Thursday Again
The memories were blurry, but Byron never failed to make everyone feel at home. Things might look different on the big screen, but outside of that, he was a solid father figure. He'd even gone to the Bratz' prom to dance with Yasmin when her parents couldn't make it. Sure, he sacrificed them to near death in Paris and gaslighted them into thinking there was a hitchhiker after them, not to mention everything related to E.S.A. and Katia. Still, a lot of "dad" things there. The truth was, there wasn't a day that went by without Byron thinking about all of that. His relationship with his father had always been strange. What might've seemed like favoritism was mostly mirages in his younger brother Liam's mind.
"How come you always try to look out for me?"
"Aren't I supposed to be your older brother?"
"By, yeah, but I'm not 3 anymore."
"No, you're 7 and putting aluminum foil in the microwave."
Liam had always been a wild card—hyperactive, clumsy, and incredibly vain. The baby of his mother for sure. This obsession with fame started when Byron did his first episode of America Rocks.
"Ugh, I keep messing up my intro. I'm so nervous."
"I don't know why you're complaining. You're the host of the newest show on MTV."
"Yeah, but it's so much pressure."
"Stop being a wimp, man up."
"Wow, rude. Fine, no more talking to you on the phone while I'm working."
"Mom asked if you could bring home some cigarettes when you come back."
Liam, always everything about himself. The silence now weighed heavily in Byron's ears, still lying on the floor, still starved.
"Liam… Liam… my baby brother, answer. I miss you so much."
It had been three years since Liam died in his sleep for unknown reasons. Byron couldn't remember that.
"I promise you, you can call me whenever you want. Just answer. Please."
The door opened, and loud sirens buzzed through the living room. A few codes, and the sound was gone. A tall figure stood nearby, seemingly walking toward him. Byron jumped up instinctively—an old habit of his.
"Byron, Byron, chill. It's us."
"Ladies! Nice to see you again."
The Bratz girls had arrived—The girls with a passion for fashion.
Cloe (AKA "The Diva")
Cloe was always the kind-hearted and bubbly one, friendly, optimistic, and always ready to help. While known for being sweet and a little dreamy, she could also be assertive when standing up for her friends. She had a fun, sporty style, often in bright colors like pink and blue, and her long blonde hair was usually styled in waves or loose curls. Cloe loved animals and dreamed of being a professional actress.
Yasmin (AKA "The Girl Next Door") Personality: Yasmin is thoughtful, calm, and a bit of a daydreamer. She's the more introverted member of the group, often focused on deeper subjects like art and nature. Despite her gentle nature, Yasmin is confident in who she is and always stays true to herself. Style: Yasmin has a boho chic look, often seen in flowy dresses, skirts, and earthy tones. If it's boho, it's hers. Her long brown hair is typically styled with loose curls, and she has a natural, laid-back beauty. Interests: She's passionate about fashion, art, and music, often expressing her creativity through her writing and taking care of animals.
Sasha (AKA "The Outgoing") Personality: Sasha is confident, outspoken, and a little bit sassy. Known for her strong sense of style and leadership qualities, she's not afraid to stand out and speak her mind. Sasha is ambitious and often takes charge of situations, making her the natural "leader" of the group (when she doesn't give this role to herself of course). Style: Her style is bold, trendy, and edgy, often featuring metallics, animal prints, and urban-inspired looks. Sasha's dark brown hair is usually styled in voluminous curls or straight with bangs. Interests: Sasha is passionate about music and fashion and dreams of being in the spotlight as a dancer.
Jade (AKA "The Fashionista") Personality: Jade is artistic, cool, and independent. She's known for her quirky, innovative ideas and her sharp sense of humor. Jade is always experimenting with her fashion and never afraid to push boundaries. She's creative and loves expressing herself through unique and eclectic style choices. Style: Jade's fashion is daring, with lots of layers, vibrant colors, and bold accessories. Her dark green hair is one of her signature features, and she often pairs it with edgy outfits. Interests: Jade is a fashion-forward thinker, interested in design, trends, and anything artistic, from photography to street art.
"Wow, this place is HELL."
"Sasha, don't say that. Byron probably isn't feeling well—"
"OMG, what if Byron is trying to die again from the roof? Or was it the balcony? That explains the fences and the security alarms. Oh my God, why is everything so overwhelming right now? I just… I can't keep up! Why does it feel like everything is always picking on me? I've got so much going on—school, friends, family—just life! It's like I can never catch a break. Every time I think I've got a handle on things, something else happens, and suddenly, it's too much again! I just… I just need to breathe. I need something to calm me down. I need to stop thinking about everything at once. But it's so hard when the world's moving so fast and I can't keep up. I'm supposed to be… Cloe, the girl who's got it all together. But right now? Right now, I'm just… I'm just not okay."
Byron watched the girls gather in the not-so-living room. He managed to grab the trashed document from yesterday, holding it tightly.
''Nice to see you again, Cloe.''
The girls were confused by how affectionate he was with this piece of paper. Sasha and Jade both stripped it from him while the others joined it to read it leaving them in awe and confused for the future.
"That explains a lot. You once called Sasha 'Cloe', and they both got super offended."
"I know, uh…"
"Jade."
"I promise it's not personal."
"Never."
The tension in the room thickened as Byron gestured dramatically to explain something about that medical sheet. The girls exchanged puzzled looks.
His eyes landed on Yasmin, the one who had brought back his beloved Ozzy from London.
"You found Ozzy! I've been worried sick about him."
"You're his owner?"
"Mother of Pink! Arrest them! I want the whole lot of them handcuffed!"
His mind raced—who was she? Tall, pink, and yapping, assisted by two clones. How did she find two clones? And why was she so desperate to seem imposing?
