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Sady steepled her fingers, observing them quietly for a moment. “This is about the promo.”
“Of course it’s about that promo,” Logan said. “Where did you get that footage?”
“I had Joe install some small cameras in the dressing rooms, in case Jazzy wanted to use them instead of the big one-eighty mirror for try-ons.”
“Wait. You’ve been filming me changing my clothes?” Everly’s pulse screamed in her ears loud enough to make her dizzy. Had she been on camera naked all season without knowing it?
Sady gaped at her in disbelief. “Of course not. I was clear that he shouldn’t put any in the dressing room with your outfits. Just the empty ones.”
One of which Everly had thrown her own clothes into, so she could find them later. The very stall she and Logan had later used to “change.” God. Was this her fault?
No. Sady could have chosen not to use the footage, and that placed the blame squarely on her.
Everly stared her down. “I don’t want that recording used in my episodes.”
Sady frowned. “It’s already been in the promo. And have you seen the responses? People are loving it. Our ratings will probably be the highest ever.” She said it like this was some kind of victory.
Everly didn’t care about ratings. She didn’t care what anyone on the internet thought. She didn’t even care what happened to her favorite show, at this point. All that mattered was her and Logan, and what this might do to them. She dug her fists into her lap. Otherwise, she was likely to plant one in Sady’s face.
“There are plenty of viewers who arenoton board,” Logan said.
Everly pulled the file folder with the online comments out of her bag and dropped it in front of Sady. The showrunner flipped it open and began to thumb through it.
Logan nodded to the stack of papers. “This is a collection of viewer comments, in case you need to see them.” He fussed with a button on the camera, and Everly heard it whirl. “But even if no one cared, don’t you think what your guest wants should be more important than anything else? Everly’s not comfortable with that being released. Neither am I. We did not consent to this.” He said the words clearly and firmly to make sure the camera caught the audio.
Everly did the same. “I don’t want to be shown hooking up on TV. It could ruin my career. My life.”
Sady shook her head. “Obviously, I’m not going to air thewholething. That violates all sorts of content laws. But don’t you see what a win this is? It shows how desirable you are. How desirable all fat people are.”
“No.” Everly straightened her shoulders and tipped up her chin. Stanton had called them power stances when they’d practiced for her presentation at Matten-Waverly. And if she ever needed to feel powerful, it was right now. “I don’t want any of that on TV. My bare back. The sides of my breasts. My ass. I did not consent to having my body shown with so little clothing on.” She would keep repeating the word “consent” until Sady got it through her head how violated she felt.
“Then don’t have sex in public.” Sady’s words were a slap to the face. Everly jerked back from the shock of them.
“Whoa.” Logan stepped closer to Sady’s desk. “We didn’t. We knew that store was empty. It was locked. Everyone was gone.”
Sighing, Sady pushed her black-framed glasses up into her hair and rubbed at her eyes. “I’m sorry you’re both so upset about this. That wasnot my intent. But I can’t cut this. It is a perfect end to a groundbreaking series of episodes.” Her smile was solemn. “Everly, I wish you could see this the way I do. We are changing minds. Breaking barriers. Your story is forcing everyone to see fat people as heroes in their own stories. Their own romances.”
“This is not my story. It’s yours. Half of it isn’t even real,” Everly shot back.
“There are already articles about your arc coming out online. People beyond the fandom are talking about it. This could be the beginning of so much change in the discourse.” Her eyes grew bright, and a smile pulled at her lips. “Can’t you see it? We are redefining how fat people are represented. Right now. In this moment.” She leaned over her desk, eager to hold Everly’s stare.
Everly hated that it was working. That she couldn’t look away. These were things that she cared about, too. But she didn’t want to have to sacrifice her dignity to make it happen.
Sady spread her hands wide. “We could be on our way to romcoms helmed by fat performers, without weight loss plots or endless self-deprecation. We could have fans swooning over love triangles with fat people at the center. All because of you. But not if we don’t follow through on the story. Not if we don’t prove to the world how desirable you are. This footage with Logan does that.”
“Sady.” Logan’s tone was angry and sad at once.
“Logan, we’re on the cusp of doing exactly what we’ve been striving toward. With the right ratings, we can do whatever we want. Create shows we want. You have to see that.”
“No.” Everly spit the word out. “Iam a fan of your show. I’m living proof that you were already changing minds. People flock toOn the Plus Sidebecause they see themselves. They don’t need some sort of forced storyline. They just want to see themselves represented on TV as humanbeings, not jokes or villains or stereotypes. You’re doing that already. Don’t cheapen it.”
Sady shook her head, disappointed. “This is so much bigger than that. We are reaching beyond the fan base, finally. Nothing will change until we can make an impressionoutsidethe fat community.”
“What about the rest ofthisseason?” Everly asked. “Are you going to do the same thing to your other guests? Viewers are going to expect more romance and drama, and it’s going to destroy the amazing messages those guests are sending and all the work they’re doing.”
For a second, Sady seemed chastised. She sat back in her chair quietly, like she was mulling over Everly’s logic.
“Sady.” Logan’s voice was close to losing its edge.
