Here I am, posting this way later than it should have been, but oh well. xD

xx

Chapter 8 – News is Out

I was the talk of the entire storey for the rest of the day – everyone was amazed at my transformation. And I had to admit, I thought it was pretty incredible as well.

As soon as we did get back from the outing, Bridgette had me in the hallway for another photo, all dressed up in some of the new clothes I'd bought earlier. Not all of them were new, though. I had bought a few second hand items from a small stall at a market down the road, which included a set of cut-off sleeves from old tops, a black miniskirt with small pockets – coincidentally the same colour as the teal in my hair, and a thin black choker.

A couple of days later, I was sitting on my bed, looking at the two photos that were taken that day. I couldn't help but think that it was two different people – I nearly couldn't recognize myself. But I knew that I'd get used to it eventually.

It was also raining that day, and all three of us were sitting around, not really too sure on what to do.

"You guys hungry?" Bridgette called from the kitchen. "I think there's still some of those cupcakes left from last Tuesday."

I put the photos down on the pillow and reached over for the small alarm clock I had been lent by Leshawna – it was getting close to eleven o'clock. I was a bit hungry, but I wasn't sure if a cupcake was what I wanted.

"Well… kinda." I heard Leshawna call back from her room. "But girl, why don't ya turn the TV on and we could have some chips and dip or somethin'?"

Chips and dip sounded a bit more appetizing – it even got me walking down to the living area. "I second that, I guess." I chipped in as I came through the doorway.

"Do we have chips though?" Bridgette wondered, reaching to open the kitchen cupboard, but she stopped. "Wait, that's right, those were both on the shopping list the other day! We could definitely have some of those." She opened the cupboard, reaching in for something.

I decided to make myself useful and went to open the fridge. Of course it was pretty full, so I didn't quite know what dips there were, and where.

"The dips kinda… moved to the back last night." I heard Leshawna say from what sounded like several feet away.

"Oh… okay…" I stepped back, scanning the shelves for anything that suspiciously looked like a container of dip. "What shelf are they on?" I asked, stepping back even further.

"Girl, you go sit down, Imma get 'em."

"Did you just say Armageddon?" Bridgette exclaimed.

"I wouldn't think so." I told her whilst holding back a laugh.

"Nope, I said, Imma get 'em." Leshawna repeated her words slowly so that it was clearer. "Damn, and I thought I wasn't hard to hear."

"Well that is true!" Bridgette laughed as she sat down on the couch, a bag of plain sea salt chips on the coffee table.

"Ooh yeah, they're gon' get it if they mess with Shawnie. Hoo boy, that reminds me of one time, I was at the club, and this skinny white girl pushes in front of me in the bar line."

"What did you do?" I asked as I sat down on one end of the sofa.

Leshawna closed the fridge and walked over with a container of hummus dip, putting it on the table and taking a seat on the other end of the sofa before replying. "That bitch got a big yanking by her hair." She said, to which Bridgette gasped at. "And then when she called me a… ton of names which Imma still tryin' to remember, I grabbed some person's drink and tipped it all down her hair… and a heck of a lot of people were standin' round laughing."

"Then what happened?" I was finding this quite hilarious.

"Girl ran straight out of the club screaming. She looked half Asian or somethin', so part of it makes sense."

I sat up with a jolt and looked at Bridgette – that was ringing bells left right and centre. "What did she look like?" I asked, reaching over to grab a chip from the open packet.

"Hm…" Leshawna looked up for a few seconds. "Long hair – raven black… uh, dark red crop top…"

I looked at Bridgette again as the description went on – once Leshawna said 'tacky little high-heeled sandals', we both yelled out at the same time. "Heather!" We shouted, bursting out laughing not even a second after.

"Who now?" Leshawna exclaimed, looking rather confused. "Wait, she's that skank who read out your diary, right?" She looked at me.

"Yep, that's her." I nodded, trying to calm my laughter down.

