Star Crossed Collection

by Campbell, Jamie

  Right?

  Right?

  I couldn’t stand being alone with my thoughts any longer. I found Cole eating breakfast in the hotel’s dining room and took the seat next to him. “Is it always like this?”

  He popped some more toast into his mouth. “Like what?”

  “Like I want to chew my fingernails off while waiting for the reaction to our song.”

  “Oh, yeah. It’s always like that. You eventually learn to tunnel those nerves into something else.” He ate some more toast. “Like eating.”

  “You eat your nerves?” Cole nodded and I loved his response. Eating actual food sounded better than eating my fingernails down to the quick. “How much longer until the charts are released?”

  “The online ones are instant. The official billboard comes out tonight. Have you checked online?”

  “No. I’m too nervous.”

  Cole pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and pulled up the most popular music download website. I purposefully didn’t look, I wanted to hear it from him.

  But, gosh, the wait was killing me.

  His mouth spread into a smile as he held up the phone for me to see the screen. It took a few moments for me to understand what I was seeing.

  Our song was on the charts.

  It was at the top.

  “We’re number one?” I asked, breathless. The shock was starting to take me over. I didn’t believe it, surely it couldn’t be true?

  “Yeah, we are, baby. It’s only this website, but it’s a good indication of what the official charts might look like when they’re released.”

  I jumped up and sat on his lap so I could give him a hug. Happiness was overwhelming me. It felt like I had succeeded, that I’d passed the test. I wasn’t dooming Two Dimension into a fast death. Fans were still buying their songs, they were still enjoying them.

  Reed, Nick, and Dylan ran into the dining room. I could hear them coming as they whooped and talked excitedly between themselves. As soon as they spotted us, they hurried over and hugged me.

  “You’re our lucky charm, Mel,” Reed said as he gave me a bone-crushing hug.

  “Yeah, people are buying the song because of you. They’re all bored with us,” Nick joked. Because I was pretty certain it was only a joke. Nobody could get tired of the boys of Two Dimension.

  “We need to celebrate!” Dylan cheered, his arm up in the air and pumping to a beat only he could hear.

  And celebrate we did.

  Chapter Six

  There was nothing scheduled for the day, we’d already done all the press we needed to do for the single in the weeks leading up to the release. Scott said to have fun so we were determined to have some fun.

  In New York City, it was easy to find fun.

  We jumped on a hop-on-hop-off tourist bus and went around the city a few times. We sat on the open top, where only a few people recognized us as they rode the same route. Nobody really bothered us, we were happy to pose for photos for the few that asked.

  The city was amazing, so big and beautiful. It would have been easy to feel small in all its generous size, but nothing could make me feel that way today. I was ten feet tall, an invincible giant that nothing could hurt.

  I was actually in Two Dimension.

  I was a part of the world’s biggest band.

  It was difficult to believe but it sunk in during the day. My life had gone from being stuck in a tiny little town to travelling the world and living my dream.

  And it was all because Cole accidently ran into me at Burger Nation. If he’d never run from his overzealous fans, if I hadn’t been taking out the trash, if we’d never met then none of this would have happened. The world worked in wonderful ways sometimes, fate had been smiling on us that day.

  When it got dark and we were exhausted from travelling around the city and seeing everything our eyeballs could handle, we found a restaurant to eat dinner. We ate like royalty – I had a fillet mignon with sauce that I could have drunk in gallons because it was so good.

  Nobody felt like going back to the hotel afterwards. So we found a club that would let us in even though we were underage. We didn’t want to drink alcohol, but we did want to dance. Club Destiny was the best place for it.

  My homework could wait for a day.

  Cole led me onto the dance floor and we let the rhythm take over. It was too loud to talk so we just danced together, enjoying being close and having fun with no worries. Simon wasn’t there to critique my moves, thankfully. I loved dancing with Cole, our bodies melded together in perfect synchronicity. Getting to do everything was fantastic, but getting to do it with him was amazing.

  Cole was my best friend and I couldn’t imagine a life without him now. We had run into each other that day at Burger Nation and it had happened for a reason. We were meant to be together, something this perfect didn’t happen by chance.

  When we did finally get back to the hotel, Cole came to my room with me. We spent the night cuddled up to each other, neither wanting to let the other one go.

  In the morning, the official charts were out. I didn’t have to worry about our ranking. As soon as I opened my eyes, Cole held up his phone and pointed to the number one spot. We were sitting pretty on top of the world.

  Number one.

  I’d never been happier in my life before. It felt like things couldn’t get any better. Especially when Cole gave me a big cuddle and whispered in my ear, “I love you so much, Mel.”

  We had a band meeting with Scott first thing so we didn’t have time to stay in bed for too long. We got ready and joined the others in Scott’s room.

  It was a miracle.

