From the Top - Chapter 38

I dropped my backpack on the floor as I walked in the front door. It had been a long day, and I was ready to grab a snack and veg out for a bit before starting on homework. Over the end of last week and today, I’d learned there was a big difference between missing a week in the middle of the semester, when stuff can be pushed back a little bit or finished up a little early, and the end of the semester. Worse, all of my teachers had apparently decided that, if I was going to get special treatment, I was going to have to deliver special results.

The demand that I not only perform but get straight A’s on everything was uniform enough that I felt the hand of the administration in it. I wasn’t mad at Dr. Wallace, exactly, because I knew he wasn’t doing it to hurt me or as a gotcha, and my teachers weren’t being unfair about it, but I could have done without the extra pressure.

Doing well at the competition, and knowing what was ahead for me and what it could mean, had really put on the pressure, and I had been going hard to get ready for it since I got back. Since I wasn’t sure what they were going to throw at me for the finals, Seth and Lyla had been running me through everything we could think of. Working out genres, specifically the stuff like bubblegum or more synthetic kind of music I didn’t do well with. It had almost taken me out at the last challenge, and I didn’t want to get waylaid like that again.

I’d also asked them to push me, hard, and they’d taken it seriously. They knew this was as big of a chance for them as it was for me, but they had the worse position of having it completely out of their hands. They had to just hope I was ready and did good enough that I’d win. Lyla, in particular, had taken that to heart and had become an absolute ball-breaker at practice, coming down hard on every mistake. I appreciated what she was doing, and I knew in the end it would push me to the next level, but in the moment, I was very much not enjoying it.

So, after a long day of school, and with just over an hour until I had to be back to band practice and homework to do in between, I just wanted ten minutes to drop onto the couch and stare at the ceiling, doing nothing and letting my brain get some rest.

Which is why it made total sense for my phone to start ringing when I was about two steps away from my goal.

“Charlie, I have Arthur for you. Hold a moment,” Toni said, and then put me on hold before I could respond.

Mr. Eaves didn’t call without a good reason, but part of me just wanted to hang up. By the time I thought that through, though, he came on the line.

“Charlie, I have some news for you. I’ve found an entertainment lawyer like we talked about. He’s actually more into TV and movies than he is music, but he does have a handful of big-name musicians as clients and has contacts in the industry, so I think he’s a good fit.”

“Are you sure he’s a good fit?” I asked. “Wouldn’t it be better to have someone who mostly did music stuff?”

“That’s what I thought at first too, and why this took so long. I spent a lot of time looking, and talking to, guys with music industry experience. After talking to some people I trust and thinking over what they told me, I’m not sure just sticking with someone who specialized in the music industry was the way to go. There seems to be a general consensus that once you sign with a label, they’re going to handle a lot of the back-end stuff for concerts and labels. You want to have someone look those contracts over, of course, but that starts stepping more into contract law, since it’s going to be tied up a lot with whatever your record contract says. What I’m told the big thing you’ll need to deal with on your own, on a case-by-case basis, is stuff like commercials, endorsements, and any non-music appearances, all of which is common for people coming out of reality TV.”

“If you think so,” I said.

“I do. His name’s Benny Levine, and everyone I’ve talked to who would know says he’s the guy you want,” he said, and then hesitated for a moment. “I should add, they also warn you that I’ve been told he has a... reputation.”

“What kind of reputation?” I asked warily.

“Apparently, he’s a massive asshole. Obnoxious, arrogant, pushy, abrasive... the kind of lawyer that gives the profession a bad name. But everyone says he’s also damn good at what he does. My friends in and around the entertainment industry all say the same thing; Benny Levine is one of the absolute best entertainment attorneys out there. A real bulldog when it comes to negotiating for his clients. Studios hate him, which is a good sign, in this case. I’ve also been told he’s as honest as these kinds of guys get and very loyal. People say he can be trusted.”

“Well, that’s going to be fun,” I said.

I told him I wanted someone good and trustworthy, and he sounded like he found both, but right now I didn’t know I had the energy to deal with someone who people called a “massive asshole.” Sure, people’s reputations could be blown out of proportion, but that was the kind of descriptor that suggested it very much wasn’t being exaggerated.

“The other warning is that I’ve looked at his fee schedule, and he doesn’t come cheap. He’s going to ask for a very big cut of any deals he works out. Maybe as much as fifteen percent, which is more than you’re paying Warren. Or will be paying Warren.”

“If he’s so expensive, will I even be able to afford him?”

