It was an afternoon for helping Abby when Emily rushed into my room, jumped on my bed, and covered herself with my sheets. She mumbled that Clare wouldn’t delete the photos. I gathered from the muffled sounds coming out of my sheets that Daniel also seemed to like Clare more than Emily.

I was shocked.

How did she get into my room? Did I forget to lock the door?

“What are you doing?”

“Huh?” she said, still covered by my sheets.

“Get out of my bed. Get out of my house. When did I say it was fine for you to come into my house?”

“No.”

“What?”

“This is important for you too! I mean Clare wouldn’t delete the pictures…we’re doomed…”

“No, but still, I was-“

“Masturbating? Don’t worry, I barely looked there. I just rushed into the bed in case you were doing it.”

“I wasn- that- you can’t just come into my room like that! This is my Abby time! Something I had very little of ever since I started this stupid job. And we can always deal with this later, it's not like she told you that she was releasing them or something?”

“No, but she said something even more ridiculous!”

“I don’t care, please, just let me have my free time.”

“Sorry~”

“If you were so sorry you would get out of my house.”

“No. I need somewhere to go to be alone but the office is closed and my parents would bug me all day.”

“Get out of my house.”

“No.”

This was going nowhere. I focused back on my computer. If I couldn’t get rid of her then I can act like she wasn’t there.

The Internet had stopped talking about Abby's ex, which they never managed to find, but instead settled on making horrible lies about her. Stories of her tricking others, of her having a horrible personality, everybody seemed to enjoy hitting the target of the week. I’m sure they would stop soon. But even if they didn’t I would protect her. In a way, you could say that it was my fault that this all happened.

“They totally ignored me, I can’t believe they ignored me…” A voice came from behind me. I ignored it.

To come up with posts that protected someone was just as simple as coming up with posts that-

“And she even lied about me, she was always lying. Like when she told you that I was seducing other men. I would never! I mean…I could see-“

“Stop.”

“How some people could see me talking to men as me seducing them, but I n-never did anything with them! I promise!”

This wasn’t going to work.

“Okay,” I turned around to see her head popped out of a bundle of sheets, a trickle of her blond hair in front of her face, while the rest of her body was covered up like a ball. “what do you want?”

“I’m sorry, I just need to vent. There isn’t anybody else that I can tell this to! Clare really is a demon.”

So I listen to her and she goes away? How long could it take, an hour maybe? “It's because you won’t do anything, you're always just begging and acting nice. Why would she do anything you say when she has all the power?”

“I…I don’t know.”

“So, come on. Tell me what happened and then we can see what to do after this. I was hoping that this could wait…until at least Monday. Now I won’t have any days off…”

“Sorry…”

“Come on, spit it out.” I turned off the computer and lay on the edge of my bed. I was facing a sheet covered Emily with black eyeliner and pink painted lips. “What happened?” I asked

“Well…

——————————————————

I arrived there early, because, you know, I wanted to get there before Clare got there. And I was also covered from head to toe, I had a jacket, glasses, a mask-

Come on, get to the point.

Clare arrived second, and then Daniel. At first, he was surprised that Clare was there, but I gave some excuse on how I wanted to make sure that if some paparazzi got a picture of us it wouldn’t seem like a date. He…I don’t know if he believed me.

You seem like a bad liar.

We decided on the spot to go with that note you gave me. He said that he wanted to meet up in a local zoo where we could have fun watching animals and talk. Like he was ready to fall in love with me.

I don’t know. When he came in and saw me with Clare he didn’t seem phased. All of us were wearing our masks and our glasses to make sure that nobody would notice us as we walked around. At first, it was silent, but then we started talking. Everything was going well until Clare butted in.

“So why do you guys like each other? I know that Emily has told me a lot about you.” What a liar, I never even told her about him.

“I just like her.” He said, “I like her personality, and she's just my type.”

“Ahh, that's understandable. You know attraction is important, but…did she tell you?”

“Hm?”

I can’t believe what she said next, I wanted to strangle her right then and there, but I don’t think I have the strength to do that. “She had a couple of procedures done.”

Which, I mean, is true. I have had a couple things done, but it wasn’t much! I wouldn’t even consider it something to bring up just because it really wasn’t that much, and even if it was who cares-

Just keep on going and get to the part where she says she wouldn’t delete the photos. Remember, the important part.

Anyway, it wasn’t much plastic surgery. So she continues, “I just think it's important that you would understand everything about her, and accept it all, before you think of going into a relationship with her” what? It's obvious that she was just shit-talking me! I don’t know if Daniel bought it. I tried not to look at him.

“I still like her. It's not like I choose her just because of looks or anything. So what if she had a couple things done? Haven’t we all?”

