"can you see right through me?"
rain perez, a social media star tired of creating a false reality online for her followers and wanting to branch out. when rebecca welton offers her the job as afc richmond's head of social media, she takes the opport...
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rain was dragged along to the afc richmond's visit to the local primary school. roy had agreed to go because his niece went there, something rain had found out when she asked how the fuck he had been roped into something like that. trent crimm was also joining, something rain was less happy about. it wasn't that she didn't like the media... it was- yeah, she didn't like the media. she had had too many unsavoury run-ins with the media. they claimed she was a gold digger, in it for the fame, she wasn't good enough for the people she had dated, specifically the men, they only wanted to fuck her and a long list of misogynistic bullshit she fucking despised. the media, specifically tabloids, had treated her like shit and she hated them.
she was waiting outside, trent having joined her, probably to get some quotes from her. she only gave him a nod, wary of the man already. she was sure he was fine, but the people he worked for, not so much.
"so you run the team's social media?" trent asked her.
rain nodded, "yeah."
"so what do you think of the new coach?" he continued, notebook in hand.
rain tilted her head, narrowing her eyes at him, "he's good."
"anything else?"
"nope."
"not a fan of the media?"
rain shrugged, "i just don't think i have enough insight to give you an adequate answer. i like ted. i think he's a good coach. that's my opinion. i don't have some profound statement to make."
the pair were interrupted as ted and roy exited the building. trent had seemed to accept her answer and she was thankful the interaction ended there.
rain had quickly come to enjoy roy's company. he was funny, even if he didn't mean to be and she liked how blunt he was. he could be mean but at least she knew he would tell her how it is. roy wouldn't admit it but he actually liked rain around too. she knew exactly how to respond to him without any hint, like she could just sense when he was ready for the conversation to end.
"alright, roy?" she called.
he grunted in response.
---
rain ensured they had signed permission slips saying she could take photos of the children before she had even begun to set up her camera. once she had put the lens on she started.
her best picture in the assembly hall had been of the kids cheering after roy told them to go and have a 'proper fuck about' outside. she sighed, knowing that was going to come up later and she was going to have to deal with some complaints as she forwarded them on to someone better equipped to deal with parents going on about how he was setting a bad example.
she continued to take pictures, getting a few of roy and his niece pheobe.
"oi," she called. roy turned to her. "i got a couple pictures of you and pheobe figured you might want them or her mum might. i'm not gonna use them on the socials, don't worry. i know you hate that."
"thanks."
"no problem, roy-o. i'll email them over. you got a cute niece, with a hell of a kick," she recalled, glancing at ted, who still had a nosebleed. "i actually got a picture of that moment too. impressive."
"yeah, it was."
"figured you'd want that too, i also got the blood bath after," she informed, flicking through the photos, before showing him the one of pheobe's kick, the ball already at ted's face and then the one after of the nosebleed.
"that's fucking great," roy exclaimed. "you're a proper good photographer."
rain smiled, "i know. i think the ball to the face makes the photo all that much better."
with that she walked away to take more pictures. roy nodded at her as she left. that's what he appreciated, she didn't linger like ted. she said her piece and she left.
---
rain was waiting around as ted signed a football for one of the students, his nose bleeding on to it. once the kid ran off and the headteacher thanked them for coming, ted turned to roy.
"roy, that was a blast. and i tell you what, that niece of yours is a real cutie patootie."
roy stopped where he was, turning to the american, "enough. i've had it with your mind games and your stupid gifts. i mean, what even is a wrinkle in time?"
rain watched the exchange, amused.
trent stepped forward, "it's a lovely novel. it's the story of a young girl's struggle with the burden of leadership as she journeys through space."
ted gestured at trent, "yeah. that's it."
roy's focus shifted between the two men, "am i supposed to be the little girl?"
"i'd like you to be."
"i fucking called it," rain exclaimed. "i knew there was a deeper meaning to the books."
"right. none of this matters. cause i'm just doing what everyone in this town is doing, and i'm counting down the days until you're gone," roy started and without missing a beat he turned to trent. "trent, you're a colossal prick. you always have been."
he turned to walk away, pausing for a second, "rain, come on, i'm taking you home."
rain shrugged, not arguing as she rushed after the man, who then called for his niece. he took her hand, and rain had to admit there was something funny about seeing roy kent hold hands with a little girl.
when roy dropped her home, rain said a quick goodbye to roy and pheobe, the latter of the pair, made the woman promise she would hang out with her at some point.
---
rain hated that keeley had convinced her to come out with her and the rest of the team, but she suffered in silence as she spoke to keeley and a few others, which included jamie. she didn't mind him as much since his apology but she still thought he was a massive asshole and that keeley could do better.
she became distracted as she saw roy march into the club before he was let into the vip section.
"hello, roy, i didn't know it was a retirement party," colin mocked as he stepped in front of him.
roy nutted him in the head in response, causing rain to laugh as keeley gasped. he then reached who he was there for. jamie.
"stop messing with nate," he yelled. "now, i don't know which one of you i nutted 'cause i don't see so well at night anymore, but that goes for all of you."
"you nutted, colin," rain informed. "so you were on the right track."
"thank you."
roy grabbed jamie's drink taking a swig. he frowned, reading the label, "vanilla vodka, such a child."
rain snorted.
"keeley," roy nodded. "rain."
"roy-o," rain responded, with a light chuckle.
she glanced at keeley, who watched roy leave with a look that rain recognised. it was the same look rain had gotten when she saw florence pugh at the airport one time. keeley was attracted to the man. sure, he was pretty hairy and she would hate to clean the shower drain after him but roy kent was attractive. rain had to admit that. most of the team were if she was honest. it just seemed keeley thought it a bit more about roy in particular.
keeley felt the eyes on her and turned to rain, who only raised an eyebrow and shrugged at her. she made it known that keeley had been caught gawking at roy kent. rain wouldn't admit she was glad that keeley might stray from jamie. she didn't want her to cheat or anything, but she hoped keeley would realise she was worth more than how jamie treated her.
