Sex, Money, and Fame - 2. Chapter 2- Child of the Night

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Caroline texts as her ride pulls up.

"Are you sure you want me to drop you off here?" The driver asks her.

Caroline looks up. It's not the Ritz. The building is old, rusted...and poor looking.

Caroline looks at her phone to double-check the address.

"Miss?"

Desdemona walks out and opens her door.

"That's my friend. Thanks."

Caroline tightly grabs her purse.

"You have never been in this part of LA before, have you?" Desdemona asks.

"No." Caroline shook her head, looking around the parking lot.

"Well relax nobody's going to stab you."

***

Caroline was stunned by the apartment. It was cool to be hanging out in an "adult" apartment. It wasn't all fancy and formal like her mansion. Bongs, clothes, and leftover containers were everywhere. The furniture didn't match and had holes in it. But it was cool.

"So this is your place?"

"Yea," Desdemona says.

"Are you going to give me a tour?"

"..okay?" Desdemona chuckles.

Desdemona puts her hand on the counter, "Kitchen."

She points to couches and TV, "Living room."

Desdemona walks out. Caroline takes a breath and follows.

Desdemona taps on a white door, "Roommate's room."

"You have a roommate?"

"Friend from Texas. He's not here right now."

"Oh." Caroline shifted.

They walk down the hall. She opens the door.

"My room."

Caroline looked into the bedroom. It was awesome. Huge rainbow flag hanging and star lights. Her guitar right there by her bed that had black sheets on it.

"Hey, I'm going to get my notebook, come on in."

This is what she had prepared for. Being invited into the bedroom.

She pushes back her hair and walks in. As Desdemona turns her to find her book, Caroline walks to the bed.

"My manager wants me to start working on this second album immediately."

Caroline gets on the bed.

"He says, the label says, they want a "pop-rock anthem". I don't know what the fuck that means. "

Caroline slips her blouse off.

"So if you wouldn't mind, I have some..." Desdemona turns around.

Caroline looks up at her trying to be seductive.

"What are you doing?"

"I..." Caroline mumbles.

"You really don't care about my music?" Desdemona yells, "You really got me. I really thought you wanted to discuss music. But you just want sex."

Desdemona stomps out of her bedroom.

Caroline follows her, putting her top on.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." Caroline screams, "I thought that's why you invited me."

"What?"

"You know, a rock star invites the young fan over, no one else is home, leads her to the bedroom."

"Uh. You asked for a tour? And you got on my bed?"

"I...thought it was...a part of the game...."

"Stop." Desdemona yelled, "Ok, let's get things clear. I'm not fucking you. I ain't doing that to Jesse. If you want to stay, you must keep your clothes on."

"Then why did you invite me over?" Caroline found herself yelling back.

Desdemona shifted her eyes until the words formed, "I thought you wanted to pick my brain."

"I do. I really do but I thought I had to sleep with you first." Caroline grabs Desdemona's hands. "Not that I'm not down with that. But not to use you..."

Their eyes lock again. Staring at each other in silence. Caroline takes a deep breath.

"The sirens were loud." Caroline sings meekly, "Then everything went quiet. Everybody talked. But nobody said anything. And I was screaming Daddy wake up."

Desdemona sits down.

"You're a little pitchy, but a good start.

***

"I'm a child of the night. Spouse of the dark. Mind of an owl. Eyes of a cat." Desdemona sings as she sits in hair and makeup with her headphones on. "I'm a child of the night. Spouse of the dark. Mind of an owl. Eyes of a cat."

The wardrobe lady brings out a rack of shorts and tank tops.

"Where did those clothes come from?"

"Um, the director called for a wardrobe change."

"No way, am I going to wear these," Desdemona holds up a pair of shorts. "How is my ass supposed to fit into these?"

"Diva," The wardrobe lady mummers under her breath.

"Jeff, where are you?" Desdemona calls out.

Jeff comes in, "Desi dear, calm down. What's the matter?"

"I really feel it's pretty reasonable to ask why my wardrobe suddenly changed."

"I know it's not your style, but the label thinks it's important for you to appeal more...sexy to women and...men."

"I'm not exactly wanting to be 'appealing' to men." She huffs.

"I get it. I do. I'm gay too...but this is what we need to do...just for now to your career going...just play ball."

She takes a deep breath.

