Page 96 of My Rock Star Neighbor
Maddie:I’m great.Not yet.We’ll talk later.
Iputmyphonedown, take another swig of water, and get back out on stage.The band is rehearsing in Jersey City doing a run-through.Ashley suddenly arrives and asks if she can talk to me.Is this related to Maddie’s text?Ashley pulls me aside.
“We don’t understand why this contract hasn’t been revealed yet,” she says.“It’s making the big guys nervous.They want you to break up.”
“I’m not breaking up with Maddie,” I say.“This isn’t negotiable.”
“Plus, they’ve found Lucy Colgan to be a romantic interest.”
“What?Who’s that?”I ask.
“She’s an up-and-coming actress.Her movie is doing well in theaters right now, and so you could both win with the publicity.”
There’s the ulterior motive.I knew it.“They’re okay with me fake dating this woman?How’s that different?That’s not going to win me points, if I break up with Maddie—the girl next door—and fake date some film star.I thought my brand was being open and honest and down-to-earth.”
“You’re the one who asked for security.That’s also not very down-to-earth.You’re on the road to making it big.The label thinks that we can let go of the ‘down-to-earth’ image.Plus, there wouldn’t be a written fake-dating contract.And the publicity would get you in the spotlight.It would drive up sales.Dating Maddie doesn’t drive up sales.”
“It will be obvious that I’m fake dating her.Or people will think I’m a player.Is that really the image management wants?Because that’s not me.”I am not my dad.“And that’s pretty clear in my music too.”My themes are about finding “the one” or being the one betrayed.
“That’s what I told them,” Ashley says.“I wanted to make sure we were on the same page.”
“By freaking me out first?”I ask.Testing me.Everything is a test.I knew that it would be like this, but it’s still more depressing than I thought it would be to find that out.
I don’t trust that Ashley and I are on the same page.We’re on the same page as long as I can make an argument defending my position, but she would be happier if I had agreed to date Lucy Colgan.
“Did you see the latest attacks on Maddie?They’re clearly some trolls, but I thought you should know.Is she still not looking at them?”Ashley asks with a side glance.
“That’s what she says,” I say slowly.I have to give Ashley credit.This is a much more persuasive argument if she wants to convince me to break up with Maddie.
I scroll through the comments and the videos posted.One has Maddie without makeup on the subway.A chill goes through me.Someone is trailing her.Is this related to the apartment attack?
Was Maddie’s investigation not the reason for the break-in?
Is she truly not safe dating me?
We finish our practice session, and Amira relays the dates of our upcoming short tour.We’re back in New York to record another single, and then we’re driving up to Maine, stopping at Providence, Burlington, and Boston on the way.Then we’ll be back in the recording studio, and then we’ll hit a few festivals on the East Coast in May and June.
“Are you okay leaving Elena when she’s pregnant?”I ask José.
“Yes, she seems to be fine.The doctor said sometimes spotting happens, and she has to take it a little easier.She promised me that she will.She’s excited I’m finally touring.Apparently, I’m driving her crazy with my protectiveness.Her mom lives nearby, and she’s not due for months.We tried to plan it so that she’s due when we’re working on the next batch of singles for release, if MusEn keeps to this waterfall strategy of our working on singles and releasing a single every few months.We’re lucky she got pregnant so soon.”
I nod.
“Your face,” José says.“Did you think I’d leave the band?After how hard we’ve worked for years?Now that we’re about to make it?”
I shake my head.I’m an idiot.José wasn’t going to leave the band.
Maybe itisdoable.José seems confident that it is.
“Elena already bought a ‘my daddy is a rock star’ onesie,” José says.“My family is backing me up.”
I don’t have family backing up my rock star career.
Maddie calls me that night and shares her news.
“That’s brilliant!”I say.“I’m impressed both with how you and Tasha distracted her and with your pickpocketing skills.And now you have proof.”
“I still don’t know if the other deputy commissioners are involved, but Felicity says we can run the story with what we have.We have definite proof that it’s Deputy Commissioner Ward.But that conversation between Pommer and Demoraux was suspicious.Pommer knows something.”