  Scott was smiling.

  That rarely happened. He had the kind of face that looked a bit odd when he wore a smile. A frown suited his demeanor much better. “Congratulations, everyone. We have officially put the bad times behind us. Well done.”

  The boys sprawled along the couch while I perched on the armrest. It was nice hearing good news for a change, we’d all been through a lot from Luke leaving to the whole drama with Ten Minutes of Winter.

  Scott continued. “I’ve spoken with your record label boss this morning. He wants you to record a full album. We’ve got the green light for new material.”

  The boys all whooped. If the boss was allowing us to do a whole new album, that must mean they were happy with the performance of the new single. They were happy with me. They wouldn’t invest any money in us otherwise, making an album was expensive.

  Scott talked a little longer about our upcoming schedule and how we would work in recording the new album around all our other commitments.

  We had another free day afterwards. When Scott told us to do something relaxing so we were rested up for our hectic schedule, the boys all talked excitedly about exploring New York further.

  I had homework and a visit from Miss Bell.

  Yeah me.

  Waiting inside my room was a delivery that the concierge must have delivered while I was at the band meeting. It was an envelope with a card inside.

  From Amber.

  Dear Melrose, congratulations on the number one single. I knew you could do it and I’m so proud of you. Best friends forever. Love, Amber.

  It was sweet of her, but still a little creepy. Why did she keep sending me things? I hadn’t replied to her at all, so I wasn’t encouraging her to continue communicating with me.

  I wondered whether I should tell Scott about her. I knew we had to be careful about the public as some people could take things too far. She seemed harmless enough, but every time I saw her or she sent me something, I felt weird about it.

  Maybe I was just being paranoid.

  I shoved the card into a drawer and tried not to think about it again. The girl would eventually give up and forget about me. I wasn’t that special.

  While all the boys went out to have fun, I returned to my studies and finished my homework super quick before my tutor arrived. She turned up exactly on time and we got to work
going through my studies.

  I tried not to think about what the boys were doing.

  All the fun they were having.

  School was important, it had to be done. If I played everything right now, I would have plenty of time in the future to slacken off and go exploring – not just in New York but all around the world.

  I worked with Miss Bell until mid-afternoon when I was once more left with a pile of homework and told to call if I was stuck on anything. My brain was about to explode with how much information I’d just shoved inside it.

  The boys weren’t back yet and I wasn’t sure I was up for anything much so I logged onto the internet. I generally tried to stay away from social media but with the song doing so well I thought it was safe to see what people were saying about us.

  It was import to know what the fans were thinking. They were the reason why we were doing what we were, the reason we could do it. We needed to keep them happy or our careers would go down the drain very quickly. Recent experience had proven that.

  I slipped into one of the forums I used to frequent when I was just a fan of Two Dimension. There were times when I would spend hours there sometimes, just talking with other fans about the band and how great they were. We would analyze their songs down to every lyric, trying to find hidden meanings behind the words.

  After I started dating Cole and my name became associated with the band, I’d had to set up a new account at the forums. I used a fake name so nobody knew it was me. I used that name now to log in and join in the conversations.

  I didn’t intend on posting anything, I just wanted to read what other people thought about what we were up to. There was a whole thread devoted to the relationship between Cole and me. I skipped that one, I didn’t really care what people thought about us as a couple – it wasn’t anyone else’s business.

  The thread I clicked on was for our new song, it seemed safe enough. The comments were plentiful.

  OMG, best song ever! It’s my ringtone now.

  I love their new sound. It’s made me fall in love with the band all over again. Never thought I would after Luke left.

  I just can’t get into this song. I miss their old sound.

  Luke would have made this song sound so much better. I wish he would come back!

  So good, my ears are very happy right now. I can’t wait for the next album. Hurry up and come out already!

  I don’t think Melrose has a good enough voice for Two Dimension. Sure, it’s okay, but it’s not great. She only got into the band because she’s putting out for Cole.

  How can you say that? Melrose is the best, she deserves to sing with them.

  Let’s face it, if she wasn’t Cole’s girlfriend she would never be a singer.

  True. They probably only let her in to be nice.

  Leave her alone, I like her. She seems cool.

  Just because she’s cool, doesn’t mean she can sing. Bring back Luke and throw Melrose out!

  The comments disintegrated from there into an argument between my supporters and those that hated me. By now, those kinds of comments shouldn’t have bothered me but they did. It was hard to read anything negative about yourself, even harder when you were still insecure about it all.

  To say the feelings were mixed between our biggest fans was an understatement. By the end of the thread, nobody was talking about the song anymore. They were all debating whether I should still be in the band or not.

  The general consensus between the haters was that I didn’t deserve my place because I had gotten there simply by dating Cole. How could I deny that when it was true? If I wasn’t dating Cole, I would never have been in Two Dimension. I probably would never even have been a singer in the first place.

