Violet Aches for Blake (Encounter Bay)

by Emily Bruce

  “Oh! Dear Lord! I hate to be the one to break this to you Violet, but the whole of America has seen your ass!” Betty said in a low voice. Violet felt like this was happening in slow motion and she blinked at Betty as her words sank in. The whole of America seeing her ass? How? Why?

  “Betty, what are you talking about?” She croaked. Betty’s hand felt cool in hers. Violet’s voice sounded weird even to her own ears. Betty stood up, put her arm around Violet's shoulder, and ushered her to a spare seat.

  “My, my, you poor girl! I can’t believe no one told you! I can’t believe you didn’t see it. You’re all over the news and the internet dear! What a shock this must be for you! It’s pictures of…” Before Betty could continue, the door opened again and this time it was Sophie rushing in. “VIOLETTTTT!” Sophie yelled as she looked at Violet's desk. “Over here!” Betty said as Sophie rushed the 5 steps to Violet and Betty. “Oh My God! I Just heard! Are you okay?????” Sophie said, sitting on the other side of Violet.

  “What in the hell is going on in here?” came Mr Jameson’s booming voice. “Sophie, why are you screaming? I’m trying to run a business here, not some sorority house for you and your friends, Violet!”

  “Mr Jameson!” Betty yelled back.

  “Mrs Bexely!! What in the hell are you doing in here too?!” Mr Jameson boomed, looking confused.

  “Vi, oh my, are you okay?” Sophie asked, ignoring all the commotion around them.

  “I don’t know, what’s going on?” Violet whispered.

  “Let’s get you out of here before they figure out who you are,” Sophie said, grabbing her arm and pulling on it. “You can’t just abduct my receptionist, Sophie, she has work to do!” Mr Jameson boomed as Violet was dragged to her wobbly feet. Although she didn’t quite understand what was going on, the look on Betty’s face and then Sophie’s had said it all. “Mr Jameson! Violet’s rear end is in all the papers and all over the internet! I think she needs a personal day!” Betty yelled back at Mr Jameson.

  “WHAT?!” he cried, looking confusedly at the three of them.

  Violet said nothing as Sophie dragged her from the realty office. The construction workers giggled as she went past and one hollered, “I’ve seen that ass somewhere before.” Sophie yelled back, but Violet didn’t hear what she said, the thundering in her ears was too loud. Violet was put into Sophie’s car and driven the short distance to Sophie’s place. She got out like a zombie and followed Sophie inside. “Sit on the sofa, I’ll get you something to drink,” Sophie said as she disappeared into the kitchen.

  She came back holding a glass of water.

  “Sophie, what’s going on?” Violet whispered.

  “I think you should just look at the photos,” Sophie replied, looking upset as she picked up her tablet from the coffee table. She punched at it a couple of times, then handed it over to Violet.

  Violet looked at the screen and it took a minute for what she was actually seeing to sink in. It was grainy images of herself and Blake. Naked. There was one of Blake standing there completely naked and alert… there was one of them kissing and one of Violet’s ass. Violet scrolled down to a couple of them walking through the east field holding hands. They weren’t incriminating, but you could tell it was Violet. “Oh my god! Sophie, is this for real? The whole world has seen my ass??” Violet asked. She was hoping this was all some sick joke. Sophie leaned over and threw an arm around her. “I’m so sorry Violet. Blake is such a JERK!!! I can’t believe he let this happen! He did this to you!”

  “Oh, dear god!” was all Violet could croak out.

  Violet clicked on a link and read the story attached to the photos

  BLAKE WILSON! WHERE DID HE GO? WELL GUESS WHAT? WE FOUND HIM… NAKED!!

