JUSTIN

I think I dialed five times before letting it ring long enough for someone to answer the phone. It was my sister, and no surprise, she didn’t recognize my voice at all. I debated how to ask to speak to my mom but in the end, I just asked.

“Is Mom there?” I ask her.

“What did we do to deserve the privilege of your call?” She says, not sounding happy to hear from me.

“I wanted to see if you were okay,” I tell her.

“It's so sweet of you to bother.” She sneers.

“Can I talk to Mom?” I ask.

“Sure, might as well, she still thinks you're worth the time.” She tells me.

“Justin, is this really you?” She asks.

“It is. I just wanted to call and maybe see you.” I tell her.

“That would really be wonderful, I’ve been waiting a long time for you to want to see us.” She tells me.

“Why didn’t you try to contact me? I know Dad probably made it hard for you.” I tell her.

“Justin, I called but was told you didn’t want to hear from me. I didn’t blame you, you left thinking we didn’t care what happened to you.” She tells me.

“Who did you call?” I ask her.

“I called the agency that represented you since I didn’t have any other way to contact you. I was told that even if I was your mother that you left strict instructions you didn’t want contact with anyone in your family. I did leave some woman who came on the line my number, but she repeated what the first person told me, only adding she’d let you know but not to expect you to call me.” She tells me.

“I never received the message. I’ll see if I can find out why. I called because I’d like to see you but I need to make sure no one finds out I’m there.” I tell her.

“What do you need me to do?” She asks.

“I have someone willing to help me when I get to Pittsburgh. I’ll call you to let you know.” I tell her.

I made a call to Rita, to find out why I wasn’t at least told my mother called. I could see them not giving anyone my contact information over the phone, but I should have been told about the call. She picked up less than a minute after I was put on hold.

“It’s time to stop playing and get your ass back here.” She tells me.

“Why? My schedule should have been clear when I told you I was taking time off.” I tell her.

“A year is too much time. If you said a month or even two I could see it, but a year. Justin, in a year you could lose everything. The music industry is a fickle beast, staying out of the spotlight will only have them looking for others who are there and showing them that they are important to them. Take a couple more weeks, but you need to get in the studio and do your job.” She tells me.

“I plan to take the time I told you. If my career ends I’ll accept it. I called to ask why I was never told my mother called me.” I tell her.

“Justin, you do realize we get thousands of calls from people claiming to be related to one of my clients, in most of those cases it’s just a fan trying to find information on you. My staff knows to handle it without bothering you.” She tells me, and I can see why they would.

“She was told that even if she was my mother I wouldn’t want contact with any of my family. That’s really more than anyone should tell a caller, even if it is a bogus call. In this case, it was really my mother, and she was even told you’d give me the message but not to expect me to call.” I tell her, to see if Rita was the one to tell my mother that.

“Why would you want anything to do with people who threw you out. I really just didn’t want you to deal with them anymore. It was likely they saw an opportunity to take advantage of you, now that you're rich and famous.” She tells me.

“If you felt that way why did you allow my father to see me? You let him in my dressing room, but when my mother calls you hid it from me.” I tell her.

“What do you want me to say?” She asks me.

“I want to know why you hung up on my mother but allowed the man who kicked me out of my family to see me?” I ask.

“I wanted to see what your family was like. When your father showed up it showed me that you didn’t need them in your life. So when your mother called I put her off. You were already doing things you wouldn’t tell me about and I had a feeling she would only distract you more than you already were. You seem to think what you do only affects you, but it affects anyone involved in your career. You need to start considering the others and stop these stupid little games you play.” She tells me.

“I specifically remember telling you I was taking time off. There was no game, it was what I planned. I’ve never taken off without telling you I was going to take time off. I don’t understand why it’s a problem for me to do what I want. I’ve always made sure my schedule was clear before leaving, so I’m not getting the bullshit about how it affects others. I really didn’t want to do this over the phone, but I don’t see the point in procrastinating in firing you.” I tell her.

“Justin, I’ve always done my job, and your success is because of me doing my job. If you wanted contact with your mother all you had to do was tell me and I would have made it happen. I’ve always had your best interest in mind in any decision I made. Why would you even think of firing me?” She asks me.