  I could understand their position, but hadn’t I proven that I deserved it anyway by positively adding to the band? It wasn’t like I was sitting around and just enjoying the ride. I was working my butt off for the band, but I guessed they didn’t see that.

  The haters were going to hate no matter what I did. It was my fault for going to the forums when I knew better. They had upset me too many times before and I should have learnt my lesson by now.

  I closed down my computer and flicked on the television. I allowed myself half an hour before hitting the books again. My homework wasn’t going to go away so it was best to get it over and done with quickly.

  The boys came home late. I was already in bed when there was a knock on my door. Cole climbed into bed next to me and cuddled me close before I fell back asleep.

  The next day, the relaxation was over. Two days was all we got and that would have to last us for over a month. I was once again separated from the boys and sent to do a magazine interview in the city.

  Scott came with me, pushing me into a small room with a female reporter and then abandoning me. It was just the two of us with an iPhone recording the interview sitting between us.

  “So, Melrose, congratulations on the success of Two Hearts,” she said. The reporter was probably in her late twenties, with pretty red hair and a smattering of freckles across her nose. She was dressed in a purple blouse with black tailored pants. She didn’t seem like the kind of person that would be a big Two Dimension fan.

  “Thank you,” I replied awkwardly. Interviews were not my thing, it seemed weird that people wanted to talk to me. I kept forgetting that I was famous now.

  “How does it feel working so closely with your boyfriend Cole? You must be spending a lot of time together.” She didn’t exactly ease into the interview questions.

  “It’s nice being together. We always struggled to find time together before, so we don’t have to worry about that so much now.”

  “Have there been any arguments while working so closely?”

  “No, we get along fine.” I was happy to talk about the band, but I didn’t want to talk about my relationship. It just felt way too personal to share with the world at large.

  “But it must be hard, you’re always with each other. Even the closest of couples can get tired of it.” She wasn’t smiling anymore, she was determined to get me to say something she could splash all over the internet.

  The pressure to answer quickly was weighing on me. I couldn’t just sit there staring at her, I had to say something. I really wished they taught this kind of stuff in school. “We haven’t got tired of each other yet. In fact, it’s nice. I love spending time with Cole and the rest of the band. We’re all very close and tightknit.”

  She paused, this time it was her turn to think about what to say next. Scott said I could refuse to answer any unreasonable question and I hoped it wouldn’t come to that. She took a breath. “Your estranged mother recently came back into your life. How does it feel having a relationship with her now? I understand she was gone for quite some time.”

  Oh, God.

  I needed to get the conversation back to the music. This was lingering in dangerous territory. “She’s been very supportive with my new career. She’s a big fan of Two Dimension.” I didn’t know if that were true or not but it sounded good.

  “There’s been so many changes in your life recently. How on earth are you handling it all?”

  “One day at a time. It’s all positive so it’s all good.” I giggled nervously and the woman looked at me like a sneaky fox that was about to kidnap a chicken. I glanced at the door, wishing Scott would burst in and save me by insisting we had another place to be.

  The door remained closed.

  “What would you like your fans to know most about you?” Ah, finally a question I was actually happy to answer. Why couldn’t they all have been like this? Why did they always want to find a scandal?

  “I would like my fans to know that I’m working really hard to make sure Two Dimension produce the best music possible. I would do anything for the band and I’m so happy they like what we’re doing,” I replied happily. It was the message I most wanted out there.

  The reporter finished up the interview and thanked me for my time. When she le
ft, I was exhausted from the nervous energy that had flowed through me. At least my first solo interview was done now. I could get better at them over time. Nobody was perfect at anything first up.

  I left the room when it was clear Scott wasn’t going to come find me. Instead, I went looking for him. The offices were full of people sitting at computer desks, typing frantically away like they had tight deadlines to meet.

  Nobody looked at me and nobody seemed friendly enough to ask if they’d seen Scott. He was nowhere, he’d completely disappeared from the office.

  My only real choice was to go back downstairs to the car and wait for him there. At least the driver was someone I knew and wouldn’t look at me like I was a freak while I waited alone.

  I took the elevator down to the parking lot and stepped out. The entire time I was keeping an eye open for Scott, hoping to catch a glimpse of him somewhere so my epic search could be over.

  Unfortunately, the car wasn’t in sight either.

  Did he ditch me?

  No, Scott definitely said he would wait for me and then we’d join the rest of the band for more media engagements. He wouldn’t just leave me unattended.

  A car suddenly pulled up in front of me – a small little Honda Jazz. The passenger-side window moved down. I had to duck a little to see who was inside. My stomach twisted when I recognized her.

  My super fan.

  My best friend forever.

  Amber.

  Chapter Seven