THE ASSISTANT

Steering into a new direction

A thought comes to my mind "Maybe I should promote them so that they have to get a deal with Ji . . . Nah"

WEEKS LATER

My colleague Tiffany my friend Naomi and I go to a little club called "Liquorice" it's amateur night We sit at a table near the stage I hear a voice that sounds familiar like the track I heard on the CD. I look at the stage it's the young girl I saw the other day along with three other girls I dance along to the song I heard on their CD called "Forever Young" "wow" I hear Tiffany and Naomi say to each other wow their even better live. . . But need work I think to myself the girls finish with a few boos and applauses As the audience argue in an uproar one side liking them the other side too drunk to care I clap for them as they come off the stage "you girls were good" one looks at me "thank you" the young girl comes over to me "you work for Ji right? I saw you the other day" I nod my head "yeah" "did he like our CD?" I sigh and shake my head "ah what's the point? We suck guys" the girls have long faces "don't worry girls you just need some direction . . . and I'm going to guide you ladies".

We go to the VIP section and sit down the young girl says " new direction? are you going to be our manager?" I sip my drink and think " don't you have one?" The young girl points to a guy dancing with a woman " I don't like him we want to leave that's why I gave you the CD I've been going to the record company for weeks! But they keep saying Ji is busy but I persevered and met you" she says with a smile that lit up her innocent eyes I look at the guy then back at the girls " I don't know guys I don't know the first thing about management" the girl shakes her head "we haven't signed a contract yet we just perform in clubs" I scratch my head "do you get paid" she nods "yeah sometimes, we get paid about £200 and Share it between us, please be our manager? You already work for a record company " she pleads "yeah!" The other girls say in agreement I look at them then at my friend who nods at the girls "come one take a chance"Tiffany nudges me " this is how you can show Ji what you're made of, we can all do it together" Naomi chimes in "yeah I can handle the bookings and venues" Tiffany joins in "and I can handle the accounts you can handle the singing dancing and image!" I pause and think about it

What about my job? Well I've always wanted to start my own company

"Ok ! yes I' ll. be your new manager" the girls jump up and down in excitement they all cuddle me Naomi raises a glass "lets raise a toast to your new manager and our new artists . . what's the name of the group?" The young girl says "divine were called divine ladies" I shake my head " change it" the girls shrug their shoulders " why not forever 21 were young ladies" the red head says I nod my head " Forever Young" we raise up our glasses and shout "FOREVER YOUNG!" We sip our drinks I start off singing a verse from the chorus

" doesn't matter how much you grow

Baby you're forever young

Doesn't matter where you go

Baby you're forever young!"

They join in and harmonise we all sing together their manager a middle aged man dressed in a shirt and jeans comes over "hey hey what's all this noise for? Girls come on you got a show tomorrow" I put my glass down the red head walks up to him "Dave your fired!" He stares at her " what?" She pulls him to a corner and talks to him I can't make out what they are saying I'm worried, I see her point over to me and Dave looks at me he looks disgusted they walk back to the table "so, all of you decided in this together? " the girls nod one stands up a tall girl with black hair and a red dress "yep we don't work for you anymore I'm tired of singing in nightclubs and getting paid peanuts!" And other stands up "yeah! I'm sick if my parents complaining about me coming home late!" He nods "I knew I should have gotten those papers signed first! . . . Okay girls your free to go" he says he hugs them and shakes my hand he whispers in my ear "I'll be back" he looks at me and winks he walks away what did he mean by that? I watch him leave.

Wow their my group I got my first artists I have to try and get Ji to sign them first though I don't know how I would start up this label.