''Oh no. It's that absolutely horrific woman from the plane. Quick girls, follow me. I brought a few friends. You do realize, Edgar, that those dreadful ladies are in gross violation of the dress code? Punk doesn't mix with pink.''
There it was. Final judgement. The line between rudeness and hatred was gone. This is war. Oh, and Byron truly doesn't give a flying fuck what goes with what: he only meant to piss Burdine off.
''You brought 6 teenagers in a club?''
''One of them found my dog.''
''And now the cops are after you.''
''This is absolutely positively the dumbest complain I've heard.''
''Byron, did you really believe taking -fucking- teenagers in a club was a good idea.''
''Isn't it?''
''Ain't it.''
''C'mon, Mike.''
''Mark.''
''Mark, I just.. don't see the harm. They only wanted a small interview-''
''Crash broke up. This is your fault.''
'' I di-''
''This is your fault.''
An eerie buzz filled the room. After a solid 5 years of knowing his client, he should have known the group wasn't working. He could feel it, but kept pushing Roxxi to her maximum and it wasn't enough. Thank God the girls were there. Thank God Byron had a backup. Thank God Byron let those teenagers in.
''I still don't understand why you manage. That's my job here. You're the produ-''
''Roxxi trusts me.''
''Regardless…''
''No, she trusts me. You attempted to grope her, remember?''
''This has nothing to do with this conversation.''
''I- I would never take advantage of a teenager. Never. In my entire career, this is absolutely and positively the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Over my dead body.''
The echoes of this last quote was vibrating in his ears as Cloe was still talking about her anxiety and the girls trying to cheer her up. He grabbed the nearest chair and pushed himself up still holding on to not fall back but sadly, his youth was behind him and so was his strength. Four pairs of eyes switched to his demure posture. ''Byron!'' The group immediately went to his rescue holding him upward. The sound of despair escaped his crisp mouth still recovering from the medicine.
''Ladies, I'm fine.''
That last word was stumbled. He wasn't fine.
''Fuck no, we are getting you some help, dude. Those eye bags are so late 1990s. Yasmin, stay here with Byron so I can call an ambulance, Cloe, calm the fuck down, but also just look around to secure the house and Jade, pack a bag for Byron. I'll make sure the staff of this hellhole doesn't know-''
''How did you get the code for here?''
''What?''
''How did you get the code for my house?''
Hesitantly, Jade steps forward.
''So… we knew things weren't right and Steel was… well… stealing your freedom away after that suicide attempt of yours. Yasmin?''
''Cloe and I were there when you attempted. We wanted to check up on you after that. Kon told us about the whole note thing… he called us in panic after the party. We are-''
''This is insane, I am perfectly fine.''
''No, no, no, no. I might be anxious at nothing but this is so untrue. You've never been more different than the Byron we know. Since we were on America Rocks, you've changed. I-I-I don't remember a time you'd push us away. That man, he does things to you: drugs you, takes advantage of you, tells you that you're fine when you're not, it's all in those meds you take.''
''I'm fine, Cloe. ''
''No! Not this time, I'm not going to let the man who made me the adult I am treat himself this way. You are like our dad, most of us don't have that relationship. Some of us don't even talk to their moms. You are sick, you look sick, you puke all over the place and pretend everything is fine because you refuse to have anyone take care of you. I can read you so well-''
''Cloe, enough now, he gets it.''
''Jade, this is serious. Dude, they are cloning you and it's making you sick. We see you, we see how you treat yourself but we also see… HIM. We see what he is trying to do and we won't let this happen. We wouldn't be doing what we love if it wasn't from you and the money you left us for the magazine. Do you really believe us, under 18 years old, owning an office for a full-on magazine? Teenagers don't have that money. You made us not worry about it. Not a single time were we in debt.''
''Also, all those missions you sent us on got us the opportunity to meet some of the most renowned designers and artists in the world! We met the Queen of England because of you. We met some of our closest friends. When we need you, you're the first to come. You danced with me at my prom after my dad died.''
''You let me skip a mission because I wanted a chance at music school. You even gave me producing lessons for free. The odds of being accepted there with the time I had were not so cool.''
''You even let me meet my idol, Jean-Paul. I now have a PhD in Fashion and Textile. I got to study with the most scorching and styling haute couture icons.''
Byron wasn't convinced. How on Earth was he able to achieve any of this? Unbelievable. His eyes shifted to the concrete floor as he bit his lip questioning this strange phenomena. He helped so many people over the years but still managed to let them down, especially those girls.
''I disagree. You four ladies are incredibly talented. Funding all of you was nothing. It's by the power of your friendship and entrepreneurism as coworkers that the magazine worked. I… I-I-I only made it worse. I could have killed you all… so many times. Sent you all to Paris to get poisoned, sent you with an incredibly dangerous teenager who was hungry for fame. Even that time I dropped by with a solution for invisibility… You girls were just kids. Just a bunch of kids trying things, getting summer jobs on the sly. None of you were ready for this. None of you deserved this. Bradley sat me down after meeting you all and asked me what the living fuck am I doing. He's right, you girls weren't even 17 yet.''
''We weren't but we can't change the past. Do you think Burdine can change hers after trying to legit kill us? Multiple times? The cops were called on her, do you remember?''
''Haha, yeah I remember, Jade.''
''You remember because you defended us at court for it.''
''I sure fucking did.''
A giggle was heard by the mentor, hearing a car parking in his entrance.
''Bratz, do you really want to get me out of here? This is a dangerous game.''
''We got it!''
Mark Steel's black truck slowly rolled in the garage while the group escaped by the garden, a british (of course) inspired architectural masterpiece filled with roses, Burdine's favorite. As the boss entered, the house was empty. The girls with a passion for fashion are more agile than Mr Steel thought.
