by Ivy Jordan
I slipped on a pair of boxers and headed out to the living room. There was no one there or in the kitchen. There was, however, a note on the counter. It read: “I had an early shift. Didn’t want to wake you. Call me.” She left a number on the note in her scratchy handwriting. I crumpled up the note and tossed it in the trashcan. I had no intention of calling her, so there was no point in keeping it.
I started moving around the kitchen, cutting up vegetables and fruits to make a smoothie. I put everything in the blender and turned it on. When everything was blended together, I poured it into a cup and downed it as quickly as possible. It was disgusting, so I had to get it all in as quickly as possible. I needed to feel better quickly, or I would end up sleeping the day away in bed. I couldn’t imagine going anywhere feeling the way that I did.
I looked around for my, hearing it ring. I found it on the coffee table in the living room.
“Caleb? This is Aria Lopez?”
“Aria…” I said as I wracked my brain as to who Aria was. The name was certainly familiar, but with the headache that I had, I couldn’t for the life of me think of who it could be. Surely, it wasn’t the girl from last night. I was sure I hadn’t given her my number. I wasn’t ready to deal with her right then. I needed to get rid of the hangover I had first.
“Caleb?”
“Yes, sorry. Who is this?”
There was a silence and then, “It’s Aria Lopez, your rep from Under Armour.”
“Oh God, yes, of course. Sorry, I had a long night, and I’m not quite awake yet. My apologies. I do know who you are.” I pressed my eyes together feeling like a complete moron. My sponsor was calling me, and I was acting like I had no idea who she was. They were going to have a field day with that one.
“Yes, I’m actually aware of the night that you had, Caleb, and that’s why I’m calling.”
Confused, I wasn’t sure how to respond. What did she mean by that? “Okay, sure. What’s up?”
“I would prefer to have this conversation in my office, Caleb. When can you be here?”
“This isn’t something that can wait until tomorrow?” The last thing I wanted to do was to have a meeting the way that I was feeling. If I could postpone it until the next day, it would be ideal. She probably just wanted to talk about the majors, anyway, and that was a way off. It was not something that needed to be rushed.
“No, Caleb. It’s actually an urgent matter. We would like to see you right now, in fact, so when can you be here?”
“I will leave right now if that’s what you want.”
“Great, we will see you soon.”
Well, that was odd. I couldn’t imagine what she wanted to discuss with me that couldn’t wait. It was actually a little annoying. I would have to make it clear to her that I was the superstar and should be treated as such.
They had all the time in the world to discuss sponsorship for the major; why did it have to be done on the day that I had a major hangover? Not to mention, how the hell did she know I had been out the night before? Maybe she had been talking to Gabriel and he mentioned being invited out. But Gabriel really wasn’t someone who talked to sponsors. I decided to shrug it off and get there quickly so that I could find out what she wanted.
The phone rang again. “Caleb, it’s Aria. Meet me at the Twisted Apron for breakfast. I’m hungry.”
I almost laughed, except her tone was really serious. “Sure thing. See ya soon.”
I clicked off the line and ran to my bedroom to quickly change. I grabbed jeans and a t-shirt. I made sure to put on deodorant and cologne just in case the smell of booze was coming out of my pores. I checked myself out in the mirror and cringed. Well, it was the best that I could do. I grabbed my phone and wallet and headed out the door.
I was nervous when I walked into the breakfast bistro, and I wasn’t sure why. The call for the meeting was a little weird, but these sponsors could really be picky sometimes. I saw Aria sitting at the table, not looking even the least bit happy to see me. I smiled at her anyway and sat across from her. Before I could even pick up the menu, she went into me like a rabid dog looking for a meal.
“What the hell were you thinking last night? Do you think this is some kind of a joke?”
I stared at her, unsure of what she was talking about. I thought about the night before and all the drunkenness that Matthew and I had gotten into. Something must have happened that I didn’t remember. But how did she know?
“I’m not really sure what you’re talking about, Aria.”
“Oh, well, isn’t that just perfect. You don’t even remember your idiocy.”
I took a deep breath, trying not to flip out on her. I didn’t like how she was treating me, and worse, I had no idea why she was talking to me that way.
“How about you explain things to me, so we can be on the same page?”
Instead of explaining anything, she picked up her phone from the table and swiped a few times. She then turned the phone towards me, and I watched as a video played. It was a YouTube video of me at the night club the night before.
There I was, standing amongst a few girls in my underwear, dancing. My face turned a beet red when I looked at the logo on the underwear. Yes, that probably didn’t look good at all. It became pretty clear to me why she was so pissed off. What the hell was wrong with me? How could I have gotten so drunk and behaved like that? And, to let someone tape me? That was clearly not the best idea. I suddenly wondered if my father had seen the video, and I sent out a quick prayer hoping that no one would show it to him.
“I don’t know what to say. I’m sorry. I don’t know what got into me; usually I’m not like that.”
“I’m sure you’re not, Caleb,” she said sarcastically. “When you wear our products, we don’t really expect to see those products in a drunken strip show. That’s not really the image we are trying to portray, if you know what I mean.”
