Accidental Rock Star

By Victoria Barlow

Chapter 1

When you’ve lived in Los Angeles most of your life like I have, you get used to seeing famous people almost wherever you go. Seriously. Hilary Duff lives just down the street from me. No lie. My kid sister’s obsessed with her, for some reason. I mean, she’s ok, but still. Fall Out Boy is better.

But anyway, I’ve met lots of stars, not to sound like I’m bragging or anything, but…I am. One time, Orlando Bloom took out a restriction order on my best friend, Selena, and me for “stalking” him. I can’t help it if he’s hot enough for us to casually follow everywhere! After that, though, we decided not to do the same thing to Johnny Depp.

Even though I’ve met many, many famous people (and stalked Orlando!), I have yet to meet Kari Reed. She’s my idol. I’ve even dyed my hair blonde because she does. My hair’s naturally brown, so when it’s time to get my hair colored again you can see these horrible, dark roots. And I’ve got blue eyes. So does she, but I don’t wear colored contacts to get my eyes that color. I cut my hair like her, I dress like her, and I try to sing like her. But isn’t it funny how you can meet everybody else on the freaking planet, but you never meet your idol? Well, that’s not true for me anymore.

Ok, I see you’re confused. Let me back up.

So I was sitting in front of our TV one Saturday in my shorts and t-shirt because it gets pretty hot in LA during the summer. And on that particular day, our air conditioner happened to be busted. So, I was sitting there, sweating like a pig, when my mom comes in.

“Kirsten,” she said, “we’re taking your sister to the mall. Apparently, Hilary Duff’s having some kind of signing.”

“And…?” I raised an eyebrow like the smart-alike I am. I’ve never gotten along with my mother. Not sure why either, other than that she’s my mom.

“And, in light of the recent burglaries,” she said, using her lawyer voice. You know, the one she uses when she has to speak to the judge or jury, “we’re taking you too.”

“What?!” I cried. “That’s bull-sh-”

“Kirsten!” She stated louder than necessary. My mom never has liked me using words like that around her. That’s actually part of the reason why I use them.

“That’s crazy,” I said, taking a different route. “I was home alone yesterday when you had to hurry over to the court-house to take care of paper work!”

“You’re coming with us and that’s that,” she said, getting this real frustrated look on her face. For some reason, I think she has an easier time convincing the judge that her client is innocent than dealing with me.

I knew not to argue if I wanted to keep my cell phone. I’d only got the thing back the other day! She knew I wouldn’t risk being out of touch for anther week in a row. So, I reluctantly got up off the couch, which now had a dark, wet spot from my sweat, and went to change into something less…wet. And I took my precious time putting on my short shorts and baby tee, I’ll have you know! As a reward for that, my sister wouldn’t stop bugging me the whole time I was getting ready. She’s fourteen, what can I say? Even I wasn’t that annoying when I was fourteen. But that was two years ago anyway. Memories fade.

So, we hopped into the car and dad drove us to the mall. I like my dad. He actually gets me, unlike my mom. But anyway, my mom wouldn’t stop whining about how we had to get home by one or else Jake couldn’t get inside. Jake’s my older brother. He’s cool. He’s got a car, which he drives to college. He drives me around in it when he’s home. It’s a Mustang.

Well, after about fifteen minutes of hearing my mother whine about Jake (he’s her favorite, after all), we got to the mall. I have never been so glad to see that building in my life. Sarah, my sister, led the way at a very fast pace. We almost had to run to keep up with her. I’m serious! She’s pretty fast when she wants to be. I believe we made it into the mall at record speed. We could’ve set a world record!

Sarah seemed to know where Hilary Duff would be, so she didn’t stop to look at the directory or ask somebody who worked there. This worried me a bit because this was a very big mall and we could get lost pretty easily. Jake says he got lost in here once when he was five. But then again he was a little kid. Kids get lost. But not Sarah. She knew where she was going. We followed her for about five more minutes before she stopped at exactly where Hilary was.

My feet were seriously about to die because I had chosen wedge heels to wear. Bright move. But anyway, Sarah managed to discretely squeeze herself between some fat woman and a kid who were about half way through the line. She is definitely going to end up being a crook or something if she keeps this up.

I wasn’t interested in the least at getting Hilary’s autograph, so I told my dad I was going window shopping and that I would be back later. My mother was too busy trying to get Sarah to the back of the line to notice I had gone anywhere.

My first stop was by a shoe store so I could hopefully buy a new pair of shoes to slip on once I got to a bathroom. I did. I found the cutest pair of black ballet flats a girl could ask for. So I hurried to the bathroom and switched shoes and stuck my old ones in the bag and continued my shopping. As I was walking, I noticed Kirsten Dunst from the Spiderman movies and went to get an autograph. I like to think I am named after her.

She liked my shoes, just so you know.

After I got her autograph, I started up the stairs to the upper level when my cell phone rang. It was my best friend Selena. She had been having trouble with her loser boyfriend lately and had often come to me for advice. My solution? Dump him like last year’s shoes.

“Hey, you, what’s up?” I asked, knowing fully well that she was about to launch on another venting session.

“It’s Mike,” she sobbed into her cell. “He doesn’t love me anymore!”

I sighed and paused momentarily on the stairs so I could readjust my cell phone and shoe bag that was hanging from one arm. “Go on.”

“I just got off the phone with him,” she continued, sniffling helplessly as she went. “He says he wants some ‘space.’”

