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CHAPTER ONE – THE AUDITION
THEN: JAKE GRIFFIN COUNTRY MUSIC’S NEXT STAR
NEXT BREAKOUT STAR? Unknown JAKE GRIFFIN signs with ARKADIA RECORDS. Who is the nineteen-year-old that just signed with Nashville’s largest music label? Read to find out.
GOING GOLD: Country newbie, JAKE GRIFFIN, sells half a million copies of his freshmen album SOMEDAY in its first week! Tour dates “in the near future.”
TO THE MOON: new single released by ABBY BROOKS suggests new album is in the works – is that JAKE GRIFFIN in the background?
TOUR DATES: Country music’s ABBY BROOKS announces album release date, tour and more! JAKE GRIFFIN is rumored to join.
A NEW RECORD: having sold more than a million copies in a week, JAKE GRIFFIN’S SOMEDAY becomes record-breaking PLATINUM ALBUM.
LOVE IS IN THE AIR: now on tour, JAKE GRIFFIN and ABBY BROOKS “can’t stay away from each other,” sources claim.
CONFIRMED: JAKE GRIFFIN escorts America’s sweetheart, ABBY BROOKS, down the red carpet. BROOKS plays it cool: “He’s my best friend.”
NOW: BELLAMY BLAKE, MOUNT WEATHER, VIRGINIA
“Hey—I’ve got a job for you.” Bellamy’s friend, Nathan Miller, never wastes time with pleasantries. He’s a straight-to-business guy. Bellamy likes that about him.
“Uh, okay.” Bellamy is surprised by the direction the conversation is taking. Miller works security, for some important person or another; the agency Miller works for makes it difficult for Bellamy to keep up.
Bellamy only just returned home – to the great city of Mount Weather, Virginia – yesterday evening. Bellamy liked to visit here every once in a while; when there’d been a small window in his schedule, he jumped at it. That’s what savings were for.
“You could at least try to sound a little more excited,” Miller’s tone is one of pained amusement. “It’s like you forget that you’re a struggling artist.”
“Am I?” Bellamy muses as he searches the cabinets of his neglected family kitchen for something to eat. He can’t remember the last time he was here, and so, he isn’t too surprised to come up empty-handed.
Miller makes a strangled noise and pretends that Bellamy hadn’t said anything. “Arkadia Records is looking for a touring guitarist. I put your name up.”
“Word,” Bellamy likes touring. It’s a tough job, but it’s also fun. It keeps him from getting the cat he so desperately wants but cannot afford; that’s a dream for another day. It’s thoughtful of Miller, to think of him, and Bellamy says as much.
Miller is uncomfortable with the thanks, even after giving Bellamy a hard time. “There’s one thing, though.” The guy warns, setting off all of Bellamy’s mental warning bells.
“Yeah?” He asks, cautious. One time, on a high school ski trip, Miller suggested to Bellamy that if he went down the black diamond trail, he’d be able to impress his crush and get her to go out with him. Bellamy basically rolled all the way down the trail, breaking an ankle in the process. Lily hadn’t even stuck around long enough to witness it.
“Yeah—okay don’t freak out.” Miller hedges.
“You know, saying stuff like that only makes me freak out.” Bellamy glances out the window. The mountains are lush and green in the distance. It’s nice to be home. When he was younger, all he wanted to do was leave.
“It’s just that, well—have you heard of Clarke Griffin?” Miller asks. It’s a pretty stupid question. Who hasn’t heard of Clarke Griffin?
“The Country Heiress? With the famous parents and nepotism?”
“Princess, and there isn’t any nepotism,” Miller corrects, and Bellamy snorts. It makes Miller groan. “Fuck, man. It's the music industry; what can I tell you? But yes, that one.”
“Wait,” Bellamy interrupts. “You put my name down to tour with some country snob? What the fuck, Miller?”
“Are you still broke?” Miller interjects.
“Relatively.”
“Can you play the guitar?”
“Yes?”
“And do you like playing music?”
“Situationally,” Miller swears on the other end. “Yes-yes, I do.”
