𝚃𝚑𝚎 𝙰𝚛𝚛𝚊𝚗𝚐𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚗𝚝

Public relations

It's been a few days since my label published my new single Better Version, with the visualizer and what can I say?

Where I had about 10K streams within 2 days, especially weekends, I do not even reach 5K streams these past two days.

"I told you, it's over. They've all forgotten who I am. No, who I was. Or, I don't know." I mumble along with my sadness, my manager carefully listening to me.

"Hey, hey, hey. Don't hang your head low. You didn't come back all the way, through all of this hard work, all the shit that you've been through, just do give up on a few views now." Sarah holds a speech, I've heard all too often already. I just groan and rub my face, while we walk down the street.

"What do we need to do?" I try to move on from the basement of my emotions and look forward to what possibilities I have left to get back up to where I was before.

My manager just smiles proudly and nods. "It can't be about the promotion. We've put a lot of time, money and effort in the promotion of your new single and the upcoming album." She goes through what we've already done. "Also it can't be about your music, that song it a fucking slay and those people who streamed it, love it." Sarah talks ahead and I follow her attentively, trying to come up with other possibilities. "But many people don't seem to know you anymore, or they just remember the broken down version of who you were when you had those blackouts."

"So, you're probably saying that this must be about my public relations or something just alike that?" My guess hit the nail.

"Most likely." My manager confirms, looking at me as I stopped walking.

"Guess hanging out with The Weekend and else is what I need to do now, isn't it?" I make the most relatable assumption of how to get more public relations again.

Sarah however just tilts her head, looking at me questioningly. "Is that the new you?" She just asks and turns away, starting to walk again. I'm left standing here, thinking about her question. Sarah's right.

I run, to catch up to my manager and walk alongside her again. My eyes are clued to her, the sidewalk only visible in the corner of my eye. "Even though Abel is a cool guy and famous as hell right now, I should also make new companions you say?"

"I see, we're on the same line for now. Go ahead Y/n, what else did I try to say?" Sarah grins mischievously and leaves me no choice but assume that there's way more she was trying to say, then I could imagine.

"Something else?" I question, honestly a little perplex and earn only a nod from her.

I don't get to guess along, as we arrive at our destination, my label. Sarah and I enter the building and are greeted by Jason.

"Y/n, Sarah, come in!" He beams with an excitement that's got me curious. I was expecting a less good mood, since my single seems to obviously flop.

My manager and I share confused looks, but follow Jason into the conference room. We all take our seats and just the second I sit down, Jason slides a folder across the table to me. "Don't be shy, open it!"

His tone is clearly too happy for my liking. I look in between Sarah and him, before I slowly grab the folder and open it.

As I read, Jason talks along. "There are only two weeks until the album release left and so I thought about something to get you more attention. More public relations."

I gulp and look up at him in shock, giving the folder to Sarah in slow-motion. My gaze never leaves Jason, who seems absolutely convinced about his idea.

"You see, Bryan is a good friend of mine and this is just the perfect coincidence." He states, pointing at the folder that my manager also seems less happy about.

"You can't be serious Jason. Besides that you've made this decision without talking to me in the first place, this is a no-go!" Sarah slams the folder onto the table, making Jason's eyes shoot at her now.

"I am her manager after all. Such ideas do need to be talked over with me." She clarifies, still in a relatable angry tone.

"It's just an idea and I'm telling you about it right now." Jason stays calm. I pinch the bridge of my nose as I close my eyes and just shake my head. "Think about it. I know this is a big thing I'm having here, but-"

"You can't make me marry someone just because they're needing to settle on someone because time's ripe or whatever the hell the reason for this arrangement should be!" I eventually burst out, failing to keep my disliking of the idea down and talk it out calmly. I start to scratch the bridge of my nose, a habit I've got when I'm stressed out and about to go down.

Luckily Sarah doesn't let me go to far, she grabs my wrist and puts my arm down, holding my hand in hers. I take a few deep breaths and squeeze her hand.

"How comes, Jason?" My manager calmly asks and tries to talk the topic out for me.

Jason takes a deep breath, he seems quite less convinced about the arrangement idea than before Sarah and I's outbursts. "I shouldn't have come up with such a big idea just like that. I'm sorry." His hands motion a slow-down gesture as he smiles softly at me. His eyes then land on Sarah.

"Bryan has been telling me about his attempts to convince Miss Johansson to settle on someone, settle down over and over again. He never got to convince her. I'm sure you can imagine her reasons though." Jason pauses, making sure we're still following his explanation. "And when your single kind of flopped, which is most probably because of the lack of PR, I just saw it. The arrangement. With Bryan the idea got born and as you know me, I got carried away with our crazy plan."

"Her reasons must be the same as mine." I state thoughtfully. "I want to make it alone. I don't want to become famous because I'm married to whatever famous actress or whoever." My words are filled with conviction, but also a little hopeful. Hopeful for Jason to just put his crazy idea down.

"I understand that you got carried away, Jason. But, just think about it for now." Sarah encourages my label boss to overthink how unreasonable his idea actually is. Jason just nods and looks down, playing with the folder that's laying on the table.

"I guess I ran into something really stupid there. Still I hope you guys will also put a thought on it or at least try to understand why I got so into it." He calmly speaks, slightly sliding the folder back over the table towards Sarah and I's direction.

I take a deep breath, graining my thoughts as good as possible. Somehow I understand what got him so into the arrangement. I need public relations, bigger and better than ever before and Bryan seems to need his client to settle down with someone, there the seemingly perfect solution was for Jason.

I eventually grab the folder and stand up. "We will give it a thought." I dryly state, not wanting to get any hopes for Jason up.

Sarah looks up at me confused at first, but then she stands up as well and smiles politely at Jason. "Lucky you she's such a good person." She states in a rather unfortunate tone and heads for the door.

Jason hurries to stand up and speeds to open up the door for Sarah and I with a genuine smile. "Thank you Y/n. Have a good day still. Bye."

"Goodbye." My manager and I say in chorus as we walk past him and head out.

The moment Jason was excited, I was sure something to my disliking would come and still here I walk with that damn folder in my hand. Everything has a reason, they say.