"Escape From Stardom" belongs to me, the author. Plagiarizing is totally
not cool.
CHAPTER ONE
"Abbey! It's about time! We've been waiting for you for HOURS!" Those were the first words 21-year-old Abbey Ireland heard as she breezed into the studio.
"Sorry, Mark. I slept in and got some much needed sleep. You do want me to get some sleep, don't you?" Abbey rolled her pretty blue eyes at her stressful manager, Mark Sanford.
"Not when you're late to the filming. And what are you wearing?!?!?!" Mark gasped as she popped open a water bottle. Abbey glanced down at her comfortable jeans and favorite monkey sweatshirt. She shrugged at Mark.
"Abbey!!!! Go change right now!!! The music video was supposed to be starting right now and you aren't in costume or makeup. HURRY UP!" Mark fairly roared. "You'll put the entire schedule for the day behind."
Abbey sighed and hurried out of the room. She found her first outfit for the music video and quickly changed into the black mini-skirt and sparkly red shirt. She pulled on the boots and ran down the hall to makeup. Veronica, the makeup artist, clucked her tongue at Abbey as she landed in the leather chair.
"Late again, Abs?" Veronica teased as she covered Abbey's outfit with a cape.
"Well, we finished filming last night at about 2am and by the time I got to my apartment, it was about 3. Then my alarm failed to wake me up and before I knew it, it was 8 o'clock. Mark is such a slave driver." Abbey groaned.
"Did you talk to him about your schedule? You're so stressed out, Abb. And you're constantly working. Can't you get a vacation?" Veronica asked, running a comb through Abbey's long golden locks.
"I tried to talk to him about taking a week off, but he ignored me and ordered me to do something else. I don't know how much more stress I can take, Ronni." Abbey slumped in the chair.
"Well, talk to him again. He's right there in the hallway. Mark! In here pronto." Veronica called. Mark quickly appeared.
"Yeah? What's the problem? Can you go any faster, Veronica?" Mark asked impatiently.
"Mark, I really need a vacation. I'm so stressed and I can't work this hard. You're driving me too hard. I've tried to cope with this and I've accepted that all this craziness is just part of being the most popular female singer in the world. But, I really, really need just two weeks off." Abbey told him seriously.
"Are you crazy? Abbey, you will have to learn to deal with this. You have appearances, videos, recordings, and concerts scheduled from now until you're not directly in the public eye. There is no way you can just take two weeks off. It's impossible, not going to happen. Maybe in a year or two you can go to the Bahamas or Paris, but not now. Now, finish up with this and get to the set! Now!!!" Mark hurried out of the room.
Abbey buried her face in her hands and let out a huge moan.
******
Abbey endured the long music video shoot for about two hours, but when Mark called "CUT" for the millionth time, she flipped out.
"No, Mark. Not cut. I've done this scene HUNDREDS of times now. I'm tired, I'm sweaty, I'm hungry, and I'm probably about to faint. I will not to this scene again. You can work with what you have and I AM TAKING THE REST OF THE DAY OFF!!!!!!!!!" Abbey yelled
"Abbey! You can't leave. You have so much more to do today! And there's the banquet tonight. You absolutely have to make an appearance." Mark called after her as she stormed off to her trailer.
"NO!!! I AM NOT DOING ANYTHING ELSE TODAY!!!!!" Abbey yelled. She stormed to her trailer, changed into her jeans and sweatshirt, grabbed her purse and car keys and jumped into her fire red Mustang Convertible. Mark was yelling after her as she peeled out of the parking area and shot off towards her luxury penthouse apartment on the other side of town.
Abbey got to her apartment about 30 minutes later and hurriedly dodged the publicity seekers. Finally, she made it to her haven of rest and sank down onto the sofa. She didn't plan to move for a long time.
From the sofa, Abbey could see her goldfish, Penelope, in her glass bowl. Abbey had always wanted a puppy to cuddle with, but her long months on tour and all the time spent away didn't allow it. Abbey vowed to someday go to the pound and pick out the perfect puppy.
