♡⃝ ㅤ،ㅤ ﹝ 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑵 𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑳 ﹞ ㅤ─ׂ─ׅ─ׂ ﹪ ׅ ࣪
▭ׅ ▭ֹ ▭ㅤ𝚛𝚎𝚢𝚗𝚊 𝚜𝚘𝚕𝚊𝚌𝚎 , ❜ ╱ ❪ 刈取 ❫
❪ CHAPTER 005 : 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 ❫.
❛ ©ENKYOI , 2022. ❜
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▍LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.
MARCH 01, 1984 — 9:30 AM : PRESENT DAY !
it was the next day after news of reyna's unfortunate accident broke. her mother called a press conference to address the rumors propagated by several news anchors and, of course, the general public, as no one expected such a thing to happen to "america's sweetheart."
the room was dark and silent, slight jokes going around here and there to make reyna feel better. besides that, her team began preparing the young lady for the conference, while her personal stylist, carmine, selected a matching chanel two-piece skirt outfit and matching pumps.
everyone felt awful for reyna since they all knew what she was going through with her mother behind closed doors, but there was nothing they could do about it. they understood she felt helpless and did everything they could to cheer reyna up whenever she would be at her lowest.
"how much longer until the conference airs?" elvira, asked larisa who's in charge of reyna's press and social media events to which the woman looked down at her notes before responding.
"we have exactly fifteen minutes, ma'am," larisa answered and elvira began to clap her hands together to gather everyone's attention like she always did.
"okay everyone!" elvria started making a circular motion with her arms to signal for everyone to come together; meanwhile reyna was chugging down a bottle of water to calm her nerves. "we must make every effort to ensure that this news conference runs smoothly. if they suspect any type of uncertainty about what happened, that's reyna's career. got it?" she then started to scan the room, making sure that everyone present knew what was at risk if the conference didn't go well.
elvira then moved in the direction of her daughter to make sure she they were on the same page. she made her way over to the enormous white vanity where her daughter was sitting, getting her makeup touched up my monáe. reyna's eyes were lifeless, and it was obvious to everyone with a heart and mind that she was clearly miserable. she was preparing herself to hear whatever wicked things her mother had in store for her.
elvira said, folding her arms, "follow the plan. stick to what we've discussed; else, i'll deal with you. if anything, you're the reason why we're in this situation in the first place." elvira then proceeded to strut away after looking her daughter up and down with disgust all evident across her face.
reyna's lovely hazel eyes started to well up with silent tears, occasionally in moments like this. she was clueless of what she had done to deserve her mother's cruelty, animosity, and neglect. she only wanted love, but more than anything, she yearned for her own freedom.
when the encounter with elvira occurred, monáe was literally standing next to reyna. she rolled her eyes while silently cursing the evil woman and repeatedly flicked her off. turning her attention back to reyna, her heart broke at the sight. "oh my poor sweetheart, i'm so sorry you have to deal with this," monáe took a cotton swab and gently tapped away the tears so her makeup wouldn't be stained.
"no, it's okay náe nàe. i'll be okay soon." the singer spoke gently, her voice cracking slightly before she cleared her throat as she blinked away the tears that were starting to form once again. when she got the signal that the conference were about to start, she gave her friend a slight smile before rising up to the exit sign of the room.
reyna internally sighed. god, please be with me. she prayed as she exited the private room.
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▍LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.
MARCH 01, 1984 — THE CONFERENCE !
"and that's what happens when you mix champagne and five-inch stilettos," reyna stated, trying to lighten the mood a little followed by a small laugh, but it did not help. her eyes began to dart all over the place. the reporters weren't even trying to laugh at the moment because they were so intent on taking notes on every single thing that she said.
the woman felt a sudden sensation of being trapped and that the room was spinning too fast for her to keep up with. her palms started to sweat, her throat felt dry, and she felt like she was having breathing difficulties. reyna was not feeling like herself, and she wasn't sure if she was having a panic attack or something else.
elvira picked up on what was happening and decided to intervene, saying, "well, guys, if it's alright with you, it's about time we wrap this up as she has an event to get to later tonight." elvira was in the process of getting reyna off the platform when a reporter holding a microphone approached her. reyna sensed that things weren't going to end well.
"well i have one last question, that's if you guys don't mind." the reporter had a smug look on his face, as if he was planning something devious. elvira and the rest of reyna's press team looked at each other with knowing looks before giving the man the okay to ask his question.
he proceeded to stand up, adjusting his suit while clearing his throat, "according to my knowledge, the railing of the balcony is about five to six feet tall," he looked around the room nodding his head as if he was putting his thoughts together.
"what's your name and what's your point is?" elvira gave the man such a deadly glare that anyone could drop dead at any moment by looking at her. he gave her a smile showing his pearly whites, "the name is joshua and my point is, how can someone "accidentally" fall over a railing that is about six feet tall? and with that, in the photograph, she's shown with no heels on whatsoever." the man spoke as he held up the photograph that was taking of reyna the night before.
"so my question is, reyna, did you try to kill yourself and trying to cover it up for the sake of your name? hmm?" he held the mic up to the singer whose mouth slightly hung at the audacity of his question. how dare someone who hasn't walked a day or even a minute in her shoes try to question her? this whole situation just baffled the young lady and right as she was about to respond, elvira stepped in to stop the conference from turning left.
