Mallory's Melody

Chapter 8

JASON TREVOR stormed out of the restaurant. Raging with fury, he cursed under his breath. His manager, William, was getting more determined to make a profit off him and, whilst that was immensely satisfying to him, it wasn't anywhere near appealing to Jason. He loathed performing for the satisfaction of others whilst never having the time to attend to his own needs. And though he got loads of attention, a part of him remained unsatisfied. He had everything a person could ever want — money, looks, fame — and yet he still hungered for something he himself couldn't point out. 

Jason stepped into the placid Los Angeles streets and savoured the calm in the surrounding. He hadn't had such peace in a long time, a peace that came from the absence of the paparazzi and crazy mobs of fans. But even with the absence of the pressure he was so accustomed to, he still felt crowded, crowded by his own obscure thoughts.

Weary beyond reason, Jason leaned his head against the rooftop of his limo. Yes, he'd always wanted to be famous, and Starlight Academy had made him just that, but he never envisioned it being so bothersome. Sometimes, he'd wished to wake up a different person, a person without the fame he had now. With that, he would have a lot of time at his disposal to live his life, however he wished, without being limited by his social status and the ever-watching eye of the media.

A gust of wind charged for him, pulling him out of his thoughts. Jason, in a bid to locate the source of the wind's energy, sighted the blurred image of a girl running, running from something he wasn't aware of and towards an oblivious moving car. Acting on his impulses, he snatched the girl away from death and secured her in the cocoon of his hold.

"Leave me alone," the girl resisted, struggling out of his hold, oblivious to the fact that he just saved her life.

When she raised her head, he darted his eyes to the dark richness of her long hair and then to her ashen face, smeared by tears and red colour.  The darkness in her countenance dissipated as she eased into the security of his hold. But he released her at the realization that he'd held her long enough for the media to capture him and her. The last time something like this had happened, they'd spun a web of lies about what happened.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered, remorse playing in her tone. Jason sighed at the smitten look on her innocent face. He knew the cause of the sudden change in her demeanour. She'd suddenly recognized him as the great Jason Trevor and soon regretted her rash choice of words. The usual.

Jason took a step away from her and leaned against his limo, arms crossed disapprovingly. "You should really watch out for yourself. You could have been dead by now if that car hit you," he scolded, unable to keep the edge out of his voice.

"I'm sorry," she said again, unable to look into his eyes.

Jason's jaw tightened. "You already said that before." He couldn't explain the caustic nature of his tone. Perhaps he was disgusted by her meekness, that trait people assumed when they wanted his approval.

She still looked down, the thickness of her black hair blanketing her face from view. Jason, aggravated by her reluctance to look up at him, tipped her head towards him. "Hey, I'm talking to you—" he stopped when he saw the tears sliding down her face and the sadness in drooping green eyes. 

You've always got to be an aggressive idiot. Can't you see she's hurting? 

He knew what pain was and the look on her face couldn't define it any clearer. A gust of sympathy waved over him, but self-hatred soon took that over as he realized how insensitive he'd been. 

"I'm Jason Trevor," he introduced himself, even though he was sure she knew his name already. It was the only way he knew how to clear his name from her bad list.  "And you?"

She wiped her tears and blinked severally to restrain more tears from slipping out of her eyes. "Mallory." She sniffed. "Mallory Trent."

Mallory Trent, that name rang a bell in his head. Wasn't that the name William had been repeating for the past week? He repeated it at the academy like a mantra, did so until it became sour to the other instrumentalists at the academy. At times he talked about how foolish she'd been to reject an offer from him, and at other times, harped on how gracefully she played the—what instrument did she say he played again? Whatever it was, he was certain William thought of her as a useful addition to the academy.

Mallory turned on her heel with such a grace that he could associate with— the violin! Ah, yes. That was the instrument she played. The elegance in her subtle movements gave it off so easily. 

"Mallory!" Jason called, reluctant to lose the girl William needed so badly at the academy. Mallory turned to him and halted in her tracks, perplexed. 

"Yeah?"

Jason started after her, closing the distance between them. "I need to talk to you."

Mallory's eyebrows were uneven, in such a way that conveyed her confusion. "I'm all ears." She placed her hand on her hip. Jason smiled wryly at her facade of confidence. At least false confidence was better than meekness.

"William needs you at the Starlight academy," Jason bluntly said, disgusted at himself for doing William's Job. William's undignified self was meant to be the one chasing after people like Mallory, people who were stupid, even oblivious enough to reject the Starlight Academy and all it offered them. But a gentle part of Jason wished he declined their offer years ago. It would've saved him from trading his sanity for fame.

The wind pushed tufts of Mallory's hair to her face, and Jason guessed she was too preoccupied with her thoughts to bother about pushing it away. He felt an intense urge to move it away from her face. 

"What do I do now?" Her face grew livid. "I found out today that my old father is getting married to some whore and turns out they're moving to New York. Tell Mr. Orlando to forget me since I'm moving away from Los Angeles." She stopped to catch her breath.

Jason disregarded all she said and leaned into her. "Do you want what Starlight Academy offers you?"

She squirmed, visibly uneasy by Jason's closeness. "Y-yes," she stammered, her emerald eyes boring into Jason's.

Jason raised his eyebrows mockingly. "Then why should your father stop you from getting what you want? I think you're old enough to make your own choices?"

Mallory looked up at him, suddenly putting on that meek look she had before. "Stop it," she demanded, rubbing her nape shyly. "What are you suggesting?"

Jason moved closer to her, twirling her hair. "What do you think?" He asked her.

 "Seriously, what are you suggesting?"

Tired of playing games, Jason leaned into her, so close he could hear her intensified breathing "Grow up." He entwined his fingers in her hair. "And come with me to Starlight Academy"

A light sprouted from her eyes, but then it dimmed. "I need my father's approval."

Jason sighed, still playing with her hair. "How old are you?"

"Seventeen."

Without further consent, he yanked her arm and pulled her towards his limousine.

"What are you doing?" She asked as Jason hauled her into one of the seats and fastened a belt around her waist.

With the car on the move, Jason took one glance at her and smiled smugly. "I'm stopping you from making the biggest mistake of your life."