Miles Apart - Sam Kiszka x OC fanfic

CHAPTER 13: ONCE ON THE INTERNET, ALWAYS ON THE INTERNET

LMAO I'M SO SORRY FOR THIS CHAPTER
tw: smut at the end of the chapter
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"Bella, Stacey wants to talk to you," Lilli whispered to me during the Fleet Foxes Tiny Desk performance. I looked at her, trying not to be too loud as in to not disturb the performance, but she simply nodded, confirming my prior concerns as to what this could be about.

It was the day after Sam had informed me of his relations with Santana, and I couldn't help but question if this sudden meeting was about the aforementioned boy. I shook the hands of the performers, thanking them for coming before rushing down the stairs to the offices in an anxious hurry.

I showed up at the door of NPRs general manager, Staceys, office. I peered in, gently knocking before entering.

"Hi, Arabella. Please take a seat," She gently smiled, motioning towards the couch. I bit my lip, attempting to remain composed as I sat down.

"Is everything okay?" I asked, meeting her eyes.

"No, I'm afraid not," she sighed, "It's come to my attention that your relations with a band were noted in a live stream. I understand that it wasn't you who mentioned it, and you were quite professional in handling it, however, there's currently a video circulating of you and the band's bassist, Sam Kiszka, arguing at the venue."

I covered my mouth, realizing the potential repercussions of a hit this big.

"Arabella, we all love you here and you are quite simply the best reporter we have, but the video is borderline viral, and it's causing quite a disturbance. Bad press isn't always good. People want you fired, they don't want to see your face again," she bluntly stated.

"I- I don't understand. Who recorded that? Can't they see that it was an argument between the both of us? That it wasn't just my fault?" I quaked, wiping a tear from my cheek.

"Samuels fans aren't going to see him as the bad guy, Arabella. If his groupies see a video of some interviewer yelling at their idol, they're not going to attack him, they're going to attack you."

I nodded, trying to regain composure.

"Right. So what does this mean for me, for my job?" I shakily asked. She inhaled deeply, thinking for a moment.

"I've talked with Gerard and he advises two things; either we demote you to a columnist and see how it goes, or we let you go. It's up to you, really, but we'll give you a month to decide and plan ahead," she concluded.

"Okay... Okay, thank you. I'm sorry this happened. I never meant for Sam and I's personal life to get involved," I apologized. 

"It's okay. You couldn't have controlled any of this. I know you, Bella. You're very thorough and I know none of this happened under your control," she said, standing up to hug me, "Go home, get a good night's sleep, and maybe chat with Samuel. I know it's not my place, but you two have a lot to figure out." 

I laughed, stifling the heart-wrenching feeling building in the pit of my stomach.

I left the building without another thought, driving straight to the Kiszkas' temporary home in desperate need to yell -no- discuss this with Sam. With tears running down my face, I made my way to the west end of New York, eventually pulling into the driveway of the dreaded boys' mansion.

I took a moment to myself; wiping the tears from my face and breathing as deeply as I could in order to remain calm. I stepped out of my car and made my way to the front door, knocking loudly.

"Bella!" Josh said once he'd opened the door.

"Hey, Joshy. Is Sam home?" I said, forcing a smile. He gave me an odd glance before opening the door for me, letting me inside.