Page 86 of The Pretender

Final Interview, also known as the time this shitshow came to an end

“Where’s Sebastian?”

I look at Tom and fake a smile. “He had something come up. He’ll be here though.”

Tom doesn’t look like he believes a word out of my mouth. “Are you sure?”

No. “Yeah, I’m sure. This contest is important to him. He would never not show up.”

I don’t really know though.

“I’m sure you’re aware of the video that surfaced of you two?”

Tom looks like he needs a Snickers and maybe a cigarette.

“Yes, sir,” I say, attempting to keep my voice even.

Tom nods. “Then why don’t you start from the beginning and tell me why I shouldn’t disqualify you for that video. I knew you two were hiding something.”

Disqualify us? “I’ll be happy to start from the beginning, Tom, because I owe our fans an explanation but unless you can point me to the section in the rules that defines what Sebastian and I did was grounds for disqualification then I suggest you sit back and let me entertain you with our real story, because that’s what your viewers pay for.”

* * *

“Fuck!”

I should have known nothing good ever comes out of the word fuck. Not even fucking because up until now, any time that I’ve slept with a man, which has just been twice, it’s ended badly.

“What’s wrong?”

I wipe the sleep from my eyes, but they are still having a hard time focusing. What I can manage to make out is a furious Sebastian pacing in front of the mirror.

“It’s over,” he yells, slinging his phone against the wall.

I scramble up in bed and tuck the blankets so they cover my breasts. “What’s over?”

I know it’s stupid that my heart is racing at the mere thought that our fake relationship is ending; I feel like my heart won’t be able to take it again.

“The contest,” he says loudly, his hands going to his head and pressing. “We lost, Vee. Malcolm posted a video and ruined us. How could I be so stupid? Everything—” He drops his head against the glass. “—Everything is gone. No half a million. No California. No nothing. It’s all over.”

His body is visibly shaking, so I pull the sheet off the bed and stand, but he stops me. “I don’t want your pity.”

“It’s not pity,” I offer. “The contest isn’t over. We haven’t lost yet. All we need to do is post another video from this weekend.”

Sebastian scoffs and shakes his head. “Watch the video, Vee. It’s over. I’m going to pack up. Be ready to go in thirty.”

My partner-in-crime walks out of the guest bedroom and leaves me standing with only a sheet holding me together. Last night, the intimacy, the falling asleep in each other’s arms… It’s all over. I knew the contest was important to Sebastian, but I guess as it went on, it became more about fun and spending time with my old friend. I had forgotten why it was so important to Sebastian. He needed the money. He wants to pursue his dreams and I’m not part of those long-term plans.

I grab my phone from the nightstand and sit on the edge of the bed. I pull up MyView and find Malcolm’s page. There, on the front page as click bait, is me staring up at Sebastian, my hand against his bare chest when he offered to be partners for the UniCamFlix contest.

“No,” I say to myself as I watch the video, “He wouldn’t.” The footage that plays was only witnessed by three people: me, Sebastian, and Brick. “It can’t be him.”

Why? Why would he do something like that?

I mean, I don’t know Brick personally, but what I do know is that he’s a respected cameraman around campus. Why would he feed our footage to Malcolm? Unless… Could he be how Malcolm ripped off other filmmakers? If Brick has been stealing footage and ideas for Malcolm for over a year, it’s no wonder Brick wanted to work with Sebastian. I bet he planned all along to take Sebastian down, but then when we joined forces, we gave him more dirt than he ever dreamed. We gave him the power to destroy both of us.

Our fans will never forgive us.

Tears roll down my face as I watch the raw, unedited footage Brick shot of us that day play the entire scene where we negotiated our deal to be a fake couple. I can’t bear to watch anymore and turn it off.

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