The Rock Star Trilogy 01 - Jaded

that car, and I'm going to race myself.”
    He shakes his head. “Where I race is no place for you.”
    “ Well, where do you race?”
    “ I'll show you. Friday night. I'll pick you up at 11,” he says.
    “ 11 at night?” I confirm.
    “ Yes,” he nods. “The races usually start around midnight on the west side.”
    “ West side?” I ask.
    He laughs, and then takes off. I lean my head against the back of the seat as he circles around the track. We are the only ones on the track right now, but soon, another car pulls on. We pull up beside them. The guy in the next car nods at Stephan and I want to laugh. What is this? The Fast and the Furious?
    A brunette girl that I didn't see before steps out onto the track. She's wearing a pair of skinny jeans, and a tank top. She's kind of hot, in a Kim Kardashian kind of way. And then I realize, this is just like The Fast and the Furious. Now, where the hell is Paul Walker ?
    She has a flag in her hand. She counts, and waves the flag. Both cars whiz by her, and I'm not thinking about her anymore. I'm sitting with my head against the neck rest watching the track. Stephan cuts right around the first curve, and we are drifting. At first, I think about screaming, but then I realize that I've never had this much fun. It's a total adrenaline rush.
    I glance down at Stephan's speedometer. He's currently going 80 MPH, drifting around a curve. I wonder just how fast he has drove this car.
    The other guy is ahead of us, but as we go around the second curve, Stephan pulls ahead. We do a few more laps, and Stephan manages to stay ahead... barely. But we win, and I'm pretty sure I'm screaming.
    “ That was awesome !”

    12:43 am
    My friends don't like your music.

    It's really late when we leave the racetrack, but I'm not tired. I feel exhilarated, and extremely hyper. It's then that I realize, I know this feeling... It's the feeling I get after every performance.
    Stephan didn't let me drive his car, but I rode with him during every race. Stephan raced probably five times, and we got to watch about 20 other races. This is definitely my new favorite thing to do.
    “ Ok, seriously, that was so much fun,” I say, as we leave. “I can't wait to race.”
    “ That wasn't a race,” he chuckles. “I told you, babe, that was just practice. Wait until Friday night. That's when the real races are.”
    I sigh dreamily, and lay back in the seat. “I like your friends.”
    “ Why is that?” he asks.
    “ Didn't you notice that not one of them knew me?” I smile. “I can be normal around them. It's pretty awesome.”
    “ My friends don't like your music,” he admits. “And it's not really you, you're an amazing singer and performer, but all that animated shit kind of takes away from your talent.”
    I nod, knowing exactly what he means. “Well, that's part of the reason I wanted to take a break. Every album I record becomes less and less me. I hate what's expected of me. You know, my record company wouldn't even let me dye my hair?”
    “ I like the blonde,” he smiles. “But it does make you look like a Barbie.”
    “ I know, right?” I shake my head, thinking about how stupid my life has become. “Did you know that I can play the guitar, bass, and drums?”
    “ I knew about the guitar from some of your earlier work, but I didn't know about the others. That's impressive.”
    “ Thanks. Nobody knows because I don't play. They expect me to just sing . I mean, don't get me wrong, I love singing, but I want to play!”
    “ Will you play for me?” he asks. “I'd love to hear your music. Something I've never heard before. Scarlett unplugged.”
    “ Yeah. I want to play for you,” I agree. “Tomorrow, after school?”
    “ Sounds good to me.”

Wednesday, September 9
    7:45 am
    Goodbye, Barbie

    Last night, I didn't get home from my date with Stephan until well after one in the morning. I'm used to late nights, but I'm not used to early mornings. And this morning, I hit the snooze button about 15 times too many. I look through my closet and grab a pair of skinny jeans, and a hoodie. I throw my hair up in a ponytail and skip the makeup. I'm too scared to look in the mirror because I know I look hideous.
    I run out the door, and am surprised to see that Stephan is parked in my driveway. He's leaning up against his car with his hands in his pockets. The lack of sleep obviously doesn't effect him, cause he looks incredible.
    “ Stephan.” I'm a little breathless as I say