She picked up her menu and started to look through it. I did the same while I slowly died of embarrassment.
My face could not have gotten redder at that point. I didn’t even know how to explain myself or what I could say to make that look on her face disappear. She really did think that I was a special kind of moron, and I wasn’t sure that I had anything that could change her mind about that.
“I’m very sorry, Aria. I don’t know what else I can say.”
She put the menu down just as the waiter approached our table. She smiled for the first time since I got there and she quickly ordered. The waiter then looked to me, and I ordered some bacon and eggs. The waiter left, and I looked at Aria hoping that she was in a friendlier mood now that she knew that food was arriving soon.
“We like you, Caleb. We endorsed you for a reason – because we believe in you.”
“Well, thank—”
“No, I’m not finished yet.”
“Sorry.” She was dragging me over the coals.
“Do me a favor and stop acting like an idiot, or we will drop our endorsements and wash our hands of you.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. The thought that they would drop me over the video was ludicrous. I was the son of a very wealthy and famous golf player. Not to mention my own accomplishments on the field. It was a joke to think that they could just drop me. I was Caleb Harris, after all. They would be crazy to lose me.
“That’s a little extreme, don’t you think?”
“No, we don’t think that, at all. In fact, we expect you to behave until at least after the tour is over. I know you think this is funny, but that drunken Under Armour commercial you pulled didn’t have anyone at the company laughing one bit.”
“I’m not trying to make light of the situation. I just don’t think it’s bad enough to drop a sponsorship over it.”
“Well, I assure you that we are serious. After the shit we saw on that video, we have decided that drastic measures need to be taken to ensure that you don’t continue to make a fool out of us.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. They w
ere serious. I couldn’t believe that they would actually think of taking away my endorsements. If I went to the majors without sponsorship, it would be a disaster, not to mention what my father might do to me.
“Look, Aria, I apologized; it’s not like I went out to do it on purpose. I agree it was poor judgment and I assure you that it will never happen again.”
“We want to work towards putting forth a different image of you Caleb, an image that would certainly work better with the endorsement.”
I was speechless. “What exactly does that mean?”
“We want you to get a girlfriend and start to act like a guy that has his shit together.”
“What? A girlfriend? No way. I can’t remember the last time that I had a girlfriend, and I certainly don’t need one now.”
“It’s not a request, Caleb. Get a girlfriend. I don’t care if you have to hire one, just do it. Fix this. Now.”
I just stared at her. I didn’t know what to say. A girlfriend? The thought was preposterous, but what could I do? It was obvious that she was dead serious. The waiter arrived with our breakfast, but I just picked at it for the rest of the time we spent together. I had completely lost my appetite. I couldn’t believe what my stupidity had cost me. A girlfriend. What the hell was I going to do now?
Chapter Six
Hailey
The busy day at work was making me regret drinking the night before. I didn’t have to be in too early since my shift started at lunch, but still, I felt tired. It had been good to get out with Mandy, though. She was able to take my mind off things, at least for a little while.
The fact that I was working as a waitress in a bistro in the mall reminded me, however, that I was not doing what I wanted with my life. It was only a matter of time. I was sure of it. I was young and had the time to focus on my career; I just hated the moments of rejection and uncertainty that came with the industry. I just wished that I had a crystal ball that would tell me whether I was wasting my time trying to seek out this dream of mine.
I had been working at the upscale bistro since I’d arrived in town and it wasn’t a bad job; it defiantly paid the bills, and my co-workers were pretty cool.
“Hey, are you even paying attention to me?”
Startled, I looked over at a woman at a table that I was serving. I had just been there to top off their coffee, and I couldn’t imagine what she was screaming at me about.
“I’m sorry. Did you need something?”
“We have been waiting for the bill to come, and we certainly don’t have all day.”
I thought about how long it had been for me to return to the bar, and I couldn’t have been gone longer than ten or eleven minutes.
“I’m really sorry. I thought you all were enjoying some coffee.”
“We have shopping to do, and you’re over here daydreaming.”
My face went a deep crimson as I held my tongue. I needed the job, and it would do me no good to snap at her and get fired. It’s true I had been daydreaming, but I had also taken very good care of her table. I didn’t deserve her treatment just because I wasn’t hovering over her table every second of my shift. I took a deep breath and said, “I will be right over with your bill, ma’am.”
The woman huffed and walked back to her table. I rolled my eyes wondering how people got so entitled about their lives. Was this what it was really like to be rich? I couldn’t imagine treating a waitress so poorly. I quickly printed out her bill and walked it back to her table.
I waited there while the table paid cash for their meal and walked away without another word. I picked up the cash and realized my inattentiveness had cost me my tip. I shook my head as I made my back up to the bar to complete their order in the system.
When I got back, there was a group of waitresses crowded over a phone and laughing hilariously. Forgetting the bill momentarily, I went over to see what they were looking at.
“Hey, what’s going on over here?”
A girl named Shelley looked up and smiled at me. “Hey, I saw Mrs. Barclay rip you a new one. Don’t let her get to you. She’s always like that.”
