She Will Be Loved
Time For A Change
The warm air hit my skin outside of the penthouse, but only briefly. As soon as I was on the sidewalk, I was being ushered into the dark tined Range Rover by my bodyguard John. John was like a big brother to me, and some had even thought we were related, with our dark brown hair, sharp and strong features and our hazel eyes. It was really strange how much we looked alike indeed.
Jess got into the seat beside me, instantly lurching forward and blaring the song on the radio. I smiled as one of her favorite songs came on and she began belting the lyrics, laughing and throwing her hands in the air. Given she wasn’t the kind too listen to the famous One Direction that was playing on the radio, but there was something catching about What Makes You Beautiful. Even I got into it, giggling and screaming the wrong words and notes to the song.
The one thing about being with Jess was this- she was the only person I could let my guard down with. Around her, I didn’t have to be my witty, on the defense, put up a wall girl that I was with everyone else. Around Jess it was okay to cry, let my voice crack on the wrong notes, and it was okay to tell her my deepest darkest feelings. There were no pretenses, no lies and no boundaries.
“So where’s mom?” She asked, turning down the radio and rolling her eyes as one of my own songs came on.
“London, actually. Visiting Gram and Pap. She also had some really good news. One of her friends is a producer and he happened to be in London although he lives here and he would really like to meet about opening up for a tour. I didn’t get the chance to ask who for, but either way, I’m so excited!”
She squealed and hugged me, mashing our cheeks against each other. “I’m so proud of you. You’re dad would be so proud.” The last part came out quietly, but made me smile.
Catching up as well as gossip was the topic of the entire car ride. It felt so good not to be lonely, or surrounded by people who I paid to be my friends. By that, what I mean is my hair and make-up stylists, who without a doubt were awesome, but I paid them so it wasn’t the same.
After sometime and much gossip, the Range Rover pulled up to The Palms, Jess’s favorite place to go out and eat with me. We both knew who was paying for this meal, and it wasn’t her. Jess clapped her hands together as she stepped outside of the vehicle, John holding her hand as he did so. There was a flash of light on her face and when she turned around to glower at me, I knew that we wouldn’t get to the door without pictures being taken.
I got out of the car and ignored the pictures being taken and the fingers being pointed. I even smiled as I linked my arm in Jess’s, simply moving along with John protectively at my side. I only paused when I saw a little girl leaving The Palms with her rich mother, who paid me no attention as she tugged the little girl along, who was tugging at her mother’s hand trying to gesture to me. I smiled at her and tapped Jess, telling her to hold on as I approached. The woman turned to me then, seeing me out of the corner of her eye and looked surprised as I leaned down, paying her no mind as I smiled at her daughter, who’s big blue eyes widen in excitement.
“Hi,” I said brightly. “What’s your name?”
“Hailey,” she said, staring at me. She couldn’t be more than ten. “And you’re Bentley Slade!”
My heart swooned at her excitement. “Yes I am,” I answered reaching my hands around my neck and unclasping my necklace. It was one of many empty lockets I owned, and it was inexpensive. “Here.” I draped it around her neck, her eyes still watching me with shock as I clasped the necklace and opened the locket, showing her the empty pictures.
“You can put pictures in here,” I explained, pointing to it. “Let’s take a picture to put it in, yeah?”
I stood and the mother instantly fished a camera out of her purse, all ready to pay attention to her daughter now. I knew her type, all business and dragging her child along because she didn’t want to waste her money on a nanny, or thought she was doing her kid a favor for not hiring a nanny and taking her to fancy business dinners, in which she scolded her often, and disregarded anything she wanted.
Hefting Hailey on my hip, I smiled, the little girls arms loping around my neck. A small crowd had gathered, no doubt hoping to take pictures but John stood his ground, and he was extremely intimidating, especially with Jess arching and eyebrow at anyone who looked as if they were trying to find a way around him. She was not a force to be reckoned with.
The mother snapped the picture and thanked me as I set her daughter down, giving her a hug and straightening. I waved goodbye and gestured for Jess to enter the building. We did so with shouts of fans and demands at taking pictures but I ignored them. My one act of kindness was done for the year.
“I’m glad you did that,” Jess murmured as I said my name to the hostess. “Looked like she had a total bitch mom.”
I looked at Jess, knowing she was thinking of how her own mother used to treat her, which is exactly why I had stopped. “Yeah,” I said softly. “She did.”
*
The chorus to Playing God by Paramore was suddenly blaring in my sheets, causing me to jolt roughly, picking my head up. I could see nothing in my black room, especially through the curtain of tangled, dark hair that hung in my face. My hand shot out as I began slapping the bed wildly, trying to find the source of the singing sheets, knowing my phone was in its contents. I finally found it and slid it, closing my eyes and answering roughly, “Hullo?”
“Bloody hell,” My mother snapped at me. “Are you in a coma?”
“No.”
“Are you dead?”
“No.”
“Are you suffering from-"
“No, mother.”
She huffed. “Then answer your phone the first time I call, yeah?”
I rolled out of my bed, grumbling and rubbing my eyes, trying to locate the bathroom in the dark while she yammered at me that her flight would be in tonight and that tomorrow morning we had a meeting to go to about plans for the tour. I also had an interview at three this afternoon, Jackie, my assistant would be here at twelve and I better now give her problems, either.
My bathroom lights flicked on, the neon lights causing me to clap a single hand of my eyes and flinch away from the blinding light. These automatic lights would be the death of me, I swear.
“Who the hell am I supposed to be touring with anyways?” I questioned, trying to juggle the phone and get my bottoms down to pee. “You failed to mention.”
“That’s because it’s a surprise!” her overly happy tone made me want to vomit. “They’ll be at the meeting tomorrow. Now, I faxed over the questions they’re supposed to be asking you at the interview, I want you to practice while Vee and Bry, get you ready, okay?”
Padding out of my bathroom, I fell flat on my face into the bed grumbling, “Yeah.”
“Bentley Rae,” My mother said sharply. “I’m serious. You remember what happened the last time you didn’t practice?”
I smiled into my comforter, remembering all too well. The last time I had been interviewed without going over the questions, I had been totally unprepared when they asked me about my long time ex-boyfriend and total ass hole Penn Badgley. The question had thrown me off completely and the string of names and spilling how he had cheated was totally unprofessional, and had earned angry calls and threats of lawsuits right after. I hadn’t meant to call him “A total fucking wanker” on national television, but I had. Opps.
“I wouldn’t do that to you,” I assured my mother, rolling over in the cold sheets. “Oh yes you would. Now go take a shower, love. I’m sure you smell awful. Bye!”
*
It wasn’t five minutes after a shower that I heard my door open and closed, the alarm in my room chiming to alert that the elevator had opened. I wrapped a towel around my self, dancing out of the bathroom to the sound of Get Low by none other than Waka Flocka Flame. How he had come up with that name, I had absolutely n idea but it sounded ridiculous.
I walked into the living room where my fabulous assistant Jackie walked in, a starbucks carrier in one hand along with a back of muffins clutched in her hand, a stack of papers in the other, and jabbering into her Bluetooth. Next to my mother, Jackie was the sole center of my organization and my fame. She made everything work, and she did everything in her power to keep me on track. She was also impeccably fun to spend time with.
“I really don’t care what Disney wants, she can’t make it, as I am sure her manager has told you,” Jackie spat through her blue tooth, setting the carrier on my island and ignoring me completely as I tip toed over to the bag of muffins, hair dripping wet. “Yeah well tell Disney they can shove a contract up their ass!”
I glanced up and watched as she hung up, hitting the button on her Bluetooth. “Don’t touch those,” she ordered, pointing to the muffins, leveling her glare with me.
I frowned. “Why is Disney having something shoved up their ass?”
“Because,” She said, flipping through her stack of papers. “Disney thinks they can lure you into performing for them on some weird ass show, but you’re going on tour, so you have no time. Then they thought they’d get you by promising a contract, which is the same thing as handing you over in handcuffs.”
“Ick, I only like fuzzy handcuffs.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “And why can’t I have a muffin?”
“Because,” she said, voice disgusted. “The idiots at Starbucks gave me blueberry when I specifically asked for chocolate chip, so unless you want to die of an allergic reaction-“ she leaned forward and smacked my prowling hands. “lay off the muffins, kid. And get dressed, you’re creeping me out.”
I flashed her quickly before skipping to my room to change. I heard her laugh echoing through the hall as I let myself into my room to get dressed. As I was doing so, I had the sudden sense of foreboding that after today, everything was going to change. I didn’t know why, but I felt as if my life was about to go somewhere, far away from the dreary, same one I had been living for the past year, where I lived in the shadow of my huge break up and slip up interview. It was time for a change.
