Center Stage (Country Roads #6) - Chapter 1

There was one day left of winter break, and I was making the most of it. After most of the last semester living our relationship over video chat, Kat and I had been inseparable.

Well, mostly inseparable. Mrs. Phillips still had her rule of keeping out of each other’s rooms, which we abided by, mostly. For now, we were relaxing on the couch, cat leaning into me with my arms draped around her, watching some mindless reality competition show she seemed to like.

“So, what do you think you’ll be doing on the tour? Have they told you anything yet?” she asked when a commercial break came on.

I couldn’t help but laugh. I’d lost count of how many times she’d asked me that same question over the past week, to the point where it had almost become a bit instead of an actual question.

“Kat, I honestly don’t know any more than I did the last time you asked. But I promise, as soon as I find out, you’ll be the first to know.” I paused, giving her a playful grin. “Unless you keep asking me.”

“Oh, shut up!” she said, smacking my arm. “I’m just excited for you. After everything that happened this summer, with your career hitting that roadblock, and MAC trying to ruin you, you’re on the verge of having everything you’ve ever wanted.”

She wasn’t wrong. It had only been a week since my win on The Stage, but I already had a full tour booked for the show finalists that would pay pretty well, and Warren had told me the previous Friday that there were people calling. It was a new year and things were definitely looking like they might take off.

Not that I expected them to be easy. Given my history, that wasn’t even an option.

“I know, I’m excited too,” I said. “We just have to wait and see what happens. I mean, it’s only been a week, right?”

As the commercial break ended and the show came back on, Kat shifted in my arms, turning to face me more directly, suddenly ignoring the show that had seemed very important a few minutes before.

“So, I’ve been thinking a lot about everything that’s happening for you,” she said.

I don’t know what I expected her to say, but that certainly wasn’t it.

“Okay?”

“I … I want some kind of … I don’t know, part in your career. I’m not saying like, I want you to make me a member of the band, or anything. It’s just that, at first I was along for the ride as your friend and now your girlfriend. Kind of a plus one. I know how hard you’ve worked and everything you’ve given up for this, and I want to be part of it. With you. I want to have a way to actually help you out and support you. Beyond just standing behind a merch table, which you probably won’t need anymore once you start playing stadiums or whatever.”

“Let’s not jump the gun. I haven’t actually booked anything other than the finalest tour since winning, and I wouldn’t be the first person to win the show and then kind of fade away.”

“I thought you said that was because of the contract the studio made them sign.”

“I mean, that’s what Warren and Benny said, and it sounds right, but I don’t actually know anything. It’s all a guess. Besides, you already support me, more than you know. I don’t think I could have won the show without you.”

“Bullshit, and I know I’m supportive, but that’s not what I mean. I want to be part of the team. Team Charlie. I don’t care what it is. Just like you watched me train last summer all those times and want to go to the Olympics, I want to be there for you. I want it to be us, together.”

I pulled her closer, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I want that too, but I also don’t want you taking away from the stuff you have. You’re probably the only person with a busier schedule than me. Your school starts back up in a few weeks, and then you’ve got the Olympics to train for, plus actually winning the Olympics this summer. That’s going to take up a huge amount of your time and energy. The last thing I want is to hurt your chances of getting the thing you’ve spent so much time training for.”

“That’s all true, which is why I’m not asking for anything big. I just want to be part of the team. I don’t care how small the job is.”

“Kat, you’re always part of my journey. Every time I play a show or write a song, I’m thinking of you. You’re my inspiration.”

She leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my lips. “Sweet talk me all you want, but you know what I mean. I want something more active, more involved.”

“You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“Nope,” she said, grinning at me.

“Fine, I’ll think about it. I mean, I try and think of something you can do. Hell, now that I’ve got multiple lawyers and a manager, I’m not even sure what I need done half the time. I’m sure we can find something for you to do that won’t interfere with your training or school.”

Kat’s grin widened into a full-blown smile. “Good. See how much easier life is when you just do what I tell you to do?”

We both laughed at that. Considering our history together, that was quite the line. Satisfied, she turned back around to refocus on her show while I closed my eyes and pulled her tighter against me, just enjoying the moment.

