Rise To Stardom - Chapter 218

Chapter 218: Super Bowl in 5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1..
The day of the Super Bowl had finally arrived.

The stadium was buzzing with unbridled excitement.

Fans were cheering, screaming their lungs out and rooting for their favorite team as the halftime arrived.

Panthers Vs Harriers!

It had ended on a draw for now as the players, shuffled their way into their locker rooms underground with their coaches, the commentators, speaking with their signature style of enthusiasm;

“And that’s the end of the first half, folks! The Panthers and the Harriers head into halftime locked in a thrilling dead heat—21 to 21. Quite a ferocious game we’ve had, right Ian?!”

“Yes Greg. The Panthers came out roaring with that early touchdown, but the Harriers answered back with some incredible plays of their own, including that jaw-dropping 40-yard pass to tie it up just before the break.”

“Yes. Both teams are giving it their all, and you can feel the tension rising in the stadium. So, ladies and gents, as we take a breather, stay tuned for the halftime show!” Greg commented and added;

“Kyle Kestis is set to take the stage with a performance that’s been–– and putting it mildly–– ‘quite’ the talk of the town.”

“Grab your snacks, stretch your legs, and get ready for an unforgettable second half!” Ian followed up in conclusion.

“Ha! I don’t even know why they chose such a young, unworthy artist to headline the halftime performance.” Bart, a man in his late fifties, commented with a deep frown while using his binoculars to get a closer view of the receding backs of the players walking underground.

“You’re right, old friend. Back in our days, it was the biggest stars of the generation that headlined the Super Bowl halftime performance, not some wet-behind-the-ears kid.” his friend Alejandro, similarly aged 59, clicked his tongue in disdain as he played around with the baseball in his gloved hand.

Two, traditional, obnoxious old codgers who were stuck in their ways.

The stubborn kinds who adamantly believed everything new was shit, and things were infinitely better in their time–– all encompassed with an unhealthy sprinkle of arrogance.

Those were the two, annoying, NFL fans, seated right beside Oliver and Owen in the stands.

All through the game, they had been complaining, whining, and moaning about how the players weren’t in the right formation or making the right plays.

One would almost think they were the coaches at this point and even the coaches, probably never even went as far as they did.

But, considering the agent and the assistant were more interested in the game and the halftime show, they couldn’t be bothered, although their frequent bitching did begin to grate on their ears at some point.

Upon hearing their more recent statements though, Owen swiveled his head sideways!

Oliver on the other hand, remained collected as always… seemingly.

The assistant on the other hand, unwilling to allow any sort of ridiculing towards his boss, raised his fingers in an almost chastising manner as he spoke to the duo;

“Why I ought–”

Before he could call out the duo on their bullshit, a teaser for what seemed to be a movie played on the massive LED screens.

And when Oliver and Owen were done watching it, they were noticeably surprised, a reaction that varied greatly from almost everyone else in the stadium who were cheering like there was no tomorrow.

* * *

It had been at the top of Ella’s bucket list to travel to Las Vegas.

Having seen it so many times in the movies, the young teenager had always been allured by its larger than life status along with its neon bright lights and the infamous name, ‘Sin City’, which it was attributed.

But an even bigger dream Ella had, was to attend a Super Bowl Championship game, at least once in her life.

Being the youngest and only teenage girl in a family of three boys, alongside their parents who lived fairly modest lives, the expenses to do that though, were something her parents just couldn’t afford.

Ella understood that perfectly and, as much as she wished for it, she had been very content with simply watching it from the comfort of her home with her family.

That was until an online raffle competition she had registered for earlier last year regarding a popular ViewTuber who loved making content off of gifting people money, came through and the young lady, won a whopping sum of $20,000.

Quickly, and without fail, Ella had informed her family about it and after a lot of praise was showered upon her by them, the lady pitched to her parents for the chance to attend the Super Bowl as a family.