"Fine. But next time I would like a little notice."

"Noted. You'll look fabulous don't matter what you wear."

***

She leans against the car on the sound stage pulling down her jeans shorts while trying to pull up the tank top again.

"Ready," The director yells out to her.

She nods.

"Action."

"I'm a child of the night. Spouse of the dark." She sings on the car, "Mind of an owl. Eyes of a cat."

The camera moves closer. Right in front of her face. She gets frazzled and stops.

"Cut," The director yells as he approaches her.

"What's the problem now?"

She hears the crew smirking.

"Nothin. Just does the camera have to get...that close?"

The director turns to the cameraman and smirks, "Don't pull in too close to her face." He turns back to Desdemona, "Also could you smile while you sing."

Desdemona bites her lip and nods.

***

Desdemona and Jesse lay on the floor in Desdemona's living room. The used bong on the table. They stare at the ceiling. Jesse had never felt so much...inner peace in his life. He was floating in the air away from earth seeing fields of green happiness. But then he hears a rumble.

"I feel like I'm in a coma." Jesse slurs, "But in a good way...does that make sense?"

Desdemona laughs, "Yes it does. You're first high is like that."

"I'm starving, dude." He mumbles.

"I bet you are," Desdemona says pulling out her phone, "It's super late."

Jesse sits up, "I don't think, I can drive."

"No. No one here is going to be driving," Desdemona says getting up. "Wanna take a walk?"

***

Desdemona and Jesse walk on the sidewalk. West Hollywood is dark and stranded.

"Power of flight or power of invisibility?" Jesse asks.

"Flight," Desdemona says. "Flying would be cool. Plus I would save money on gas."

Jesse laughs.

"What about you?"

"I want to be invisible," Jesse says. "I don't want to be the center of attention anymore. And that way I could see how people really act, instead of how they think I want them to act."

Desdemona puts her hands in her pockets.

"Hey look," Jesse says pointing to pink and yellow lights.

It's a Burger Queen. They walk through the parking lot and stand in front of the drive-through menu.

"Um...Hi, welcome to Burger Queen." The speaker says.

"Hey, I'll have a number 3." Desdemona starts, "with cheese fries."

"Um..," the speaker says, "I don't think you can order a drive-thru without a vehicle."

Jesse and Desdemona laugh.

"I'm serious." The speaker says.

Jesse puts his face in front of the speaker, "Tell your boss that this Aaron Abrams's son here."

The speaker is silent.

Desdemona turns Jesse and whispers, "What was that?"

Jesse turns back to the speaker, "And Desdemona Potts. The Desdemona Potts."

"It will get us food," Jesse says. "Come on, you don't name drop?"

Desdemona has never thought of that.

"A number with 3 with cheese fries," the speaker comes back on. "Anything else?"

Desdemona turns to Jesse.

"Yea," he says to the speaker, "Number 4 with a diet coke...and an apple pie."

"Ok...pull up or walk up to the window," The speaker says. "And can we get a picture with you, Desdemona?"

Desdemona leans into the speaker, "Um, sure."

***

Caroline looks both ways before she crosses the street. She slowly walks to the alley to meet up with her weed dealer. Of course, it was only three more years until she could walk into a dispensary, and get her marijuana first hand. But as of now, she was forced to sneak into the back of the store, to be charged more.

"Yo, J Dog," She greeted him as he talked to another boy in front of her.

"Hey, Caroline. I got a great half an oz of pineapple express, with your name on it."

The other boy stepped back with a zip lock bag. Caroline went up and showed up the money. He took the wad of cash from her hands.

Then serins started blasting and a cop car drove into the alleyway. Two cops emerged. J-Dog instantly puts his hand and faces the wall. Caroline stood there shaking, processing if this was even real.

"Put your hands up, Miss." One of the cops yells at her.

She puts her hands up and starts to feel her lungs dropping. While trying to maintain her breath, she realizes that tears are falling down her face.

"My mom is going to kill me," She cries to the cop.

"I'm sorry." The cop whispers in her ear as he cuffs her hands together, "You seem like a nice girl but I got to take you in."

She breathes heavily, tears streaming down as he walks her to the cop car.

Then of course she hears the oh familiar sound of cameras flashing. The paparazzi had shown up just in time to her see slide into the back of a cop car.