Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
Eden Stiles could admit she wasn't the brightest bulb in the socket. Sometimes she was just plain old naïve and gullible and people often took advantage of that. She was personable and made a lot of friends; being very pretty was also a bonus. A lot of people did things for her because they were nice or she was nice. It was how things were and how they would always be.
She was lucky when she was born, God gave her a sixth sense to sort out any bullshit when it wanted to get fresh with her.
Renee and her drawing story was potpourri-scented bullshit.
Eden re-read her typed up blog post but was hesitant to press send. The interview with Renee went off without a hitch and whatever questions Eden had, Renee effortlessly answered. That wasn't the problem. The problem was Eden felt the biggest story of the year was really the biggest sham of the year and she was officially a donkey.
It was hard breaking into the entertainment world and Eden was more than prepared to spend a lot of time on casting couches if need be. She felt she got her big break without wearing out a set of kneepads courtesy of Renee. It turned out, much to her chagrin, she was going to need those kneepads.
She replayed the video interview and studied Renee's body language. She was confident, almost cocky about her artwork and the supposed relationship with Dean, who remained mute about everything. Renee pulled up pictures of them on her phone and there was ample evidence a relationship of some sort was between them.
Eden noted the last intimate photo of Dean and Renee. It was taken back in October. It was now January. Granted Eden didn't take photos her and her boyfriend every single day, but she damn sure would have at least a Christmas or New Year's Eve photo with him.
Coincidence aside, it wasn't the only thing that was unsettling about the blonde bombshell. Nothing about Renee screamed Afro-centric. Nothing about her shouted she was a Civil Rights champion. Dared Eden thought, she wasn't sure if Renee could tell the difference between Lil' Jon and President Obama.
Everything went well until the very last question of the interview when Eden asked Renee if she could draw something on the spot.
"I need to be inspired. I'm not inspired right now so I'm not able to." Renee smiled.
"That's understandable. When can we see another one of your drawings posted?"
"Soon," Renee lied as she flashed her pearly whites, "very, very soon."
The way she said it, with a tinge of a smirk playing on her lips…it didn't feel…what was the word…ah, yes…it didn't feel authentic.
The problem was Eden couldn't prove that Renee was lying, though she felt it. Something told her she needed to do a bit more research on Renee, Dean, and the mysterious artist who was still anonymous. Eden wondered what woman in her right mind would let Renee take credit for her drawings. Was the STFU money Renee gave her that much? Was the artist dead?
No, the artist couldn't have been dead. The picture was recent, which meant she was alive and well…and in hiding somewhere. Was the artist a she? Was Renee Dean's beard?
"You look like you're full of remorse and bad thoughts," Eden's boyfriend, Cody, said as he entered their shared apartment.
"This interview, man," Eden shook her head, "like, I'm not even sure this girl is legit."
"Well, you had your doubts before you left," Cody placed the take-out on the dining room table and joined his girlfriend, "so I don't know why you're surprised."
"Surprised that she's fake? No. Surprised at how much this is going to ruin me and make me a laughing stock? Very." Eden placed her head down on the table. "I won't come back from this."
"It can't be that bad, can it?" Cody asked. Eden motioned for him to look at the screen and he peeked over her shoulder. He grimaced as he read the interview and saw the pictures. "She was the one that did the drawings?"
"Supposedly," Eden made quotation marks with her fingers. "I asked her who inspired her and she named Madonna and Lady Gaga. Like what the fuck?"
Cody laughed so hard, he snorted. "Inspiration comes from different places, you know?"
"No, no, no!" Eden looked up at him. "Do not try to justify this bullshit! You know she's lying!"
"Hey, don't shoot the messenger," he held his hands up in defense, "anyone with half a brain can tell she's lying and I doubt too many people believe her otherwise. But you're sitting on a potential goldmine here. This can make things go very well for you."
"This can make things go very bad for me as well," Eden thought of her online reputation already. She didn't quite have haters but she didn't have a ton of lovers, neither.
"What's your game plan, baby?" He asked. "Yeah, you're mad but a lot of people are waiting on this interview. You need to post it or no one is going to pay attention to your blog again."
"I have no idea," Eden sipped her drink, "I mean, what would you do if you were me?"
Cody chewed a French fry and contemplated his girlfriend's dilemma. He'd known her since their high school days and she always wanted to be a part of the Hollywood crowd in some form. She watched entertainment programs and red carpet specials, always stating it was going to be her on the TV screen. While he didn't see the value of reporting gossip on fake celebrities, he fully supported her dreams. He bought her the computer to do her blogging and upgraded her cell phone so she could take lengthy videos to post on her blog.
The idea suddenly hit him like a lightning strike. Why should Eden suffer at the hands of someone else? "Expose her."