“I discussed fees with Warren, and he believes you’re on the verge of serious work that will be generating a significant amount of income. Yes, it’s going to hurt seeing a percentage taken for Warren, a percentage taken for me, a percentage taken by the entertainment lawyer, the band - you’ll find you only get paid and walk away with twenty-five or thirty percent of what you were originally paid. But this isn’t Blue Ridge money anymore. If Warren is right, that twenty-five or thirty percent will still be multiple times what you’re making now, or even what you were making at some of the better-paying shows last year.”

“If you believe this guy is the one we need, then I’ll give him a try,” I said.

It wasn’t like I had a choice. We needed someone, and someone good was better than the alternative. I’d already learned from the whole Brent thing that having the wrong person supporting me could hurt a lot more than paying enough for the right person.

“There’s one more thing,” I added. “I want to make sure you’re still my personal lawyer outside of the entertainment stuff. I trust you, and anything not related to my music and TV deals will go through you. And I might ask you for help if this Benny guy goes off the rails.”

“I understand. Although, if things go well for you at Christmas, your status is going to change. We’ll need to sit down with the partners here since you’ll become our premier client. It won’t just be about money, but we can discuss that when the time comes.”

“Whatever you need,” I assured him. “Like I said, I trust you.”

“I appreciate that, but you also need to be careful who you put your trust in,” Mr. Eaves cautioned. “As your profile rises, you’re going to start attracting more leeches and grifters.”

“That’s what I have you, Warren, and I guess Benny for,” I pointed out.

“Okay, that’s true, but that only goes so far. You need to be careful, which means not making snap decisions. If you’re offered something, even if it makes sense or seems like a no-brainer, call us. Let us look into details or just advise you. If you’re going to pay for advice, you need to start asking for it. You have a bad habit of working off the cuff.”

“Noted,” I said.

He had a point. I actually thought my ability to just make decisions and roll with them was one of my strong suits, but I’d already seen several times where that got me into trouble.

“Before we end this call, I want to clear up a few things,” Mr. Eaves said. “In spite of what that other lawyer said, entertainment lawyers don’t work on getting gigs or setting up jobs. They negotiate contracts to make sure you get the best deal possible. Warren will be the one who arranges for the deals. They will work together, and Benny might have contacts for Warren to talk to, but the lawyer should never be arranging performances or setting up work, because that’s a different skill set, and Warren knows the things to look out for that Benny or myself wouldn’t.”

“Yeah, that makes sense.”

“I just wanted to make that clear, so we didn’t have any confusion once we brought Benny on board. His role is strictly contract negotiation and legal advice. Booking appearances and managing your career stays with you and Warren.”

“Got it,” I said. “Since we’re making things clear, even with Benny, you’re still my lawyer. I don’t have a problem with him negotiating for me if he can do the job, but I don’t know him and I trust you.”

“I know, and I’ll still be involved as your personal attorney for anything unrelated to your entertainment career. I’ll also be around if you run into any problems with him or have questions, but I’m not going to second-guess him. I don’t want you checking with me every time he tells you something.”

“Okay, I’ll try not to be too much of a pest,” I said.

“Good,” Mr. Eaves said with a laugh. “I want you to succeed, Charlie. That’s my job as your lawyer. I promise everything I push for you to do, there’s a reason for it.”

“I know, and I appreciate it. I’m just a little paranoid sometimes, I guess. I mean, you know my history.”

“I do, and I get it. I’ll contact his office today and see when he’s available for an introductory phone call. Based on what I was told by Warren, there won’t be a lot for him to do until you get through with the finals, but once that happens, I expect you’ll hit the ground running, and I want everything in place and agreements written up and signed, so we don’t get slowed down.”

“Okay. Whenever you can. You know my schedule.”

“I do. I’ll call you as soon as I know something,” he said, and unceremoniously hung up.

“You too,” I said. “Talk to you soon.”

***

I barely got into the parking lot on Tuesday night for the next airing of my show. As soon as I passed under the freeway, there was a line of cars I had to sit in, waiting as it slowly crept forward. I had never, in the past three years, had traffic anywhere in Wellsville. It was a small town, and there just weren’t enough people here to ever make that a problem. The closest I ever got was after school when all the kids were trying to get out of the small school parking lot at the same time.

When I finally got to the Blue Ridge, I saw Cameron standing in the middle of the street, waving cars into the grass field across from the restaurant, and wildly enough, his father and Coach Dean in the field, telling people where to park, trying to cram all the cars into the limited space.

