Center Stage
Copyright© 2025 by Lumpy
Chapter 9
I shook off the run-in with the paparazzi and made my way to the venue. In the end, if Warren thought it wasn’t a big deal, I wasn’t going to fret about it too much. I still had a job to do.
My game face lasted all of three steps into the venue as Larry, Dillon, and Marissa were practically waiting for me when I made it through to backstage, making a beeline for me.
“They fired Dakota,” Marissa blurted out.
“What?”
Could something with the paparazzi have backfired that fast?
“That’s not all,” Larry said. “They rearranged the whole lineup. It’s Vince, Dexter, then you, with no duets.”
“Wait, Vince? The same guy who was high as a kite and probably gave Dakota the drugs in the first place?”
“It’s bullshit, is what it is. How can someone who didn’t even make the finals get a solo spot? No offense,” Dillon said, directing the last statement to Larry.
“They didn’t give me a solo spot.”
“I swear,” Marissa said. “If I hadn’t signed that damn contract, I’d walk off this show right now.”
“This is ‘cause he signed with GLR, right? I mean, who else could get them to rearrange the schedule?”
“It has to be,” Marissa said. “They signed Vince, and now they’re pushing him up the ranks, giving him a spot he didn’t earn.”
“This is so messed up. Dakota made one mistake, and they’re just throwing her out. Meanwhile, Vince gets rewarded for being a total screw-up.”
“No kidding. But what can we do?” Marissa said.
“Nothing. I mean, we can complain to our management and the tour managers, but I’m not sure what good that will do. GLR is footing the bill, so they get to call the shots. I know the thing pissing y’all off is Vince getting to jump to the front of the line, and it should piss you off. I’m worried about Dakota. She was a big cheerleader for all of us on the show, and she’s being screwed here. I’m going to go talk to Dexter and see what he says. He’s known her longer than any of us.”
I think it just occurred to them that they had only been looking at this from how it affected them, and not from the standpoint of what it meant for Dakota. I didn’t know the business as well as some, but I had a strong suspicion being fired off a tour was bad, especially if you were having problems selling out shows beforehand.
“Yeah, good idea,” Marissa said. “Let us know what we can do.”
“I will. Let’s not freak out. All we can do is keep doing our jobs. This doesn’t change anything you had planned for how you wanted this tour to work out for you, so stick to your plan.”
I went hunting for Dexter and found him in his dressing room, which I noticed was a lot nicer than mine, although considering how long he’d been in the industry, that made sense.
“You got a minute?” I asked, knocking on the frame of the open door.
“Yeah, I guess,” he said. “What can I do for you?”
“It’s about Dakota,” I said, stepping in and closing the door behind me. “You’ve known her longer than any of us. I was hoping you might have her number so I can check on her.”
Dexter hesitated for a moment before nodding.
“Yeah, I do. Hang on.” He pulled out his phone, scrolling through his contacts. “It’s terrible what they did to her. She didn’t deserve that.”
“No, she didn’t,” I agreed as he read off the number and I typed it into my own phone. “Thanks. I just want to make sure she’s okay.”
“Good luck with that. She’s pissed, and I don’t blame her one bit.”
“Yeah, I can imagine.” I pocketed my phone. “So, what’s the plan for tonight? You really gonna do a duet with Vince?”
Dexter scoffed. “Hell no. I told them I’m not doing anything with that plonker.”
“I didn’t think so.”
“I mean, he’s steered clear of me, but he’s been saying shit about Dakota, and it’s not like we didn’t notice how he was on the show, you know.”
“Yeah.”
“But what are we gonna do?” he said with a shrug. “Look, if you want to do the same thing we did last week, hit a duet and then hand off, I’m good with it.”
“Yeah, that works for me. I’ll let the stage manager know after I call Dakota.”
“Sure. And thanks, Charlie. Dakota, she’s been through it, but she doesn’t deserve any of this. It’s good to have someone looking out for you. I don’t know if you know it, but that doesn’t happen a lot in this business.”
“Maybe it should,” I said and excused myself.
I found a quiet part of a side hallway and made the call. Dakota picked up on the third ring.
“Hello?”
She sounded like hell.
