Ch-114

"I have taken a little inspiration from [A Star is Born] and [Notting Hill]," Evan began explaining his script. "The male protagonist, that's you, is a huge pop star. The female protagonist is Bailey. Bailey's younger sister is a cancer patient and a huge fan of yours. Through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, she got tickets to your concert, where Bailey came along. The twist is that Bailey hates you and all superstars. When you two accidentally run into each other before the concert, you have an argument where she doesn't recognize you. Only later does she find out about your identity when you personally come to meet her sister."

"Okay, stop," I raised a hand before he could continue. "I don't mean to be too judgmental too soon, but it sounds a little cliché. There are tons of movies out there where the protagonists start as haters, only to end as star-crossed lovers."

"And?" Evan raised an eyebrow. "What's the problem with a little cliché? Name a single romantic film in the last ten years that had an entirely new plot."

I thought about his question for a moment before saying, "[You've Got Mail]? No, they're also haters turned lovers. What about…" I kept searching for the answer, but I came up blank.

"There isn't one," Evan replied confidently. "There's usually at least one unique selling point that makes the film stand out from the others in the category, and we have that already. Your songs. That would be the USP we'd be pushing here."

Even a blind person could see the passion with which Evan spoke about the story. He truly had put all his efforts into this.

"Alright," I said, "before you continue, does this story have a happy end or a sad one?"

"That is the only part that I'm not too sure about," Evan confessed. "I've written two alternate endings, considering both scenarios. Why don't you help me decide which is better suited?"

"Go on then, finish the story," I urged him, and he promptly launched into the tale.

The story was very well thought out and meticulously planned, following a complete three-act structure that is usually followed by most Hollywood screenplays. Evan read out some of the funny dialogues as well, and all I could say is that... they weren't terrible. By no means is this a literary masterpiece, and it will need a lot of work before it becomes good enough to go on the floor, but I literally have nothing else to do at the moment.

"It is good," I said when Evan had finished narrating the full script. "The story is engaging. The only problem is that dialogue is not your strong suit from what I can see, but we'll make it better together. We also need to add a grand gesture moment in the script."

"What's a grand gesture moment?" Evan asked in confusion.

My eyes lit up at that as I explained, "That moment when the protagonist will do anything for his lady love. It doesn't exactly have to be a big gesture where he saves her from hordes of goons. I'd even take something like, 'No one puts Baby in a corner' from [Dirty Dancing]."

Evan gave me a judgmental look. "That scene is cheesy as hell, man. Not to mention, it's a terrible line."

"I agree," I nodded. "So make a grand gesture that's not as cheesy and is more relatable for the people."

Evan hummed audibly as he pondered over the idea. It's good that the fifth Harry Potter film was postponed. It essentially gave me a lot of time to do this.

"How about," I began with an idea of my own, "we add a flash mob to the film? My character arranges a flash mob for the girl to surprise her, to win her over."

"It's an okay-ish idea," Evan replied. "How about…"

As we continued discussing the script and dialogues of the upcoming musical film, there was just one worry in my mind that I didn't want to air in front of Evan. Letting him direct a few of my music videos was one thing, but a feature film with millions of dollars riding on it is another. Moreover, it's not just about money—it's much more than that. A badly directed film impacts my reputation as well. If Evan makes a bad film, not only would it affect my filmography, but it could also lead to accusations of nepotism against Evan, given that he's my foster brother. Usually, nepotism is ignored as long as you're really talented. This was the reason no one had accused me of it.

I need to have a serious talk with Evan about this because I don't think he's ready to direct a full movie right now.

But that can wait until we finalize the songs and the script.

(Break)

December 2004, London, Frank Armitage Foundation

"Allison, calm down," I tried to pacify a furious woman by raising my arms, but clearly it had no effect whatsoever on her.

"Calm down?" she asked angrily. "You're telling me to calm down after what you've done? Let me recount it for you. You made me the head of a charity for children's safety, violated the very thing you stood for by appearing in a risqué TV ad, and then went on to ignore me for months! That's not how you do things, Troy. If it weren't for Tobias' reassurance and all the kids we're helping, I would've left already."

"I'm sorry, but I was very busy with my work. How's it going, by the way?" I asked curiously.

"Don't think I won't notice that sly topic change," she said pointedly before relaxing a bit. "But everything's going well so far. We've hired a total of ten therapists—five full-time and five part-time. They all specialize in child psychology. Then there are also visiting pediatricians. We've also made tie-ups with the child protection department. Any kids who are reported to have suffered mental trauma from abuse, we provide them therapy, either through the NHS or through our own therapists. To date, we've helped more than a hundred children. They won't magically get better in a day or a week, but I like to think, slowly, they will get better."

