Page 284 of Call Me Baby 2: Side B

He knows what to do

and how to get me there fast.

And I lay there, numb⁠—

a body on a desk.

Even when it’s over.

I just lay there,

frozen in the after-twitches,

my soul waiting ‘til its safe to slide back inside again.

“Allison!” Callista breaks my trance as I leave Raymond’s office, spinning me back around in the hallway.

In a studded leather jacket and a graphic tee, her angelic smile sits white under her dark, striking eyes.

She’s something beautiful after what’d just happened. I don’t even feel right standing in front of her.

I feel dirty. She shouldn’t touch me.

I step back, letting her hand slip away.

Her eyes fall to the plant in my arms.

“They shoved my board meeting to the twentieth,” she says, a meeting I’d forgotten about. All the pieces are breaking into smaller pieces and falling too fast around me. I can’t keep up, and I’m trying to hang on as she says, “I need you to come through for me.”

Callista’s another powerhouse star born from tragedy. It was Harlow Saint James’s story that inspired her to break out into the industry, her music becoming an anthem against addiction for those who feel lost, a rallying cry in the dark of depression and drugs.

“I’ll—I’ll be there,” I assure her.

Declan, her manager, appears behind her. He’s early thirties. Rugged. The kind of manager who stands close to make sure the fire's flames don’t reach his star.

He starts to speak⁠—

“No,” I cut in.

“You gotta sit this one out.”

He glances nervously from Callista

to me.

“Someone needs to advocate for her.”

“I advocate for her,” I rush to say.

His chin tips,

confirming he’s lost all faith in me.

I sink back on my heel.

“I advocate for her,” I repeat, quieter.

I know how important this meeting is.