Series Title: The Kids Aren't Alright
One-shot Title: Good Old Fashioned Lover Boy
Rated: T, over all; light T this time.
Summary for this one-shot: Craig's second album is coming out, so he's taking some time to muse on a couple of things.
Disclaimer: I own no characters from the show, but I own any titles or ideas used.
Author's Note: This series is basically a bunch of one shots about the graduating class of '06 and the class of '07 three-eleven years after 2006.
June 4, 2009
At some point-he never could pin point the moment-Craig became famous. Really famous. He became the Craig Manning. People began throwing themselves at him. He still remembers the first time he got underwear in the mail; they had been purple and men's. Joey had mocked him for a month.
He may not remember when he became really famous, but others do. Emma claims it was when people started begging for his autograph senior year. Joey says it was the whole underwear in the mail thing. J.T. and Liberty firmly claim it was when he bailed on prom and Manny to tour for the summer. Angie bitterly tells him that it was when he missed her last birthday, because he had to go on some talk show; she claims he's not invited to her next birthday party. Ashley wrote him and said that she believes he became famous the night she found out he had a sold out show, which she driven out to Boston just to go see; she never did say anything about what happened after the show. Manny…Manny doesn't talk about him or to him, but Emma has told him that Manny always knew he'd be famous. Ever since he wrote that song for that Kevin Smith movie, maybe even before then.
Craig was famous, there was no getting around that. But, he was also painfully single. He was single and it was all his own damn fault. He just…he never could get it right. He had dated Ashley and seen Manny on the side. He had dated Ashley, but secretly needed for Manny to still be in love with him. He had flirted with Ellie, but lusted for Manny. He had dated Manny, but flirted with Ellie. He had dated Manny, but cheated…with a couple of girls, namely Ellie and Ashley.
All of this lead Craig back to one thing: Manny was in every part of his dating history. She was the one that was consent, the one that had told him to go for it. The one that had said: "No, go tour. Who needs a date to prom? Emma can't decide between Peter and Sean. I'll take her left over. Or Toby, if he doesn't have a date. You tour. Have fun. Make fans. Let them see what I see."
So, he'd gone tour, cheated, gotten famous, and lost the girl. The girl, who had just wrapped a film with none other then J.T. Yorke. She'd end up just as famous as he was, if not more so.
Of course, what he wanted and what he had lost, didn't matter at the moment. He had an record coming out. He's second, entitled Fire and Ice, which was eleven new songs and an extended version of Manny. The record label wanted to make Fire and Ice (It's Not Alright)-a song he had written about his one night stand with Ellie Nash in '07 and the effects it had had on he and Manny-to be the first single. Craig was hoping for If You See Jimmy, a song about Jimmy's death. Or maybe, just maybe, Mercy Street, a song about the way Manny had forgave him for sleeping with Ellie. In the end, they'd release Fire and Ice (It's Not Alright) first and Craig would just have to deal with it.
He just dealt with a lot of things. What did Marco call him? A 'good old fashioned lover boy', who just couldn't get his love life together.
"Mr. Manning?" He shook himself out of his thoughts and glanced and over to the desk, where the receptionist sat. "They'll be ready for you in five minutes, sir." She offered him a warm smile, he returned a half-hearted one.
Craig may have gone deeper into his thoughts, if his cell hadn't have rung. He quickly answered it, and walked over to the other side of the waiting area. "Hello?"
"Craig? It's Emma." Her voice sounded cheerful, and the truth was that it was a welcomed distraction. There was a small pause. "I'm not bothering you, am I?"
"No, I've got five minutes. I'm at the label, we're discussing singles." He was trying to sound casual, but somehow even he wasn't buying it. "Anything you need?"
"No, no." The response was a bit quick. "It's just…Manny called. Her movie with J.T., Gutter Flowers…it comes out in December. She didn't want me to say anything, but I thought you should know, I guess."
"Emma. I'm not some losery stalker, who wants to know everything about my ex." He paused in thought for a moment. "She's still living with J.T.?" Was that jealously in his tone?
"It's the best way to make the rent." Came Emma's reply. "But, J.T.'s doing this play, so he might move out soon. And Manny's got a movie lined up. I think they start filming soon."
Craig swallowed. Was it wrong of him to suddenly wish Manny would fail, just so she might come running to him? He was her protector, after all. He'd save her again, if she'd only let him. "That's good. Tell her that's good." Craig glanced back and to the doors of the board room. "Tell her my new CD comes out in August and that her song is extended and that…and that…" he sighed deeply. "Just tell her about the CD, okay? I got to go, Emma. Bye." He ended the call, before Emma could say anything.
As if on cue, or maybe to stop him from thinking anymore, the door to the board door open and he was gestured in.
Walking into the room, Craig was greeted by a "Craig, nice to see you again." and "Son, welcome. Take a seat.". Oh, they were all so kind to him. But, then again, he was their little cash cow. His first CD had made him a house hold name, and they were all waiting and hoping dearly for a repeat performance.
After a couple of seconds of settling, the little meeting began.
"Fire and Ice is due out the last week of August." One of the men, a tall and balding guy named Mr. Fauk began. He was in marketing. Craig thought he was an idiot. "We got to get a single out. We should have put one out in May."
"Calm down, calm down." That was a nervous looking fellow, whose name Craig had never gotten. "We released Mamas and Papas in February, that was enough. We don't want to over expose him."
"Okay, okay." Mr. Fauk waved a hand. "We think the title track off this album should be the first single. It's really angry and yet it has something…some underlying thing. The fans will love it, Craig."
Craig bit his lower lip. "Yeah, but what about another song? I was thinking If You See Jimmy or Mercy Street."
Nervous guy shook his head. "No, no. If You See Jimmy is slower, sad, song. It's a downer, Craig. And Mercy Street's a sappy love song, though it does have a beat." He nodded to himself. "We could remix it and send it out to the dance clubs."
"No way!" He coughed lightly. Craig really hadn't meant to sound so upset. "My songs aren't for dance clubs."
"The boy's right." Fauk again. "Mamas and Papas and all the other songs from the first album were all very cool. Time to show the world that Craig Manning can be serious. I think If You See Jimmy will work." He paused. "Now, a major movie studio has expressed interest in you performing the title song for a new movie of theirs, Gutter Flowers." Craig perked up at that. "The movie won't be out until December, but you'd get a sneak peak of the film."
"Not sure you should do it." Nervous stated. "The movie's not your style."
"No, no. I want to do it. I really want to." Craig nearly cringed. That had sounded way to stupid. He cleared his throat. "Big fan of the book."
A few weeks later, Craig was given his big sneak peek of Gutter Flowers. Afterward, he co-wrote the film's title song; it took him less then a hour. Years afterward, critics would hail it as one of his most touching, heartbreaking, and personal songs.