by Bryce Oakley
Zoey laughed, but the sound came out warbled with the other intense emotions battling inside her. "I didn't know you were seeing a therapist," she said, wiping at her face again.
"Sabrina's stance is that the world would be a lovelier place if we all just had a professional to sort out our feelings," Domino said.
Sabrina called from upstairs. "And I'm right!"
Zoey woke up to a missed call from their PR agency, two missed calls from Micah, three missed calls from Pia, and texts from Micah, Billie, and Pia.
She opened Pia's text first.
Pia: Hey, I'm at work all day, but I do want to talk to you about all of this. Call me anytime and I'll call you back as soon as Mark and Kelly allow it.
Zoey's brows snapped together in worry. Well, that was a cryptic message.
She opened Billie's text.
Billie: Hey babes, Micah is looking for you. Dom said you're at her place. I love you and we're all here for you no matter what.
Zoey shot up, a feeling of dread growing within her.
Micah: Call me when you get this.
A knock came on the door. "Zo, you up?" Domino's voice came through the door. "We have that Instagram Live thing today and I want to give you ample time to get ready."
"What's going on?" Zoey called to her, and Domino opened the door, looking confused.
Zoey held up her phone. "Why does Micah want to talk to me?"
"Is it about the Instagram thing?" Domino said, confused.
"Did you tell anyone?" Zoey asked. "Who did you tell?"
Domino looked as though Zoey had slapped her across the face. "No one. Only Sabrina knows."
"Did she tell someone?" Zoey said.
Domino's eyes narrowed. "No," she said firmly.
"Ugh, I'm sorry, that was bitchy," Zoey said, shaking her head.
"I know, but I forgive you," Domino said, rolling her eyes.
Zoey's phone lit up with another call. Micah again. She took a deep breath and pressed the green button.
"Hey Mikey," Zoey said in a forced casual tone.
"Hey Zoey. Full disclosure, I have Sam from PR with me and you're on speaker," Micah said, sounding exhausted.
"What's up?" Zoey said as Domino sat on the edge of her bed, listening in.
"I'm just going to come out with it and ask. Are you dating Pia Marino?" Micah asked.
Domino's eyes went wide. "I didn't!" She mouthed, holding up her hands in defense.
Zoey reached and took Domino's hand in hers, squeezing it. "Can you give me some context for this question?"
"A blind item came out about two people who we think could fit your description. There's rumors of accompanying photos, but we haven't gotten those yet. We're working with Pia's PR team, as well," Sam said, his voice commanding.
She shrank back from his tone. It wasn't accusing, per se, but he wasn't happy with her.
Domino squeezed her hand, nodding.
"Okay, well, I'll give you the overview and then we can figure out how to approach it," Zoey began.
Three hours later, the band sat in their van outside of a small studio, set up for the Live Q&A on Instagram. Micah had run inside to get everything sorted before their entrance.
Zoey had been coached on what to say if the question came up — because undoubtedly the question would come up — and ran over the buzzwords in her head. Collaboration, just good friends, Pia was a positive mentor to the band.
She hated the last one. It made Pia feel decades older than her.
They could have told the producers not to use any personal questions, but instead, her PR agency thought that being casual and up-front about it might head the whole rumor-mill off and avoid any type of scandal. Pia's PR team was massively against either of them telling the truth. They had claimed something about a big interview she had coming up and public image. Bad timing.
Zoey’s team just seemed concerned with getting both Zoey and Pia out of the headlines as quickly and easily as possible.
She had given Billie and Meg the short story on the way over so they'd hear it directly from her and not some internet article.
"Our decade-long recruitment tactics have finally paid off," Meg said, giggling as though she'd just been told fantastic news.
Billie had hugged her. "We love and support you no matter what. Don't feel pressured to label whatever is going on. Look at Vero. She is totally fine without the gay or lesbian or bisexual or pansexual label," she said. "You're just Zoey. Our keyboard-playing, bossy—"
"Hey!" Zoey said.
"Yeah, that's true," Domino said flatly.
"Celesbian-kissing Zoey," Billie continued.
"I'm sorry to tell you guys like this right before a thing," Zoey said.
"Remember when we all came out to you within like two months of one another?" Billie said, rolling her eyes.
"Fondly," Zoey said, laughing.
Billie laughed, too. "I came out to you crying over pitchers of beer. Domino came out to you by trying to kiss you—"
"—Really cemented our bond," Domino interjected.
Zoey laughed, rolling her eyes.
"Meg, how did you do it?" Billie asked, turning to Meg in the far backseat of the van.
"I think I just told her," Meg said. "Like any other normal, well-adjusted 19-year-old."
Zoey smirked. "No, you asked—"
Meg shook her head quickly. "Nope."
Zoey nodded. "Fine."
Billie and Domino looked back and forth between the two of them. Domino looked as if she was going to press the issue, but Billie shook her head subtly.
"Okay, do you want us to say anything if it gets brought up today?" Billie asked.
Zoey shook her head. "No, Micah and Sam gave me the talking points."
Micah opened the door, popping her head in. "You guys ready?"
Thirty minutes later, they were mic'd up and ready to go.
