Within The Spotlight

3. Takeoff

It'd been two days since Lavender's crazy interview and job opportunity. During that time, she called her parents to share the good news, to which they were very skeptical and worried for her wellbeing. She had also managed to pack two suitcases with everything she might need for the summer, contacted her neighbors and hired them to look after her cat for the summer, and researched her upcoming position as a personal assistant.

The email that the secretary sent her the night after the interview instructed her to meet everyone at a private airport in Long Beach where they would only have a few minutes to introduce themselves and get to know each other before being trapped together for 3 months. She was also instructed that the rest of the crew knew each other from tour planning and rehearsals, so she would be the only one joining at the last minute. No pressure.

Lavender wanted so badly to complain about all of this to Marissa, but she wasn't even sure if her best friend knew the details of the job when she offered it to her. If Marissa didn't, Lavender was not about to break her numerous non-disclosure agreements and risk the millions of dollars in penalties that come with them. And even if she did, Lavender was very lucky to have the opportunity, hell even Target had rejected her job application, so she did not want to come off ungrateful.

In an effort to make a good impression, Lavender spent an hour picking out an outfit the day of the flight. She decided on slacks with a blouse and a matching cardigan, worried about air conditioning on the plane. She did minimal makeup like she normally did for school, but added a bit more mascara and eyeliner out of fear. And for her hair, she put on a high ponytail.

Looking in the mirror, her hands shaking and breath unsteady, Lavender considered her last chance to back out. A change in routine of any kind always made her a bit nervous, and travelling the country as a tour assistant for the country's biggest pop star seemed like a pretty major shift to it. But as she stared into her eyes through the reflection, she remembered how her parents always encouraged her to put herself out there, their stories of leaving Mexico to come to America for a better life, and their unconditional love and belief in her.

Lavender showed up over an hour early. Security wouldn't let her inside.

It wasn't just embarrassing since she was forced to stand outside, but also because she had to do so under the watchful eyes of security for a little under an hour until someone else came by.

"Are you the new assistant?" She heard a voice call out while exiting a car. The voice came from a woman only a few years older than herself, dressed much more professionally than herself, and stunningly beautiful.

"Uh, yes. I was hired by Hollywood Records for the tour with-" Lavender wasn't sure if she was allowed to continue.

"Okay great, sorry about the security," she shot them a dirty look, "you can just follow me in and I think everyone else will be showing up soon."

Step after step, the world seemed to spin around Lavender as she was surrounded by private jets and people walking around in dark sunglasses. It was a whole different world than she was used to. The woman in front of her leading the way also seemed like the type of confident businesswoman her parents probably hoped she would have become. High heels clacking on the floor as she skillfully speedwalks and coffee in hand.

"I'm Eloise Turner, I'm the tour manager so I work with finances and logistics. Basically, if you have any problems or questions you can come to me, and I'll point you to somebody else cause I'm far too busy to handle anything else at this point," she laughed. "This tour is incredibly understaffed, honestly fuck Hollywood Records."

Lavender had no idea how to respond to that.

"Hah," nervous laughter is never a good response. "I'll do my best, is there anything else I should know about how to do my job specifically? You know, um, Mr Skylar personally, right?"

Eloise laughed. "If he heard you call him that he'd probably about off himself. Anyway I don't know much, Lance is pretty reserved. You'll have to talk to him yourself about that, just don't be too offended if he brushes you off at first."

Well that didn't seem hopeful.

Suddenly Eloise started talking again, "Yeah we just got here. Ok. Tim thanks for doing this." She must've grabbed her phone so quickly and efficiently that Lavender didn't notice. Just as soon as she did, Eloise had the phone back in her pocket and was looking around.

"That was Timothy Ho, he's Lance's bodyguard but at the moment he's been doubling the personal assistant role because of everything that went down. They said they're here too, probably got here just after us. I'm surprised the paparazzi didn't find out about this, but either way we've got to leave right away," Eloise explained.

It took all of Lavender's effort to follow along as Eloise spoke quickly and breezed past seemingly important details. It also was quite an effort to keep up with her speed walking, as they approached the private jet that she assumed belonged to Lance Skylar. It wasn't the largest by any standard, but you could definitely tell it was expensive. The black and red finish shone bright in the sunlight, with dark tinted windows and a lavish staircase reaching down to the ground.

Outside stood a pilot eagerly waving at them, and Lavender couldn't help but feel a bit stressed about her life being in his hands. He seemed too young to be flying an airplane, and the negative overthinking part of Lavender's brain tied his eagerness to immaturity. Her insecurity suddenly started to creep back around her, until then being overshadowed by adrenaline and the craziness of the situation.

It did not help that right at this moment of panic, she heard Eloise call out "Oh there they are!"

Eloise was looking behind Lavender, which immediately made Lavender's throat tense up. The curiosity to look behind her was outweighed by the sudden inability to move her feet. Behind her, there would be Lance Skylar, world famous singer / actor whom Eloise had warned might brush her off and was reserved. If Lance Skylar immediately hated her, Lavender wasn't sure what she would do. Could she really be an assistant to someone that hated her?

Finally, Lavender considered it would be rude to not turn around, and slowly turned her waist. Behind her, she was surprised to see the star in sweats and an oversized t-shirt, accessorized with Beats headphones and what appeared to be slippers. During her research she had only ever seen him in suits and carefully styled outfits, but then obviously even celebrities care about comfort.

As he walked up to him, Lance's eyes fell upon Lavender. She was, of course, the only face he didn't recognize from working with during tour rehearsals and practice. "Are you the replacement assistant?" he asked.

"Yes. My name is Lavender Flores, I'm here to do whatever I can to help." Maybe it sounded a bit too eager? Just like the pilot. She was starting to feel a kinship with him, which only further solidified her fears of dying in a plane crash.

Lance turned back toward the plane and continued walking.

"Okay."