TRACK 7
"It's pretty packed out there," I glanced at Silas as the two of us stood backstage, "You guys sure know how to pull a crowd."
Silas's peered around the corner, his eyes wide as he looked back to me, "Holy shit, I think that's the most amount of people we've ever had! Thank you, by the way, for setting this up."
I shrugged, "A deals a deal. Besides, you guys are the ones that got that audience here. I didn't do anything."
"Still, thank you."
"How's TJ been doing? You know, with the whole... gossip shit?"
"Gossip shit?" Silas repeated, with a broad grin, "She's been alright, I guess. Had to stop her from telling a twelve-year-old to shut the fuck up. But other than that, she's been okay." Silas acknowledged my confused expression, "The kid called her a whore," he clarified.
"She got called a whore?"
Silas nodded with a chuckle, "Yeah, something along the lines of how they're meant to be with you and not her."
"Silas," Weston's voice interrupted as he quickly walked over, Patrick following shortly behind, "We've got a problem."
Patrick handed over his phone. Whatever was on the screen caused a look of panic.
"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Silas whispered. "How the hell did this get out?"
"I have no idea, someone must have leaked it," Patrick took his phone back, "It just got out. Do you think she knows?"
Silas shook his head, "No if she knew that was out, we would know."
I glanced down at my phone as the three guys spoke in hushed voices. Clearly, whatever had happened was not good. Especially if it was something that involved TJ.
"Who do you think leaked it?" I heard Weston pipe in.
"Well, besides the three of us, only one other person knows," Silas whispered, "And we all know, that son of a bitch would do anything for a quick buck. Plus, after everything that's gone down recently, I think he would want some revenge."
I forced my eyes to stay on the screen in front of me. I typed away to appear distracted over my device and be eavesdropping. It became increasingly more challenging to do so, however, when I could feel three pairs of eyes burning into my side.
"You guys alright?"
I looked over up to see TJ glancing between the three guys, a confused look meeting their panicked expressions.
Weston cleared his throat, "Uh, yeah, we just, uh-"
"We just saw the crowd," Silas quickly interrupted, "It's bigger than we thought. Kind of freaked us out a bit."
TJ rolled her eyes, "This is the time you guys decide to get nervous? Take a shot or something!"
The three boys exchanged awkward glances, staying silent. I took that as my opportunity to leave, wishing the group good luck before exiting the backstage area. Jeff stood near the front of the stage, speaking to a man who stood next to him.
"Ah, Carter, there you are," Jeff said as I approached, "You've met Hank before, right?"
Hank Fader, an old rock star turned high profile manager from the late 1980s to '90s. Most of his clientele were phased-out acts. There were many rumours within the industry walls that he was looking to make a comeback.
I extended my hand, greeting the now recognizable man, "Good to see you again."
"You too," Hank replied, "I've heard you found some new talent."
Jeff chuckled, "You could put it like that," his eyes scanned the room, "There is quite a crowd here. You might have some competition, Hank."
Hank nodded, "Looks like it."
"Competition?"
Jeff glanced towards me, nodding with a grin, "I told you what was in that folder was interesting."
Stage lights dimmed and the crowd erupted with a roar of cheering, eliminating my chance to question Jeff about what he meant. The band approached the stage, TJ sporting the same look of pure joy she had the first time she performed.
"Thank you for coming out tonight," her voice rang through the speaker system, "We are The LA Devils."
The crowd began cheering once again to the opening song as TJ's angelic voice filled the event space. It was hard to take my eyes off her as she performed. I forced myself to briefly look at Hank's expression now and then in an attempt to see whether he was enjoying the show.
As each song went on, my mind began to wander. The music started to fade as I replayed the events of what had just happened backstage. The panic the guys expressed over something about TJ. Why Hank was here. What Jeff meant by saying what was in the folder was interesting. My fingers itched for my phone. Solving this mystery could be solved easily by typing her name into a search engine. Yet when my eyes focused on her performing on stage, and her eyes locked onto mine, the urge to do so dissolved.
Once the performance ended, the band left the stage with looks of delight gleaming from each of their faces. Jeff and Hank were rooted in a hushed conversation, the noise of the shuffling crowd overpowering and making it impossible to hear what they were saying.
"Well, why don't we head backstage?" Jeff asked, "You can introduce Hank to the band."
