Ricky And Jackie

18. Jackie

"Are you sure about this, Jay?"
"Doesn't kill to try. Besides, she's my best friend, I trust her."

We are waiting in the hall for Mindy, Janet's best friend and journalist for Teen Vogue. I wipe my palms on my jean skirt, that I matched with a green tank top and leather sandals. She finally comes to us.
"JayJay! How ya doin'? And you must be Jackie! Nice to meet you, we're gonna have fun doing this interview!"
My sister hugs me and leaves while Mindy seems really pumped up about this.

I didn't tell Ricky about the interview because I've been avoiding him ever since he walked in at my job and kissed me in front of everyone. You can bet I was mentioned at Clevver TV the exact same day and I was not happy about it. Especially when I saw the amount of people who watched it in less than 2 days.

"I need to tell you, I was late because the head editor of the magazine told me she would like to take a few shots with you. She thinks I'm a genius for getting an interview with you, your story is so trendy yet nobody really know what's going on. I might get a promotion because of you!"
"I'm glad my misadventures served somebody." I joke.

I really am in a good mood. I truly am excited about this. Anything but cleaning mirrors anyway.

Mindy leads me to a bright room with white walls and ceilings.
"This is where we'll stay for now. We're pretty busy today, so don't mind the mess."
Indeed there were a lot of wires and clothing racks everywhere. I take place on a bench and Mindy drags a chair across the room in order to sit in front of me.

"Feeling nervous yet?" she asks.
"Not yet."
"Good, I'll just start off with simple questions to write my intro, you feel me?"
"Sure, go ahead."
"Can you quickly tell me your name, your age, where you live, where do you work, what do you study..."
I willingly tell her all of that.
"If it's okay with you I'll go right away in the juicy stuff. First thing first... Can you tell me how you met the prince? I think everybody wonders that!"
I smile. I'm pretty sure she's dying to know.
"I bumped into him in a store, Lids."
"Oh, I see he's a hipster."
"He sure is."
"And what happened then?"
"My brother shouted my name and he told me his. Then I left, only to learn he was staying at the hotel I worked at back then."
"Is that what made you switch jobs?"
I inhale deeply before I keep going.
"Kinda."
"So how would you describe your relationship with the prince?"
"We don't know ourselves, right now. It got complicated real quick."
"So I guess we should go back in time."
Mindy gives me a folder and opens it for me. Photos. I cringe.
"Let me explain what we're gonna do. I unfolded several pictures of you and prince Richard taken by paparazzis. What I'd like you to do is to tell me what was really going on between the two of you."
"I can do that."
"Great! Let's start with this one", the reporter hands me the picture of us holding hands at the beach. I let out a giggle.
"Okay, this one was really innocent, I was dragging him in the water because he didn't want to go. Sadly nobody snapped us when I pushed him in the sea. Hilarious, I'm telling you. And somehow nobody took pictures of his sisters. They were both there too."

The next one was at work, in the hotel lobby. We're really close to each other.
"I bumped into him yet again. I was so tired this morning!"

Mindy points to another photo where he's at my house, on the front porch.
"I still can't believe he forced my coworkers to give him my address! I almost got a heart attack when I opened the door! Good thing my brother was out!"
"Protective brother, huh?"
"Yup!"
"Where did you guys go?"
"Don't you have a picture of it?"

Mindy smirks and moves on to the next photo.
"Voilà! A Warriors playoffs match. These nachos were so good!"
"That's all you remember from this night?"
She brings out the picture of us kissing.
"I always get that heartbeat skip whenever I think of it. Everytime I kiss him I feel like...so alive and so vulnerable. It's like a drug, the more you kiss, the more you want to kiss again. I think that's why, on my point of view, I can't find it in me to let him go. He just has to be mere inches from me and next thing you know I'm running for his arms. It's almost frustrating."

Mindy types something down on her iPad then ask:
"So, would you say you love him or you think it's more a physical attraction?"

I shake my head.
"It's so much more than physical, Mindy. Otherwise I wouldn't long for a word from him, I wouldn't care the comments on the Internet about us. Ricky is so much more than blue eyes and muscular body, he is so smart and caring and compassionate and stubborn... I never tried to contact him when we "broke up", he always did. He always reaches for me. Call me a coward but I can't risk my private life and the one of my family for my own selfish motives. If I could I would try to make that wedding happen. But Ricky loves me too much to walk away from me without a fight. He's tough, I'm not."

I stop, letting the reporter to type all of it down."I hope it wasn't too long."
"Of course not! Besides, I'm recording this, so don't worry about it."

The interview goes on for one more hour before Mindy puts an end to it. We are about to leave when a woman in tailor walks in.
"You must be Jackie Coleman?"
"Hum, yes, that's me."
"Wow, Mindy, you didn't tell me she looked like a model."
"I didn't know myself."
She nods.
"The photographs will be here in a minute. We just need a few shots of you for the magazine. We also need to ask your permission to use them and the pictures of you and the prince in out issue."
"Of course, I understand."
"Great. I'll leave you to Mindy once again then."

She walks out of the room and calls in a whole team of stylists, photographs and makeup artists. I cringe when they toss me on a chair.
"Hum... Can I do it by myself?" I ask nervously.

Mindy discusses with the stylist for a while then comes back to me.
"They don't mind as long as it fits the outfit, so they'll dress you up first."

I nod in agreement and they start preparing me. I could get used to this, it is relieving to just open up about something that huge.

I end up leaving their headquarters at 9 p.m. Mindy drives me home.
"So listen, I think you heard of the gala princess Alex is planning?"
I shake my head.
"Well, she invited the press, obviously, and I've been designated to go. I can bring one person with me, and I want it to be you."
"The princess hates me, you don't know what you are doing." I shake off.
"Please, you'd get to see Ricky and wear a pretty dress and impress them all. Plus, it's a marketing strategy: You appear at the gala and two days later we release our special royal issue as our cover star."
"I am the cover star?"
"Demand from the head editor."

Wow, I didn't see it coming.
"Fine! I'll do it!"
"You're the best, girl. Alexandra will get the attention she wants."