“So then don’t be a bitch and get paid to do something you enjoy. I will have Maya call you, and do not embarrass me. Bye.” Miller hangs up.
He gets a call within the hour from a Maya Vie. The chipper girl asks about his current whereabouts and if he has any prior obligations, contracts, etc. that would “impact his ability to participate.” It’s all really weird if you ask Bellamy.
The girl on the phone seems pleased with his answers, tells Bellamy to keep an eye on his email, and then hangs up without a warning. Bellamy always says goodbye before he hangs up; not even a decade in New York could drill that little Southern courtesy out of him. It’s fucking nice, okay?
An email does come later that evening; Bellamy hears the chime in his pocket, but he chooses to ignore it. In front of him, there is a plain slab of stone that reads AURORA BLAKE, BELOVED MOTHER. This is the part he hates about coming home, and it’s the reason Octavia stays out of Virginia if at all possible.
The email contains a date, this Monday, and a location, a private airport out of Manhattan. Being that today is Saturday, Bellamy doesn’t have a lot of time to get things together. He planned to stay here in Virginia a little bit longer, but Bellamy has bills to pay, so he gets to work on moving his plane ticket around and sets off back to New York.
THEN: ABBY BROOKS DATING NEWCOMER JAKE GRIFFIN
ABBY BROOKS and JAKE GRIFFIN wrap up record-breaking tour. ARKADIA RECORDS promises new music “soon.”
Country stars JAKE GRIFFIN and ABBY BROOKS spotted leaving BROOKS’S penthouse is downtown Nashville, supports dating theory.
Country’s favorite couple JAKE GRIFFIN and ABBY BROOKS attend the Met Gala, confirm relationship.
Couple JAKE GRIFFIN and ABBY BROOKS spotted in New York together. BROOKS shows boyfriend the sights. Couple shopping for NYC home together?
NOW: BELLAMY, NEW YORK CITY
The look on the taxi driver’s face when Bellamy asks to be dropped off at Teterboro Airport is nothing shy of skeptical. Dressed in a black t-shirt and worn blue jeans, it’s hard to blame the guy. Bellamy knows the directions come out of his mouth weak and uncertain. Like even his tongue doesn’t believe that he’s really meeting Clarke Griffin’s manager for an audition on a private jet.
A young girl that couldn’t possibly be the ferocious woman he confirmed with on the phone this morning greets him at the airfield. With dark hair and pale, pale skin, she doesn’t look like the type you’d expect to circle amongst A-listers and international stars. The kind smile she gives only supports Bellamy’s beliefs.
“I’m Maya. It’s nice to meet you!” The girl smiles warmly again, and Bellamy returns the greeting. “If you’ll follow me, we can get you set up.”
Maya leads him onto an unremarkable jet, but that seems to be the point. The people using this place are either finance gurus or famous and avoiding attention. Inside, however, is nicer than any apartment Bellamy's ever owned.
“So, you’re Miller’s best friend,” Maya observes as Bellamy breaks out his guitar and fiddles with it. It helps to relax those pesky audition nerves of his; there’s nothing quite as terrifying as getting up in front of people who are only there to judge you, tell you if you’re good enough or not.
“That I am.”
“I didn’t think Miller had any friends.” The brunette hops into a seat near him, continues. “How are you friends with someone who doesn’t talk?”
At that Bellamy cracks a smile; Miller is a gruff guy, but once he warms up to you, there is no going back. Once in your corner, Miller will be in your corner for life.
“Well, we survived high school together. There’s no other bond like it.”
Maya looks skeptical, but before she can say so, a shadow appears at the door. Tall and imposing, this must be Indra, Clarke Griffin’s manager. The woman glares at him over her dark shades before stepping aside to make room for the people coming in behind her.
“Look—Mom. I don’t care. I’m not touring with my boyfriend to sell albums. Like, what am I? Some Disney Channel star?” While Indra was the storm cloud, an ominous warning rolling in, Clarke Griffin is the lightning close behind, full of quick, hot energy. “So, I lost my guitarist. Musicians drop off tours all the time. How is this bad press?”