Abbey looked over at the glass coffee table. Her maid, Genevieve, had left her a copy of the gossip section of one of the LA papers. Abbey's face was plastered all over the cover and inside. She read the article..
Abbey Ireland- Heart breaker
The multi-platinum recording artist, Abbey Ireland, has been seen with all of America's most eligible bachelors, including Brad Shonessey, Damian Christensen, Jacob Ryan, and Jason Parker. But Abbey is rumored to be a heart breaker, who leads guys on and then has fun breaking up. Abbey, who is a sensational, multi-platinum singer, apparently is letting her fame go to her head. She has dated over 85 guys ever since her climb to the top of music charts everywhere. Currently, Abbey is rumored to be dating Brian Lake, a famous, rich actor who has starred in dozens of movies. But Abbey doesn't seem too interested in him and has been seen with many other men recently. "I like a guy who can keep me on my toes." Abbey told one reporter. Watch out, Hollywood, this girl is out to break some hearts.
Abbey threw the article down. She had never met half the people in that article and had never said anything stupid like that. Abbey had a few publicity boyfriends, whom she had only posed for pictures with. But in the three years of her fame, she had never had a real, serious boyfriend. Not since Cole, but she didn't want to think about handsome, mysterious Cole Bentley.
Abbey sat up on the couch and caught her reflection in the mirror above the piano. She still had the heavy makeup on from the video, which enhanced her already beautiful features. But under all the makeup, Abbey could see eyes that never had enough shut time and the limp, tired look that almost always covered her features. Abbey was burnt out.
The ringing of her telephone interrupted her reverie. Abbey got up and picked up her cordless phone. "Hello?" she sighed.
"Who knew that I would find Pop Princess Abbey Ireland home on a weekday? I was all set to leave a message." Came the voice from the other line.
"Kyle!!!" Abbey said happily. "How was the Bahamas?"
"Great. The guys and I had a blast. We picked up some babes, got some major tans, and spent hours in the ocean. It was awesome." Kyle laughed.
"So you found someone to replace the lovely Lana?" Abbey teased. Kyle had just broken up with his high school friend, Lana.
"Well, maybe. She lives in LA and I'm going to visit her next week." Kyle said, grinning.
"Sounds great!" Abbey was genuinely happy for her best friend.
"So what's going on with you, Abs? How's the new CD?" Kyle asked.
"Kyle, I don't think I can do this anymore. I'm going out of my mind with stress. Maybe I'm not cut out to be a singer." Abbey felt tears coming to her eyes.
"What? Abbey, don't say that. You are the most talented girl I've ever met. You are totally amazing. If you decided to stop singing, the world would stop turning." Kyle told her, exaggerating.
"Oh please. The world would not stop turning if I decided to take a couple months off." Abbey smiled a little through her tears.
"Well, maybe you're right. But think about how many people would be heartbroken. Everybody loves you, Abbey. Singing is what makes you, you. You would never be happy if you weren't singing." Kyle told her, truthfully.
"But, I'm so stressed. I need a vacation, but my manager keeps telling me that I can't until the summer is over. I really need to get away for a month or so." Abbey sighed.
"Well. Hang on, I might have an idea." Kyle said, dramatically.
"It's not possible, Kyle. I can't leave. My manager won't let me." Abbey moaned.
"Stay at your apartment. I'll be over in half an hour." ~*~*~
Kyle arrived at Abbey's apartment about half an hour later. He charged in with his hands full of photos and dumped them on her coffee table. Then he turned to Abbey.
"You look terrible, sweetheart." Kyle told her as he drew her into his arms for a hug,
"Oh, thanks. That makes me feel a lot better." Abbey said, her voice muffled by his shoulder.
"Hush." Kyle sat down on the sofa and kept his arms around Abbey. "How do you feel about making a getaway?"
"Kyle, I can't. Mark has told me over and over that I can't leave. If I leave, they'll hunt me down. And besides, where would I go?" Abbey protested.
