Chapter 3

Finally, it was time to go back out to California. Riding with Mrs. Phillips, I was actually a little sad about it, which I know most kids my age would think was crazy. After a full month of just normal life, hanging out with my school friends and Kat, before she had to go back to school, and being normal, I’d started to fall into the routine of it again.

Maybe because I’d only had to miss a week and a half of school for the prelims and nothing for the finals, this felt different than when I was touring or all of my time on The Stage. All of my friends were in class, and part of me kind of wanted to be with them.

Still, I was also excited. It felt like I was turning a new page, and things were taking off. Warren was getting a lot of calls about booking us, which was great, and I was about to be on one of the biggest late-night talk shows in the country.

I was glad Mrs. Phillips was good about reading my mood and let me just kind of sit and think for the whole drive to Asheville instead of peppering me with questions. It wasn’t until we pulled up in front of the airport that she said finally said something.

“You’re sure you don’t want me to come in with you?” she asked as she put the car in park at the drop-off zone.

“Nah, that’s okay. I know you’ve got a showing. I’ll be fine.”

“If you’re sure,” she said, reaching over and pulling me into a hug. “Good luck out there, Charlie. You’re going to do great on the show and the tour. Just remember, if you need anything at all, I’m just a phone call away.”

I smiled and hugged her tight. Mrs. Phillips had been like a second mom, especially after my parents died. I didn’t tell her enough how much she meant to me.

“I will, I promise.”

“Anytime, kiddo. Now, get going, you’re going to be late,” she said, shooing me out of the car.

I grabbed my guitar case, duffle bag, and backpack from the backseat, giving Mrs. Phillips one last wave before heading into the airport. I had my boarding pass already and was just looking for where to go to check my bag when I saw a group of teenage girls.

There was a weird moment when I made eye contact with one of the girls, the way you randomly do when you’re looking across a large, crowded area. Her eyes went kind of wide, and I could just see it on her face that she knew who I was. Although I’d toured a fair amount once outside of our usual venue, no one really noticed or cared who I was, except for that one time I’d gotten recognized in LA. But that had been different.

She started whispering to her friends, who all looked at me and pointed. For a moment, I actually swiveled my head, trying to figure out what they were so excited about, until they hurried over as a group, practically bouncing with excitement.

“Oh my God, you’re Charlie Nelson!” one of them said in a kind of squeal that was loud enough to draw the attention of passersby.

“Uhh ... yeah.”

“Can we get a picture with you?” another asked, holding up her phone.

“Sure,” I said, feeling awkward.

People near us were looking at me, I think trying to figure out who I was and why these girls were so excited. Honestly, I didn’t blame them since I was kind of trying to figure out the same thing. They crowded around me, and I did my best to smile as they snapped what felt like a million photos.

“Someone said you are in high school,” one of them said when they finally finished taking pictures. “What grade are you in?”

Before I could even answer, the rest started asking questions, all of them practically speaking over each other, asking if I had a girlfriend, if I lived in Asheville, what it was like being on the show, and where I went to school.

I held up my hands, laughing a little. “Whoa, one at a time. I’m a senior, and yeah, I have a girlfriend. Her name’s Kat.”

They all went ‘aww’ in unison when I said I had a girlfriend, making me chuckle. I deliberately avoided answering most of the other questions, figuring it best not to broadcast too much personal information.

“Sorry, girls, but I really need to catch my flight. It was great meeting you all, though!”

I gave them a wave and hurried off before they could ask anything else. I managed to check my bag but could feel them kind of hovering where I’d left them, watching me. It didn’t stop there, either. As I made my way through the terminal, I couldn’t help but notice a few more people whispering and pointing fingers as I passed. It was a surreal experience.

After I got through security and was putting my shoes back on sitting on one of the benches on the other side, a middle-aged woman approached me, her maybe nine or ten-year-old son in tow.

“Excuse me, are you Charlie Nelson? From The Stage?”

“That’s me,” I said, smiling at the kid.

“Wow, congrats on your win. You were amazing. Would you mind taking a quick photo with my son? We watch the show together, and he’s a huge fan.”

“Of course,” I said, crouching down to the boy’s level. “Hey there, buddy. What’s your name?”

“Liam,” he said shyly.

“It’s great to meet you, Liam.”

I put my hand on his shoulder, and his mom took a few pictures. They were nice about it and headed off as soon as they were done, but I could see Liam talking excitedly to his mom, which was kind of heartwarming.

It kind of died down after that and I managed to make it to my gate with no more weird encounters. I was early so I pulled out my laptop and started doing some of my reading for school. Kat had found a way to get digital copies of all my schoolbooks so I didn’t have to lug a backpack of books around with me, which was a big relief.

