Author retains all rights to this original work of fiction.

Friday, March 29th 9:36 AM
Sleep alluded me and getting my brain to shut off was impossible. I think the only reason I fell asleep was due to exhaustion. I was feeling that way now - exhausted. I was dreading meeting everyone for breakfast. So much so I almost cancelled, but didn’t because the backlash would have been worse than what I had been facing since sitting down - which was pretty intense.

Author retains all rights to this original work of fiction.

Thursday, March 29th 8:43 PM
The after party was more like an after dance than a gathering of all the contestants being made available for the audience to schmooze with. With how I was feeling about the competition right now that was kind of a relief. I didn't think I had it in me to smile while people told me I should have won or placed. What was I doing here?!

Author retains all rights to this original work of fiction.

Thursday, March 29th 12:47 PM
"I don't have a problem, but... But you have...," I replied defiantly, awkwardly, and without as much anger as was boiling inside of me from this whole situation. The initial confrontation spiked my anxiety to the point it brought on a panic attack - which ramped up my fears about anything and everything. Can you breathe? Are people watching you? Will I have to fight her? Am I going to pass out? I need more air...

Author retains all rights to this original work of fiction.

Wednesday, March 28th 11:33 PM
We were hurried off stage after a rousing final chorus of applause from the audience. Leza Howell continued to work the crowd and encouraged them to attend the after show as we headed back toward the 'green' room. Once there we were given a chance to go grab any personal items we might want - Amen! I grabbed my cellphone and wristlet clutch.

Author retains all rights to this original work of fiction.

Wednesday, March 28th 12:13 AM
Tyler slowly moved the arm, then leg he had slung over my body as we cuddled while coming down from our sexual highs. The warmth of his skin on mine was mesmerizing to me and I wondered if he felt anywhere near the same as I did. I watch him sit up, look back at me, and smile, "I wish I could stay longer, but Dana will probably think I got abducted or something ridiculous like that... I'm sorry, I should probably go."

Author retains all rights to this original work of fiction.

Tuesday, March 27th 6:11 PM
"Hey Brea... How's it going?"

As much as I wanted to really speak my mind, needed too for my own sanity and to keep from spiraling into a dark place, I decided it was probably best to go with a generic answer since I didn't know Blake all that well, "It's going pretty good." I hoped I sounded like I believed my own answer.

Blake raised an eyebrow, "You sure? You don't sound very convincing."

Author retains all rights to this original work of fiction.

Tuesday, March 27th 6:44 AM
I entered the conference room dressed business casual – what I was wearing wasn’t my first choice, but I was too tired to fight clothing choices at 5:30 AM. My nerves were certainly trying to get the better of me, but my biggest problem was not getting enough sleep. I slept like a rock, just didn’t get enough of it. Without some strong coffee, I was going to crash and crash hard.