Center Stage - Chapter 8

The rest of Monday was a blur, and I passed out as soon as I got home. School itself the next day wasn’t much better. With the craziness around Dakota and then having to rush to LA for Sunrise Edition, I hadn’t gotten to the work I needed to do.

My biggest problem at the moment was a test I had on Friday in history class, but I was going to have to take it on Wednesday since I would be missing both Thursday and Friday. Ms. Parez had given me the prep work the class would be covering between last Thursday and the test, and I hadn’t looked at any of it. That had been brutally obvious during her class, and she’d offered for me to come back over the lunch period and work with her one-on-one to get ready for the test.

While it was a good opportunity, and one I needed, Ms. Parez also wasn’t the kind of teacher you could just say no to. She was big on authority and people listening to her, but other than that, she had been a decent teacher. So I skipped seeing my friends at lunch. Already twice, in classes I’d had with friends, the gulf between me and them was getting bigger, and I honestly didn’t know what was going on half the time. It sucked.

I was also absolutely starving by the time I got home. Mrs. Phillips was gone, so I made a quick sandwich and then found my phone. I’d put off calling Warren on Monday because I’d been so tired, but I’d also wanted to call him and get an update on what was going on with Dakota and the Saunders fundraiser. I just didn’t have a lot of time to do it since I had band practice in an hour. Lyla had texted me and said she had a new song she wanted to show me, which meant I couldn’t bail on them.

“Hey Charlie, I was wondering when you were going to call,” Warren said when he answered.

“Sorry, I was just too out of it yesterday,” Charlie said.

“I figured. So, I’m guessing you want some updates.”

“Yep. I was hoping, with the spot on Sunrise Edition, we could push the fundraising up another notch. The show’s good, but I’m guessing national TV is better.”

“It is at that, which is why we’re doing much better than I expected. We’ve already raised just over eighty-five grand, enough to get the hospital to schedule the surgery for Mr. Saunders.”

“Really?” I said, a bit shocked. “That’s awesome!”

I hadn’t gone into this with a specific number in mind, so I don’t even know what I would have said was a good dollar figure, but whatever it was, it would have been smaller than eighty grand in a week.

“Yeah. I spoke to Odeta yesterday and she is so relieved. I also managed to find help for them, aside from money, through an LA charity. They’re gonna make sure she has some help with the kids so she can be at the hospital while Sheldon recovers.”

“Warren, that’s fantastic. You’re a freaking miracle worker.”

“I’m just doing my job,” he said, but he did sound very proud of himself. “As for Dakota, I don’t really have much to tell you. She’s out of the hospital and doing well, according to the tabloid news shows pointing cameras at her house, and the tour has confirmed she’ll be there in San Francisco, but that’s about it. She’s basically bunkered up until then, and her agents blocking anything from getting to her. It’ll blow over as soon as the next scandal drops, but for now, she’s the gossip news story of the week.”

“That sucks.”

“That’s fame for you. You get the fancy dinners and fans, but you also have to deal with the vultures. Anyway, I do have a little bit of good news to balance that out, though.”

“Hit me with it.”

“We’ve found distribution for the album, both in stores and streaming services.”

“Really? That’s great!”

I honestly had given up on finding anything for that until we finally got picked up by a label again. While this didn’t change everything, as long as I could keep our name out there and sales coming in, it would give us the option of being more picky when it came to who we finally signed with.

I was under no illusion that we could just do it on our own like this forever. Warren was great at his job, no doubt, but he was still only one man. Right now we had a big boost from my Stage win and all the publicity behind that, but ultimately that was being driven by marketing and dollars from GLR. When this died down, and I knew it would, there would be ads in cities where the tour was coming, late-night show performances, and social media campaigns with my face on it.

No, we’d eventually need a label. But this at least meant we wouldn’t be desperate while we looked.

“Now, the in-store distribution won’t be anything major since we’re not with one of the big five labels, but it’s a start. The real money is going to come from the streaming services.”

“When is this happening?”

“Streaming’s going to happen fast. Like, end of the week fast. They want to capitalize on the traction you’ll get from your show in San Francisco.”

“Wow, that is fast. What about the streaming we already set up on our own?”

We hadn’t gotten much, but Warren had listed us on some of the bigger platforms. There was no marketing and our cut was terrible, but it was still bringing in some money, again thanks to the add-on marketing from the tour.

“We’ll have to roll that into the new deal,” Warren explained. “It means splitting the revenue with the distributor, but the trade-off is access to bigger platforms and their marketing. Trust me, this will mean more money overall, and it’ll come in quickly.”

“No, I get it. I was just thinking the same thing. The stores is longer though, right?”

“Yeah. It’s in the works but it could be a few months at best. I made sure to get an out clause if we got picked up by a label, ‘cause otherwise we’d have trouble if they wanted to talk about this album being part of it. It means their split is very high, but it gives us flexibility.”

“We didn’t want some of the label deals because their split was too high, but we’re willing to accept it now?”

