Chapter 2

2 My agent, Rhonda, called while I was getting tipsy. "Amy, where are you?"

I mumbled a response.

"There's been a situation. You're trending."

Trending? My head cleared a little. I checked my phone. Someone had posted the video from the wrap party. The top four trending topics were all about Jason and Sarah:

#JasonSarah EyeContact

#JasonSarah WrapPartyKiss

#JasonSarah WhenWillTheyGoPublic

#JasonSarah WeddingGiftHowMuch

And then, starting at number five, it was all about me:

#AmyClown

#AmyBulliesSarah

#AmyNepotismBaby

The comments were brutal.

"Who does she think she is? With that nasty attitude, she wants to kiss our Jason?"

"So gross. Did they have to air out the room after she left?"

"She's got such an attitude, storming out like that. Someone needs to check her connections. Trash."

"Poor Sarah, she was practically in tears."

"I never let a character influence how I feel about an actor…except for Amy. Clearly, she was just playing herself."

"No talent, got the role through connections. Heard she was supposed to be the lead but got bumped. Guess she can only play the villain."

Connections, huh? Yeah, right. I'd landed the lead role fair and square. Then, just before filming, Jason's agency pressured the producers to replace me with Sarah. They said Sarah and Jason had better "chemistry" and the show would be more successful. Jason told me if he had to act like my boyfriend on screen, he wouldn't be able to control himself and our real relationship would be exposed.

I refused, and we had a huge fight. "My contract with this agency is almost up, Amy. Can't you just be understanding?" He said I was being unreasonable. But he didn't understand how hard I'd worked for that role. The director had my back at first. He'd told me he wouldn't give in to the pressure. He got fired the next day. I was demoted to the second lead, the villain.

That night, I'd stared at Jason and Sarah's joint promotion for the new show, chewing each bite of my sandwich slowly. They say bread tastes sweeter the longer you chew it, but all I tasted was bitterness. Sometimes, you need to see it with your own eyes, hear it with your own ears, to finally let go. Back then, I still held onto a sliver of hope that once his contract was up, we could finally be together, free from all the constraints. I wanted to be close to him, so I took the role in the show. It was like being stabbed repeatedly, watching their "sweet" moments on and off camera.

Tears streamed down my face as I scrolled. Another trending topic: #JasonProtectiveBoyfriend. The comments were full of people urging them to get married, interspersed with curses and insults directed at me. They said people like me, who bully others, should just die.

An hour had passed, and Jason hadn't said a word to clear things up. Everyone involved was staying silent, letting the hashtags climb higher and higher.

I wiped my tears and unblocked Jason's number. I had acted rashly. We needed to talk. I typed out the words I never thought I'd write: "Jason, we're breaking up."

Jason found me three hours later. "Real mature, Amy. Blocking my number." He reached for me.

"Don't touch me!" I jerked away.

"Amy, there's a limit to these tantrums," he said, his voice low. "You were wrong to make a scene at the wrap party."

"I told you to apologize. Was I wrong? This could have all been avoided if you'd just apologized."

I laughed humorlessly. "Did it hurt you? Did it cost you anything?"

He was silent. Of course, it hadn't hurt him. This was free publicity, getting the show trending before it even aired. That was why my hashtags were still up there, untouched. It was laughable. I was laughable.

I stood up, swaying slightly, and pushed him away. "Jason, I'm serious. We're breaking up. Stay away from me."

"You're drunk." He frowned.

"I mean every word."

He stared at me for a moment, sighed, and softened his tone. "Babe, let's not do this, okay? Let's go home."

"Go away. Rhonda's coming to get me."

He ignored me, pulling me into his arms. "Don't be difficult, okay? Come home with me. I'll pretend I didn't hear any of this 'breakup' talk. Don't ever say that again, understand?" He leaned down to kiss me.

Honestly, this used to work on me. He'd used this tactic to smooth things over after every Sarah-related fight. But now, the thought of him with Sarah made me sick.

"Jason!" I struggled against him, turning my head away. "Are you deaf? I'm breaking up with you!"

I saw Rhonda standing by the rooftop door, eyes wide. She must have just arrived. I pulled away from Jason and rushed towards her.

"Amy!" Jason's voice, laced with anger, followed us. "Repeat what you just said."

I took a deep breath, turned back to him, and said, slowly and clearly, "I. Am. Breaking. Up. With. You."

"Fine. Fine. Just fine." He laughed coldly. "Breaking up, are we? Fine, I agree. Don't come crawling back."