Accidental Fame (Fame #4)

Chapter 16

Chapter 16

"You've been a lot quieter than usual," Hunter said. He and Cannon were over at my house, like always. I was starting to wonder if their wives kicked them out or something.

"I'm pretty sure you know why," I said.

"She's still not talking to you?" Hunter asked.

"And I can't do anything about it," I said. "I even tried talking to Chandler, but he denied everything, of course. I can't believe I actually thought he would tell the truth. All I want is for him to treat Genesis with some respect, but he told me he is. Obviously we isn't...."

"Do you still think he's abusing her?" Hunter asked.

I nodded. "Why else would she stay away from me. I'm always there for her and if she can't tell me what's going on, then....I don't know what else to do."

"Cannon," Hunter said. Cannon looked up at his phone. "Have any ideas? You can usually think of plans."

"Um...." He looked down at his phone again before looking back at Hunter. "I got nothing."

I sighed just as someone rang the doorbell. I got up from the couch and walked over to the front door. I opened it, seeing Genesis standing there with Chandler leaning against his car close by. "Hey," I said. "I haven't seen you in a while."

Genesis looked down, playing with the hem of her shirt. "Zander, we....I....I don't want to be friends with you anymore."

"What are you talking about?" I asked. "We've been friends since kindergarten and you...." I looked over at Chandler before looking back at Genesis. "Is he making you do this?"

"No," she said, her voice cracking. "No, he's not. It's because you're, um....You're not the person I was friends with. I can't be around you anymore."

"Genesis, please don't do this," I said. "You don't have to do everything he tells you to do."

"He's not making me do this," Genesis said. "I....I love him."

That sent a panging feeling in my heart. I know she didn't love him. I know her like the back of my hand. She was getting forced to do this.

Cannon was suddenly standing beside me. "Hey, Genesis," he said. "You coming to hang out with us? We all miss you."

"No," Genesis said. "I don't want to....be around Zander anymore."

"Why?" Cannon asked, but Genesis couldn't reply because Chandler walked over.

"Come on, babe, we need to go," Chandler said before eyeing Cannon. "Who are you? Is your name, I don't know, Kenny?"

Cannon raised an eyebrow. "One, no, my name isn't Kenny. It's Cannon. And two, I'm kind of insulted you haven't heard of Cannon Venturi before."

"Oh, him," Chandler said. "Yeah, your music sucks, by the way. Right, Genesis?"

"Uh, yeah," Genesis agreed. Every inch of doubt I had about Chandler abusing her went away. He was. Genesis wasn't voicing her own opinion. She loved Cannon's music.

"Right, my music sucks," Cannon said. "That's why I have millions of fans, millions of dollars, and a hot tub in my bedroom. Anyway, Genesis, I tried calling you about the internship at the recording studio, but you weren't answering." Internship? What was he talking about?

"Oh, my phone broke," she said. "I dropped it in a puddle."

"Oh, okay," Cannon said. "Kevin said he's going to call you to set everything up. Can he call your home phone?"

"Yeah, sure," Genesis said.

"Who's Kevin?" Chandler asked.

"The owner of the recording studio I'm signed to," Cannon said. "He's offering Genesis an internship that might even turn to a real job. She can get a lot of money from taking it."

"Wow, you defnitely have to take the job, Gen," Chandler said. "Just think of all the money we--you'll have."

"Exactly," Cannon said. "Kevin will call you tonight to set things up."

"Okay," Genesis said quietly.

"And now we have to go," Chandler said. "Remember what she said, Zander. She doesn't want to be friends with you anymore, so you better let things go."

"Gen...." I said, but Chandler grabbed her hand and led her to his car. When he drove off with her, I closed the door. "Okay, what was that about? My dad isn't offering any internships."

"I know that," Cannon said. "But Chandler doesn't. I'm going to call her tonight to figure things out. Trust me, she's in trouble. But you have to stay away from her."

"What?" I asked. "I can't just stay away from her."

"Look, you want to help her out, right?" Cannon asked. I nodded. "Then stay away from her. Chandler is only wary of you. And Kenny."

"You're Kenny," I said.

"But he doesn't know that," Cannon said. "There's a reason I denied me being named Kenny. I'll figure things out, I promise. But the more you get involved, the worse things will get. Just trust me, okay?"

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I know this is short but I have to go somewhere, so I wanted to get a chapter up before I leave. But I do have the next five chapters planned, so I'll still update frequently.