"That's great to know," I smiled at the knowledge that my effort was helping someone at least. "I am so sorry if you feel bad about that Crocs ad, but that's my job. When I shot that ad, I knew I would come across as a hypocrite, which is why I distanced myself from the charity for a while. But things like that are what make this possible." I took out the latest check of three million pounds I had prepared for the Trust and handed it to Allison.

She kept staring at the amount mentioned on it with wide eyes for a few moments without blinking. Then she looked up at me sharply, "You earned sixty million pounds this year?" She had back-calculated my earnings because I had pledged to give her 5% of my earnings.

I shrugged. "I still haven't got the amount, but when I do, it'll be somewhere around that. Don't worry too much about it, and show me what's changed since the last time I was here."

"Of course," Allison said excitedly, pocketing the check as she took me around the facility. It's a little jarring to see how quickly money changes people's attitudes toward you. All her scathing remarks from before were gone, and now Allison was overcompensating for her prior comments by being overly nice.

The place we had rented for the charity was a good one. It had an office area for the staff, a few therapy and doctor consultation rooms, and a place for telephone operators with dedicated helplines, working 24/7 in shifts. There was also a sitting room for our volunteers and field agents, and a playroom for kids filled with all sorts of toys and fun activities.

"For the past month, we've been conducting a massive awareness drive in all the nearby schools," Allison explained. "We taught kids how to differentiate good touch from bad touch, and all that. We also held a seminar for teachers and parents, teaching them the alarming signs to look out for in their kids."

"Now that's a great initiative," I praised her wholeheartedly. "When's your next awareness drive?"

"It's still ongoing," Allison replied. "We're scheduled for one of the public schools in two days."

"Perfect!" I beamed. "I'll join you and the team there."

Allison was surprised by the offer. "Really? Don't you think we should talk to the school management beforehand? They'll have to beef up security."

"Then talk to them," I nodded. "But make sure the news doesn't spread beyond the principal, or I won't go at all. If they decline for some reason, I'll go to another school some other day. Honestly, though, I don't think that will happen. I've been to many schools for [Harry Potter's] publicity, and usually, they're very accommodating because they get free publicity for their school as well."

"True," Allison conceded.

"Also, tell me which school it is so I can make some arrangements."

(Break)

Zoe was angry about having to come to school today. Why couldn't she have taken a day off with the excuse of the flu or something? Who the hell cares about some so-called "non-profit people" spewing bullshit to feel good about themselves? This was all just a big gimmick. And now, she was stuck in the school hall with all the other kids for God knows how long.

It didn't help that she was stuck in the first row.

"You okay, Zoe?" her best friend Krissy asked. "You look like you're about to nod off any moment."

"Ugh, that would be so convenient," Zoe complained. "I just want this whole drama to be over so I can go home."

"I don't know what your problem is," Riley, her other friend, chimed in. "I prefer getting a break from classes."

"I'd prefer classes any day over this nonsense," Zoe deadpanned.

"You're mental," Riley retorted before turning to the boy beside her. "Hey you, I haven't seen you around here."

Only then did Zoe notice the boy sitting next to Riley. He was unfamiliar. She would've remembered the beanie and sunglasses. Now that she looked closer, she thought she had seen him somewhere. It's like his name was at the tip of her tongue, but for her life she couldn't remember exactly who he was.

He wasn't looking directly at them, acting like he was above everyone else. He was, to be honest, quite handsome, and the school uniform fit him snugly, showing off his well-defined physique.

"I'm new here," the boy smiled mysteriously at Riley, though without turning to her. "Today's my first day here."

"You should remove the beanie at least," Zoe pointed out. "It's against school uniform policy, and you'll get told off. The headmaster's right there, and he's very strict about these things."

The boy grinned and shrugged carelessly. "I'll wait for him to call me out then."

Zoe had a feeling this guy was one of those rich brats who'd been kicked out of a cushy private school and forced to come to public school. Why else would he join in the middle of the school year? And right before the term was about to end, in December, no less. While she suspected that, she didn't care enough to confirm her doubts.

"Why is there a cameraman here?" Krissy asked Zoe while pointing at a man who was fiddling with a video camera on a tripod stand.

Zoe shrugged.

