Chapter 7
Micah Barrett
My call with Kiki ends abruptly, leaving me staring at my phone like it might give me more information. Cricket looks at me with wide eyes.
“What’s wrong?” she asks.
I’m already pacing the floor. “I have to go home. Something’s happening.” My hands are shaking as I stuff my phone into my pocket. “There are people at my house looking for me. Lots of people.”
Cricket jumps up. “I’m coming with you.”
“You don’t have to—”
“I’m coming.” Her voice is firm in that way that means arguing is pointless. She slips on her sandals and grabs my hand. All traces of her tears are gone.
We look out the window to get a view of the situation.
There have to be at least thirty people crowded on my front lawn and spilling onto the sidewalk.
Some are holding phones, recording videos.
Others have signs. I can’t read what they say from here, but my stomach drops anyway.
There’s even one with a microphone who looks like a reporter.
“What do they want?” Cricket asks.
My heart is racing so fast I can hear it in my ears. A woman turns, and I finally see her sign. It says Midnight Velocity.
Cricket gasps. “They’re here because of your YouTube channel.”
“Oh my gosh. They know who I am. They know my address.” I know I need to go in there and deal with things, but I can’t move. I’m staring at all those people, and my skin feels like it’s crawling. My chest is getting tight, and I can’t get enough air.
Cricket squeezes my hand. “Okay. We’ll figure this out.”
I can’t breathe. This is exactly what happened at the dorm party but worse. So much worse.
“I can’t,” I say, my voice coming out all shaky. “I can’t do this, Cricket. Look at them all.”
She takes my shoulders and turns me to face her fully. “Hey. Focus on me.”
I force myself to meet her eyes instead of staring at the crowd.
“Take a deep breath,” she says, then she demonstrates.
I try to copy her, but it comes out shaky.
“Another one. Slower this time.”
I follow her breathing, and my heart rate starts to slow a tiny bit.
“That’s better,” she says softly. “Now, we don’t have to go over there right now. We can take as long as you need.”
“But Tobias—”
“Tobias will be fine. Don’t think about him.” She keeps her voice calm and steady. “What do you need right now?”
I run my hands through my hair. “I don’t know. I just… all those people. They’re going to want to talk to me and ask me questions, and I don’t even know what they want.”
“Okay. So we’ll figure out what they want first. Then we’ll make a plan.”
Cricket pulls out her phone and calls Kiki. I can hear Kiki’s voice but can’t make out the words.
“Hey, it’s Cricket. We’re coming, but Micah needs to know what’s going on before he comes to the house… Okay… autographs?… Okay, we’ll be there in a few minutes.”
She hangs up and looks at me. “Apparently, your latest video exploded, and you have over three million views. Someone figured out your real name and posted your address online. They want to meet you and get autographs.”
The tightness in my chest gets worse. “I knew it. They know who I am.”
“Yeah.” Cricket’s voice is gentle.
“Can’t I go out to the beach and sneak home out back and then call Noah to get them to go home?”
Cricket squeezes my shoulder. “Is that what you want? To call the police on your fans?”
My heart sinks. She’s right. I can’t do that. “No.”
“Then here’s what we’re going to do. I’m going to walk with you to your front door. I’ll do all the talking. All you have to do is wave and say, ‘Thanks for coming’ or something like that. You can sign a couple of autographs, then we go inside.”
“What if they ask me questions?”
“I’ll answer them. I’m your manager, remember?”
I look at her. She’s wearing that pink sundress, her hair is falling in soft waves around her shoulders, and she has this determined look in her eyes like she’s ready to take on the world for me.
“You’d really do that?”
“Of course I would.” She squeezes my shoulder again. “This is what managers do, right? Handle the people stuff?”
I nod, breathing a little easier. “Okay. But if I freeze up—”
“Then I’ll get you out of there. I promise.”
We stand at the window for another minute while I work up the courage. Cricket doesn’t rush me or act impatient. She simply stands beside me, her hand on my arm, until I’m ready.
“Okay,” I finally say. “Let’s do this.”
We leave Cricket’s house and walk down the street together, and as soon as the crowd sees us approaching, people start calling out.
“Micah!”
“Oh my gosh, it’s really him!”
“Can I get a picture?”
My steps falter, but Cricket’s hand tightens around mine. She leads me forward, and when we get close enough, she speaks up in a clear, confident voice.
“Hi, everyone! Thanks so much for coming out to support Micah’s music. He’s really excited to meet you all, but we only have a few minutes before he has to get back to working on new songs.”
The crowd cheers, and Cricket guides me toward the front door. People are holding out phones and pieces of paper, and I’d normally be completely overwhelmed, but Cricket stays right beside me, fielding questions and organizing the chaos.
“He’ll sign a few autographs, but then he really does need to go inside,” she says, somehow managing to sound both friendly and authoritative.
I sign maybe five or six things, my hand shaking the whole time, but Cricket keeps talking, keeping everyone happy. When someone asks about my next video, she jumps in.
“He’s working on something really exciting that you’ll see soon. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it!”
By the time we reach the front door, I’m sweating, and my heart is still racing, but we made it.
Cricket waves to the crowd one more time. “Thanks again, everyone! Micah really appreciates your support!”
We slip inside, and I lean against the door, closing my eyes.
“You did great,” Cricket says softly.
I open my eyes and look at her. She handled that entire situation like a pro, never leaving my side, never making me feel stupid for being scared.
“Thank you,” I say, and I mean it more than I’ve ever meant anything. “I couldn’t have done that without you.”
She smiles, and there’s something in her eyes I can’t quite read. “That’s what I’m here for.”
Tobias appears from the kitchen, his eyebrows knit together. “There you are. Where have you been?” He comes closer. “Are you okay? You don’t look good.”
I swallow and drag in another breath. “Cricket helped me get through it.”
Tobias looks at Cricket. “Thank you.”
“Anytime,” she says, and I know she means it.
Tobias takes in a deep breath and scrubs a hand over his face. “There’s something we need to talk about. I called the school about something, but they said you quit. Is that right?”
I close my eyes, not wanting to have this conversation. “Yeah.”
I can practically see the steam coming from Tobias’s ears, even with my eyes closed.
Cricket loops her arm through mine. “Micah has social anxiety, which makes it nearly impossible for him to be at school. But Georgia University has an online program. I can help him get enrolled.”
My eyes fly open and I stare at her. “What?”
She elbows me. “Right, Micah? Online school would be much better for you.”
“Yeah, right,” I say, going with it.
Tobias looks like he took a hot sauce challenge and failed. “We can get you help for this. You don’t have to quit school.”
I straighten my spine. “I’m making a lot with my YouTube channel now. And a record company wants to talk to me. I want to focus on my music career.”
The seconds tick by as Tobias stares at me. He lets out a breath and shakes his head. “All right.”
My hope rises. “All right?”
Tobias pulls me into a tight hug. “I just want what’s best for you.”
I hug him back, emotion rising in me. I admit, I spent a lot of time resenting Tobias and his demands on me. He’s not my father. But I do love him, and he’s really trying here. I guess I can try too.
“Thanks,” I say, my throat tight.