5. Accidental Beginnings
ACCIDENTAL BEGINNINGS
ALEXIA
I ’ve been trying to pick out an outfit for this concert for the past forty minutes! All I’ve managed to decide is to wear my leather blazer and my MorningStar Romanticism T-shirt and my platform Converse, but I can’t decide on bottoms.
“Lex, time to go!” Mom shouts.
“Shit,” I say to myself. Okay, I just have to put some bottoms on. I grab the black leather ruffle mini skirt and slip it on over my purple underwear.
This will have to do.
I put my shoes on as fast as I can before spraying some shimmer spray on my legs. I take a quick look in the mirror to make sure I look good. I love the way the red hair tinsel looks shining in my hair. I grab my bag and jacket, then head out the door.
“Coming!” I yell as I run out of the house.
I jump in the limo and Fez closes the door behind me. “For someone who was so excited earlier, you sure take your time,” Lia says.
“I couldn’t pick an outfit,” I tell her and fasten my seatbelt. I don’t really care if I'm late, they are late all the time. I put on my Prada shades and put in my AirPods for the ride.
As we arrive at Legend Hall, there are screaming fans already in line waiting to get the last few tickets and the concert doesn’t start for two hours. There are cameras everywhere and merch is being sold outside along with food from a little food booth. We were taken to the VIP entrance around back and ushered inside by a security team.
“Welcome,” Dame Ryker says as we enter. Oh my Jesus. The lead singer of Violence is right in front of me. I know he manages The MorningStars but I never thought I'd meet him.
“We are honored to have you here,” he continues giving a welcome speech.
“If you have not already, please put your VIP badges around your neck.” We all take our badges out of our bags and slip them over our heads.
“As you know, this is the last show of the Band Showcase, which Golden Star has been putting on for the last three months, and tonight you will see The MorningStars. You will be seated in the Golden Box, which is usually reserved for the Hayden family, but tonight it's yours.” I think I might pass out. I’m going to be sitting where the Hayden’s sit.
My life has definitely turned around.
“Before the pre-show begins, you are allowed to enjoy the concession stand and merch shop,” he tells us. “Any questions?”
Astrid raises her hand. “Will there be any celebrities here?”
“Possibly,” Dame answers.
“Alright, if there are no further questions, we need a picture,” Tati says, waving the photographer over. I happily jump in this picture, feeling my heart burst, knowing I’m getting a picture with a rock legend.
“See you ladies later,” Dame says and waves us goodbye.
“I will meet you all back in this spot in two hours to take you to your seats. Till then, have fun,” Tati says before walking away. Great, I have two hours to walk around one of Hollywood's most famous concert halls.
“We’re going to find the restroom,” Lia says.
“We will be in the merch shop,” I tell them, grabbing my mom’s hand.
“Aren’t you excited?” she asks.
“I guess you could say that.” There’s nothing like getting to shop your favorite band’s merch before anyone.
Entering the merch shop, automatically, some items catch my eye. I grab one of the tote bags and start picking the items I want, like the new summer tour crewneck, a band T-shirt, a key chain, a pack of the trading cards, and their collaboration Stanley cup. I’m not even mad when the lady at the counter tells me my total is $208.37. I happily pay the money and leave.
“That’s all you got?” I say to my mom as I see her slip on a T-shirt over the dress she is wearing.
“Yes, I wanted to fit in with you cool kids,” she responds.
“Never say that again.”
We spend the rest of the time eating and walking around before we have to take our seats for the pre-show, which I am very excited for.
As they set up the stage, I look around and see Charlie walking over to me. “Hey, Lexi, are you ready for the concert?” Charlie asks.
“Of course,” I reply.
“Do me a favor and look right at Gray when the concert starts,” Charlie says, then winks at me before standing up and running off.
Look at Grayson?
Why would I need to look at Grayson?
Now I’m super nervous. I remember seeing Grayson earlier for the first time. I’ve never been a person to fangirl over a guy because of looks, but he’s even better looking in person. I was literally speechless. Especially when he had to hand me my VIP pass, his hand touched mine for a brief moment. I wouldn’t say it was a fireworks moment, but I was a bit flustered. He’s the most handsome guy I’ve ever seen.
