Fan Fiction |
by Hibiscus
“Come in.” Mrs. Lin answered.
Ariel entered the room and Mrs. Lin had just gotten up and done her morning ablutions. “Oh Ariel, thank you!” She said as she settled onto the bed. “Share with me.” Mrs. Lin said patting the bed.
Ariel got into the bed, snuggling against her mom.
“Mom…” She started.
“Yes darling?”
“You’d have been happier if you hadn’t met Dad, wouldn’t you?” Ariel asked, playing the lace on her nightgown.
Mrs. Lin sighed and put down the toast. “Sometimes. Sometimes I think I would have been. This heartache is a business for grownups, Ariel. Most of the time though, when I look at you, I give thanks to God that I did meet your father. He gave me a lot of pain in my life but he also gave me you.”
“Honey, there are no guarantees to life, no guarantees to love. It’s all about the risk. As I said, heartache is a business for grownups and sweetheart, you are a grown up. I’ve seen you, scared to love, scared to risk and yes, it’s wise to be scared. You’ve had bad experiences but if you will just be honest with yourself, you’ll know what to do.”
“I need to go shower.” Ariel said, sliding off the bed.
“Think about what I said, Ariel.” Mrs. Lin said.
********************************************************
7 am
“You can’t come to the press conference with me, Serena.” Mike said patiently, while screaming crazily in his head.
“Why not? You are my boyfriend.” Serena said, reaching up and straightening his collar.
Mike flinched away. “Don’t do that. We are pretend partners, Serena, not real ones.” Mike was not in a nice mood and it showed in the slit of his eyes and the colour in his cheeks. He, dressed superbly for once, stood by Serena who had arrived at Sandra’s office for a preconference meeting.
“You can still cancel this.” Sandra said gently.
“No.” Mike spat it out as though it were an epithet. “I have to do this.”
“You should be nicer to me, y’noe. I could just refuse or tell the whole world about this.” Serena said snidely.
“You could. But then Serena, you’d never rise from the mediocrity you are drenched in right now. You’d be a one hit wonder, forgotten when the new It Girl shakes her ass at the crowds and wins them over.” Mike said harshly.
Serena narrowed her eyes. “You don’t need to be mean.”
“You are a lousy actress. That’s why I don’t want you anywhere near the press conference. The reporters are rabid dogs, sent to sniff anything even remotely interesting. They will dig into your background, into your past, everything.”
“I can handle that.” Serena said.
“I know. Why do you think I chose you?” Mike replied.
************************************************************
8 am.
Rainie and Ethan rang the bell at Joe’s house. Mrs. Zheng answered.
“Hey Rainie, Ethan. Come in. We are just going over to the market to get some vegetables. Joe is in the living room. You know the way.”
Rainie and Ethan said their greetings and Mr. and Mrs. Zheng left.
“Joe!” Rainie walked into the living room. Joe sat at a couch, unshaved, seemingly unwashed and in yesterday’s clothes.
“Ugh. There’s a hobo on the couch.” Rainie told Ethan.
“Hush Rainie.” Ethan said. “There a bowl of food besides that thing so I’m certain it’s Joe.”
Joe glared at them. “Go away.”
“Nope.” Rainie said cheerfully. “Turn the TV on. I want to see Mike make the biggest mistake of his life.”
Joe sighed heavily. “Where’s my cell phone?” He mumbled.
“Your front pocket.” Ethan replied.
“Oh. Yeah.” Joe took out his cell phone and placed it on the arm of the couch.
Just then Ethan’s phone rang. “It’s my manager. I have to take this call. I’ll be back.” Ethan left the room so he could talk in peace.
Rainie looked over at Joe. He looked back at her.
“You sad mutt, I know what you did.” She said to him.
“I have no idea what you are talking about, Rainie. As usual.” Joe replied.
“Don’t play the fool with me, Joe. This is Cheng Lin you are talking to. I can figure out what you are thinking, why you are acting in the way you are in minutes. I have always been able to do that.” Rainie replied with brevity.
“Bah.” Joe turned away.
“But why?” Rainie said. “You love Ariel but you let her go. Why?”
Joe sighed again, accepting defeat and answering. “Remember Leila?”
“Yeah.” Rainie replied.
“Her.”
“Ah.”
“It was my turn this time.” Joe replied.
“Doesn’t hurt?” Rainie asked.