The Blue Ridge itself only had a handful of cars since the tents from last week had multiplied and now took up a majority of the parking lot, cables running out from the restaurant to TVs set up in each. It was wild. This was more people than I’d ever seen in one place in this town ever. There were easily seven hundred people here, maybe even a thousand.

Last time I’d thought it was half the town, but this was more like three-quarters of the town, except I saw a few faces walking in from the grass lot toward the restaurant that I recognized, and they were from Asheville, not Wellsville. I also saw a few Tennessee license plates.

I don’t know how we’d managed to expand to get people from an hour away in more than one direction to come to see a TV show they could watch in their own living room, but somehow we had.

Cameron saw me as I got to the front of the line and had started to turn toward the grass lot. He gave me a huge grin and waved me into the parking lot instead. I looked over, and after a second, I saw, sure enough, they’d set up a bucket with my name taped to it again, holding my spot.

What I wondered the most, as I parked, was how he’d managed to set this all up without me even noticing. I’d been here the previous afternoon for a training session, and there hadn’t been a hint toward anything like this. I’d just assumed the big crowd from last week was a fluke, and he didn’t need the big tent anymore.

It was very sneaky of the man.

I walked into the restaurant, greeting people as I passed through the overflowing crowd outside. It’s surreal to see so many familiar faces mixed with strangers, who I assumed had come in from out of town for this. They weren’t from Wellsville; I knew that. Lyla and Seth waved me over to a table off near the kitchen, where they’d saved me a seat.

“Dude, this is insane!” Seth exclaims. “Have you seen how many people are here?”

“I did. There’s still a long line all the way out to the highway. Where did they all come from?”

“All over the area. Apparently, people have been talking up the party we’ve been having here, and... it drew interest. I heard Chef had to put in an order for more food that he had delivered this morning and called a restaurant he knew one town over to borrow some of their staff.”

I thought about going back and saying hi, but through the window, I could see it was an absolute madhouse, and I could see the waitresses running around like crazy. This was starting to get out of hand, and I’d need to talk to Chef about maybe skipping the final episode because I don’t think he could handle any more business like this.

Or maybe he could, and Vincent and the rest of the guys would be bummed to be out the extra cash. I’d have to at least talk to him about it.

“This is just...”

“Charlie! Great to see you,” Mr. Jensen, my history teacher, said, coming over and shaking my hand. “Quite the crowd you’ve drawn here tonight.”

“I know.”

“I don’t really watch much TV, so when we heard you had to be gone for a week to be on a reality show, I’d assumed it was... I don’t know, something about kids dating or whatever. I have to say, you have completely blown me away. I mean, I knew you played music, but...”

“He’s done us all very proud,” Dr. Wallace said, coming up behind Mr. Jensen. “While keeping on top of everything else.”

“Yes, that too. You’ve really impressed me.”

“I think he has a line forming, Charles. Really, you’ve done amazing, Charlie,” Dr. Wallace said, reaching down and shaking my hand before he pulled Mr. Jensen away.

It was always weird to see your teachers outside of school like real people, but I appreciated their support. Over the next ten minutes, more people filtered by, some I knew well and some I barely knew, but who seemed to know me. Everyone had nice things to say, although most of them seemed to want to talk about what had been on the show the previous night. It had mostly been about prep for the upcoming duets show and had featured some of the partying around the house, but an uncomfortably large part of it had been about me and Amanda. Well, Amanda and her drinking followed by her going to the hospital.

I’m sure for the show it came off as great drama, and they’d edited it to really highlight Amanda’s drinking, to the point where there was a montage of her downing drink after drink. I recognized enough of the shots to know they’d put them together from the night before the duet performance and the first night at the house, but they’d made it look like she’d had all those drinks in one night. It wasn’t fair, but enough of the shots were from the night in question that it wasn’t altogether unfair either.

They’d left the episode with me asking about a new duet partner after we found out the next morning she wasn’t coming back, and the producers saying we’ll see. Real cliff-hanger stuff. And all anyone wanted to talk about. I didn’t want to ruin the surprise with Linda, so I just kept telling them they’d have to watch, but I was a little worried with how much the show built it up, even what was going to be a letdown.

I guess it had an upside too, because after the episode went off the night before, I’d gotten a text from Warren that only said ‘Screen Time.’ At least he was excited about it.

The one big surprise I got was when I looked up to see Victor coming over to our table. I don’t think I’d seen him since the previous spring, before the whole thing with my parents happened. I jumped up to shake his hand and he pulled me into a quick hug instead.

