All odds

“Mom? I’m not mad, but why do I need to see a psychiatrist?” Ella’s voice trembled slightly, a mix of defiance and vulnerability.

“Ella, you have to see a doctor right now. You’re still not in a good shape, and your tour is supposed to take place next month,” Miss Vinney replied, her tone firm but laced with concern.

“Then just postpone the tour if you think I’m not normal!” Ella shot back, frustration bubbling to the surface.

“I’m not doing that, Ella! Your fans are waiting for you. We’ve already signed contracts!” Miss Vinney’s voice softened momentarily, revealing the weight of her responsibilities.

“Are you even my mom?” Ella’s eyes glistened with unshed tears, hurt seeping through her words.

“I’m your manager too. You need to understand how hard it is for me to be both,” Miss Vinney said, her voice breaking as she tried to balance her roles. “Oh come on, Mom! Cut the crap! Hard to say? I need my space!” Ella exclaimed, her voice sharp and filled with frustration. The weight of her emotions felt suffocating. She turned on her heel, not waiting for a response, and stormed off to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

Inside, she leaned against the door, her heart racing. Anger mixed with sadness as tears threatened to spill. “Why can’t she just understand?” Ella thought, feeling trapped in a world that seemed to demand too much from her. She needed to breathe, to think without the pressure of expectations.

As she sank onto her bed, the silence enveloped her, and she felt a flicker of hope. Maybe this was the moment she could finally reclaim her own identity, away from the spotlight and the chaos. Ella was a very well-known musician who started in her youth. Now at twenty-eight, she felt her life was worn out. It had been a year since the “Midnight Crash” that changed everything. She was drunk that night when she drove into a tree, and since that day, her music career had been a mess. The same world that once praised her now judged her harshly. And now they were asking her for a musical tour? She couldn’t even write songs anymore!

To make matters worse, her mom had secretly hired someone to write songs for her tour. Her mom?! Sometimes, Ella wondered if maybe her mom wasn’t her manager, she would actually care about her feelings.

In a fit of rage, she banged her fists against the wall, the sound echoing in the silence of her room. Bang! Bang! She destroyed the flower vases on her dresser, shards of glass scattering across the floor. Then, she crouched down, wrapping her arms around her knees, and cried like a baby in her lonely world, feeling utterly lost and abandoned. **** Mike, has the designer taken up Ella’s measurements for her costume? asked Miss Vinny.

“About that, ma’am, Miss Ella rejected the dress you picked out for her. She says they’re uncomfortable, so the designer has to change them,” said Mike.

“That girl! Make no changes; she has to wear those,” said Miss Vinny.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Mike felt the pressure mounting. He knew how important this tour was for Ella, but he also understood her struggle. The last thing she needed was to feel even more uncomfortable in front of the world. ****Ella, clad in a hoodie covering her face, entered the hospital. If she had to do this, she couldn’t let the world know she was crazy. “The doctor was not in,” she said, sitting comfortably with an unreadable expression.

The hospital always brought back memories she tried to forget. The sterile smell, the harsh lighting, the hushed whispers in the corridors. She felt a mix of relief and anxiety, knowing she had to face whatever was coming next.

“Sorry, I have kept you waiting,” a young, handsome guy stepped into the office.

Ella raised an eyebrow, her voice sharp. “I didn’t sign up for a little kid.”

“Relax, missy. Is that for me to hear?” Daryn replied, a teasing smile playing on his lips. “I must say, you’ve got quite the attitude.”

He took a seat opposite her, still smiling. “I’ll be the polite one here. I’m Daryn.” He gestured for her to introduce herself.

“I don’t have to mention my name. I’m sure my mom told you everything about me since she contacted you. I wouldn’t be surprised if she even told you the day I broke my virginity. Anyway, who in the world doesn’t know me? My life is for the media,” Ella snapped, her frustration bubbling over.

“Do you want that? A life where people decide for you?” Daryn asked, genuine concern etched on his face.

At that moment, Ella felt her defenses crumble. Tears welled up in her eyes as she saw the sincerity in his gaze for the first time.“I’m sorry,” she managed to say after letting it all out in tears. “You couldn’t even do your work because of my rollercoaster.”

“It doesn’t matter, ’cause you wouldn’t have answered truthfully anyway,” Daryn replied, a hint of frustration in his voice.

“Hah! Doc, I think you have a bad impression of me. Don’t tell me you hold a grudge because of that little comment,” Ella shot back, trying to lighten the mood.

“Hah! I think you hate me for no reason. I just hope my handsome face doesn’t remind you of your exes,” Daryn said with a smirk.

Ella couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle, a sound that felt foreign yet refreshing. When was the last time she laughed like this? “I like you, Doc. You seriously know how to do your job,” she admitted, her tone softening.

“Then you should at least tell me your name,” Daryn suggested, raising an eyebrow.

“You seriously don’t know my name? Are you an alien lost on Earth or something?” Ella teased, a playful glint in her eye.

“Don’t tell me you’re the country’s president,” Daryn asked, his tone mock-serious.

“Haha, can’t be! I’m just Isabella Bruce,” she replied, a smile breaking through her earlier tension.

“Nice to meet you, Isabella,” he said, his demeanor shifting to something more genuine. “So, are we done with today’s appointment?”

“Yeah, that will be all for today,” she confirmed, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders.

“If I had known it was this simple, I wouldn’t have let my mom blackmail me to come here,” Ella said, her voice laced with a mix of relief and humor.

“What were you expecting?” Daryn asked, intrigued.

“I don’t know, but maybe tying me to a chair, injecting me with some drugs, then I’d be screaming like, ‘Fuck! Let me go!’” she exclaimed, her eyes wide with mock horror.

“What the hell, Ella? Are we performing an exorcism?” Daryn laughed, unable to contain himself, the sound echoing in the otherwise quiet room.

Their laughter filled the space, a moment of connection in the midst of chaos.*****

.

“How was the appointment?” said Miss Vinney, her voice cutting through the air like a knife.

“Mom! What are you doing here? This is my house! Can’t I have my privacy? How the hell did you get in?” Ella shot back, her frustration bubbling over. She felt a wave of anger wash over her, mixed with a hint of embarrassment.

“Mom, let me have my keys!” she added, her tone sharper than she intended.

“Have them if you want,” her mother replied dismissively, “just remember you have an interview tomorrow. Rehearse your lines before then. I made some prints out; don’t make me look stupid.” With that, she turned on her heel and left, leaving Ella standing there, seething.

Ella let out a long sigh, feeling the weight of her mother’s words settle heavily on her shoulders. She glanced around her lonely house, the silence echoing her feelings of isolation. The walls felt like they were closing in on her as she trudged to her room, the familiar space offering little comfort. She closed the door behind her, desperate for a moment of solitude, but the pressure of the upcoming interview loomed over her like a dark cloud.