They Call Her Love | ✔️

13: They Call Her Trendsetter

"Do the lights have to be that bright?" I direct my question towards the blackness that falls behind the four metallic white lights that could possibly give me sunburn indoors. My eyes are squinting, barely able to see anything but colored dots.

"Love, if you look straight ahead, that's where the camera's are," Sebastian says into the megaphone. It's completely unnecessary since the two of us, and the rest of the camera crew, Penelope and Clarkson, are cramped in my bedroom and can hear him perfectly clear without the megaphone.

"Alright," I accept this because fighting it would put me in the exact same position anyway. We're taping the 'Confessionals', much like they do on every other reality TV show. A person comes in one-on-one with the camera to talk about the events that are happening and what their emotions and thoughts are to what's happening. It's exciting - I've always wanted to be in a confessional.

Darcy, Jagger, and Faith are all in the guest bathroom across the hall getting hair and makeup done for their own confessionals. Because we're not allowed to speak to each other about what we've said, I won't know what their confessionals will sounds like until the premiere of the show. I'm anxious to hear how they've been dealing with these recent events. Have their perceptions of me changed? What if they're getting really big egos about it all?

I don't have time to contemplate further because Liam starts providing me instructions. "Remember, we're going to ask you questions pertaining to the episode and all you need to do is answer them as best as you can. We'll only air what you're willing to reveal."

"Gotcha," I nod my sweaty forehead. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I guess that's the beauty of a confessional.

"We'll start off from the very beginning - why did you start collecting lottery tickets?"

For some unknown reason, I start to laugh. It's embarrassing, because I'm the only one laughing. "Uh, I don't know. I like the feeling of anticipation on Friday nights when they draw the numbers. The possibility of me winning - it's a great feeling. Although, I wasn't ever actually expecting it to happen."

"How did it feel when they drew your numbers?"

"Surreal. It was entirely surreal when they drew the numbers and it matched what was on my ticket. I had an out of body experience, honestly. My best friends can vouch for that; they were with me when it happened. It's all a blur to me now because it happened so fast," I say, recollecting my thoughts from that night.

"What goes on in your mind when you think about the fact that you have - literally - millions of dollars?"

"I think...wow. I'm practically Bill Gates."

This, luckily, does cause everyone in the room to laugh.

"And how has everyone at school reacted?"

I breathe aloud, "The kids at school reacted exactly how you expect teenagers to react. They treat me like I'm a celebrity because in the city of Thompson, nothing like this could ever happen, even to the luckiest of people. I'm fortunate enough though, that they've all respected my privacy and personal space."

"Do they give you personal space now that a camera crew follows you around?"

"When the camera's are around, no. Everyone constantly fights for media attention and tries to squeeze in their fifteen minutes of fame, which is perfectly fine with me. I'd actually enjoy seeing my peers have their face on national TV. I know I would if the roles were reversed."

"What exactly are you planning to do with all that money?"

I pause to think. But of course, nothing comes to mind. "I don't know what to do with all this money. Having endless amount of possibilities makes it hard to start somewhere."