“Someone asked me why I kept you as my agent when I didn’t trust you. I couldn’t come up with a reason that I would. He thought I shouldn’t have to hide things from the person who runs my career and asked why I did it. I know it’s because you wouldn’t agree with what I would want, even though I hoped I was wrong. I let you get away with things I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t felt like we were closer than an agent and client.” I tell her.

“Justin, if you were in a relationship you didn’t need to hide it. He could have been with you, the press would have eaten it up.” She tells me.

“I don’t want the press in my life in that capacity. My personal life isn’t for the public and you saying that just confirms exactly what I thought you would do.” I tell her.

“We need to talk in person, you don’t get to just walk away from me.” She warns me.

“You’d have to still have me under contract, which I haven’t resigned,” I tell her.

“What do you mean, I sent it to your lawyer to have it taken care of.” She tells me.

“I told him I didn’t plan to resign until I came back from the time I told you I was taking. Think of it as saving you from the demise of my career for daring to do what I want.” I tell her, hanging up.

“You finally fired her,” Daphne tells me.

“Yeah, but now I need to leave with Ryan,” I tell her.

“Why?” She asks.

“I’m sure she’s figured out where I am. Rita would just use this to show up and make it so this is no longer a place Ryan can be.” I tell her.

“The farm is in my name.” She tells me.

“I made a mistake, I was pissed and not thinking when I called her on my cell,” I tell her.

“I don’t get it.” She tells me.

“Rita’s tracked me before, it’s why I don’t call her when I’m here. I don’t think she’s going to take me firing her without showing me what she does for me.” I tell her.

BRIAN

I called Cynthia telling her to get all the locks changed and codes redone on the loft and the one above me. I wanted Justin to decide where he was comfortable. It also made it so if Mikey showed up Justin wasn’t in my loft for him to find. Cynthia put me on hold to take a call. I left to think about the things I was doing for someone I barely even know. He really isn’t the kind of guy I normally go for, he has relationship written all over him. Until him, that was the most unattractive trait someone could have to me.

“Brian, Rita called and wants to talk to you,” Cynthia tells me.

“Put her on this line,” I tell her, curious to why Rita’s calling.

“Brian, I think we need to go ahead with you working on Jus T’s PR.” She tells me.

“So you found him?” I ask, writing a note for Ted to read.

“Tell Justin Rita knows where he is.” I wrote and Ted left to call Justin.

“I heard there is a leak in the press and they are headed to see if they can find out why Jus is in Mississippi. I really don’t get why he went to these lengths to hide a boyfriend. I wanted to send you there to handle the press for him. Jus should appreciate the lengths I will go to protect him.” She tells me.

“I never said I would work for Jus,” I tell her.

“I’ll triple your fee if you’ll take care of this for me. Jus needs to see why he kept me as his agent. I have tickets for you to go waiting at the airport.” She tells me, hanging up, expecting that I’ll do what she asks.

“Justin wants to talk to you,” Ted tells me, handing me the phone.

“I need to leave here tonight.” He tells me.

“Why is she calling the press on you?” I ask.

“I fired her. I just don’t need the press to find me here. Once they find nothing I can come back.” He tells me.

“You don’t think anyone here would tell the press?” I ask.

“I’ve been in and out of this town for three years, if they were going to call the press it would have happened.” He tells me.

“How soon do you need to go?” I ask him.

“I doubt they’ll be here anytime soon. I just think it’s better to go before they could show up. I hope Gus won’t be to upset but he can visit when the press leaves.” He tells me.

“Gus wants to meet you, I don’t think he cares where,” I tell him.

“I’ll get ready and pick you up.” He tells me.

I turned to Ted, I needed someone to stay here to tell us what was happening. “I’m taking Justin with me to Pittsburgh tonight. I need you to stay and tell me if the press figures out anything about Justin being here. I’ll leave my jeep here with you and Emmett. Hopefully, Justin’s right and the people here won’t accidentally tell the press about Justin or Ryan.” I tell him.