“Those had you locked in for years. This is not a great deal for you, but it lets us pull with two months’ notice, which is the only way you’re going to keep viable for a new label deal. Trust me, it was this or no physical media. Plus, we should be on some shelves before the tour is over, which is what we really wanted.”

“Okay, I wasn’t doubting you, I just wanted to be sure. It’s still fantastic news, Warren. It means Lyla and Seth will be taken care of, which is what I’ve wanted.”

“Absolutely,” he agreed. “Oh, and one last thing...”

“See, it’s always the ‘one last thing’ that gets me.”

“It’s not as bad as that. We received a call from Emerson King’s people. He’s one of the hosts of Sunrise Edition.”

“I was tired, Warren, but I do remember the hosts of the show I was on.”

“Hey, just making sure. Apparently, you made a really good impression on him. They said that if you can get out early on Friday, before the concert, Emerson wants to set up an event in San Jose for you two to do together.”

“I’m not sure I know where San Jose is.”

“Very close to San Francisco. Like an hour tops, so you can just get a car right from the event to your hotel and then on to the venue.”

“Ohh, okay. And what did he say it was about?”

“He has a Bay Area charity event every year, and he wants to bring you in to play some music for it. The timing is great, from his end, since the tour has your face on a bunch of billboards in the area, so they’ll be able to ride some of that marketing, which is probably why they want you. But, they said they’d add the Saunders into the list, make sure some of the donations went to the family, and mention the campaign we set up, so it’s a good way to keep the ball going. It doesn’t pay, but the exposure will be good.”

“Sure, I’d love to do it. I actually had a good talk with Emerson after my segment ended about the charity work he’s doing. He didn’t mention this event in specific, but we talked a little bit about giving back to the community. He seems like a good guy.”

“Well good. Plus, it doesn’t hurt to make friends with someone on a nationally syndicated show.”

“I guess not, but it’s not about that.”

“For you, it’s not. I’m out here trying to find you work, so for me, that’s what it’s all about.”

“Fine, I’ll be the heart, you be the ambition.”

“Well, I won’t go that far. I’ll take care of it. You just keep doing what you’re doing, because it’s really working. Besides the shows you’ve been on, I’ve been tracking your coverage, and it’s really solid. Not just national press stuff around the tour, either. You’re getting mentions on local talk radio, mostly for the thing with Dakota and your work with the Saunders, but more and more about your music itself. We’ve also been getting requests for air time for you from local radio and satellite stations. That’s not get rich quick money, because it mostly comes out of the general artist funds, but it’s a good add-on and will help you as the streaming picks up and you start getting in tours. I’m starting to get calls back from some really good-sized venues, stuff above even the Nashville show. Places I wouldn’t have thought you’d get into for several years at least.”

“Well, you said going on the show would open doors. You weren’t wrong.”

“True, but it’s not just that. The show made the opportunities, but you seized them. And the thing with the Saunders is starting to really pay off. That was a great idea. We’re not done yet though, so you’ve got to keep it going. We’ve got to get the most out of this while the momentum going.”

“I will, but remember as you get all excited to book bigger and bigger shows, don’t schedule anything for me this summer while the Olympics is going on. I absolutely will not miss being there for Kat, I don’t care if they want me to play at the White House, or wherever.”

“Don’t get crazy, but I know what you mean. I wouldn’t dream of it.”

“Okay, good.”

***

The event with Emerson went off amazingly. He’d planned the thing down to a T, and the crowd was in such a good mood. I played a few songs, but mostly it was just a big BBQ. And not one like the kind we had in Appalachia. It was like nothing I’d ever experienced.

The food was amazing, there were raffles for all kinds of stuff, and all the money went to charity. I spent most of my time just talking to people, who seemed to find me interesting. I guess they don’t get a lot of country boys in Northern California, ‘cause I had a constant line of people wanting to talk to me. I swear someone asked if we rode horses to school.

And Emerson was as good of a guy as I’d thought he was. The people absolutely loved him, and these weren’t celebrities or whatever. A lot of these were just locals wanting to socialize while doing a lot of good. When he’d said this was a community event, he wasn’t kidding.

He must have thought it went well, too, because as I was getting my rideshare to get to my hotel so I could get ready for the show, he said they were doing another one in Oakland and invited me. I didn’t even check with Warren, I just said yes.

I mean, I was sure Warren would approve. There was some local news there, so it was good exposure and all of that, but I would have done it without it. This was the kind of person I wanted to be, if I made it. Someone who remembered where they came from.

I probably should have called Warren in the car, but I felt weird talking about that stuff in front of someone I didn’t know, and I didn’t want to break my good mood. My plan was to just hop out, drop my stuff and take a quick shower, then head to the venue.

I figured if I could keep the mood I was in until showtime, we would have a hell of a night. I was about halfway to the front door of the hotel when I saw someone coming at me fast out of my peripheral vision. My first instinct was to react, turn and prepare myself for... who knows what, until I saw the camera in his hands.

“Charlie! Can I ask you a few questions?”

