CHAPTER 0.5

Hi, welcome to my new book.I'm aiming to write this cute, funny modern day kind of love book.If you by any chance you find this book interesting and worth a read, please share it with your friends, share it in your book club or even share it with your gym instructor..Also, just to put it out there, I'm also working on another book called DANCE BABY DANCE, please check it out..BUT don't abandon this book just because you find the other one more interesting...ookkkuurr? (sips pepsi)★★★★★★★Last week, on my twentieth birthday, I lost my best friend.The day did not begin with me knowing that I was going to lose my best friend. In fact that day begun in the most ordinary way and I say ordinary because if you knew Casper and I, you'd know that some of our days begun in a very not ordinary way.So,this is how I begun my twentieth birthday; My mother who also doubles as my manager woke me up at the butt crack ass hour of six am to remind me that she expected me to report to her Brentwood office in the next hour for a meeting.I groaned- Part in annoyance and part in pain- because my whole body felt like I'd let a vengeful bitch walk all over it with sharp hooker heels- Don't ask how I knew how that felt. She made it clear I was not to be a minute late.I went back to sleep and made a point of arriving an hour late(just to remind her who was the superstar here),still nursing a killer hangover from a major late night drinking binge.My mother ordered one of her many minions to fetch me a coffee, then business begun.

We went over the details of two magazine photoshoots that were supposed to happen later in the day. We compared, agreed and disagreed on the numerous brands that wanted me to promote them, my songwriter presented the new songs he was working on for my new album that was scheduled to be released before summer ended- my manager/ mom had a lot to say about the songs. I didn't have anything to say- as always.

They wrote, I sang, life went on.

So as she said what she had to say, I excused myself from the meeting and made my way to the washroom to finally get rid of the alcohol that had been churning in my stomach all morning and threatening to make a messy appearance on the huge black mahogany table in my mother's conference room.I returned to the meeting looking even worse than I had left. My mother looked at me and twisted her face into a look that could only be described as disgusted and ordered another minion to get me some foodApparently it was already midday and I was still hangover.Ryan Seacrest called about the reality show idea he'd been pitching to my mother for the last two years. My mother declined- For the twentieth time.As I left for the Cosmopolitan magazine shoot, my mother finally wished me a happy birthday. I was shocked she'd even remembered today was my birthday. Ever since she'd become my manager, she'd become more manager than mother."What are you doing for your birthday?" She'd asked as we rode the elevator to the private basement parking lot.

"Nothing. I'm tired already, where do you think I'll get the energy to celebrate a birthday?" I grumbled.

"Well, just make sure you post a message on instagram thanking your followers for wishing you a happy birthday." It was always about work with my mother."I don't have time. Get someone to do it."We met with Randy, my driver, already waiting by the Bentley that was supposed to take me to the photoshoot location."Ok, I'll have it taken care of. Be professional at the photoshoots and remember no more drama. We are still working on clearing that huge assault mess you and Mina made last week."She couldn't see my eye roll because I was wearing my dark Gucci sunglasses.Off we went.★★★★The Cosmopolitan shoot went off without any drama. I mean, I flirted with all the girls on set(just because I could), Charlie Washington, a most sort after model and I, snuck into the bathroom where he laid out a few lines of coke which we snorted while bonding over my latest public scandal, I declined to answer any questions about the said drama but all in all it was a successful shoot.The second photoshoot was for an underwear shoot for Calvin Klein. Also went well and as a parting gift and also a present for my birthday, the crew and I drank two bottles of champagne.My last day as a teenager superstar was awesome.★★★★★★My real day begun when Casper called."Hey my man, where the fuck is the party?!" His loud and always hyper voice almost deafened me.It was already nine pm and I'd already resigned myself to a party less birthday. I was in my underwear, prowling around my Beverely hills bachelor pad with a bottle of Chardonnay in my hand. It was going to be such a memorable birthday. Well, memorable in the fact that I wouldn't wake up at some party with no recollection of how I got there. Which is exactly what had happened on my last five birthdays."What party?""Dude!your birthday party!" Casper shouted. Sometimes Casper suffered from not knowing how to talk with a low voice."I'm not throwing a party Cas, I'm at home drinking solo, wanna join me?" I asked hopefully. Though I didn't want a party, it didn't mean I wanted to spend my birthday alone"Fuck that!" He shouted. Again."You are leaving teenage hood and you are not celebrating?!Are you like okay? I don't even care. I'm coming over and we are going out. This is hollywood there is gotta be a party somewhere right? We'll celebrate your birthday there." He hung up.Casper's entire life was a party. I mean his mother was a famous model and his father an actor who was mostly known for acting in comedy movies . He had grown up in a house where parties and family dinners were one and the same. His trust fund was huge enough to ensure that his children's children didn't have to work a day in their life but he was a part time youtube gamer, part time model and a full time party guy. I guess that was the main reason he'd remained my best friend for five years. I was the president of the party mode club.Two months ago, when celebrating his twentieth birthday party, we'd started the party in one city and woke up with our faces slumped over the toilet bowl in some hotel, in another city. No one could remember who's idea it was or how we even got there.Thirty minutes later, in his neon green lamborghini, we pulled up to the first club. The plan for the night was to hit as many celebrity strip clubs as we could in the whole of West Hollywood.

Strip clubs were nothing new to us but as Casper put it,"You are gonna hit that pussy like a man now!"

