None of the guys responded to my encouraging comment, but they didn’t really have time to anyway. The commercial break was ending. A crew member off-screen was giving Johnny a countdown, and his face split into a cheesy grin when the guy signed zero—showtime.
“Welcome back. Without further ado, ladies and gentlemen, I give you…the D-Bags!” He swished his hands our way and the cameras directly in front of us turned on. The well-trained crowd screamed louder than when they saw us the first time.
Evan tapped out a rhythm to start us off, then we took off. We played our new single, the song we’d been promoting nonstop for the past couple of weeks. I was glad this was the last time we’d be playing it for a while. I needed a break. Or at least variety. The same song over and over was killing me.
When we finished, I nearly said, “Thank God,” but I didn’t. Restraint was quickly becoming my new middle name.
Johnny came over and made a big show of greeting us. With a hand on Kellan’s shoulder, he led us to a line of four chairs next to his desk.
I tried to take the seat next to Kellan, but Evan beat me to it. Matt took the last seat, the one farthest away from the action, so I sat next to Evan. Matt looked green. As much as he pressed the issue that we needed to do stuff like this, he hated it. I found that weird. I loved the spotlight.
“Congratulations, guys, on your latest single. The album is releasing in March, correct?”
Kellan switched into professional gear and answered all his questions about the album and the direction of our music. I was so bored I almost fell asleep. When were we going to talk about me? My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out and glanced at the screen. Matt shot me a horrified look, like he couldn’t believe I’d just done that on live TV. I wanted to tell him to relax, the audience wasn’t watching me, they were busy listening to the “Kellan and Johnny Show.”
I’d just received a text from Harold. As I read it, a smile broke over my face. I hope you’re sitting down when you read this…because you are about to be star! I just signed a six-episode deal for Acing It. Book your flight, it’s time to start working on more episodes! Naturally, we can’t do much without our star, but filming is scheduled to start on Monday. Hope to see you there, and congratulations!
Fuck yes! I texted him back, I’ll be there.
As if he knew I’d just received kick-ass news, Johnny leaned forward and asked, “Are we keeping you from something more important than debuting your single on live television?”
With a smirk, I shoved my phone back into my pocket. “Sort of, but I handled it.”
I’d meant it as a joke, but Johnny clearly wasn’t amused. With a tight smile, he said, “You looked like you were about to nod off for a minute there. Too many late nights? I’ve heard that not everyone can handle the life of a rock star.”
His expression and tone were so condescending, I almost told him to go to hell. Instead, I sneered, “Don’t worry about me, I got this.”
He furrowed his brows, like I’d somehow lost him with my statement. “So, from what I understand, Kellan here handles the lyrics, Matt, aside from being one of the most gifted guitarists I’ve ever heard, works on managing and promoting the band, and Evan handles the melodies. What is it that you do again?”
I was both pleased to finally be talking about myself and irritated that this guy was insinuating I had no value. His question was also disturbingly close to Matt’s complaints about me. Kellan started spouting some bullshit PC answer, but I interrupted him. “I’m the heart and soul of the band. The people person. The crowd-pleaser.”
Johnny raised his eyebrows, then nodded. “Oh, I guess that makes sense. In my experience, the person with the least amount of musical talent is generally thrust into the role of spokesman, and you definitely seem like the type who can shoot the breeze for hours. Odd though…why have you been so quiet this whole time? Letting Kellan take the lead?”
Did he just insult me? I couldn’t quite follow what he was saying, but it seemed like he’d just praised me and put me down. “I was just waiting for a good question,” I told him.
A spark of something flared in his eyes, and the crowd got really, really quiet. Matt grabbed my arm and tugged, trying to convey some silent message, but I didn’t care. This guy was a jackass.
“Oh, so sorry if you found talking about your career to be on the boring side. Is there something you’d rather be talking about than the work that’s pulled you from the depths of obscurity, where I’m sure you would be neck-deep in mediocrity without it?”
Again, I couldn’t follow him. If he was going to call me lame, why couldn’t he just fucking say it? Kellan asked, “How about we play another song for you?” but both Johnny and I ignored him.
I decided to be blunt, since Johnny couldn’t be. “What’s your beef with me, dude?”
Johnny steepled his fingers on his desk. “Beef? No beef. Just conducting an interview. It’s what I do.” He lowered his fingers so they all pointed at me. “I’m just trying to figure out what you do, that’s all. It might seem to an outside observer that you in no way contribute to the band. It might seem that you are riding the coattails of your bandmates’ talents. To someone on the outside looking in, it might seem that you don’t belong here. It’s my job to give you an opportunity to refute that.”
That’s when my anger flared and my restraint cracked. Dick couldn’t call me worthless without repercussions. Pulling my phone out, I held the screen up to him. “Want to know what this was? A job. I’m going to be the lead actor on what is probably going to be the hottest TV show on the planet. What do you think about my talent now, jerk off?”