Lynne

Chapter 33

"If you make a scene, I swear-" He began through clenched teeth.

"You swear what?" I felt my voice rising. "You just gave me an entire speech on the importance of making sure my fans still love me, and you won't even let me sign for them? Interact with them? Something I do after every single show? And you think that'll make them feel better about this whole thing?"

"Rin. Quit talking." His hands were balled into fists, and I felt his anger rising. The fans were watching.

"No," I answered, loud enough for the entire room of crew, instrumentalists, and fans to hear. "You're the one who put me in this shithole of a situation, you're the one who put yourself in this shithole of a situation, and yet you want me to fix it? And then when I actually try to make this whole thing a little less hellish for all of us, you tell me that it's my fault that we can't?" Standing on my tippy toes, I impulsively pushed my hands out in front of me, shoving him away from me to create a little more space between me and the fucker in front of me. "This is your fucking problem!" I yelled. "Fix it."

The entire room held its breath. A camera flashed.

With that, I circled around him, exiting out the back stage. The fans groaned and cried after me in protest, a sound that was as appealing as nails against the chalkboard. For the first time, I stepped into the night, entering the car of my chauffeur, and didn't sign a single thing.

I had flown here.

The last time I was on a plane was when Ia and I had helped my parents move. Now, here I was, in the same city as them, and completely unable to see them. My entire life was planned out, surely Tatsuo's work, and after that stunt at the concert, I was sure there would be hell to pay. But what else could he do? He had already taken everything from me. I had nothing to lose.

Although it was California, it was still winter. I could get away with wearing my dresses as long as I opted for the heavier, warmer ones. It was in one of these that I stood in, backstage at Iroha's show, quaking under the pressure of whatever was about to happen.

Another attempt at soothing the fanbase. I knew it. It seemed stupid to me that Tatsuo would allow me to go onto stage once more after the horrible attempt at a recovery a few days ago. The concert was still being talked about online, and the rumors for what had happened between me and the Vocals were swarming. I was here to clear them up.

The most frightening thing about the next hour was that Iroha had way too much power and influence in her position to be threatened by Tatsuo. There was no way she could be scared into doing his will, she had solidified herself into the world of show business too well to be affected by anything he could do. Which meant she would be asking me lots of questions that he did not want me to answer, and I would be forced to. And he expected me to lie.

I sighed, leaning against the wall. People rushed around me. I noticed recently that people had begun to swing widely around me whenever I was near. A fraction of the conversations I used to have took place now. But the guilty looks I received had tripled. Everyone here knew my position, or at least had some sort of idea, and stared at me like I was some sort of patient, infected by a disease with no cure. It had only been a few days since I returned to my shows and interviews, and I had already gotten used to it.

"Rin," a stage manager ran up to me. "Show starts in five."

"Thanks," I answered, without looking at her.

She lingered for a moment, then lowered her voice. "...Iroha wanted me to tell you something."

I turned my gaze towards her, still leaning my suddenly-throbbing head against the cold wall. "What?"