The next morning, I pulled into the school parking lot, taking a moment in my car to mentally prepare myself for being back. After almost a month off, most of which was spent in Hollywood having the biggest moment in my life, it was kind of a massive shifting of gears to be back here, a high school kid again.

I took one last deep breath, drummed my hands on the steering wheel, and got out, ready to get back to normal. The world, it seemed, had completely different ideas.

It was night and day from how last semester started. I hadn’t exactly been persona non grata last year, since things had settled down over the summer, but I had gotten a lot of sideways looks and people kind of avoiding me, while the collective student body waited to see which way the wind was going to go.

This time, it was like I had some kind of magnet on me. Every step I took toward the front door, someone changed their trajectory to walk past me, slap me on the shoulder, or just say something.

And everyone had something to say.

“Congrats on winning The Stage, Charlie!”

“What was Trey Mitchell really like?”

“You heading to Hollywood soon?”

Questions and well-wishes bombarded me from every direction, most from kids I didn’t even know, let alone was friends with. I just kind of answered everything with non-committal answers and thank yous, pushing through the crowd until I reached the front steps of the school.

Waiting at the top of the steps was Dr. Wallace.

“Charlie, can you come with me to my office for a moment,” he said as soon as I made eye contact.

“Sure,” I said.

I wasn’t particularly worried as he turned and led me inside the building. Last semester, which had also started with a trip to see the principal, I’d been pretty concerned, but Dr. Wallace had played it straight with me all semester and kind of bent over backward to make sure I could go do the show. Sure, I’d had to trade on that a bit with the concert at the football field, but that was a small price to pay for the freedom he’d given me.

“Congratulations on winning the show, by the way,” he said as we walked through the doors and toward the front office. “Having seen you play, I had no doubt you would do well, but your performances were quite moving. You really did a great job.”

“Thanks,” I said kind of awkwardly.

Even after playing on stage for a few years now, I still had a weird reaction every time someone told me good job, but it was even stranger when it was an adult I knew outside of music.

“I mean it. What you’ve accomplished at your age is remarkable. Which is why I know we are in for a very exciting semester. It being your last one with us, I’m expecting great things from you.”

We reached his office and he held the door open for me. I stepped inside, I had a weird sense of familiarity, which kind of made sense after all the time I’d spent talking to the principal over the last couple of years, both in good and bad contexts. I wouldn’t have thought I’d have a sudden wave of nostalgia over it, though. Especially not while I was still in school.

“Actually, that was something I needed to come see you about today anyway. I have the finalists tour for the show that I’m contractually obligated to do, especially after winning. But, it’s a lot longer than the taping the show was. I haven’t seen the full schedule yet, but it’s set to go over two months. I want to be in school as much as I can, and it’s not back to back dates, so I’ll be able to do some flying back and forth, but … it’s still going to be hard to be at every class.”

That was something I’d spent a lot of time worrying over and thinking about. Mrs. Phillips had said, considering how things went last year and how the school had treated me before I headed to the finals, it most likely wouldn’t be a problem, but I was a worrier at heart.

And it wasn’t like I’d had an overwhelming amount of luck for most of my life. Dr. Wallace made his way around his desk and sat down, leaning back in his chair like he did a lot of the time I’d had to come in and talk to him.

“Actually, Charlie, I’m already aware of your upcoming tour obligations. It’s actually why I wanted to talk to you.”

“Ohh, you are?”

“I am. Your manager, Mr. Rice, reached out to me over the holidays, shortly after your victory on The Stage. He wanted to make sure we were on the same page regarding your professional and educational conflicts.”

“Oh, wow. That’s ... that’s good, I guess,” I said, not sure I liked the way he said ‘professional and educational conflicts.’

“Don’t look so worried,” he said, smiling finally. “I’m not going to roast you over the coals. In fact, I’ve already had some preliminary discussions with a few school board members about the possibility of arranging a partial remote learning option for you during the tour.”

“Really? I hadn’t even thought that was an option?”