Before either me or Bridgette had the chance to regain our composure, Leshawna started hooting with laughter, and eventually, I was sitting on my knees, on the floor, with my forehead resting on the coffee table. My cheeks were almost burning with pain, but right then I didn't care at all.

"Alright, let's turn the TV on and start eating this stuff before the guys decide to come in and steal some." Bridgette said after a heavy sigh.

I lifted my head up and pulled myself back onto the sofa, just in time to see the blank TV screen burst into life.

"Alright, what's on…?" Leshawna muttered, flicking through the channels. "Oh come on, this is all sport. Who the heck snuck in here to watch this?"

"Someone from next door." Bridgette replied with a giggle. "Let's not worry about that now though."

I stared at the screen as the channels passed, but then stopped once it got to a screening of some season of X Factor, somewhere in the world. A guy looked to have just finished singing, and the judges were ready to speak.

"Oh, I don't think I've seen this…" Leshawna said slowly, putting the remote down.

"I don't think I recognise any of the judges… but the first two judges don't… look that happy…" Bridgette added, gulping slightly. "I hope it's not bad…"

It turned out that it was… in a way. The second judge – a woman, started berating the guy on copying her husband, who appeared to be the guy to her right. And the reasoning sounded ridiculous.

"What even is this?" I shook my head, sighing.

"She's… definitely got a problem!" Bridgette commented.

It went on for a couple of minutes, until another female judge spoke up, and said that he look like the first judge – he looked better. Which of course the audience cheered loudly to in response.

"Oh, BURN!' Leshawna hollered, laughing. "That'll get her!"

I couldn't help snickering as the judge finished her comments, and I managed to pick up somewhere in there that it was the first live show. How stupid for something to happen so early into those.

"What live show was it?' Bridgette asked. "I didn't catch it."

"The first one." I told her.

"Say what now?" Leshawna exclaimed. "The first live show? You gotta be kidding."

"Uh… no, that's what the blonde judge said.

"Damn…"

Then it seemed to fast forward to the elimination episode – and the second two judges were the only ones there.

"Now what's happened?" Bridgette asked, sounding a bit confused.

We waited for another minute, and then Leshawna whooped loudly as the news finally came – those two judges, who were… well, a bit too judgemental, had been fired.

"Now that's what I'm talking about." She said, clapping. "Who're they gonna get in to replace them?"

I looked up for a few seconds as I thought about it – who would be their replacements?

"It's hard when you don't know what country it's in." Bridgette said. "Well… I don't really know what this is anyway. It's just went from one episode to the next, and the first one hadn't even properly finished."

A few minutes into this second episode, I decided that it wasn't that great. I looked at Bridgette, who seemed to be staring blankly at the screen, and then turned to Leshawna, who wasn't even watching. So I reached over for the remote and went up a channel, and screening at the moment was a comedy show. I slowly put the remote back down on the table, hesitating for a few seconds.

"Are you guys… alright with the channel change?" I looked at the other two as I sat back.

"Oh, it's fine!" Bridgette nodded, smiling.

"Girl, I don't even know what that X Factor thing was all about, so you're all good." Leshawna put in, dunking a large chip in the basil dip.

A very long ten minutes went past, and neither of us seemed to be enjoying it. The humour was quite dull, and only Leshawna let out a slight chuckle every now and then. I just stared at the screen the entire time, thinking over and over in my head how incredibly stupid this show was. The only good thing that happened was the rain stopping somewhere in the middle of it.

"Is there anything else on that's at least better than this?" Bridgette asked.

I'd had enough of the comedy crap, so I stood up and walked over to the balcony door, slowly sliding it open and stepping outside. The warm breeze and patchy sunlight made it feel no different than inside. I decided to have a look at the surrounding area. To the left of the apartments were… well, more apartments, and a few small shops down the far end of the street. To the right, I could see the central city buildings, and of course, Beverly Hills. I was never going to get away from it, really.