“Because,” Abby Brooks-Griffin boards the plane dressed like she’s about to go onstage. The Country star hasn’t performed in years, stepping back into the shadows to allow room for her daughter to shine, but it appears she hasn’t lost the flair for performance.
“Grounder wrote that Connor left the tour because of a ‘hostile work environment.’ That means you, honey.” Clarke Griffin snorts in outrage, yanking off the grey baseball cap she’s wearing and smoothing out her long blonde hair.
“No, it means that we don’t let people make sexually overt comments about other members of this team. And Connor can—” Clarke’s blue eyes fall on Bellamy, who feels like he’s watching some reality TV, only the sound is too clear and he feels too close.
“Becca will take care of it,” Clarke wraps up the conversation that Bellamy was most assuredly not supposed to hear.
“Oh!” Abby declares, eyeing Bellamy thoughtfully. “Hello there.”
Clarke makes a strangled noise but approaches Bellamy confidently. To his surprise, she offers him her hand and smiles. “You must be Bellamy. Miller says great things about you.”
“Are you sure you’ve got the right, Miller? Nathan Miller?” Bellamy jests. Indra looks utterly unimpressed, but both the Griffin women grin. Abby laughs freely, while Clarke seems to catch herself and retreats to a spot on the plane.
“We need to make a meeting in Nashville, so get on with it,” Indra growls. Maya flashes Bellamy an apologetic smile and joins Clarke, quietly reading from her phone to the star, whispering in her ear.
Bellamy spent the majority of his weekend getaway skimming through the expansive catalog of Clarke Griffin, even the teeth-rotting girl ballads of her early years. The artist has a penchant for pulling from the same pool of chords, but Bellamy wouldn’t say that’s necessarily a bad thing. Its Clarke Griffin’s ability to tell a story and emote that makes her so relatable to her fans, that makes her famous.
He plays a medley of sorts, picking a choice from her singles and a few songs that Bellamy recognizes from Octavia’s Clarke Griffin days. She used to play a lot of these songs on full blast. And on repeat. Maya whispers to Clarke the whole time, occasionally showing the star her phone as well. Indra continues to scowl, glancing down at her apple watch and looking out one of the windows like she’d rather be anywhere else. Abby sits front row and center, enraptured. Every once in a while, the country icon will mouth the words to her daughter’s songs, following along. Then she too looks away, her phone buzzing in her lap.
Bellamy would like to think that this audition is going well, but it’s hard to say with how no one appears to be paying attention. The music industry is a brutal beast. Accepting defeat, Bellamy veers into another song, one that no one would have heard on the radio. Clearly, it doesn’t seem to matter what he plays – or even if he plays.
At the change in music, Clarke’s sharp eyes look away from Maya’s notes to him then to Indra. The expression she wears is critical and impossible to read, but Bellamy will play until someone says—
“That’ll do,” Indra interjects. Bellamy finishes the chord progression because he can’t stand to leave it hanging. Maya gives him a big smile, again, and Abby claps like a little girl, hopping in her seat.
“Thank you for your time.” Clarke Griffin says, maintaining eye contact. She looks away when Indra nudges at her shoulder for her attention. Bellamy begins to pack up his things, trying to hide the insecurity and rejection swirling in his stomach.
“We will be in touch!” Abby declares, squeezing his arm. It’s pretty much code for you’re not getting the job.
But Bellamy has learned to brush off the sting of rejection. So, he smiles and thanks the women for their time, exiting the plane. Clarke Griffin doesn’t spare him another look.
The plane is in the air before Bellamy can even get into the car waiting for him outside.
THEN: JAKE GRIFFIN AND ABBY BROOKS SPLIT
JAKE GRIFFIN spotted out on the town. Pictures of GRIFFIN’S boy’s night in Nashville tonight at 8PM. Where was ABBY?
ABBY BROOKS tells OPRAH she plans to take a break, differing from ARKADIA’S promises of new music from the artist. Trouble in ARKADIA or just a failure to communicate?
