Never Be Alone

The Next Big Thing

          I woke up to the chime of my phone. "Who the heck is texting to me in-" I look at the clock. Five o'clock glared at me in red numbers. "Fricking five in the morning!" I open the text to see Shawn's message. Happiness flew over me.
          "Good morning, beautiful. Have fun with the NBT! -S.M."
          "Why are u up so early? -T.B." I tapped the message faster then I could imagine.
          "I had 2 go record my soundtrack. :) Fun but rlly long hrs. -S.M." I chuckle at his text.
          "U at IR yet? -T.B."
          "Just around the corner. -S.M."
          "Better let u go 2 so ur not late. :/ Ttyl? -T.B."
          "Yeah! ;) Catch some zzz... U need them. -S.M." I feel butterfiles fill my stomach. I couldn't possibly go back to sleep now. So, I got up and got ready for the day.

          By 6:30, I had already finished my light make-up and started on my hair which was only a french braid.
          By 7:15, I was down stairs eating breakfast which consisted of ceral, toast and orange juice.
          Around 10, my father came around to pick me up. "We need to go a little early, sweety. I have to talk to Mr. Therhuff about some commericals."
          "Wait, like Zac's dad, Mr. Therhuff?" I ask as I got into the black limo.
          "Yeah. Why, something wrong?" Dad looked over his reading glasses he was currently wearing.
          "No. Just wondering." I look out the tinted windows.
          "So, how was the Your Life meeting? Made friends?" Dad asked casually. Then he joked around. "Got homework?"
          We just pulled out onto the quiet street, when I remembered that I needed my purse-bag thing. "Wait, I forgot something." The driver stops the limo. "Thank you, Adam." I bolted out the vehicle.
          I rushed up the stairs and grabbed my black purse. I grabbed my laptop, phone and my wallet and carefully but quickly put it in my purse.

          I quickly rush back out and jumped into the limo. "Okay." I huffed. Adam started to drive again.
          "Luckily you rembered." Dad chuckled. "Or you would have died without your phone."
          I mock glare at him. "No, we had to write an essay for the Your Life thing." I pull out my laptop and started to type.
          By the time we got to the Brook Stuidos, it was 11. "Okay, dumpling. I'm going to go talk to Zac's dad. You can hang out with him - Zac - Bye." Dad gets out and tells Adam to park in the back.
          "Thanks, Adam." I start to get out.
          "Your welcome, Miss Tiffany. Have a good afternoon." Adam smiles, showing his faint wrinkles of turning 30 next week.
          "Hey, I'm having a party later next week. You should come." I wanted to give him a surprise party with a little hint.
          "Sure. What day? Time?" Adam pulls out a little notepad.
          "Friday. Starts at 7 pm. At my house." I replied.
          "Miss Brook," Adam gives me a fake frown. "That is no house. That is five story mansion with a huge yard with a pool, and a corner for a small garden with a few spots for fruit trees to grow." We both laugh.
          "I guess you're right." I was ready to close the door when Adam added something.
          "Honey, I'm always right." Adam does a sassy snap. We laugh some more before we finally departed.
          "Hey, Tiffany!" It was Zac.
          "Sup, Zac." I grow pink because of the ice cream shop moment.
          "Wanna grab some soda?" Zac points to the food truck outside the studio. I find myself oddly relaxed with Zac. He doesn't seem like he was going to bring up the ice cream spill.
          "Sure, I hope they have Dr. Pepper." We started to walk towards it.
          "You like Dr. Pepper? Interesting, I always assumed that you were more of a Pepsi gal." Zac looks at me with his dark brown eyes sparkling with happiness.
          "Why Pepsi?" I tilt my head sideways.
          "Because you always live for now!" Zac laughed out of his mind as did I.
          "Were you waiting to use that pun?" The laughter calmed down as we reached the truck. Wow, why am I so talktive to him? I wonder if he likes me... I guess I have to find out.
          "Yeah, if anything. You probaly plan for the future." Zac rubbs the back of his head, making his muscles flex under his blue shirt.
          "What do y'all want today?" Trish, the food truck lady asked.
          "I would like a Dr. Pepper." Zac ordered his drink; he looks down at me with a flirty smile. He was roughly a head and half taller than me.
          "And I would like a Pepsi." I look at Zac in the same he looked at me. Trish grabbed our drinks and we payed. We go over to a shaded table. "I guess I can live a little for now."
          "And I guess can plan my future." We tipped our bottles together before taking a sip. For roughly a hour, we talked about random things, our selves, and eventually we started to flirt.
          I look at his outfit. He usally wears suits. "Wow, you actually own casual clothes." I laugh and frown at his comeback.
          "Wow, you actually own formal clothing." He gwaffes *obonixacly. Man he is nervous! Why, I'm nothing special like his on and off girlfriend, Veronica.
          I widen my eyes and look away and took a sip of Pepsi. I nervously chuckle and glanced back at Zac. He was sporting a pink face of embarrassment. I nudge him lightly with my shoulder. He shifted his dark brown eyes to my blue eyes and grinned.
          He nudged back a little harder and chuckled. WHAT AM I DOING? WHY AM I FLIRTING? DO I LIKE HIM? "Down in one?" He asked, citing a line from a movie that I currently forgot. I laughed and started to reply but Dad cut me off.
          "Tiffany, Zac! Let's go meet the NBT." Dad interrupted us. *Annoyance ate at my happiness and joy. Why must he come now?
          "Wait, you're going to be at the meeting?" I ask.
          "Well, I think its more of a lunch date thing. But, yeah. I'm coming because my dad is advertising the NBT this year. You know what sucks?" We stood up from the table and walked towards the building.
          "That your dad never told you who the NBT is?" I rolled my eyes.
"OMG! Yes!" Zac clasped his hands together with his Dr. Pepper under his arm.

          We walk into the big meeting room where a buffet was set up. "Do you have a clue who the NBT is?" I ask Zac as we took our seats next to each other. Zac didn't have time to answer.
          Everybody quickly took their seats and my dad rose to introduce the NBT. "Hello everyone. Thank you for coming. Today, you will meet the next big singer of this year. I present to you, the country, and the nation, Veronica Kello!" My dad started to clap as Veronica walks in the room.
"Oh." I stated.
"Shit." Zac finished.
          "Thank you all for choosing me as the NBT." Veronica's cold blue eyes found mine. "You won't regret a thing." She smiles wickedly. (Though, I'm pretty sure the adults saw a pure good smile.)

End of Chapter 5

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*(word) = misspelled