FicWad

CHAPTER 16: BLAST OFF
March 14,2008
New York, New York

A week later their first single and video were released on radio and Music Vision. The video showed Faithless at their best. It was a work of art. It even had Seth showing of some of his basketball skills by leaping straight up into the air and landing on top of a bar. Their first song was called 'Lets Party'. It was an instant hit, launching Faithless into overnight sensations. Tonight Seth and D were scheduled to appear of one of America's number one late night TV shows, The Martin Wexler Show. Brian, Danny, and Martin were all scheduled to do do an interview on Music Vision. They were all quite nervous about being on National Television for he first time. Dr. Gibbons gave them each 1 milligram of Xanax to relax. Seth had taken Dexedrine so he wasnt much phased by it. D, on the other hand was, and loved it.

"Our next guests are from the new band, Faithless. They took the country by storm today with the release of their first song, 'lets party'. Lets hear it for Darcy Blackwell and Seth Chandler!"
The audience began cheering as they walked out, dressed to kill. They waved to the audience not appearing as this was anything new. They walked over and sat down to the living legend of late night TV, Martin Wexler. They had both grown up seeing his show, it had been on the air for most of their lives. It was crazy, they were actually sitting next to Martin Wexler.
"Welcome to the show," he smiled shaking their hands. The audience bagan to die down. "Your first track was released today...quite the fuss. Millions of hits on the internet, request lines blowing up. Heres a clip for those of you who may have missed it today in hourly rotation on Music Vision."
The clip began playing showing a clip of Seth and D dancing provocatively on top of a bar. The words 'lets party til they throw us out', echoed through the studio. The audience seemed to be going crazy. Then the clip ended.
"That was very good!" Martin Wexler clapped, amping the audience up even more. "You two seem very friendly up there on the screen. Anything to it? I mean, are the two of you a couple?"
They smiled and shook their heads no. "Friends," they both said in unison as if they had rehearsed it. The audience loved it.
"So the dancing, did you have to take classes to be able to do that?"
"Well I did," D frowned, "Seth always manages to get out of it because hes a natural."
"Masta imitatah," Seth threw in, "I's can jus watch D an do what she do."
"So what do you have to say about the phenominal response you guys got today?"
"Wuz straight," Seth said flashing his beautiful beaming smile. "We's wuznt sure what ta 'xpect...not alls dis."
"Well look at the two of you," Martin wexler motioned at them getting the audience going again. "Theyre both extremely attractive, right?" The audience roared and rumbled the walls.
"Well thank you," D smiled at Martin Wexler.
"I understand the offers came pouring in today."
"They did," D nodded, "but we turned them all down for you." She gave him a sultry little wink and the audience came alive again. Seth smiled widely. He was enjoying watching D seem so at ease.
"And Im so very glad you did," he spoke turning and smiling directly into the camera. The audience laughed. "So I understand you both have pretty traumatic childhoods."
Seth and D sat there paralyzed, expressionless, not knowing what to say next. Seth was pretty sure he knew where this was going.
"You both had absent fathers and lost your mothers as children, correct?" The look on his face appeared to be concerned but Seth knew it was fake.
"Yeah," D nodded glancing over at Seth who sat like a statue.
"And you Seth, you actually grew up in orphanages and foster care for the most part, didnt you?"
"Yeah," Seth nodded as his eyebrows scrunched up and his eyes looked down on his hands. He hadnt been prepared to have that all thrown out there like that. This was national television.
"Well look at you now. Im sure your parents would be proud of you both. I know we all are!" The audience clapped.
"Thank you," D smiled.
Seth pulled a fake smile onto his facing trying to remember it was national television.
"So tell me Seth, you seem to have a very unique accent. I sort of hear a rapper trapped in there. I see you sitting here dressed like a rock star, but you have a rappers chain..."
Seth slightly chuckled, "Yeah...I's all throwed off. I's sang rock...listen ta rap. Talks like some uneducated Italian rappa or somethin. An I's aint usually dressed likes dis. I likes my saggin jeans an T-shirts. But my chain aint gots much bling...I guess I's complicated."
Wexler nodded seeming interested, "And does that work out for you?"
"Doesnt hurt with the girls any, D slightly huffed.
The audience went wild.
Seth smiled with a shrug, "I's thank...peeps likes not knowin what ta expect. Lookin at me ya wouldnt thank da sound you be hearin is me. Hearin me, den meetin me...aint nothin like ya expect."
"I was really blown away the first time I heard him sing," D smiled looking to Seth, "I mean heres this really attractive guy talking to me in Ebonics and slang I didnt understand...then all of the sudden this beautiful clear angelic voice comes out of him."
"Yes he does have very distinctive sounds," Wexler agreed.
"I use Trey Reynolds for my sangin. Caint nobody makes ya feel da words like Trey. Dat what I's try an do...makes ya feel where my head wuz when I's wrote dem words. Why would you's sang a sad song ta a upbeat? Why sang a love song iffin it aint sexy?"
"Yes you do have some very sexual sounds when you sing. It gets a bit racy at times."
Seth smiled with that olympic half grin and shrugged, "Sex sells dawg."
"Well I know the two of you are going to be a huge success," He held up their CD for the camera to zoom in on it. "Go out and get this, Faithless, In The Dark, in stores today or downloadable on the bands website, www.faithless.com. Congradulations to you both. I hope to see you again."
"Definately," D nodded.
"Thanks for havin us dawg."
D could see Seth getting distant on the spot. She knew something was wrong.

