Chapter 14 – The News

Celeste Cassidy, acting head of Crystal Entertainment, entered Jimmy Crystal's office and, as she had done many times before, stifled a grimace at the gaudiness. The cougar, sporting cream-colored crepe pants and a matching blazer over a black shirt, strode across the room in her black pumps as if she owned the place. Not that she did—she was only acting head, after all—but once Crystal was officially ousted, the first thing she would do with her new office would be to gut the entire thing and wipe away every trace of that stupid, churlish wolf. For now, she compensated by covering as much of the "art" with tarps and sheets as possible. It gave the office a slight appearance of abandonment, but it was preferable to looking at countless interpretations of Crystal in sculpture and on canvas.

She remembered the first day she had to work out of this office, after Crystal was denied bail and it became apparent his mounting legal troubles weren't going anywhere anytime soon. The immediate fallout from the Moon catastrophe fell in her lap, and she was going to prove to the city that she was up to the task of weathering Crystal Entertainment through the ensuing crisis. It was during that first day Celeste tried to work out of the office as-is, but she couldn't shake the distinct and distressing feeling that all those images of Jimmy Crystal were watching her, waiting for her to fail. Jerry weakly protested once the tarps went up, but she reminded him that Crystal only had himself to blame.

Now she was making her way to "her" desk, with the rotund cat following in her shadow.

"Jerry, get me an updated list of potential talent scouts."

"Yes, Ms. Cassidy," Jerry replied, tapping away at his tablet.

"And send the audition videos to my drive. I'd appreciate it if you'd whittle it down to the top twenty-five acts. You've witnessed enough auditions and success stories over the years that I trust your judgment on this."

"Uhh... we've only had nine acts show up since reopening auditions."

Celeste did a half-swivel on her pumps to stare at Jerry, "Nine!?"

Jerry flashed a nervous smile. "Possibly eight. I'm pretty sure one of them is just the same guy trying to audition again in disguise."

Celeste felt a headache coming along. Not only was the talent gone, they were starting to attract more weirdos and flat out con artists too. She didn't want to spend too much time pondering if the dearth was because of the scandal or because of Crystal's absence. She didn't know how he found the time to run the company and personally sit in on auditions even when the company wasn't in crisis.

"Send me the nine," she said, not even feigning interest. She sat down at the desk and barely managed to get to work when she felt a familiar, distressing presence equal parts pervasive and invasive. For reasons she could not explain, her eyes were drawn to the TV over the fireplace in the lounging area of the office, and she could feel the bile rising at the sight of Jimmy Crystal's image next to the news anchor.

"Turn that up, Jerry."

At her command Jerry also become aware of the news story, quickly shuffling over to the coffee table in the lounge and using the remote to raise the volume so they could properly listen in.

"... has dismissed all charges against embattled mogul Jimmy Crystal, and he is expected to be released as early as tomorrow..."

The news pierced the room like a gunshot, filling the air with electric tension and silence until Celeste growled, "Are you shitting me?"

Jerry stood rigid as a statue, his tablet sliding out of his hand and clattering on the floor. After pinching his face to make sure he wasn't dreaming, he threw his fists in the air and screamed at the top of his lungs.

"WOOOOOOOOOO!"

Celeste's eyes burned with emerald fury. "He did it. That stupid wolf actually beat the charges."

Jerry ran over and pulled on the cougar's arm with such surprising strength that she almost came out of the seat.

"God is real!" he declared.

"And so is the devil, apparently," Celeste murmured, pulling away. Jerry was unfazed by her refusal to join the celebration. He removed his suit jacket, wrapped it around one hand and spun it in the air like a helicopter.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Celeste's phone buzzed and she answered it near-instantly.

"Byron, what the hell am I seeing on the news?"

"Oh," Byron said, startled by her quick response. "Yeah, that... someone was supposed to warn you earlier."

"Earlier? Are you saying I'm the only one on the board that didn't know about this? How long did everyone know?"

"Word came in from Crystal's lawyer yesterday that there would be movement on this. So, yeah, the bossman is back."

Celeste pushed her tongue against her clenched teeth. "Are we really going to let that asshat back in like nothing happened?"

"What grounds would we have to push back?" Byron let his own exasperation slip through. "The charges were dismissed. Buster Moon is a pariah in this city. Pushing Crystal out would make it look like we are taking the koala's side. The company is already hurting from the initial crisis, I don't want to imagine the damage from the inevitable backlash. Let's just... let him right the ship, all right?"

"He's the one that almost capsized it in the first place!" Cassidy massaged her temples with her left hand. "Crystal wouldn't have been able to wiggle his way out of this one if that koala wasn't a compulsive liar."

