Behind the Mask

by J. L. Ostle

  “I am sure you have worn much less,” Sam tells her. Tegan gives him the finger. “Nate, don’t they look great?”

  Nate’s eyes are still on me.

  “Nate, don’t you like it?” I bite my lip.

  “You look good.” Is all he says before leaving the room.

  I feel a little disappointed. Has he gone back to hardly speaking to me? Last night really must have changed things. We were talking, smiling.

  I guess it was a one-off.

  “Remember, Blair, we have that interview in a few hours about you joining the band and then we are going to a photoshoot for the new posters and stuff,” Sam says.

  “No one told me this,” I say, a little panicked.

  Sam glares at Tegan.

  “You didn’t tell her?”

  Tegan pretends to look innocent.

  “I’m sorry. I forgot. I don’t know if you have forgotten, but my hand is in pain, and I’m not her PA. It’s not my job to keep her up to date with this shit.” She walks out of the room.

  “Bitch,” Naomi says.

  “Heard that, whore,” Tegan shouts back.

  “So, we have an interview. I don’t want to talk, though. I don’t want people to recognize my voice.”

  “We spoke to Jeff and he thinks you not talking will keep that air of mystery about you. We will talk on your behalf,” Sam reassures me.

  “Okay, I just need to sit there. I can do that.”

  “Then soon you need to party with us,” Troy says, winking down at Naomi. “Make sure you are having a good time. People take pictures on their phones, so you don’t want to look like a Debbie Downer as that shit spreads.”

  Right, okay. Noted.

  “I’ll be with you, Blair. You know you will have fun with me there. Don’t worry. I have your back.” She winks at me.

  “You are such a good friend,” Troy says to her.

  “I am,” she says before stepping away from him, grabbing her bags. “I’m going to bring my shit home. I’ll be back before you leave for the interview. Don’t worry, I’ll be with you every step of the way.” I quickly go to her, hugging her.

  “I am going to hold you to that,” I tell her.

  “You better.” We smile and I watch her leave.

  “Fuck me, she is hot. Hopefully, I will have her underneath me, over me, anyway she wants tonight.” He rubs his hands together. I hit him over his head. He looks at me like I’m crazy.

  “She’s my best friend. She’s off-limits,” I warn him.

  “Why the fuck would you say that? I want her even more now.” He whines.

  “What are you, twelve? Just keep it in your pants when you’re around her.”

  He pouts leaving the room, complaining.

  “I can’t believe you said that. You do know you made it a challenge for him.” Sam laughs.

  “I know. I’ll be telling Naomi what I said and done and she will play hard to get, making him want her more. Hopefully, the more time he spends with her, he will see how amazing she is.”

  “You are a devious girl.”

  I shrug. “I know. Besides, if it doesn’t work that way, Naomi is happy just to have one night.”

  “I knew you were amazing, but why didn’t I know you were awesome?” He puts his arm around my shoulder as we head upstairs, him carrying my bags.

  “Because I was too busy looking after all your asses. Now I’m one of you, you can see how great I am.” I nudge him.

  “I knew you were great. I’m happy it’s you in the band, kiddo. You do look hot, by the way. If I didn’t bat for the other team, I would so hit that.”

  I press my hand to my chest, acting touched.

  “That’s the most beautiful thing you have ever said to me.” I wipe away a fake tear and he sticks his tongue out at me.

  “Careful, you don’t want to tease me.” He rolls his eyes. “You have been around Troy for too long.”

  We both laugh.

  I start putting my new clothes and makeup away when I realize I must have left my phone downstairs. Walking down, I hear Rich and Gav pissting at me.

  “Hey, guys.” I smile at them.

  “Damn, girl, you clean up real nice. I guess we are now watching after that ass of yours.” Rich smiles at me.

  “I am sure you watched my ass way before now.” I cross my arms; both their eyes go to my cleavage. I look down to see I’ve pushed up my cleavage, giving them a good eyeful, so I quickly drop my arms. “My eyes are here, boys.” I point to my eyes and they both look up.