Brian sat with Martin and Dannyving microphones wired to them on the set of Music Vision's New Out. Brian just couldnt believer he was there. He had fantasized about this moment since he was 14, the moment he would become a big enough rock star to be on the most notarized music channel in the world. He had done it. He had finally made it. Nothing could take the smile from his face.
"Tonight on New Out we have members from the new band, Faithless," spoke Vic Collins, the most distinguished VJ on Music Vision. "Brian ward, Danny Jacobs, and Martin Chase...and heres a look at their new video, 'lets party'."
The video played as they got ready to do the interview.
"So," Vic Collin's began, "where did the idea for the dancing come from?"
"From Seth, our front man," said Brian, "hes actually a big fan of rap. He thought rock music needed more to look at."
"It appears to be quite effective."
"Well," Martin spoke up, "look at D dude. All she would have to do is stand there. Tell me shes not completely hot!"
"Oh shes hot," Vic Collins agreed, "Where did you ever find her?"
Brian figited with his hands, "Uh...The Champagne Room in LA."
"Is that a...strip club?"
"Um...yeah," Brian nervously smiled.
"Did it take long for Seth and D to learn to dance like that?"
"No, theyve done that since day one," Danny answered.
Vic Collins smiled to Brian, "So you invented Guitar Star?"
"Yes, with the help of my best bro, our stage manager Devin Daniels."
"I love that game by the way," Vic Collins added.
"Thanks man," Brian beamed. He always liked hearing flattery.
"And Martin...youre some sort of a musical prodigy?"
Martin nodded, "Music is my life. I can play over 25 instruments, stuff you probably never even heard of before."
"Is there one instrument you can name for us that you dont know how to play?"
"Hummm," Martin pondered a moment, "bagpipes maybe."
"But," Danny piped up, "I bet he could figure it out in 3 days."
"And both your parents are musicians too?"
"Yeah, my mom plays with the LA symphony. My dad is Dom Chase, the pianist."
"well you were just bred for music...I understand that your singer, Seth Chandler grew up parentless."
"Yeah," Brian nodded, "Seth was an orphan."
"And he went throught some really tough times?"
"The worst imaginable," Martin nodded.
Brian felt his insides perculating. He could see where this interview was going. All his guy wanted to talk about was Seth and D. He kept finding ways to go back to talking about them. This was HIS moment. Seth and D were ruining it and they werent even there. He wanted to just get up and walk off. But the business side of him knew he had to stay put. This was press. Any press was good press. It was him on the show. It was him answering the questions. He could make the best of this.
"Its even amazing that Seth is still with us," Brian spoke. "He almost died in a wreck when he was 17." He wanted to talk about Seth, fine. Brian had a million in one things he could tell them about Seth Chandler.