The Chosen Ones do about five songs for the pre-show before The MorningStars are lowered onto the stage from platforms in the ceiling. As they are lowered, strobe lights flash over the stage, and their band logo appears. My heart beats faster as excitement fills me. Grayson strums his guitar hard causing it to resonate through the room.
Each of them steps off the platform, singing their part of the song. I feel completely happy watching this show. This was worth the trip; I’m going to lose my voice by morning with all the singing and screaming I’m doing.
They perform a few new songs which are of course just as amazing as the others. Pure joy is all I can say I felt hearing the music in my ears and the liveliness wave through my body. I’m a part of a group that gets it. The concert goes until about ten-thirty and when they get ready to close out, they shoot out T-shirts and hoodies for the crowd to catch. This is the career I yearn to have one day.
When the silver and red confetti rain down on us along with the water on the stage, the show is officially over. My ears are still thumping from hearing the music and I don’t quite think I’m over the high of hearing my favorite band. The stops are great but it’s not great when you’re front row and a lot of confetti gets stuck in your hair.
Once the performance is over and the band has exited the stage everyone starts to leave while the VIPs are ushered to the back. “Welcome, I am Bridgett and this is Katie. Anyone who has a general VIP badge, please go with Katie and if you have an exclusive VIP, please stay with me,” Bridgett instructs as I continue to find silver confetti strips in my hair. I mindlessly follow the group as I pick the pieces out of my head then I bump into someone.
“I am so sorry,” I say.
“It’s okay. Are you okay?” the girl asks. I look to find a girl a little bit shorter than me who has brown shoulder-length curls with bangs and hazel eyes.
“I'm okay, just confetti is in my hair,” I tell her.
“Here, let me help you. I'm Zara, by the way,” the girl says. I know her; she's the person that people are saying Shawn Reid is dating. She’s his supposed best friend; they are together all the time by their posts, and they go out like every Wednesday, I think. It’s adorable.
Then someone bumps into me and cold sludge falls down my back. “Shit, Alexia, I’m so sorry,” I hear Astrid say behind me.
“You can’t stop in the way,” Lia says. I feel the liquid continue its way down my body.
“You have slushie in your hair,” Zara tells me.
You’ve got to be kidding me.
“We have to go, they are leaving,” Lia says as she and Astrid leave.
They did not just leave me here.
“I can help you if you like,” Zara offers.
“That’s really kind of you, thank you,” I tell her, considering the two dickheads who wasted the slushie on me ran away.
I follow Zara to the bathroom, where we spend time picking the silver confetti out of my hair and washing out the slushie before fixing my hair.
I change into the new band T-shirt I bought and try to scrub off the stickiness with some water and a paper towel. “I really appreciate you helping me,” I tell Zara as she tries to dry my hair with a paper towel.
“It’s no trouble,” she says in almost a whisper. After literally bumping into each other, she's been pretty quiet. She doesn’t talk much, and she seems very nervous-like.
Her phone rings again for the fifth time in the last five minutes. I wonder who is calling her so much. “Is everything okay?” I ask.
“I’m not sure.” She stops trying to soak water out of my hair and grabs her phone from her pocket.
“Oh no.”
“What?”
“Shawn has been calling me this whole time.”
“Maybe we should go. I have to find my family anyways,” I tell her so maybe she doesn’t feel bad.
“Okay, I’ll show you where to go.” We clean up after ourselves before leaving the bathroom.
Me and Zara only make a few turns this time before she leaves me at the beginning of the VIP hall to go find Shawn before he freaks out too much more.
I look on the back of my VIP pass to find I’m supposed to be in suite A, and I find it.
I open the door to find a nicely decorated room, but no people inside. They must be leaving. I run through the building and out one of the side doors, frantically searching for my limo. It’s never good to be stuck somewhere at night. I finally find one run to it.
“Have a good night, ma’am,” the doorman says as I jump in before the door is closed and the car pulls off. I begin to feel relieved until I notice my family isn’t here.
“Wrong car,” a voice states. That voice sounds familiar. I look across from me to find Grayson Archer sitting right across from me. Shit. Oh my god. I freeze.
“Is there any way you can turn around?” I ask once I get the nerve to look up.
Grayson Archer is sitting across from me.
I’m in the wrong limo.
“Nope,” he replies, turning to the window.
“Why not?” I ask, confused.
“I have somewhere to be,” he answers.
“Can you take me home soon? My family will be worried,” I say.
“Yeah, I can take you home after,” Grayson says.
