Rise To Stardom - Chapter 95

Chapter 95: Invites
(A few days later…)

Bob Taylor, the paparazzi who had been tailing Kyle for almost a week now, slowly brought his van to a halt.

Watching as the young man stepped out of the rented car, Bob watched him make his way into the theatre.

Camping out front, he soon noticed as a drop-dead gorgeous lady wearing a red dress, a person whom he clearly recognized, hurried into the theatre too.

Feeling a spark of excitement and smelling the opportunity to make some good cash, Bob muttered to himself with a small, creepy grin;

“This better give me something good…”

…

…

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___________________________

{Kyle Kestis} – Exp. Points (10,469)

⸶Skills⸷

| [Soulful Vocals (P)], [Growth Spurt (P)], [Appraisal(A)], [Resonance (P)] – {C}], [Charisma (P)], [Polyglot (P)], [Deep Dive (A) – {B}], [Recollection (P)], [Scene Stealer (A)], [Action & Stunt Mastery (P)], [Bleeding Effect (P)]…

* Exp. Points can be used to create skills.

⸶Levels⸷

| Singing › Level 11

| Acting › Level 10

| Composing › Level 11

| Dancing › Level 6

| Instrument Mastery (Piano/Guitar) › Level 9/7

* Levels will increase in accordance to your growth.

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‘I still have quite a long way to go…’ Kyle mused to himself as he studied his status screen.

It had been somewhat of a long while since he had checked it out and staring at the interface, it drove a point home to Kyle.

Even if he was now a bit famous, personally, he still had a lot he felt he needed to improve upon.

Of course he had also come quite far from his original starting point but still, Kyle, always striving to be better, never wanted to feel as if he had stagnated at any point in his budding career.

At that moment, the lights in the auditorium turned dim as curtains rose, the spotlight focusing on a group of government officials sitting around a round table.

Closing the system, the young man then angled his gaze towards the stage where the show had already begun.

Watching as the officials spoke, the spotlight then diverted from them a bit to focus on someone else.

Spotting the peculiar gorgeous lady who was dressed in a Victorian-era dress code, effortlessly making her way onto the stage, her every step imbued with authority and a regal air, Kyle smiled as he watched her begin to speak to the members of her parliament in a similar Victorian-era accent.

A few seconds following that, the members of the parliament, broke into a song to oppose her ideas, their dance number in sync to the music and the message they were trying to convey to the audience.

The theatre enthusiasts and eager individuals, soon leaned forward in their seats, their responses animated and excited while the locals and casuals, watched on in amusement as the stage came to life and the show went on.

This, was the magic of live theatre.

This, was Broadway.

…

…

…

As the final curtains fell, thunderous applause and standing ovations filled up the theater.

The show had started at 8pm prompt and it had ended at 10pm.

Soon, everyone was out the door and making their way back to their various destinations.

As for Kyle, he simply sat still till he was the only one left in the theatre.

A few minutes later, after receiving a text, he casually got up and made his way out the door too.

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…

“Why thank you Mr. Kestis! How chivalrous of you!” Lily employed her Victorian-era accent as Kyle opened the door for her.

“You, are most welcome Governess.” he played along with her, giving a curt, polite bow as he said.

Chuckling a bit at that, always glad that Kyle seemingly never skipped a beat when it came to playing along with her whims, Lily stepped outside the theatre.

The cold, night’s breeze washed over her as she did, causing her to curse at herself a bit for wearing a knee-length summer dress with her high boots.

Even if her and Selena’s hotel was just a ten-minute walk from here, she should have been a bit more prepared.

Autumn was already knocking on the door.

Even the fairly bustling night’s street comprised of people who were dressed in fairly thick clothing.

Just as she rubbed her hands on her arms in an effort to generate warmth though, Lily felt the warmth of a fabric covering her back.

Watching as Kyle gently draped his field jacket over her, a thin smile on his lips, Lily gazed at him as the gentle breeze kept blowing his white, Henley shirt until he was done.

‘I’ve always noticed it since our very first meeting but moments like these remind me…’

‘Dreamboat really is a gentleman…’ she thought to herself with a warm smile.

