Light of my Life

Rebellion

ALEX

Taylor's office always freaked me out. 

It was asylum white, with a glass wall overlooking the city from her 50th floor throne. Tiny metal sculptures of animals lined every black shelf around the room. She also had several hanging plants, and a black couch. The reason it freaked me out was because it was an exact replica of a picture I had seen in an IKEA magazine.

She did have a giraffe metal figurine on her desk though, which was nice. Sometimes when she talked to us about the technical side to fame, I would pick it up off her desk and roll it around in my hands by its neck. Jason would glare at me, which usually meant 'stop acting like a child and listen.'

Today I was more bored than usual, we were discussing flight reservations for leaving New York, which was happening in two whole weeks. I didn't understand why we had to be here, until the very end, when Taylor turned to me. I shifted in my seat under her gaze.

"So, Morrison, what do you think about New York? Doesn't it just get better every year?" She asked stupidly. My eyes widened at her tone, and I slowly set the giraffe back down on her desk.

"Personally, my favorite part of the city is this office," I smiled back, but my sarcasm didn't help the situation. She bent her head gently and placed her hands folded on her desk.

Taylor was done playing games. Her glare was sharp and intense, and her tone was flat. "Your face is plastered across every tabloid you can buy anywhere."

I swallowed and swiveled my head around to the boys, who were no help. Then I glanced back to her sheepishly, "Uh, I'm sorry?"

"Come on Alex. You're better than this," she sighed heavily, then picked up a magazine and set it down in front of me, I glanced over the cover, and bit my bottom lip. Three pictures of Lauren and I together littered the page, along with the words 'A Secret Budding Romance?' My eyes scanned the bottom for the name of a photographer, but came up empty handed.

I pushed the magazine away, and it made a soft swishing sound as it slid across the desk. Taylor rubbed her forehead and sat back in her chair, getting to the point, a little less tense now. She started her celebrity speech, the one we all knew by memory.

"Morrison, I wish I could say otherwise, I really wish I could, but you are a celebrity. And as unfortunate and lucky as you are, you are not a normal average human being. Now I'm not saying you can't go do normal, average things, but you can't go do them alone, or someone will mug you, or people will mob you, or you'll be kidnapped, or you'll be photographed and rumors will spread, or the country will hate you, or your reputation will go down the drain, or-"

"I sat in the back of the tour bus and wore a baseball hat. I didn't want anything to happen yet."

"Oh, then that makes it alright," she laughed sarcastically and threw her hands up in the air. They fell back down onto the table with a thud. "Why don't we just let Jason go buy a can of hair product down the street by himself, and see if he comes back alive. Noah told the world he likes kale the other day in an interview, and twitter had a stroke. Imagine what would happen if this got any worse."

"I actually don't use product in my hair," Jason piped in, running a hand through his almond colored, bouncy quiff. Keegan slapped him in the arm and shook his head, as to warn him not to talk. They began having a silent, private conversation of their own, and Taylor turned back to me.

"The point is, Alex, tell us, so we can prepare. We could have reserved a bus for you."

"I don't want a reserved bus," I cut in. "It's inconsiderate, and lonely. Lauren and I would have been the only ones on there. It makes it awkward."