Online Celebrity

"Calm down Babydoll, I have juicy gist for you. Have you seen the hottest trending video making rounds on Instagram, Twitter and some other social media sites?"

Raquel, Chelsea's colleague and friend at the office announced euphorically.

"What video are you talking about?" Chelsea's forehead furrowed in irritation. She was disgusted by the excitement in Raquel's voice.

"It's about that your married friend, Lola. She is currently an online celebrity of disaster as we speak."

"Are you serious!"

Chelsea felt beads of cold sweat forming on her forehead. She remembered observing some people taking pictures of Lola earlier and this made her heart sink. She instinctively rose to her feet and moved away from Lola to avoid hurting the latter, who had stopped sobbing and was staring at her with puffy red eyes.

"Like hell, I am. It is the hottest news in town. Everyone in the office is talking about it."

Raquel's euphoria knew no bounds. From the thrill in her voice, one could conclude that she was celebrating Lola's downfall.

"Raquel, let's talk later. I'm currently busy."

"No qualms. But in the meantime, I'm sending you a link to the video. Have fun watching."

The line disconnected, causing Chelsea to let out a long sigh.

Chelsea was about to return to her seat beside Lola when her phone chimed. She had just received two messages from Raquel on her WhatsApp.

"Shit!" Chelsea cursed under her breath. She wanted to immediately delete the video link but her curiosity got the better part of her.

Smartly reducing the media volume of her phone, she tapped on one of the links.

"Sweet Lord!" Chelsea's eyes almost popped out of the socket.

"What is it?" Lola raised her head up to look at her perplexed friend.

"Umm... nothing..." Chelsea's twitching eyes betrayed her.

"Chelsea, please, don't hide anything from me." Lola sat up in her seat, her broken gaze fixated on her bestie.

"I...you... it's really nothing." Chelsea panicked at the effect the video would have on Lola.

"Is it about my husband? Did something happen to him?" Lola sprang to her feet in readiness to sprint twenty kilometres to her home.

"No..." Chelsea shook her head while hiding her mobile phone behind her back.

"Chelsea... please... tell me." Lola clasped her hands, more sorrowful tears streaming down her face. "Don't keep anything away from me. If something happens to my husband I will never forgive myself."

"It's not about Brian, Lola." Chelsea heaved a sigh of frustration. "It's about you."

Chelsea brought her phone up for Lola to see. "You're all over the internet. Apparently, someone has been videoing you right from the commotion in your living room to the point when Brian's family kicked you out of the house."

"What!" Lola's reddened face paled. She collected the phone and was staring at pictures of a broken woman who resembled her when all of a sudden, everything around her started spinning. She staggered back and slumped in the waiting arms of Chelsea as her vision blacked out.

"Lola...sweet heavens! Lola...don't do this to me...wake up..." Lola heard the trailing voice of her bestie until everything finally went silent.

-------

Ian Forde was seated with his pal, Jacob at the Royal Bar, having a round of vodka and arguing about a politically related topic when his phone started ringing off the hook.

Ian's handsome face scrunched in irritation when he discovered that it was Mackenzie, his late sister's friend.

He paused for a while before receiving the call.

"What do you want?" Ian spoke in a deadpan tone while taking another sip of his drink.

"Did you do it?"

The raspy voice from the other end made Ian's already scrunched face deepen. It was as though, Mackenzie had been crying her eyes out over something he was least interested in.

"Do what?" Ian barked over the phone, his firm grip tightening around it.

"It's all of a social media." Mackenzie sniffed from the other end. "I thought you've given up that disgusting habit. How could you, Ian? How could you do that to her? That lady has done nothing but serve you diligently. Why did you choose to pay her back with humiliation and pain? You are such a disgrace, Ian. I'm sure Katie would be disappointed in you wherever she is."

"Mackenzie, now you listen..." Ian gazed narrowed when he observed that Mackenzie had dropped the call on him.

"What's the problem, Ian," Jacob asked. He was troubled by the sudden change in Ian's behaviour.

Without responding to Jacob's question, Ian opened his Instagram account to check out what and who Mackenzie was referring to.

"Cheating wife busted?" He read out the tag of a video link carrying a picture of Lola's before and after look.

"What the hell!" Ian's eyes widened like a saucer. He could barely recognize his sweet Lola from the picture of the physically assaulted woman on his iPhone.

"Ian... You scaring the crap out of me. What's wrong." Jacob queried anxiously again.

"Not now, Jacob." Ian put up his left hand in the air, without peeling his eyes away from the phone.

When he tapped on the video link, the playing video of a young lady slapping Lola was the first thing that greeted his sight.

Ian's expression turned murderous as he watched the video in complete horror.

"Pregnant! HIV positive!" Ian mumbled under his inflamed breath. "How?!"

Ian was so engrossed in the video that he didn't bother looking up when Jacob alerted him of someone with a sinister look marching towards them.

"For the love of God, take your eyes off the phone for just one second." Jacob barked at his friend.

"Can you just shut the hell..."

Pow!

The remaining words were knocked out of Ian's mouth, when a rigid fist landed on the side of his face, sending him tumbling to the side and crashing into Jacob.

"Ah..." everyone in the bar gasped.

Instantly, a deafening silence engulfed the bar as everyone's horrified gaze turned to the fuming devilishly handsome beast about to devour its victim.

Ian felt his vision blur out as blood and bile shot up to his face. His tongue tasted blood and his cheeks stung from the devastating blow he had just received.

Ian was in the process of collecting his thoughts when he felt a hand jack him up by the colour of his shirt almost choking him to death.

"This is for Lola and Lizzy, you sick bastard."

A strangely familiar voice rang in Ian's ear as a second, third and fourth punch kissed his temple, his jaw and the centre of his face.

Pow!

Pow!!

Pow!!!