OUT OF THE WOODS-cth

-two-

      Adriana pulled in front of the office building, checking herself in the car mirror, then again in the reflection of the window after exiting onto the sidewalk. She took a deep breath as she walked through the glass doors into the lobby, beaming at the secretary.

     "Hi, I'm one of Angela Mako's clients, Adriana Luna. I have a meeting with her today?" She chirps, tucking her hair behind her ears nervously. The secretary types and clicks for a minute before pointing her to the elevator, directing her to the 7th floor. The singer nodded and called out a thank you as she walked away, anxiously tugging at the bottom of her shirt as she watched the elevator numbers go up. The doors open with a ding and she stepped out, looking for signs to the conference room, trying her best to walk calmly through the halls. Finally, she reaches the heavy door marked with the numbers she was told, taking a deep breath as she turned the doorknob.

      From the table, her manager and two men turn to look at her. She waves shyly as she steps into the room, slowly letting the door shut behind her. She walks over to her manager, sitting next to her and resting her hands on the table.

      Her manager smiles at her and turns to the men, "Gentlemen, this is Miss Adriana Luna. Pop's newest princess." Adriana's cheeks burn red at the nickname, still unsure of its validity. Her manager turns back to her, smiling as she says, "This is Josh and Nathan, managers of the main artists." Adriana nods, reaching out to shake both of their hands, smiling politely as they all exchange 'hellos'. Josh opens one of the folders in front of him, clearing his throat.

      "So, Miss Luna, we've heard great things. About you and from you," he smiles at her, Angela squeezing her arm lightly before he continues, "We think you've got a great sound, you're clearly on the come up and we think that you joining this tour would do great for you and the guys." Adriana nods, smile growing with each word that leaves his mouth.

      She clears her throat before asking, "Who exactly is the band? Angela never said and I would really like to at least familiarize myself with their stuff." Her eyes scan their faces, smile faltering as they all exchange a look she can't quite place. Angela turns to her, expression slightly serious as she rests a hand over Adriana's. Her eyebrows furrow in confusion as her smile turns from excited to confused, laughing nervously, "What? Am I missing something?"

      Her manger presses her lips together before starting, "Now, honey, before we tell you I want you to understand that this is a huge opportunity for you. This tour, it will truly make you a star, you just need to know that in this business sometimes you have to do some things that are hard." Adriana's smile drops completely as she leans back in her chair a bit, face scrunched in confusion. She shakes her head slightly, looking at Josh and Nathan who are also looking at her with that weird expression. She looks back at her manager, voice filled with anxiety, "Ang, who is it?"

      "It's 5 Seconds of Summer," she sighs at the singer. Adriana shoots up from her chair, taking a step back as she shakes her head, "No, I'm so sorry I know you guys need an opener but, no I can't." She rambles out, heat creeping through her body. She mumbles an apology and rushes through the door, breathing heavily as she walks through the halls. She hears the conference door open behind her and her managers heels clicking after her. Angela grabs her arm turning her around. She points a finger in the girls face, tone hard as she speaks, "You need to stop. Take a deep breath, mama. Please, I need you to think about this."

      The singer looks at her like she's crazy, scoffing, "Angela, I'm not doing it. I don't care, this is a no, I don't know why you even thought this would be a good idea." Her manager rolls her eyes at her, dragging her around a random corner, staring hard into the girls eyes.

      "You said you've been over it. You need to suck whatever this pride is up and be a damn professional. This is a huge opportunity, can't you see that?" Adriana hangs her head slightly, sighing. Her manager wasn't wrong, she knew that joining their tour would bring her status way up, it'd make the nickname 'pop princess' true and she knew it very well. She squeezed her eyes shut, whining as she threw her head back against the wall, "I hate that you're right."