“I just wanted you to know. But I’m…glad that you are okay with it. I wouldn’t have given you the okay if you weren’t! Love is more than just looks you know.” Then she hugged his arm. “I’m glad you’re a good guy…”

Then, for some reason, something…I just…I don’t know, Igrabbed his arm. I could see his entire face get red under the mask, but I didn’t care! I wasn’t going to lose against her. And we walked the entire time holding both his arms, the conversation quiet and stupid.

“Tell me,” She continued with her dumb voice. “What's your dream girl? I know that Emily must be up there, but what do you think of…I don’t know…me?”

“W-well I don’t- I can’t really say, I don’t know you that well.”

“Well, there's always time right Emily?”

I bit my tongue. How was I supposed to respond to her?! “Y-yea. It's important to know your dream type.” I can’t believe I said that.

I didn’t want to leave them alone. I grabbed his arm so hard that I could feel his heartbeat, but my body didn’t care. I had to go pee. So I told them to wait for me.

That seems dumb..

When I have to go pee, I have to go!

When I came back they were sitting on a bench. Laughing. They had bought some food from one of the vendors in the zoo and were eating it and talking. She wasn’t as close to him as she was when I was there, but they seemed closer than before. She was eating her food, looking at him, and he was looking at her too, talking, with a big smile in his eyes. I don’t know. When I saw that I felt like I didn’t belong there. Like a should leave...

And? Come on.

I went back to them and sat in between them. The air felt quiet and the conversation died down. When I came back it looked like they were too scared to continue whatever it was they were talking about.

I don’t know, once we finished going around the zoo we both waved Daniel away. And there we were, me and Clare.

I broke the silence. “Delete the photo.”

She looked at me. “I won’t delete it.”

I was shocked, scared, and angry. I swear I could’ve ripped her head off! “I did everything you asked?! Why won’t you delete it?”

“How about…you stop talking to Daniel for a month. I don’t like you talking to him. And maybe I’ll reconsider deleting it.”

“But that wasn’t the deal!”

“The deal changed. It's not like it matters if I release the photo now or two months from now, either way, daniel will be in for a surprise if he sees that you were with another man while trying to date him, or, who knows, maybe he’s the type of guy to forgive something like that.”

I know Daniel. He would never forgive me for something like that, he could easily have thirty other women going after him. He would never forgive me for something like that.

——————————————————

“So what?” I asked “She just wants to go out with him, give her Daniel and we can all be done with this.”

“No! I won’t ever give him up, and especially not to Clare.”

There's something to be said for her tenacity. Yet…I need that picture gone now. It wouldn’t do me any good to have Abby think that I’m dating every woman in the company. “But he's just another guy, don’t you talk to a million.”

She shot up. Her body revealed itself from inside the sheets like a butterfly leaving its cocoon. “I don’t talk to other guys! That's a lie! Why? Because I’m b-beautiful and f-famous you think I just talk to every guy that comes my way? Daniel is different. He’s nice, he’s cool, he’s always ready to listen to me when it counts, and I know that he likes me for me and not because I’m famous. And just because Clare likes him enough to blackmail me out of the picture doesn’t mean that I should give up on him. It means that I made the right choice and should try harder to get him!”

I had no idea how that logic worked. But she said it with so much conviction and energy that it made sense. I would never give up on Abby. “You know…you are kinda making sense. But what's more important is that if you keep going with him it will end in disaster anyway, do you think Clare wouldn’t release that photo? You just have to give him up and everything is solved.”

“I-I don’t know…if I knew I would be able to tell you. If it was so easy to give him up then I would just give him up, wouldn’t I? I think maybe you were right…maybe we have to, not kill her, but maybe…I don’t know..”

“Listen, you barged into my room, and then you go into a long story about how your entire life was ruined. If you want to maybe I can help you figure out another way to get her to give up on that photo.” I pointed to the door. “I will see you tomorrow, early, for our meeting with Abby.”

For a second, against the bright light of my lamp, I saw her lips curve down. “Don’t you enjoy talking with me?”

“I do.”

“Then why does it always seem like you are trying to push me off? I-I like talking with you, I feel like we make good friends.” I would never associate myself with someone so dumb and innocent.

“I enjoy talking with you too.” The saddest thing about people is that you can’t just hit them, sometimes you have to give them a treat. “I think you are a very special person Emily, I think you are a person that can do anything they set their mind to, that's why I admire you so much, it's sad to see you talk over and over about a man that is obviously just using you. But…you are interested in him so there's nothing I can do. I’ll help you get rid of that photo and get with Daniel.”

She looked down at me as I lay on the bed. The sadness on her face replaced by something else. “Will you?”

“Of course. On Monday, after we meet with Abby I will be more than happy to help you get Daniel. But right now…” I pointed to the door.

“Okay..”

She crawled off my bed and to the door. “We’ll figure it out Emily,” I said as she left. “If you decide that Daniel is the best and that he is for you, I’m sure we can figure some way to convince her.”

“You think so?”

“I’m sure I can think of something.”