Story of the Season

Chapter One

The flash of cameras, the echoing applause in my ear, the barrage of questions, it was all so familiar to me.

I squirmed in the mustard-colored fabric chair and tried to return my breathing pattern back to normal. These things always gave me anxiety. My leg bounced as I tried to channel my jittery energy into some form of movement.

To distract myself from the large camera facing me on my left, I turned my head to the right. I could see the bright sunset-colored wall of the set of the world-wide news network, Sunrise with Sunny.

I wasn't sure it still counted as Sunrise when it was 8 in the morning, but I found myself here anyway. A makeup artist spawned from the depths of the shadows to touch up the merlot color on my lips. She slunk away when she was done, officially leaving me to my fate.

Please don't do anything embarrassing... I begged myself. I had made it through various other TV interviews without screwing my life up, and I would prefer to keep it that way. I closed my eyes but still heard the unmistakable sound of Sunny Teal's famous five-inch ruby red high heels against the floor of the set.

My eyes popped open as my heart started to match the quick rhythm of the steps. Before I knew it, she appeared in the corner of my eye. I followed her movement with wary eyes as she walked onto the stage and sat down on the plush orange chair across from me.

She had a microphone attached to her shirt just as I did. It made me extremely nervous when they clipped it on, because it meant that I likely couldn't back out anymore.

Come on Cassidy - this is important for publicity...

Sunny crossed her legs and eloquently lifted her arm to check the time on her watch. That was never a good sign, because that meant-

"We go live in one minute," the cameraman said, glancing up at us before his gaze returned to the camera. I swallowed thickly and prayed I didn't screw this up.

This meant a lot to my career. Sunrise with Sunny is a nationwide show. This would give me more exposure than anything else I had done, including the book signing events, book panels, and all the other types of interviews I had done.

This was the interview. The one my publisher has been aiming for this entire time.

Sunny used her pointer finger to dramatically flick a strand of her bleached blonde hair over her shoulder. I watched her like a hawk as I counted down the seconds.

I knew we had to be approaching the end of the last sixty seconds of freedom because she plastered a saccharin smile on her face. I had half a mind not to scowl at her. I hadn't heard a peep from her this entire time. She was faker than the cardboard wall used as a set backdrop.

"We're going live in three, two, one, go!" the man behind the camera called. Sunny turned towards the camera with a warm grin.

"Good morning, viewers, and I hope you're enjoying the beautiful sunrise peeking in from outside your windows. Thank you for tuning into Sunrise with Sunny, I'm Sunny Teal and I'm joined today by Cassidy Thatcher, author of The Things That Find Us. Her book has been on the New York times best sellers for two weeks in a row, and her sales have been astronomical for a debut novel. She's sold over 200,000 copies, and is on the rise to sell more. She's been on the cover of magazines, the star of several interviews, and so much more. Cassidy, tell us how you feel about your sudden fame."

Right, I got this. I get asked this all the time.

Automatically, I kept my smile on as I spoke my rehearsed mental script.

"I'm very thankful for all the people out there willing to give my book a chance. It means the world to me to go online and see all the love I'm receiving."

Of course, that excludes the overwhelming hate I've been receiving too. I'll leave that part out.

Sunny's smile never wavered. "That's amazing...now along with the love, I'm sure you've had unfortunate run-ins with criticism and hate. Now, I heard Noah King left a negative review on your novel. He has quite an influence, is this affecting the public's response to your novel?"

My smile nearly faltered. I clenched my teeth together and tried to think about happier things.

My dad's smile when he held the manuscript for the first time...

I inhaled deeply and simultaneously shook my head all while I had a friendly smile stuck on my face. I needed to come up with a response, quick.

"I think my writing is not for everyone. I respect Noah's opinion just as much as I respect my reader's opinion, and I think that the love I received from my loyal reader's is all that matters in the long run."

Sunny's eyes subtly narrowed. She wanted me to rage, to say something bad about him. I wasn't going to.

Was I mad? Heck yeah. He dissed my book all over social media. He nearly ruined my career. My ratings plummeted, and this interview is supposed to "help it".

Everything depended on my new novel. It was the only prospect of hope in my horizon. My only light at the end of this tragic and painful tunnel.

"Have you spoken to Noah about his comments?"

My smile noticeably shrunk. I was getting the slightest bit annoyed at getting lured onto these shows only for them to try and ruin me. I wasn't going to let that happen. Especially with her.

"No, I've never spoken to him," I answered in what I hoped was a kind tone.

Sunny uncrossed her legs and leaned forward a bit as if we were conversing about something top secret. "How did his comment make you feel? I can imagine how distressing it would be to hear such harsh opinions."

I shifted in my seat and glanced at the camera. My gaze slid back to her. "I was pleased, actually. It's always nice to hear the opinion of other readers, no matter what they say. I'm still proud of my work, and it's okay if it wasn't to Noah's taste, I completely understand and respect his views."

Sunny didn't get what she wanted at all. Her smile widened as she tried to hold it still. She wanted to scowl, I could tell. She didn't get the drama she was fishing for. I folded my arms in a way that could be perceived as a normal sitting position but was really a cue that I had no more answers on this topic.

"That's very respectable of you. Moving on to happier topics, you have a new book in the works! How is it coming along? Are you able to tell us anything exclusive?"

I forced a wide, happy smile that showed my teeth. I was told to look as excited as I could without it being ridiculously fake. "Oh, my gosh, I'm so excited to share it with everyone! I don't think I'm allowed to share anything, my publisher wants to wait just a bit longer before I can reveal some details."

Sunny was about to speak, but just as rehearsed, I gave a guilty smile and continued to speak.

"Well, maybe I can, actually. Something I haven't revealed before, and I've been waiting for the right time, it's actually the release date for the book."

Her eyes lit up with the expression I could only describe as excitement. She wanted the news, the ability to say I said something exclusive on her show. "Go on! This is what everyone has been waiting for," she clasped her hands as her smile turned realistic. She was genuinely excited to hear this top-secret information.

"It's February 2nd," I covered my mouth after I said it and laughed like I was told to do, like I was telling a secret. I hope this looks convincing...

She clapped her hands together and grinned as if she had just won an award. "That's wonderful! I can't wait to read it, I hope it becomes as successful as your debut novel!"

Me too lady, me too.

"This is breaking news, how are you feeling about this new novel?"

"Well..."