GOOD MORNING! HAPPY FAMOUX FRIDAY!
I wish I knew who to thank for the edit above (and the edit from last week)! They were sent to me via my "fan mail" email, and there was no name, just the email address. So if that was you, let me know!
I can't believe summer is almost over! I'm gonna have to start posting these chapters in tandem with writing my screenwriting thesis/short films/homework assignments! AGH! I'M GONNA GRADUATE COLLEGE WHAT??
Before we begin: Here's your friendly reminder that I'VE POSTED A NEW STORY ON MY PAGE! It's called "Fear, Rocks, and Other Observations"!!! Why should you read this, you ask? Well, for one, it's SO DIFFERENT from The Famoux. Different tone, different writing style, different genre, etc. And if that's not enticing you, the mere fact that the title includes the oxford comma is hopefully also a selling point. If you read, please comment your thoughts for me! I wanna know everything!
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, let's dive in deep into the melodrama of Emeray's birthday! We have some new characters in today's chapter! Is it YOU?!?! If not, would you LIKE it to be you?!??!?! PLEASE BE COMMENTING AND LETTING ME KNOW YOU'RE HERE BB!!
PREVIOUSLY ON THE CLASSIX: It's still Emeray's birthday, and she's really mad at Cartney right now. Why, you ask? Because of the engagement rumors! I mean, pictures of Cartney in a ring shop don't lie... Am I right?? Oh, let the melodrama begin.
emeray
Lucky for me, the first of my fellow interviewees that I come in contact with is Chapter. I catch a glimpse of him through the glass separating the lobby from the broadcasting room, talking with Ayisha, our host for the hour, about something I can't quite hear. It wouldn't really make a difference if I could, thoughââjust watching him talk is enough to make me mimic the smitten smile on Ayisha's face. Around me, it seems as though everyone else is doing the same, as if Chapter holds some kind of magnetic pull within any place he's at. Hell, it isn't "as if" he does, he does.
As he looks off while answering a question, our gazes finally meet, and all that magnetic energy centers in right on me. Enough light pools within his cobalt eyes to spill over and fill me up entirely.
I can't help but think about how, months ago, I would've looked away. It would've been too muchââtoo overwhelming to bear. Today, however, it's centering. It's welcoming. I stare back at him for perhaps longer than I should; I'm too proud of myself for growing enough to be even able to.
Though there's quite the queue of people waiting to speak to me in the lobby, Gerald manages to push past the chaos and take me over there. Once inside the broadcasting room, I'm handed a pair of headphones and advised to sit in the center stool. Ayisha leaves the room to prepare for the talk, but we're far from alone now. With all eyes through the glass assuredly on us, it is almost tantalizingly difficult to remain calm and casual when greeting Chapter. Our friendly hug lasts a fraction of a second too long before we finally pull away.
Just before he steps back, his mouth hovers beside my ear. His voice is low enough so that no one watching us can overhear or read our lips.
"Hey, Sticks."
When I get a good look of his face, I beam. It's more admiration than I plan to give Cartney for the crowd, but I just can't help it.
"Hi, Stones."
We take our seats on two of the three stools set out along a large control panel. The way things are set up, we'll be seated just like the last dinner I had with the FamouxââChapter on one side, Cartney on the other.
"I'm sure I'm not the first person to wish you a happy birthday today," he says, "but happy birthday. I'm... Concerned about you, just so you know."
I match his smile twofold. "I'm concerned about you too."
"Good, glad we agree about the concern."
The faint sound of music playing wafts from a pair of speakers on the control board ahead of us. Before I even hear his voice, I already know what it is: "Emeray", Cartney's new song for me. It was released the very second my nineteen birthday began, and not a moment later. In between all that tumultuous gossip about our potential engagement I heard many a glowing review of this song from fans in the Analytix this morning. Apparently, it's a pretty big deal for a number of reasons: Not only is it a painfully blatant song about me, the title's eponymous Emeray, but it's also the first song Cartney Kirk has released in months since "Seashore", a single that he just so happened to share with both me and a one Kaytee McKarrington.
The oozing, lovey-dovey violins kicking in are far too much for me to handle after everything I've heard this morning. I can feel a headache coming on, so I put my fingers to my temples, pressing down deep.
"Do you think they could mute that?" I ask.
Chapter grins. "Not a fan?"
Before I dare say anything incriminating, I glance to the glass wall separating us from the lobby with caution. We may as well be a two-man show, the way the employees have all camped out to get a peak at two Famoux members conversing. But Chapter shakes his head, nodding to the microphones in front of us.
"These are turned off."
"Are you sure?"
"I unplugged them myself."
Of course, that's no guarantee that there isn't some other kind of recording device in the room, and Chapter knows it. He adjusts his posture, clears his throat. "For the record, I think it's a... Fantastic song. I mean, calling it 'Emeray'... You've really got to give Cartney a hand for being subtle."
As the chorus swells into a long note nearly yelling my name over and over, my smile dissolves into slumped shoulders. I sigh, exasperated. Chapter goes to reach for my hand, but stops himself, hovering it over my arm for a moment before quickly pretending to adjust the microphone in front of me.
