Chapter 5: Paparazzi, Confessions, and Fallout

My reputation hadn’t always been this bad. Until one day, paparazzi caught me with Ethan Ford. He’d cornered me on set, half-shielding me, his fingers brushing my lips. My lipstick was smudged, eyes teary. Getting caught in a scandal with a superstar like him was never good. At the time, popular actress Mariah Lane was hinting on talk shows that she and Ethan were a couple. Her fans went ballistic, flooded my page with hate, called me a homewrecker, dug up old rumors, even photoshopped funeral pics of me. I mean, who does that? Most of those so-called scandals were nonsense—like having worn braces, twisted into rumors of plastic surgery. But in this industry, not being popular is a crime. No one knew that day on set, Ethan was actually confessing to me. He even kissed me. I told him to stay away; I was focused on my career, no time for dating. But he said something even wilder: “I’ll make our relationship public, so you’ll always have acting opportunities.”

That felt like a slap in the face to all my hard work. I burst into tears and slapped him. Hard.

It was the only time in my life I’d ever hit someone. The cameras missed it, but the memory burned hot in my mind.

The results came in. Our dorm’s livestream ranked first. That was partly thanks to Ethan Ford—he gave us his bonus vote.

The scoreboard flashed, confetti popped on the screen, and my roommates squealed. I tried to smile for the camera, but my heart wasn’t in it.

Livestream comments:

User1: “What’s going on? Ethan Ford’s not avoiding Autumn, and he voted for her group?”

User2: “Mariah Lane, are you watching? Your man just voted for the ‘other woman’!”

User3: “More drama like this, please! I love it!”

...

The chat was a circus. I was trending again, but this time it wasn’t all hate.

We won, but I didn’t feel happy at all. I figured, with Ethan making a move like that, I’d just get hated even more.

I kept my face blank, but inside I was bracing for the backlash. Here we go again.

After the stream, I left with a cold face. But as soon as I got backstage, Ethan grabbed my arm. I pinched him hard until he let go, then backed away fast. “Autumn, can we talk?” “Stay away from me.” I kept my head down, afraid of being caught on camera. He seemed to sense my worry and pulled me into a stairwell where the cameras were off. “Now we can talk freely.” “I have nothing to say to you.” I was upset, my voice tight. “Ethan, if you don’t want me to hate you, stop doing things like today.” “Like what?” he asked, genuinely confused. “Interfering with my competition, thinking my dreams only matter if you’re involved. You said being your girlfriend would bring me attention. You said you liked me—do you think forcing yourself on me is love? It just feels like someone in power tossing scraps to someone below them. I don’t need that. My acting sucks, I got sent to a talent show—I admit I’m playing a bad hand. But it’s my choice, and I want to earn my place through my own effort. I don’t need to be your sidekick to prove myself.”

My voice echoed in the stairwell. For the first time, I felt like I was saying what I’d always wanted to say. My chest ached, but I didn’t back down.

He frowned. “I get it. If you don’t like it, I won’t do it again. Even without my bonus vote, you still took first. And… you never actually said you didn’t like me.” That last line left me speechless. Ethan, you really are the king of clueless confidence.

I almost laughed, but bit it back. I couldn’t give him the satisfaction.

“Pretty sure I never said I liked you, either. I don’t know what’s going on with you and Mariah Lane, but she’s been acting like you’re a couple. Because you never clear up these rumors, I got dragged for ages after those paparazzi pics.”

He looked stunned. “Me and Mariah? When? We’re not together. I never pay attention to those fake rumors online—you know that. Autumn, I’ve liked you since high school. I’ve never liked anyone else.” I rubbed my forehead. “Are you living in a cave? You don’t check the internet? Dude, you’re a top star—just Google yourself once in a while!” Ethan went quiet. “I’ll download Twitter tonight.” I rolled my eyes.

“From now on, just leave me alone. Go win your awards, I’ll focus on my show.”

I turned to leave, but he caught my sleeve for just a second, then let go. For once, he seemed genuinely lost. He looked almost… small.

Meanwhile, the little red light on a camera blinked in the dark. Neither of us noticed. Our messy back-and-forth had just been broadcast for all to see. No one expected the truth behind those paparazzi photos to be this absurd.

The internet was already exploding. I could imagine the memes being made in real time. Ha.

Bystander1: “…I’m speechless. Ethan Ford’s actually simping.”

Bystander2: “Wait, is this a staged redemption arc for Autumn?”

Bystander3: “Honestly, I’m starting to feel for her…”

Shippers: “Ethan Ford, do you even know what you’re saying?!”

All haters: “Wow, Autumn, you’re so high and mighty.”

The drama was out of my hands now. All I could do was ride the wave.

Back in the dorm, I climbed into bed. Like Ethan said, even without his vote, our creativity earned us the top score today. It was a good result, but I still couldn’t feel happy. Not even a little.

I stared at the ceiling, letting the noise of celebration wash over me. It was strange, feeling alone in a room full of people.

My roommates were celebrating, Savannah pulled out her secret stash of mac and cheese cups to cook in the dorm. They invited me, but I shook my head. “After this, I’ll probably have to keep filming…” Thinking of the uncertain future, my smile faltered. Who knew if there’d be any roles left for me? But even with just a sliver of hope, I couldn’t give up on watching my weight. Not even a single bite of comfort food!

I watched the steam rise from their cups, the smell tempting me, but I held firm. I’d learned to say no to comfort, to keep my eyes on the bigger prize.

Not wanting to kill the mood, I climbed down from my bed anyway. “Autumn… Honestly, before living with you, I had a lot of misunderstandings,” one roommate said. Savannah nodded, mouth full of noodles. “Me too. The internet’s full of…” She trailed off, realizing she’d said too much. “But you’re really nice, and you know so much. You’re nothing like they say online.” “I really like you.” Riley looked at me, lips red from spice, eyes shining. “In a few days, the group performance will be tough. If you need help, just ask!” “Yeah, we’re all here for you!” The girls’ faces were bright and open, like a row of sunflowers on a summer day. It was a kindness I’d never felt in this industry. I smiled back. “Okay.”

Their words felt like a balm. For once, I let myself believe that maybe I wasn’t as alone as I thought.

Deep down, I knew: if I wanted to make it to the top, clever tricks wouldn’t be enough. This was still a talent show. If I couldn’t debut as number one through real singing and dancing skills, nothing would change. And winning that way would be meaningless to me. I had to keep it real.

I promised myself I’d only be proud if I earned it the hard way. Anything less would feel hollow.