"They won't track you down if they can't find you." Kyle told her, grinning devilishly.
"How would I disappear? I'd be recognized right away." Abbey told him, rationally.
"Nope. Remember my co-star from the movie "Stargazer"? Jeanie Ryan?" Abbey nodded, remembering the dark haired actress. "Well, Jeanie got really sick of her life a couple months back. She was feeling the same stress you are. So she had a friend of hers make her a fake ID and she went on a vacation under a fake name. No one recognized her, no one found her and she was able to get herself back on track and get well rested enough to totally de-stress herself." Kyle told Abbey.
"So? What does that have to do with me?" Abbey asked, carefully.
"Well, I happen to know that friend of hers who made her a fake ID. He only does it when somebody really needs help getting away. So what do you think? Are you willing to make a breakaway from the hard, stressful life and go where nobody knows your name?" Kyle asked her.
"It really does sound great. But where would I go? The press knows about all of my hideaways." Abbey said, wistfully.
"Well, my little Abbey, my parents just bought a cabin in the Appalachian Mountains. They haven't gotten away to vacation there yet and they said that you were welcome to use it as a hideout. There's a very, very small town there and only a few hundred people. No one there has ever heard of me, so chances are, not too many people will know you." Kyle sat forward and handed Abbey the pictures. She flipped through them and saw the most adorable cabin, set right in the mountains on a beautiful lake. Other pictures showed the inside of the cabin, a spacious living room with tasteful design, two large bedrooms, a cozy bathroom, and a huge, modern kitchen with an attached dining room.
"It's so gorgeous!" Abbey exclaimed. "I love it!"
"I thought you would. So what do you say, Abs? Care to take a walk on the wild side and disappear for a month?" Kyle asked her.
Abbey met his eyes with excitement. "I'll do it!" She exclaimed. "Yes! I'm going to disappear!" She threw her arms around Kyle and excitedly danced around the living room.
"Great! I'll get everything arranged. Do you have any preferences for a name?" Kyle asked.
CHAPTER ONE
"Abbey! It's about time! We've been waiting for you for HOURS!" Those were the first words 21-year-old Abbey Ireland heard as she breezed into the studio.
"Sorry, Mark. I slept in and got some much needed sleep. You do want me to get some sleep, don't you?" Abbey rolled her pretty blue eyes at her stressful manager, Mark Sanford.
"Not when you're late to the filming. And what are you wearing?!?!?!" Mark gasped as she popped open a water bottle. Abbey glanced down at her comfortable jeans and favorite monkey sweatshirt. She shrugged at Mark.
"Abbey!!!! Go change right now!!! The music video was supposed to be starting right now and you aren't in costume or makeup. HURRY UP!" Mark fairly roared. "You'll put the entire schedule for the day behind."
Abbey sighed and hurried out of the room. She found her first outfit for the music video and quickly changed into the black mini-skirt and sparkly red shirt. She pulled on the boots and ran down the hall to makeup. Veronica, the makeup artist, clucked her tongue at Abbey as she landed in the leather chair.
"Late again, Abs?" Veronica teased as she covered Abbey's outfit with a cape.
"Well, we finished filming last night at about 2am and by the time I got to my apartment, it was about 3. Then my alarm failed to wake me up and before I knew it, it was 8 o'clock. Mark is such a slave driver." Abbey groaned.
"Did you talk to him about your schedule? You're so stressed out, Abb. And you're constantly working. Can't you get a vacation?" Veronica asked, running a comb through Abbey's long golden locks.
"I tried to talk to him about taking a week off, but he ignored me and ordered me to do something else. I don't know how much more stress I can take, Ronni." Abbey slumped in the chair.
"Well, talk to him again. He's right there in the hallway. Mark! In here pronto." Veronica called. Mark quickly appeared.
"Yeah? What's the problem? Can you go any faster, Veronica?" Mark asked impatiently.
