Beautifully Damned

eighteen: flashing lights

phresh out the runway by rihanna

Imogen.

Today was the show and part of me was ecstatic, the other part nervous because the success of this line was riding on  it. Maxime left early to go into whatever meeting he had to go to. I woke up and walked across the hall to Yasmins suite. I heard music from outside her door and opened the door.

"Yas?" I yelled over the music blasting throughout her room.

She strutted down the hall, to her runway playlist. She had her game face on and clicked her 6 inch heels on the floor walking towards her mirror. She stopped as soon as she saw me.

"Hey Genilicious, ready for some pregaming?" she asked as she rushed towards me

"You know it, one now and one later" I said as she got the 5 hour energies from the kitchen cabinet.

We threw them back as if they were shots and she handed me heels. She danced as 'Work B***h' by our queen Britney Spears blasted. I inhaled and started walking.
———

Yasmin and I stopped to get lunch before going to the location where the show would be. We got our table and ordered light so we would have room for more at the after party. I scrolled on my instagram and got a text from my publicist.

"Oh my God...." I said as I scrolled through the article sent to me

"What?" Yasmin said as she ate her fries

"This article" I handed her my phone

"Hm 'Imogen Louis, Princess to the Public? or Slept Her Way to the Top?', what the hell..." she starts to read

Tears start to form in my eyes. I can take a bad review and rumors but this article cited speculation that I initiated relations with an 'executive' in an attempt to get more jobs. One thing I don't play about is my credibility, especially on an important day for me. I had really bad anxiety and it had been under control until certain obstacles arise.

"Babe this is slander and defamation, let me text Dominique and ask her to contact the lawyer. Don't sweat it, you know it's not true" Yasmin grabbed my hand

"Yes it's not true but you know how demeaning these columns can be, and you know I don't care what people say about me but it makes me look bad" I said trying to contain the tears threatening to come out.

She looked up from her phone, "Okay Mini said she will be here later tonight and that HR is trying to scrape the story from the web. Nobody probably saw it anyways" She told me

As soon as I sat back, with a bit of reassurance, a swarm of reporters came around a corner and started towards us. I put my sunglasses on and mouthed 'let's go'.

'Ms Louis, are you an around the way girl'

'Imogen did that Zach Ursils try and exploit you?'

'Are you sleeping with Max Prince for publicity?'

Too many comments like those ones arose and my eyes watered under my sunglasses. I bowed my head, held Yasmins hand we I walked to the car, with our new security pushing the paparazzi out of our way.

We got in the car and hurried away. I struggled to catch my breath as I recovered the comments that quickly rushed to my head. The driver spoke on the phone before hanging up. My phone rang seconds after, I looked at it to read 'Maxime' and almost didn't answer since I was having an anxiety attack.

"Hello" I spoke

"Chérie, are you okay? Did any of them touch you?" He asked

"I'm okay, just a little anxious" I responded clutching my chest as Yasmin rubbed my back