The two of them were still indulging in their hushed conversation as we walked towards the dressing rooms. The thoughts began to swirl in my head once again. There was one thing I knew for sure: if Hank had a desire to meet them, it must be for a good reason.
"That was fucking insane!" I could hear Silas's voice shout, "Holy shit-" his head turned as we stepped inside, "Man, thank you again!"
"A deal's a deal," I glanced at TJ, who still appeared to be radiating from the show, "This is my manager Jeff, and this is Hank," I introduced, motioning to the men behind me.
"You're Hank Fader!" Patrick stepped forward, gleefully shaking the man's hand, "Dude, you were sick back in the day! How the hell did you get to our show?"
Hank let out a soft chuckle, "Thank you, son," he said as Patrick continued to look starstruck, "My good friend Jeff told me about you guys. I've been thinking about getting back into the managing game, and he thought you guys would be a perfect fit. And, I think he's right."
"Always am!" Jeff called out from over his shoulder as he made his way to the refreshments table.
"Wait," Silas said, raising a brow to the man, "You want to manage us?"
"Of course, I think you guys have what it takes to make it big."
"Holy fucking shit!" Patrick exclaimed, seemingly losing his mind at this point.
TJ, on the other hand, crossed her arms over her chest, the look of happiness gone. "We already have a manager."
Weston rolled his eyes at her comment, "And he's fucking shit."
"Guys," Silas quietly pipped in, stepping in-between the two, "Maybe we should have this conversation... later on."
Hank cleared his throat, "Well, if you ever change your mind, just give me a call," Hank extended a business card to TJ, which Patrick quickly snatched on her behalf, "It's clear you have your father's talents," he said to her, "I would hate for that not to be seen."
TJ looked at the man with wide eyes, her arms dropping to her sides.
"M-my father?" She stuttered out.
"Your old man and I go way back," Hank spoke with a grin, "I couldn't believe it when I found out he had a kid all this time. But look at you! You're the spitting image of him!"
I watched her closely as she took in a deep breath. While I was utterly confused by her reaction, the three boys all sported the same look of panic they had before the show.
"Like I said," she said, slowly returning to her usual demeanour, narrowing her eyes, "We already have a manager."
Hank nodded. "Right, well," his eyes shifted to Patrick, who still held tightly onto the business card, "If anything changes, give me a call."
Hank and Jeff both took that exchange as their cue to leave, swiftly exiting the room. I watched as TJ took a few steps forward, her fingers rubbing her temples, as she seemed to collect her thoughts.
TJ turned to face the boys, her eyes burning with anger, "What the fuck was that about?"
The brief attempt at meditation clearly failed her.
"Maybe I should go," I whispered to Patrick, nodding towards the direction of the door.
"No!" Patrick grabbed my arm before I was able to take a step. "We might need a witness in case she gets violent."
I wondered if his comment was an attempt at humour. However, based on the look of fear in his eyes, I quickly concluded that he was being serious. Which only made me want to leave the room more.
Silas took his phone out of his pocket. "Someone leaked a story."
TJ reached forward, snatching the phone from his grasp, glancing down at the screen. "Birth certificate reveals Carter Young's mystery girl, TJ Roberts, is the daughter of rock legend Richard Stanton," she whispered. "How the hell did this get out? You guys were the only ones that knew!"
"Well," Weston rubbed the back of his neck, "There is one more person..."
"Baby!" TJ's head snapped up to the sound of Brandon entering the room, "You did so well tonight!"
TJ turned her body, "You." Her voice snarled as she walked towards him, "You leaked that fucking story!"
Brandon raised his hands in defence. "Woah, woah, woah," he said, taking slow steps backwards, "Leaked what?"
"Don't play fucking dumb with me." TJ clenched her fists, stalking towards him until his back was pressed against the wall.
"What are you on about?" Brandon furrowed his brow, "Are you coked-out right now or something?"
"You fucking-"
Weston quickly stepped forward, grabbing hold of TJ's arm. "Come on, Teej. He's not worth it."
Well, Patrick wasn't wrong when he said he might need a witness.
Brandon straightened himself off the wall, using his hands to smooth out his shirt, "You gotta stop taking so many lines. You're being a fucking crazy bitch right now," he shook his head, "You know I would only do something for a good reason."
"Is that so?" TJ cocked her head to the side, "Pat, get Hank on the phone," her eyes continued to narrow at Brandon, "We need a new manager."
ooo... TJ's got a famous daddy!
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