Page 77 of Drive Me Crazy
Gemma turns toward Blake, smacking him lightly on the arm. “That’s why she looked so familiar earlier!”
Blake says nothing, but I see the muscles in his neck tense. Mine do the same. I really don’t want to be the topic of conversation anymore.
“We pulled some stats and her podcast received four point seven stars from over seventy thousand reviews. Quite remarkable for a female-hosted sports show!”
“Go fuck yourself, Elliot,” I mumble under my breath.
“That is quite impressive,” Marion whispers to me, trying to diffuse the situation. “At least it’s not mean tweets or anything sordid like that.”
“One of PlayMedia’s biggest podcasts is blowing up in the UK right now,” Elliot continues with a relaxed smile. “Trash TalkI think it’s called. Have you listened to it? I haven’t yet, but I know they’ve covered some Formula 1 races.”
“No,” Blake states, his voice flat. His demeanor has changed from relaxed to angry within the span of a question. It’s not lost on anyone.
A new image appears on the screen and I blink in a stupe-fied trance. It’s of Connor and me at the launch party ofCoffee with Champions. It feels like I’ve been sucker punched. A lump rises in my throat as I look at myself grinning next to Connor like it’s the best fucking day of my life. I was excited to learnfrom him, to have him as a mentor. His arm is draped over my shoulders, a slight smirk on his face. At the time, I thought the worst thing I’d have to deal with was bad reviews on Spotify.
“Where’d you get that photo?” Blake hisses. He’s gripping the arms of the chair so tightly he may claw through the fabric. “Take it the fuck down.”
“Oh!” Gemma giggles in delight. “Are you jealous?”
“Bloody fucking cock-up,” Marion swears. She waves her hands, trying to catch Blake’s attention, but it’s no use. His eyes are focused on Gemma. He needs to control himself and walk away. My entire body is on edge, my chest tightening. I’m biting my lip so hard I taste blood.
“She’s obviously close with him since they worked together,” Gemma says, completely oblivious to the effect her words are having on Blake. “Maybe she had a little office romance with him. I’d be jealous of that if it were me.”
“An office romance?” Blake spits out. The sharpness of his voice could pierce through stone. “Brixton’s a fucking predator.”
Adrenaline swirls through my veins, igniting my fight-orflight instincts. I silently beg Blake to let it go. He’s already said too much.
“Just because he worked with Ella doesn’t make him a predator,” she scoffs critically.
“He’s a bastard who harasses and assaults women,” Blake states flatly. “He belongs in a jail cell.”
This is not happening. This cannot be happening. My body trembles as waves of anger and fear flow through it. Marion places her hand on the small of my back to steady me.
“How do you know he’s done that?” Elliot inquires. “That’s a pretty big accusation to make. I know you should never judge a book by its cover, but he seems like a proper fellow. The people love him. It’s why he’s got such a cult following.”
He knows his question is going to push Blake over the edgeand he knows what it’ll do for his ratings. Hot, angry tears roll down my face as I clutch my hands to my heart.
“Oh my God,” Gemma balks, realization claiming her features. “Did he harass your girlfriend?”
“Do you consider him asking her if she wants a dildo that was made from a silicone mold of his dick harassment?” Blake’s so angry that he’s visibly shakings. “Or how about when he choked her and then tried to force himself on her? Is that considered assault?”
There’s a small circle of close friends and family who know what happened at PlayMedia, but that number just grew to include the half a million people tuning in. Gemma’s jaw drops and she struggles to regain her composure. Elliot, on the other hand, jumps on the opportunity to probe more. I know as well as he does that this interview is going to go viral.
“That’s definitely inexcusable behavior.” He nods sympathetically. “Is there proof of her alleged assault?”
Alleged.The word presses down on me like a bruise. Painful and sore. It bothers Blake just as much because he loses any and all restraint. There’s no stopping him unless security drags him out, and even then, he’d be kicking and screaming. I stop listening. I can’t focus on what he’s saying, nor do I care to. I’ve already lived through this in private; I don’t need to hear about it while the world finds out.
It feels as if drops of ice are trailing down my spine as I stumble away from the stage, finding my way outside. The fresh air dries the tears on my cheeks, staining them against my skin. I wrap my arms around my waist, trying to calm my erratic breathing. After a few minutes, I’m able to wave down a cab. I give them Josie’s address, knowing I can’t go back to my own place.
Josie’s waiting for me outside of her building, bundled in a winter coat. She pulls me into a hug, telling me that I’m going to be okay, that it’s going to be okay. Nothing about this isgoing to be okay. She keeps her hand interlocked with mine as we make our way up to her apartment. I’m holding on to her like she’s a lifeline, unable to stop my heart from thudding against my ribcage.
She gives me clothes to change into and sits me down on the couch. Fierce sobs wrack my body, making it hard to catch my breath. I feel like I’m drowning in tears, unable to wipe them off my cheeks quick enough before more follow suit. Josie doesn’t leave my side, petting my hair and rubbing calming circles into my back. All the memories I’ve fought so hard to get control of are swirling around in my head, not stopping to let me take a breath. It’s like I reverted to where I was a year ago. It’s the last place I want to be, but I don’t know how to escape it.
Josie takes control of my phone, fielding texts and calls like she’s J.J. Watt. There’s no way anyone in America will see this before tomorrow, so at least I don’t have to deal with Poppy or my parents right now. I don’t even know what to say to them.
“Marion texted you, asking if you’re all right,” Josie informs me. “She said she’s working on getting them to scrap the episode, but no luck so far. Blake’s also been calling you nonstop.”
The last thing I want is to talk to Blake. “Just turn my phone off.”