"Okay, now I'm concerned concerned," he says. "What's wrong?"
"Haven't you seen the pictures?"
"Pictures of you?"
"No, Cartney."
Chapter gives me a look. "Oh no. What did Cartney do this time?"
The way everyone outside is looking at us, I fear they can at the very least read my lips. I try to keep my words as short and concise as possible as I explain the situation to Chapter, forcing my disposition to stay as carefree as I can muster. I know the drillââwe ought to look as though I'm telling him some lofty, easygoing plans for my birthday. Chapter, ever the actor, plays his part just as well, nodding and faking chuckles.
When I've finished explaining, he takes a moment to collect his thoughts before finally asking, "Are you sure about it all, though?"
"Of what?" I ask.
"Are you sure it was him?"
"Well, you need to see the pictures," I say. "The pictures don't lie."
"We both know they could." His voice lowers as he adds, "I mean, don't you remember everything with Marlon?"
At once, my eyes widen, my mind recalling to life a thought I hadn't had in months. "You don't mean...?"
I'm too scared to say anything else out loud, so it trails off. But the knowing look in his eyes does all the confirmation for me: Yes, just like the way DEFED used their own Fissarex once before to create a version of Marlonââthe version that ran up to me and kissed me in front of Wes Tegg's.
"This situation has them written all over it," he says. And then, even more gravely: "As much as I'd like to believe they're gone forever, they might be coming back."
In an instant I realize he doesn't even know they're back. How could he? I haven't told him yet about my message from DEFEDââtheir ominous olive branch promising that they are here to free me from my cage. I try to relate this Fissarex move to the letter, but it all make no sense. I mean, if freeing me is their grand plan, why try to cage me even further with a contractual engagement, of all things?
But then, as quickly as it confused me at first, it makes sudden perfect sense. As my widened eyes settle, my posture falls once more. This is the exact kind of thing that DEFED would. Of course they would tell me one thing and then pull the rug out from under me by doing the opposite.
I should know better by now than to very assume that they wouldn't always be speaking in antonyms.
"It wasn't him," I say. "He wouldn't have done it."
"I hope he wouldn't," Chapter says.
I put a hand to my forehead. "Oh, no. Cartney's probably so confused right now. I yelled at him on the phone about this."
"You have a phone?"
"I borrowed one from Gerald."
As I rub my eyes, Ayisha comes in, pleased to see us. "There she is! Emeray, happy birthday!"
She reaches out to me. I can't tell if she wants to shake my hand or give my a hug, so I opt for the hug. Through my hair, I hear her say, "I'm so glad you decided to spend your day with us at Colburn On Air!"
As I tell her something about how there's no place I'd rather be today, crew members begin hooking Chapter's and my microphones back up. She then turns to a small list of notes in her hand, reviewing them as a faint song plays out its second chorus. I glance at Cartney's seat, which is still empty, then glance to the clock by the door. Only one minute until the top of the hour, which is when I presume our interview starts.
Shifting on my stool, I gesture to the seat. "Um, does anyone know when Cartney is supposed to get here?"
Ayisha seems surprised by my question. "Oh, I thought you would've known already. We were told he's not coming anymore." A smirk slips onto her face. "Apparently he's too busy planning your next surprise."
Before I get the chance to say anything else, Ayisha turns to her microphone and begins talking animatedly into it. I become aware of the piercing red ON AIR light in the corner of the room, which is so small that I'm almost scared it's been on this whole time while Chapter and I were speaking.
No one gives any indication of that, though: Ayisha delivers her introduction with aplomb, a total natural, and the crowd of employees watching from behind the glass nod and react to every word she says.
The interview, for all it could've been, is a fluff piece. The questions Ayisha was going over beforehand, I gather, were likely a list of things Norax approvedâânothing more, nothing less. No inquiries about the engagement rumors. No, I'm instead asked about how excited I am for the party, for my upcoming releases, for Cartney's album. For the most part, Chapter and I divulge new exclusive information about Onward Train, and they eat it right up. If this radio interview was a test, we passed it with flying covers.
On the way to our next stopââthis time, a slot on a popular morning news show, Chapter takes the same car as me. In the silence of the drive, I realize how it's not too often that we're in the same place without a pair of eyes surveying our every move. I don't hesitate to follow Chapter's lead when he turns and gives me a kiss.
For the first time this morning, my insides seem to finally settleââall notions of potential engagements and DEFED threats dissolve, if only for a moment. All I can focus on in this moment is how natural, how comfortable it is to be with him; how I can distinctly taste his last cup of coffee on his tongue. For a second, it's all that matters.
Like all good things, it's short-lived.
"Hey, you guys. I believe what I'm looking at right now is one of those special things I'm supposed to call Norax about," says Gerald.
When I glance up to the front of the car, he's not even looking at usââhe's busy fiddling with one of the many colorful pins on his jacket, a grin on his face.
"Despite all of the protocol you know I'm supposed to follow, I think I'm going to let this slide," he continues, "but only because it's your birthday, Emeray."
