8- The Stars
"Lizzy, I miss you so much." I cried, I called my mother before calling Lizzy, and to be honest, hearing her voice after almost a week of not talking to her, I felt at peace with myself.
"I miss you too, best friend. Tell me everything I need to know about GY Entertainment. Did you meet SHAKE members? Are you close to them?" She questioned.
I wish.
Four days after we were introduced to SHAKE members and GX1 members I haven't seen them around.
The last few days have been so hectic for us.
Manager Tristan made us skip breakfast and when we did eat lunch it was only fruit salad and nothing else.
We work out early in the morning after which we do dance practice and then vocal training.
It is exhausting, but I'm not going to give up.
Our debut depends on how hard we work and how determined we are.
We can debut after six months if we focus. I believe.
"Seriously, I have no words. Everybody here is serious. I don't see them as you might think I am." I replied to Lizzy.
I visualize her pouting her mouth as she normally does.
"I am disappointed I thought you would have spoken with Danny by now. By the way, any time you see him tell him that he is my ultimate bias and I like him so much."
"I will, now I have to go and practice before our manager gets here," I said to her.
"Alright, I'll talk to you later, take care of yourself."She said and hung up.
I stared at my phone screen for a long time before placing it on the chair and covering it with my jacket.
"Should we try dancing to the song we practiced the other day?" I asked the girls.
We have been dancing to a lot of GY's songs since we became GY's trainees.
Most of them are GX1 songs since SHAKE doesn't have a lot of choreographed songs because they are more into hip hop style, their songs have a lot of hip hop influence in it.
In fact SHAKE is an all-rounder group, they've tried out every genre, they have done pop, they have done Ballad, they have tried out r&b, and also their roots genre which is hip hop.
To be honest, I don't see groups or even artists doing that, artists just stick to one genre and keep on doing that for the rest of their lives without even trying to be artistic or when trying to up their games which make it boring sometimes and also cut their careers short.
A group like SHAKE stayed on top for almost two decades not just because they are hard-working but because they are talented.
"Let's dance to spicy, by GX1," I announced.
We have been practicing the choreography for a while now and I believe we have mastered it.
The door was pushed open and Manager Tristan walked in.
"Please tell me that you guys are not playing around, this is not the time for you to be lazy and you know that. Everybody is busy. SHAKE members are flying to Georgia tomorrow to continue their world tour that kicked off two weeks ago. Half of the GY crews will be there including you guys. This is a crucial period that needs your full attention." He barked.
"Wha..... What? You didn't tell us that we are going to go to Georgia with the crew, we had no idea and it is tomorrow, why are you just telling us?" I questioned.
"It doesn't matter if I tell you by midnight all you should know is that whenever you are called you should be ready. That is the life of an idol, especially a soon-to-be Idol-like you guys. " He said and took a deep breath. "Listen, it is just getting started, no matter how harsh any crew of GY is to you, you should know that it is to prepare you for what's to come, to prepare you for stardom. it is not easy to be a star, it is not. You might be seeing SHAKE members living their life but you should also remember that they are going to celebrate their 20 years debut in 4 years. SHAKE is a 16 years old group. SHAKE is not a rookie group. SHAKE members are stars. They suffered before they got to where they are, GY entertainment was only a studio when they debuted. But even after 16 years of their debut they still have haters. They still have people waiting to trash them. The life of a superstar is not easy and it's not going to be easy for you either. So be ready and don't complain!"
I don't understand why everyone keeps talking about SHAKE. We don't have to be like them to succeed.
"We were about to continue practicing when you walked in," Sandra told him.
"Really?" He asked and glanced at all of us. "Let's see how much you have improved."
Manager Tristan sat down on a chair and the four of us stayed in position.
The song started playing and we started dancing, with Sandra leading.
Four minutes later, the song was over and we were only waiting for Manager Tristan to say something even though he was just a manager.
"Nana, your body is stiff. You should try relaxing while dancing. Jennifer, you are distracted. Emma, I don't even know what you were doing. Good job Sandra."
That hurts. But I never claimed to be a dancer.
I am a vocalist, not a dancer. I have no interest in dancing but since we are a girls' group I have to practice more and learn to dance.
I grabbed a towel from the chair and wiped my face.
"Are we done for the day?" I asked Manager Tristan.
"Yes, you can go to your dorm and get your bags ready for tomorrow's departure. I will pick you up at your dorm by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, not even a minute late."
"But what are we going to do in Georgia? we are just trainees, we don't know anything about concerts so what are we going to do when the crew members are already there." Nana queried, her face drawn in a frown.
"It is simple. Your job on this world tour is simple. You will be there to help out with anything they need, such as giving them water, wiping their face after each performance, and helping with wardrobe changes backstage. They need every help they can get." He replied.
I am excited.
All my life I have always wanted to go to a SHAKE'S concert. I went once and now I'm going to see them perform again!
Isn't that exciting?
*****
Hardin was parking his bags for their departure. They will be staying about two months on the road and it is only wise for him to prepare his traveling bags.
After parking all the clothes he needed, he walked towards his nightstand drawer and opened the top drawer.
He picked up the picture inside the drawer before closing it.
Hardin sat down on the edge of his bed and stared at the picture in his hand.
He stared and stared until his eyes started swelling with tears.
Even as a grown man he still couldn't help it.
He couldn't help crying for what he lost. He couldn't stop crying whenever he remembered how young he was when he started fending for himself when he became independent.
He stared at his parents' picture and smiled bitterly.
"Mom, Dad. You are watching over me right?" He asked and smiled.
A soft knock came on the door and he placed the picture back in the drawer.
The door was pushed open and Marcel walked in.
"What is it, Marcel?" Hardin asked, he was concerned about Marcel.
"I just want to know if you're done packing," Marcel responded. Marcel pulled out his chair and sat down. "I am nervous because I know that immediately after this world tour you will be moving out. "
Marcel has been having a hard time because he was scared of Hardin leaving the mansion.
Even at 26, he still feels like a baby around his members.
Hardin raised him since Marcel was just 10 when he joined SHAKE.
Hardin smiled and squeezed Marcel's shoulder.
"Let's just make the most out of the little time we have before I move out. Besides, you can always call me on the phone or visit. It's not like we're disbanding." Hardin responded.
Marcel stared at the brown rug that covered the floor of Hardin's room and sighed.
"We have done a lot for this industry and to be honest, we deserve more."
"Don't think like that, Marcel. There are a lot of idols out there who have been grinding to survive, to make it. Just because we are more successful than them doesn't mean that we should not do what everyone else in the country is doing, we are also humans. So get that thought out of your head instantly."