The social circle

   Jenny drew in a breath of envy as she surveyed the ring on Laura Piper's finger. She was the fifth social media influencer to get engaged this month. Jenny enlarged the photo with her thumb and pointer finger, taking in the details of the perfectly cut almond-shaped diamond. She averted her gaze to the caption. It read, I said yes! Jenny swallowed hard, her eyes dropping on the growing likes and comments. 

Every day a new person seemed to be getting engaged, yet, here she was, still waiting for the ring that felt like it was never going to come. It was what she needed to climb up the social ladder. She was well off, but without an engagement soon, people would begin to lose interest, and she would backpedal into nothingness. 

The social circle was an invitational club that very few influencers were selected for, and once in, it was harder for it to stay that way. The club came with many perks, including endorsements and sponsorships from high-end companies. It was a step up from the average influencer.

She had everything she could ever want. A perfect home that resided in one of the prime areas of California, friends that would fight tooth and nail for her, and a boyfriend that women could only dream of. Tommy was exactly that. With dark brown hair, a straight nose, and alluring blue eyes that was the shade of the pacific ocean. They had been dating for two years. They were a power couple in the eyes of their young fans, but for the past few months, she had managed to fall to the back. Her following of 8.5 million refused to move any further than she had hoped. Her likes and interactions from fans also started to plummet. She was on the verge of fear and turned to the social council for advice. They told her that to regain and bring in a new audience, she needed a big event to happen in her life. Like a proposal.

She had learned this almost a year ago. Since that meeting with the council, nothing much had happened. She was still suffering while Tommy somehow continued to climb up the popularity ladder. With a sigh, she tossed her phone into her bag as the Uberstopped in front of the new fort hotel that just celebrated their tenth anniversary. Jenny waited for the automated doors to open before she stepped out of the car and rated the driver. 

The wind blew her untamed curls, and she fought it back with her hand. 

She quickly moved up the short staircase, happy to see Grant, a paparazzi she persuaded to come to take pictures of her. He was fairly new and was easy to convince. She made sure to pay him well for his time.

Upon seeing her, he lifted the camera and took a picture. He was ready to say something, but before he could, she shot him a threatening look that promised she could ruin his career before it got started. He quickly got the message. 

Instead, he said, “Looking lovely as ever today Miss Lancaster.” 

Jenny batted her eyelashes, before flashing him a smile. 

She didn’t feel bad. At one point everyone contacted the paparazzi for their own benefit, and she would have been a fool not to act on it herself. 

She was blasted with cool air as she stepped into the hotel. “Jenny!” she turned in the direction of the greeting voice. Her trio of friends stood waiting for her. Rebecca had a successful YouTube channel where she talked about fashion and makeup. Talia was known for her family blogging channel, and Brenda was known for her prank wars with her husband. She also had a dating and marriage advice channel with her husband. 

“It’s almost time for our appointment!”

Thirty minutes later they were gathered in a cold bath. Jenny tried to cover up the fact that she was freezing by clenching her teeth into her trembling lips. 

“Can you believe Derrick proposed to Laura?” Rebecca said with a snort. “They have only been dating for a year.” She rolled her eyes. “I bet they are only doing it for the attention.” 

“I doubt that,” Jenny argued. “At least they are getting married.” 

They saw right through her. “You need to be patient with Tommy.” Brenda said with confidence, “He just needs to mature a little more.” 

Jenny doubted that maturing was the problem. But she wasn’t going to dismiss her friend's advice, who not only had a YouTube channel but had three books to prove her creditability. 

“If you say so,” 

Rebecca added, “maybe you should leave him if he’s not giving you what you want.”

“Never,” Jenny said with sudden distress. “I love him.” 

“The time will come and when it does it will be worth the wait.” Jenny felt more at ease with Talia’s words. Maybe she did really need to relax. Also, her relationship with Tommy and their lack of engagement took up most of their conversation these days. With that, she decided to move onto a lighter topic. 

***

“I want us to have dinner tonight,” Tommy said to her three hours later when she returned home. He had called moments after she entered her apartment. Excitement could have imploded from her at that exact moment. Tommy was finally going to propose to her. What he said next only confirmed so. “Wear that pink dress I like.” 

“Okay.” She said and then he was gone. 

It was a good thing she went to the spa today. With her hair freshly done, and her skin glowing, she was more than ready for tonight. 

She went to her room in search of the pink dress and tried it on for good measure. 

As she prepared herself for her life-changing moment she called up her friends and told them the news, “Oh my gosh this is great!” Talia squealed. 

Brenda said, “See I told you that you had to be patient.” 

Rebecca was the only one to say different. “Are you sure he is proposing tonight?” 

“Yes,” Jenny said, “why would he ask to go to dinner tonight?” 

“Okay, call and tell us all about it,” Rebecca said. When the call ended, Jenny called her glam team. 

***

Jenny walked into the restaurant eight o clock that night. Despite the comforting temperature, she was hot and was seconds away from sweating through her dress. Tommy wanted them to meet up since he was scheduled in meetings all day. She found him at the back of the restaurant that was only reserved for elite people like them. He stood up when he saw her. 

“You look beautiful.” He said then kissed her on the cheek.

“Thanks.” She said nervously and sat down after he pulled her chair out. 

He moved to sit in front of her, “I have been waiting for this moment all day.” 

“Were you now?” 

“Yes,” he smiled. “I think you’re going to like this.” It was happening! She couldn’t believe it. He moved his hand into his suit. She was ready to stop breathing when he pulled out his phone instead of the ring she was expecting. 

She sighed disappointedly. 

Tommy looked at her, “Are you okay?” 

“Yes,” she lied. 

“Anyway,” he moved on, not noticing her hurt. “I have exciting news to tell you.”

“Yes,” she watched him hard, wanting to drag the words out of his mouth. 

“Nike decided to sponsor me.” He said with excitement dancing in his eyes, “Can you believe that? They called me three weeks ago, and I finally signed the contract.” 

Her eyes flickered, “What.” She said with confusion. “That’s what this dinner is about?”

His smile dropped. “What did you think tonight was going to be about?” She said nothing and he quickly did the math. “Did you think I was going to propose to you?” 

She couldn’t take it anymore. “Yes, I did.” 

He frowned. “That is ridiculous.”

“Why would that be ridiculous.” 

“Because I don't want to marry you.”