"Mark, I really need a vacation. I'm so stressed and I can't work this hard. You're driving me too hard. I've tried to cope with this and I've accepted that all this craziness is just part of being the most popular female singer in the world. But, I really, really need just two weeks off." Abbey told him seriously.
"Are you crazy? Abbey, you will have to learn to deal with this. You have appearances, videos, recordings, and concerts scheduled from now until you're not directly in the public eye. There is no way you can just take two weeks off. It's impossible, not going to happen. Maybe in a year or two you can go to the Bahamas or Paris, but not now. Now, finish up with this and get to the set! Now!!!" Mark hurried out of the room.
Abbey buried her face in her hands and let out a huge moan.
******
Abbey endured the long music video shoot for about two hours, but when Mark called "CUT" for the millionth time, she flipped out.
"No, Mark. Not cut. I've done this scene HUNDREDS of times now. I'm tired, I'm sweaty, I'm hungry, and I'm probably about to faint. I will not to this scene again. You can work with what you have and I AM TAKING THE REST OF THE DAY OFF!!!!!!!!!" Abbey yelled
"Abbey! You can't leave. You have so much more to do today! And there's the banquet tonight. You absolutely have to make an appearance." Mark called after her as she stormed off to her trailer.
"NO!!! I AM NOT DOING ANYTHING ELSE TODAY!!!!!" Abbey yelled. She stormed to her trailer, changed into her jeans and sweatshirt, grabbed her purse and car keys and jumped into her fire red Mustang Convertible. Mark was yelling after her as she peeled out of the parking area and shot off towards her luxury penthouse apartment on the other side of town.
Abbey got to her apartment about 30 minutes later and hurriedly dodged the publicity seekers. Finally, she made it to her haven of rest and sank down onto the sofa. She didn't plan to move for a long time.
From the sofa, Abbey could see her goldfish, Penelope, in her glass bowl. Abbey had always wanted a puppy to cuddle with, but her long months on tour and all the time spent away didn't allow it. Abbey vowed to someday go to the pound and pick out the perfect puppy.
Abbey looked over at the glass coffee table. Her maid, Genevieve, had left her a copy of the gossip section of one of the LA papers. Abbey's face was plastered all over the cover and inside. She read the article..
Abbey Ireland- Heart breaker
The multi-platinum recording artist, Abbey Ireland, has been seen with all of America's most eligible bachelors, including Brad Shonessey, Damian Christensen, Jacob Ryan, and Jason Parker. But Abbey is rumored to be a heart breaker, who leads guys on and then has fun breaking up. Abbey, who is a sensational, multi-platinum singer, apparently is letting her fame go to her head. She has dated over 85 guys ever since her climb to the top of music charts everywhere. Currently, Abbey is rumored to be dating Brian Lake, a famous, rich actor who has starred in dozens of movies. But Abbey doesn't seem too interested in him and has been seen with many other men recently. "I like a guy who can keep me on my toes." Abbey told one reporter. Watch out, Hollywood, this girl is out to break some hearts.
Abbey threw the article down. She had never met half the people in that article and had never said anything stupid like that. Abbey had a few publicity boyfriends, whom she had only posed for pictures with. But in the three years of her fame, she had never had a real, serious boyfriend. Not since Cole, but she didn't want to think about handsome, mysterious Cole Bentley.
Abbey sat up on the couch and caught her reflection in the mirror above the piano. She still had the heavy makeup on from the video, which enhanced her already beautiful features. But under all the makeup, Abbey could see eyes that never had enough shut time and the limp, tired look that almost always covered her features. Abbey was burnt out.
The ringing of her telephone interrupted her reverie. Abbey got up and picked up her cordless phone. "Hello?" she sighed.
"Who knew that I would find Pop Princess Abbey Ireland home on a weekday? I was all set to leave a message." Came the voice from the other line.
"Kyle!!!" Abbey said happily. "How was the Bahamas?"
"Great. The guys and I had a blast. We picked up some babes, got some major tans, and spent hours in the ocean. It was awesome." Kyle laughed.
