World of Crowns

06

NOTE: Please be aware of the chapters point of view.

“Okay, everyone, we will take a 5 minute break before running again,”

The director of the concert announced as the artist on the stage immediately flopped themselves on the floor and lay there. My eyes narrowed when I saw two members playing around at the edge of the stage. There are just a few steps from falling down which made me shake my head a little.

“Ate, those two,” I told my sister. She looks at where my fingers is pointing at to see those two playful members still on their playful mode.

She gave the staff some signals to stop the two. They followed and just a few minutes later, the two fixed themselves and went to their fellow members. Everyone is pretty busy in the whole stadium. There are some who are roaming around for safety. Some are in the controlling area, fixing things there such as the lighting, the vcr and many more. The artists are just resting on the stage while the CEO is sitting beside me, watching every action.

“Aren’t you close with Yael?” My sister asked. I tear my eyes from my phone as I look at her with my brow raised up. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m just asking.”

A small scoff escapes my lips. I tear my eyes from her and bring it back to my phone where I am busy watching a volleyball broadcast. “We’re so-so, why?”

“Do you think you can talk to him? He’s planning to terminate his contract.”

It was enough to catch my attention. My eyes immediately went to the guy just simply sitting a little far from his members. My head tilted a little when I noticed he somehow looked like he had his own world. His unusual quiet state and not so normal distance from his members makes me conclude things on my head. It’s either he is not in good terms with them right now… or he just doesn’t want to be here anymore.

“Why do you think he is planning to terminate his contract?” I asked without tearing my eyes from Yael. He is not moving at all. His shoulders look heavy and the bright, big smile on his that he usually has is nowhere to be seen.

“He went to talk to their manager the other day. Their manager said that he talks so unusually. He talks about what is the consequence if he decides to leave the company. I mean, why would he ask that if he is not planning to terminate his contract?” My sister pointed out.

Leave the company. After all those years of training… he will suddenly just decide to terminate? Now that he has already achieved his dreams, he is planning to let it go?

I tear my eyes from Yael and look back on my phone again. My face remained stoic before answering her. “It’s not my place to actually talk him out about that. Whether he is planning or not, it’s his decision.” I only said.

I didn’t let her talk again when I stood up and left the area. I made my way to the backstage where only the staff and exclusive guests are allowed. As I walked by each staff, each of them greeted me like they normally do. I entered the room and lay on the couch there comfortably.

From: Will

Do you want me to pick you up?

A smile formed to my lips as I read his message. I always read the same thing but the feelings never changed. Will is a quiet guy and prefers to show his care through actions. I don’t know how we manage to keep a good relationship because of our personality. While he is the quiet one, I am the deep thinker. I always have so many things in mind but he knows how to handle me as much as I know how to handle him.

To: Will

If you are not busy, then sure :)

The two of us clearly know the word space. We may be in a relationship but considering our personality, we require space to think things through. We are the type of couple who is not totally clingy with one another. That is why most people thought we are just simply as friends because of how rarely we show clinginess between one another. It was even hard for our friends to tell at first whether we are together or not. If we didn’t tell them ourselves then they wouldn’t even notice it.

I was brought back to my senses when the door suddenly flew open. My eyes went immediately to the door as each member entered the room while laughing. They all stopped when they noticed my comfortable presence which I didn’t even bother sitting up. All of them were suddenly shut which made me wanna laugh but I stopped myself.

“Are the rehearsals done?” I questioned while looking at them.

“Not yet. We just came to rest,” One of the members says. He is the only one who manages to move without feeling awkward around me. He sat at the end of the couch where I lay as if I am not a big deal. “What are you doing here? This is the artist's resting room.”

“I’m sleepy. That’s why.” I said, putting my phone down on my stomach before closing my eyes.

When I felt that all of them were starting to move already, I opened my eyes again to look for Yael. He wasn’t around no matter how many times I wander my eyes. I raised a brow as curiosity rose up inside me because of his actions. Yael and resting rooms have always been stuck with each other. From what I know, it’s his habit to stay in the resting room and joke around here so seeing him not here is very unusual.

“Where’s Yael?” I asked kuya Pierce whom I can consider as one of my closest among all of them.

I already felt there was something wrong when he suddenly heaved a sigh. Maybe it’s because I have known him long enough to tell whether his actions are so unfamiliar with my eyes or not. I think it has been 4 years since I have known him and his members. I met all of them while I was attending a dance class under our company and it was before they became debut artists already.

