chapter3: holding limbo

july 10, 2009

 It’s now early morning. The 8STARz members were still in their holding cells. The boys in one, the girls in the other. They all had their mugshots taken. They all had a blank expression…except for Rylie. She was crying. Afterwards, Sarah called her team of lawyers to help bail out the 8. All they had to do now was wait for their bail to be paid.

 In the girls’ cell, Rylie was still brawling her eyes out. The other girls remained calm, but they were very annoyed with her. Maddie told her tiredly, “Rylie, you’ve been crying all night. Try to get some sleep.”

 Rylie shot a glare at Maddie, and said, “My parents will see me! On a mugshot! On the news!”

 Hayley said, “Rylie, why do you care so much about what your parents say? Are you this, supposedly, perfect little girl in their eyes? Well, guess what, you’re fucking not!”

 Rylie then went back to crying. Maddie rolled her eyes, and said, “I don’t get it, Rylie. One moment you were enjoying Ryan speeding through Hollywood like he was at a drag race. Now you’re crying because you’re afraid of your parents? How is that possible?”

 Rylie said, “Well, now it is!”

 And with that, she returned to crying.

 At the same time in the boys’ cell, Ryan and Greg had been giving each a “glare contest.” Alec had been watching the two, to make sure they didn’t do anything stupid.

 Then Greg finally broke the silence, and said coldly, “This was all your fault.”

 Ryan asked, also coldly, “Why do you say that?”

 “You got us in jail.”

 Then Ryan, who was sitting opposite of Greg, got up, and got into his face. He told Greg sternly, “You were the one who made me speed through Hollywood, and try to get in a nightclub. You were the one who kept taunting me, calling me a dumbass. When you think about it, it was really you who got us in jail. Not me. You.”

 For a minute, Greg did nothing but silently glare at Ryan. Then suddenly, Greg punched Ryan’s face. Ryan gave a bloodied smirk, and punched back. With that, there was a full physical fight. Alec tried to break them apart, but he also got punched. So Alec called for the police to break the guys apart.

 They did. Four police officers opened the cell, and broke up the fight. Then another officer came in, and said to the three boys, “Johnson, Anderson, and Chavez, you three are free to go. A team of lawyers just paid for your bails.”

 Then Greg spat, “Fine, but keep Ryan locked up! He’s an asshole!”

 Alec said, “No! He’s coming with us, whether you like it or not!”

 Greg stared at Alec, and then at Ryan. Then he said reluctantly, “Fine.”

 Just as Ryan was walking out of his cell, the officer told him, “Your license has been put on suspension.”

 Shocked, Ryan asked, “What?  I didn’t steal any car! Maddie let me drives hers.”

 “But you were speeding. So far that reason, you cannot drive for about a month.”

 That sadden Ryan. It wasn’t too long ago he got his license, and he just got his car for his birthday. Now he can’t enjoy his new car.

 Maddie, who was release with the girls, saw this. She walked up to Ryan, and asked, “What’s wrong?”

 He replied, “I can’t drive for a month. You can thank Greg here for that.”

 Greg heard that, so he reacted by glaring at Ryan. Maddie thought for a moment, and then said, “I can drive your car, and you can sit with me.”

 Ryan looked at her, somewhat irritated. So he said, “Madison, you practically talked smacked about my new car. Now you’re saying you want to drive it with me in their? What’s with this sudden change?”

 Maddie’s face grew red, and looked away nervously. Then she shrugged her shoulders, and said, “I…I thought I could…help?”

 Ryan shook his head, and walked out of the building. Soon the others followed him. Then Sarah grabbed Greg’s hand, and took him aside.

 He asked, “What is it?”

 She told him, “Greg, you need to stop picking fights with Ryan! Look where your so-called challenges and taunts cost him his license!”

 Greg sighed heavily, and asked, “So what do you want me to do?”

 “I want…no, I need you to get along with Ryan. I don’t care if you two have some weird rivalry going on. I don’t know if it’s because he was added onto the group a few days after we were formed; or you two got off on the wrong foot. But this fighting and challenging and taunting each other has got to stop! He’s in the band for the long run, whether you like it or not.”

 Greg looked at her, and said reluctantly, “Fine. I’ll try to get along with him, but he has to do his part, too. He needs to change his ‘I’m the shit’ attitude if we’re going to get along.”

 Sarah nodded her head. Then she took his hand, and they left the building. Then the 8 piled into Maddie’s car. This time, she drove. They soon arrived at their house, while it was still dark.

 When they arrived, Emily got on her iPhone. She got on one of her gossip apps, and saw the band’s mugshots. She showed them to everyone. 

 When Rylie saw hers, she started crying. She ran up to her room. Ryan followed her. He went in, and saw Rylie crying into her pillow. He sat on her bed, and gently rubbed her back. He said to her, “Rylie, it’s going to be fine, okay?”

