Liar vs. Liar - 18. Too Close for Comfort

Chapter Eighteen – Too Close for Comfort

Throughout his entire life, Jamie had been a man of action – or so he liked to believe most of the time, which meant that he didn’t intend to slack now. On Melinda’s promise, he was supposed to meet some important people the following weekend, which meant that his shiner might act as an impediment to making a good impression. He examined his face in the mirror at length, but there was hardly anything he could do about covering it up. That sort of bruise was bound to look worse before getting better.

But he had his ice packs and a strategy in place. Plus, who said he couldn’t wear his battle wounds as badges of honor? Not that it had been that much of an honor to kick the Mitches’ butts. He hadn’t intended to go off the rails like that, but it had happened, and no amount of regret would turn things on their head for the sake of looking pretty.

Did he regret having punched left and right while getting assaulted by his former band members? Not really. He snorted at his own reflection. If anything, his reputation as a brawler could work to his advantage. Legendary rock stars had their own flaws, and that actually made them more interesting to the public. He was no Sid Vicious, so he had nothing to worry about; no one would turn up dead.

His phone rang, pulling him out of his admiration of his black eye. “Arthur, hi,” he began, surprised to hear the A&R guy. Could it be that the Mitches were hard at work already, ruining his reputation by selling lies to who knew what stupid gossip rag?

“Jamie, I’m hearing good things about you,” Arthur replied. The sound of a busy street leaked into their conversation from the other end.

Good. It wasn’t about the fight.

“Is Melinda selling the hell out of me?” he asked, grinning and flexing his muscles in the mirror. Nothing like a boost of self-confidence when a body such as his could be admired from all angles. He wasn’t called Vayne for a reason. No one knew it was a made-up name, not the one on his ID, except very few people.

“She does, indeed. That’s why I think it’s high time I introduced you to some heavy hitters.”

“A band?” Jamie perked up. That was fast.

“An agent. Someone who can do the heavy lifting for you, search for auditions, put in a good word, get a foot in the door, that sort of thing.”

“I had no idea I needed an agent. I mean, I’m barely busy these days.” Agents, after all, were for people who were so drowned in obligations that they needed to pay someone just to manage their schedule. He hesitated before continuing, but he needed to come clean with Arthur. “I’m not even in a band anymore.”

“Melinda told me a thing or two about that. Jamie Vayne, brawling in a club, like a guy with nothing to lose.” Arthur chuckled. “I would have paid money to see that.”

Jamie winced at the reference to how else Arthur knew him. But it looked like he had nothing to worry about.

Arthur continued good-naturedly. “Getting rid of those guys is a good thing. They were holding you back. The reason why I want to introduce you to an agent, Jamie, is because I think you have the possibility to get busy and fast. How do you feel about reality shows?”

“Do you mean talent shows?” Jamie asked, his brow furrowing.

“No. I think we’re both convinced that you have enough talent. Also, don’t mention it to doe-eyed dreamers who believe in such things, but talent shows are where talents go to die. What I mean is the sort of show where there’s a team following you around on certain moments of the day. I know this guy who specializes in recruiting interesting people for reality shows. I could introduce you to him.”

Silence followed, which meant that Arthur was waiting for his input. Jamie had to admit that he was taken aback by the offer. How was that supposed to help him with his music career?

“Celebrities are made, not born, in these scripted times we live in,” Arthur continued once he considered Jamie’s time for an answer was up. “Are you perhaps icky about being in the limelight?”

“Hell no,” Jamie replied.

“That’s more like it. Your natural stamina recommends you for this sort of thing. The intriguing Jamie Vayne will convince bands in need of a drummer that a boost in popularity doesn’t hurt should they decide to choose you.”

“So, what’s this sort of work supposed to be like? Is it paid?”

“Of course,” Arthur replied smoothly. “You have it in you to have your face on billboards.”

“Am I going to sell insurance, too?” Jamie half-joked. He really hoped not.

Arthur laughed. “No. Rock stars need to draw the line somewhere.”

“Am I a rock star?”

“Not yet. But you do have what it takes. Should I send him your contact info?”

“Yeah, sure. How am I supposed to pay him, though?”

“He’ll get his commission, don’t you worry about that. People who handle the business side of the entertainment industry know which is what.”

Jamie Vayne, starring in a reality show. Did that mean that he had arrived? It surely felt good. And he definitely had no issue with showing how hot he could be under the hot lights. He was a natural performer, after all.

There was just one thing he needed to ask. “Some people might recognize me from my other performing venue,” he said. “Will that be an issue?”

“No, but it will be your trump card. I know very well that you’re not ashamed of your adult streaming career.”

It was so nice of Arthur to call it a career. Jamie had only thought of it as a way to have fun with strangers, while making some money on the side. Money which, he admitted to himself, had often tided him over, in various circumstances.

“How is it going to be my trump card?” he asked.