“Normally it isn’t. The school district has no official policy one way or another on remote learning, but we also have never done it, so this would be new ground for us. We had discussed the possibility of some kind of tutor-based system where you kept to school district curriculum but weren’t enrolled in classes here but, to be honest, I don’t want to lose you from our student body. Besides giving me bragging rights with every other principal in the district, I know you’ve put in a lot of work here and have a lot of friends here. There’s something special about a student’s senior year, finishing that last lap, that I didn’t want to take away from you. Unless you want to unenroll and go with an outside tutor system.”

“No, I definitely want to finish here,” I said quickly, trying to cut off any more talk of unenrolling.

“I was pretty confident you’d say that. Now, I don’t have a definitive answer for you just yet. It will likely involve me attending a meeting with the school board to present your case and discuss the specifics. But considering your unique status and the incredible opportunity you have before you, I believe we can find a way to make it work. Even though it’s not something we typically allow.”

Something in the way he said that, I could almost hear the underlying quid pro quo in there, kind of like the concert on the football field, but if it meant I could stay enrolled here, with my friends, for my senior year, I’d gladly pay it.

“Thank you, Dr. Wallace. Seriously, I really appreciate you going to bat for me like this. Whatever you need from me, just let me know.”

“Good. I knew you were a team player and we could count on you. I’ll let you know as soon as I have more details ironed out with the school board. In the meantime, you better run along to class. Wouldn’t want you to be late on your first day back.”

I realized the bell hadn’t rung, which meant I might actually make it to the first period class on the first day of a new semester. Something I’d never managed in three years at Carr.

“Thanks again, Dr. Wallace.”

“Anytime, Charlie,” he said as I rushed out the door.

***

Saturday, we were setting up in the Philips garage, getting ready for band practice. We weren’t playing at the Blue Ridge since Chef had already booked someone. He hadn’t known exactly when I’d be back when he’d booked it before Christmas, which was fair. I was going to be gone a bunch until summer, and maybe through the summer with Kat’s being at the Olympics, and I didn’t want his music nights to fall apart. He’d done too much to make them work with Willie and then me to let loose it just because I wanted to be able to play whenever I happened to be home.

Besides, it would be nice to go by and see someone else play on a Saturday night.

We were just about to drop the garage door and hang up the soundproof sheet Seth had found online, to cut down on the complaints from neighbors when Warren’s car pulled into the driveway.

While that wasn’t so unusual because he came by practice a lot, since we were his only clients, but I knew something was up by the way he practically skipped into the garage after hopping out of his car.

“There’s my favorite band,” he said, smiling broadly. “You guys excited to start playing again?”

“Hell yeah,” Lyla said.

“People are returning your calls now?” I asked.

After nine months of clubs blacklisting us, it was almost a shock for it to be over. I know Warren had originally suggested The Stage as a way to clear the block MAC had put on us up and down the East Coast, but I hadn’t expected it to work this fast.

“Not only are they returning my calls, they’re calling me. I told you it would work.”

“Yes, you’re a real genius,” I said, laughing. “So what do you have? Something in Asheville?”

“Better. I’ve got a show lined up in Nashville for next weekend, and not a tiny bar either. It’s not a big outdoor venue, but this club holds about two thousand at capacity. It’s mostly an open plan dance floor, so it’ll get a little rowdy, but you’ve played that before.”

“We can handle it. I’m just happy to be playing anywhere again, honestly.”

“It’s a start, and it won’t be the last,” Warren said. “There’s also some interest for shows further out, like Chicago, Dallas, and Atlanta, but those are on hold until after you finish your finalist tour. I tried to work something out, but the logistics are too long with you being in school, and with the Nashville gig, you can still play at least one Blue Ridge show, making more money overall. That might be a stretch for the following week, but I’ve got another one in Chattanooga that’s about the same distance, but it’s a bigger venue. Either way, I think I can keep you all playing until Charlie has to fly out.”

“We’re down for whatever you think is best,” I said, looking at Lyla and Seth, who nodded in agreement. “We trust your judgment, Warren.”

“I’m glad you say that because that’s not the only big news I have.”

“Really?” Seth asked, looking at Lyla and me.

I doubted we already had record deal offers, but other than gigs, I didn’t know either.

“Sorry, this one is only for Charlie, but trust me, it’s going to help keep us in gigs. You, my friend, have been invited to appear on The Late Show with Hayden Brooks to talk about your win on The Stage.”

