★ Warning Mature Content ★
Asher Kells is a Rock Star and Rapper, complete with tattoos on nearly every inch of his thickly muscled body. He has a badass ability to play the guitar, and he sang like crush diamonds, amber whiskey, and smoke. While I...
Because of classes, I'm almost late for Press Day. Damn. With a turn racing through the nearly empty parking lot. Zoom past the front doors waving my badge at the security. I turn right to the elevators, repeating the directions in my head that Zoey gave me on the loop. Then up the elevator to the top floor of the Arena. At a quick jog, I pass each of the expensive sky suites. Down the hall to the huge 27 Club Lounge sign. Dressing rooms. Where are the dressing rooms?Found it.
The dressing rooms were connected to the Sky Lounge at the top of the King's arena. I burst through the door, out of breath. Zoey looks up at me from the chair. The dressing rooms were converted box seat suites. Normally, the suites were used for corporations and VIP season ticket holders. They put all the contestants and hosts together in three dressing rooms. As I walked past the label doors, one for Team Pop, another for Team Broadway, and finally my Team Rock. I open the Team Rock door. The suite was extravagant, with a small dressing area and three lit vanity mirrors. Zoey was sitting at one of the mirrors, getting her makeup in order. She and Megumi, the production manager, were in the middle of a conversation. A large TV on the wall was playing a reel of the events that happen in the Arena like the Kings games and The Tour. When you walked out the back door, it was a balcony that looked down onto The Tour stage and thousands of empty seats. The scary thing is my mom's house is a three-bedroom starter home. It wasn't huge, but this suite had more floor space than my mom's home. Although this was the second time seeing the VIP boxes. It was still, Whoa... It's a whole another world.
I got my makeup set and Megumi welcome other people into the room ready for work. Other contestants followed her directions and found a place in the room. Kyle wasn't making eye contact with me at all. This is a little weird since this was our dressing room, but he greeted everyone else, including Zoey, but not me. The cameras came along with the large group and caught the fail live. Great...
"All the contestants are here. Let's get started." Megumi pushes her glasses high on her nose. "Today you will meet with Paulie in an hour. He will go over your cover for the YouTube channel introductory video. The video will have certain types of content, for example, your backstory. To go along with a backstory, it will have a cover song. Pick something you think the audience will enjoy. This is a small reminder any time you do anything outside of the dressing rooms, it's being recorded. The audience is watching the shows."
Sheesh, Megumi, sound a little less YA dystopian. I snorted at my own inner joke.
We followed Megumi to the club 27 sky lounge-like ducklings. Sponsors and press mingle with the contestant. As the people passed by, they got into groups and then broke apart. It was like watching starlings' flight formations. And I was the starling who didn't get the memo for the directions. Maybe it was because I gave off Wheelz vibes, but it was like I wasn't there again. I check my dress for crayon marks from work, just in case.
The 27 club room was the size of a small high school auditorium. It had a bar on the side and a big window that, if you looked down, you can see the on-stage performer in the arena. The 27 club Lounge and bar above the VIP boxes in the Sacramento Arena was like if Vegas and an Apple Store had a baby. It's all sleek lines, rich finishes of white and black with a big box of Vegas glitter sprinkled over the top. It just wasn't very Sacramento. Sacramento is more loafers and cowbells. Every single time the Kings play, there're cowbells everywhere because we got cows. It's also loafers because Sacramento is the capital of California. And Cali is the fifth-biggest economy in the world. Government nerds are here too. Almost everyone in the city either works for the state or federal government. Or they know a family member who works for the Fed or State government. When I was a little kid, a lot of the shops were closed on Sunday. If New York City is the city that never sleeps, Sacramento is the city that always sleeps. It sleeps at a reasonable time because they need to go to their nine-to-five jobs for the state. This glitzy up club in the VIP boxes of the Sacramento Arena Downtown was not very Sacramento. At least, not the Sacramento I grew up in.
It's like being above the world in VIP boxes. When you looked over the edge of the seating, you could see straight down to the floor.
A wave of activity followed the judges as they entered the room. As if the room with all the people were waiting for the real show to show up, which wasn't us but those judges. To be honest, they were the real show. It was confirmed by Paulie that The Tour. had tied in ratings with Hollywood Next, the current biggest talent show on tv. But more importantly, Hollywood Next didn't have all the social media and live stream The Tour. audition had. As Paulie sold the show to the sponsors in his speech to the room, I caught Asher's eyes on me. Asher was in his music mogul look, with most of his tattoos covered up by a bespoke suit. His hair is back in a corporate business style but one step to the side combines with the tats. The backdrop behind him was his company sponsor logo for the 27 Club. Even though he was with the judges and sponsors, he stood out without trying.
We weren't close to each other in the sky lounge. But it was like my mind filled in those golden hazel nebulous eyes. Asher's keen gaze reached out to me and I paused unable to move an inch. He's not looking at me, is he? I turned around to make sure he wasn't looking at someone behind me. We had a moment in the parking lot, but that kiss could have been like a rock star handshake for all I know. Making a big deal out of it wouldn't be a good idea. The empty wall behind me in my corner was the only thing that greeted me. When I turned around, he smirked at me like he knew what I was doing.
I flipped him off.
Asher smiled even bigger. That bastard likes it! I couldn't help the giggle and it was reinforced by his big smile. He moved to the side of the group and Paulie stepped off the stage and joined the sponsor group. His mouth never stops. Moving, he was so smooth. Asher mouths something to me. I couldn't figure it out until he put his hands in a book opening up motion. He wanted to play Russian roulette. How did he know I brought my journal with me again? I mean, I do bring it everywhere, but still.
When I shake my head no to him, the mime game expands. I felt alone in a crowded club, but with Asher; it was as if the world was simply the two of us. I couldn't help but snort at his last joke. Yeah, just a guy for sure. Unfortunately, Asher had people following him when he came to join me. The sponsors, press, and Paulie went with him everywhere at the party. It was almost like the shit train was a leash that followed behind him. Before Asher could make it to me on the other side of the room, he had him stop and do pictures with Zoey. The two look like bookends. With Zoey's dyed black hair and natural Rock vibes, they undeniably work together. They looked like the Team Rock the contest was trying to make.
The group was close enough for me to hear them. A corporate CEO from a Midwest Christian Fast-food company was the main sponsor. He seems really enamored of Zoey and Asher together. Listening to the CEO gush over his daughter's love of Asher's music and how Zoey reminded him of her. Asher looked like he fit, even with his tats in the group of powerful people. He had this quality to him of a businessman and he knew how to work the room. Zoey's dark hair shifts and she scans the room. I wave at her, but she shakes her head and calls me over with her hand. I shake my head no at her and head to the interview area to practice. Really, not my thing.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
A/n: We are still a thirst trap book people! I may end up doing two posts this week it depends on if Noah's edits take more time than I thought.