I was a little thrown. I’d done interviews, but that had been in an organized setting, and I’d run into fans, but this guy didn’t seem like that either. I was having trouble classifying exactly what his deal was.

“Uhh... sure.”

“How was the charity event with Emerson King? What was it like working with him?”

After running up on me, he was asking it kind of casually, but he was holding the video camera at waist level, pointing up at me. I could see the screen was pointed up at him, so he could see what he was recording without shoving the camera in my face. Maybe he thought I’d forget the camera was there or something.

Still, if this was some kind of reporter, I decided to go with an honest answer, mostly because it seemed like the kind of thing that wouldn’t get me in trouble. Besides, the event with Emerson had both been good and for a good cause, so why not be positive about it. Even if the actual situation was weird.

“It was pretty great. Emerson is a good guy, something I’m sure everyone who’s met him could tell you. He knows how to bring people together for a good cause, and I was proud just to get to be a part of it.”

“And what about Dakota Rayne? Can you comment on her recent drug use and the incident at your Las Vegas show?”

There it was. I’d been naive. Painfully naive. He hadn’t actually cared about the answer to that question. It was just meant to soften me up.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know anything about that. Dakota’s a talented musician and a good person. She’s just been under the weather recently and should be performing tonight.”

“But sources say she was visibly under the influence during your duet,” the man pressed. “Did you know about her drug problem before the tour started?”

“Like I said, I don’t know anything about that. Dakota’s a professional and a friend. I’m not going to speculate or spread rumors.”

I started to walk away, heading for the hotel doors, but the man followed, still shouting questions.

“Are you concerned her drug use will impact the tour? Do you know if the producers have talked about kicking her off of it?”

I didn’t answer, just quickened my pace, hoping he’d leave me alone once I was inside the hotel.

“What about the Saunders family?” he yelled, chasing behind me through the sliding doors. “Some are saying they’re in this country illegally. What do you say to your fans who want to know why you’re supporting illegals?”

“What the hell are you talking about?” I said, spinning around to face him. “Jonas Saunders was born in Utah and is a veteran. His wife wasn’t born here, but she’s a US citizen.”

“Hey, it’s just what I was told,” he said, but he never took the camera off me. “What about your own parents? Any comment on the accusations that you were responsible for their deaths?”

“You son of a…” I started to say, taking a step toward him before noticing several of the hotel guests staring at me, some with their cell phones out, recording me.

Before I had to come up with an answer, a man with a name tag came out of somewhere behind the front desk, marching right up to the man and grabbing him by the elbow.

“Sir, you need to leave the premises. Now.”

He was letting the hotel employee lead him out, but he didn’t stop yelling. “Come on Charlie. You’re not big enough to hide behind security. Do you want everyone to believe you’re afraid of the truth?”

I tried to shake it off and check in, but I could feel people staring at me the entire time. The girl at the front desk was nice enough and apologized, but it still felt like I screwed up. What I couldn’t figure out was what the point of all that was. He was clearly trying to push my buttons. But why?

“Damn it,” I muttered as the elevator doors closed. I pulled out my phone and called Warren, hoping he’d pick up quickly.

“Charlie, what’s up?” Warren answered on the second ring.

“Some guy with a camera just ambushed me outside the hotel,” I said, pacing in the small elevator. “Started asking all these loaded questions, trying to get a rise out of me.”

“What kind of questions?” Warren asked, his voice turning serious.

“First about Dakota and her ‘drug use’, then about the Saunders family being illegal immigrants. He even brought up my parents, accusing me of being responsible for their deaths.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing. He started off asking about the thing with Emerson, so I talked to him, but I walked away as it became weird. He followed me into the hotel. I almost did something when he asked about my parents, but I saw people watching, and stopped. The hotel then kicked him out. Besides his camera, there were a lot of people with cell phones out inside the hotel. I might have cursed him.”

“Okay. That’s okay. First off, don’t beat yourself up about it. We’ll see what actually comes out, but it sounds like you handled it well.”

“I really did try to walk away, but it was like he was trying to make me mad on purpose.”

“That’s exactly what he was doing,” Warren said. “This guy, he’s probably either with some tiny outfit or just starting out. The guys with connections or teams, they’re the ones who chase the A-list, even B-list celebrities. They don’t have time for this kind of thing. This guy can’t do that, so they target people new to the industry. Celebrities have dealt with this for a while, they know how to handle it or they’ve had media training. This guy, he was probably hoping you’d swing on him so he could sue and have footage of somebody at least in the news punching a cameraman. That’s the kind of thing that sells.”

“That sucks.”

“It does, but it’s also not the last time this is going to happen. The best thing you can do is ignore them. Say ‘no comment’ and walk away. Engaging with them at all is a losing game. We probably do need to get you some media training, though. This will not be your last time dealing with this.”

I groaned.

“Hey, you survived your first experience with paparazzi without hitting anyone, so let’s call it a win.”

Maybe this fame thing wasn’t worth it after all.