JAKE GRIFFIN is back in the studio, thrilled to receive a nomination for NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR, a close source reports.
ABBY BROOKS is nowhere to be found, wins FEMALE VOCALIST OF THE YEAR. Why wasn’t she there to accept?
ABBY BROOKS surprises crowd at JAKE GRIFFIN concert; pair performed their hit duet TO THE MOON for concertgoers last Thursday. Is this the return of ABBY BROOKS?
JAKE GRIFFIN takes DIANA SYDNEY out to dinner, confirms reports of a breakup with ABBY GRIFFIN.
NOW: BELLAMY, NEW YORK CITY
The call comes through before Bellamy makes it back to his closet space of an apartment in Brooklyn. The number is unknown, but Bellamy answers because he recognizes the Nashville area code.
“Hello, I’m calling for Bellamy Blake.” It’s a woman’s voice, sickeningly professional.
Bellamy clears his throat. “Yeah, that’s me.”
“Excellent. I’m Becca Heda with Clarke Griffin’s team. I have some paperwork to send over, and I wanted to confirm the email address before I did.” Becca, as in Becca will deal with it. Bellamy’s mind swirls with the possibilities. Maybe Clarke Griffin didn’t like what he’d overheard, and they were about to wrap him up in some legal jargon to keep him shut.
“Mr. Blake? Are you there?” Becca asks. “I didn’t lose you, did I?”
“I, no – I’m here. Can I ask what this is about?” Bellamy manages to say before the woman can continue.
“Oh, right. Mr. Blake, we’d like to offer you a place on Clarke Griffin’s team, as a touring band member.” Becca’s voice is practiced. “I have a copy of your contract to send over, along with your salary offer, a living stipend, and so forth. Can I get a confirmation of your email address? And is there anyone else you’d like to look over the documents? An attorney?”
Bellamy confirms his address, and he also provides the contact information for Marcus Kane, the family friend, and mentor. Becca seems surprised when she hears the name, but she is tactful enough not to mention it. He’s not an idiot, though; Bellamy knows that word will get back to Clarke Griffin and her mother that their new guitarist is familiar with the man who recruited Jake Griffin to Arkadia records.
THEN: MARCUS KANE
“We expect great things from him,” says MARCUS KANE of ARKADIA RECORDS says of new find JAKE GRIFFIN. Why to watch out for newcomer JAKE GRIFFIN.
Who is MARCUS KANE? The man behind ARKADIA RECORDS biggest talents, such as Jake Griffin and ABBY BROOKS.
MARCUS KANE leaves ARKADIA RECORDS after Earth-shattering fight with country icon ABBY BROOKS. What will the talent recruiter do now without the label tracking his every move?
A SECOND DAWN: how MARCUS KANE wiped the board and started at the new music label with a clean slate, swipes boy-band phenomena THE DELINQUENTS from ARKADIA RECORDS after talks to re-sign fell through.
NOW: BELLAMY BLAKE, NEW YORK CITY
Marcus Kane didn’t need to keep working after he left Arkadia Records; the man had more than enough money from his days seeking out Jake Griffin and the like to live carefree forever. Yet, Marcus wasn’t the kind of guy to sit still. He liked to work, liked the game that was the music industry, and so, Marcus Kane joined the LA-based label, Second Dawn Music Group.
Bellamy knew Marcus through his mother. He was a friend of a friend or something of the sort, but either way, Marcus was from Mount Weather, and Mount Weather people stick together. It’s a small-town thing.
“Well, first things first,” Marcus begins the conversation like someone who has lived too long in the fast-paced city of LA. Bellamy can hear him flipping through the pages of the contract because of course, Marcus printed the contract out. “They are paying you way too much.”
“Wow, thanks for your vote of confidence,” Bellamy responds dryly even if he agrees with Marcus; Camp Griffin is indeed paying Bellamy way too much, but he isn’t going to ask to get paid less.
