Paparazzi Boy

1. Play For Me

"Okay, Belle Jones," John Sun growled, looking at the audience with a huge grin. His grey hair hung over his forehead like a shadow. His teeth grinded together after every breath. Belle loved him as a person, but as an entertainer, he could be the worst, and everyone in the industry was well aware of it. Sweet but venomous. He wasn't afraid of asking the right questions.

It was just Belle and John sitting together on a set of black couches, their drinks sitting on the coffee table between them. She had ordered a Red Bull to keep her going. Their elbows were angled at each other. She pulled her cherry red dress down and pushed her hair back. Her extensions were weighing down her hair. At least she felt pretty. The crowd was full around them, and they seemed eager to get things started as well.

John looked normal, a brown suit with an unusual tie that was supposed to make the audience laugh. It seemed to her he had them custom made often. She liked them. Today it was a collage of pictures of his grandsons at Disneyland.

Get comfortable. Don't be afraid. She smiled at the camera. Her red lipstick stuck out to her even from the image she had behind John's head. It was a bold color. She wished she could wipe it off. Mistake number one.

John raised his hand towards Belle and she snapped her eyes towards him. He gave her a simple smile. It had begun.

"Let's talk about your love life. Or better yet, this mystery boy who knows so much about you." John had always had a way of getting to the point, no matter how evident it was that the situation was still raw.

All he has heard were rumors. He doesn't know anything. Calm down. He doesn't know anything. Don't let him get to your head. Everyone was getting in my head.

She managed a smile and gave him a slight nod. "That's what I'm here for. To clear up some rumors and stories."

"Great!" He laughed and clapped his hands together. She watched his eyes avert down to his paper. John knew nothing about her. He only knew what he wanted to hear and what his team had put together for him to ask. Nobody in this room knew what really happened.

She grabbed the white mug in front of her and sipped. The fizziness of the drink woke her up. Red Bull was delicious and dangerous. She loved it.

"Who's ready to hear the truth from Belle? The woman herself! I'm excited!" The crowd clapped and Belle hesitated to look up.

Her face turned red momentarily. As she set the mug down, she noticed the lipstick stain. She focused on it and breathed in and out.

"Everyone, welcome to this first time uninterrupted, hour long interview with Belle Jones on Sun News!"

She remembered that no commercials would take place. No breaks. Just sixty minutes of questions and answers. This was a special. She was the shit, and people wanted to know the truth.

This is just for views and publicity. Think of it like that. Do this for the views. Do it for the money. Swallow the emotion. Swallow the Red Bull.

"Now Belle," John looked right at her and she gave him the smallest smile. "Tell us what happened. Who really is Max Harrington? How does he know so much about you? Are the rumors true? Tell me everything. Clear the air for your fans."

Belle took a deep breath and began to explain what most people wanted to know. Some nights, she laid in bed at night and wanted to know the truth herself.

There was a different side to every story, and she wanted to know Max's version of it. She didn't know him at all. Why did he have to know so much about her? Why couldn't she know his side?

"Let's start with this: Max auditioned to be my guitarist on my last tour, The "Here It Is Again Tour", and that's how we met."

"Okay, and how did that go?"