I looked straight ahead as I thought about the mansion, and everyone else there, of course. What exactly were they doing about me disappearing? Had they found another girl, or picked up another reserve to replace Zoey? As much as I was glad – more than glad actually – to be out of there at last, I still wanted to know what had happened. I then wondered if Izzy could be of any use, since she'd managed to sneak around the place so many times without being noticed.

Another thought suddenly drifted into my mind – Courtney. The fact that she had gone out with Duncan sometime in the past almost seemed laughable – they were complete opposites, in every single way possible. Courtney was very uptight, professional at her best and… pretty wild at her worst. Duncan seemed to be a typical bad boy, with his piercings and mohawk.

"Uh… Gwen?" Bridgette called from inside. "I don't know if you want to see this or not, but…"

I turned around and went back inside, sitting down where I had been a few minutes ago. I looked up at the TV screen, just as the opening of a news programme flashed across.

"What is it?" I asked, looking at my friend, who was suddenly a little bit pale.

"You… you'll see." She stammered in reply. Bad news then.

I sat back as the opening article started, which was on some program somewhere in Africa, and had been the most successful in a very long time. I did think it was pretty great, but I was more interested (or worried if it was bad) about what Bridgette wanted me to see.

And after another article about American economy, it came. A picture of me with my long brown hair on one side of the screen, and a picture of Zoey on the other. For a few seconds, I was almost lost for words. I kept on staring at the screen as the news presenter elaborated on what happened, and then the bombshell hit. They were looking for us. Looking for me. They wanted me back at the mansion, apparently because I was next in line after Heather and Courtney to girlfriend number one. Which I never even knew about until then.

"Crap…" I choked out – it was all I managed to say at that point. "I was the one third in line three months ago?"

"I thought it was Lindsay!" Bridgette exclaimed. "Just because of… where Heather's at, I guess. It only made sense."

I stared ahead blankly, slowly shaking my head. I had thought I was safe, even with my new hairdo, clothes, make-up, everything. Then that had to happen. The security guards and paparazzi had to go searching for me.

"Girl, I'm sure you'll be fine since you got your hair did." Leshawna said, moving a bit closer and putting an arm on my shoulder.

"But… what if it doesn't do me any favours?" I very nearly shouted, leaping up. "I can't be out there if other people still recognise me!"

"Come on, if I thought you were someone else after coming back with a coffee, then I dunno who wouldn't."

Nerves, anger, astonishment, all bubbling up inside me. I felt myself getting hotter as my breaths became quicker and sharper. I tried to speak, but nothing was able to come out. I couldn't understand what was going on. But out of the corner of my eye, I saw Bridgette leap up and grab me by the shoulders, pushing me out to the hallway.

"Get a paper bag, I think she's hyperventilating!" She shouted to Leshawna.

I found myself being lead into my room, and I dropped like a rock onto the edge of the bed. My breathing was completely out of control, and I felt tears stinging at my eyes. Bridgette instructed me to try and take deep breaths, which I duly did, but they got interrupted by shorter ones. I tried and tried, until Leshawna came running in with a brown paper bag, already opened. I quickly took the bag and started breathing into it, yet still, nothing happened.

"Girl, focus on the bag." Leshawna told me. "Focus on it going out, and then in again. Out, and in."

I tried the new technique, and although it was very slow, it ended up working pretty well. Five minutes in, and I was breathing normally at last. Despite that, I still had to breathe into the bag until I felt completely relaxed.

"You ladies okay?" I heard Geoff call from the main hallway.

"Yeah, we're okay!" Bridgette called back in reply.

Once I felt like I was totally back to normal, I made a sudden snap decision, and chose to say it right then and there.

"I think I'll need something to distract me from… all this. Maybe do something tomorrow."

xx

And that concludes the second part I guess. Stay tuned for… next Thursday/Friday, hopefully.