Five Minutes

The Girl They Call The Cool Breeze

She couldn't sleep.

She just stared up at ceiling, in the darkness. Thinking and blinking and trying to wire herself down.

Unfortunately, she couldn't.

She'd made the right decision. She had. She had. So why were her doubts this dominant?

Closing her eyes, she envisioned what her life would be like in a few months. Daniel Sanders wasn't just some man. Millions of people knew who he was. And she had considered this, but knowing this was what she was propelling herself towards terrified her. It was going to put her in the limelight, in a way she'd never intended.

There would be paparazzi, and reporters asking her questions when she stepped foot outside of her home. There would be extensive news coverage and people who didn't even know her talking about it. That unwanted exposure was tied to her image as a celebrity who was noting the transgression of a much bigger celebrity.

She imagined lights flashing in her face and voices yelling at her, making her out to be the bad women, the evil seed, and Daniel the hopeless victim.

And she imagined herself pleading with everybody to leave her alone. To let her breathe. To provide her with peace and space. She imagined them disregarding her need for privacy.

Who the fuck was Veronica Pryde anyway? Some indie actress who finally got a big part in a blockbuster movie who apparently harassed the director on set. Who was so desperate for more roles she'd do anything. Who was Veronica Pryde besides a pathetic women determined to get bigger? Determined to be more famous? Even if it was at the expense of her own marriage?

None of that was true. But was what the nation thought of her now. They thought it because it was easier to accept the words of the big name over the words of a newcomer. No one would ever admit to supporting the work of a rapist. It was easier and more consoling to pin everything on a worm no one gave a fuck about.

That was how the industry worked.

"Nicky?"

The voice tore Veronica away from her thoughts. She glanced sideways to see Ralston staring at her. Even with the lights of, she could see the tiredness in his face. The lethargy and grogginess mixed with immense concern.

She titled her head back so her eyes were facing the ceiling again. "Nothing, I'm just..." she trailed off, the tears sliding out towards her ears and onto the pillows. "I'm so scared. I don't know if I can handle how everyone's gonna react."

She didn't hear Ralston say anything and she didn't know if he'd fallen asleep. Admittedly, she didn't want to see his expression. It was always the same. He was constantly worried about her.

"They won't convict him. I know they won't."

"You don't know that," Ralston said.

"Come on Ral. No one is going to take my side because I'm some stupid actress who's apparently mentally unstable." She raised her hand and wiped the tears off. "I mean, that's obviously what everyone thinks of me."

"How do you know that?" Ralston asked, lifted his head and shifting his position on the bed so he was facing her better. For someone tho seemed so tired only minutes earlier, he seemed oddly alert nod. "All these doubts you're having are about something that hasn't even happened yet."

"I know."

"Officer Cordeiro beloved you. She could have laughed in your face," Ralston pointed out to her.

She knew he was right. She let out a small sigh, knowing that her fears might end up bring inaccurate.

"Okay, there is a chance that Daniel won't be convicted, but if you don't do anything he won't ever be convicted. Isn't that chance worth it, no matter how small you think it is?" Ralston asked. "You already made the first step anyway."

"Yeah, but it's just going to get harder."

"Life in general is fucking hard. You have to take the risk."

Veronica chuckled. "You sound like a life coach."

Ralston smiled. "Maybe I'll start doing that on my free time."

"And overcharge people because they'd be willing to pay to get lectures from an actor-director!"

It was amazing how, despite the hardships she'd experienced in her own and the strain their relationship went through, they were casually able to argue into this silly conversation.

"Whatever happens, you're still getting that word out," Ralston said, his voice solemn and serious again. "That's something. Maybe it'll encourage his other victims to come forward too."

"That thought keeps slipping in and out of my mind," Veronica admitted. "It's scary thinking I might be alone, but it's even scarier knowing I might not be. He could have done something to the extras or the actresses with smaller roles in set and I had no idea."

"Then why don't you ask? You know some of the people he's worked with. If it's the word of several women against him, they'd have to take the accusations more seriously."

That was a smart idea. But how was she going to approach the topic? Be subtle? Be upfront? What if they told her they had been assaulted and were to afraid to come forward exactly the way she was a few months ago?

But he had a good point. Even if it was one women, that was one more victim whose words needed to be listened to.

"Okay, I'll try that. I'll see what I come up with," Veronica finally said after a few moments of silence.

"I could ask around too."

Veronica smiled. "That's be awesome!" The enthusiasm in her fond was a little sudden, but with every passing day she became more and more thankful for the man she married.

"Now, try not to think about it and go to sleep," Ralston said to her.

"I'll try."

She did manage to fall sleep soon after, still a little worried but also slightly more confident. Hopefully Ralston's suggestion would have a good outcome.