Hitting that pussy was kinda my specialty.Inside the club, we joined other celebrities who were also in party mode like us. The drinks flowed like river Nile, the music boomed and thumped like drums in an African ritual ceremony, the dancers danced. We joined them and danced like we participating in an exorcism ceremony. We partied the only way two very famous- newly stepped out of their teen years- boys could party.Excessively.We took girls of all sizes, shape and age( they were all of legal age. I'm just putting that out there incase an underage girl somewhere sees this as an opportunity to say I sexually assaulted her) back to private rooms and had all kinds of sex with them like we were never having sex again. We made numerous trips to the bathroom to score, shoot, snort or just general washroom use.Somewhere between our tenth or twelfth club, everything around us became blurry like we were on a high speed ferries wheel. We had to admit to ourselves that we needed to end the night unless we wanted to wake up in Nebraska. It was a birthday well celebrated after all.★★★★★★★★With the Lamborghini blaring Cardi B's song clout,a joint in one hand and a head full of drugs, Casper treated the road like it was his private race strip. He zigged and zagged like we were in a race against invisible formula one racers.It was a wonder that no cop stopped us.I wish we could have been stopped by the cops.We'd have definitely ended up in jail because of the assortment of drugs in our person (I was carrying the coke) while Casper carried the pills , but Casper would still be alive.Alas, no cop stopped and by some miracle, we made it back.Something as effortless as getting out of a car was proving to be the hardest challenge ever that night.I used the last of my brain cells and managed to maneuver myself out. My face might have kissed the hard driveway but at least I was out. I only had one goal in mind - stagger inside and collapse on either my couch or the bed, even the floor was fine.Casper had other ideas. The lit driveway and the music blaring from his car might have made him think we were still at the club. He comically prowled around his car until he found a bottle of hennessy."Birthday shower motherfucker!!" This time he screamed while shaking the bottle violently. I let him splash the whole thing on me."Wooooh!!I'm fucking twenty!! I'm twenty bitches!!" I shouted back.Casper found another bottle. He sat on the hood of his car and opened it, taking a huge sip and shouted "FUCK LIFE !! Fuck it!fuck it!fuck it!"I stripped down to my boxers and joined him on the hood. I took the bottle from him, took a swing and echoed him,"FUCK LIFE!!"As Cardi B still blared from his speakers, we passed the bottle, lit and passed blunts,popped pills and played a game of who can snort fast on the hood of his car."Fuck, man !!This is...." hiccup..."this...is".. another hiccup...."is..the life Judd!!" He threw the now empty bottle and we heard it smash somewhere around the property."Rock and roll JK!!" Casper cheered, using the nickname he'd given me.WE ARE THE KINGS BITCHES!!!" I spread my arms out and screamed to the hills.Casper unceremoniously fell from the car and lay spread-eagled on the driveway. "We shoulda brought some bitches with us, where is that bitch Mina Sanchez? I feel like a threesome would be good right about now.""I couldn't get it up even if I was being paid.""Well lucky for you Judd boy, you've got enough money to pay people to get it up for you."At that particular time, I thought that was the funniest joke ever."This is how I wanna die Cas." I told him after our laughter died."How?""Feeling higher than the fucking sky and with you by my side." I joined him on the asphalt and lay spread- eagled just like him."Me too bro, me too but remember to wear pants before you die. I don't want to see headlines like 'dead musician Judd Kidd was a massive fucker with a tiny pecker'" And again we broke into laughter.And we lay on the cold asphalt driveway, letting the drugs and the dark sky carry us away."I ..don't feel so.. good." Casper wheezed."What?""I..don't ..feel..so good.. Judd." This time it was a moan and I heard him.

One side of his face was pressed against the hard asphalt and I could see vomit and spit slipping out of his mouth.

Like a reflex, I registered what was happening. It was not the first time one of us was overdosing."Stay with me Cas, I'm going to call an ambulance. Okay?" I frantically searched my clothes trying to locate my phone, but I couldn't find it anywhere."Judd...I....don't-." A chocking fit cut him off. I had to abandon trying to find my phone so I could make sure he did not choke on his own vomit.Lifting his head tenderly, I tried to sit him upright but his body was not cooperating . His head lolled to his chest and his arms flapped loosely on his side like a puppet without a puppet master.That might have been call for alarm to many, but not me. We'd gotten through worst situations. If only I could locate my phone and call somebody, then Casper would be okay."Cas..Cas..man, stay with me, stay awake, okay?" I tried to shake him awake but he was far gone. The only indication that he was still alive were the laboured breaths he was taking and the jerks his body was jerking with every new wave of vomit.If I was to help him, I had to find a phone and I couldn't find a phone while at the same time holding him. I laid him down carefully on his side.

After failing to find my phone, I realized that I'd have to leave Casper outside and go make the call from the house. I blame my state of mind for not thinking of searching Casper's pockets for his own phone.

I tried to walk. Emphasis on tried because honest to God, I tried. I could only manage two steps before I fell next to Casper."I'm..gonna...I.." His words were somewhere between a whisper, a moan and a wheeze. Something like panic hit me.Even as my brain threatened to slip in to unconsciousness, I willed myself to stand up and just make it to the front door. I didn't even need to make a call, I'd just somehow trigger the security system and within a few minutes someone would be here."Please just hold on for a little longer Cas." I whispered to the boy beside me.With my keys held tightly in my fist, I started crawling towards the front door.

I pulled myself with one arm and pushed with my legs, feeling the coarse asphalt scratching and grazing my naked torso but I did not give up.

I pushed and pulled until I couldn't do it anymore. With the last of my strength, I threw the keys towards my living room window.Two things happened simultaneously, I vomited and lost consciousness.

★★★★★★

WELCOME.