Fallen Starz

Chapter 3

Somehow the performance at the karaoke bar went viral – because you couldn’t do a thing in the current day and age without someone filming it for the net. For once there wasn’t any negative press about something I’d done. There were jokes at how far I’d fallen to be out giving free shows in bars, but nothing too extreme. Mostly, everyone was asking what Lauryn was asking: what’s next?

Tim did me one better, he came over to ask in person.

I sat behind my desk in my office hearing him out as he paced back and forth on the floor in front of me. He kept going on and on about the buzz my karaoke performance had garnered.

“You looked good, Marco. People are talking, which is exactly what we need right now. They all counted you out, talked about you, called you washed up, a drunk, but that video proves otherwise.” Tim wagged his finger. “You sounded great and you looked great. Your voice was golden.”

He sounded excited, which let me know something was up. “Sit down, you’re making me nervous.”

That was the thing about Tim; he didn’t like to be “comfortable.” He was always on his toes, busy, moving, because there was money to be made and deals to be hatched up. “It’s time you step out of this nest and fly, Marc. We need your face out there. We need to make people remember that sixteen-year-old kid from YouTube again.”

I shook my head, frowning. “I’m not him anymore. Things have changed.”

“He’s still in you.”

I wasn’t Tim’s only client; hence why on some days it was hard to reach him due to his being busy with someone who brought in checks. It wasn’t in me to ditch Tim for the sake of moving on, because when the shit hit the fan he’d been by my side as a friend, as family, and that spoke to me more than anything. There were only a handful of people in the industry who didn’t completely desert me after the accident. The rest, didn’t matter.

“I don’t even sound the same.” In ways, my voice had matured and my pain could be heard in my vocals. Lauryn pointed this out to me and upon hearing one of my recordings after the accident, I could hear it, too. Lauryn said I sounded grittier, angry, and passionate. She’d wanted to hear one of my unreleased songs and it’d been no big deal. I liked that she was honest about what beats or melodies drowned out my voice and what songs needed more help, but mostly, she liked what she heard.

“I’m not the same person any more. I’ll never be him,” I went on. “I can’t just pretend that it’s five years ago and I’m still that kid from Ohio. I’m a man now, and I gotta own up to my mistakes, and who I am. Anything new I produce, it has to address what happened and how I’m coping. Why play pretend?”

Tim grinned, as if I’d said exactly what he wanted to hear. “Just checking.” Finally, he sat down and relaxed. “My boy Avery’s got a movie coming out this weekend. You down to come through to the premiere?”

Avery Falsetto was Tim’s other singer that he represented. Unlike me, Avery’s rise to fame was through his being in a boy trio that housed two rappers and a singer. When they broke up and Avery went solo we linked up for a couple of songs together. Even after the accident Avery had been nice and showed love. We hooped together every now and then, but his schedule was naturally more full than mine so keeping in touch wasn’t that easy. Regardless, I liked Avery.

“Don’t tell me you got Avery out here shooting kiddie movies now,” I joked as I sat back and almost laughed at the idea of Avery in a Disney teen flick.

Tim showed no shame. He’d had me guest starring on some teen show back during my rise to stardom – never again.

Avery was only a year younger than me and could pass for high school, but still.