  “We are men at the end of the day, but damn, you look good. Ten out of ten.” Gav winks at me.

  “Thanks, boys. Remember to be good.” I hear them laugh as I head to the kitchen, grabbing my phone and walking back up the stairs. I roll my eyes when I hear them whistle behind me.

  I wake up to an amazing smell. I sit up, wondering when I fell asleep. I was watching the remake of Dirty Dancing and I must have been more tired than I thought. I see Naomi sorting something out at my desk.

  “Hey,” I say groggily. I just pray I didn’t ruin my hair or makeup or I would seriously kick myself.

  “Hey, sweetie, I got you a panini and a coffee to give you some energy.” She holds it out for me. I swear this girl is amazing.

  “You are a godsend.” I stand up, grabbing the coffee first and taking a sip. So good.

  “I know.” She sits on the chair at the desk, drinking her own coffee. “Are you ready for the interview?”

  I sigh, sitting back on the bed. “Not really. I’m just happy I don’t have to talk or then I would panic.”

  “Yeah, you just need to sit there and look pretty.” She winks at me.

  I am worried about the fans. I have seen some crazy girls and I hope I don’t get any of the crazy. I already have one mean sister, I don’t need a pack of them with the same views of Tegan ganging up on me.

  Once I finish my food and drink Naomi touches up my makeup and hair. I look in the mirror, smiling at my reflection.

  I really do look different.

  “Don’t forget the mask.” Naomi hands it to me.

  I take it off her, feeling over the lace, remembering Nate doing the same thing. I look back into the mirror, placing the mask on, and in a strange way, it completes the look. It makes me look exotic.

  “I can’t wait for the world to see you. This is your time to shine.” Naomi shrieks behind me.

  My time to shine. I repeat the words.

  We leave my room when we hear Troy yelling out to us. I take a deep breath and follow Naomi to the front door. Troy’s eyes are on Naomi and I inwardly groan. I need to remember to tell her what happened after she left.

  Sam is smiling sweetly at me. Tegan looks like she could rip my hair out. Nate’s intense gaze is on me. I look at Rich and Gav, and even though they are trying to stay serious and professional, I see them giving me a small smile.

  “Right, let’s go show my girl off.” Naomi links her arm through mine, heading outside.

  I smile when I see Max, and I almost laugh when he sees me.

  “Max, look at our little girl. All grown up.” Naomi pretends to wipe a tear.

  She really is rubbing off on me.

  “You scrub up real nice, Blair. I wouldn’t think it was you under that mask.” He gives me a fatherly hug.

  “Thank you, Max.” I give him a huge, warm smile.

  He does a little bow, opening the door. Naomi and I climb in, watching the others follow suit. We head to a hotel that I know celebrities go to for privacy and away from the public eye.

  I’m really doing this. I press my hand against my chest.

  I think now it’s really starting to sink in.

  I’m going to be in the band Blacken Hart.

  I can feel the heat rising, my heart hammering against my chest. I feel like I can’t breathe. I need to get out of the limo. Naomi is flirting with Troy, who is sitting opposite us. I open my mouth to say something when I feel a little faint, then I see Nate taki
ng a seat next to me, holding my hand.

  I look to our entwined fingers, then at his eyes and he is watching me.

  “Keep looking at me,” he says in a soothing voice, and I do. “Keep watching me and don’t look away.” He doesn’t need to say it twice.

  I am lost in them.

  In him.

  His eyes stay focused on mine. Everything around me seeps away. It’s just him and me. My body calms down, and I keep looking until I hear a cough. Tegan is glaring at me. I see the others looking at us both.

  “Are you okay, kiddo?” Troy asks me in concern. I look at Naomi.

  “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know anything was wrong until I saw Nate take your hand. You looked so pale like you were about to pass out.” She looks at me with guilty, sad eyes.

  “Don’t be silly. I’m okay.” I look at Nate then at our hands. “Thank you, Nate.” I give him a small smile.

  “I told you she wasn’t going to hack it,” Tegan says angrily. “Let’s just end this shit.”

