unexpected presence of Harvey, Brody’s boyfriend. I didn’t expect him to show up for something like this. I don’t know Harvey well, but from what I do know, he’s very unapproachable and intimidating. He doesn’t come across as friendly and I’ve never initiated conversation with him because of that fact. The man looks at everyone like he hates them, but not Brody. His face is always hard but manages to soften when she enters the room or when she’s near him.
As far as I was concerned, Harvey was never a fan of mine. That’s why I’m surprised to find him here in my home of all places.
Selene angrily taps her foot on the floor, “So?” She snaps, breaking the silence.
I give her a look of defeat, “Selene-”
“Do you have any idea what you did? You just jeopardized your chance at winning the Muse Award all because you wanted to be reckless and have sex oncamera!” She raises her voice towards the end, her silent anger gone. She’s completely riled up.
I want to cry but I feel drained of all tears. It seriously feels like my eyes are deserts right now. “I’m sorry,” I apologize even though it holds no weight.
Selene rolls her eyes, “Don’t apologize to me. Apologize to Brody and Ivory because this affects them just as much as it affects you. That award was supposed to be for all of you and you may have just ruined it,” she blusters in a hard voice.
Brody interrupts, “Selene-”
Selene cuts her off, “No, Brody. Don’t defend her and don’t be so quick to forgive. She most certainly did not have any of you in mind last night when she made her debut in amateur porn.”
Brody sighs and gives me a sympathetic look, “Aria, what happened?”
Ivory adds, “I left the club at two in the morning, but you demanded that you were staying with Slater so I let you do your thing. You seemed to be having fun and I thought you were both really hitting it off. What happened after I left?”
I walk over to the couch and basically throw myself down beside Ivory, “I don’t know.”
Selene fumes impatiently, “What do you mean you don’t know?’
I shrug, “I mean I don’t remember anything after I started dancing with him.”
Selene looks at Ivory, “When did she start dancing with him?”
Ivory looks off as if lost in thought trying to remember, “I want to say it was around one thirty in the morning.”
