The Writer & The Player #Wattys2016

Chapter 1

I did not want this assignment.

I look over to Regina from my notepad, past all my other co-workers at the table, with a surprised look.

"You're kidding me, right?" I say, bewildered.

Now, at any other time, during office hours or around Regina, I knew better than to question her. But this, this one just came out, and what worried me is that it wasn't stopping anytime soon.

She abruptly looked up towards me with a raised eyebrow, lowering her glasses at the tip of her long pale nose. That's when I saw my death flash before my very eyes.

"What?" Her voice rung through the meeting room, as I felt my co-workers cringe around me. "Are you telling me you don't want the top assignment?"

I had learned from the beginning that this kind of question was rhetorical and yet still required an answer. And there was never a right way to answer it.

I glance to Anthony beside me, desperately for help. He rose his eyebrows and vaguely shrugged his suit clad shoulders. Solid effort, Anthony.

I dreadfully look back over to Regina, trying to muster up a reply that wouldn't get me fired.

I cleared my throat, feeling the air in the room suck up as if everyone inhaled anxiously for me, as her eyebrow rose awaiting my reply.

"Uh-um no Regina, the assignment is fine." I sighed. I hated giving in to her. But my job was on the line.

She pursed her lips, intensely staring at me for a moment, before abruptly looking down to her criteria and moving on. The air in the room flowed back in. Crisis diverted.

My assignment folder was passed down the table. I cringed, inhaling deeply as it arrived in front of me with the title written in bold block letters. 'Soccer's new hottest player, on and off the fields'.

So this is what they're calling it. Potentially the hottest story of the year, the golden story that's meant to sky rocket our magazine publicity by 110% was left in the my hands, and God knows why.

It had been in the talks for months, and unfortunately I knew all too much about it. Trend had gotten an exclusive pass to follow Zac Bleu around for a week, to get a sneak peak into the life of Football's number one player. It was intended to be the feature in last months issue, but the deal fell through when Zac fired his manager for a fake publicity scandal.

But now, apparently, Zac has a new manager and was always very keen for someone to follow him around for a week to understand his life. So of course Regina didn't say no, especially when she believes it'll be the golden article of the year. Conceited or what?

I nudge Anthony beside me and tilt my head toward the folder that sat in front of me. His green eyes met mine in confusion, then trail down to the marble table where the glorious folder lie in front of me. His eyes thinned at the name and I knew exactly what he was thinking.

The exact same as me, of course.

This is utterly stupid. The entire thing. Who wants to see how another lives. We're all humans, safe to say it's relatively the same.

"Meeting adjourned." Regina hollered across the room. "Emilie, I want to see you in my office." I cringed looking to Anthony. "Now."

I snapped up out of my chair, grabbing my Calvin Klein bag and the folder off the desk, sending one last look to Anthony who smiled and mouthed 'good luck', bypassing everyone else and out of the glass doors.

I walked down the cream halls, trying to recall the last time I was in Regina's office. I think it was my interview, honestly.

Her two young assistants resolved back to their desks outside of Regina's office. Looking at me with half jealously and half awe, my heels clunked quickly past the two blonde assistants and straight into Regina's office, where she was already seated.