Author's Note: Here's chapter seven. It's a little on the shorter side, but hopefully the chapters will begin to lengthen in the next ones to come. Anyway, Cherry finally has a role in the story, so I'm excited to actually start writing for her character. ~BlueVanilla79
Strawberry rose to stand before the group of stars; trying to act casual, she adjusted the hem of her dress and fixed her hairpiece. The celebrities didn't move but only intently stared at her, half-expecting her to whip out a gun from the back of her dress and force them to do her bidding. When she didn't, though, Candace retrieved her leopard-print cell phone from her designer handbag. Her thumbs moved swiftly as she dialed the numbers on the touch screen keypad while she kept an eye fixated on Strawberry.
Caleb peered over his sister's shoulder. "Who are you contacting?"
"The princess: she promised we wouldn't have to deal with any intrusive fans at this party, yet this one has been stalking us since the drive over here. Security should take care of this problem in a few minutes."
Strawberry was panic-striken. This is it, she realized. She was going to be arrested only her second day living in Berry Big City and jeopardize her chances of saving Berry Bitty City. And all while the thoughts flowed through her mind, she appeared scared and confused, which didn't help much in her case.
She waved her hands in the air and shook her head. "No - please - I'm sorry. I took a wrong turn. I can leave you alone." She spun towards the direction of the exit and darted for the door, but Candace roughly grabbed her arm before she could escape, the perfectly manicured nails of her hand digging into her skin.
"You think you're so clever, don't you? Thinking you can run off to tell your friends, hm? I'll tell you this, I'm not one to fall for that sort of trick. The last time a so-called 'fan' played the innocent card, she returned with a group of friends and tried to rob us." Her grip only intensified around the middle of Strawberry's arm, which made Strawberry wince. Noticing her pain, Caleb wrenched her arm free from Candace's grasp, only hurting her already bruised arm even more.
"Candace, leave her alone! She hasn't done anything wrong," he interjected, also snatching the phone from her.
Candace scoffed, "She hasn't yet, anyway. Just give her a few minutes and she'll have you thrown over the balcony."
A few of the other celebrity guests left while the two siblings argued, and amidst the drama, Strawberry sat at one of the outdoor tables and buried her face in her arms.
Cherry sniffed down the last of her summer cold as she turned the brass knob to the green room. The sequins on her performance dress irritated her skin; a bead of sweat dotted her forehead. She felt irritated and upset over the recent problems she'd had to deal with, which were so infinite in number that she'd lost count.
After spending six months travelling in a bus, she was fatigued in that the constant bumps in the road caused her an excessive amount of discomfort. She was tired of the same schedule that she had to repeat on a daily basis, composed of waking at the crack of dawn and not being able to rest until past midnight. She hadn't had any contact with any of her friends due to her busy schedule, and her recent breakup with her boyfriend was the icing on the cake. This collection of problems swirled in her mind all day and all night, but she felt that she could finally start to relax since she had just finished her world tour. At last, no more rehearsals, no more meet and greets, no more autograph-signing, and most importantly, no more working with Delia.
Struggling to breathe through the congestion, she opened the door and was met with the familiar faces of her publicist and her boss. They both had an air of seriousness about them, and from past experiences, Cherry knew that wasn't a good sign. She hesitantly shut the oak door and grabbed a bottle of water to soothe her dry throat. She sat in the arm-chair across from them, crossing her legs and hoping that they weren't too displeased about whatever they were upset about.
Her boss clasped his hands together and leaned forward in his seat; her publicist folded her arms and did the opposite.
Mr. Pearson adjusted his glasses and cleared his voice. "Miss Jam, I just want to commend you for the outstanding work you've done throughout your world tour," he began, "but now that you've finished your tour, we need to think of a way to keep you in the public eye. As you are aware, the demographics for your fan count have decreased significantly since you've started frequently disappearing for several given months at a time."
Cherry rocked forwards in the leather chair, heaving a resented sigh. "So even after I went on a six month-long tour around the world, released a new album, and shot two new music videos, that still isn't enough to sustain my career? What more do you want me to do?!"
