3
Two days later, at a BBQ restaurant in Harbor City.
This place is our only designated meeting spot.
The owner is our senior from school, and we can always use the staff entrance to go directly to the second-floor private room.
We arrived around 7:30, one after another.
Usually we enter separately, but this time he insisted we go in together.
I refused, so he threatened to post my ugly photos online.
“Fine, fine…”
I didn’t want to argue with him.
Besides, I had wrapped myself up like a mummy. In the darkness, it was hard to recognize me.
Plus, I was wearing my manager’s clothes from head to toe.
Before getting out of the car, my manager warned me:
“I know you’re stressed, drinking is fine, but promise me, give your phone to Jake before you start.”
She specifically mentioned my phone because of my previous incidents—
When drunk, I post random things online.
The first time, I publicly shared my phone number, inviting fans to call and hear me sing.
The second time, I posted some bizarre text I copied from somewhere:
“If you look down on me, I’ll flatly walk away. If you belittle me, I’ll walk away small. If you make me furry, I’ll walk away furry. If you make me urgent, I’ll walk away urgently. If you fire me up, I’ll become spicy hot. If you knock me down, I’ll lie down and take a big nap.”
“No way, absolutely no third time!” my manager insisted.
“I’ll message Jake.”
Still not trusting me, she sent several voice messages to Jake, sincerely begging him to watch over me.
Her tone was as earnest as praying to Buddha.
I was embarrassed and angry: “That was ages ago!”
“What if Jake is the one who posts something crazy!”
I wrapped myself up tightly with only my eyes showing, while Jake didn’t even wear a mask.
“Dude, you’re just coming out in the open like that?” I hunched beside him, feeling like a thief.
He was unhappy with my description and made a disapproving sound:
“What do you mean ‘in the open’? Watch your words. I’m wearing plenty.”
“Why are you bundled up like that… dressed like this, do you have some grudge against the world?”
“How would Emma allow you to go out in such ugly clothes?”
Me: “…These ARE her clothes.”
