Accidental Fame (Fame #4)

Chapter 31

Chapter 31

       I thought I was ready for talk shows if Genesis was sitting in the audience so I could look at her whenever I was feeling nervous.

       It turned out I wasn't.

       I took the offer to go on the talk show, Live Tonight, thinking that it wouldn't be too hard. However, when I was backstage, I was starting to doubt it. For me, singing in front of people was easier than talking in front of people. What if I said the wrong thing? What if I said something that made people laugh that I didn't want to be laughed about? What if I don't say anything at all because I didn't know what to day?

       When the show was about to start, Genesis, who was backstage with me at the time, went to go sit down in the spot that was reserved for her. As soon as she was out of eyesight, my chest began to feel compressed and it was getting harder for me to breathe with each passing minute.

       Take deep breaths, Zander, I said to myself, trying my hardest to calm down. 

       It wasn't working.

       I was trying my hardest to calm down, but with each passing second, my chest felt like it was compressing tighter and tighter, almost making me gasp for air.

       The show started and it wasn't long before the host, Desmond, called me onto the set. I heard the audience clapping, but I didn't move a muscle. Instead, I stayed hunched over, trying to take deep breaths. The clapping was soon replaced my murmurs, most likely wondering where I was.

       I wanted to get out there, but too many thoughts were clouding my mind, and it was too hard for me to breathe.

       "Zander?" a voice said and I immediately recognized it as Genesis. I wasn't able to look up at her. Right now, staying in the hunched over position was the only way I could breathe.

      Genesis was soon standing beside me and she sat me down on a nearby chair before she began rubbing my back. "Just take deep breaths," she said in a soft voice. "Don't think about going out there. If you can't do it, I'm sure they'll understand. Just try to catch your breath, okay?"

       I nodded, closing my eyes to take a few deep breaths. I heard someone else walk over. "Is he okay?" I heard Desmond ask.

       "He should be soon," Genesis said. "I'm not sure if he'll be fine enough for the interview, though. Maybe his performance?"

       I was finally able to catch my breath and I opened my eyes, before sitting back in the seat and rubbing my forehead. "I thought I was going to be able to do it," I said in a quiet voice. "I thought I was ready."

       "I'm not going to force you to do the interview if you don't think you can do it," Desmond said. "But will her sitting beside you instead work better?"

       I looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, as did Genesis. "What?" Genesis asked.

       "If you were to sit beside him during the interview, do you think that will work?" he asked.

       Genesis looked at me. "Will that help?" she asked.

       "I-it might," I said. I always felt comfortable with Genesis beside me and I rarely felt like I was going to have a panic attack with her near me.

       It was worth the try.

       "You don't have to go out there if you don't want to," Desmond said.

       "I might as well try," I said. "It might be hard, but I don't want to let everyone down who's expecting to see me."

       "Well, if you're sure, then I'm going to get back out there and tell them," he said before walking back onto the set.

       "Zander, are you sure?" Genesis asked. "Everyone knows that it's hard for you so nobody will be mad if you back out."

       "I can't back out, Gen," I said. "Everyone's been waiting for an interview from me and I need to try my best to get over my fear. Backing out once will only make me back out whenever I can."

       "Well, I'll be there with you," she said, helping me stand up. "I'm proud of you for trying so hard."

       I gave her a faint smile. "Thanks."

       I heard Desmond say that there has been a slight change and my girlfriend would be joining me because I needed her to just keep me calm. I was a bit hesitant to walk onto the set, so Genesis basically pulled me there.

       We sat down on the couch for the guests and I was starting to feel another panic attack coming, so Genesis intertwined her hand in mine.

      "Thank you coming, Zander," Desmond said. "I know this is probably hard for you, so if you ever feel like you need to get off stage, just tell me and we'll end your interview portion." I nodded, taking a deep breath. "So, we'll start off with a question that might help you relax a bit. When did the two of you meet."

       I immediately smiled faintly at the memory. "Genesis and I met in kindergarten on the first day," I said, suddenly feeling a bit calmer. I guess talking about her helped. "I was sitting alone playing with a stick and she came over and asked if I wanted to play with some marbles that she got. When recess ended, she gave me half of the marbles and we've been best friends ever since. Well, now we're more than best friends and I couldn't be happier."

       The audience gushed at that, and that only made me feel even better. I think I could get through the interview.

       Desmond asked more questions and I was able to answer all of them without wondering if I was saying the wrong thing. Desmond even asked Genesis a few questions and asked us questions together.

       When the interview part was over, we headed over backstage. I was glad I was able to get through that. It wasn't as bad as I thought.

       Genesis and I hung out backstage before the end of the show was near, meaning I was going to perform a song. Genesis gave me a kiss, wishing me good luck before going back to the seat she was supposed to sit at, but never did.

       I was told to head over to the music section and wait for the curtain to rise to start playing. This time, I was going to play while playing the piano.

       Desmond soon introduced me and the curtains raised. I waited for the audience to stop clapping before I began the song.

       This was one of Genesis's favorite songs that I wrote, so of course I had to perform it. Then again, she liked basically all of my songs, so she would have loved which ever one I performed.

       A few times, I would look over to where Genesis was singing and gave her a smile, but I surprisingly didn't have to look at her too much. I really liked singing in front of people and I think I was going to be able to do it soon with no trouble.

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Lol, I was just imagining Zander singing Memories. cx I love that song. And all of Shawn Mendes's songs....

So, I posted a short story for Major Vocal called HallowPalooza and most of the Fame characters will be making an appearance; Zander, Genesis, Cannon, Annalise, Hunter, Violet, and two more characters you haven't met yet. :D

It does take place after this book, but there won't be any spoilers, so you don't have to worry about that if you want to read it. :)

I ALSO NEED HALLOWEEN COSTUME IDEAS. I have Major Vocal's costumes, but I need costume ideas for couples and families of three. Any suggestions?