Page 57 of Falling Off Script

Of course it was Emily.

“Let me get this straight,” I say, slow. “Rachel goes to Emily for advice. Emily — the woman who called me a 'walking red flag in a leather jacket with daddy issues' on a livestream — tells her you’re fake, and now Rachel’s gone?”

Matt winces. “She didn’t say Emily told her to dump me. Just that... Emily helped her see what she already felt.”

I turn, walk three steps, turn again. Controlled fury in athleisure.

“This is what she does,” I mutter. “She poisons the well with feminist poetry and a head tilt. Undermines any man who doesn’t cry on command and pay for therapy in interpretive dance.”

Matt stays quiet. Smart.

“She couldn’t beat me on stage,” I growl. “So now she’s winning through sabotage. Undermining my clients. Dismantling everything I’ve built!”

I look at him.

“You didn’t lose Rachel, Matt. You weretargeted.”

Matt blinks. “I mean... we also kind of didn’t like the same movies.”

“Focus,” I snap.

He nods quickly. “Right. Emily.”

I exhale. Calm. Collected. Furious at a molecular level.

“She wants a war?” I mutter. “Good. I play dirty.”

27. Emily

I hit "Go Live."

Lighting: adjusted. Earrings: overthought. Not because I’m nervous—just because the algorithm worships symmetry.

The chat is already rolling before I even open my mouth.

@SelfCareSlay: “Yesss it’s EMILY O’CLOCK”

@PixieTherapist: “Let’s talk soft power babyyy”

I smile into the camera.

“Hi everyone,” I say. “Tonight’s topic: soft power. Specifically, what happens when performative masculinity feels real. When you meet someone who says all the right things, does all the right moves, but somewhere deep down—you can feel the disconnect.”

The chat explodes with flame emojis and personal anecdotes that read like dating autopsies.

“Because let’s be honest,” I continue, “we’ve all been there. You meet a guy. He opens the door, quotes Rumi, remembers your coffee order. And for three weeks, you’re convinced he’s the missing link between therapy and orgasms.”

I sip water and lean closer.

“But then the cracks show. Not huge. Just enough to trip you. Like he says the word ‘feminine essence’ unironically. Or he gets weirdly quiet when you ask what he was like as a kid. And suddenly, it all feels... rehearsed.”

@WitchyRhonda: “YES. IT’S ALWAYS A SCRIPT.”

@MargoWithBoundaries: “This is a TED Talk and a seance.”

I smile, pleased. I’m hitting my stride.

“And that’s the danger of soft power,” I say. “It feels safe. It feels intentional. But if it’s built on mimicry instead of truth, it’s not a relationship. It’s branding.”

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