The Game Changer (The Perfect Game 2)

“I’m not. I honestly can’t believe I’m sitting here listening to this. You would walk away from Jack just to stop some stupid gossip?”

I shook my head. “You don’t know how it feels. I know it probably seems like I shouldn’t care, or I should let it roll off my back, but people read those things and they believe them without question. They shout mean things to me all the time at Jack’s games. New York might be a big city, but it feels really small sometimes. Everything that gets posted, I have to deal with. Not anyone else. Me. ” I pointed at my chest. “And it sucks. ”

Dean reached for my shoulder. “Cassie, leaving Jack isn’t the answer. ”

I shrugged. “All the harassment would stop. ”

“Do you honestly think you’d be OK not being with him?” Dean pleaded, his voice becoming more agitated.

“I don’t know, but I’m not OK right now and I’m with him. ”

Melissa cleared her throat. “You know you’re not a real person to them. ”

“A real person to whom?”

“The people that post on those websites, they don’t know you. They don’t know anything about you. It’s really easy for people to talk shit about someone they don’t know. Especially when it’s someone they think they’ll never see in real life. ”

I’d never been one of those types to write nasty things online about people I didn’t know. Did I read gossip sites and watch shows about celebrities? Of course I did. But I always remembered there were two sides to every story, and I never trusted what was reported. Melissa’s mom instilled that in both of us from a young age. Occupational hazard, she called it.

I sniffed, wiping away a tear as Meli continued. “You know this. You’ve just never been at the receiving end of it like this before. Last year was bad, but it was nothing like this. It’s horrible and hurtful, but people do it because they can. They hide behind a computer screen where no one else can see them. They aren’t held accountable for their words. They can type them, press enter, and walk away. ”

“But I read those words and they stay with me. When someone takes a picture of me at lunch eating a burger with a caption that says, ‘Maybe she should lay off the burgers’…” I looked down at my thighs before staring ahead at the wall.

“I know. We grew up out here, surrounded by celebrity rumors and paparazzi and all the craziness. You know that people enjoy tearing other people down. They get off on seeing you fall apart,” Melissa added with a snarl.

“I’ve never understood that. Why do people love seeing other people in pain?”

“I don’t know. Because people are petty, shallow, and jealous? Because they think they want what you have and when it’s not so glamorous, they’re happy it’s not all it’s cracked up to be?”

Dean sighed and I directed my glossy gaze at him. “It’s mostly girls, you know. ”

“Mostly girls what?” Melissa shot back, her tone defensive.

“It’s mostly girls who read those magazines, watch those shows, and post on those websites. You girls love taking each other down a notch. ”

I nodded in agreement. “It’s so true. You’re absolutely right. ”

“Well, that’s never gonna change. ” Melissa rolled her eyes and exhaled loudly. “Girls are competitive bitches. ”

“But why? Why are we like that? I mean, if all those people who talked shit actually got to know me, I’m pretty sure they’d like me. ” I looked between Melissa and Dean, longing for reassurance.

Melissa grabbed me by both of my shoulders. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you! They don’t know you. And they never will. You’re someone they see on TV, or in a magazine, online, or at a game even. You’re not someone who has dinner at their house on Sunday night!”

“So you’re saying I should start planning dinners with strangers?” I choked back a laugh.

“Bitch. I’m saying that these people suck. They suck. Not you. And you’re punishing Jack for what these people are doing to you. ”

“She’s right, Sis,” Dean added with a smile. “People always posted things about Jack on Facebook and online and stuff. They were mostly lies, but Jack never read any of it. So it never affected him. ”

“I tried to stop reading it all. Then this stupid Chrystle thing came out. ” I turned to Melissa. “How can she say all these things, anyway? They’re outright lies. ”

“It’s not like it’s a reputable magazine. It’s a trashy tabloid. They’re sort of known for printing half truths. ” Melissa tilted her head.

“Can I sue her for defamation of character or slander? Something…” I pondered out loud, before propping my feet up on the coffee table.

“It wouldn’t be worth your time and effort. In those kinds of cases, you have to prove that you were affected by her story. You would have to prove that your character was defamed, by say, a loss of

job or income due to the things she said. ” She stopped to take a drink of water. “Same thing with slander. You have to prove that her statements were made maliciously to cause you harm. And you have to prove the harm it actually caused. ”