The First to Fall

His Side

Note: All this is fictional; that is, based on my own imagination, but also inspired by the contents of Team Real. I do not know the actual, detailed story between the two so take this as fanfiction (which is what it is LOL)

And word of advice: Do NOT watch horror movies before bed. Awful idea, though my fear of being cannibalized did inspire me to start the second chapter.

July 2013

"Okay, James," The music video director began. "The plot goes as followed: There will be scenes from the present, featuring you lamenting about a past relationship. And there will also be scenes from the past that are marked as a flashback by the use of grainy film effects. It'll show you and a gir--James? Hello? Are you even paying attention?!" The man yelled, which startled James who was a bit too absorbed in his text messages.

James bobbed his head up, his eyes still large as the yelling caught him off guard. "Yeah, sorry. I heard you," he said nonchalantly before returning his attention to his phone.

The music video director sighed and crossed his arms. "I'm going to be frank with you, James," he stated as he reached down and grabbed James' phone.

James stood up immediately. "Hey you can't--"

"You're a has been. If someone says your name on the streets, no one would recognize you. You won PBB and got a lot of attention, but you lost it all. You've become one of those 'where are they now celebrities' and even Ryan Bang is more popular. Devon is still around too, but you," The man pointed at James whilst shaking his head in disappointment, "are no one. You didn't care for what you had and look where you are now. You should be grateful Viva is giving you this chance, but don't forget that you're nothing now."

James opened his mouth to speak; however, words were unable to flow out. He brought his hand around the back of his neck and scratched his head, contemplating how to respond.

The director let out a breath, feeling somewhat guilty for the harshness of his words. "Look, I'm not telling you this to put you down. I want you to succeed and prove you aren't just a 'has been.' But to do that, you need to take this seriously. Not everyone gets a second chance," he lectured.

James swallowed before nodding.

"Moving on," the director announced as he grabbed a cream colored folder. "I picked a couple Viva talents that could play the role of the girl. I'll let you choose which of them you want," he added as he began laying the pictures over the empty, wooden desk.

"I get to pick?" James asked as he walked over and began scanning the numerous photos laid out.

The director shrugged. "It's your first music video, we'll leave it up to you."

"How..do I pick? Just any of these girls?" James asked.

"That's what I said, isn't it?" The director answered impatiently. Tapping his foot, he turned around and made his way out the door. "I'll give you some time, if it's that hard. Go by hormones if you need," he called out as he shut the door.

James pressed his hands over his forehead, sliding them down his face.

"You need this, James," he told himself aloud. "You need to go through this, your family needs you," he said to himself as he placed both hands on the edges of the desk.

He wasn't quite sure how to "pick a girl." He found them all pretty--sure, but he wasn't particularly looking. He had a girlfriend and felt somewhat bad about being tasked to choose a girl for the video.

He reminded himself it was just work, but again--how does one choose? He began wishing Viva picked for him.

His eyes moved across each photo, taking a time to look at each girl. No one stood out.