  Hollywood has been abuzz for the last month as one of our hottest, Blake Wilson, completely dropped off the radar. At the start of July, his stunning home was purchased for 35 million dollars and the Brazen Hero star vanished without a trace. Numerous calls to his manager Darrell Hopper revealed nothing about the star’s whereabouts. Blake had gone MIA. All of Hollywood was abuzz with what had happened to him. Had he met with foul play? Did someone bump him off? Was he on vacation? Reporters and paparazzi scoured the world trying to find him. As the days went on, the price for a recent picture of Blake went skyrocketing. Everyone wanted to know where Blake Wilson was. The hashtag #WhereisBlake was trending on WriteMe and social media across the globe was speculating about what had happened to him. The only clues he left us were a couple of obscure PicMe posts. One of a generic sunrise and one of a pool. He had pretty much fallen off the map. Some fans went so far as to file a missing person report with the police. But last week, the Hollywood police released a statement saying he was not a missing person. It meant that he was out there somewhere…

  Our reporters got to work and after some research, guess what??? Our trusty reporters found him. NAKED and with a girl in a field! Check out the pictures below!

  Oh my god! She had ruined his career!

  “Sophie! Is this real life?” Violet squeaked.

  “Violet, I’m so sorry. I’m going to kill Blake for this!”

  “Sophie, it’s not his fault. It’s mine… I was the one who burnt down the table, which led to him being shirtless, which led to us having sex… how could I be so stupid? I’ve ruined his career! He is completely naked and… well, he has a boner!”

  Sophie’s response was to cringe and lean back on the sofa.

  “Are you for real, Violet! This is 110% his fault! He knew they were hunting him like a housewife hunts bargains on Black Friday!”

  “What?” Violet felt like she was missing something.

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “Oh my god! Violet where have you been? It’s like a massive story, the ‘Where is Blake Wilson?’ mystery.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Sophie rolled her eyes.

  “I guess you were so busy pining over Blake that you missed what’s been happening on the internet. The media were hunting him. He knew it. He chose to ignore it and then he dragged you into it! I can’t believe he is that stupid.”

  “But why didn’t someone here rat him out to the media? It sounds like they were offering big cash.”

  “Uhh! Violet! Because no one here would do that. It’s like a pact everyone around here is in on. They all love Blake and love it when he comes home, so they keep it quiet when he’s here.”

  “Even Batty Betty?” Sophie laughed. “I think she’s the one who enforces the rule.”

  “She must be dying a little inside, keeping it in. How did I not know this?”

  Sophie rolled her eyes. “Because you were too busy lusting after him to notice, and you’re my best friend so you’d never blab.”

  Violet hit Sophie’s arm. “I was not!”

  “Bitch please, don’t even try to deny it! The look on your face when I told you he was coming home said it all.”

  Violet smiled. “Well, from the pictures, I think Blake comes off worse than me. They only get to see my ass.”

  “So, what do I do now?” Violet added. Sophie took a deep breath.

  “Well you need to hide out, or they’re going to figure out it's you. His PR person is making him have a press conference to give the public what they want. Mom and Dad are super pissed at him. And he’s pretty mad himself. The paparazzi are, like, 10 deep, so we can’t go to Mom and Dad’s. I guess we’ll just have to wait it out here and see how bad it gets.”

  Violet took in Sophie’s words.

  This wasn’t going to blow up, was it?

  “Oh god! Everyone in the town is going to see my ass!”

  “Violet, they have already seen your ass, remember when you wore that dress to the Summer Parade and tripped over? Everyone saw your thong that day!” Sophie replied with a giggle.

  “Jesus Sophie, don’t remind me of that!” Violet put her hands over her red cheeks.

  “What about your bachelorette party?”

  “Oh, we’re
going. If I have to hire security, I will,” Sophie replied with a determined look on her face. “Those vultures are not going to ruin my bachelorette party,” she sniped.

  “Let’s see what the news is saying,” Sophie added. “It’s better to know how bad it is than to speculate. How bad can it be?” She nodded as she watched Sophie grab the remote off the table and turn on the local news channel.

  “She has been identified! That’s right, we’ve figured out who Blake Wilson’s fat side chick is! She is our very own Violet Stone, who works for Encounter Bay Realty. Now let’s go back to the footage of how it all happened.”

  Violet covered her eyes and moaned.

  “Who fucking blabbed?” Sophie yelled at the TV.