"None of this would be happening if that koala wasn't a compulsive liar," Byron retorted.

"I don't know how much I believe that," Celeste said, but she dropped that subject. Too much on her plate already to get into it with Byron.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Jerry added his tie to the helicopter and was now doing laps around the office. Celeste tried her best to ignore him.

"W-who was that?" Byron said.

"Who do you think?"

"Oh, yeah. I guess this is a great day for him."

With a sigh, Celeste leaned back in her chair, contemplating her future. "Am I supposed to just get kicked back down the ladder and be okay with it? I've been preparing for this for years! I can't let my career regress! What do I do now?"

"Maybe Crystal will acknowledge all the hard work you put in keeping this company afloat while he was gone."

They shared a cynical laugh.

"You've got the rest of the day to be the big boss," Byron said. "Better enjoy it while you can. See you on the other side."

The call ended and Celeste was left with her thoughts in the immediate aftermath. They would regret letting Crystal back into the fold, but she realized that meant all she had to do was bide her time. He'd screw up again, and that would be the time to pounce. She'd remind everyone once and for all who really deserved to lead the company.

Jerry's shirt joined the helicopter, and it was when he began to tug at his belt that Celeste finally had enough, leaping out of her seat and pointing at him.

"Jerry, if I see your fuzzy ass, you're out of here! You got that? You don't want to get fired the day before Crystal comes back, do you?"

Shocked out of jubilation, Jerry cowered, using his bundles of clothes to cover his exposed chest. "No, ma'am! I'm sorry!"

"Put your clothes back on! This is a professional environment and we still have work to do, regardless of the news."

"Yes, Ms. Cassidy!"

After that talk with Johnny, Porsha felt renewed in her resilience. It reminded her that every hardship she'd endured in her life was never too much to handle, and on the off chance something did come along to knock her down, her friends would be there to pick her back up. This helped her return to her spirited self, and she was going to make the choice going forward to embrace the best of life even when things weren't looking up. That's why, following the double whammy of losing their slot at The Majestic Palace Theater and Buster leaving for Calatonia in the middle of the night, she responded by taking several of the girls to one of her favorite places in the world: The Wonder Mall at Redshore.

The Wonder Mall was a massive combination of a mall and an indoor amusement park. Porsha loved coming here as far back as she could remember, first with her parents and now into early adulthood. She'd share the fun and nostalgia with Nooshy, Ash and Meena. After raiding a few of the shops, they visited one of her absolute favorites, the sunglasses retailer, Glassholes Anonymous.

"Do these make me look obnoxious?" Nooshy asked, sporting a neon pink pair of shutter shades.

"They make everybody look obnoxious," Ash said with a wry grin.

"Fair point, mate."

Porsha browsed the bountiful selection while keeping a watchful eye on Meena. The elephant was more reserved than usual, occasionally hugging herself, and it seemed to Porsha like she was trying her best to shrink. She grabbed two pairs of shades with the intention of coaxing Meena out of her shell before she got lost in it.

"Hey, Meena! I think these would look good on you!"

"Oh?" Meena seemed startled, and not all that enthused with the sudden attention.

Porsha slipped on the pair of shades with smoky lenses. "You can wear these to let guys know you're out of their league." She did a sultry walk down one of the aisles and threw a look back at Meena that was somehow seductive and scornful all at once. "Hey, you! I didn't give you permission to notice me." Then she switched to the mirror shades with platinum frames and began a carefree walk about the store. She breezed past Meena, gave her a light and flirty look as she went by, and said, "I noticed ya noticing me. Don't worry, I won't tell ya girl."

Ash and Nooshy gave the performance light applause, and Porsha bowed in response.

"She's right. Those would totally look good on you, Meena" Ash said. "If we can find the right size, you should definitely get them."

Meena squirmed a bit. "I don't know..."

"I bet you'll love them once you try them," Porsha said. "You don't want to be the only one walking out of here without a pair, right?"

"I..."

"You'll be stealing hearts in no time," the wolf girl said with a wink.

Something snapped inside of Meena. "I don't want to steal any hearts, so back off!" she howled. Noticing the stunned silence and frightened stares, she dropped down onto her butt; the store quaked, the racks of glasses rattled, and a few customers yelped in surprise. Her ear flaps covered her eyes, and she wished to be anywhere but here.

Ash was the first one by her side. "Oh no, Meena, what's wrong?"

"I'm sorry. This is all my fault," Porsha said, her eyes racked with shame. "I'm always saying and doing things without considering other people's feelings. I'm trying to get better about that..."

"It's not you," Meena's voice quivered. "I'm the one that's sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I don't know why I did."

"Lashing out can be a cry for help," Nooshy said. "It means you're in pain. What's eating at you, mate?"