“I can’t go into details at length as I have a meeting at four, and I’m running late as it is.” Jamie could tell that Arthur had to be climbing into a taxi, by the short conversation between him and the driver. “Your agent will guide you through it. Let’s put it this way. You will not be introduced as Jamie Vayne, the adult entertainer who plays drums on the side. No, this aspect of your life will be revealed later in the show. It will serve to illuminate a vulnerable side of you.”

“Vulnerable? Um, Arthur, I’m no good with this sort of behind-the-scenes, so how is it going to work?”

“Don’t worry. You have no idea what a good cameraman can do to show you in the right light. Sorry I have to cut you off like this, but I’m about to meet a very pissed producer. I’ll send your details to the agent I told you about. All good?”

“Excellent,” Jamie replied.

There was a vague sensation, one he promptly chased away, that things were moving a bit too fast. Eh, maybe he’d been stuck in the same rut for too long, and he no longer knew what a properly paced life should look like. Especially one belonging to a star in the making.

***

The agent, a guy called Angus Boyd, seemed a vivacious piece of work over the phone. Jamie imagined him as a middle-aged guy with a bit of girth but with energy to match, unable to stay still for a moment. Angus’s bubbling personality had made the conversation hard to follow at times, as he threw all sorts of lingo at Jamie, terms like talking heads, frankenbites, pick-up shots, and so on.

“Angus, I have something to confess,” Jamie finally managed to insert himself into the verbal torrent of his would-be agent. “I don’t watch reality TV. I have no idea what you just said. Well, about half of it, at least.”

“That’s all right, that’s all right,” Angus assured him in the same animated manner. “I’ve seen your performance, you got what it takes, leave it all to me. And I’ll guide you through it anyway.”

“What performance?” Jamie found himself compelled to ask.

“Come on, you know which one. When you beat the crap out of those dudes. Really good stuff, man.”

“Argh,” Jamie backpedaled while pretending to be embarrassed, “that was far from being my best day. I’m usually house-trained. Also, I’m a drummer.” It seemed ridiculous that he needed to make that clear, but he felt as if Angus wanted Jamie the brawler, not Jamie the drummer.

“Yes, yes, a drummer with an attitude,” Angus agreed eagerly. “It’s the sort of thing people go cray-cray about when watching our shows. No one wants an angel, let’s be honest. Devils and demons always bring the best snacks to the party!”

“Which sort am I?” Jamie asked, starting to feel like he was getting ready to drink straight from the fire hose.

“You’re a darling, that’s what you are,” Angus established as if he’d known Jamie his whole life. “Arthur told me what a nice young man hides behind your bad boy persona. Ah, I can see your story arc unfolding.”

Jamie waited, but it was in vain; Angus didn’t elaborate on how he saw Jamie evolving as a character on the small screen. Most likely, it was something they would have to figure out together. At the moment, Jamie couldn’t hold the agent’s enthusiasm against him. After all, he seemed bent on making a star out of him.

“I hope it’s going to involve playing the drums,” he added hopefully, using a light tone so he didn’t sound like a clingy ass.

“Of course, of course,” Angus bellowed into the phone, forcing Jamie to pull the device away from his ear for a moment. “We will make reality TV history, Jamie. I feel it in my gut, and my gut never lies. Are you free on Saturday?”

He was supposed to see Melinda’s guys then. “What time?” he asked. “Can we do it a bit earlier? Yes, some prior engagements,” he confirmed at the immediate question.

“I like how you’re so honorable too,” Angus continued his enthusiastic cascade of the verbal kind. “See you then, Jamie. I can barely wait to meet you in person.”

“Same here,” Jamie replied.

Well, it looked like he was about to get real about this celebrity business. As long as he got the opportunity to showcase that he knew how to play the drums, all was good. And if the people from the show were looking for a good story, he’d make sure to keep them – and their viewers – properly entertained. It didn’t matter that he had zero experience doing work for a reality show. How many things had he learned on the go? Adding one more to the pile was all it was going to take for him to follow his dream.

***

Jamie had seemed adamant about meeting John Smith, and he couldn’t figure out for the life of him what could be the reason. A character with a name like that was supposed to be and remain insignificant, invisible even. He ducked as he noticed Rusty Parker and his boyfriend Matty walking through the quad. That had been a story, a good one. Who would have thought the shy and straitlaced Matthew Han could be such a hottie underneath those nerdy clothes?

Envy was too little a word to describe what he felt regarding Matty’s exceptional cosplaying abilities. It had been that in the past, but it had turned into admiration. For a moment there, even infatuation had been the name of the game. But it had passed quickly.

Now, his target had one name only – Jamie Vayne. It was slowly turning into an obsession even.

“What’s my little bro doing here, drooling over the popular people?”

The hard pat on the back took him by surprise, and he turned with anger on his face. “Aren’t you supposed to have a job?”

“My job is to take care of you. You know how dad feels about your grades and all.”