  “It’s Mary V here for EntertainMe TV, I’m here with Encounter Bay local Eden Greene. Now, Eden, you told us that you can identify the woman in the pictures?” “Oh yes Mary V, her name is Violet Stone and she works for the local realtor as a receptionist.” “Are you friends with her, Eden?” “Oh hell no, she is such a loser. I have no idea what she did to Blake to get him in that kind of position. Probably spiked his drink or got him really drunk or something. Everyone around here knows she’s crazy.” “So, do you know Blake Wilson, Eden?” Oh yes, we go way, way back, in fact we used to be an item.” “Are you as shocked as the rest of the country?” “Well, Violet has always been obsessed with poor Blake. He must have felt sorry for her.”

  “You heard that first here, folks! Blake Wilson was coerced into a tryst with deranged local Violet Stone!”

  Sophie yelped and turned the TV off.

  “DID you just hear that?!” Violet wailed as she leaned over and hid her face in the sofa. She was a deranged local!

  “I am going to ruin Eden Greene!” Sophie seethed, punching the arm of the sofa.

  “Oh my god Sophie, what do I do?” Violet wailed, her voice muffled by the sofa. “I’ve got emergency Icy Mountain!” Sophie jumped off the couch and ran to the kitchen. Violet sat back up and wiped the tears from her face. Sophie returned with a pint of Icy Mountain and two spoons. She slumped back down and leaned over and hugged Violet. “Don’t worry, Blake is holding a press conference, he’ll clear it all up.”

  Chapter 26

  Blake

  Blake felt like he was going to throw up as he read the words on the piece of paper he was holding. He didn’t want to say this. According to the PR executive whom Darrell had sent down, this is what he would need to say to take the heat off Violet.

  He just hoped she would understand and be able to forgive him.

  This wasn’t going to end well, he could feel it.

  Blake had tried unsuccessfully to call Violet throughout the day, but as the day had worn on he became more and more ashamed of his actions and embarrassed that he had put her in this position. He should have known the paparazzi were hunting him. He had just received that call from Darrell. Seeing what Eden Greene said about her just made him more upset and angry. Now her character was getting attacked. All over something he should have never done in the first place. What was the first rule of being a celebrity? Shut your fucking curtains! Having sex outside was ridiculously stupid.

  Because of that bitch Eden, he was going to have to distance himself even further from Violet in hopes it would take the heat off her. Blake stood up and went outside. He tried to call her for what felt like the 200th time today. He paced up and down the entertainment area, choppers continually buzzing overhead trying to get a glimpse of him. Vultures! All of them were vultures, why couldn’t they just leave him the hell alone! Blake dialed Violet’s number again, but still nothing. He needed to talk to her before he went out there and did this.

  He needed to make sure that Violet knew how he felt, and she still wasn’t answering.

  Sophie! Why didn’t he think to call Sophie?!

  Blake scrolled through his contacts.

  “Blake, it’s time,” PR maven Ginger Fox said as she stuck her head out the sliding door. Blake sighed and put his phone back in his pocket. He watched as Ginger sashayed across his mother’s kitchen in a ridiculously high pair of red stilettoes and into the living room where her team had gathered. This morning she had shown up with a team of people and a bunch of equipment. Ginger had bright red hair and green eyes and looked like she ate men for breakfast. Blake had caught her more than once giving him a flirtatious smile or sexy wink. Blake moved his attention from Ginger onto her minions furiously typing on laptops or quietly talking into phones. “Now Blake, are you comfortable with what you’re going to say?” Ginger asked.

  “Are you sure this will take the heat off Violet?”

  The perfectly polished Ginger nodded. “She’ll be forgotten by tonight.” Blake felt his stomach flip. “Now, what are you going to wear?” Ginger asked, running her large green eyes down his body, ogling him. “Just this,” he replied.

  “Oh no. No, that won’t do. Let’s get you into a suit.”

  “I’m not wearing a fucking suit. It’s a press conference.” Ginger turned and spoke to one of her minions. “Tell me what people like seeing Blake in now. Do a WriteMe poll.” She snapped her fingers.

  “What! I don’t need a WriteMe poll. This is fine,” Blake replied. He was wearing a pair of tan chinos, a white shirt, and a navy sweater which his mother had picked out for him.

  “A suit just sells it more, though,” Ginger replied. “It makes you look serious, the public want to know you are taking this seriously, Blake,” she added.