"It's not about the theater or Moon leaving, is it?" asked Ash.

Meena uncovered her eyes and slowly shook her head. "It's so stupid."

"Can't be too stupid if it's got you riled up like this," Nooshy said. "You know you can tell us anything."

Meena squeezed her eyes shut. "It's... it's about Alfonso."

Nooshy, Ash and Porsha all traded knowing glances.

Boy trouble.

"What did he do?" Ash said with a slight edge.

"It... it was him and that Keller woman," Meena admitted. "When we ambushed her, he got her attention with free ice cream. He called her a queen and everything. But that's us! That's our thing! He just recreated our meeting with her like it was nothing, and that made me think... does he say this to all the girls? Was I the one dumb enough to fall for this?"

"Do you really believe that he's some kind of womanizer?"

"No, I don't, but I still feel a little jealous and betrayed that he did that with her. But I also feel stupid because maybe it doesn't mean anything at all and I'm just making a big deal about it. I don't want to be one of those clingy, jealous girls that scare guys off."

"Ah, first boyfriend problems," Porsha said with a tinge of nostalgia. "Everybody gets jealous once in a while. It's normal, you just can't let that jealousy take hold and influence you."

"It's true," Nooshy added. "Best thing you can do is sort out your feelings and talk it out, mate. You might not want to bring it up with him, but you don't want to end up lashing out at him without him knowing why."

Meena got up and dusted herself off. "Thanks for listening to me. I knew I should probably bring things up with Alfie, but I hate confrontations."

"It's not a confrontation, it's a heart-to-heart," Porsha said. "Just think of it that way." Meena nodded.

"For what it's worth, I think Alfonso is really into you," Ash said. "But if he does turn out to be some kind of player, he can be dealt with. We don't tolerate cheating scumbags around here." She plucked a loose quill and playfully spun it between her fingers. "It'd be a shame if something happened to the tires on that ice cream truck."

Nooshy leaned over to Porsha and whispered, "That girl scares me sometimes."

Porsha agreed. "Is it me or does she seem like she's speaking from experience?"

Ash, still spinning the quill, suddenly looked in their direction. "What are you two whispering about?"

"What we're going to do next!" Porsha quickly lied. "Meena, you don't have to look at any shades if you don't want to."

"Actually, I think I saw a pair I liked," Meena said.

"You get whatever pair you like, and don't worry about the cost. I'm treating everybody."

"Didn't Moon tell you not to dip into your trust fund?" Ash said.

"What he doesn't know can't hurt him."

Once Porsha went to pay, Ash and Nooshy walked over to the entrance to the store. Nooshy folded her hands behind her head and declared, "And this is one of the reasons why I don't have a boyfriend."

Ash let out a chortle. "You sure it's not because you keep running in the opposite direction of a certain guy that's clearly pining for you?"

"Don't know what you're talking about, mate."

"I'm sure you don't."

They both noticed that there were a lot more people around the Glassholes Anonymous entrance than before. And those people noticed them, too, and suddenly assembled into a chattering mass. The girls realized they were gazing into a wall of paparazzi.

"Not this again," Nooshy said with an exaggerated sigh. "What do you think they want this time?"

Meena and Porsha finally caught up to see the commotion for themselves. "What are we going to do?" Meena said.

Porsha was not only unperturbed by the situation, she smiled. "Because of my dad I've dealt with paparazzi on and off for most of my life. What I've learned is that it's like a red carpet—everyone's lined up to see you—but in the most inconvenient places. We've done the red carpet before. All we have to do is own this one." She passed out the newly purchased shades among her friends and they all donned them when she said, "Okay ladies, you know what to do. Let's strut!"

And strut Porsha did, forcing the paparazzi to part as the girls left Glassholes Anonymous and reentered the mall. Porsha did a light twirl on her heels and then wiggled her fingers at her admirers. Ash followed behind her, though she wouldn't call what she was doing strutting since her porcupine body type was not blessed with long legs. Nooshy was next with a casual bop, and Meena, having never strutted in her life, brought up the rear with a brisk, awkward walk.

"Porsha! Porsha!" the photographers called out, and Porsha reveled in it. She felt like a movie star gracing the common people with her presence.

Then one voice, cutting through the cacophony, changed everything.

"Porsha! Are you going to see your dad now that he's being released?"

Porsha stopped so abruptly the strut-train nearly collided into her back. Her shades slipped off her face as her jaw dropped. Thankfully Ash caught them before they hit the floor, one of the few advantages of naturally being so low to the ground.

"What did you just say?"

"The charges against Mr. Crystal were dismissed! He's a free man!"

"You're... you're lying!"

