Page 13 of The Pursuit of Happiness

Angry tears start to stream down my cheeks and my vision blurs. I taste the saltiness of my tears on my lips and start to sob. The words of the people in the comments, the photos, the videos, Slater’s face, all of it. All of it swirls around in my mind like a broken record, reminding me over and over again that my life is ruined forever. I snap, launching my phone across the room and at the tiled wall. I watch as the screen shatters into pieces that fall to the tiled floor, scattering around the entire room as I break with it. The broken shards sparkle in the light and I squeeze my eyes shut, too disgusted to even look at them as I remember what was just illuminated on the screen only seconds ago. I cover my face with my hands and sob until my body starts to shake and I feel like I can’t breathe.

My entire career was just destroyed because of one fucking mistake. Because of Slater Nicks and all for a stupid award. I was foolish for ever believing that he didn’t have malicious intent and I’ll live to regret my misjudgment of his true intentions for the rest of my careerless life.

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NUMB. THAT’S HOW Ifeel after learning that my blood tested positive for Milizopam and MDMA (Ecstasy). I’ve taken Ecstasy recreationally before and never have I ever experienced what I went through last night. I’ve never taken Milizopam though because as Dr. Green explained, it’s a sleeping pill. He explained that whoever drugged me must’ve known what they were doing because when Milizopam is mixed with alcohol it causes memory loss.

We got the call two hours ago which was six hours after mymental breakdown in my bathroom. Selene also informed me that Slater’s blood was positive for the same drugs which means he isn’t the one that drugged me. Unless he drugged himself to cover it up, but even then it would’ve been nearly impossible to carry out a plan while under the effects of both drugs. Slater could’ve still been involved in another way, but he isn’t the one who drugged me. For that, I feel slight relief, but then I remember that he could’ve still been involved in some way and my stomach starts to churn again and again until the only thing that helps is clutching a pillow to my abdomen as I lay on my side in my king sized bed.

Harvey and Dallas are still working to stop the spread of the pictures and videos on social media, but it’s no use. The more posts they take down, the more get posted. I destroyed my phone hastily and Selene already got me a replacement but I have yet to turn it on and set it up. I refuse to turn on the TV let alone look at it because I know the first thing I’ll see on the screen is my naked body under Slater’s and all I’ll hear is the sound of my moans and his.

Ivory and Brody have refused to leave my side and I appreciate their attentiveness and their concern, but I just want to be alone. I want to go a few minutes without them asking me if I’m okay or looking at me like I’m going to burst apart at the seams and crumble.

I lay in my bed on my side with my back to them as I stare at the wall silently. They think I’m sleeping, but my mind won’t slow enough to even muster a decimal of exhaustion even though my muscles ache to sleep.

I hear a deep inhale come from behind, most likely where Ivory and Brody stand at the door. “I wish there was something else we could do,” Brody whispers, disappointment in her voice.

“I know. I feel like this is all my fault. I should never have left her at the club alone,” Ivory whispers back, her voice fullof regret. I feel a twinge of pain in my chest at the thought that she could be blaming herself for this whole mess. From what little I can remember and what she’s told us about the events of last night, it seems I was rather pushy for her to leave me with Slater. I fully trusted him and I feel like such a fool for it.

“It’s not your fault. You know how she can be sometimes. She’s stubborn and when she decides on something you can’t argue with her,” Brody reassures her. “It’s not our fault this happened, but we can damn well make sure we help fix it.” Brody has become so rational and reasonable since getting clean and sober. I truly think she has an entirely new perspective on life and I love to see how she’s changed. It almost makes me feel envious because I have yet to grow as a person the way that she has.

There’s a moment of silence that passes between them before Ivory responds, “I swear to God I’ll destroy every member of Thunderstrike with my bare hands if I have to.”

I can hear the pride in Brody’s response, “You won’t have to because Harvey and Dallas will if Selene doesn’t first.”

“What’s Dallas’ deal? He doesn’t even know us so why does he care about this mess?” Ivory asks, curiosity in her voice. I’ve been wondering the same thing myself. Dallas doesn’t strike me as a charitable man so whatever he’s helping us for surely isn’t just out of the kindness of his own heart. Something is in this for him and I want to know what it is.

Brody hesitates, “He…He’s friends with Harvey,” she explains awkwardly.

She knows something more than she’s letting on. Ivory’s voice gets a little louder. “Yeah, no shit. What does that have to do with him helping us?” Ivory asks.

“I don’t know,” Brody responds and I can hear the shrug in her voice. She’s lying. She knows something she isn’t telling us and when I finally muster the strength to get out of this bed andface the harsh new reality I’m in, I’m going to find out what it is.

Chapter 3

Aria

It’s been two dayssince my life was completely tossed off its axis and ruined in more ways than I can fucking count, and not just because I sucked at math as a kid, but because this damage is way out of control. I mean seriously, Harvey and Dallas have an entire security company’s IT department trying to remove all of the pictures and videos from social media and they’re barely succeeding.

I sent Ivory and Brody home yesterday because I was starting to feel overwhelmed by their presences. I understand they want to offer me support and that they want to be there for me since I’m going through some shit right now, but they were getting a little too overbearing. Wanna know what I mean by that? I mean that Ivory tried to spoon feed me some chicken noodle soup she made me. I was so appalled that I slapped the spoon out of her hand and snapped, “Why are you trying to spoon feed me? I fell victim to Cancel Culture, not the Bubonic Plague!”

Totally not my best moment since she clearly just wanted to help me and support me. After that I asked them both to go home because I knew I was getting to the point where I was bound to snap and say something nasty. I mean seriously, it was getting to the point where Brody was even following me into the bathroom to pee like she wanted to hold my hand or sit with me on the toilet. So no, I totally do not regret sending them home.

I unfortunately had to enable the new phone that Selene got me because that was the only way she would allow me to be alone without Brody and Ivory up my ass 25/8 like a damnthong. I made sure not to download any social media platforms on the new phone and have only used it to respond to Selene’s nagging check-in messages and the check-in messages from Brody and Ivory. Also to read the text from Selene sent at nine this morning.

SATAN’S ANGELS

Selene

All of you are to be at my office at 12

Selene

By all of you, I mean ALL of you. Aria, you especially

Selene

And if you come late I will kill all of you

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