 Suddenly, she jerked up, and faced him. That startled him. She told him angrily, “You don’t get it, do you? My super-strict parents are going to kill me if they see my mugshot! I’m supposed to be the good girl, but instead I turn into this…this bad girl! I’m sure they’re going to force me to go back home! Then they’ll never let me do the music thing anymore! I’ll be stuck in Montana for the rest of my life!”

 Ryan was stunned by this reaction. He said to her calmly, “Rylie, everything’s going to be fine, okay? I’ll fight for you if it comes to that.”

 Then Rylie told him darkly, “Why don’t you fuck off?”

 Ryan bit his lip nervously, and slowly walked out of her room. He closed the door behind him. He wasn’t sure what to make of her behavior. It was like one moment she was happy, then she became very excitable, then she cried her eyes out, and now she’s angry. He couldn’t quite figure out what was going on with her.

 As he was about to go to his room, Sarah stopped him. He asked, “What is it?”

 She told him, “I just got a call from one of Seth’s assistants. She told me that he told her that Seth is mad. He saw our mugshots, and read what happened online. So he told her to call us that. Our futures are hanging in the balance now, all because we got arrested.”

 With that, Ryan’s face fell. He felt like it was his fault that got his band in trouble. All because he tried to get the band international recognition. So he went into his room. He flopped onto his bed, with his clothes on his back, and fell asleep.

 It’s now noon. The members were now awake after getting some sleep. They tried to keep calm, but the atmosphere was tense. They weren’t sure what their future was.

 As for Ryan, he was still lying in his bed, feeling depressed. The members became concerned for him, so Sarah told Greg, “You need to talk to him.”

 Greg nodded his head, and went to the room he shared with Ryan. He saw Ryan, all covered up. He walked over to him, and said, “Hey, you need to get up.”

 “Why?” Ryan muttered underneath his pillow.

 Greg said half-heartedly, “I’m sorry for taunting you and challenging you that you lost your license.”

 With that, Ryan flipped Greg off. Greg tried to not get angry at him, and continued, “Ryan…we have to start getting along. I’m willing to make a deal with you. I won’t call you ‘dumbass,’ if you stop your whole ‘I’m the shit’ attitude.”

 With that, Ryan took the pillow off of his head. He looked up at Greg, and said, “Greg…you don’t get it. I have to act that way.”

 “Why? What’s so great about acting like some big-shot?”

 Ryan sat up, and explained, “When I was in school back in Malibu, I unintentionally made myself the ‘bad boy.’ I didn’t really do anything ‘bad.’ That was when I started modeling for Hollister. Because I was constantly shirtless, I got that label. So I started taking up the whole ‘I’m the shit’ attitude.

 “But here’s the thing: I’m not really like that. Before I started my modeling and dance career, I was just a normal, nice dude who had looks. But everything changed once I started working. Now that I’m in the band, I have to keep this attitude up. And it’s tiring.”

 Greg was surprised by this explanation. All this time, he thought Ryan was a guy who acted like he was the best at everything. Now? It was all an act, just to keep up with this reputation. 

 Then Greg said, “Look, you don’t have to act like around us. Beside, we’re not school anymore. Okay, we’re all practically homeschooled now, but still. You shouldn’t have to act like around us.”

 Ryan then said, “Okay, but what if we’re finished? All because of that stupid shit we pulled last night? Then what?”

 “Look, we don’t know what’s going to happen to us. Let’s just see what will happen, okay?”

 Ryan thought for a moment, and asked, “So…we’re going to start getting along now?”

 “I guess.”

 “Okay, as long as we don’t become friends.”

 “Fine by me.”

 With that, the two guys laughed. It may not be a new bromance, but it was a definitely a start.

 It was now evening. The 8 were eating pizza. They were still silent, as they weren’t sure what was going to happen to them. Then suddenly, Greg got a call on his iPhone. He saw it was Seth, so he answered, “Seth, hi.”

 Seth said, “Okay, I’m sure you know by now that I’m not happy with what you and your bandmates did yesterday.”

 Greg gave a big gulp. Seth continued, “But I do have news regarding your future.”

 “What is it?” Greg croaked out.

 “You have been signed onto Universal Music. You will be releasing your music worldwide. And on top of that, you will be the new opening act for 7STARz’ British leg of their world tour.”

 With that, Greg gave a huge grin. Then he told Seth, “That’s great, Seth!”

 “You know that single you were about to release to Latin America, Know-It-All?”

 “Yeah.”

 “That will be your international debut single.”

 “That’s great! I’ll tell the others about this!”

 With that, the two hung up. The 8 noticed that Greg was grinning. He told them excitedly, “We’re going to release our music worldwide! And we’re opening for 7STARz in Britain!”

 With that, the members themselves got excited. They weren’t sure how they got this great gig, but it was a chance to become an international sensation.