by A. C. Fuller
"Say what you will about Aliens Control the Internet Guy, his videos were entertaining."
Steph smirks. "More than Avery Axum's, anyhow." I throw a couch cushion at her. "Seriously," she continues, "I have to give it to you for keeping things going when those were the only candidates you had. I'd have either given up or started wearing a tinfoil hat if I'd been reading those candidate profiles for so long."
"Well, the first three years, I didn't have to do much. Things have only gotten real in the last six months. Since, you know, Peter."
Her smile shifts to a look of concern. "Oh, honey. How are you doing with that whole thing?"
"You know, I'm sad. But, it is what it is."
Steph gives me a raised-eyebrow look.
"What?" I ask.
"You're getting good at spouting meaningless drivel. The Mast story, the Page Six interview, now you're saying, 'It is what it is.' It's odd."
"Disconcerting."
"Troubling."
I laugh weakly to drive away my discomfort. "Deeply troubling. You have any food?"
Steph hops up and returns with a box of crackers from the kitchen.
"Any cheese?" I ask.
"No."
"Anything to put on them?"
"Dry pasta."
"Gah, Peter always had good food."
"Peter was playing some other game all along."
I take the crackers. "Seriously? This is all the food you have?"
"Tell you what. You may not have Peter, but you can have good food. Call a car, I'm taking you out to dinner."
"Baker's Dozen?"
"There are other restaurants on earth. You do know that, right?"
"Baker's Dozen is the only stable thing in my life right now."
"I'm taking you to Antonio's. Upscale Italian."
I order an Uber, then throw on my shoes. The thought of food makes me feel better, but something Steph said is stuck on a loop in my head. Peter was playing some other game all along. Since the breakup, I've oscillated between hurt, embarrassment, and anger so often that I've started thinking of them as three sides of the same odd coin.
On evenings like this, the hurt comes first. It's true that Peter was a liar, but that doesn't mean we didn't have real fun. It doesn't make his lobster sandwich any less delicious, or take away the jokes we shared about nineties TV. As much as I'd love to believe he's the bad guy, I can't.
Next comes the embarrassment. I don't like feeling tricked, and I know that the reporter from the the New York Post, and probably dozens of others, know the truth of what happened. I'll never say it in public, but I feel like my naïveté is on full display for the world to see.
And that makes me angry. Angry that he couldn't be honest with me. Angry that he tricked me. And angry that I was blind enough to let it happen.
Hurt, embarrassment, and anger. In that order. Over and over.
Steph is at her laptop. "Oh my God. Antonio's has mussels fra diavolo tonight."
"What?"
"I'm on their website. They list their specials nightly and…wait until you try them. Garlic, crushed red pepper, wine. Where's the car?"
"Three minutes away," I say. "Should we head down?"
"Yeah, just checking the site to see if we got any last-minute entries. Maybe we got a Repeal the First Amendment Guy or a Vulcan as the National Language Lady. Never know. Maybe Destiny O'Neill is back in the running."
"Oh, God."
"Could happen. Deadline is still four hours away."
"Give it a rest." I meet her at the laptop. The thought of mussels fra diavolo lifted my spirits, and I don't want to miss the Uber. "Let's go."
"Hold on," Steph says. "No, no, no."
"What is it?"
She opens her mouth, but nothing comes out. Turning the laptop toward me, she steps away and drops onto the couch. On the screen is one of the notification emails our site sends automatically when a new candidate registers for Ameritocracy.
Peter Colton.
I stare at the screen for a few seconds, confused. It must be a prank. I check the sender, which is our official internal email server. "It can't be."
"It is," Steph says, eyes on her phone. "Benjamin texted me. He's…click through to the page."
I click through the link in the email, which takes me to Peter Colton's official Ameritocracy page. Steph walks up behind me and looks over my shoulder.
The picture Peter chose for his profile is from right after he cut his hair, when he took a day trip to Washington D.C. to announce the acquisition of a small video game startup. He looked so handsome in his blue suit, The Washington Monument in the distant background.
My eyes go blurry as Steph's words echo in my mind. Peter was playing some other game all along.
"I can't believe this," Steph says. "Did you have any idea?"
"No."
She clicks through his page frantically. "He's got dozens of position papers. Photos. Videos. This is really professional."
Peter was playing some other game all along.
The words play on a loop, coursing through my body and filling me with blistering rage.
Peter was playing some other game all along.
—The End—
Author Notes, March 2018
Thanks for reading!
I came up with the idea for Ameritocracy in the summer of 2016. Like Mia, I was dismayed at the level of political discourse in the country, and yearned for a fantasy world free of hypocrisy and political nonsense.
At first, I envisioned the story as a single novella, maybe 150 pages. But as I explored the idea, it grew into a trilogy. You just finished Book 2, and Book 3 is already in the works.
Ameritocracy, Book Three: ECHO CHAMBER
(May 2018)
I’d like to thank the following people for their assistance with this book:
Noah Brand, who helped create this story and made many improvements to the scenes and the writing.
My wife, Amanda Allen, who also helped create this story, then read the finished book multiple times to make sure I didn’t mess it up. She deserves something more than thanks. In addition to the specific improvements she makes to all my books, she supports my writing tirelessly and enthusiastically. Without her, I’d still be planning to write my first novel.
Chet Sandberg, who did an excellent job editing this book. I can’t wait to see your books in the world.
Adrijus Guscia of Rocking Book Covers, a talented designer who created the covers for the whole Ameritocracy series.
Kay Vreeland, who proofread the book in the final days before publication, saving me from many embarrassing mistakes.
My Street Team and ARC Team for offering feedback on covers and book concepts, and always being there to support me.
My dad, Robert W. Fuller, whose interest in politics and media inspired my own.
My extended family of Allens, Cosbys, and Andersons, who always offer support and encouragement. And to Dave Cosby for helping me with some of the technical aspects of this book (and the next).
I spend a lot of time studying the American political landscape. I couldn't do this without the wonderful journalists, bloggers, and podcasters doing their best to make sense of the world in confusing times. Thanks to all of them.
And to the readers who enjoy my books, thanks for reading.
A.C. Fuller
Introducing The Alex Vane Media Thrillers
Remember Alex Vane, Mia's boss at The Barker? He's got his own series. I call them The Alex Vane Media Thrillers, and if you’re enjoying the Ameritocracy series, I think you'll love them. Do you remember the part in Off Message when Mia mentions Alex’s run-in with FMH and Dewey Gunstott? Those events happened in The Mockingbird Drive, Book 3 of this series. Mia has a tiny role in that book, but it’s mostly about Alex’s quest to learn the truth about a mass shooting that killed five people at a Las Vegas newspaper.
The Cutline
(An Alex Vane Novella)
Available free, and only
though my website
The Anonymous Source
(An Alex Vane Media Thriller, Book 1)
The Inverted Pyramid
(An Alex Vane Media Thriller, Book 2)
The Mockingbird Drive
(An Alex Vane Media Thriller, Book 3)
The Shadow File
(An Alex Vane Media Thriller, Book 4)
***
Or get books 1-3 together in the boxed set
The Alex Vane Media Thrillers: 1-3
About the Author
Once a journalist in New York, A.C. Fuller now writes novels about men and women at the intersection of media, politics, and technology.
He also teaches writing workshops around the country and internationally. Before he began writing full time, he was an adjunct professor of journalism at NYU and an English teacher at Northwest Indian College.
He now lives with his wife, two children, and two dogs near Seattle. For a free copy of one of A.C.'s books, check out: www.acfuller.com/readerclub.
And he loves hearing from readers.
www.acfuller.com
[email protected]