"that's enough. thank you all for your time." elvria announced as reyna was being pulled off the stage by her staff. chaos was heard going all around the room as she exited the stage. she couldn't believe what was happening, she felt like her world was falling apart and she didn't know what to do to stop it. she felt utterly helpless.
after joshua, the reporter, had asked that explosive question, everyone in the area surrounding her was running around like chickens with their heads chopped off. they were attempting to contain the damage that has just been caused since the question alone could damage her career for good. she began to experience a familiar, unsettling feeling that she had felt earlier before. her throat felt like it was closing up minute by minute, making it extremely difficult for her to breathe. her vision kept going in and out like she was in a fever dream.
it was entirely too many people around her trying to figure out what to do or what they think should happen next regarding her career. on top of that, elvria's loud voice across the backstage private room was becoming entirely too painful for the singer to listen to.
with all the strength she had, reyna muttered to whoever was next to her, "i-i need to go lay down," reyna felt weak at that exact moment and was unsure of the cause of the sudden cause of her sickness. she staggered backwards as she was taking her steps, and that's when those around her noticed that the young woman didn't look good. they started asking her too many questions that she couldn't comprehend or answer in her state.
before she could even leave the packed, heated room, she collapsed to the floor. she started to lose consciousness as her chest started to rise and fall quickly. her mother didn't even bother to check on her, all reyna seen was her was shaking and crossing her arms while her team sprinted to check on her. that was the last thing she seen before she instantly passed out.
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▍LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.
MARCH 01, 1984 — 8:45 PM : 10 HOURS LATER !
a white bright light is all the popstar seen when she tried to open her eyes the first couple of blinks. when her eyes finally adjusted to the sight in front of her, she didn't know where she was but then it clicked that she was in her bedroom.
as she attempted to sit up, she instantly felt this ragging thumping motion in her head. her hand immediately went to touch the side of her head where she most felt the pain. "ow, ow, ow," reyna hissed over and over as she tried to sooth the pain in circular motion with the index's of her fingers.
she proceeded to look around for something to help the pain and that's when her eyes landed on her nightstand next to her laid three advil pills and a tall glass of water. it didn't take her long before she chugged the pills down and followed behind it with the glass of water. she started to feel relieved about ten minutes later then that's when she started to wonder what happened.
she was about to get up to look but then monaè entered along with her mother. "no, no, no. do not get up. the doctor told you to rest," monaè rushed over to her aid to tuck her back into bed while elvira looked at reyna with an expression she couldn't make out.
"okay...what happened to me?" reyna asked and hoped it wasn't anything too serious. "the doctor said you passed out due to dehydration and should rest for a couple of days," elvria spoke with no emotion whatsoever in her voice. reyna nodded her head, and reached for the glass of water that was on her nightstand.
monaé rolled her eyes to where elvria couldn't see. she reached for reyna's hand, "well missy, you get some rest and i will come and check on you in the morning. you have plenty of water and food in the kitchen, okay?" her makeup artist, who was like her best friend and a mom to her creased her arms then gave her a warm smile to which reyna returned back.
elvira cleared her throat at the scene and gave monàe a look that signaled it was time for them to leave. before they left reyna's room, monàe gave the young girl a tight hug and gave her some words of encouragement in her ear. reyna blew a kiss towards monàe to which she catched in her hand and held it to her heart. they both laughed the their little thing they do while the two of them exited the room.
a moment of rest? the popstar thought to herself. she doesn't remember the last time she even had a chance to rest but best believe, she was going to make the best of it. she continued to lay down with a slight smile on her face since she couldn't believe she had a few days to herself. right as she was about to turn her tv on to watch something, her house phone began ringing.
she looked at the phone in confusion since she barely be home to answer it. at first she was going to keep letting it ring but then thought about what if it was her mom or something and it was important so she ended up picking it up.
"um..hello?" spoke into her house phone, wondering who was calling her at eight o'clock at night especially when she didn't want to be spoken to at this time.
"reyna, hey this is michael,"
"oh— hey michael. what made you call?" the young woman voiced cracked a little as she rose up from her bed. she was surprised at the fact that michael actually got a hold of her number. at that moment she thought she was going crazy.
michael gave a small laugh when he heard her voice crack; he thought it was cute. "i just wanted to check in on you after the incident earlier. i understand how it must feel to be in a situation like that, and i wanted to let you know that I'm here for you if you ever need anything or someone to talk to." he spoke softly into the phone as shuffling around can be heard here and there.
reyna felt her heart skip a few beats. she thought his intentions were the sweetest thing ever and was genuinely moved by him. she couldn't remember the last time someone checked in on her without expecting something in return.
"well, thank you, michael. that means a lot to me." reyna thanked the man as she moved her comforters around in her hands. she frequently used it as a calming mechanism to alleviate her anxiety.
"of course, anytime." michael reassured her as he could sense the uncertainty in her voice.
there was a comfortable silence in the air, just the two of them enjoying each other's company, even if it was over the phone. michael hesitated before speaking, but decided to give it a try.
"well," he began, "i know that in a few months i'll be on this tour with my brothers, and i'd like to invite you to a show. only if you wanted to come, of course! i just wanted to ask, y'know, to see if you were interested—" michael asked reyna and rambled on. reyna found the situation cute. he could feel his cheeks burning as he was embarrassed for all the rambling he just did.
reyna let out a hearty laugh before responding because she could feel the secondhand embarrassment. "yeah, i would love to come! it sounds amazing already," reyna have an answer to his question. the young adults had the cheekiest smile on their faces. it was like they were teenagers all over again.
but little did they know that things would turn upside down for reyna, once again.
★☆.?! AUTHOR'S NOTE ★☆.?!
━━ ❝ this probably doesn't make
sense and some typos are seen but
hey 😀.
★☆.?! 𝖢𝖮𝖯𝖸𝖱𝖨𝖦𝖧𝖳 © 𝗘𝗡𝗞𝗬𝗢𝗜-, 𝟤𝟢𝟤𝟤.
━━ ❝ 𝑭𝑨𝑳𝑳𝑬𝑵 𝑨𝑵𝑮𝑬𝑳! MJJ FF ❞
ﾞ ☆★. ⠆𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓 : 2430.