28. Calla
TWENTY-EIGHT
CALLA
I do exactly what I told everyone I was going to do. I perform the last two shows of my U.S. tour like nothing is wrong. Brayden and my parents travel with us to the next two stops, staying in hotels along the way. I assume they’re worried about me running off. I wouldn’t do that to my fans, though. Not without giving them enough notice to reschedule.
I’m pretty sure Brayden and my parents think I’m bluffing. They’ve given me a wide berth since my breakdown in the hotel room, but I’m sure they think giving me a week off will appease me. Too bad for them, the damage they’ve already done is going to take me a long time to recover from.
When I’m not prepping for shows, I’m scheming with Luke. I’ve moved money in small batches from my joint account with my parents to my own personal account, which they don’t have access to. I’ve also hired a new lawyer through a reliable recommendation and emailed him a few times, asking him to review my contracts so I understand any potential legal ramifications.
Luke finally had to talk to Cody, who unfortunately let him go, so he’s no longer my bodyguard. Although, that hasn’t stopped Luke from acting like he is.
I could tell he was upset after his conversation with Cody. He hates that he let his friend down. I feel terrible that it’s because of me, but Luke continues to reassure me that he doesn’t regret a single second of it. I have no choice but to believe him.
I’ve been ignoring social media, and Ashley hasn’t bothered to tell me what people are saying about me online. She really hasn’t talked to me much at all, which has been kind of nice. Thompson has texted a few times, just checking in to make sure I’m ok, which was actually very nice of him. I didn’t have it in me to respond, though. I’m still holding on to a lot of anger toward him.
The only thing I need to think about now is where the hell we’re going to go. I can’t go home. I won’t be left alone. No, I need to go somewhere where no one can find me.
After the last show and when I’m thoroughly exhausted, Brayden and Ashley corner me in my dressing room while Luke is away getting me something to eat. I bet they waited for him to leave before coming in here because they think Luke is the one driving my decisions. Little do they know, Luke is simply going along with me. He’s asked several times if I’m sure about this, and every single time, I say yes. I have to get out of here. I have to get away from these people. He’s nervous, but he’s letting me call the shots. He’s trusting me, which means more than he will ever know.
Brayden takes a seat on the couch in my dressing room as if it’s completely normal for him to just be hanging out in here. Like we haven’t been giving each other the silent treatment since New Orleans.
“What do you want, Brayden?” I’ve just changed into my sweats, and I’m dying to get out of here.
He clasps his hands together and tries to make his face seem as if he’s upset. “Well, unfortunately, I have some bad news.”
Surprise surprise. “Let’s hear it.”
“A few things have come up that we just can’t get out of. Right now, it’s looking like we can give you two weeks to do your thing, but then we’re going to need you back to work.”
“That’s not going to work for me,” I say calmly.
“Calla, you’ve got to think about this from a business perspective. We have a contract to uphold with the record label. You’re on a timeline here, babe. They’re expecting new music, a new album, another tour, a European tour.”
“Brayden, I’ve told you, I don’t care about the contract.”
“They could sue you, Calla. Then I’d be forced to drop you as a client.” I’m sure he means that as a threat, but at this point, it feels like more of a reward for me.
“If that’s what you have to do, then I understand.”
That’s not the answer he was expecting. He looks away from me and chews on his lip, trying to think of what else he can say to get me to change my mind.
“Calla, I don’t think you understand.”
“No, I don’t think you understand, Brayden. I. Am. Done. With all of this. I don’t care if I never sing another song again.”
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do mean it. I can’t do this anymore. It’s killing me. Let them sue. Let them take all my money. I. Do. Not. Care. I’m happy to have my new lawyer call you and explain my position more in-depth.”
He doesn’t like that at all. “Think about all the people who depend on you for paychecks. Think about your fans.”
“You’re not going to make me feel bad about you not making money off me anymore. You’ve all made enough. I’m tired of living my life to please everyone else.”
He sighs as if he can’t possibly understand what I’m saying. “That’s unfortunate. I really didn’t want to have to do this.”
Now it’s my turn to be confused. “Do what?”
Brayden nods at Ashley, who opens the door to my dressing room, and three men walk in. They’re big, muscular, and meant to be intimidating. It works. My throat goes dry as they walk toward me. They certainly don’t seem to be too worried about whatever is about to happen.
“Brayden, what is this? Ashley?”
Ashley keeps her eyes on the ground. My stomach drops.
“We tried to get you to see reason,” Brayden explains. “But you’ve given us no choice.”
“Brayden, what are you about to do?” My entire body starts to tremble as these men approach me. One of them grabs my arm with more force than is comfortable, and I immediately try to snatch it away. His grip is too tight, though, and I get nowhere. A second man grabs my other arm.
My fight-or-flight instinct kicks in. I’m pulling at my arms, trying to get away. The men twist my arms behind me, and I feel cold metal slap across my wrists. They’re handcuffing me. What the hell is happening right now?
One of them nudges me to move forward, but I don’t move. Instead, I start kicking at them and flailing around, doing anything to get out of their grip. I know it’s useless, but I refuse to go down without a fight. I just have to hang on until Luke gets back. He won’t let them take me.
Luke. My heart stops. They waited until he was gone to come in here. That means they likely have him detained so he can’t get back to me.
“Where’s Luke?” I scream as I thrash against the men holding me.
“Don’t worry about your boyfriend. He’s fine if he follows instructions, but he won’t be an issue anymore.”
“No!”
“Let’s get her out of here,” Brayden says to the men. They lift me off the ground by my arms. It hurts like hell, but I don’t stop trying to get away. I know tears are running down my face.
“You can’t do this!”
“I can,” he says calmly. Ashley still won’t look at me.
She opens the door, and I use the opportunity to scream for help. I scream Luke’s name. I’m hoping anyone with any shred of dignity in this place will come and help.
But no one comes. The hall is eerily empty.
“Give her the stuff,” Brayden says.
Before I can ask what stuff, there’s a small pinch in my side and then my body goes limp.
I’m confused before I even open my eyes. I feel sluggish and sore, and I have no idea where I am or how I got here.
When I finally am able to pry my eyes open, I realize I’m in my bedroom. At my house. In L.A. How did I get here?
I think back to the last thing I remember, and a flash of being carried out of my dressing room at the last venue hits me like a truck. My immediate thought is Luke. I didn’t see him before I left. I have no idea if he’s ok.
I roll out of my bed and trip over my own feet to get to my bedroom door. My body doesn’t feel like it’s mine right now. I twist the doorknob, but the door doesn’t open. I try again and again before I realize that they must’ve locked me in here. I bang on the door over and over, but no one comes.
So, now I’m a prisoner in my own home? I quickly turn and start looking through my room, trying to find my phone or my laptop or anything I can use to call for help, but they’ve given me nothing.
My chin trembles, but I hold back the tears. This is not the time to cry. I’ve got to get out of here. I have to think.
Eventually, I sit on my bed and stare at the wall to think of anything to get me out of here. I could jump out of the window, but it’s pretty high, and I’m not sure I would make it. I have no clue what I’m up against besides Brayden and Ashley. Are those three men still here?
A few hours later, the door to my room finally opens. A woman I’ve never seen before comes in holding a tray of food. Her hands tremble as Ashley follows her in. The woman puts the food on my bed and turns to leave, but Ashley stays.
I look at the food, realizing for the first time how hungry I actually am. What’s there is a sickening reminder of my life before my tour—two hard-boiled eggs, half an avocado, and a banana. I look over at Ashley, and she shrugs.
“Brayden thinks you’ve gained weight.”
I have gained weight because Luke pushed me to actually eat, but I look good. For the first time in my life, I have curves, but more importantly, I have energy. I thought being tired all the time was normal, but once I started eating, I realized how wrong I was.
“Lovely.” I look back to Ashley. “What am I doing here, Ashley?”
“You need to get some rest, cool off. We didn’t want to have to do this, but you left us no choice. You were going to throw away your life and ours.” I was actually planning on living my life for the first time, but now isn’t the time to mention that, especially since it sounds like everyone around me only cares about themselves. “You have commitments, fans, contracts. We need your head in the game. Brayden thought that if you were back home, back in your normal life and routine, it would help you get back into the right mindset.”
I sigh and shake my head, not accepting that this is my life now. “Ashley, woman to woman, you realize how insane this is, right? You helped Brayden essentially kidnap me, and now I’m being held captive in my own home.”
She pauses for a moment, likely to choose her words carefully. “It is a bit on the extreme side, but he’s doing it for your own good.”
Ok, she’s clearly been brainwashed, and there’s no point in trying to argue with her. “What about my parents? Do they know what’s going on?”
She nods. “They’re downstairs. We’re all here. Everyone is worried about you, and we only want to help you get better.”
So they all heard me screaming and banging on the door for help, and no one came? For hours, no one came to see if I was ok or explain what was going on.
What they don’t seem to understand is that the only thing that’s going to help me get better is if they let me go.
She points to the sad breakfast. “You should eat.”
With that, she turns and leaves me alone again. I hear the door lock from the outside, and I know I’m trapped again.
As much as I don’t want to eat this, I know I need to. I can’t remember the last time I ate anything, and if I want to get out of here, I have to be able to think. So, I eat the food and drink the water.
Then I sit.
And wait.
I’m given a bland lunch of chicken and vegetables and then a sad salad for dinner. Ashley brings me my guitar and a notebook as if they think I can actually write music in this state of mind. Even if I could write something, I wouldn’t do it. These people aren’t going to be making another dime off me.
It’s not until the next day after lunch that someone besides Ashley or the woman who delivers my food comes in. To my complete surprise and disappointment, it’s Thompson. Not exactly who I want to see right now.
I don’t even bother getting off my bed. I lay there and look up at the ceiling as he walks in. The door is shut behind him.
“Hey,” he says.
I scoff.
“Look, I know you don’t want to see me. I told them you hate my guts.”
“Good, then you can leave.”
“They insisted that I try to talk to you, but I’m gonna be honest, I don’t know what’s going on here, Calla. I was down with us pretending to be together to save our image, but this? They said you’re having some sort of mental breakdown. They’re keeping you locked in here?”
“Did they tell you they kidnapped me? Yeah, sedated me to knock me out and carried me out of the last venue.”
“I—no, I didn’t know that.” He pauses as if he’s trying to think this over. “Why? Why are they doing this? That’s crazy.”
“Because I finally spoke up and told them I needed a break. I don’t enjoy my life anymore. I’m constantly being told to do this, go there. They won’t let me take a vacation. They won’t let me do anything. Aren’t you tired of people watching your every move? People always talking about you?”
“No, not really. I love it. But I guess I can understand how it could be overwhelming.”
I turn to look at him for the first time since he walked in, and I can tell that he actually understands. “I need to get out, Thompson. I need to get away from these people.”
He takes a few steps closer to the bed and squats down so that he’s at eye level with me. He lowers his voice. “I’m going to get you out of here, ok? Just give me some time.”
I hate that I’m having to rely on him to help me, but what choice do I have? I nod my head slowly. My eyes burn, but no tears come out. I think I’ve cried all my tears.
“I know you probably don’t trust me, Calla. I know I hurt you. But you’re a good person. The best, really. You don’t deserve this.”
“Thank you, Thompson. Can you—can you see if Luke is ok?”
“I’ll see what I can find out.”
He kisses my forehead before he stands and leaves. Someone in the hall locks the door, and then there’s nothing.