4 Talk Shows

When Anya got back to her apartment, the door was unlocked. Either I'm getting robbed, or something worse is inside my apartment she thought. She swung the door open and stepped into the foyer. Yep, she was right.

"Oh my God, Anya went outside!" Alex squealed. "I was beginning to think that you were abducted, but then I realized they would have brought you back by now." Alex turned towards the coffee table and picked up a coffee. She handed it to Anya, but Anya didn't drink. She couldn't ruin the taste of the ramen that was still lingering just yet.

"Is there a reason for this unannounced visit?" Anya asked. "However, it's not like you ever ask before you show up anyway."

"Hey," Alex pushed out her lower lip and pouted, "you would never invite me even if I asked."

Anya let out a small chuckle, surprisingly. "You're right. I try to avoid anything that might cause me a headache."

"And yet," Alex countered with a sly grin, "you find yourself addicted to iced coffees with extra caffeine, but I guess caffeine headaches are worth it, huh."

"That they are." Anya took off her shoes and moved toward the couch. She sat down in the plush spot by the arm and took a swig of her coffee. "Worth. Every. Last. Drop."

Alex laughed as she pulled out her tablet and began scrolling through something. "Now, we have some work that needs to get done. I know that you are still recovering from the... incident, but we need to be more proactive in finding some solutions."

"And here I thought that you came to visit because you missed me." Anya looked up at Alex with fake puppy-dog eyes.

"Ha." The sarcastic laugh escaped Alex's mouth. "No, I don't really have time for visits of pleasure as of right now. I'm too busy trying to figure this stuff out." She ignored Anya's eyeroll. "So it's about time that you tell your side of the story. We can't keep letting our end go silent while rumors and conspiracies circulate the tabloids and ruin your image even further."

"Well, you released a statement for me already, right?" Anya's mind was reeling. "We said it wasn't true, but they still don't believe us, so I don't really see the point of releasing anything else for people to used as cannon fodder."

"That's why we need to have you go out and speak for yourself. The people need to hear from YOU directly and see what you have to say." At this point, Alex had pulled up a list of names. "Now we have a couple options for which talk shows..."

"No." Anya stared down at Alex intensely. "No talk shows." There was a moment of silence as they looked at each other. "I'm not about to be manipulated for views. They are not going to help me"

"Anya..." Alex started, "I disagree. Just please look at this list. I've eliminated the hosts well known for being silver-tounged manipulators." She shoved the tablet in front of Anya's face. "See, these top three are most likely to be a real benefit. The bottom two are young and have a lot to prove." Anya still looked skeptical as she continued, "They are chomping at the bit to be the first ones to have you on." Alex pointed to the name 'Stacy Night' and said, "She's my top choice. I think... "

"There is no way in HELL I'm going on her show. She'll talk all nice to her guests on her main show, but afterwards spill what she calls "dirty little secrets" on her evening program. No matter how good of a deal you make she is going to talk major trash about me."

"Now, we can write up a contract and have the questions evaluated before..."

"No amount of legality is going to keep Stacy's mouth shut. She is a piece of work to say the least."

"Well," Alex looked back at her list, "if you don't want Stacy fine, but you are going to have to choose between the other two hosts I've highlighted. We will make sure all of the questions are preapproved and put legal ramifications in place for breach of contract."

Anya looked at the two names and the information listed for both. "I don't even know who these people are. How do you expect me to go and share my personal life with these strangers? How do you know they won't make the situation worse?"

"Unfortunately for you, you don't have the luxury of keeping your personal life secret. You are a celebrity, and you knew this when you signed up to be a singer." At that Anya didn't reply. "Besides, there is a ton of stuff out there about your personal relationship with Dayton right now, and you need to set the record straight. Your life is already being picked apart so you might as well choose how you want it done."

Alex was right. Anya didn't have much choice in the matter. Either say something or let her career go down in flames. "But..." Anya spoke very slowly, "what if I don't want to sing anymore? What if I just want to live my life?"

Alex looked deep into Anya's eyes. "You don't mean that." Anya gave her a look as if to say 'try me'. "Do you honestly believe that that decision will make you happy, or are you just giving up because you don't want to try anymore?"

Anya didn't know anymore. She loved performing, loved being on stage, but the thing she loved most was connecting with people through music. She wanted to share those feelings with others and make people feel heard. But, that didn't matter if no one was listening anymore. Society had given up on her so quickly it seemed like they were just waiting for a crack. Where were her supporters now? Things had gone silent, and Anya felt like she was sitting alone in an empty room with no key.

"I don't even know if anyone will ever want to hear me sing again. My credibility is shot. Even if I tell my truth and people believe me, there will always be that shadow of doubt following me. There will always be people that have that mentality that I am a monster, and no amount of truth is going to fix that." Anya felt tears prick her eyes. "I'm just... I'm just tired of it all. I don't know how much is left of me to pick up the pieces. I think I'm beyond saving."

Alex sat there for a while and didn't say anything. She just stared at Anya deciding what to say. "There will always be those people. There will always be controversy, even in normal people's lives." It seemed like Alex was grasping for words, but she remained steady. "But... I haven't thought for one moment that you were beyond saving. I understand that you are hurt, and I understand that you are tired, but I think that we at least need to try." Alex's expression intensified. "I have been with you for almost five years, and I have seen how happy you are when you are singing. I have seen the impact that you have on people's lives. Even if your fans are confused right now, I think that they will believe the truth. More than anything, they are hurt; they admired you. Yes, some people will look for gaps and try to tear others down, but there are many more who want to believe in the good in people. Your people just need to see the good left in you. You need to give them something to believe in. You are not beyond saving."

A single tear slid down Anya's cheek. She didn't know what to do. If her best friend could betray her for God knows what reason, how could she expect anyone to have her back? How could she believe anyone cared about her as the world rushed to throw her in the gutter? Anya couldn't possibly fathom any situation in which this wrong was righted. "I don't know."

Alex sighed and locked her tablet. "I'm not going to ask you to make a decision right now, but we need one soon. I'll make the necessary preparations for both interviews, and we can decide at a later date how to move forward." She put her tablet back in her bag and picked up her keys. "This is your chance Anya. Let's make things right and get on with our lives. You shouldn't give Dayton so much power over your life." As Alex walked out the door she said, "You are the one in control. Don't you ever forget that."

Anya was left alone to sit in the silence. Though she didn't want to admit it, Alex was right yet again. But, Anya didn't know if she had the courage to go on live television and speak out against her best friend since childhood. Well, it's not like that friendship could ever be saved. Still, she didn't know. Maybe she'll do what's right, but first she would need to figure out what that was.