“I ran out in this awful rain for you all.” Sienna threw a handful of magazines, three new novels, and a deck of playing cards on the coffee table. “If we’re stuck inside, we’ll need something to do… And I had to get out of the house. I’m going stir-crazy already.”
Sienna plopped down on the sofa next to Emily and Blair while Blair scrolled through her phone. Just as Emily was reaching for one of the novels to read the back, Blair let out a loud exhale.
“Oh my gosh.”
Emily looked over. “What?”
“The latest conspiracy theory is that I ran off with all the endorsement money to live in the wild with Rocko and the baby. Since Rocko’s in construction, he’s built us an off-grid mansion.”
Emily couldn’t hold in her laugh. “Thelatest?”
Blair folded her thin legs underneath her. “There are a ton of conspiracy theories online about what happened to me; I’ve just been ignoring them all.”
Sienna scooted closer, interest sparkling in her eye. “What are the others?”
Blair clicked off her phone and set it on the coffee table. “Well, there’s the one that I’ve had triplets, and I starved myself so I could look thinner during my pregnancy, and now we’re all in the hospital fighting for our lives.”
Sienna’s mouth hung open.
“How awful,” Emily said.
Blair nodded. “Another one floating around is that I had a nervous breakdown, I’ve turned on everyone, become impossible to live with, and refuse to get any help, so Rocko’s raising the baby.”
Emily gasped.
“People are crazy,” Sienna said, making a face as she crossed her legs on the sofa.
“What’s crazier,” Emily added, “is that as much as you share about you and Rocko online, they have no idea who you really are.”
Blair shook her head. “Someone always has something to say, you know? It didn’t bother me before, but now, every time someone takes a jab, it’s as if they’re poking that raw part of me that’s still healing from losing the baby.”
“I’d be furious. Don’t you want to set the record straight?” Sienna asked.
“Who cares what they think?” Blair said. But the sadness on her face gave away how the lies affected her.
Sienna squinted hatefully at Blair’s phone. “They’re so busy blaming you for the silence. I’ll bet it would shut them upreallyquickly to find out what you’ve been dealing with.”
Blair shrugged. “I’m not out to prove any points to anyone. I thought my core fans were kinder, that’s all. And seeing how some of them are reacting makes me question if I wantto ever resume posting. I thought I’d created this wonderful community, but have I?”
“I’m sure they’re not all like that,” Emily said. “And yourtruefans might really want to know. They’re probably worried about you.”
“Yeah.” Blair let out a long exhale. “I waffle back and forth with whether I want to continue. I do have to manage my paid endorsements. That’s what I was doing in my room a while ago—reaching out to the companies to let them know what happened. The ones who responded have been very understanding. But even still, how do I ever get back online after the trauma and then all the hate?”
“I think you’ll know when the time is right,” Emily said.
“I have gotten some really good footage of our trip so far.” Blair brightened. “If I break up the content into bite-sized pieces, I’ll have enough for a good two weeks.”
Sienna pulled a fashionable large-weave cotton blanket from the arm of the sofa and draped it over her legs. “Posting about us during a beach rainstorm might be a lighthearted way to get back into it.”
Blair laughed. “I am going to have to address the elephant…”
“Maybe you could post an unrelated video with a quick explanation in the comments,” Emily suggested. “Just say that you’ve had a family tragedy, and you prefer to keep the details private until you’re ready to share them—if ever.”
“I should talk more with Rocko about how to manage it. He’ll have some wild idea none of us have thought of.”
“You do need to talk to Rocko,” Emily said. “And, Sienna, you also need to break the news to Tyson.”
“It feels so easy, sitting here,” Sienna said. “I tried once, but I chickened out. And at home we’re in the busy swing of things, and life gets in the way. I end up falling into bed exhausted. Ishould probably tell him when he comes. But I don’t want to ruin our trip together, you know?”
