Page 78 of Shapes of Love
“Hey, what’s up?” Marissa asks.
“We were just talking about a song,” I lie. I don’t feel like bringing Marissa into the conversation we were having. I don’t think Shirley would want me to, either. “What are you doing here?”
Marissa is the embodiment of “this meeting could have been an email.” She doesn’t get stuck in LA traffic unless she has no other choice.
Marissa looks between me and Shirley. “Hey, Shirley, would you mind stepping out? I need a private word with Sasha.”
Shirley turns to me, as if askingDo you want me to stay?
“I don’t mind if Shirley hears. I trust them. What’s going on?” I cross my arms and sink farther into the couch, a sense of dread pooling in my chest. If Marissa came all the way here, it means she wants to tell me something she couldn’t tell me over the phone.
“You want the good news or the bad news?” Marissa says.
“Bad news first.”
“Let’s start with the good news.”
“I just said—”
“Your label has an amazing new marketing plan for your upcoming album. Sasha, when I tell you I gasped… it’s so detailed. And they’re doubling our budget.”
“Why?” I ask, my heart dropping. “I already get enough exposure. Why would I need more?” I don’t even want it.The thought of a longer press tour makes me want to bang my head against the wall.
Marissa’s expression turns uneasy. “That’s the bad news. Check your socials.”
Shirley exchanges a glance with Marissa and reaches for their phone. The pause stretches as I grab my own phone. Suddenly I’m met with a picture of Kai and Asher, kissing in the middle of a hallway.
Shock slices through me.What? No, this can’t be. Surely, it’s AI. Or Photoshop—
My body goes cold, my fingers numbing as I scroll through a bunch of posts, eyes darting from video to video, comment to comment. But it’s real. The picture was taken from far away, but Asher’s arm is clearly around Kai’s waist, and they’re leaning into each other in a way that can’t be mistaken for a platonic gesture.
Several hashtags are already trending:#hecheated, #wreckitasher, #SASSYWELOVEYOU.
“We need to do something.” A sinking feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. This is my fault. My lie, spinning out of control.
Marissa squeezes my shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’re working on a contingency plan. We’ll say that you were blindsided by the news, and that as far as you know, you guys were already broken up.”
“That’s not the truth!” I swat her hand away, scrambling to my feet. Marissa would do anything to keep me out of this mess. I understand that’s her job, but doesn’t she have a heart? My friends just got outed. Everyone thinks Kai cheated onme, and Asher’s spent his entire life protecting himself, only for me to expose him in a second.
“They did blindside you with their relationship,” Marissa says. “It’s not lies when it’s based on the truth.”
The room spins around me until I have no choice but to sit down on the couch. How does she even know that? All I told her is that I wanted to end the contract because Kai had started seeing someone else, and it wasn’t fair to them. She must have put the pieces together when the picture leaked.
Fuck. How did these pictures get out in the first place?
“The truthisa lie,” I say. “I won’t throw Kai under the bus.”
I pull at my ponytail so hard my scalp hurts, but the ache in my chest remains. I can’t let Kai go through this alone. He agreed to the contract to help me.
“It will destroy your career if you don’t,” Marissa says, her tone gentler. “Sasha, how do you think your fans are going to take it? When they find out that you’ve been lying about who your music is about, about dating Kai, and even about your sexuality.”
“You told me to do it!” I yell, anger pulsing through me even though I know it’s not her responsibility. I agreed to this in the first place, and I should have known better.
“Because you had to, Sasha. Your image is more important than your personal feelings. Your entire career hinges on what your fans think of you.”
My image.My throat burns with a mixture of tears and frustration. Is this what the rest of my life will be like? Lying to avoid compromising the previous web of lies?
“They won’t have much mercy for Kai or Asher either ifyou tell the truth. Kai was your accomplice. If you come clean about the contract, they’ll hate him as much as they’ll hate you.” She crouches beside me and reaches for my hands. “This isn’t about being honest, Sasha. This is about damage control. Someone has to control the narrative. Right now, you do. You can leverage this into a heartbreak album that paints Kai in a good light to soften some of the blow. But there’s nothing you can do for them right now. They chose to kiss in public. These are the consequences.”
