The media
"What! You know I'm on vacation Bella!"
I groan, "Bella is so girly please call me Izzy."
I just got a hold of Afi.
"It's past midnight in Spain! What happened that it couldn't wait till I got back?"
"See how you said to stay unseen... I kinda screamed my name in the middle of a park and I'm all over the news."
She's silent meaning she went to search me up.
"Well, are you cheating on Mari?"
"You know I'm not like that. Afi, I caught him and Stella in my bed. I broke up with him. I live with Joey. That guy in the pictures. I'm training him."
"Pictures what pictures? There are videos of Mari tryna fight some guy and you stood in front of him." Afi says utterly confused.
Why does the media move so fast?
"I'm going to turn on my work phone just for you." She says.
I hear a burst of notifications on the other line.
"It's been just over 24 hours. The people want answers. Is Isabella Jackson ready to go out there?"
I avoid the media at all costs. But I hate that my reputation is going down based on a misleading form of media.
I have to clear my name. And Joey's. He's getting hate too.
I sigh, "how fast can you get Aaliyah and Cyrus over here?"
Aaliyah is my hair and makeup stylist. Cyrus is my fashion designer. I don't need them often but this is my first time going out there for everyone to see. They live in New York.
"Um, how is two days for entertainment tonight Canada?"
"Perfect."
Two days later
3 hours before cameras start rolling
I am freaking out. How am I supposed to stay calm when I'm about to be seen by the world?
"Hey calm down you'll be fine," Joey says.
Yup! Joey's here.
I don't drive and he does. I was having a panic attack in the parking lot and begged him to stay. So now he's here...
"Stress is not good for the face. Isabella relax." Aaliyah says applying the foundation.
Aaliyah is a saint, she is naturally stunning and she loves makeup. She was my best friend before I moved to Toronto. She made me promise that if I was ever famous that she would do my makeup and ever since then she's been there no matter what.
Then there's Cyrus. He's in a way, my big brother. My parents had planned on adopting Cy but at the time he was 17 and he said there was no point. Cyrus loves fashion. He has a clothing line in New York. He always wanted to be someone. And now he is.
Cy put me in a jumpsuit. He knows that dresses aren't exactly my thing. And I can't go out there looking like I just walked out of a skatepark... Aaliyah gave me a natural glam look. I gave her free range and she killed it. I no longer had in my weave. My natural hair poofed all over the place. I felt like myself and that's all I could want.
"Miss Jackson you are on in five, please make your way onto the set." I hear being called through the sound system.
"Don't worry you'll be great," Cyrus tells me.
I hug him.
I'm ready.
"In three...two..." one. The cameraman silently called out the one.
"Welcome back to entertainment tonight Canada. I am Cheryl Hickey. We have a very special guest who agreed to do an exclusive interview with us today. You may know her as a Canadian gold medalist. You may have watched her last summer during the Olympics. Today we have Isabella Jackson with us!"
"Thank you for having me, Cheryl. But please call me Izzy." I put on an award-winning smile.
I can do this.
"So Izzy tell us what you've been up to since the Olympics?"
"I've been training hard, spending time with the people who mean the most to me and most importantly I'm living my life."
"We are glad to hear that, so tell us why you've been hiding from the media."
I take a breath, "don't get me wrong. I love the fans and the press. I just want to be in control of my life. A life where I can walk into a fast food joint and not have to be guarded by three men. I like my freedom. I don't have social media because I like to keep you guys guessing. I feel like I'm an ordinary girl who just likes to play around. Although I know I am more than that. And I'm here today to show everyone that I'm ready to begin that life."
"We are glad you chose us for your debut. But let's get serious, you have been in the limelight for the past couple of days. Do you have any words to say about that?"
"Wow, that's quite embarrassing. But I'd like to clear up a couple of things. I broke up with Amarion Jacobs four days ago. No, I was not seeing anyone behind his back. The mystery man everyone wants to know about. He is an athlete. I am training with him. Nothing else is going on between us."
"What about the incident outside Lamar Turner's training centre? Any words?" Cheryl presses.
I sigh, "Please don't assume things if you don't have the full story. I dislike when people get unnecessary hate for things out of context."
"Well we are lucky an unknown source sent us the surveillance footage and audio of said encounter. Let's watch."
No!
The video starts from when Amarion tries to get my attention until I drag Joey away.
Cheryl looks disappointed. "Any words Izzy?"
Any words... Any words? Can she shut up!
"Amarion and I shared an apartment until the night I broke up with him. I moved out. And I am currently residing with the Mysterious man named Joey Easterbrook. I met Joey the day before such event at the training centre. Even though Amarion and I are not on the best of terms, I don't hate him and I wish no hate upon him. Yes, this isn't one of his best moments but I believe we can move past this."
"Is it true that you brought Joey to the set today along with Aaliyah and Cyrus Klaine."
Did I mention Cy and Aaliyah are married?
No?
Well, now you know...
"Yes, I did bring Cy and Liyah here. As for Joey... I had him drop me off but, I had some difficulty staying calm before the cameras started rolling so I asked him to stay repeatedly until he caved. I needed a familiar face to keep me busy."
"Why don't we get him out here? Joey everyone."
What are they doing!
Joey walked on the set with a huge smile on his face, when his eyes met mine I saw the fear.
"Joey, how is it living with Isabella?"
"It has its ups and downs. For one she pays very close attention to detail which is definitely helping my training. But a downer would be that she can't cook food to save her life."
I whip my head to the side looking at him.
Joey smirks and continues, "Izzy goes on and on about perfecting her body for a race when she can't cook eggs. I Joey Easterbrook can confirm that Izzy is married to her job. I have a pretty toned body but as Izzy loves to say, she-"
"I do believe we should move on. Right, Cheryl?" I put a hand over his mouth. I know it is immature but I am not going to have the world mock me about being narcissistic about my toned body.
"You guys are adorable. I think the world would love to see more of you. Too bad this is all the time we have for today. But Roz please take it back to the studio."
The cameraman signs that we are done.
"You are trying to sabotage me." I glare at Joey.
"You ate my breakfast. You made me drive you here. I was called out in front of the country. This is your fault." He whispers.
"My fault? I didn't know they had that clip. Did you really have to talk about the abs?"
"The world should see you with your guard down because right now you are acting entitled, you have emotions, Izzy. You aren't some robot."
I didn't go back to 34C with Joey. I stayed with Cy and Liyah.
I needed a break but all I could think about was what Joey told me.
We are starting to get somewhere y'all.
Do you guys think Izzy is overreacting? Or was Joey right and saying she's entitled?