“Do you think you can talk to him?” He suddenly questioned instead of answering mine.

“You and my sister say the same thing.” I said in between chuckles. “Do you think if he talks to me, he will go back to his senses and forget whatever he has in mind?”

“I cannot deny that he opens up to you more than to me. I’m the leader of our group but I seem useless sometimes.” He exclaims with a dramatic tone which made me raise a brow at him.

Kuya Pierce, Yael, Kaleb, Max and Dean are all in the same group under our company. They are called STRKE who debuted 2 years ago and went to training for 3 to 4 years. Since they have known each other for 5 to 6 years now, they grew closer and treated each other like brothers already. With kuya Pierce being the oldest among all of them, he was appointed to become their leader and took most responsibilities. Yael is the youngest, he is just a few months younger than me, so he tends to joke around but today is unusual.

“What happened to him?” I simply questioned.

“After our concert last week, some fans started to  throw hate at him since he choked in the middle of our song. You know, the usual haters who bring the artist down by making them feel like they aren’t fitted to this industry.” I can see in his eyes now how stressed that situation made him. “He told me that he feels like he is just dragging our group to our own grave by staying so he is thinking of… quitting the group.”

It made me rise up from my comfortable lying position. It shocked kuya Pierce that even looked at me with wide eyes because of my sudden action. He recovered immediately and heave another deep sigh instead before leaning his back on the couch.

“He told you he wants to quit the group?” I reassured as he nodded.

“Ironic, isn’t it? Just when he thought he could finally have a good and happy life because he already achieved his dream, his world suddenly shuts down because of some selfish fans who don't know anything at all.” He exclaimed.

Maybe it’s because Yael is still young and soft hearted that it’s easy for him to get so affected with this kind of thing. He was doing so well the past few years, performing on stage perfectly. Among the five of them, he had the shortest training period which is 3 years but it’s still long compared to the others. On top of that, my sister wouldn’t choose him as one of the trainees to debut if she didn’t feel like Yael is not ready and is not good enough yet to stand on the stage in front of many people.

“How long has he been like that?” I asked again.

“For about a week now? He is unusually silent and distant. Each of us tried to talk to him and he only cried once to Dean then the next thing we knew, he talked to our manager asking about the consequences of contract termination.” The sigh he releases shows how he is affected from this as well. I couldn’t blame him because if ever Yael leaves, he would probably feel responsible for it because he didn’t do his leader's work right. “All of us were really shocked and scared after our manager told us about that.”

I sit properly now with my legs and feet on the ground. I took my bag and stood up before looking at him again. “Then where he is right now again?”

“He went to the corporate suite when we decided to go here to rest.” He answered as I nodded.

Without hesitation, I left the room and made my way to where that guy is. The walk there is a little farther than I thought because I still need to go to the higher floor where that suite is located. During my way there, I encountered so many staff members who helped me reach where Yael is. It’s not like I don’t know where that is because we usually sat there during our company artist concerts.

I carefully opened the door of the room so he wouldn’t notice my arrival. But he probably won’t even if I slam the door because of how he appears in front of me right now. He is sitting at the very front while staring at the massive stage where he would perform tomorrow night. His hands are just neatly placed on his lap with the look on his face saying he has a lot of things in mind.

“So you plan on running away from this life you just dreamed of before?” I spilled while leaning on the wall next to the door.

I watch him look around to find where the voice came from. He looks lost that he doesn’t even know where to look at right now. My brows furrowed when our eyes met but he just decided to avoid it immediately.

“They asked you to talk to me, didn’t they?” He asked, back facing me.

I step one by one forward to get closer to him. My face remains the same but my mind is creating so many conclusions right now. “They do… but who am I to change whatever you have in mind? Right? I mean you are a grown up.”

He remained silent and just heaved a sigh. I looked at him when I reached his spot but he didn't dare to look up and stare at me. The two of us are close but not really. I don’t know how to explain it but considering how bubly he is, he really likes to joke around with everyone. He treats the people around him like they are so close even though they really aren’t. Witnessing how friendly he was, seeing him like this feels like a different Yael is standing right in front of me.

“Is it true?” I asked, making him fidget. He clearly knows what I am about to talk about now. “Are you planning to terminate your contract with the company?”