"Listen, Miss Jam, what you have accomplished in the last few months is wonderful, but those things are only temporary. After a while, people will put those things behind them and demand to see more from you. They'll think, 'okay, we've seen this from Cherry, but what will she produce next?' which is why we need to get to work on some new projects for when that time comes. What you need is something that can become a backbone for you at for at least a said amount of time."
"How about a reality show? They seem to be all the rage among the youth these days. If it's successful, she can sustain her career for years and gradually regain her popularity," her publicist suggested. "After all, the Berry Glitz and Glamour Network has been eager to do business with her for the longest time."
Mr. Pearson excitedly slapped his hand on the coffee table. "That's it!"
Cherry sat, her lips momentarily left agape. A reality show was one of the last things she'd wanted to resort to if her career ever fell out of line. The thought of a camera crew filming her on a daily basis horrified her, and would she even have time to visit her friends anymore? Plus, from what she'd seen from past reality shows, the experience often ruined the protagonists' lives as well as their relationships with other people, and Cherry did not want to take part in anything that would to the same to she and her friends.
"You can forget about a reality show," she firmly declared, thus draining her boss's enthusiasm. "I'll just accept the loss of my fans."
Her boss became grave. "Surely you don't mean that, Cherry. Perhaps this will change your mind: if you don't want to commit to your job, then I will be more than happy to start working with another artist who is more dedicated to her career, such as your friend, Delia Dragonfruit. She was phenomenal on stage tonight, and she's so genuine, too."
Cherry scoffed. Clearly her boss didn't know the British R&B artist the way she had: the girl who'd been her best friend early in her career and the same girl who stabbed her in the back years later. From that time on, Cherry didn't want to have any association with Delia whatsoever, but to her demise, their record companies thought it a great idea to have the two of them collaborate.
Cherry bit her bottom lip. "And if I still say 'no'?"
"Then you can start looking for a record label, or else your career will go down the drain. You can't keep hiding from the public, Cherry. Being one of the greater stars in the world, it's imperative that everyone hears from you once in a while."
She heaved a resigned sigh because she knew that he was right: she had been spending too much time away from work, and her actions placed her social standing at risk. Whenever she visited her friends in Berry Bitty City, she'd enjoyed her time with them so much that she lost track of time, and as a result, she'd missed several weeks-worth of work. Once she returned home, she'd become behind on so many of her projects that the load became unbearable. Even after she faced the consequences, she still found herself returning to the petite town and repeating the same cycle once more. In fact, she was supposed to secretly drive back over there at the crack of dawn, but because of her job, she now couldn't.
Berry Big City became that of a ball and chain to her; the stress was excruciating, and now that she was no longer allowed to visit her secondary home, she felt that she would go insane. However, then she thought of the other side of the decision at hand. If she decided to give up her career to live with her friends, how would she support herself? Music was all she ever knew, and if she stopped singing, she'd have nothing left.
"Alright," Cherry consented, "I'll do the reality show. When do I begin?''
Mr. Pearson's eyes lit like twinkling stars, and he revealed a toothy grin. "The sooner the better. We'll see if we can set up an appointment to meet with the Berry Glitz and Glamour Network on Monday." And with that, he gathered his briefcase, and he and Cherry's publicist exited the green room.
Cherry lazily walked through the corridor; she didn't bother to change into her party clothes first, instead deciding to leave on her black dress and boots simply because she didn't feel like changing. She glided her fingertips along the smooth paneling on the walls in sync with her steps, her head hung low.
She felt depressed, depressed about her life's turn of events, depressed that she had to resort to getting a reality show, and depressed that she hadn't seen her friends for such a long time. Since her departure from them half a year ago, she'd hardly had any opportunities to communicate with them, and when she did she was too exhausted from performing to speak. Without the comfort and advice her friends provided her, she felt all-around crummy.
Cherry turned to head down the adjacent staircase, but before she made it to the first step, two security guards rushed past her towards the last doorway posted in the long hallway. Momentarily puzzled, she slinked in their direction, peeking her head through the door frame to obtain a glimpse at the situation. She saw the two guards approach the celebrity habitat in Beatrice's mansion, the stars all appearing distressed, with a single girl standing between them.
The girl stuck out like fresh bait; anyone could easily tell that she didn't belong with the group of stars just by looking at her. Her face wasn't caked with an excessive amount of makeup, her clothing wasn't made of over-priced materials, and with those distinct freckles and bright red hair, she was impossible to miss.