And to her surprise, they were fully on board with it as in the coming weeks preceding the Annual Championship game, they prepared for the trip and even got matching Panther jerseys and Harrier face caps.

It was evident that they were both thrilled for the opportunity but even their titillating enthusiasm barely rivalled Ella’s and her brothers who talked about it every blessed day for two weeks straight!

And so, when the game day finally arrived, Ella and her family arrived at the stadium a full thirty minutes before kickoff, their excitement palpable and growing by the second.

However, their Super Bowl dreams soon hit an unexpected roadblock.

“We’re so sorry, but the zone in the stadium where your seats are located, has been deemed unsafe due to a last-minute issue with the pyrotechnics.” the Head of Security explained, his voice genuinely apologetic as he addressed the hundred or so affected fans.

A wave of disappointment rippled through the crowd, their groans and murmurs audible.

Ella, standing at the forefront with her family, felt her chest tighten as she inquired sadly with tears brimming on her eyelids;

“So we won’t be able to attend the game?”

“No, no, we’ll sort this out,” the Head of Security assured them, although his unsure tone did little to ease the frustration in the group.

“And how long will that take?” Ella’s brothers asked, their irritation evident as their parents tried their best to cajole their downcast daughter.

“About an hour…” the trained veteran admitted hesitantly, prompting an even louder wave of discontent from the crowd.

“Oh c’mon! That’d be way past halftime!” someone shouted from the crowd in disagreement, summing up everyone’s shared disappointment.

As tensions simmered and the situation began to verge on chaos, two unexpected figures walked past the scene— Kyle and Mars, both in sunglasses and discreetly wearing face masks.

The two had arrived a few minutes ago and ran into each other at the parking lot on their way in.

Having happened to overhear the exchange from a distance though with his enhanced hearing, Kyle soon leaned over to Mars and whispered an idea into his ears.

In response, Mars curiously arched a brow of interest to which he then nodded in agreement. With that, the pair headed backstage to contact Parris.

After hearing their plan, Parris immediately set a cascade of events in motion, involving the Stage Manager and Event Coordinators and soon, a stagehand was promptly sent to relay the new arrangements to the Head of Security.

Meanwhile, outside the stadium, the affected group’s frustration had reached a boiling point as a now frustrated veteran, tried to diffuse the situation.

Ella and her family had honestly, all but given up hopes of attending the Super Bowl, their earlier excitement replaced by heavy disappointment.

And as if that wasn’t enough, they all winced in heavier disappointment as the Halftime Show announcements blared over the speakers, especially with the crowd cheering and roaring in excitement at a teaser for what seemed to be a blockbuster movie, a staple at the Super Bowl.

Just as Ella’s family was on the brink of heading back to their hotel for the day though, a stagehand suddenly appeared out of nowhere, his steps brisk as he walked up to the Head of Security.

And after a quick exchange of whispers, the veteran’s eyes widened in surprise.

Swiftly, he turned to the now-sullen crowd, cleared his throat audibly and then, parted his lips open with a light smile;

“Ladies and gentlemen, I have an update.”

In an instant, the complaints and grumbles died down.

The previously downtrodden fans curiously leaned in, their expressions shifting from frustrated annoyance to anticipation.

However, after hearing what the Head of Security had to say, their expressions morphed to pure, unbridled joy.

Whatever the announcement had been, it had reignited and spiked their excitement to an all-time high, their faces lighting up with renewed anticipation.

Ella especially, squealed in unbridled fervor as the situation, had gone from worse, to quite possibly, being the best day of her life!

* * *

Aiko was once again, in a shitty mood.

But this time, it was laced with a strong hint of anxiety.

Biting her nails, the lady paced back and forth in the dressing room.

‘He’s too good. He’s way too good!’

Those were the thoughts churning in her head as she realized that the media, hadn’t been over-exaggerating how much of an absolute monster Kyle Kestis was.

Throughout the entire prep for the Super Bowl, he had proved to everyone without fail why he was the hottest thing in Hollywood.