My jaw dropped. “No way. Are you serious?”

“Holy shit,” Seth said.

“As a heart attack,” Warren said, grinning ear to ear. “The producers reached out to me this morning. They want to have you on to promote the finalist tour and talk about your win.”

“That’s... wow. That’s incredible. When is it?”

“Not until next month, so we’ve got plenty of time to go over potential questions and do some practice runs to make sure you’re comfortable.”

“I really appreciate you setting this up, Warren. This is huge.”

He waved a hand. “It’s my job. Besides, it wasn’t all my doing. Remember, this is the same network that The Stage is on, and they own part of it, so this is all in-house stuff. The producers of the show set it up mostly, but it’s still a great opportunity. A lot of your demographic watches that show, so this can really put you up there. But listen, this is just the beginning. We need to start expanding your public presence, and that means more than just big appearances like this.”

“What did you have in mind?”

“A lot of it will be like this. Getting you booked on shows with wider audiences. Maybe on a big-name podcast. I don’t have a lot of experience with this end of PR, but I’m talking to Benny, who has some suggestions. I just wanted to put it in your head that it’s coming. What it means for you right now is that we should be more active on the band’s social media accounts. Posting regular updates, behind-the-scenes stuff, that sort of thing. It’ll help keep your fans engaged between shows and appearances.”

“Makes sense,” I said. “But I don’t know if I have time to keep up with all that on top of everything else.”

“I can do it,” Lyla said.

“We’ll want you to, you and Seth both. You also both need to get more active on your own social media. If I know Charlie, he’s going to make sure to name-drop both of you as often as he can, which means we need to maximize it as much as possible. I can’t promise we’ll make you household names, but as a rising tide and all that. I was thinking we might need to hire someone to manage the official accounts. A social media manager who knows about engagement and how to manage all the metrics of that kind of thing.”

“I’m okay with that for the band accounts,” I said after considering it for a moment. “But I want to keep my personal one, well, personal. I’ve always felt like I can tell when celebrities have PR teams running their socials, you know? It feels less authentic.”

“Yeah, I was only talking about the band account, which will bounce between posting memes and commenting places and posting up your tour schedule and links to buy merch. We’ll make sure to keep your personal account separate. We have to be careful though. You have to realize that anything you say is actionable now. You’re a target.”

“What do you mean?”

“No trolling, no punching down,” Warren said.

“Punching down?” Seth asked.

“Punching down is when someone in a position of power or fame or whatever makes fun of or attacks someone lower down. It’s seen as bullying and really turns people off, especially younger fans, which you can’t afford to do. Even when going at someone higher than you on the food chain, you’ve got to make sure you’re crystal clear that anything you say is your opinion. It’s not that easy to walk into a defamation claim, but it’s possible. If you run into problems, we’ll have to take it away from you just to keep you from being sued. You also want to avoid pissing off anyone you might want to get a contract with later. Just... be smart. You know?”

“Man. Yeah, okay. I get it. What if I had someone close to me sometimes manage it when I’m busy, so they keep posting up? Someone smarter than me who’s less likely to say something stupid and get in trouble, like Kat or Hanna.”

It was clear from Warren’s expression that he didn’t love the idea.

“That could backfire, Charlie. I know you trust them, but if they post something controversial or offensive, even by accident, it’ll still come back on you.”

“I know, but I want to include Kat more. She’s been asking how she can be more involved in my career without interfering with her own goals.”

Warren sighed and said, “Look, I can’t stop you from doing what you want, but I might mention it to Benny and Arthur, just to let them know what’s going on.”

“Okay, fair enough. And if you find the right person who can post in my voice, I would consider using them instead.”

“Alright, I’ll keep an eye out,” Warren said, checking his watch. “I should get going. You guys have a good practice. Remember, Nashville next weekend. I’ll send over the details later today.”

“Thanks, Warren. For everything,” I said, clapping him on the shoulder.

“That’s what I’m here for. I’ll be in touch.”

As Warren headed back to his car, I turned to Lyla and Seth. “Okay, let’s do this. We’ve finally got a show to prepare for.”