Five Years of Fame [COMPLETE]

24. Olivia Meets Gage

Fall, Month 8

Talk about her second album started a week after Olivia returned to LA. A week after returning home from opening for the Faded Relics. It had only been five months since her first album was released and already Jon was acting as if they were behind schedule. They were certainly behind his schedule.

That first week back was the longest Olivia had spent in any one place in over three months. Her body wasn't used to the solidness of her bed. Her ears missed the constant hum of a tour bus engine lulling her to sleep. It didn't help that the new place Jon had rented for her was cold, bare, and lacking all personality. Luckily, Olivia was busy enough she spent only her sleeping hours in the new apartment.

She had three weeks. Three weeks between her first-ever national tour as an opening act and her first headlining tour; a tour that would take her to arenas all over the world. Olivia's brain didn't even try to comprehend exactly how fast everything was moving because it knew that it wasn't worth the energy. Maybe talk of her second album had started too late. Maybe they were behind schedule.

When Olivia finally left Jon's office, her eyes were wide and her mind was overloaded. She had spent the past four hours seated at the head of the table to Jon's right, with an entire staff of people who mapped out every day of her life for the next year and a half. It was all there. They even had a physical calendar with each day marked up with something new. Tour mostly, but there were radio stops, photoshoots, studio time, everything mapped out perfectly with absolutely no wiggle room.

And everyone kept looking to her. Ideas for the theme of the next album. Thoughts on music video treatments for songs that weren't even written yet. Album titles. Cover shoot spreads. All of them passed down the table to land in front of her.

Jon helped simplify things, put them in layman's terms for her. His words were words she had understood until that point but the order in which he used them made their meanings foreign to Olivia. She had never felt so stupid. Phrases like 'market saturation' and 'target demographic' were tossed back and forth like a volleyball between Jon's creative team. And every time the ball was passed to Olivia, she missed her shot and fell flat on her butt.

"Bottom line..."

Olivia let out her first breath all evening as Jon turned to face her, his eyes revealing just a hint of the sympathy and understanding he had for her situation. Olivia's deer-in-the-headlights look was one he had seen many times before. He wasn't shocked it was showing up now. Reality was settling in. Olivia's dream was becoming her career.

"Bottom line. You need to write. Everyday. Starting now. We'll reconvene after the holidays, compile what you've got, and go from there. Worst comes to worst, we'll hire someone to write for you. Jayden's already offered. I'm sure he'd be happy to step in."

"No. I'll do."

Jon smiled at the fierceness that broke through her haze. Her fighting spirit was back. He had touched on a subject he knew she would never budge on.

"Then write. If you need help, someone to help motivate you, we can send someone with you on the road. Capitol had this new position they've created called an 'Artistic Liaison'. Apparently, she helps artists find peace and space while traveling so they can write. Can you do this, Reeve?"

Olivia was nodding her head before he finished talking. The thought of anyone else stepping into her rule made her stomach turn. It was empty and begging for food so it would have turned on its own regardless.

"Then that's everything. Meeting adjourned."

Jon gave Olivia a nod and then was out the door before the rest of the team had gotten the chance to stand from their seats. Olivia hadn't even gotten to the list of questions she had brought to the meeting to go over with him. At that moment she couldn't quite remember what they were but at least she had sneaked in her question about Jayden's whereabouts before the meeting.