Zoey blinked into the bright ring lights on them as she shifted in her seat. Maggie, the producer, sat at the end of the table holding a tablet, asking the questions that popped up on the screen.
"What took y'all four years to put out this new album?" She read with a laugh.
Zoey grinned as the band laughed at the question. They had been getting that one non-stop for the past few years.
"We wanted to only put out the best music. That meant growing as humans, as artists, doing our own thing for awhile — Meg toured and recorded in Europe with another band, Billie wrote with other artists, Zoey became a fashion icon, and I drank a lot of whiskey," Domino said as the band laughed again.
"Billie, what's it like dating one of the most famous women in the world?" Maggie asked.
"Hectic," Billie said, grinning.
"What's your favorite song on the album?" Maggie asked.
"Kaleidoscope," Domino said.
"Just Making Sure," Meg said.
"Kaleidoscope," Billie said.
Zoey didn't answer. Nerves twisted in her stomach. Her palms were clammy. She rested them as casually as possible on her knees.
"Zoey, will you be modelling again anytime soon?" Maggie asked.
Zoey nodded. Ah, finally, a softball. "My contract says yes," she joked. "And of course. I love it. But maybe we can save it for after the tour."
"Well, about a million people are asking for tour dates. Any idea when those will be?" Maggie asked.
"We'll be releasing dates soon! Fall and early winter, then again in the spring," Billie said with a diplomatic smile.
"Meg, will you marry me?" Maggie asked.
"Is this a personal question or are you reading off the screen?" Meg deadpanned.
Maggie blushed, giggling. "The screen, of course."
"Then yes, nameless person. Consider us engaged," Meg said with a silly thumbs up.
Okay, it wasn't going terribly so far. They answered about ten more minutes of questions. Zoey stayed pretty quiet, keeping to herself.
"Zoey," Maggie started, watching the screen for a moment.<
br />
Zoey braced herself, squaring her shoulders and putting on a pleasant expression.
"Rumors about you and Pia Marino. True or false?" Maggie said. "Sorry, just paraphrasing. Lots of questions about it."
Collaboration.
Mentorship.
Just good friends.
The buzzwords ran through her head.
Domino glanced over at her with a small nod, as if to say, You got this.
"Pia's awesome. We've become good friends while collaborating on a project," Zoey began, but the lie felt ridiculous.
"So, that's a false?" Maggie said.
Zoey paused.
"What does it matter?" Meg said, frustrated.
Zoey blinked, unsure how to reel Meg back in.
"No, this is bullshit. We're a band of proud, queer women — with so many definitions of that word — and we do not scrutinize our sexualities for the public eye," Meg said, her expression darkening.
Oh God, this was going so off-script.
"We do not care who Zoey dates or does not date," Domino said.
Billie chimed in, "And neither should you. Do y'all want to ask us more questions about our music? Isn't that why we're here?"
The fact that Meg and Dom had made such a big deal out of it made her feel uncomfortable.
She was grateful for the support, and proud to have two bodyguards on either side of her, but it was her story to tell.
It was her story to tell.
Not her PR team's.
Not Pia's PR team's.
And hell, speaking of PR, in that moment, she knew exactly what to do to get the attention back on the music.
It was her music’s time to shine.
"Listen, I wrote all about it in a song on the album called 'Midnight.' All you have to do is listen if you really want to know," Zoey said, winking with a sly smile.
The rest of the band laughed, but Billie glanced at her quickly with a startled expression.
Behind the camera, Micah was slapping a palm to her forehead, her jaw slack.
Somewhere in a fancy office downtown, Pia's PR team was probably preparing to have her bound and gagged.
And what would Pia's reaction be?
Zoey didn't hear a single question or answer past that.
She felt as though she was floating.
She had directed the narrative, because it was her story to tell.
And for better or worse, she had told it.
Chapter Twelve
Pia
Pia sat in her office, her phone in her hand, watching the live Q&A with The Shrikes. She had rushed through a writer's meeting to be able to watch it live, because she knew, she just knew that someone would ask about her and Zoey.
She watched, feeling tender for Zoey as Meg, Domino, and Billie publicly shamed people who were obsessed with people's personal lives. Zoey had good people around her, that much was true. And she knew that somewhere off-set were Sabrina and Vero in her court, too.
Now, as to what Micah was thinking during all of that...
"Listen, I wrote all about it in a song on the album called 'Midnight.' All you have to do is listen if you really want to know," Zoey said, winking at the camera as a mischievous smile curved the edge of her mouth.
Fuck.
Pia nearly fell out of her chair. Her feet slipped off the desk and she fell forward, her phone flying out of her hands.
"What the fuck," she said, more to herself than directed at anybody.
Not that she could be cursing anyone, since she had locked herself away in her office so that she'd have some privacy. For this very reason.
Had Zoey just used their relationship to get her song publicity?
Had Pia just used the word relationship for what she and Zoey had?
Had Zoey planned that little stunt?
Was this Zoey's plan all along?
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
She was so confused.
Her desk phone rang almost immediately.
Not a good sign.
Damage control was already spinning their wheels.
She picked up the receiver. "This is Pia," she said, swallowing hard. She stretched the cord as far as it went so that she could pick her phone up from the ground near her couch.
