He Has Me

Chapter 2

By the time she reached her apartment, her cell phone had received over twenty calls. Several were from the producer of the show. A handful was from some of her fellow future journalists. She ignored the calls and climbed the stairs to her second floor apartment. Her apartment building looked more like an old motel, complete with a shallow pool right in the middle of the parking lot. Her sparse apartment was just a place for her to sleep, and work. She rarely added any personal touches to it. The main reason for this was she just didn't have many people over. Her younger sister Amber, who had just turned twenty-two, was the host of most of their get-togethers because she had a larger apartment. The sisters had been best friends since they were kids. Most of the time Audrey felt like the more mature one on the other hand, Amber tended to be the party girl. Amber had chosen a career as a flight attendant so that she could visit as many places as possible and have flexible rotating schedule. She was happy with her choice. Audrey often wished she could feel as satisfied. She wanted to become a well-known news personality not just because of the income and respect, but because she wanted to make a difference in the world. She saw inequality in many different areas, and she wanted to expose it. It wasn't just women's issues that she was passionate about. She had entertained the idea of a career in law because she was so focused on the world becoming a fair and just place for everyone. But she thought she could have more of an impact, and more freedom to follow different passions, by taking this path. Unfortunately she wondered if her big stunt that morning ended her opportunity before it had the chance to begin.

She sat down on her overstuffed couch and settled her chin to her knees, which she wrapped her arms around the front of. It was her thinking position. She could spend hours in it, only stretching now and then. Her mind could take one topic and expand on it until she chased down every area of life that the topic affected. This skill was what had made her the star of her journalism class. She could find the underbelly of any subject, and beyond that, how the underbelly affected local society as well as global society. She soon found herself being passed between the most well-studied professors, each one wanting a chance to steer her future, until she landed under the immoral supervision of one particular professor. That was when she was faced with the ugly truth of the career she had chosen. This professor had made an obvious sexual advance on her. Which she politely declined. Her mind traveled back to that day, which was a major turning point for her.

“I can make or break your career,” Professor Miles had warned her with desire warming his eyes.

“You need to learn who not to say no to Audrey.”

Audrey had been shocked by his words and they had become emblazoned upon her mind.

“I will make my career Sir, it will have nothing to do with anyone else,” she had argued sternly.

“How can you be so intelligent but so very naive?” he asked as he laid his hands boldly around her waist and looked deeply into her eyes. “No one makes it without trading a few favors, Audrey. You'll learn soon enough, it's either the easy way or no way.”

Audrey had been so disgusted by his words that she pulled away from him and ran off. Later she was embarrassed by her reaction. She often fantasized about punching him in the face as an alternative to running off with tears in her eyes. But she had held the man in such high esteem until that moment. When he revealed the truth about himself, she had been heartbroken. What was even harder to face was that he had been right. That had launched her determination to never allow herself to sink to the level of using her body to get ahead in her career.

When she began looking into the truth of Bridgette's success, she lost yet another idol, and began to grow a little disillusioned with her options for her future. This led to depression for a few weeks, until she rose from it, fully prepared to take the news world by storm. She wasn't going to let her dream die just because she wasn't willing to prostitute herself to get it.

Her cell phone ringing yet again brought her out of her thoughts about the past. She picked up the phone and saw that it was her sister Amber calling.

“Hello?” Audrey asked when she picked up the phone already anticipating her sister's reaction.

“I can't believe you did it!” Amber squealed happily into the phone.

“Me either,” Audrey admitted nervously though she smiled at her sister's excitement.

“You are seriously on every news channel, and every form of social media, it's all blowing up, you're viral, you're trending, you're a superstar,” Amber laughed gleefully into the phone. Audrey frowned as she listened to the happiness in her younger sister's voice. She wanted to feel the same way, but she just couldn't. She had been secure in her decision to blast Bridgette on air and expose the media for being stuck in a different century, but she hadn't really thought through the impact it would have on Bridgette. A part of her was wondering if she wasn't' contributing to the problem by tearing down another woman on live television.

“Do you think it was a mistake?” she asked Amber quietly.

“A mistake?” Amber asked with surprise. “Audrey, do you realize that you're getting calls for interviews with celebrities? People who never even knew you existed before today? You must not be answering your phone, because they're calling me!”

“I know, I know,” Audrey replied with a sigh. “But, I just feel like maybe it was a bad decision.”

“How could it be bad?” Amber replied with confusion. “Listen Audrey, I know that you're upset about hurting Bridgette, but she's the one who hurt herself. Don't' you think?”

“What do you mean?” Audrey asked cautiously.

“Well if she hadn't had all those relationships, if you can call them that, just to get to the top, then she wouldn't have anything to be exposed for,” Amber pointed out.

“Maybe,” Audrey agreed and began to feel her convictions resurfacing. “I guess it is for the best.”

“Good and you know what else is for the best?” Amber asked with mischief in her voice.

“No, what else?” Audrey asked and prepared herself for the worst as Amber could be quite crafty.

“We're going out tonight, to celebrate,” Amber insisted with a no-nonsense tone in her voice.

“Ugh, not to another club?” Audrey asked with annoyance. Amber's idea of fun did not exactly coincide with her.

“Yes to another club,” Amber said firmly. “And I'm going to keep taking you to them until you find a man to have a little fun with!”

“Great,” Audrey sighed and lay back across the couch. “How about if I just make one up?”

“Haha,” Amber replied in a confident tone. “If there's one thing you can't do Audrey, it's tell a lie with a straight face.”

“Good point,” Audrey sighed and closed her eyes. “Alright fine, I'll go, but I'm leaving as soon as I get bored.”

“Fine,” Amber replied before hanging up the phone. Audrey stared at the list of phone numbers that continued to grow on her phone. She didn't want to deal with any of them at the moment. She switched to the screen with her texts, and the most recent one stared boldly up at her.

You ruined my life.

It was from Bridgette. Audrey didn't even know the woman had her phone number. The words were unsettling to Audrey. She winced and deleted the text. But she couldn't delete the truth. She had been so gung ho and determined, but she just couldn't shake the guilt that she was feeling. Maybe she should have given Bridgette a head's up, or just been grateful for the opportunity and made the best of a puff piece. She turned her phone off and walked into the bathroom. Hopefully her sense of guilt was something that a nice warm bath could wash away.

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