D looked over at Seth sitting next to her in the back of the limo, peering blankly out the window. He hadnt said one word since they left The Martin Wexler Show. D was pretty sure she knew what was on his mind. "You ok?" She finally asked. She could see his past still troubled him a great deal. Or maybe it was having other people know about it that troubled him.
He robotically nodded and looked over at her. "I jus dont wants ta be known as rocks orphan or nothin. I's aint wantin no sympathy vote, ya know?"
D listened as he talked more.
"Knowin alls dat is jus gone make em dig harda for mo." He glanced back out the window. "Anythang wit a papah trail." He was silent for a long moment, as was D. There were still so many hidden secret details about his life he had never told anyone. Things like his suicide attempt mainly, or that he discovered his mothers dead body, or that she was a prostitute, the cruel and horrible things that Jake had done to him, even Donna going to prison. He turned back to D. "D...dat papah trail gone leads em places I aint wantin em ta go."
"Like what?" She curiously asked to see if it was an opportunity to divulge information from him.
"Likes sick perverts an child abuse for one. I aint wantin peeps apoligizin ta me for shit dats ova an done wit. It aint gone fix it...an it caint takes it back. D...Is worked real hard ta forget dat shit, now they's gone be brangin it up alls da time. I's caint keep on relivin dat shit likes dat..."
"Im sure it will die down once theyve all heard the story."
"Dats what I's talkin bout...I...I's..." He seemed too choked up to even finish his sentence. D could see how overwhelmed with emotion he was. He usually kept them so bridled and bound. She could see this was alot for him to take. He had tried so hard to keep his secrets hidden from people. Now they would be plucked one by one and thrown out to the world. He was such a private guy, this had to be hard for him.
"Its gonna be ok," D said softly touching his hand. "Its just part of being famous and thats what you wanted. Your life is just going to have to be an open book for Faithless fans to read. Like you said, nothing can change your past. Theres really no sense in hiding it or running from it."
"Yeah they is...I dont want peeps lookin at me all sad when I's on stage cuz theys be knowin some a da shit I's went through..." He sighed deeply. "I's done talkin bouts it." He looked to D, mustered up a smile, pushed the thoughts in his mind away, and concentrated solely on her. "I's tell ya how beautiful you's is tonight?"
The limo pulled up in front of their hotel and they smiled to one another, getting lost in their shared moment. The driver opened the door and Seth stepped out. He extended a hand out to D trying to be a gentleman, something new for him. He pulled D to him with a smile.
"You know," she smiled, "you look pretty amazing yourself."
"Mmmm, hows bout we's get ya outta dat tight ass dress?"
D smiled and ran her hand across the front of his jeans. "Those jeans look a bit tight too."
They were soon distracted by voices calling out, "SETH!!! DEEEE!!!"
They turned to look and could see a handfull of people with cameras, yelling their names and running toward them. The cameras began flashing takin dozens of shots a second.
"Seth! Seth! What do you think about all the attention today?" Some guy asked sticking a microphone in his face.
"It...unexpected on da real dawg," he nervously answered. He and D slowly began going toward the door as the questions kept flying and the flashes from the cameras kept flashing.
"D!!! D! How long have you and Seth been dating?" A woman asked her holding out a voice recorder.
"Uh...we're not," she said as the small crowd huddled around them.
"D! Are you a member of the band or do you just dance in the video?"
"When is your next single coming out?"
"A'ite," Seth politely said as he opened the door for D to go inside, "dats all."
Once inside Seth and D turned to one another feeling confusion and excitement. It was their first real celebrity moment. Strangers...actual paparazzi had just come up to them. It was an exhilerated feeling. Their eyes locked and all the excitement turned into something else. The cameras flashing through the windows disappeared. The sound of them faded. The walls of the lobby didnt exsist. The floor was no more. There was nothing left but them. Seth stepped forward and took D in his arms with a tender smile. His hand brushed across her cheek as he watched her eyes focus on his lips. He simply couldnt resist the urge to kiss her. He could no longer remember the cameras that flashed at them. He no longer remembered telling everyone on national TV that D was just a friend. All he knew was that he couldnt resist those lips. Of course the cameras caught everything. Seth and D didnt even notice. They were far too lost in a moment which contained no one but them.
They made their way to the elevator and stepped inside. They pulled one another close staring into their eyes. D could see that Seths pupils were pretty dialated. She knew he had been taking Dexedrine for days now. She wondered how many he had taken, he looked pretty wired. They went up to D's room. She turned on the TV out of habit. They crawled into the bed and began settling into one anothers arms. They kissed. Their concentration was broken when they heard their names being said on the TV.
"America was introduced to a brand new pair of sensations today. So step aside Carley and Jon, make way for Seth and D." It was the voice of Maria Conchetti, the hostess of Celeb TV. Their video began playing on the screen. "The band Faithless, just released today, has everyone asking, Who are Seth Chandler and Darcy Blackwell? Lovers of friends? The TV cut to a clip of Seth and D on the Martin Wexler Show saying 'friends' in unison. "But our cameras got this shot of them only moments ago in the lobby of their New York hotel." It then showed the kiss that they had shared in the lobby. "Hey, who couldnt use a friend like that?"
Seth looked to D. "Why yous thank they's care s'a much bout us for?"
D smiled stroking his face, "Cause they think we're sexy."
Seth smiled and kissed her softly on her shoulder.
After many hours of foreplay and sex D lay asleep on Seth,s chest. Seth lay there with an arm rested behind his head and the other on D's hip. He was too wired to sleep, damn Dexedrine. His eyes burned from staring at the TV. He glanced to D, sound asleep. The glow of the TV seemed to make her skin shine. He could see her eyelids flutter, dreaming. He hoped she were dreaming of him. She had certainly been the topic of his dreams lately. He knew, without a doubt, that D meant more to him than any other girl ever had. He loved the way things were and how things felt between them. It was a perfect arrangement. He was able to hang out with her as a friend, work side by side with her, have sex with her on a whim, and hold her in his arms while they slept. He wouldnt trade this for the world. He just wished he understood it all. He longed just to be near her every waking moment of his day. He always found his full attention on her. He couldnt get the smell of apples out of his head. What did it all mean?