Better Than Revenge (Special Edition)

Chapter 1: Sophia

The host's next words made my head snap back up.

"Fan-favorite Christian Ryder wanted to show his fans just how much he appreciates all of their love and support, once again proving he's got a heart of gold underneath that chiseled exterior."

Of course. Of course Christian Ryder was somehow involved. It was just my luck that the one person I couldn't stand was the one who was somehow involved in my return to the public eye.

Really, I shouldn't have been surprised. Christian was the kind of celebrity you couldn't avoid. He was everywhere. He was all over my social media feeds. He was guest-starring on all of my favorite shows. His face was plastered in stores across the country and maybe even the world, his merchandise selling surprisingly well. The only product of his that I would ever buy would be Christian Ryder toilet paper, for obvious reasons.

"Last week, Ryder launched a free, nationwide contest with amazing prizes, and the results are in," the same host continued, completely oblivious, of course, to my inner turmoil. She looked like she belonged on a runway, with her glossy blond hair, a perfect smile, and mile-long legs.

"But that's not all. This contest gave Ryder's manager another idea," her brown-haired, golden-skinned sidekick trilled, because that was the only word I could think of that accurately described the inhuman noise that woman made. "Frank Renaldo wanted to give Ryder an inside look at the fandom behind his success, and with two of his movies out right now, there wasn't a better time. He had secret cameras installed in movie theaters all over the country to show Ryder and the world just how much we love him and his movies in real-time."

Secret cameras? Was that even legal? That felt like a serious invasion of privacy. Those secret cameras of theirs had obviously managed to capture Tori and me without our permission. I was sure I hadn't signed any sort of waiver on my trip to the movies.

Could I sue for this? I could always use some extra cash...

"Our producers have singled out the best clips for us to show you, and we also have a couple of surprises for all of you tuning in tonight... and for one lucky girl," the blonde host added.

"First things first, please welcome our special guest, Christian Ryder himself!"

Just when I thought this couldn't get any worse, they had to bring out the devil himself. If this was one of their surprises, it wasn't all that earth-shattering. A surprise visit from Christian Ryder during a segment dedicated to Christian Ryder – who could've seen that coming?

This was why I was wary of surprises. Well, no this wasn't why. The last time someone surprised me, it involved a clown with a criminal background, roaming hands, and a penchant for making inappropriate balloon animals on my 18th birthday.

No one believed his last creation was a sea cucumber. No one.

I rolled my eyes as I watched the live audience fawn over Christian's arrival. He flashed them a cocky smile and waved, further cementing my annoyance.

"Are you excited to see how your fans like your movie?" the blonde host asked.

"I'm pretty pumped to see what you guys have in store for me. Let's do it."

"Alright, that's what we like to hear. Let's check out some of the best moments captured by those secret cameras."

The first three clips were exactly what you would expect from Ry-Hards, as they were called: suggestive comments, squealing, and even some screaming. I wanted to just forget I'd ever seen that picture of Tori and me and turn the TV off, but my damn curiosity got the best of me. It wasn't every day that Tori and I were on TV, after all. I had to see this through.