I went to my own room and sat on the bed, trying to take in everything that had happened over the last few days. The sing off had been a huge success and Two Dimension had rocketed back up the charts to sit at number one. Their record label released our final sing off song as a single and it was still topping the charts a couple of weeks later.
Two Dimension had received consent from their record label to have me as part of the band on a trial basis. My father had to sign the contract on my behalf as I was too young. We had to talk for a long time before he agreed. I guessed it was a big deal to have your daughter join an internationally successful band. I convinced him it was what I wanted and would accept the consequences of doing so.
My life was going to be about hotel rooms and security guards from now on. I’d glimpsed the world as Cole’s girlfriend but I got the feeling it was completely different being a real part of it. I’d mentally tried to prepare myself, but I wasn’t sure it was something that could be prepared for.
Someone knocked on the door and I was instantly excited to see Cole. I wanted to hear his reassurances that everything would be okay. I needed him to tell me it wasn’t really as crazy as it seemed.
But it wasn’t Cole at the door.
It was Scott.
He had never come to my door before. I was still convinced he didn’t like me, so I was instantly wary of his presence. “What can I do for you?” I asked, trying to sound positive.
“We need to talk about things.” He didn’t wait to be invited in. Scott just barged through the door and took a seat at the table in the room. I joined him, figuring it was best to get it over and done with quickly. “I have spoken with your father and finalized the details.”
“I thought he already signed the contract.”
“Not the legal details, the practical.” He was already talking to me like I was an idiot. I had no idea what he was talking about so perhaps it was what I needed.
“Right, the practical details.” My powers of bluffing were severely lacking. I hoped he would get to the point soon so we could all just move on with our lives.
“Your father wants you to finish your education. One of the conditions he’s placed on you being here is that you keep up with your classes. So your tutors are going to start next week. They’ll be scheduled around your commitments to the band with a minimum of three hours per day. Sometimes you will have to do them on the weekend to make up lost time during the week.”
Tutors.
School.
I hadn’t actually thought that far ahead. I did want to finish school and graduate, I just hadn’t realized how the band would impact that. Of course I’d need tutors, it wasn’t like I would have time to go to school like I used to.
Good thing my father was still an adult and looking after these things for me.
“Okay, great,” I said. If I spoke the words out loud enough, I might not have felt the rising panic over how I was going to be able to fit everything in. Agree now, panic later. That was my new motto.
“Because you are under the age of eighteen, you need a parent or guardian with you at all times you’re working. The boys’ parents have assigned me as their guardian. Your father feels like this is suitable for you too. That means I am now responsible for you.”
Scott was my guardian?
I felt like groaning. Surely it could have been anyone other than Scott? He would probably ship me off to military school the moment I messed up.
“This is a big responsibility,” Scott continued, “I’m sure you can’t fully appreciate how much of a risk it is for me to take this on. But I have, so I expect you to behave as if I was your father. You will listen to me and you will do everything I tell you to do. Am I clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Your life is about to get very hectic and not all of it will be fun. It’s going to be hard work but the rewards will be massive. Are you going to be able to cope with this, Melrose?”
That was the million-dollar question.
Chapter Two
“Melrose? If you can’t cope I’d rather know about it now before we get any further into it,” Scott said. I was trying to focus on his words so my mind didn’t spin out into the panic zone.
It felt like everything was happening so fast. When I agreed to sing with Two Dimension at the sing off, I didn’t think I would be sitting here having a parental discussion with Scott only a week later.
I hadn’t thought that far ahead.
Maybe I should have.
“Melrose?” Scott prompted again.
“Yes, okay. I can cope,” I finally replied. I swallowed down the lump in my throat and hoped that I was telling the truth. I did want to be a part of Two Dimension, I really did. But the logistics were going to be hard work.
“Good.”
Scott threw more reality at me over the next hour. He went through everything from the schedule for the next month to the next planned home visit I’d get. If I wasn’t working, I would be studying. Scott didn’t schedule in any Cole time.
I thought about Jemma and my dad, even my mom, and wondered how I would survive without seeing them all the time. Skype was going to be working double duty as I fought to stay current with them.
Scott left and I felt like curling up into a ball and not unfurling until life was easier to deal with. I had been so excited before his visit and now I felt like a deflated balloon. I needed some sleep, maybe that would help.
I’d only just laid down to enact my curling-up-in-a-ball plan when there was another knock at the door. I dragged myself over to the peephole, wondering what other good news Scott had for me.
But it was Cole this time. I fell into his arms with a sigh, knowing he was exactly what I needed to feel better. He couldn’t magically give me an extra twenty hours a day so I could fit everything in, but he could give me a hug which would definitely help.
“You have no idea how happy I am to see you,” I said, tugging him over to the bed. I still wanted to ball up, I just wouldn’t be alone now.