Jess got into the seat beside me, instantly lurching forward and blaring the song on the radio. I smiled as one of her favorite songs came on and she began belting the lyrics, laughing and throwing her hands in the air. Given she wasn’t the kind too listen to the famous One Direction that was playing on the radio, but there was something catching about What Makes You Beautiful. Even I got into it, giggling and screaming the wrong words and notes to the song.
The one thing about being with Jess was this- she was the only person I could let my guard down with. Around her, I didn’t have to be my witty, on the defense, put up a wall girl that I was with everyone else. Around Jess it was okay to cry, let my voice crack on the wrong notes, and it was okay to tell her my deepest darkest feelings. There were no pretenses, no lies and no boundaries.
“So where’s mom?” She asked, turning down the radio and rolling her eyes as one of my own songs came on.
“London, actually. Visiting Gram and Pap. She also had some really good news. One of her friends is a producer and he happened to be in London although he lives here and he would really like to meet about opening up for a tour. I didn’t get the chance to ask who for, but either way, I’m so excited!”
She squealed and hugged me, mashing our cheeks against each other. “I’m so proud of you. You’re dad would be so proud.” The last part came out quietly, but made me smile.
Catching up as well as gossip was the topic of the entire car ride. It felt so good not to be lonely, or surrounded by people who I paid to be my friends. By that, what I mean is my hair and make-up stylists, who without a doubt were awesome, but I paid them so it wasn’t the same.
After sometime and much gossip, the Range Rover pulled up to The Palms, Jess’s favorite place to go out and eat with me. We both knew who was paying for this meal, and it wasn’t her. Jess clapped her hands together as she stepped outside of the vehicle, John holding her hand as he did so. There was a flash of light on her face and when she turned around to glower at me, I knew that we wouldn’t get to the door without pictures being taken.
I got out of the car and ignored the pictures being taken and the fingers being pointed. I even smiled as I linked my arm in Jess’s, simply moving along with John protectively at my side. I only paused when I saw a little girl leaving The Palms with her rich mother, who paid me no attention as she tugged the little girl along, who was tugging at her mother’s hand trying to gesture to me. I smiled at her and tapped Jess, telling her to hold on as I approached. The woman turned to me then, seeing me out of the corner of her eye and looked surprised as I leaned down, paying her no mind as I smiled at her daughter, who’s big blue eyes widen in excitement.
“Hi,” I said brightly. “What’s your name?”
“Hailey,” she said, staring at me. She couldn’t be more than ten. “And you’re Bentley Slade!”
My heart swooned at her excitement. “Yes I am,” I answered reaching my hands around my neck and unclasping my necklace. It was one of many empty lockets I owned, and it was inexpensive. “Here.” I draped it around her neck, her eyes still watching me with shock as I clasped the necklace and opened the locket, showing her the empty pictures.
“You can put pictures in here,” I explained, pointing to it. “Let’s take a picture to put it in, yeah?”
I stood and the mother instantly fished a camera out of her purse, all ready to pay attention to her daughter now. I knew her type, all business and dragging her child along because she didn’t want to waste her money on a nanny, or thought she was doing her kid a favor for not hiring a nanny and taking her to fancy business dinners, in which she scolded her often, and disregarded anything she wanted.
Hefting Hailey on my hip, I smiled, the little girls arms loping around my neck. A small crowd had gathered, no doubt hoping to take pictures but John stood his ground, and he was extremely intimidating, especially with Jess arching and eyebrow at anyone who looked as if they were trying to find a way around him. She was not a force to be reckoned with.
The mother snapped the picture and thanked me as I set her daughter down, giving her a hug and straightening. I waved goodbye and gestured for Jess to enter the building. We did so with shouts of fans and demands at taking pictures but I ignored them. My one act of kindness was done for the year.
“I’m glad you did that,” Jess murmured as I said my name to the hostess. “Looked like she had a total bitch mom.”
I looked at Jess, knowing she was thinking of how her own mother used to treat her, which is exactly why I had stopped. “Yeah,” I said softly. “She did.”
*
The chorus to Playing God by Paramore was suddenly blaring in my sheets, causing me to jolt roughly, picking my head up. I could see nothing in my black room, especially through the curtain of tangled, dark hair that hung in my face. My hand shot out as I began slapping the bed wildly, trying to find the source of the singing sheets, knowing my phone was in its contents. I finally found it and slid it, closing my eyes and answering roughly, “Hullo?”