Even though I was not completely listening, I was engrossed in the conversation enough that I wasn’t paying attention as I continued up the stairs. I mean, really, I had heard all this stuff before. Mike wants some space because, no offense, Selena gets clingy in those type relationships. She says she doesn’t want to lose him, but he treats her like crud. She should so totally dump him. Then again, it’s not my place to say.

So, I was continuing up the stairs, not paying anybody any mind, really, except Selena, who only got half of my attention. When I was almost to the top of the stairs, I looked back over my shoulder because I thought somebody had called my name. Nope. False alarm.

I turned and bumped into some blonde chick, who also wasn’t paying attention. She turned to me and I could feel my heart stop beating right there because she started falling down the freaking stairs! And it wouldn’t have been as bad if it were a normal person, but noooooo. It had to be Kari Reed I pushed down the stairs!

I watched her fall helplessly all the way to the bottom. My mouth hung wide open like an idiot’s and I had practically dropped my purse and shopping bag because I had lowered my arm. Finally, after what seemed like forever, I put my cell phone back up to my ear.

“-Everything ok?” Selena was asking.

“Uh, yeah…” I mumbled, still staring at Kari Reed who had not moved since she hit the floor. “I’ll call you back, ok?”

I didn’t wait for a reply. I slammed my phone shut and groped for my purse, which had fallen to the floor. I grabbed it and my shopping bag and hurried away form the scene. I so totally did not want to be accused of pushing a famous person down the stairs, even though it wasn’t really my fault.

By that time, people had started gathering around her and I did not want them to see me standing at the top of those stairs. I could get sued or thrown in prison for eternity!

So, as I was hurrying away, I felt somebody grab my arm and stop me from walking. I looked back to see this big man with brown hair holding onto me. I screamed and tried to jerk free, but he wouldn’t let go.

“Ms. Reed, Ms. Reed! It’s me! John!” He hollered over my screaming. And that stopped me from screaming then and there. He called me Ms. Reed. As in Kari Reed. He thought I was Kari Reed!

“Oh, John?” I asked, trying to act cool. When was this guy going to discover that I wasn’t Kari Reed, but that the girl I tripped and made fall down the stairs was?

“Yes, I saw what happened,” he said. I tried not to appear as nervous as I was as he continued, “That girl almost pushed you down the stairs!”

I inwardly sighed to myself. Wait…is that possible? To sigh without letting out any air? It sounds contradictory.

“We need to get you out of here,” he was still talking, but I was busy contemplating if sighing without letting out air is possible. That’s about as deep as I get. Seriously.

I finally decided that, no, it’s not possible to sigh without letting out air just as he looked over my head and motioned for somebody else. I felt pretty short right then. Him looking over my head and all. Wait, I am short. Never mind…

I looked back over my shoulder to see two other big men walking over who had apparently been watching Kari Reed, er, me. It’s sort of intimidating seeing two huge men walking towards you faster than you thought possible for people their size to move. They weren’t fat, by any means. I figured that out myself. It’s all muscle. John was pretty muscular too, come to think of it.

“Everything alright?” Big guy number one asked John with a glance in my direction.

“It is now,” John replied quickly as we all suddenly began walking. “We need to get her out of here.”

“I’ll bring the car around,” big guy number two volunteered as he sped away from us.

“Hey wait, wait!” I said, finally putting on my brakes. The two men stopped and stared down at me. I was planning on telling them that they had the wrong girl, but do you realize how intimidating it is having them stare down at you? They could squish me in one hand if they ever found out the truth! “I-uh.” How intelligent. “Um…” I fished around for an idea of any kind and finally decided to wow them with my new-found information. “Did you know it’s not possible to inwardly sigh?”

The two glanced at each other before tugging me along again. I knew they weren’t impressed by it and thought I was a complete idiot, so I quickly expanded on my statement. “You know, you have to breathe to sigh, so how can you sigh without breathing? It’s impossible!”

Apparently Kari Reed is as much of a ditz as I am because they paid me no mind as we hurried through the mall.

I glanced over my shoulder in hopes of seeing my parents or somebody I knew so they could rescue me, but I only saw some old lady and her friend shopping. I sighed, not inwardly, as we continued walking.

Would my parents truly believe that was me lying at the bottom of those stairs? Would I be able to convince Kari’s sister that I was truly Kari? I decided that Kari could easily pass as me because my parents are idiots, but I couldn’t pass as Kari because her sister and her mom are geniuses. Wait…if that’s true, how come Kari is obviously as big of ditz as I am?

I didn’t have any more time to contemplate the zillions of questions that were whirling around in my head because we had finally made it to the front mall exit. And there, waiting for me, was a limo. I about died right there because I have never been in a limo. Not even to my school’s prom because my date was a cheap loser.

“Right this way, Ms. Reed,” John scurried ahead of me and opened the door for me and I got in. The seats were leather and oh, so smooth. John shut the door behind me and hurried to the front seat where one of the other guys was.

The limo began moving and I decided that since I was here, I might as well make myself at home. I opened a mini-fridge which held sodas of all kind. I got out something in a purple can. Careful not to spill any, I opened it and took a sip. Again being the curious person that I am, I reached up to a lump in the roof of the car and pulled down a TV screen.

“Sweet!” I whispered to myself and quickly began looking for a remote. As soon as I found one, I turned it on and a movie started playing. “I could totally get used to this.”

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A/N: End of chapter one, but the beginning of my first chapter story! I hope you liked it. If you did, please let me know. Thanks!