"Ms. Marino," Eva began. "I'm not sure if you—"
"Yep, I saw it," Pia said. "And I'm not interested in figuring out a strategy to make her redact her statement or put out a countering statement."
"Pia, I'm going to level with you," Eva said, her tone dipping lower in seriousness.
"Why do I have the distinct feeling I'm not going to like what you say?" Pia said, scrubbing her face with her hand.
"Because you're not. But you pay me to do this job properly, and so I'm going to give you my professional opinion," Eva said.
Pia nodded. "Alright, do your worst."
"We have to keep this quiet until after the Sheila conversation. Or, if you'd rather, we can cancel the Sheila conversation," Eva said. "But you cannot both be an advocate for your deceased wife's illness and a person parading around town with a much younger woman."
"Wow, don't spare my feelings, Eva," Pia said, holding her cell phone in her hand.
A text from Zoey came through.
Zoey: If you already saw, I'm sorry that I didn't discuss that with you first. It wasn't planned.
Sure looked planned.
Pia didn't respond, fearing her words wouldn't be coming from a place of patience and understanding at the moment.
"It's not a good look," Eva said, her tone softer.
"No, you're right," Pia said, sinking back in her chair. "Let's... I don't know. Don't do anything yet. Let me think before we do anything. Or maybe we'll do nothing and just lie low. God, I don't fucking know."
"I have some ideas, but we can wait for a few hours if you need," Eva said.
"A few hours?" Pia asked, her voice nearly squeaking with surprise. She cleared her throat.
"I'll call you later this afternoon for a new strategy," Eva said.
After Eva hung up, Pia stared down at her phone.
The text from Zoey looked innocent enough.
Had she been played?
Had Zoey's lack of commitment been specifically for this very reason?
She groaned. Why was she even thinking that? It had been her lack of commitment, too.
Fuck, fuck, fuck.
A knock sounded on the door. Pia glanced towards it, uncertain if she needed to see a human face at the moment. No, she couldn't derail her career just because she was lovesick. Or sick of love. Or in agony over love lost, whatever poetic term she could call the sick and anxious feeling in her gut.
"Come on in," she called out.
Kelly poked her head in the door. "Do you have a minute?"
"Now's not a good time," Pia said, rubbing at her aching temples.
Kelly shut the door behind her. "I, uh, know that you're going through something right now," she began.
Pia raised an eyebrow, watching as Kelly crossed the room and sunk down in a chair across the desk from her.
"May I offer some advice?" Kelly asked, politely smiling.
Pia nodded, still skeptical. "Sure," she said.
"You've dated no one publicly in ten years, correct?" Kelly asked.
Pia nodded.
"And most people don't even know you're a widow," Kelly continued.
Pia paused, but nodded.
"Why did this go so public so fast, then?" Kelly asked, tilting her head.
"What do you mean?" Pia asked.
"I think that you need to be asking yourself the hard questions. Someone close to you or Zoey leaked this. If not Zoey herself," Kelly said.
"Zoey herself?" Pia asked, surprised that someone else was thinking that, too. A mixture of guilt and relief flooded through her.
"I'm not saying it was Zoey. I'm saying that someone leaked that information and has photos of you. And how would they have gotten those photos? They had to be conveniently at the
right place at the right time," Kelly said.
Pia nodded.
"So, make a list of everyone who knows," Kelly said. "Everyone. And then start narrowing it down."
Pia's mouth went dry at the thought. "This is overwhelming," she said.
Kelly stood. "I know it seems that way now, but it's for the best. We'll get through it. A little scandal might even boost viewership," she said. "Alright, I have other fires to put out, but let me know if you need anything."
And just like that, Kelly dropped a grenade into a room and ran out.
Pia stared down at her phone, then hit the call button next to Zoey's name.
"Hey," Zoey said, her voice sounding... nervous?
Her nervousness set Pia on edge.
"Hey, I'm going to give you an address, and I want you to meet me there at 11pm tonight," Pia said.
"Cryptic, but okay," Zoey agreed.
Pia texted her the address, and then she leaned back in her chair, trying to mentally and emotionally piece together a plan.
Pia paced the front room of the house. It was a home she owned in Dana Point — the home she had made with Elle before her death.
She rarely went there anymore, but she kept it. Selling it seemed wrong, like she was throwing away all of the memories they had made there.
But in truth, it still felt like a tomb.
The home was nearly empty. She had a regular cleaning crew and minimal furniture, but overall, it was a relic.
A haunted, symbolic place for her meeting with Zoey.
But, for better or worse, it seemed like the only place where she and Zoey wouldn't be caught by paparazzi.
She sipped from a glass of wine that she had brought for the occasion. A Pinot Noir that she loved. It had a smooth, silky texture that she hoped would make what she was about to talk to Zoey about go down a little easier.
She was going to end things with Zoey.
They had only ever wanted something casual. Fun. Carefree.
And now?
Everything was a mess, and throwing it all away on a woman who could be using her wasn't a choice she was going to make lightly.
Zoey arrived at exactly 11pm. She stood on the doorstep smiling, wide and happy.