I was finishing a section for my US Government class about how the committee system works and looked up to give my eyes a break when I noticed a group of people about my age were hanging out a few feet away from me, near the wall of windows that looked out onto the tarmac. One of them, a girl with bright pink hair, nodded and pointed towards me.

“Oh damn, I’m pretty sure that’s Charlie Nelson,” she said to the group.

I wasn’t sure if she realized I could hear her, so I smiled and gave a little wave as one of the guys in the group called out, “Hey, Charlie! Great job on The Stage, man. You were awesome.”

“Thanks,” I said as they walked over.

“Can we get a picture with you?” the girl with pink hair asked.

“Sure, why not?”

They all crowded in around me, one of the guys holding out a phone to take the shot. I put on my best smile as he snapped a few.

“Thanks, man,” the guy who had complimented me said, clapping me on the shoulder. “We’ll be able to say we knew you before you were an even bigger star.”

I laughed. “Let’s hope so, right?”

“Nah, you got this. Serious talent, bro,” he said.

Thankfully, they didn’t hang out and made their way back over to the window, although I saw them occasionally look in my direction. They weren’t staring, but it still felt weird enough I was having trouble concentrating on my homework.

Putting my laptop away, I took out my phone and called Kat. She picked up on the second ring.

“Hey you,” she said, and I could hear the smile in her voice.

“Hey back.”

“How’s it going? You on the plane yet?”

“Not yet, getting ready to board though. It’s been kind of a crazy morning so far.”

“What do you mean?” Kat asked. “Did something happen?”

“Yeah, it’s just been kind of surreal. I’ve had like three different groups of people recognize me and ask for pictures already. It’s weird, it never happened when we got back from California or at school.”

“Well, that makes sense. The kids at school and everyone in town just know you as Charlie. They’re used to seeing you around. But there, people are seeing you for the first time after watching you on TV.”

“I guess that’s true. It’s just odd, you know? We only had that one couple recognize me in LA and nothing on the flight home. Why now?”

“You have to start paying attention to the TV, or at least search on your name occasionally. They’ve been running ads for the tour pretty heavily, and you’re featured prominently in them. Plus, they’ve rerun the finals of The Stage a few times now. Your face is everywhere. I mean, not like movie star everywhere, but I’ve seen it several times on the TV in the common room.”

I groaned. “Great. Maybe I should start wearing disguises in public.”

Kat laughed. “I don’t think you need to go that far. Just embrace it. This is what you’ve been working towards.”

“I know, I know. You know what I really wish? I wish I got paid like actors do every time the show airs. Imagine the royalties.”

“Oh, you poor thing,” Kat said sarcastically. “You’ll just have to suffer with being rich by playing stadiums instead.”

“Stadiums? Let’s not get ahead of ourselves here.”

“Don’t be such a doubter.”

“You’re right, you’re right,” I said, chuckling. “I guess I’m just not used to all this attention yet.”

“Well, get used to it, Superstar. Listen, I’ve got to get to class, but text me when you land, okay?”

“Will do.”

“And Charlie?”

“Yeah?”

“Good luck on the talk show. You’re going to kill it. Just don’t let those groupies go to your head. Or your hotel room.”

I laughed out loud at that, drawing a few glances from the people around me. “Don’t worry, I won’t. I’ve got a pretty amazing girlfriend who would kick my ass if I did.”

“Damn straight,” Kat said, laughing too. “Alright, I really do have to go. Talk to you soon.”

“Bye, Kat. Love you.”

“Love you, too.”

As if on cue, the gate agent announced that they were about to start boarding for my flight. I gathered my things and got in line, boarding pass in hand.

It was a bit of a shuffle getting settled into my seat, but the studio had paid for my plane ticket and gotten me first class, which was a nice perk. As the plane took off, I leaned my head back against the seat and closed my eyes. Kat was right. This was what I had been working towards, what I wanted.

I needed to just embrace it and enjoy the ride.

Wednesday morning, I had to be up and at the sound stage fairly early to practice with the show’s band for an hour, just to make sure we had everything worked out. Even though the show started taping at one, there was no one else there from the show, aside from a few producers. So, it felt a little like the practice I’d done for The Stage, except these guys were way better.

Maybe because they had more money and a bigger profile, but they were some of the best musicians I’d ever played with, skill-wise. After just two run-throughs of the song, they had it down. We probably could have stopped there, but the band leader insisted on using the full practice time. It was a little bit of a wake-up call. Yeah, I’d done great on the show, and I’d had some success touring, but if I was going to get to the next level, I was going to have to step things up. Sure, we practiced a lot, but that was as much goofing off and fun as real practice because we’d played the same songs with each other so many times.