“Bloody hell,” My mother snapped at me. “Are you in a coma?”
“No.”
“Are you dead?”
“No.”
“Are you suffering from-"
“No, mother.”
She huffed. “Then answer your phone the first time I call, yeah?”
I rolled out of my bed, grumbling and rubbing my eyes, trying to locate the bathroom in the dark while she yammered at me that her flight would be in tonight and that tomorrow morning we had a meeting to go to about plans for the tour. I also had an interview at three this afternoon, Jackie, my assistant would be here at twelve and I better now give her problems, either.
My bathroom lights flicked on, the neon lights causing me to clap a single hand of my eyes and flinch away from the blinding light. These automatic lights would be the death of me, I swear.
“Who the hell am I supposed to be touring with anyways?” I questioned, trying to juggle the phone and get my bottoms down to pee. “You failed to mention.”
“That’s because it’s a surprise!” her overly happy tone made me want to vomit. “They’ll be at the meeting tomorrow. Now, I faxed over the questions they’re supposed to be asking you at the interview, I want you to practice while Vee and Bry, get you ready, okay?”
Padding out of my bathroom, I fell flat on my face into the bed grumbling, “Yeah.”
“Bentley Rae,” My mother said sharply. “I’m serious. You remember what happened the last time you didn’t practice?”
I smiled into my comforter, remembering all too well. The last time I had been interviewed without going over the questions, I had been totally unprepared when they asked me about my long time ex-boyfriend and total ass hole Penn Badgley. The question had thrown me off completely and the string of names and spilling how he had cheated was totally unprofessional, and had earned angry calls and threats of lawsuits right after. I hadn’t meant to call him “A total fucking wanker” on national television, but I had. Opps.
“I wouldn’t do that to you,” I assured my mother, rolling over in the cold sheets. “Oh yes you would. Now go take a shower, love. I’m sure you smell awful. Bye!”
*
It wasn’t five minutes after a shower that I heard my door open and closed, the alarm in my room chiming to alert that the elevator had opened. I wrapped a towel around my self, dancing out of the bathroom to the sound of Get Low by none other than Waka Flocka Flame. How he had come up with that name, I had absolutely n idea but it sounded ridiculous.
I walked into the living room where my fabulous assistant Jackie walked in, a starbucks carrier in one hand along with a back of muffins clutched in her hand, a stack of papers in the other, and jabbering into her Bluetooth. Next to my mother, Jackie was the sole center of my organization and my fame. She made everything work, and she did everything in her power to keep me on track. She was also impeccably fun to spend time with.
“I really don’t care what Disney wants, she can’t make it, as I am sure her manager has told you,” Jackie spat through her blue tooth, setting the carrier on my island and ignoring me completely as I tip toed over to the bag of muffins, hair dripping wet. “Yeah well tell Disney they can shove a contract up their ass!”
I glanced up and watched as she hung up, hitting the button on her Bluetooth. “Don’t touch those,” she ordered, pointing to the muffins, leveling her glare with me.
I frowned. “Why is Disney having something shoved up their ass?”
“Because,” She said, flipping through her stack of papers. “Disney thinks they can lure you into performing for them on some weird ass show, but you’re going on tour, so you have no time. Then they thought they’d get you by promising a contract, which is the same thing as handing you over in handcuffs.”
“Ick, I only like fuzzy handcuffs.”
She rolled her eyes at me. “And why can’t I have a muffin?”
“Because,” she said, voice disgusted. “The idiots at Starbucks gave me blueberry when I specifically asked for chocolate chip, so unless you want to die of an allergic reaction-“ she leaned forward and smacked my prowling hands. “lay off the muffins, kid. And get dressed, you’re creeping me out.”
I flashed her quickly before skipping to my room to change. I heard her laugh echoing through the hall as I let myself into my room to get dressed. As I was doing so, I had the sudden sense of foreboding that after today, everything was going to change. I didn’t know why, but I felt as if my life was about to go somewhere, far away from the dreary, same one I had been living for the past year, where I lived in the shadow of my huge break up and slip up interview. It was time for a change.
http://www.mibba.com/Stories/Read/471031/She-Will-Be-Loved/
sorry, I don't go here so I didn't see your comment sooner.
12/23/12