Misery Loves Company

Track 7: Lights, Camera, Action (Part II)

Misery Loves Company

By: theinkslingerr

Track 7: Lights, Camera, Action (Part II)

He's ugly!

She's fat!

Stupid!

Awkward!

Crazy!

Mean!

Conceited!

Jealous!

A slut!

If you've been on any kind of screen (TV, computer, tablet, phone) chances are you've probably been called one or more of these things.

Enid Concepción Diaz had been called all of them.

For every fan she had at least two haters. Haters that hid behind their screens and said the nastiest things. Over the years, she'd grown thick skin, letting most of the cruel comments roll off her back, but every once in a while something cut deep. Deep enough to draw out doubts, and on bad days, tears.

Up until this very moment, I'd lived my life behind the cameras. I'd never experienced what Enid experienced. Never felt what she felt.

Never realized how hot it got under all those lights as you were posed and instructed within an inch of your life. Never had to wait for a camera to capture and immortalize every flaw, and for millions of strangers to judge me for them.

But now I was the one under the magnifying glass.

I'd been told to scrub my face clean of any make-up then bullied into a black tank top. As I sat in a tall chair positioned conspicuously in the middle of the room, my heart felt like it was going to burst out of my chest, and it was in that panicked fear I truly found respect for anyone famous on social media. They were brave enough to put themselves out there, bare their souls to the world...even knowing many would go out of their way to crucify them for it.

People that did what Enid did were virtual chum in the shark-infested waters of the internet.

...And now I was getting thrown into that bucket.

Two giant cameras were trained on me, and when the guy operating the main one shouted, "Ready? Action!" A strange dizziness came over me. This couldn't be real, right? I wasn't actually doing this...

At the park I'd been sure. In that dark closet of a laundry room I'd been sure.

But now I knew that strong conviction was built on a weak foundation. I was stupid to think that my desire to help Rocco and Eli would be enough to get me through this. That I wouldn't crumble when all eyes were on me. The terror and fear were over-whelming. They came hurtling toward me like rabid dogs let off their leashes and I froze.

"Ever heard the saying misery loves company?" Enid was in full Everything Enid mode, bubbly and engaging as she spoke into the second camera. "Well, meet Misery!" The camera zoomed in on me and I blinked slowly. "And her company!"

Rocco, Eli, Jae, and Dominic popped out of their hiding places, cheering and clapping as they lined up behind me.

"Hey guys!" Out of the corner of my eye I saw Rocco waving at the cameras.

"You know you missed us!" Dominic exclaimed, winking roguishly.

Enid practically hopped over like a rabbit on caffeine and squealed, "No way! Blue Vendetta?!" She read off the cue cards being held up behind the cameras like a pro, because God forbid that we speak candidly on "reality television." Someone else held a boom mic almost directly in front of Ackerman and another man I hadn't noticed before.