“Good,” I say and turn to the window too.
It’s quiet now. I feel awkward and all I’m thinking about is how Charlie told me to look at him during the show. Now he’s not speaking, and we’re both staring out a window.
“You know you freaked Shawn out when he couldn’t find Zara earlier,” Grayson speaks as if that’s my problem.
“What is she? Like his little lap dog or something?” I say, annoyed because he spoke to me like that.
“I don’t know, they have weird kinky shit going on, but that’s not my business,” Grayson says, and I nod.
“How did my sister win the sweepstakes anyway?” I ask him. I really need to know.
“She had the best song out of all the entries, plus your song was a direct copy of hers with a different title,” he answers.
That is not what I was expecting. She doesn’t even write music like what the fuck. “What made her song so special?” I ask, probably sounding super bitter.
“It was very lyrical and emotional,” he answers.
“Her song? The one written by Aaliyah Wimberly!” I say in surprise. That’s very odd to hear.
“Oh, really. Are you lying to me?”
“No, we really loved it. That’s why she won.”
“Well, you should know she can’t sing.” Lia can’t. She doesn’t have any performing talent in her body. She never sings, and when she does, it sucks ass.
“We will see,” he says.
“I’m sorry, I just don’t believe it,” I know I should probably jump it, but I can’t. This is my thing. Music is mine . It’s everything to me; it’s how I cope, how I express myself, and now she’s getting into that too.
“Well, the proof will be shown when she records and shows her song,” he says, annoyed with me now. Yeah, she will have to sing, and then I’ll finally know, or I could look into myself, but I plan on finding out what is going on.
The limo pulls up in front of a mansion in Beverly Hills, which is known as the Archer Estate, that was shown in Vogue Magazine. Outside, tons of cars are parked, I think a party is happening. “Thanks, Ornan,” Grayson says and starts to get out, to which I follow, and he closes the door behind us.
“I’m taking you upstairs, and you need to stay there,” he says.
“Why do you need to hide me?” I ask.
“Because people are nosy and I haven’t been seen with a girl in over half a year and people will think something is going on. Plus, I like my privacy,” Grayson replies.
Did he just basically say he doesn’t want to be seen with me?
It’s been half a year since Jazzlyn? I still remember when Sweetie High and ET covered their mysterious breakup and then their public argument like two weeks later. That’s when everyone found out that she used him, but we still don’t know why.
Once we get to the front door, Grayson grabs my hand and quickly pulls me up the stairs and down a hall to the last door. “Okay… Stay here. I’ll be back,” Grayson says and pushes me in.
“Woof,” I sound.
“Did you just make a dog sound?” he asks as he turns his back to me.
“Well, you did command me like one.”
“You are insufferable.”
“Tell me something I don’t know,” I say. I get a last glimpse of his back and see he has a tattoo on the back of his right arm. It looks like a shooting star coming from the sun.
He closes the door, leaving me alone in his room, so I begin to look around. Of course his room is dark colored. It’s a giant room, one wall being a window with white curtains. The walls are gray except for one part of the walls that has his bed on it, and the lower part is black. To the right of the room is a sitting area and the left has an archway leading somewhere.
It screams expensive in here.
I sit my bag down on the bed and take my jacket off, getting comfortable.
I go through the archway to find it leads to his closet. The closet is divided into two sides and in the middle is a doorway leading to the bathroom. I go back into his room and catch a view of the city through the window.
I take my phone out and do a short video of the view before slipping my jacket back on and feeling the cool leather slide over my skin.
The door to the bedroom bursts open and Grayson storms in infuriated and grabs my arm. “Let’s go.” He pulls me out of the room, and I grab my bag as we’re leaving. “Ornan is downstairs, he’ll take you home,” he tells me as we get to the stairs.
“So, this is the whore!” a man yells.
Oh, Jesus. His dad. Oliver Archer is right in front of me, but he just called me a whore, so I run down the stairs and out the door.
I spot the limo and get inside. “Where am I taking you?” Ornan asks, I turn to the front to see Ornan looking at me through the rear-view mirror.
“108 Holmby Hills,” I answer. I hear yelling outside and turn to see Grayson being followed outside by Mr. Archer and a blonde little girl.
Grayson storms over to a car as Ornan pulls off and the little girl is pulled into the house by Mr. Archer.
I wonder what happened?