“And? Are you going to tutor me now?”

“No, that would be a waste of time.”

That stung, but he’d learned a long time ago to hide it quickly unless he wanted to show it. And risk being mercilessly teased to no end.

He turned his head to look anywhere else other than at his brother’s face and froze on the spot. Jamie was doing his secret handshake with Rusty – something he was yet to be introduced to. It seemed like they were looking for someone with their eyes.

He dragged his brother behind a tree that could barely hide both of them.

“Quiet,” he hissed at his brother’s unspoken question. “They are looking for me.”

His brother leaned over and craned his neck. “Aren’t you self-aggrandizing now? No one is.”

“Stop drawing attention to us,” he hissed. “Jamie can’t know who writes Xpress. He’ll kick my butt.”

“Yeah, he’s a classic bully. I get it. Okay, let’s grab a coffee and I’ll tell you how to pull yourself out of the nice hole you’ve dug for yourself.”

“What hole?”

His brother gave him a meaningful stare. “You’re getting soft on your mark. That’s not how we do things in our family, Hearst.”

There was nothing left for him to do but roll his eyes.

***

“So, what are you two trying to tell me here? That this dude is impossible to find?” Jamie asked, crossing his arms. Either Rusty and Matty were trying to prank him or the truth was stranger than fiction.

“I looked for him in the room I’m still hypothetically sharing with him,” Matty explained. “The place looks like it hasn’t been lived in much for a while. It’s weird because I thought my leaving to stay with Rusty most of the time would give the guy space and quiet time for his studies. This guy is big on studying, as I told you before.”

Cottontail seemed to hate studying, so that was one thing that didn’t match, Jamie thought.

“He must be here somewhere, though,” he said. “Isn’t he attending classes, like every other student here?”

Matty shrugged helplessly. “I’ve asked around about him since I know some of the courses he takes, but everyone says that they haven’t seen him.”

“A guy who’s big on studying but doesn’t go to class,” Jamie said slowly. “Doesn’t that sound weird to you?”

“Yes,” Matty admitted. “But John is a pretty strange person.”

“He’s a weirdo,” Rusty chimed in. “One time, he cut Matty’s superhero outfit into pieces because he was in love with him.”

“He wasn’t in love with me,” Matty protested. “Just, I don’t know, confused.”

“No, he totally had a crush on you,” Rusty argued. “Or he was jealous that he couldn’t cosplay as well as you could.”

“How so?” Jamie asked, his curiosity piqued once again.

“He and Connor did some stupid cosplaying too.”

“Yeah, right, I remember something like that,” Jamie admitted. “Any chance someone recorded your strange adventures involving this dude?”

“Not that I know of,” Rusty replied. “We gotta leave you, man,” he added and offered Jamie his hand for a farewell handshake. “Some people have to study to achieve something.”

“Is that a jab at my incoming fame?”

“Incoming fame?” Rusty observed him carefully.

Jamie grinned. It felt good to tell people. “It looks like I’m going to be in a reality show. Have a crew with me, documenting my interesting life.”

Rusty wiggled his eyebrows. “Is this reality show going to be X-rated? ‘Cause it sure sounds like it has the potential to be.”

“Hey, hey,” Jamie drawled, “it’s not like I’m having sex 24/7. Even legends like me take breaks. Also, I’m only into one person these days, and he has a fluffy tail.”

“Oh, yeah. It had better not be because Matty here ruined you for guys out of costume, I hope.”

Jamie brushed his fist playfully against Rusty’s chin. “Shut up, you ass. You dangled this sweet little thing,” he pointed at Matty, “in front of me, only to pull him away. You know, just when things were about to take off. Not cool, man. I’ll hold it against you until we’re old and gray.”

“Okay, cool, I can live with that.” Rusty wrapped his arm around Matty’s shoulders, leaning against his partner with a huge smirk on his face.

“So, I get no help from you in my quest to find John Smith?”

Matty leaned to one side and pushed his eyeglasses up on his nose. “I think I see him.”

“Where?” Jamie turned and looked where Matty was pointing.

“I don’t know who the other guy with him is,” Matty said.

The duo was a good ten yards from them and looked like they were getting ready to leave. Jamie pondered if he needed to go after them, but that would be weird, and he preferred to corner John Smith when the guy was alone.

“Is it him? Are you sure?” he asked Matty again.

“Yes. Hey, my eyesight is not that bad,” Matty protested. “Aren’t you going to go talk to him?”

“Nah, not while he has company with him. I need to run some tests without an audience present. But I’ll catch him on the flipside for sure.”

Could that guy be Cottontail? This John Smith was skinny and unremarkable, but those were very few details to jump to conclusions on. He’d see about furthering his investigations in due time.

TBC

New developments for Jamie... I hope you guys have been enjoying yourselves in the time we haven't spoken
Until next time,
All the best,
Laura.