“Sorry. I mean, you’re an excellent guitarist and performer, but this sum is a little high for someone with your experience. You’ve toured, yes, but never on this scale or for someone this high-profile.” More pages flipping. “They must really like you, or be really desperate.”
“I’m choosing to believe in the first one,” Bellamy decides, and Marcus Kane laughs on the other side of the phone. Bellamy has worked with Marcus before, has played on a few tours for his companies’ artists; Bellamy likes Marcus.
“Good choice,” Marcus agrees. “But I don’t see any problems with the documents; although, I am surprised that the attorney let you send them over to me.”
“Me, too.” Bellamy hadn’t really thought about the implications before asking Becca to forward the documents to Kane, but afterward, he’d realized what he had done. Marcus Kane is a former Arkadia Records employee, having switched companies after some inner drama that Bellamy has never asked about. “Although, it was over twenty years ago. Maybe they’re over it.”
“Trust me, Bellamy. The music industry never forgets.”
“Like an elephant? That would explain the soul-crushing and stampedes.”
Marcus sounds exasperated. “Sure, let’s go with that. Anyway, I have a meeting in five, but the contract looks pretty standard to me. We could have Anya take a look at it to be safe.”
“Do you think that’s necessary?” Bellamy asks. He’s never been so hesitant before; usually, someone offers him a job, and he jumps at it, but Bellamy also hasn’t ever auditioned on a superstar’s private jet before.
“I think you can never be too safe around us vultures,” Marcus warns Bellamy. It reminds him that even Marcus is a predator in this business. “I’ll pass it along.”
Anya reports that the contract is pretty cut and dry and that the only thing Bellamy should take into consideration is that Griffin’s people put in a few lines about him being required to fulfill the duration of the tour regardless. Without being asked, the woman sends a revised version of the contract to Becca, and they go back and forth, and then Bellamy finds himself in a very white office in Manhattan signing over his soul.
At least until he decides to leave, thanks to Anya.
Indra is present for the contract signing, and Anya is there as well. The two women sit opposite each other at the conference table, and Bellamy can’t help but wonder if signing on musicians is usually this formal. It isn’t. At least it never has been for Bellamy before.
Becca sits at the head of the table and pretends to be oblivious to the showdown happening in front of her. The attorney shows Bellamy where to sign, and Anya watches closely to make sure that nothing seems off. You could cut the tension with a knife.
“That’ll be the last one,” Becca gives Bellamy a smile, and he signs the last spot, right next to the little arrow sticky note. Anya looks satisfied to be done with the task, and Indra is impossible to read either way. “Thank you and welcome to the team.”
Becca takes the file and flees the room, abandoning Bellamy to whatever is happening between Indra and Anya. Coward.
For a long minute, no one speaks. Bellamy drums his fingers on the table, tapping out the beat to the song he heard on the subway ride over. Indra spares him a look of disdain before looking back at Anya.
“Long time no see,” the woman glowers. Anya arches a perfect brow at Indra. “How’s Second Dawn treating you?”
“Excellent. They’re a good client.” Anya responds. “Arkadia still pushing your girl around?”
Indra doesn’t respond immediately, but Bellamy can see how her jaw ticks at the remark. “No one pushes around Clarke Griffin.”
It’s not exactly an answer, but the smile that Anya gives Indra tells Bellamy that it’s enough of an answer for her. Indra pushes away from the table like it burned her, turns to Bellamy.
“See you in Nashville. Don’t be late.” Indra departs, leaving Bellamy alone with his unexpected ally.
He eyes Anya for a moment then blurts, “I don’t have the money to pay you for this.”
Anya aims that arched brow in his direction now, but there’s the slightest sign of a smile twitching at her lips. “You don’t think I knew that when I flew across the country for some side player? I’m doing this as a favor for Marcus and for the opportunity to fight with Indra.”
“Was that what that was? A fight? Did you win?” Bellamy asks, confused. When Bellamy fights, it involves yelling and throwing punches, and like, blood. The two women just glared at each other.
“She left first, didn’t she?” Anya observes smug. Bellamy can’t help himself; he laughs.