“What makes you think so?” He says with an obvious nervous tone. No matter how much he wants to appear firm in front of me right now, I can still see that all of that is just fake. There is no use in trying to be strong in front of me.

“I’m not the one who actually thought that. It’s the people around you who think that way.” I confessed. I took the seat next to him before staring at the right stage that he used to tell me he will keep standing on while performing for long. He kept his lips sealed which made me smirk a little. “If you don’t want them bringing up about it then you shouldn’t have asked your manager about contract termination.”

“I was just curious.” He defended.

“Curious or you wanna use it to run away?” I frankly asked him. It made him look at me with hesitation. My eyes narrowed when I saw how he was just keeping everything inside. I know it so well. Thinking deeply and keeping everything inside, that’s basically my speciality.

“I don’t want to run away,” He defended again.

“It looks like it to me,”

“Well then, it’s not like that!” He raises his voice which only made me smirk now.

The annoyance he is showing right now is the mirror of his guilt. He knows that what I am saying is the truth. He couldn’t deny it vocally so he uses his useless lying defense on me which never is valid. Before he can even lie to me, I already know just by observing him whether he is up to something or not.

The two of us have gone silent after he raises his voice at me. We are the same age so it’s not really weird to hear him raise his voice on me. Since we spent some time while I was attending dancing class before, none of them sees me as the management owner's daughter but just a girl who almost looks like a cold person.

“Can I ask you something?” I spoke up without looking at him. Whether he nodded or not, I don’t care. I will still ask him. “Is being a singer really your dream?”

“Yes! Why do you even need to ask me that?” He questioned back in disbelief.

“If it is, then why do you want to let it go?” My question made him twitch. He was about to answer but I cutted him off. “Don’t tell me that it’s because I don’t know a thing because I know some. It’s because of those haters.”

“Then why do you still ask if you know it anyway?” He questions in a small voice that I barely hear it already.

“Because I wanna know if you will still give the same answer to me.” I straightforwardly told him. “When you were about to debut, I asked you didn’t I? I asked you whether you are ready and you told me that you are. I even repeated my question but you said the same thing and didn’t understand what I actually mean.”

I was there during their debut. The company held a showcase to introduce them to the world with even putting it in a live broadcast. A couple of minutes before they go up to the stage, I remember going to the backstage with my sister to visit him. I gave each member good luck but I asked him that. With his soft heart, I want to know if he is really ready but he misinterpreted my question instead.

“What I actually meant to ask you is… are you really ready to step in the kind of world where a lot of people will watch you? A world where there is both discrimination and impartiality? A world where different kinds of fans exist. Most especially,” I look at him as he stares back, curiously waiting for my next word. “A world where it will test you physically and mentality.”

The kind of world he decided to enter is not much different as mine. We both live in a world where many people know us. We are almost at the high level of society where we are living comfortably. While I get the expensive things that I want, he gets to have expensive brands giving him free things to endorse and taking him as their endorser. In short, we both have our own privileges in different kinds of ways. But what makes it so similar is both worlds can be mentaly tiring.

“The fans.” His face immediately turned dull just by hearing that. “You don’t really need to satisfy all of them. You only need to focus on those who appreciate your talent and see you as whoever you are. It’s up to them where they will support you or not. You need to remember that every person in this world lives their life with one person behind them trying to bring them down EVERY SINGLE TIME.”

I emphasize the last three words because that is how the world really is. Someone or something will always try to bring you down and keep you in the darkness. It’s not all about running away from it. It’s all about staying strong and getting back up to overcome it. Running away doesn’t mean you already went through it. It only means you are a coward for not facing it.

“If you still dream to be a singer, then keep doing it! You’re already at it so why give it up?” I heard him release a small laugh which kind of warms my heart. “There surely still be people out there who will be willing to support you. You just need to know what you are capable of and how talented you are. So don’t let others' words get into you. Instead, take their words and use it as an inspiration to be better than you already are. It’s not an easy process to do but what is the use of your members if you won’t let them help you?”

He raised his face and showed me his teary eyes. His brows furrowed as he repeated my words. “My members?”

“They are worried about you Yael. They are worried that you might leave and they will lose a playful brother who doesn’t stop bothering them and being friendly to almost everyone.” I pointed out with a little teasing which made him glare at me. He is just the same age as me but he acts like a little kid who needs to be pampered. That is why he is adorable in my eyes as well.

Just at the right timing, my phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message from Will saying he is outside the arena already. He is quick.