"Silence students," The headmaster announced over the mic from the front of the hall. "Today, we have a special guest for you here. Please welcome Ms. Allison Cox, who is here to talk to you about… well I'll let her do the talking."

"Thank you for that welcome, Mr. Reeves," The Allison woman began with a big smile and cheery attitude. "I am representing the Frank Armitage Foundation, and our aim is to help out victims of child abuse. Since all of you here are at least 14 years old, I thought I could be a little more open about the topic."

What followed for the next half an hour was exactly what Zoe had expected: a boring lecture from a do-gooder, which will likely have no impact on them at all. Some of the points were good, but Zoe knew that most students would forget about them as soon as they were out of there.

"I know you may feel that what I'm talking about is irrelevant to you," Allison said passionately. "But it could be relevant for someone else you know. Now, we have someone who would like to share his own personal story." Allison then took a few steps forward and moved right towards Zoe, making her a little uncomfortable. At the last moment, she turned towards the new boy sitting beside Riley. "Would you like to come up here now?"

"Sure," the boy said confidently before climbing the stage as if he knew all along he would be doing that. As soon as he was on-stage, he hugged Allison casually before taking the mic from her.

"This all seems a little strange to me," Riley whispered beside Zoe.

"It is strange," She agreed.

"Oh my God!" A girl shrieked behind Zoe loudly. "It's him!"

Before Zoe could turn around and make a snarky comment about the girl's stupidity, she was silenced into shock. The boy removed his beanie and sunglasses before handing it over to Allison.

Instant screams of delight rang across the hall. Everyone seemed to stand up from their seats in unison, trying to get a better look at the global sensation that was just a few meters away from them.

"I would request everyone to please take a seat," Troy Armitage said on the mic. "I'm not going anywhere for a few hours and would love to meet everyone but in an orderly fashion."

The teachers and now visible security guards made sure that the teenagers maintained proper decorum. But Zoe was in full shock. Troy was one of her favorite actors. She couldn't believe that she didn't recognize him when he sat just a few feet away from him. She felt so stupid.

"Thank you," Troy continued with practiced ease when the kids calmed down a bit. "I started this trust earlier this year in honor of my late biological father. I was visiting a children's hospital, and I realized that not everyone is as lucky as I am. I faced abuse when I was a kid, but I was lucky enough to get a chance to report it to the authorities. They helped me out, sent me to a good foster home, and the rest is history."

Troy paused for a moment as if thinking his next words carefully, "Something very bad happened to me last year. I was in my Los Angeles home, taking a bath when a woman attacked me with very bad intentions. If you've been following the news at all, you'll know what I'm talking about. Again, I was lucky enough to save myself and get that woman arrested. But not everyone is."

Troy took a deep breath before continuing, "I haven't talked about this incident publicly till now, because I didn't want to paint myself as a victim or gain someone's sympathy. I am opening up today to tell you all that if something like this has happened to you or someone you know, then you are not alone in this. Our helpline numbers and website is written on the pamphlets which have been placed at the end of each row of your seats. If you contact us, we'll keep your information confidential and will assist you whether it be legal assistance or just your well-being, both physical and mental."

"I was in therapy for months after that incident," Troy dropped another bomb of information. "Just want to tell you guys that it is completely normal and not something to be ashamed of. If you reach out to our help line, we can get you free therapy sessions with certified therapists who work with us. Thank you for giving me your time today. I hope you all have a good day ahead."

Zoe turned to her best friend, "He looks so fine up close. Don't you think so, Krissy?"

Only then did she notice that Krissy had gone eerily quiet and was looking down on the floor as if she was ashamed of something?

"Krissy?" Zoe asked again. "Are you okay?"

Krissy jerked as if shaken wildly and said, "Oh, yeah. Sorry. I just…" She looked away again.

Zoe turned to Riley, who just shrugged and said, "Come on, let's go or we won't get to meet Troy."

Troy had finished his speech and was now getting some photos clicked with the school staff and the students.

Zoe noticed how Krissy quietly pocketed a pamphlet that was conveniently placed near them, but she didn't comment on it. Millions of thoughts were racing through her mind. Did something happen to Krissy, or maybe to someone she knew? Despite her curiosity, she couldn't bring herself to ask out loud. Maybe, this session wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. She may not need help but as Troy aptly said, not everyone is as lucky.

____________________

AN: One of my readers complained to me over DMs that I forgot about the charity. So here I am correcting that mistake. Let me reassure you that the next chapter will go back to the movie Troy and Evan are working on.