Page 114 of Before the Encore

Madison brushed her hands over Bonnie, checking her over. “Are you okay?”

“I think so. Is your head?”

“Yeah.” Her mouth curled. “I’ve always wanted to do that.” She wrapped Bonnie in an embrace, her smoky sandalwood scent providing comfort. “It’s over now. You can make a new start.”

Bonnie agreed, but there was still so much to this she didn’t know. And like hell would she let Bailey sweep anything under the rug. If she wanted to make a difference, she needed to speak up.

“There’s so much I need to tell you.”

Madison brushed the hair from her cheek. “We have time. I’m not going anywhere. I’m here.”

Bonnie sighed, leaning closer, pressing her forehead to hers. “Always?”

“Always.”

Lights flashed, and she blinked, turning towards the crowd of cameras and journalists gathered around them.

Nikita Dixon pushed to the front, holding out her phone. “Bonnie, your manager Jonjoe Bailey has been apprehended by security. Would you like to make a comment on that?”

Of course. If anyone could sniff out a story, it was Nikita Dixon.

“Actually, Nikita.” Bonnie blew out a breath, composed herself, and steeled her jaw. “Yes, I would.”

Epilogue – Ten Months Later

Bonnie

Nikita pushed up her glasses and directed a rare smile towards Bonnie. “It’s been quite a year for the princess of pop, hasn’t it?”

Bonnie let out a breath of laughter. “You could say that.”

Nikita clicked her tongue, then waved her hand over the giant ‘UNITY Festival’ sign behind them. “Now is not the time to be modest. Look around at all of this. It’s no easy feat.”

They sat backstage as crew and volunteers rallied around, making final checks on sets and equipment. A fan whirred in their direction, offering a brief respite from the humidity. The smell of fried food drifted in from the vans preparing for the big crowds.

Bonnie relaxed into her chair. “It’s important for me to use my platform to make a difference. There’s so much that still needs to change, like making spiking a separate criminal offence and implementing mandatory reporting of spiking incidents in venues. I hope to bring awareness to that.”

“Becoming a global ambassador for Spike Aware will certainly help.”

“They do great work. I hope we can raise a large amount of money for them today.”

Nikita nodded, jotting down something in her notebook. She peered over her glasses. “Was this change influenced by your ex-manager Jonjoe Bailey and the allegations made against him?”

“It’s no secret how I feel about him.” Bonnie folded her hands in her lap, settling deeper into the seat. She and Scarlett had given witness statements to aid the victims’ case, as well as her own testimony about what happened to her. The reality of acquiring evidence made it difficult, but the stacks of ketamine found at Bailey’s apartment and the questionable internet searches helped—as well as a thread of bragging comments to some of his buds found in his phone.

The trial would take a while. In the meantime, she’d do what she could.

“Hearing about the victims’ experiences also made me brave enough to talk about my own.”

“It was a touching interview.” Nikita leaned forward. “But I did wonder, is there a connection between your experience and the allegations against Mr Bailey?”

Bonnie sighed. Bailey had always denied it, and truthfully, she’d spent so much time living in that fear of who and why without any answers, that now she’d made her peace with it. She might never know. Bonnie had never gone to the hospital or to the police, for the same reason many other people don’t: for fear of not being believed, of being blamed, being told she was too drunk. She wanted to focus on changing the stigma, and instead of focusing on Bailey, she was giving that power back to herself.

To do something that mattered.

“What happened to me happened a long time ago. That makes it more challenging.” Bonnie paused, taking her time. She gave Nikita a soft, genuine smile. “My energy is better spent on creating events like this. To get people talking. To raise money. To push for change through education, training, and advocating for stronger legislation to protect people from the impacts of spiking.”

When the interview wrapped up, Bonnie shook Nikita’s hand. “Thank you. Make sure to plug the donation links and keep them easily accessible.”