When he turns away, I reach out and grab Chapter's hand. As much as I want to take this time to finally tell him about the DEFED note, I know I can't. Gerald hinted at it himself: These cars aren't the best place to tell secrets anymore. There doesn't need to be a red blinking ON AIR light for somebody to always be listening in. We resolve for more silence.
As we get closer to the studio, Gerald informs me that, as per Norax and Carstan's orders, I was supposed to have changed my clothes before we left the last destination. Apparently, one outfit simply won't do. No, every stop on this grand parade of a birthday calls forâânay, deservesââa different outfit on my part, so that all the pictures seem fresh and exciting. Lucky for me, the roads are intensely congested near the Betnedoor Today headquarters, which grants me enough time to fully rifle through the massive trunk of black clothing in the front seat and assess my options.
According to Gerald's orders, I'm somehow expected to change into my new dress before the car stops. Quite quickly, all the triumph I might've felt earlier today when able to hold eye contact with Chapter across the room dissipates. More accurately, it falls straight out the window. Chapter seems to sense this, and launches into a conversation with Gerald about one of the buildings outside, turning all eyes in the car away from me. Grateful, I duck behind the backseat where no one can see me, slipping out of the velvet dress and replacing it with a cotton one with long sleeves and a contrasting white collar.
It takes two more cycles of me switching into different black dresses in the car before Cartney Kirk finally shows up to an interview. Perhaps he was forced to make this oneââafter all, it's at a radio station called Delicatum's Top Charts, so it must've been picked especially for us to talk about his new single. He doesn't show up on time, though. He comes in like a flurry, as if he'd overslept and threw on the first wrinkled shirt on the floor.
He stumbles maladroit on the wires on the floor that lead up to our microphones, his breath heavy as he reaches the stool next to me.
"Look," he says. "I just wanted to explainââ"
"No, you don't have to," I interject. "I know it wasn't you. I'm sorry for how I acted on the phone earlier."
At once, his tense disposition falls to the wayside. "Wait, really?"
"I reacted too quickly and assumed the worst of you."
He looks off to Chapter, who nods along with what I've said. Then his powder blue eyes flicker back over to me, stirring with an emotion I can't quire pinpoint. "So wait... you're not mad at me anymore?"
"Of course not," I say. "It wasn't you."
He exhales, relieved, then sits on the stool beside me. "I'm glad you're not mad. I mean, you're right. It wasn't like me."
"Yeah, it wasn't you."
"It wasn't like me, no."
My smile drops off. "Cartney, it wasn't really you, right?"
He looks at me like he's searching for the right thing to say. After a far too extended moment, he finally says, "What... What are you talking about, Ray?"
I turn to Chapter, alarmed. He clears his throat. "Are you saying it was actually you in the pictures, Cartney?"
"How would it not be me in the pictures?"
xxx
Uh oh. Tell me your thoughts!! I hope you're liking the new things in Emeray's birthday extravaganza!!! And oh, it's not over yet!!!
Personally, I like the new major plot beats, but I severely miss some of the random meaningless scenes I had in other drafts. It's not anything that happened in them, per se, it's just the way they were written! So good and flowery! Now my writing is so blunt. Man, sometimes I think I really peaked at, like, seventeen writing-wise. But then I reread book 1 and cringe so hard that I feel ashamed I've ever called myself a writer. So the sword is quite double-edged.
I just wanted to especially thank you today for being here. Knowing you're still here, and you showing me you're still here by being so active in your commenting on these chapters... It fills my entire being with happiness and thankfulness.
Each week I am so excited to post for you. I was so excited to surprise Ayisha ( Isha_rocks314 ) today by making by making her a character, and I hope she knows how much I love her and get excited when I see her comments. I'm sorry that your character didn't say a TON this time around, but I promise that you will be recurring, Ayisha!! With the new Famoux members about to come in, you can bet we'll be having many more media blitzes in the future!!
Please remember to read THE AROTTIR by the lovely extraordinary fabulous hannahgrowe. Her weekly updates keep me going, and her writing inspires me to no end.
What's your weekend looking like, friends? I'm about to get on a plane to Nashville! Yeehaw, am I right??? I've got some good episodes of Friends queued up for the flight, so it's gonna be great.
Speaking of Friends, I had another Twitter breakdown (@kassandra_tate) after I tried pairing up the Famoux Members with their Friends character counterparts. It suddenly sank in how Chapter would probably be ROSS, since they both have a kid and everything (so sorry for the spoilers for a show that came out in the 90's), and ROSS IS MY LEAST FAVORITE CHARACTER SO YOU CAN IMAGINE MY HORROR.
If you watch Friends, how could you cast them? I'm having so much trouble. I feel like they all don't match up. Like, is Kaytee Monica?? Or Rachel?? Who would Race be?!? I'm confused. Please help me.
HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND WATTPAD! I heard that this lovely website now has 80 million users, which is absolutely wild and amazing. You know how I feel about eights.
Remember: Sticks and Stones may break your bones, but haters make you famoux. Stay classy, stay classix.