“She didn’t even leave me a tip,” I said with a smirk.
“It’s just your punishment until next time. Just be at her beck and call, that’s what she expects.”
“Wow, okay, I’ll remember that for next time. Though, I hope she sits in your section. Who needs that nonsense for a ten-dollar tip?”
Shelley laughed “It’s the price you pay to work here. This isn’t the Kelsey crowd, my dear.”
“No kidding. So, what’s up? Things seem to be more interesting in your section.”
Another girl, Carol, piped up, “Oh, we are just watching another athlete tank his career.”
“What? Who?” I asked.
“Caleb Harris; he’s one of the pro golfers going to the majors this year. He just made an ass out of himself at a bar last night, and someone taped it and threw it on YouTube. He literally stripped down to his underwear, which happens to be from the company that sponsors him. It’s hilarious.”
Shelley handed me the phone, and I watched as the golfer took off his clothes and danced around with a bunch of girls. The video was shocking and really embarrassing. I couldn’t imagine what would make him behave like a total idiot right in front of a camera. Was he too drunk to realize that it would be posted on the internet immediately? It was sure to be the most shared video on social media sites everywhere. I felt a burn of embarrassment, and it wasn’t even my life.
I could imagine it, though; I was well acquainted with the celebrity world because that was the world I was trying to enter into. It could be very unforgiving. Caleb seemed completely out of control.
I didn’t find anything funny about the video at all, in fact, it was actually really sad. He definitely did screw up with his sponsors, and for all anyone knew, they would drop him today. His career could be over, and everyone was laughing about it. I handed the phone back to them and shrugged. I didn’t have much to say.
“Crazy, right?” Shelley said.
“That’s not really funny, guys. That’s no different than the time Britney Spears shaved her head. There is so much pressure in their lives that they just snap. That’s obviously what happened to this guy. I don’t think he makes a habit of stripping down in a nightclub. Being a celebrity is a hard life – you are watched all the time, expected always to be on your best behavior, and that’s just not human nature.”
Carol’s mouth dropped open. “You can’t honestly be defending this guy.”
“We don’t even know him, and that’s half the problem with celebrity life. We judge these people, and for all we know, they could be having a mental breakdown. I just think that there is more to this story. I feel bad for the guy. Imagine the pressure he’s under all the damn time. How would you guys like to be publicly humiliated like that?”
The girls laughed. “No, you have it all wrong, Hailey. You’re a good girl; this guy is not. He’s a playboy dick who is known for banging one chick after another without a care in the world. The only problems he has is that he has too much time and money on his hands. Videos like this just show that rich boys think they can do whatever they want and with no consequences. He’s probably laughing his ass off with his friends over the video, letting his rich daddy buy him out of trouble.”
I shrugged. “Yeah, maybe.” I left the girls to their giggling over the video and went to complete the bill from the table. I added the money to the till, still bitter that four people had not thought to leave me a tip after the excellent service I had provided them. I worked really hard at my job. I wasn’t one to slack off or to ignore customers. I thought it was odd that it seemed the people with the most money were the ones that didn’t want to let go of it at all costs.
I couldn’t get the video out of my head throughout the rest of my shift. I didn’t know why I felt so terrible for the guy. Maybe he was just some jerk womanizer who didn’t care about anyone else. But maybe there was more to th
e story. We’ve all done stupid things when we were drunk, just not all of us have cameras on us all the time. He must have woken up that morning with some serious regrets. Imagine how bad his day must have been?
I just didn’t believe that someone would behave in that manner unless they were struggling with something. Just look at the celebrity world – some actors went through whole careers as shining examples, while other ruined their careers with drugs and alcohol, some having to go to treatment facilities. The Hollywood lifestyle took its toll on a person’s mental and physical well-being, even their marriages suffered from it. You especially saw it with the younger generations; fame can just be too much for some people.
I had to wonder how fame would affect my life if I did make it to the big leagues. Would I be able to handle it with grace like Reese Witherspoon or Julia Roberts, or would I be another Lindsay Lohan? You just never knew what that kind of pressure would do to you. I could only hope that I would be able to handle all the expectations to be perfect, thin, and wonderful all the time
I went from table to table with a smile on my face, greeting customers and bringing them what they wanted. I was in a daze, though, as I thought about my future and what sacrifices I was going to have to make in order to have the dream I wanted.
Considering the price Caleb Harris was certainly paying for his celebrity status, I had to wonder if he thought it was all worth it in the end. Was this the kind of life he saw for himself when he went pro? I was starting to wonder if I really wanted to live a life in the spotlight. I had to wonder whether the price for fame was worth the risk. I couldn’t imagine people laughing at videos of me while I made public mistakes. The fact that the video was out there for the entire world to see was beyond my understanding. His mistake would always be out there, a public disgrace that could be thrown in his face for years to come.
Chapter Seven
Caleb
I thought it was going to be just me and my parents, but it turned out that Dad invited some of his friends to dinner, as well. The table was buzzing with chatter and energy. The rich really knew how to talk and drink. It didn’t stop my father from going in on me, however. Embarrassing me in front of people was pretty common for him.