“Dakota, hey. It’s Charlie.”
“Charlie? How did you get this number?”
“From Dexter. I hope that’s okay. I just wanted to see how you’re doing.”
There was a pause before she spoke again, and when she did, she sounded mad.
“How do you think I’m doing? They fired me, Charlie. Kicked me to the curb like yesterday’s trash.”
“I know. It’s not right, what they did to you. It’s not fair.”
“Damn right it’s not fair. But what can I do about it? They hold all the cards.”
“Is there anything I can do? Say something in an interview, talk about it, protest somehow?”
“No, don’t do that. That’s not how things are done, and it’ll only hurt you in the end. I did see your interview, and I appreciate you sticking up for me.”
I paused for a second. There was something I wanted to say, but I almost chickened out.
“Charlie? Still there?” she asked when I didn’t say anything.
“Yeah. So, my dad, he had substance problems. I know how hard it can be.”
“I don’t have a problem,” she snapped.
“I’m not saying you do. But if you ever need anyone to talk to, I’m here. When you hit bottom, call me.”
“I said I’m fine, Charlie.”
“Okay. Message received. I won’t bring it up again. But if you need anything from me about this bullshit with the show, let me know. You should be the one performing tonight, not Vince.”
I thought she might not say anything for a second, because I’d clearly pissed her off, but then she said, “Thanks, Charlie. I know you’re trying to help and I appreciate the call. Really.”
“Anytime. Take care of yourself, okay?”
“Yeah. You too.”
The line went dead, and I stared at the phone for a long moment before pocketing it. I didn’t know if I’d helped or just made things worse, but I had to try. There were times I wondered, if someone had gotten help for Dad, would things have turned out differently. While there was no way to know the answer to that, I could at least try to help someone else in a similar situation.
Lost in thought, I nearly collided with Vince as I turned a corner.
“Whoa, watch it, jackass,” he said.
“Jackass?” I said, raising an eyebrow.
“Don’t give me that look.”
“Whatever,” I said, walking around him.
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Nelson, just because you’re getting replaced,” he called after me.
I should have just kept on walking and ignored him, but I couldn’t.
“Replace me? One of us is closing out the show tonight, and I don’t think I saw your name last on the sheet,” I said, turning on him.
“Give it time. First Dakota, then Dexter, then you.”
“Keep dreaming. You couldn’t even make it to the finals, and you’re out here thinking you’re hot shit.”
“Jealous? You had your chance, Charlie. But you blew it when you didn’t sign with them. Now they’re looking to the future, and that future is me.”
It hadn’t occurred to me until that moment that maybe it wasn’t just whatever drug he gave her. Maybe he’d done something to it, on purpose. Of course, anything serious and the hospital would have picked it up, but still.
“So, was that it? Was that why you gave her the drugs? Did you put something in them?”
“‘Gave her the drugs,’ “ he repeated in a mocking tone. “You’re so fucking lame, Nelson. I didn’t do anything to her. If she can’t handle the pressure, maybe she shouldn’t have been here. Dakota’s old news. GLR knows it, and if you were smart, you’d realize it, too. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a solo to prepare for.”
He brushed past me, leaving me seething in the hallway. Solo. What a joke. I watched his back retreat, and I felt bile rising up in my throat. I’d told everyone else to ignore it, Dexter had told me to ignore it, Dakota had said to do nothing, but looking at his smug face, I couldn’t let him get away with it. Warren would be pissed if he knew what I was about to do, but there was no way I was going to let that douche win.
Pulling out my phone, I called Emerson.
“Charlie, my man, this is a surprise! What’s up?” Emerson answered.
“Hey, Emerson. Listen, I’ve got some news for you.”
“Hold on a sec, Charlie.” Emerson’s tone turned serious. “I’ve heard that tone of voice before, and I know what you’re about to do. I’m betting something happened, and you need to be careful. We may be an entertainment show, but if you give me something good, I have to pursue it. It’s my job.”
I didn’t need a voice of reason. I needed an avenging angel.
“Nothing bad happened to me. But the show did something crappy to Dakota. I’m giving this to you on, whatever they call it, off the record.”
“Background.”
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