Just as one of the officers snatched the girl by her wrist, realization flooded over Cherry. The girl was Strawberry! Without thinking, Cherry flew from behind her station and bolted towards the balcony. She ran a bit too fast, though, because she nearly knocked over a few of the guests when she darted past them.
"Let her go!" she shouted at the top of her lungs, startling everyone.
The officer holding Strawberry retrieved a pair of handcuffs from his belt. "This girl snuck through a restricted entrance and has been convicted of harassment. Under the princess' orders, we are instructed to arrest anyone who does so."
Cherry contemplated for a moment. "She's my special VIP guest, officer," she fibbed, "I guess she just came to look for me but took a wrong turn. She didn't mean to intrude."
The security guard exchanged looks with his partner. "But I was informed that she allegedly attempted to attack Miss Fig."
"Officer, this girl wouldn't hurt a fly. Are you really going to believe that? Look at her: completely harmless. I want you to release her. Now."
Reluctantly, the officer released his grip from Strawberry's wrists. "My apologies, Miss Jam. We'll drop the conviction, but please tell this girl to be more careful next time." And with that, he tipped his hat towards Strawberry, and the two guards left. The other guests murmured their consent to her and went about their business, but Candace continued to glare at her like a snake and left the balcony.
Cherry turned her attention to Caleb. "How could you have let that happen to Strawberry?! You know that she's a close friend of mine!"
"I did, but Candace wouldn't listen to me!" Caleb extended his hand to Strawberry. "Hey, I'm sorry for what happened. Sometimes my sister can be a little out of whack."
"I highly doubt that: when have you ever stood up to her? You certainly never did when we were dating."
"Sweetie -"
"Don't call me that."
"Cherry, I've tried apologizing to you again and again about what happened. When are you finally going to forgive me?"
"When I see that you've changed."
Cherry turned her back on him and pulled Strawberry into a tight hug. "Oh my goodness, Strawberry, what are you doing in Berry Big City?! I've missed you and the others so much!"
Strawberry hugged her back but watched Caleb over Cherry's shoulder. She started to feel bad for the teenaged actor when he darted his emerald eyes toward the ground and stuck his hands in the pockets of his pants, his jet-black hair obscuring his face.
When Cherry pulled away, she motioned to the doorway. "Come on, you can tell me all about your trip while we find the others."
Cherry led Strawberry through a different path of the grand mansion on the return to Beatrice's party. They encountered several hidden passages and multiple stairways, and all the while Strawberry wondered how her friend could have possibly known her way around.
"I've performed here since I was nine," Cherry replied as if she'd predicted Strawberry's thoughts.
"You've done so for quite a while, then. But... what's going on with you and Caleb Fig? I didn't know you two knew each other, let alone dated."
Cherry wanted to avoid answering that question at all costs, so she sighed. "We just weren't getting along very well. With our careers and him letting Candace be a pain in the neck towards me, things just didn't work out, and I broke up with him. I'm better without him, anyway."
"Oh. Do you mind if I ask how you met?" She carefully asked because she knew that the topic was sensitive to her.
"We shot a music video together a while ago. Didn't you see it?"
Strawberry shook her head.
"But I thought you said you would support all of my upcoming projects -"
"I know, but I couldn't because Berry Bitty City is... no more. Resources were so low that I didn't even have enough electrical power to call you."
Cherry gasped. "W-What happened?"
"A continuing drought. But once we get the Preservation Soil from Princess Beatrice, we should be able to restore the town."
"Preservation what?"
"Look, I'll have to tell you everything later - it's quite a handful of information."
They reached the exit to the lawn, but Cherry blocked the door. "Strawberry, I advise you to avoid the Figs at all costs. After what happened tonight, there's no telling what other kinds of trouble they can cause you."
Strawberry was caught off guard. "But why is Candace so... uptight?"
"She and her brother had a traumatic childhood, which caused her to become overly protective when she became older. She can't trust anyone, not even her own parents, so she's quick to accuse anyone of trying to harass her. I mean what I said, Strawberry."
Strawberry pushed open the door. "After tonight, I seriously doubt that I'll cross paths with the two of them again, but okay," she replied, and the two of them re-entered the festivities of the party.