‘I’m so glad Haley’s bull crap didn’t ruin his nature…’

Kyle on the other hand, having ensured the lady was cozy, casually tucked his hands into the pockets of his navy-blue jean.

“Thanks Kyle. That was sweet of you.” Lily said with an appreciative gaze.

“Don’t mention it.” he replied as he began to walk down the street, the cold air gently ruffling his air.

“The invites are in the pocket of the jacket.” he causally said as she walked over to his side.

“Ooh~. How smooth!” she gave him a small jab, a coquettish expression on her features.

Kyle simply chuckled at that and then watched as she retrieved the invites, her hazel eyes scrutinizing it.

“Thank you once again Kyle. I know I already said it on the phone but truly, I appreciate this.” Lily gave her heartfelt thanks, pocketing the invites immediately after.

“Selena and I have had it rough for a long while now. Hopefully this presents us a good opportunity to find someone who’s willing to take a good chance with us.” she added with a thankful gaze.

“It’s nothing really.” Kyle honestly responded.

A bit curious though, he then asked;

“So, literally, not a single role these past few months? Not even an offer to play an extra?”

“I was given some…” Lily sighed as she said.

“But most of those roles involved me being heavily sexualized…” she continued.

“And if I’m being honest, a teensy bit of sexualization isn’t really bad but, when it kind of becomes the main appeal, the core of the character, it’s a bit of a cop-out for me.” she turned to face Kyle, halting both of them in their steps.

“And some directors and producers just flat out want to have sex with me for a chance at a big movie role.” she deadpanned.

“That, sucks…” a deep frown was etched onto Kyle’s face as he said in between brief pauses.

“Yeah. It does.” Lily responded with a similar expression.

“But then again, I wouldn’t put that kind of nasty condition past a lot of people in Hollywood.” he added with a small sigh.

“I know right. It’s crazy how that’s such a normal thing.” Lily agreed, an exasperated expression on her features.

“That being said though, I’m never sleeping my way to the top Kyle. Never!” she declared, her hazel eyes holding his sapphire colored-ones.

“And that’s what makes you fantastic.” Kyle calmly said as he met her gaze, pure genuineness in his words.

Watching as a proud, cheeky grin spread across her lips after she heard that, Kyle watched as Lily casually replied;

“I know. I’m the coolest.” she flicked her currently long, dark-blonde hair with sass.

This elicited another small chuckle from the man but deep down, Kyle’s respect for Lily grew even stronger.

Lily Lockhart was a fighter in every sense of the word and as a close friend, he genuinely wanted for her to become very successful in her endeavors.

“But still, thank you for saying that dreamboat.” the lady resumed walking as she said, a genuine smile on her lips.

“You’re welcome.” Kyle’s smile mirrored hers as he replied and both individuals, walked on in comfortable silence.

This went on for a few minutes until Lily suddenly shattered the silence.

“Abs! I watched [Epoch One] recently and I loved it! Your abs especially!” she clapped, the gleefulness in her tone catching Kyle completely off-guard.

“Even found myself on a Jeddit community called ‘j/ShirtlessKyle’!” she mirthfully added.

“Oh God. Not you too…” Kyle couldn’t help but groan, dramatically massaging his temples in exasperation as he did.

“What?! I’m a lady just like all the others dreamboat! Of course I’d love me some well-defined abs!” she doubled down on her declaration.

At this point, Kyle couldn’t help but accept his fate, a small sigh escaping his lips whilst Lily, enjoying every second of being a little minx, giggled and laughed like one.

She also playfully patted him on the back as she did, adding to the overall comical scene that a peculiar nosy little shit was filming from afar.

This continued on for a few more seconds until her laughter subsided, after which she then said with a warm, genuine smile.

“Well, on a more serious note, you deserve every success you’ve gotten Kyle…”

“You are by far, one of the most talented, dedicated and hardworking person I know…” she continued;

“And I truly can’t wait to see how far you’ll go!” she spread her arms out wide as she said.

Grateful for her kind words, Kyle calmly replied in kind;

“Thank you for saying that Lily. I appreciate it.”