"So you found someone to replace the lovely Lana?" Abbey teased. Kyle had just broken up with his high school friend, Lana.
"Well, maybe. She lives in LA and I'm going to visit her next week." Kyle said, grinning.
"Sounds great!" Abbey was genuinely happy for her best friend.
"So what's going on with you, Abs? How's the new CD?" Kyle asked.
"Kyle, I don't think I can do this anymore. I'm going out of my mind with stress. Maybe I'm not cut out to be a singer." Abbey felt tears coming to her eyes.
"What? Abbey, don't say that. You are the most talented girl I've ever met. You are totally amazing. If you decided to stop singing, the world would stop turning." Kyle told her, exaggerating.
"Oh please. The world would not stop turning if I decided to take a couple months off." Abbey smiled a little through her tears.
"Well, maybe you're right. But think about how many people would be heartbroken. Everybody loves you, Abbey. Singing is what makes you, you. You would never be happy if you weren't singing." Kyle told her, truthfully.
"But, I'm so stressed. I need a vacation, but my manager keeps telling me that I can't until the summer is over. I really need to get away for a month or so." Abbey sighed.
"Well. Hang on, I might have an idea." Kyle said, dramatically.
"It's not possible, Kyle. I can't leave. My manager won't let me." Abbey moaned.
"Stay at your apartment. I'll be over in half an hour." ~*~*~
Kyle arrived at Abbey's apartment about half an hour later. He charged in with his hands full of photos and dumped them on her coffee table. Then he turned to Abbey.
"You look terrible, sweetheart." Kyle told her as he drew her into his arms for a hug,
"Oh, thanks. That makes me feel a lot better." Abbey said, her voice muffled by his shoulder.
"Hush." Kyle sat down on the sofa and kept his arms around Abbey. "How do you feel about making a getaway?"
"Kyle, I can't. Mark has told me over and over that I can't leave. If I leave, they'll hunt me down. And besides, where would I go?" Abbey protested.
"They won't track you down if they can't find you." Kyle told her, grinning devilishly.
"How would I disappear? I'd be recognized right away." Abbey told him, rationally.
"Nope. Remember my co-star from the movie "Stargazer"? Jeanie Ryan?" Abbey nodded, remembering the dark haired actress. "Well, Jeanie got really sick of her life a couple months back. She was feeling the same stress you are. So she had a friend of hers make her a fake ID and she went on a vacation under a fake name. No one recognized her, no one found her and she was able to get herself back on track and get well rested enough to totally de-stress herself." Kyle told Abbey.
"So? What does that have to do with me?" Abbey asked, carefully.
"Well, I happen to know that friend of hers who made her a fake ID. He only does it when somebody really needs help getting away. So what do you think? Are you willing to make a breakaway from the hard, stressful life and go where nobody knows your name?" Kyle asked her.
"It really does sound great. But where would I go? The press knows about all of my hideaways." Abbey said, wistfully.
"Well, my little Abbey, my parents just bought a cabin in the Appalachian Mountains. They haven't gotten away to vacation there yet and they said that you were welcome to use it as a hideout. There's a very, very small town there and only a few hundred people. No one there has ever heard of me, so chances are, not too many people will know you." Kyle sat forward and handed Abbey the pictures. She flipped through them and saw the most adorable cabin, set right in the mountains on a beautiful lake. Other pictures showed the inside of the cabin, a spacious living room with tasteful design, two large bedrooms, a cozy bathroom, and a huge, modern kitchen with an attached dining room.
"It's so gorgeous!" Abbey exclaimed. "I love it!"
"I thought you would. So what do you say, Abs? Care to take a walk on the wild side and disappear for a month?" Kyle asked her.
Abbey met his eyes with excitement. "I'll do it!" She exclaimed. "Yes! I'm going to disappear!" She threw her arms around Kyle and excitedly danced around the living room.
"Great! I'll get everything arranged. Do you have any preferences for a name?" Kyle asked.