  This was turning into a fucking circus

  “Can we just get this over and done with?” Blake pleaded.

  “Cancel the WriteMe poll. Let’s ETA the press conference for ten minutes,” Ginger yelled, snapping her fingers again. Her minions looked up from their computers as Ginger yelled at them and once she was done talking, they all attacked their laptops again with vigor.

  Blake tried to calm his nerves.

  This was going to be a shit show!

  Chapter 27

  Violet

  Violet sat on Sophie’s sofa, still numb from the shock. Oh god! How on earth had she managed to get Blake into this mess?

  #TABLEFIRE

  That’s what had done it. Violet looked into the empty tub of ice cream she was holding like it had the answer to her problems. What in the hell should she do now? According to Batty Betty, there was a news van and 5 paparazzi stationed at her place.

  Was she going to be stuck at Sophie's forever?

  “Okay, I found you some sweatpants and a jumper and I just talked to Mom, she said that there is going to be a press conference in like 5 minutes. So, let's hope this PR person is going to spin this so that they leave you and Balke alone, although I don’t see how that’s possible,” Sophie said as she slumped back onto the sofa next to Violet.

  “PR person?” She asked, inwardly cringing. This whole big mess was going to cost Blake a fortune. There was no way she would be able to pay him back.

  “Mom said a whole team of them showed up on their doorstep at like 7 am this morning,” Sophie replied, like it wasn’t a big deal that there was a team of people working on this.

  “Jesus! He needs teams of people to get him out of the mess I created!” She was feeling worse as time wore on. There was no way he was ever going to want to go out with her again. That thought crushed her. She more than liked him. She loved him.

  “Violet, you did not create this mess. Blake should have known better! Now let’s keep going, back to our game, we’re up to number 34. What do you have?”

  Violet gave Sophie a sad smile. She could tell that Sophie was doing her best to take her mind off it all. “She falls face first into a wood chipper.”

  Sophie laughed as she wrote down what Violet just had said.

  “Okay, my turn. Number 35. She trips in her closet, and a pair of heels are upside down on the floor, and the spike goes through her eyeball!” Sophie laughed as she wrote it down.

  “Gross, Sophie,” Violet giggled. This was what sh
e needed, a laugh. Sophie really was the best friend a girl could ask for. Writing a list of 100 ways to kill Eden Greene was something Sophie would do.

  After Sophie stopped writing, she looked at Violet. “In all seriousness though, I cannot believe what she said about you. What have you ever done to her?” Violet shrugged her shoulders in reply. She honestly had no idea why Eden Greene hated her so much. “I bet she still thinks she has a shot with Blake,” Sophie said. “Isn’t she married? You told me the other day that she had a husband and kids.” “Yeah, she is. Clearly, a husband isn’t going to stop her.” Violet shook her head.

  I guess we should give the game a rest and see what the TV is saying,” Sophie said as she leaned forward and grabbed the remote off the coffee table.

  Violet felt a sense of dread creep over her as Sophie flicked the TV to the entertainment channel.

  “Let’s see what these ass-hats are saying.” Sophie flicked the TV off mute and Violet had never felt so nervous in her life.

  “This is Mary V from EntertainMe TV, and we are going live to a press conference with Blake Wilson. Let’s hear what he has to say!”

  “I would just like to say that I am retiring from acting, effective immediately. I have had a long and wonderful career in the film industry, but it no longer brings me joy. I would like to thank all my fans for your support and messages of concern about my whereabouts. It means a lot. I would like to thank my manager and everyone that has worked for me over the years. I hope you can all understand that I wish to be a private person again and find what I want to do with the rest of my life. To the media and paparazzi who have dragged an innocent woman into all of this and printed naked photos taken on private property, I would like to say, shame on you and you will be hearing from my legal representatives. I would also like to add that the woman in the pictures with me is not Violet Stone. She and I are not in any way romantically involved. Yes, I do know her, she is just the best friend of my little sister, whom I have known all my life, but that’s all. I have never had romantic feelings for my sister’s best friend. The media have invented the story surrounding her and I ask that you leave her alone. She is a private citizen and it's not even her in the pictures, which were taken years ago. Thank you and goodbye.”