“I’m also looking forward to seeing your acting career really takeoff.” he said with a warm smile, his words continuing;

“You’re a fighter Lily. And just like the flower itself, you’re resilient enough to grow right through the cracks and bloom…”

“And you’re gonna be awesome. I truly believe that.” he added and to that, Lily, a bit stunned by the eloquence of his words, replied with a lovely smile a few seconds after;

“‘Course I will dreamboat! Count on it!”

Nodding gently in response to her words, a light smile on his lips, both walked on for a few more minutes until they arrived just in front of Lily’s hotel.

“And now we’re here…” Kyle stated as he gazed at the fairly nice hotel.

“That we are…” Lily replied, her hands in the pockets of the field jacket.

“Before we say our goodbyes though, let’s take a picture.” Kyle casually offered, causing Lily to stare at him with a curious yet amused expression.

“Since when were pictures your thing?” she asked amusedly with a small tilt of her head, knowing fully well Kyle avoided taking unnecessary pictures if there was no reason for it.

“It isn’t. I just need us to debunk a few, baseless, upcoming rumors.” he discreetly nodded in the direction of the paparazzi who had been tailing them secretly since he and Lily had gotten out of the theatre.

“Oh…” Lily had her brows furrow when she also noticed.

“My condolences. Must be creepy, right?” she then added with a genuinely concerned expression as she turned over to face him.

Despite her own growing popularity as a fairly popular musician in the US, the lady was yet to deal with the woes of having paparazzi on her ass often so, she could only guess that it must’ve been very uncomfortable for Kyle this past week.

“Yep. But I’m slowly getting used to it.” Kyle replied, his voice calm and disinterested.

“Alright then.” Lily nodded, a small sigh escaping her lips.

Even if she also wanted to become a big star, things like these reminded her that becoming famous wasn’t all sunshine and roses.

There was always a downside to most things and fame, seemingly came with a crap ton of it.

“That being said though, if we’re gonna dispel the rumors before they blow out of proportion, let’s troll them a bit.” Lily suddenly offered, her hazel eyes twinkling mischievously.

“I’m listening.” Kyle sported a curious yet amused gaze as he obliged to the foxy lady.

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The next day, when Bob woke up to check if the post he had made had garnered a lot of views, he was pleasantly surprised to see that it had racked up over 1.5M views.

Excited at the prospect of now being able to sell the other pictures and videos he had taken of Kyle and Lily on a ‘date’ the night before at a high price, he was almost about to contact a few media publications when the first few comments caught his eye.

—

GodMayForgiveYouBob: Fuckin’ paparazzi. Can’t even let two friends walk around in peace. Their clapback was epic though!

ButIWon’tYouLittleShit!: Haha! Creepy ass bastard! You deserve to be cancelled!

—

Instantly, the man was doused in a bucket of cold water when he began to scroll through all the other comments and realized that everyone was bashing him for spreading rumors.

“I’m getting flamed?!” he couldn’t help but mutter in genuine shock.

Unable to understand what was going on, Bob began to bite his nail, trying to pinpoint what the source of all this flaming was.

And soon he found it, on both Lily and Kyle’s official account.

In their post, they addressed a picture they both took to him.

In it, they were both standing side-by-side in the frame of the picture, light mischievous grins on their lips, along with a paper, one on which a long message on it read;

­—

God may forgive you Bob, but we won’t!

Stop tailing youngsters that are old enough to be your grandchildren! It’s a creepy habit. Cease and desist!

Oh and this, is just a meeting between friends. Needed to hand over an invite for a party to Lily. We thought we should clarify, Bob.

Sincerely yours!

—

Reading the entire note, Bob simply slumped onto his bed, feeling like he had finally messed around with the wrong celebrity in his past thirty years of being a paparazzi.

It didn’t take long before TweetTalk fanned the seemingly commonplace issue to no ends and Bob was ultimately, canceled by those same youngsters for being a creep.

Sadly, this didn’t mean paparazzi would stop tailing or stalking Kyle. He was now a popular celebrity after all.

But at least, for a while, they would lay off his ass for the fear of not wanting to also get flamed to oblivion like Bob.