  “It’s a bit too late for that, and besides, we go back on tour tomorrow. She is allowed to get a little anxious. She is getting thrown to the sharks.” Nate defends me.

  “Whatever.” Is all she says and when the door opens, she can’t get out fast enough.

  “Just keep holding my hand until we get in. It’s going to be chaotic out there.” He winks at me.

  Nate actually winked me.

  I end up giggling like a school girl.

  We wait for everyone to climb out and when Nate gets out, he helps me and soon I am blinded by camera lights. Nate’s hand quickly entwines my fingers once again. He walks me toward the hotel, stopping to pose in front of the cameras. They are all screaming at him. Chanting his name over and over.

  Troy, Sam, and Tegan are either posing or signing autographs. I turn back around and Nate takes hold of my chin, making me look up at him.

  “Smile. Pose. Pretend it’s like taking a selfie.” He chuckles, causing me to laugh.

  I turn back to the cameras and start posing with Nate at my side. Soon the whole band joins in, photos getting taken of all of us.

  “Isn’t this fun?” Troy says to me.

  “It ain’t bad,” I tease. I look at Naomi and she is standing near the limo with a smile on her face, watching us. I’m sad that she isn’t joining me.

  She is the reason why I am here. Heading to Naomi, I hear Nate and the guys yelling out to me.

  “What are you doing?” Naomi asks me, looking at me confused.

  “I told you I need you at my side.” I grab her hand, taking her with me. “You are my guru if anyone asks.” We both laugh and I start posing with her.

  “Holy shit, I’m going to be in magazines. I can’t wait to search on the Internet for me,” Naomi says giddily.

  The band joins us. Troy swings his arm around her shoulders. I feel Nate once again taking hold of my hand, pulling me toward him.

  “You shouldn’t just walk away. It’s a little dangerous for you now.”

  I place my hand on his chest, patting him, looking up into his concerned eyes.

  “I didn’t want this new life to start without my best friend at my side. It wouldn’t feel right,” I tell him and he smiles.

  “You really are one of a kind.”

  “I know.”

  We both chuckle.

  “Nate, is this your new girlfriend?” a reporter shouts out.

  “All questions should be asked in the interview, but no, she is the new lead guitarist of our band until our Tegan’s hand heals, and that’s all for now,” he says and soon the flashes and shouts of questions get worse.

  This time, though, they are all focused on me.

  “This is crazy shit,” Naomi says as we walk into the hotel.

  The place screams expensive. I look up at the high ceilings, the immaculate white floors. There is no mark or blemish.

  Heading up the elevator, we are taken to an empty conference room. There is a long table in front of us that we head towards. I see name placements on the table. Nate and I are basically sat in the middle.

  I look out in front of me, seeing the empty chairs that will soon be full of reporters.

  Thank you, God, I’m not talking.

  I’d probably sound like an idiot if I did.

  “I can’t believe Blair is sitting in the middle,” Tegan complains next to me.

  “You need to stop saying her name,” Naomi shouts at her before taking a seat in front of us.

  “Naomi is right,” Sam says. “They are going to ask for a name. What should we call her?”

  I get a new name.

  What name do I want?

  “I have a few I could call you,” Tegan says under her breath and I glare at her.

  “How about Star?” Naomi answers. We all face her. “I just watched The Lost Boys. I loved the girl’s name.” She shrugs.

  Star.

  I like it.

  It’s fitting.

  “I like it,” Sam says, smiling at me.

  “Me too,” Troy and I say at the same time.

  “Star it is,” Nate says, nudging my shoulder. I nudge him back. I love this side of him. I am just praying he hasn’t been drinking and this is him completely sober.

  Soon the door opens and Jeffery walks down the isle, heading toward us. Just looking at him you can tell he likes money. Everything he is wearing looks expensive. “How are my number one guys?” He smiles at them. The guys give quick replies.

  He stands in front of me, looking me down. I hate how he is looking at me.