“Hey man, good to see you!” I said. “What are you doing here?”

“Chef mentioned how crazy the crowds were getting for these watch parties and what a big event it turned into. I had to come check it out for myself. Got roped into helping out in the kitchen when I got here.”

“I bet. How’s it looking back there?” I asked.

“Insane,” Victor said bluntly. “I’ve never seen anything like it. Everyone’s just going full speed, tickets pouring in. Poor Vincent looks like he’s about to have a heart attack.”

I winced and he waved it off, saying, “He’ll survive. They told me about the bonus check they got the previous week, and if this one is even busier, I’m sure he won’t have any problems going to the bank. Besides, everyone out here seems to be having a good time.”

We talked for a few minutes, just catching up on what he’d been doing since the last time I saw him and his asking about my music and the competition. He’d apparently been watching it already, so tonight was the first one he was going to have to go back and watch, since he’d be in the kitchen the whole time. It was sobering to find out how much support I still had and how many people were out here cheering me on to succeed.

Eventually, Chef stuck his head out of the kitchen door and got his attention, making a hand signal.

“Shoot. I said just a minute and it’s been like ten. I gotta run.”

“Okay, but I want to talk more when everything’s over tonight, okay?”

“Count on it,” he said, slapping me on the shoulder before pushing his way back to the kitchen.

As he did, the lights started to go down and someone turned the sound up on the TV as the opening theme for the show came on. My duet disaster with Amanda had been the cliffhanger ending of the previous episode and that’s right where it picked up. The very first shot was just my face looking distressed after Amanda was taken away in an ambulance, a producer next to me telling me they would figure something out about a duet partner.

As I sat there watching, I realized they’d made this entire episode about me. I guess that was good for my screen time, but people like Marissa and Cole, who did very well, were getting completely shafted. They started off the episode after hanging on my face with flashbacks to the night before’s episode, showing Amanda’s drinking and subsequent collapse. I don’t think I’d ever seen them do that before, but they were really playing into the drama.

Everyone around me was eating it up. Of course, I knew that Linda would show up and we’d ultimately win the challenge, but most of them didn’t know that yet. So I guess playing up the drama was working.

“So what happened?” Lyla asked eagerly, leaning across the table. “Who was your new partner?”

She was one of the few who knew I made it through, but even she was buying into it. I just waved her off. They finally started showing the other performances, but they cut to me looking worried and forlorn backstage in between each set. I wondered where these shots were from, because in reality, I found out Linda was going to be my partner before anyone went up, and spent the time practicing one of her songs while everyone else performed. They’d edited though, I guess, to make it seem like a last-minute decision.

Marissa and Cole went up and they did great. By now I guess Cole had become a favorite with the crowd. The show itself hadn’t been as cruel to him as it had been to Candi or Amanda, but it still showed him screwing up a lot and constantly doubting himself, so I guessed everyone’s reaction was because he and I were friends. For whatever reason, he got a big cheer as he finished. If I’d been less in my head, I would have recorded it so he could see everyone’s reaction and texted it to him. He should see he had support since, knowing him, he was probably at home kicking himself over how the show was portraying him.

Vincent and Steven, on the other hand, got boos as they finished. Yes, their performance had been kind of a disaster, but the show had also turned him into a heel, as the wrestling fans say. They played up how much of an asshole he was, and the crowd was eating it up. I think everyone knew they were going home, and they cheered it on.

Finally, it was my turn. They skipped the producers telling me Linda was my partner and made it look like she just came in the door, announced “I’m here,” and showed me looking relieved.

The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers and applause as she showed up, hooting and hollering as she gave me a hug and we did a quick back and forth deciding what to play.

“You got so lucky,” Lyla said across the table. “I can’t believe they brought in a ringer.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said.

Then it switched to the two of us walking out on stage. I guess they wanted it to look like Linda walked in the back door and then right out on stage to start performing. Everyone ate up the performance. By the final soaring notes, we were both breathless, turning to each other in triumph as, around me, the crowd erupted in deafening cheers. I watched myself step back in stunned exhilaration. I thought I looked like a dope, but everyone else ate it up.

My phone pinged and I looked down to see a smiley face with a head exploding emoji from Linda. I sent her back a thumbs up and a crying face. Even with how the show decided to portray everything, which I knew caused some of the over-the-top reaction, I couldn’t help but feel good.

If people who didn’t know me reacted even half as well as the people who knew me did, this was going to make Warren’s job a whole lot easier.