Adrienne felt her heart pumping adrenaline through her veins and tried to quell her anxiety with a deep breath. She was ready to defend herself against whatever her boss had to say to her. There was nothing wrong with expressing herself like any other woman. She believed that she was in the right, here.
It was so silent in the police station that it was easy to get lost in her thoughts. She was suddenly snapped back to reality when she caught his voice calling her name. She let loose a breath when he called her into his office, but it did nothing to ease her queasiness. Things were about to change forever.
Where She Lived
Adrienne adored what she did for a living. She lived in the eastern capital of Saxon, Germany, in Dresen. It reminded her how important her job was, considering where she lived was filled with many criminal incidents.
She had spent several years of her life being part of the Dresden police. Things had always gone well for her, but she had no idea it wouldn’t last.
Social Media
Adrienne was a 34-year-old who had an active lifestyle. Her job meant she had to be in her best shape, so she spent much of her time at the gym. She had an idea one day to share some of her workouts on social media.
She would never have thought that her online presence would be as prominent as it was. She had no idea how much it would change her world.
Increased Followers
Adrienne started out by posting workout videos, but they soon became more than that. Her online presence had started gaining much traction.
Adrienne soon fell in love with how popular she had become on social media. She saw that she had an increased number of followers, many of whom were from around the world. But she had no idea that among those paying attention were her work colleagues.
Keeping Them Separate
Adrienne never intended her social media posts to interfere with her policing career. She worked hard every day and decided that her social media account would be where she could be herself and enjoy her time away from work.
Her posts were accessible to her colleagues, but she had no idea how soon her identity would be threatened when one day rolled around and changed everything.
Time Away From Work
Her social media endeavor had proven successful, so Adrienne thought taking time off work was a good idea. Her Instagram sponsorships were good enough to live off of without relying on her police force paychecks. She was looking at going away for six months.
She wanted to get some worthwhile photos from around the globe and figured her colleagues were okay with it. It seemed like everything was in order, but she had no idea that her dream life was not as it appeared.
Her Colleagues Noticed
Traveling the globe was a life-changing experience for Adrienne; she felt like she had changed so much as a person by the time she returned home. She had been awarded half a million followers while she was away and read on the news that she was being called “The Most Beautiful Police Officer In The World.”
Her colleagues felt strange about the attention she was drawing to herself and couldn’t help feeling that Adrienne was losing sight of her career as a police officer. They had to do something about it, but Adrienne wouldn’t see it coming.
Concerned Colleagues
Adrienne was no stranger to being insulted over social media and was indifferent to what the trolls had to say. But she would never have thought her colleagues would be the ones to speak negatively about her.
They were like family to her, but they felt they had to draw the line concerning how much attention she was getting. They decided they needed to be firm with her.
Back At The Station
Her colleagues were thrilled to see Adrienne walking into the Dresen police department.
But she hadn’t been inside the building for long before Adrienne’s boss called her name from his office. She started to feel anxious, and her hands grew clammy. Her stomach churned, and she willed herself to remain calm.
Not Good
Adrienne’s mind was filled with countless scenarios, but she knew it wasn’t anything good. Why would he be calling her in? Her social media had become a big aspect of her life; she knew it had taken over the past year.
Had she pushed the boundary? She worried that she had crossed a line that would mean the end of her career. Adrienne was anxious as she waited for her boss to speak and wondered if she would watch her career crumble within the next few seconds.
Short-staffed
Adrienne’s boss started by saying that just because she had been gone didn’t mean that crime had disappeared. He informed her that everybody was being spread thin with all the cases they had to do.
Adrienne was surprised by what she heard and wondered if the department was mad at her. She felt her thoughts being pulled in different directions - were they giving her the boot, or were they begging her to stick around? She needed to get her answers, and she needed them soon.
They Weren’t Happy
As much as the Dresden Police needed Adrienne in their forces, they did not quickly forget the number of bikini photos she’d posted online. Her boss’ disappointment stemmed from his belief that a policewoman shouldn’t be doing things like that.
She was informed that the police authorities from higher up were displeased by what she had been doing. They frowned upon the online photos she posted but were they willing to keep her around after all the shame she brought to the department? She wondered if they would forgive her because she didn’t want to lose her job.
A Group Meeting
The department had a group meeting and decided that Adrienne had a choice to make. They needed her help, and she could choose to work at the police station if she so desired.
But if she did decide to stay, they needed her to focus on her police work and to get rid of her second job. She couldn’t afford to keep it if she had her police work to contend with.
Policewoman VS. Influencer
Adrienne had to be willing to give up her life as an influencer and Instagram model if she wanted to continue working as a policewoman. However, she would have to return the money sponsored by the companies wishing to promote their brand.
Adrienne was overwhelmed by the decision she had to make. It wasn’t easy, but she had to choose quickly.
A Final Post
Her fans grew concerned when they noticed Adrienne hadn’t posted for several months. She intended to post on Instagram one last time to tell her fans that her job as a police officer was important to her.
She took to Instagram with a video and told her fans that she was putting her uniform on and going to work. The video was short, but she said what she needed to. But her colleagues wondered if her loyalty would remain with the police department.