He curled his body around mine so we laid together. “I’m happy to see you too. I saw Scott leaving. Do you still want to be in the band?”
“Of course I do. It’s just going to be very busy.”
“It always is.”
Cole kissed my hair and I sagged against him. I just wanted to feel his arms around me and forget about everything else. He always grounded me, making sure I could think straight again.
It was going to be difficult.
But worth it.
Not just for my life, but my family’s too. I would be earning a lot of money being in the band. I could set myself up for life in just a couple of years. I would also make sure my family were taken care of.
I could do this.
Cole stayed with me all night. The thought of being alone made me ask him to stay. I thought I’d love the day when I was free of my clingy little sister and nosey father but it didn’t feel as good as I thought it would.
Early in the morning, Cole left so Scott wouldn’t hassle us about sleeping in the same room. He was officially my guardian now and I had no doubt he would lay down the law without hesitation.
After a quick breakfast we were all bundled into the car and taken to the head office of Music Planet, Two Dimension’s record label. They wanted to meet me in person and make sure I had what it took to join the band permanently.
My hands were shaking from nerves as I sat at the huge table in their boardroom. Cole, Nick, Reed, and Dylan all seemed to be completely at ease in the sleek office. Meanwhile, my heart was pounding and I was sweating at the temples.
The door on the side of the office opened and three men in black suits entered in a line. They each took a seat across the table from us, their faces looking like someone had just died. A lump formed in my throat.
The middle one spoke first. “We don’t have much time so we need to make this quick. Scott, talk.”
Scott looked nervous for the first time since I’d met him. �
�This is Melrose Morgan, age sixteen, and from an average all-American family. There’s nothing notable about her upbringing except that she was raised in a single-parent household. Her father has signed all the necessary paperwork to allow her to join the band.”
I was right there.
I could have spoken for myself.
If my stomach wasn’t currently in my throat, that is.
All three of the men stared at me like I was a science experiment. Nobody said a word so all I could hear was the whistling of someone’s nose. It was strangely soothing.
Whistle in.
Whistle out.
These men could decide that they didn’t want me in Two Dimension after all. They could have put a stop to my dreams right then and there. If the band lost their recording contract they would lose everything. They had to do what their bosses said.
I couldn’t stand the silence any longer. “I’m going to work really hard.”
“You’ll need to,” the man in the middle said. “This isn’t school, it isn’t a club. This is the real world and a lot of people’s jobs rely on you doing yours.”
“I understand.”
“Melrose is really dedicated to this,” Cole added for good measure. I’d never seen him so nervous before either. It felt like being in the presence of a scary monster and just waiting for it to blow fire.
The men didn’t spare a glance at the boys, their focus remained steadfastly on me. “You can’t just quit if it gets too hard. You will be legally obligated to fulfil your contract.”
“Yes, sir. I understand.”
Silence.
Even the nose whistle had stopped.
Without anything further being said, the three men stood and filed out of the room. They closed the door behind them. The boys and Scott all heaved a sigh of relief. All the tension dissolved from the atmosphere.
“Is that it?” I asked. I had expected more of a discussion, maybe some brainstorming about the future of the band or something.
“They approve. That’s all we need,” Scott said.
“How do you know that?” I asked. Did I space out and miss an entire portion of the conversation? Because I certainly hadn’t heard any tick of approval being thrown my way.
Scott stood, ready to leave. “They didn’t yell. That’s our approval. Let’s go.”
We all followed him out like ducklings following their mother. I wasn’t sure whether to feel relieved at having the meeting over or insulted that they hadn’t bothered to talk to me any further. I certainly hoped we wouldn’t be meeting with the record label anytime in the near future.
By the time we left the building, a small gathering of fans had accumulated outside. Someone had tipped off the public about the meeting and they were there to catch a glimpse of their favorite band members.
I waited back while Cole and the boys went forward to sign autographs and take selfies. It took a few moments to realize they were calling out my name too.
“Melrose! Over here!”
“Can I get my photo taken with you?”
“Sign my T-shirt!”
I joined the others cautiously, unsure what I was supposed to do. The boys made it seem so easy, moving down the line of people and spending a few moments with each so they felt special. All my movements suddenly felt clunky and awkward.
I stepped next to one fan and she held her phone out for a selfie with me. I smiled, wondering the whole time why she would want a photograph with me. It seemed weird. After all, I was nobody special.
“Thank you so much! I love you!” the girl gushed. Thankfully, another girl stepped in to take her place so I didn’t have to find words to make conversation with her. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say.
I couldn’t talk to them about the weather.
And that was my go-to topic.
“Can you please sign my iPad cover?” the next girl asked. Luckily, she had a pen poised so I didn’t have to rifle through my handbag to find one. Cole and Dylan had already signed so I squiggled my name next to theirs and handed it back. “You were so awesome on the sing off. I died when you and Cole sang together.”
“Thank you. I’m glad you liked it.”
