“He would have. He’s not about this life. Not like this,” Helene asserted. “And no one at the ranch?”
“I mean, it’s possible—” Amanda’s phone chimed in her purse. She looked down at it, her eyes springing wide. “That’s Dru’s alert tone.”
“Answer it,” Ignacio said, his voice deadly. Amanda appreciated that he was ready to fight Dru on her behalf. She pulled out her phone and looked at the text message.
See you locked your Instagram. Smart.
I wouldn’t check Twitter if I were you.
A lot of people are wondering the same thing I am. How someone so underwhelming could land Sam Pleasant. Somehow makes him seem less attractive. Weird. Anyway. Thanks for saving me from his horrible taste in literally everything. Byeeeeeeee!
Amanda slid her phone across the table so Helene and Ignacio could read it. She shouldn’t have been shocked by the painful way Dru had just implicated herself, but the dig about her impacting Sam’s appeal had really stung. She could only imagine what people were saying about her and Sam. What they were saying about her. Amanda knew exactly how cruel people could be online, especially over something that shouldn’t matter like someone’s looks. She knew she was beautiful and she loved every inch of her curvy body, but that didn’t matter to avatared masses who’d already decided the types of faces, bodies, and skin tones that were acceptable in certain circles. She knew all kinds of people pictured Sam with someone more like Helene. Hell, someone more like Dru. Not a plus-sized, now unemployed nobody.
“Oh, okay. So she wants to fight. Cool,” Helene said as she handed the phone to her husband.
“I’m trying really hard not to be sick right now. Like, I had this feeling in the back of my mind that Dru was going to be the one to ruin this—”
“She hasn’t ruined anything yet. Did she make your day very unpleasant? Yes, okay. This sucks. But we’re not letting this bitch-ass bitch ruin anything. You have to talk to Sam.”
“I know. I—I don’t know how he’s going to react though. I mean, we talked about this. Specifically this. I practically begged him to keep this under wraps and then someone on my end of things blows it up to the whole universe. How am I going to explain this to him? How am I going to explain this to his family? Jesus. His grandmother!” The Pleasants were not a tabloid bunch.
“No. No. Your end nothing,” Helene cut in. “Dru didn’t have to do this. She could have been happy for you. Even if she were jealous, which she clearly fucking is, she should have taken a deep breath and let you live your life. Also if she was into Sam she would want him to be happy and if he’s happy with you—”
“Yeah, that’s not Dru. She is the misery who wants all the company. This is why I didn’t tell her you and I were friends. Can you imagine how she would have tried to use that to her advantage? You and Ignacio.”
“I can’t be bought or used,” Ignacio said with a playful scoff that made Amanda finally laugh.
“Okay. So fuck Dru,” Helene went on. “You don’t work for her anymore. She can eat all the dicks. Let’s talk full damage control. Does she have anything else she can use to hurt you? Does she have any of your things?”
“No. I purposely made myself as bland and boring in her presence as possible and you see how she reacted when things changed. Jesus,” Amanda sighed, the tears rushing back to her eyes. She took a sip of water and tried not to let the tears win. “I need to talk to Sam, like, soon, and I have to find another job. Like now.” She took her phone back and like a complete fool opened her Twitter. Even with her account locked, her mentions had exploded. She quickly scrolled and stopped when she actually saw a picture of Sam coupled with a Bossip headline.
“Oh my God. This is so bad.”
“Give me your phone.” Helene took the device and set it over on the kitchen island.
“Twitter is eating me alive. I wish I could be above all this, but I can’t.”
“Amanda, stop. You’re human and this sucks. Forget all the people who want to tell me, every damn day, that I’m not half Mexican because I don’t look it. If you want I can show you all the awful things people said about me when we announced our engagement. Some woman sent Ignacio pictures of her nieces from Guatemala begging him to consider a woman from his home country instead of me. Then some ashy-ass dude actually said I was erasing the progress of the entire race for not marrying a Black man.”
“If I’d known I contained so much power,” Ignacio said, shrugging. “Everyone is going to have their opinion, but it’s what you and Sam want that matters. What can we do?”
“Yeah. We can reach out to People and at least ask them to do something.” Helene picked up her own phone. “My girl over there loves positive spin and a fresh love story. I am not above calling in favors.”
“Just let me curl up in a ball and die.”
“No can do. Let us help you.”
Amanda ran her hands over her face and cupped her chin. She loved Helene so much and she never wanted to make her think that their friendship was about anything other than how well they got along and how much Amanda enjoyed her bright, loving company. “This is plenty. Just letting me come over. I mean, you guys just got back from your honeymoon and I just busted up into your house with my drama. Let me get out of your hair.” She’d started to stand up when Helen fixed her with a look that could burn a hole in the detailed crown molding high above their heads.
“Where do you have to be?”
“Nowhere. I’m just all up in