She felt like the walls were closing in on her—because they were. Paparazzi surrounded her. This wasn't a group of admirers, it was a pack of predators, and they had their prey right where they wanted her.

And now her father was free. He could crash into her cozy little life anytime he wanted and say all the things no one else would. Just the thought gave her a vivid vision of him barreling through the paparazzi to confront her, his white-furred finger pointing in her face, claw dangerously close to her nose.

"You lied to me!" he said. "You made me almost kill Moon, then you betrayed and abandoned me!"

"No! No no no no!"

Porsha felt arms grab her from both sides. Nooshy and Meena pulled her through the crowd and the image of her father evaporated in a wisp of smoke.

"We gotta get outta here, mate!"

Nooshy's voice tore Porsha out of her daze.

"I know a way. Follow me!" Porsha led them in a full-on dash through the mall, shopping bags in their arms, rendering the food court, attractions, and stores as nothing more than busy blurs as they whizzed by. The sight of celebrities being pursued by photographers in the Wonder Mall wasn't all that unusual, but Porsha had never been one of them before now.

She brought them to the middle of the mall and its center attraction, the Wonder Wheel. The buffalo operating the Ferris wheel recognized her and waved.

"Hey Porsha!"

"Kenny! Help us get away from these guys!"

"You got it."

Kenny gave the girls priority, holding the lowest pod on the wheel so they could climb in. Meena took one side while Porsha, Ash and Nooshy sat on the opposite side. Kenny reactivated the wheel and they began to rise, and Porsha peered out of the pod to watch the buffalo do his best using his sturdy frame to keep the invading paparazzi at bay.

"I'm gonna have to ask you to back off and stop harassing our patrons," Kenny warned as he pushed them back, "or I'll have to contact security."

"Thanks Kenny!" Porsha said.

Kenny gave her a thumbs up. "You owe me!"

Porsha settled in the pod and felt her body loosen with a deep sigh. The four girls sat in silence, watching mallgoers move about the floor and the shops. Porsha could do this for hours, absorbing the atmosphere of the mall and the people from up here. She recalled similar but vague memories from her childhood, and outside of the storm of strobes below, this was that nostalgic and tranquil feeling she wanted to share with her friends. She found herself smiling soon enough. Little moments of peace like this were priceless, especially considering what was coming next.

Ash sifted through the news on her phone. "It's true. It's all over the news that your dad is getting released." She tapped on a stream from Prime News Today and let it play. Porsha and Nooshy leaned in to watch.

"To talk about this surprising turn of events is our legal expert, Bentley Brown," said Lilian Garrett, the vixen news anchor of PNT. "Hello Bentley."

"Good afternoon, Lilian," a bespectacled otter replied.

"Tell us, Bentley: How does something like this happen? Mr. Crystal was very publicly arrested in his own theater and it was reported the next morning that it was for the alleged attempted murder of the koala running his show, Buster Moon."

Bentley folded his hands on the news desk. "The first thing we need to understand is that this is a dismissal, not an acquittal. This never made it to trial, and it's because the judge and the prosecution clearly felt this was a poor case. There are numerous factors muddying up the details of the case, but the most pivotal turn of events is the recent and very publicized exposure of Moon as a pathological liar and a serial con artist. He became a nightmare witness for the prosecution and is essentially walking uranium at this point."

"Some people are going to say that this looks like the court of public opinion won out," said Lilian.

"Look, Crystal didn't have to plead his case out in public; in fact, it was an incredibly risky move," Bentley said, a level of admiration in his voice. "But it did wonders for his image, his persona, and making him into a sympathetic figure. As long as he had even remotely competent counsel, most of what we've learned about Moon would have come out if this had gone to trial."

"What do you see for Crystal and Moon moving forward?"

"Celeste Cassidy has done an admiral job holding the fort, but Crystal is the magic behind Crystal Entertainment. I suspect he will pick his life back up and try to restore normalcy to his company after this crisis." The otter adjusted his glasses, his expression faltering just a bit. "As for Moon, a conviction would've gone a long way towards restoring his credibility. Without that... I don't see much of a path forward for him."

Ash ended the stream on that note and put her phone away.

"What are you going to do?" Meena asked Porsha, her eyes glistening with concern.

"I'm not sure this is a situation where I can do anything," Porsha said.

Nooshy glowered with incredible distaste. "People like Crystal always find a way to make other people pay what's due," she mumbled.

They reached the peak of the wheel, where it stopped and let them off on the highest floor of the mall. One of the pathways funneled them away and out into the parking garage. There were no paparazzi to be seen, which was a much-needed break because they had a whole new problem to deal with.

Porsha threw a confused glance around, and she wasn't the only one.

"Does anyone remember where we parked?"

A/N

Celeste Cassidy is going to be a very important character in the future.