“I need to end this talk now because my boyfriend is already outside but!” I gave him pat on his shoulder which made him smile a little. “I want you to remember what I am going to say.” He nodded in return. “Focus on what you should focus on. Learn the art of being unbothered. It will help you stand strongly in this cruel world. Okay?”

I stood up from my seat and gave him one last nod. He mouthed a thank you in which I only gave him a small smile before leaving the room. I made my way to the main exit of the arena to see William standing there. He stands so tall and quiet while keeping his eyes focused on the cloudy skies.

“What are you staring at?” I asked him, staring at the cloudy skies again.

“It’s about to rain.” He simply says as I nodded. I can feel his eyes on me now in which I disregard. I know he is worried.

I looked at him and gave him a smile. I reached for his face and touched his cheeks gently. “You don’t need to worry too much. I have you with me… so it wouldn’t be that hard for me to overcome it.”

We made our way to his car in silence. He made sure to turn on a music that he usually plays whenever a rain is about to come. The rain slowly started to pour per droplets a couple of minutes after we left the arena. It is much heavier than I thought it would be so William’s right hand is holding mine much tightly right now while I keep my eyes on my phone to distract myself.

It didn’t take long when the rain became heavier. I don’t know if it’s because there is a storm coming or it’s just a random one but it surely ruined my mood. I felt myself twitch and shudder with my breathing suddenly getting heavier when I heard the loud thunder outside the car. I tried to keep my eyes on my phone but that one thunder is enough to make me lose my focus.

I felt William tighten his hold on my hand. He sped up a little more to get us out on the road before he drove down to a parking garage of a building. He swiftly parked his car before unbuckled his seat belt to face me.

“Hey, hey. Look at me,” He called as I shudderingly looked up slowly to him. He unbuckled my seatbelt before pulling me towards him for a tight hug. “Hush now… we’re away from it already.”

Slowly, the more he caress my hair, the more I feel calmer. My trembling shoulders are slowly disappearing and my unsteady breathing is slowly going back to normal. Will didn’t let me go the whole time. Instead, he kept his tight hold on my shoulders while caressing my back with his one hand and the other on my hair as he whispers things in my ear to help me calm down.

“You’re okay now… you’re okay,”

I’m Layla Samantha Martin and this… is how my life is like. I may have a comfortable life and privileges ahead of me but it’s not always that beautiful. My world is not always that perfect and comfortable.

When I was 10 years old, my parents separated because of disagreement and I am living now with my mother and my sisters while my father has his own new family but my sisters and I still remain in contact with him. Before they completely separated, they left a taint in my mind. My fear of thunder is because of them.

Whenever they argue, they would always raise their voice and throw things out at the house so I had to hide somewhere while covering my ears because their voices drove me crazy. They started arguing when I was 6 years old. During that time, my mind is still not fixed to the fact that they really are arguing. I only thought that they were too loud and it irritated me.

One day, my sister who is five years older than me, she found me in my hiding spot and sat there with me. I remember crying to her and saying I was scared. Everything started that day. Each indefinite screams, she told me that it was just the rain pouring so hard which created my dislike towards the rain. Meanwhile each throwing of things our parents made before, she told me that it was just a thunder because of the heavy rain. That is the reason why every single time there is rain and thunder in combination, I would end up shuddering so hard and could hardly breath.

I don’t really want to blame my parents for it but… I couldn’t deny the fact that they were the reason for my fear. I tried overcoming it but maybe it’s because I am so used to it already, it’s hard for me to stay calm whenever the rain and thunder comes. That is why whenever I see the skies getting cloudy, if I am in the house, I would go to my sister’s room and stay there. If I am outside, I would immediately call Will and he will pick me up wherever I am to bring me to his hang out place. It’s the safest place for me because you can barely hear the noise from the outside in that place.

“Lay!” I heard the familiar girl's voice immediately the moment I stepped out of the school building after talking to Will. My mind still can’t believe what I just found out. She stood next to me while also staring at the guy in the middle of the crowded students. “Do you know who that guy is? He is definitely causing a scene this early.”

“You don’t know who he is too?” I questioned her in disbelief. She looks at me weirdly which I cannot blame her to.

“Do I have to know who he is?” She cluelessly questioned back.

“Not really,” I looked back to the guy in the middle of the crowd when his eyes went to us. I saw him stare at Millie. “But I think you need to know that he is Liam’s brother.”