Page 2 of Show biz

“What we’re saying is that you’re not in trouble,” Mr. Terrick chuckles. These men have the ability to help careers or topple them, and when I was a kid, sometimes I would sit outside the boardroom door as I did my homework, watching people walk in and out.

Sometimes the bands would be ecstatic and laughing, while others they’d find that they had lost everything. My life was dull in some aspects, and incredibly exciting in others.

I got to see history happen.

“Good,” I tell them, my breath whooshing out of me.

“Your band walked this morning,” my uncle says with a wince.

Way to pull off the bandaid.

“Damn,” I whisper.

Karina, Marin, and Zeke always had a problem with me. They’d make fun of me under their breath because I was a “Label Princess”, but what they failed to realize is how hard I worked in spite of it.

Karina also really enjoyed her coke habit, and I couldn’t help but give her shit about it. Drugs aren’t my thing, even though Igrew up around it, because illegal substances and music go hand in hand.

Daddy never realized how much I saw, regardless of how sheltered everyone kept me.

“What did they say?” I ask, resigned. I don’t think I personally did this, but I try to be self aware. So am I the problem and a cunt bag or are they?

“They said you were too much of a princess and couldn’t work with you,” Mr. Laurence says with a roll of his eyes. He lost his daughter because she got mixed up with the wrong crowd.

There’s a shrewd glint to his gaze, and I know he’s wondering if I really am the problem. Especially, when Mav and Atlas left five years ago.

I may have had a small hand in that. I’ll admit it.

“My ex-bandmates really enjoy their drugs,” I explain. “I won’t touch the stuff, and coked out musicians make mistakes. We had a show in Texas and Karina was so high she missed her entrance during it. It’s not ideal to lose my band, but I can say I’m not surprised.”

“Layla,” my uncle says, eyes wide. I didn’t hide their habit, but I didn’t exactly yell it from the rooftops, either. Jordan keeps an eye out for any issues, but he’s been pulled in a lot of different directions lately.

The label has started calling him the musician whisperer and asking him to work with more people after my own success grew.

I have my own tour bus, so I was able to limit my interactions with them, which was nice because Zeke is an asshole when he’s high. Handsy too.

Tyler started his own company a year ago and hops on my bus whenever possible when he heard me complain about Zeke’s ‘sleepwalking’ issues. He scared the shit out of me when I found him standing over me while I was in bed, his hand reaching out to touch me.

No thanks.

“Zeke might have mentioned that your boyfriend was overly possessive and threatened him for looking at you,” Mr. Allen says carefully, watching my face.

I feel as if cold water has been splashed on me and sit straight. This could be really bad. I never mentioned anything because I didn’t make waves after Atlas and Mav left the band. I didn’t want to be labeled as the diva who ran off all of her male bandmates.

“Did Zeke also mention climbing onto my bus while I was asleep?” I ask calmly, arching my brow. “Did he mention that Tyler is now staying with me as much as possible to deter Zeke from being creepy when he’s high and supposedly sleepwalking?”

I keep my voice level because these men won’t appreciate hysteria. Jordan, however, doesn’t care and slams his fist on the table.

“Goddamn it, Layla, when are you going to stop acting like you have to handle everything? Fuck, girl. Slimy fucker,” my uncle snarls.

I barely keep myself from flinching at his tone. I’ll cry later. I know he’s not mad at me, but I’m feeling a little raw at the moment.

“I didn’t want to rock the boat and I had it handled.” I shrug. “Three weeks ago, Zeke was high out of his mind and climbed onto the bus while I was with Tyler. We weren’t asleep…”

Blushing, I force myself to continue because who cares if I was having sex with my boyfriend? It was probably the only reason he was caught. “Anyway, Zeke got aggressive and Tyler beat the shit out of him, which is well within his rights. I will come forward with all of this and press charges if necessary.”

Mr. Terrick grimaces, and I wonder if I pushed too hard. I’ve heard a lot of stories of how misogynistic the music industry canbe, where they tend to blame the victim. My stomach rolls at the thought of this happening to me.

I love the music, but is this really worth it?

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