  Is he looking at me with interest? “Claire, welcome to the band. Thank you for taking Tegan’s place until our girl is all healed.” He shakes my hand for a little longer than necessary. I hear Tegan laugh beside me.

  “It’s Blair,” I correct him. He waves me off.

  “Well, it’s Star now,” Nate tells him.

  “Pretty. Okay, guys, answer the questions professionally. Just stick to the story. Tegan hurt her hand. Star here is taking her place on tour until she’s all healed up. Star wants to keep anonymous, so she won’t be talking, ever.”

  “We know the story as it’s fact, not a story,” Troy says.

  “Yeah, good, just say stuff like that.” His phone rings and he answers it, walking to the corner.

  Soon the room fills up with reporters and they take pictures of us. The guys look forward with posed faces, so I do the same. Jeffery stands up, introducing himself, his label, and the band. He explains what has happened to Tegan and who I am and also explains I won’t be talking. So much for the band explaining it all.

  Questions start getting asked, a few to Tegan, but then soon a few get asked my way and I don’t know how to react. They were told I won’t be answering and yet they are asking me. I just either smile, shrug or smirk.

  The guys answer a few for me or warn them that they are wasting their questions.

  I am soon surprised when one asks if there is a romantic interest between me and Nate, and we regard each other.

  “We have got close in the short amount of time, but it’s strictly professional,” he answers.

  “But you were seen holding hands,” one shouts out.

  “To make her feel at ease,” Nate replies.

  “In a few pictures taken already of you both, it looks like something is brewing under the surface,” another says.

  I look at Naomi, sure I have panicked eyes.

  “You know pictures aren’t always as they seem.” Nate smirks.

  This goes on for another fifteen minutes, but yet most of the questions go on about me and Nate. Nate answers so calmly. I am sitting here feeling like I’m sweating buckets. I feel like we are under the microscope.

  The last question is asked to the whole band. “Are you happy that Star is in the band? Do you all get on?”

  “I feel like Star is a little sister to me,” Troy says, winking at me. I roll my eyes.

  “She is a hard worker. I am sure you will all soo
n get to love her,” Sam answers.

  “She’s okay. No one can be better than me, but she ain’t too bad,” Tegan says. A few reporters laugh. At least she didn’t say anything too bad.

  “Nate, what about you?” the reporter asks him.

  “She plays amazingly. The band and I are happy to have her join our little family.” He looks at me, and I give him a warm smile.

  I see a few flashes. I face forward, cameras going off. Couldn’t they warn you when they are going to do that?

  Jeffery stands back up front, ending the interview. Now the world knows who I am. Well, the Star version of me. I watch as the reporters leave, not wanting to talk until they are all gone. I wonder if any of them would dig to find who I really am.

  It’s what reporters do, but I’m hoping because it’s only for three weeks they won’t.

  “That was so crazy.” Naomi bounces over. “A few reporters have such boring questions. I noticed they loved the hope of Nate and Star being together.” She waggles her eyebrows.

  “I know, what is up with that shit?” Tegan complains. “It was like they were dying for you to admit you both are a couple or something. My career could be going down the toilet and they didn’t even care.” Tegan slumps back.

  “She is right,” Jeffery adds in, tapping his finger against his lip. “They really liked the idea of Nate and Star being together.” He looks off before smiling. I know I am about to hate what he is thinking. “They love the mysterious thing, but what if we keep them guessing if you two are together or not?”

  “Jeff…” Nate tries to butt in.

  “Whenever you are both out in public you give off little hints of something going on. Hold hands. Smile to one another. Kiss his cheek. Shit like that.”

  I look at him like he’s crazy. “When the three weeks are up we can have a dramatic breakup or something. This is good.” He smiles triumphantly.

  “Jeff…” Nate tries again.

  “What?”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Nate says with a worried look.

  Why does he look worried? Is it that bad to pretend he likes me?

  “Well, I do. She’s your friend. Surely you won’t mind doing it. She’s not ugly. She’s easy on the eyes.” He elbows Nate, giving him a wink. “Just do it. It will be good for the band,” Jeffery says in a final tone before leaving on his phone once again.