𝐑𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧, 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞 [rini au]

02. richard

"I'll kiss your ass goodbye, bye, bye, bye, bye
I'll kiss your ass goodbye"

The boy sitting in the back seat of the car heard his own voice singing.

"And this was a song called Lie lie lie by a young singer, Richard Bowen....." he heard a man say on the radio.

He was just on his way from the airport to his new apartment, since he just finished his world tour, his manager thinks he should give him a little more rest. So he returns to his hometown Salt Lake City for a few months.

Zack, the manager, also doesn't want many people to see him there, because he should be working on his new songs for the next album right now. And someone is writing those songs, it's just not Ricky. Zack pays a professional songwriter because in his opinion Ricky doesn't have enough talent or time to write his own songs.

Basically his manager controls not only his career but also his whole life. He chose his friends, he also chose where he can and where he can not go and in fact everything in his life was the choice of his manager.

"We're here." the car driver said.

Ricky looked out the window and saw not a hotel or anything like that but a huge house with a large garden. He didn't think it was necessary since he would live there alone. But it didn't matter what he thought, because Zack chose the house and there's no point in arguing with him.

The car door suddenly opened and he got out. The driver then closed the door again and went to the trunk for luggage.

Ricky wasn't waiting for him, he walked inside the house and saw a large hall with modern furniture. He entered the living room and his mobile phone rang. The boy looked at the screen and saw the name of his manager. He rolled his eyes and then answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Richard, hi..." he heard a voice from his phone. He hated name Richard but Zack refused to call him Ricky.

Ricky was a nickname given to him by his childhood best friend, when he wasn't famous. But now everyone knows him as Richard Bowen, and only his friends know about the nickname, and there aren't many, at least not real friends.

"Have you arrived at your new temporary house yet?"

"Yes, I am here.. but I don't understand why the house is so big."

"All right." Zack said, completely ignoring what Ricky had said. "So this is what I want you to do."

At that moment, he started feeling sad. He thought he would have some time when he could finally make his own decisions and do what he wanted and what made him happy... but he was wrong. Because this man cannot let him be free.

"I don't want you to leave the house unless it's necessary-"

"Wait- what?!"

"And I don't want you to go anywhere alone." the manager continued, not caring that Ricky had said something. "If you want to go somewhere, tell Benjamin to go with you, don't go anywhere without him."

"I'm no longer a child you know!"

"Watch your tone." the man interrupted him. "I have to go but I'll call you later. Have fun!" with that, Zack ended the call.

"How am I supposed to have fun with your rules?!" the boy said to himself.

In a few seconds his phone rang again but the name of his manager was no longer on the screen but the name of his friend EJ.

"Hey." he said when he saw the faces of his three best and actually only friends appear on the screen.

"Hi!" the only girl in their friend group replied. "Are you there yet?"

"Yup, I'm here." he replied, showing them the room through the camera.

"And what are you going to do now?" Carlos asked.

"I'll probably go unpack and then I'll lie alone on my huge couch and watch netflix."

"What?" EJ was shocked. "I thought you were going to do something. Finally Zack isn't with you, you can do whatever you want. Go out!"

"That's what I thought too! But I was ordered not to leave the house. And certainly not alone." the boy with curly hair told his friends.

"And you will listen to him?" Carlos looked at Ricky as if he was doing the most stupid thing ever.

"Los!" Ashlyn shook her head in disapproval.

"What? I just want him to enjoy it as long as he can, because he doesn't have much time. All I'm saying is that if he went out now, Zack wouldn't find out." he said, and Ricky began to really think about it.

"It's not the worst idea...."

"No! No, Ricky, don't be stupid? Do not do it!" Ashlyn tried to convince him to follow the rules.

"I don't have to be a genius to know what he will do." Ricky heard EJ's voice.

"I have to go but thank you for the advice!"

"Don't forget my advice!" Ash shouted.

"Bye guys!" he told them ignoring her.

"Have fun!"

"Send photos!"

"Don't do anything stupid!!"

He heard his friends say before the call ended.

Ricky didn't even think about what he was going to do. He took his mobile phone, his jacket, and sunglasses so that no one would recognize him and wanted to leave. He was already opening the door when-

"Are we going somewhere?" he heard the voice of the man behind him.

Ricky turned slowly to look at him. "No. No I am going... alone."

"You know you can't-"

"I can if Zack doesn't find out." he smiled a little.

"Mr. Bowen-"

"I've told you a million times to call me Ricky." he interrupted. "Mr. Bowen or Richard sounds like I'm old."

"And I've told you a million times that it's not professional to call you Ricky."

"And I said I don't care."

"Mr. Bowen.." the man repeated louder. "You can not-"

"Please Ben!"

Benjamin Mazzara. Ricky's driver, bodyguard, assistant and basically his right hand. Without him he would be completely lost.

According to the manager, it is useless to have different person for everything, it is more practical to have one person who can do it all. And that's Ben.

"Please. I want to feel free once in my life." Ricky begged. "I've always done what Zack wanted, at least once in my life I want to do what I want."

Benjamin thought for a moment about what he would answer. He looked at the boy and he saw that he really wanted this. "But no one will recognize you!"

"I swear!"

"All right..." Ricky didn't wait for Ben to finish his sentence, he run away from the house. He walk down the street, look around as it was the first time in six years he was outside alone.

He suddenly bumped into someone. After a while he saw a brown-haired girl. The brunette fell to the ground with something she held in her hand, Ricky wasn't sure what it was. He tried to catch the girl but did not. She fell and blood appeared on her knee.

"Oh god, I'm so sorry." he said, reaching out his hand to help her stand up.

------
I'm feeling nice today so I'm giving you a double update.

I hope you like the story so far :)

Sof♡