“I can’t wait for the next album.”
I smiled and nodded before the girl was elbowed out of the way by another girl. This one had her phone out and held it up. “Can I get your photo?”
“Sure.” I shuffled beside her and the girl put her arm around me for the photo. She took several photos before she let me go.
“I can’t believe I’m talking to Melrose Morgan!”
“It’s nice to meet you,” I said nervously. The girl still had her arm around me and it was starting to get weird. I pulled back to extricate myself and she reluctantly let go.
“You know, we could totally be best friends,” she said. “We’re so much alike and you would totally love me.”
“That’s… something.” I tried to welcome over the next fan as she waited patiently but the girl would not give up. She pushed her to the side so she could continue talking to me.
“I sent you a message on Instagram, did you get it? I mean, you didn’t reply, but I’m sure you’ve been really busy.”
“I don’t get much time, sorry.” I glanced back at the security guards and caught one’s eye as the girl continued to babble away. She was probably harmless but I wasn’t used to that kind of fervent attention.
The guard came over to stand beside me, a complete professional. “We should keep moving, Miss Morgan.”
I took a step back from the group. “Of course. Thank you, everyone, for coming out.” The boys saw what I was doing and followed suit. It was probably time we left anyway, we had been signing for at least twenty minutes.
There was no need to ask Cole whether the fans were always like that. I’d been with him long enough to know they were. Fans were excited to meet their idols, sometimes they were a little too excited. I’d seen fans faint over meeting the boys, one little chatty fan was nothing in comparison.
Chapter Three
We were driven only a few blocks away from the record label office before Cole and I were dropped off at another tall building. “The others aren’t coming?”
Cole shook his head. “It’s just you and me for the photoshoot.”
It didn’t seem right doing an official photoshoot for the band without the other three members. Only when we were dressed in expensive clothes with our hair and makeup done, did the reason become apparent.
We were doing a couple’s shoot.
We were dressed in floral and floaty fabrics, romantically dreamy. The photographer barked orders at us, telling us to move this way and that way. We were to hug and laugh, kiss and act coy. Our cheeks were to be touching as we looked at the camera together. Everything was about being a cute couple.
As much fun as the shoot was, I wasn’t entirely comfortable having the camera photograph us this way. Our relationship was private, it wasn’t supposed to be immortalized in print for the world to see. That was why we avoided the paparazzi and tried to keep our private life private.
I didn’t want to mention any of my concerns in front of anyone so I kept them balled up inside until after the photoshoot was finished. Cole and I were on our way back to the hotel, alone aside from the driver, when I got my chance.
“So I guess they’re going to play up the couple thing, huh?” I started, trying to feel him out and see what his thoughts were on the matter. The last thing I wanted to do was complain about anything because this was an amazing opportunity.
“Yeah, probably. For some reason, people love couple’s singing together.” He shrugged, like it didn’t bother him too much.
One more comment and then I’d drop it if he wasn’t bothered by it all. “Does it ever feel like they’re exploiting your personal life?”
Cole chuckled. “All the time. But that’s what they do. If there is something that will lift our profile and have more people converted into being fans, the recor
d label will make sure we do it.”
If Cole wasn’t concerned by it, then I shouldn’t have been either. He’d been doing it a lot longer than I had so I would follow his lead.
“It’s not worrying you, is it?” he asked in the silence.
“Just a little. I’m used to us being private. It’s difficult to be so open now,” I confessed. I knew Cole would talk it over with me without judgment.
“The trick is to not let it affect us. The public can see our smiles and the cute photos, but they aren’t in our relationship. They don’t know what goes on behind closed doors, that’s all ours and always will be.”
I liked the way he put it.
And of course, he was right. There were only two people in our relationship and nobody could take that away from us. It wasn’t like we had a reality show where cameras followed us around twenty-four, seven.
The car pulled up at the hotel but I was the only one who moved. “I’ll see you tonight?”
“Yeah, baby.” Cole gave me a kiss before I climbed out of the car. It sped off as soon as I closed the door.
I went up to my room where a woman was waiting at my door. She had a bag in her hands that seemed to be weighing her down. That couldn’t be a good thing. “You must be Melrose.”
“And you must be my tutor, Miss Bell.” School time, just what I needed – apparently. I opened the door to my room and she followed me inside. “I’m not sure how this whole thing works. I’m used to going to a regular school.”
She dumped the bag on the table and started pulling out books. “You’ll get the hang of it easily enough. Today we’ll go through making a schedule and then it’s just a matter of doing the work. If everything goes to plan, you’ll be graduating at the same time as your friends.”
That sounded easy.
It wasn’t.
Miss Bell failed to mention that the schedule she set was super difficult and required a lot more homework time than I actually had. When I groaned, she just smiled and said ‘you’ll figure it all out. I know you can achieve this, Melrose’, like some kind of motivational poster.
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