Page 31 of Anatomy of Us
“Ninety degrees and the boss stays cool. Royal privileges.”
Another. Iris adjusting his little hat so the sun doesn’t hit him.
“Sunscreen reapplied. Hydration on point. The boss lives better than me. So unfair. Also he smells amazing. Pure heaven.”
“You literally have hours of footage,” I say, stunned.
Right then, there’s a knock and Tina walks in sobbing, full-body shaking.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I swear. I didn’t want— it was a joke— I didn’t think— I messed up so bad…”
“Hey. Focus and stop crying,” Iris orders, grabbing her by the arm and hauling her into the room. “Do you have videos, photos? Anything you shot before the picture?”
“No. I just took that one—”
“Okay. Then you’re going to record something now.”
“What?”
“A video explaining what really happened. That I was there. That it was a joke. That they took the photo out of context. All of it.”
Tina stares at her with scared baby-deer eyes.
“What if that makes it worse?”
“I don’t see how it can get worse,” Iris says, shrugging as she presses her phone into Tina’s hand. “It’s already pretty fucked. You record your part. I record mine. And we bury those vultures. Got it? Then we ask in the team chat for everyone to check their phones for any other photos and videos.”
Tina nods. Slow. Still crying.
“Alright then,” Iris says. “Let’s make history.”
**
Iris’s video is forty-seven seconds.
She sits on her bed. Hair down. No makeup. Clearly just woke up. At least we convince her to put on a club hoodie instead of filming in pajamas.
She looks straight into the camera.
“Okay, vultures and internet haters. I’m going to explain this one time. That photo is out of context. I was there. Sitting next to him. Watching him. With water, with shade, with sunscreen, with everything a baby needs. Wesley is the most cared-for baby on this damn planet because he has his mom and thirty-two other adoptive moms if you count the players and staff. Yes, even Hades, sorry, Diana, helps and she even made a spreadsheet.”
She pauses just a second.
“Anyone who uses a child to hurt his mother is trash. Here’s your proof. See? That’s me. With the boss. Doing my job as honorary aunt. Statement over. Go screw off somewhere else. If anyone wants to hurt Zoe, she has to step over my dead body first. And we're cool.”
Iris posts it to her million-plus followers.
In ten minutes it hits forty thousand likes and more supportive comments than we can count.
**
Tina’s is different.
She cries as she talks, but she holds it together. She explains the context of the photo, how Iris is right there, how the whole team runs shifts to watch the baby every minute ofthe day. She says Zoe is a wonderful mother and how much she supports the new players. It isn’t long, but it hits hard.
Five minutes later, Lucía shares Iris’s video with the caption: “My team. My family.”
One by one, the whole team posts something. Even Hades.