Singing, dancing, charisma, showmanship… he had all those stats maxed out to the peak by the industry standards! And especially at such a young age!

She being overly friendly to him, despite being extremely jealous, was all to gauge his level in comparison to hers and find a way to outshine him, essentially.

But that, exactly, was why she knew for a fact, that she had no way to outshine him and make herself the focus during the halftime performance.

In fact, when she and Parris had been conversing while watching Kyle perform during rehearsals, the halftime choreographer had indirectly let both her and Mars in on a bit more info;

“Apparently, Kyle was supposed to be the only performer for the 56th Super Bowl Halftime Show.”

“But the NFL board figured he might be lacking experience in rousing such a massive crowd. That’s where you guys came in.”

“But honestly, I kinda think you guys would have to be the ones giving it your all in order to ensure you don’t look outclassed. Just saying.”

Although Mars had been noticeably fired up after hearing those words from the renowned choreographer, Marilyn had taken it differently.

Recalling those words again, only made her more and more anxious, a feeling she never felt she’d end up revisiting after such a long and successful career in Hollywood.

A feeling that made her believe she wasn’t up to snuff in the presence of the towering wall that was in the form of Kyle Kestis, a much younger star with greater success yet lesser experience than her in the industry.

Unfortunately for Marilyn, this uneasy state of hers, lingered on, until she was called up for the Halftime performance.

“Aiko. We’re up in five!”

A wave of panic set in for the lady upon hearing those words.

But her years of experience in Hollywood, made it easy for her to give a cool reply as she stepped out of the dressing room, all dolled up for the occasion to meet with the event coordinator;

“Alright. Let’s do this.”

However, by the time Marilyn arrived where Kyle, Mars and the other backup performers were backstage, Parris whom was also around, soon noticed subtle twitches of the lady’s fingers.

And considering she had been a long time choreographer of a vast number of celebrities, the lady couldn’t help but inwardly comment with a light frown, her head tilting slightly in confusion;

‘Is she, by any chance… anxious?’

Nursing a gut feeling that something wasn’t quite right with her, Parris tried to approach the lady and ask her what was going on.

But five minutes were up and the trio of artists, as informed by the Stage Manager, were required to get in position for their performance.

* * *

[6:10pm]

Ella stood with pride and excitement at the forefront of the crowd which would be involved in the Super Bowl Halftime performance.

Tying her light-blonde hair into a messy bun, her freckled cheeks currently painted in a beautiful mash-up of colors for the occasion, the teenage lady’s light-brown irises sparkled with enthusiasm.

Alongside her were her similarly excited brothers, her parents and the hundred or so people whom had been affected by the pyrotechnic issue standing amidst a crowd of thousands.

Although they were told that they’d sorted out a section in the VIP stands for them (thanks to Kyle and Mars secretly given up their spots), what had gotten all of them pumped, had actually been the opportunity the two stars had offered them.

Join the half time performance as part of the cheering crowd on the pitch itself while they sort out the mess backstage for your seats.

That was the message the Head of Security had passed on to them from the two celebrities.

And as one would expect, not a single one of the affected individuals gave up the chance to do so.

Since all they were tasked with doing was simply dancing and singing along while following what the trained and choreographed crowd of thousands did, they figured their measly number of hundred wouldn’t be an issue.

That was why, the moment Kyle arrived on the pitch, every individual from afar, waved over to him in appreciation, Ella especially grinning from ear to ear in exhilaration.

Fitted with a wireless mini mic and dressed in a well-tailored, form-fitting, navy-blue long coat that hid his inner clothing, alongside slim-fitted black designer pants and sleek leather boots, Kyle who noticed them, reciprocated their gesture with a brief wave of his arm, a light smile nestling on his lips.

And no sooner had the young star who was dressed to the nines for the performance, took his position with a low crouch, the cameras rolled as a more acoustic tune of [Back to The Start], played.