Kacy laughs but presses play. “I totally see that happening, especially around the time we tried it out.”
I don’t get a chance to respond because the scene opens to two girls arguing over a guy. The game allowed Woman A to take Woman B’s man and she did. Woman B is pissed because apparently Woman A is supposed to be her best friend.
“They bring friends on to the show at the same time?” I ask, curious about the real life ramifications of such a thing.
“No, she’s her best friend on the show.”
“Ah, so they’ve only known each other for about a week?”
“Yes, but they spend 24 hours together so their one week is like three weeks.”
She pauses the show to glare at me once I hum my disapproval. It still sounds excessive to me.
“Continue,” I prompt her just as my doorbell rings. “I’ll accept the food while you watch.”
I accept the bag of food then proceed to lay it out on the coffee table in front of us like the food is an offering to the gods. Happy with the spread, I rub my hands together in anticipation but my stomach complains about the delay.
My burrito is unwrapped and ready to eat by the time the music changes on the show. It’s slow, seductive, and full of anticipation. It sounds like the perfect soundtrack for me and my burrito.
“Oh, here she comes. So pretty.”
I stop chewing the moment my eyes connect with the television screen. I can only see her toned back and she saunters onto the scene. Her black hair almost touches her hips. It has the wet wavy appearance while the jeweled, iridescent, and see-through skirt adds to the mermaid aesthetic. The bottoms under the skirt cut in a deep V like a bikini bottoms made for showing off her cheeks. Her hips sway in such a familiar way that my heart races with certainty without seeing her face.
I swallow carefully as the camera moves around, slowly panning up from her bejeweled heels, the one toned leg exposed by the hip-high slit in the skirt, her subtle abs of her exposed torso, the seashell inspired crop top, and her cleavage which is emphasized by her glowing skin. While her beautiful face and seductive wink is confirmation, I already knew it was her.
“I want her,” I say out loud before thinking about my words.
Kacy taps my arms a few times as her excitement fights with her ability to make words. “She’d be great for Elevated.She’s beautiful, health-conscious, and this show has been super successful since she started. While Jessamine isn't an A list celebrity, she is well known by your target audience.”
That’s not what I meant but I like the idea.
“Jessamine,” I repeat, happy to know her name.
“Her name is a pretty flower. I think it fits for a botanical alcohol substitute perfectly,” Kacy boasts, proud of the idea.
I want to fit her perfectly.“Yeah, you just want to meet the cast.”
We start to watch again as I take a determined bite of my burrito. Her, this show, and Kacy’s idea has awakened the kind of fire in me that won’t let me quit.
Chapter 3
Jessamine
Dessa was one of my favorite girls on the show. It hurt to watch Marco’s dumbass swerve on her because she wasn’t trying to have sex with him on a T.V. show. Part of me wants to fight him but I spend a lot of time reminding myself that the bulk of these “men” are under 25.
Eliminations are always bittersweet because I hate to see some of them go but it’s always my time to show off my fresh fits. Tonight’s outfit was one of my favorites but I’m happy that filming is coming towards the end.
I love hosting the show and I’m a huge fan of love but the eight months since my split with Adam have been illuminating. It messes with my ability to focus on the cuteness around me. I’m so skeptical of all men right now.
I don’t miss Adam exactly. I miss the guy I thought he was prior to his fame. His passion for his projects was admirable. While he was still trying to get his name out there, I looked at his potential and focused on that. It’s obvious that I’d ignored too much.
It’s also not good for my ego to remember how fast he moved on after I left him. Although I made up my mind, I would have at least thought our time together would have earned me a little more thought.
By the time I woke up the morning after our break up, all traces of me were removed from his social media. He called me shortly after my discovery of my erasure, but that conversation went absolutely nowhere. Instead of focusing on the role he played in our break up, he had the nerve to accuse me of trying to ruin his image.
I’d literally taken the phone away from my ear to stare at it because I could not believe that I was speaking to the man who was my boyfriend not twenty-four hours prior. Each problematic thing he’d done online up until it was time for me to leave to film the show was proof that I’d made the correct decision. We clearly weren’t in the same place romantically. I’m in the market for a husband and he wants groupies.
He should have been upfront with me from the beginning. While I liked his vibe. I wasn’t exactly hurting for attention. I could have wasted my time with someone else.
