ᴏᴀᴋʟᴇʏ ᴄᴀʀʀɪʟʟᴏ was discovered at fourteen years old, being praised as a musical prodigy by the media ever since. His fame had only increased until now. At nineteen old, he's the most remarkable musician of his age, and he's only getting started. At...
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ᴏᴀᴋʟᴇʏ ᴄᴀʀʀɪʟʟᴏ
I talked to Hanna that week as promised. we met up at my dad's—just to ensure some privacy.
"Hi," she said, smiling at me with a broad smile. Unlike me, she had a full set of dimples.
"Hey," I said. "Thank you for coming."
"No worries," she said. "How have you been?"
"Oh, you know. I've been okay." I wanted to skip the small talk if possible, but I wasn't sure how to approach that without being rude. "How has your new contract been?" I asked carefully. Maybe she had been running into problems with Stellar as well.
"I figured that was what you wanted to talk about," she said. "They keep rejecting the songs I write."
Honestly, I was shocked she even wrote her own music. Not only didn't she have any experience as far as I was aware, but with artists like her, they typically wouldn't even consider her writing her own lyrics.
"I hope you have a good lawyer if you want to leave," I told her.
"I might not have a lawyer for a mom, but unlike you, I have a good manager," she said, smiling smugly.
"Ouch," I said, my hands crossed over my chest. We could laugh about it. It's how we became friends in the first place. Telling each other how horribly we were doing. "How is Dahlia anyway?"
"She would absolutely kill me if she heard I was here, but she's good. She's already trying to find me some new label for when this contract ends."
"What's wrong with being here?" I asked her. "Is it me?"
"She doesn't exactly like you anymore," Hanna said, smiling awkwardly. "I might've told her some horrible things about you."
I always sort of got the idea that woman didn't like me from the start.
"Well, she's probably going to hate me even more, because I need you to do me a favor," I said.
She furrowed her brows. "What is it?"
"I'm trying to get out of my current contract. They have me trapped, and they say I can sorta buy myself out if I help you gain a better following with your music," I explained to her. "I think they want someone that generates equally as much money as me, and they do think you have the potential."
"You think so?" she asked, her blue eyes slightly widened at the request. "Oh, wow."
"Except I do think they have a bit of an agenda behind it, but I can't quite figure it out." Wanting us to date again so far seemed the most logical explanation, because that way I wouldn't stop supporting her music after that agreement ends, and there would be a lot for fans to talk about, keeping both of us relevant. However, every interaction between us was already very much talked about, and speculation still fueled the conversation. And I could still support her for years on end even if we weren't dating.