“Are you kidding me?” Joe looked grumpy. “Hurts like mother trucking hell. But at the same time, it feels right. I deserve much more, y’noe? She’d never love me the way she loves him. Don’t get me wrong, she loves me plenty, I know that. But not with that intense, fiery abandon. That’s what I want. That’s what he’s got.” He nodded.
“Yeah.” Rainie replied passing him a chocolate bar she had in her purse.
“Thanks. What time is it?” Joe took it and asked.
“8:35 am.” Rainie replied.
Joe grinned. “What the hell, I always did love drama.” He picked up his phone and started typing a text message.
***********************************************************
8:40 am
Ariel sat down. Got up. Sat down again. She didn’t know what to do. Nervous energy made her skittish. She turned the TV on. Turned it off. Turned it on again. But nausea interfered and she turned it off and threw the remote control away.
He was actually going to do it. He was going to do it. “Oh my god, he’s going to do it.” Ariel breathed deeply. Unevenly. She got up again. And then sat down.
Suddenly her cell phone beeped. She snatched it up.
“Carpe Diem*, Ariel.” – Joe.
Ariel’s eyes widened. She got up, picked up her keys and flew out of the house.
***********************************************************
At the press conference… 8:50 am.
“Miss, the regular technician couldn’t make it so the company sent me.” A personable young man said to Sandra and she nodded absently as went over the short speech that Mike would make. The speech read that Mike and Serena were in a relationship and the purpose of this press conference was to announce it officially. There’d be a question period, and only three questions would be taken.
Mike was nervous. He knew that once he went through with this charade, he’d never have another chance with Ariel, he knew it. And yet, he couldn’t not go through with it. He refused to cause her pain again. Simply refused.
**********************************************************
9 am.
There were news vans, reporters and the regular and expected assembly at a press conference. Mike went ahead and sat at the table on the platform in front of the cameras clicking madly away. The moment of truth. He took a deep breath.
Suddenly a screen rolled down behind him and Mike looked back, confused, glancing at Sandra. She looked equally bewildered. Then the screen flooded with pictures of Ariel and Mike. Belinda’s pictures. Mike’s mouth went slack with shock and the noise level went up as the media present took note of the pictures and muttered excitedly among themselves at this unexpected coup de grace.
Mike turned forward just as Belinda walked out from where she had been hidden by the other reporters.
“What exactly is your relationship with Ariel Lin Yi Chen?” She asked, victory lacing each word.
“Do you really want to know?” A voice asked from the side.
Mike got up and walked out from behind the table and out onto the platform.
Ariel walked onto the stage, eyes bright, cheeks flushed. “Do you really want to know?” She asked again, this time to the entire menagerie of mongrels present. She walked until she reached Mike. Then she got on her tiptoes, linked her arms around his neck, pulled his face down to hers and kissed him. She kissed him in front of Belinda, in front of all the reporters, in front of the viewers, in front of the world. It was short kiss but their chemistry was immediate, electric and palpable.
Mike glanced down at Ariel, uncertain. She smiled and slipped her hand into his and they turned as a whole to face the crowd.
“Was that clear enough or should I be more specific?” Ariel asked, this time addressing Belinda directly. Then she turned to the crowd of reporters who were practically salivating to hear what she said. “You’ve all been in love before, yes?” Ariel asked softly and everyone murmured assent. “So you know how jealous you are of your new love, wanting to live in your own world for just a little time before everyone else finds out.”
“Almost all of you understand and respect that privacy which normal people take for granted. Normal people don’t have to hide their love; normal people don’t have to deny being with friends just in case it is mistaken for something else. But most of you are wonderful about the boundaries, except a certain reporter who has no respect for the basic right of a human being. Privacy.” Mike said. “I am violated, Ariel is violated and for what? A few moments of titillation? Our private lives are splashed on newspapers for all to see and that is all and good but there are boundaries and I beg you to respect them. I don’t come to your houses and take pictures of you being intimate with your own loved ones. I only ask that you show me the same respect.”
“We thank you for your support.” Ariel added and they walked off the stage.
As they were leaving, Ariel and Mike passed Belinda. Ariel muttered under her breath, just loudly enough that Belinda would hear. “Ding dong, the witch is dead.”
And Rainie at the same time, skipping happily in front of the TV, shrieked loudly, “Ding dong, the witch is dead.”
Ethan shook his head and said “wow” for the millionth time since Ariel had kissed Mike and Joe? He smiled slightly into his cushion.
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*Carpe Diem: Latin for, "Seize the Day." (Also Kettle's Story. Which you should check out, ;) )