SuperStar!

Ethan, after just being embarrassed and putting makeup on his face—something a man shouldn't have to do, he thought—walked into the university stadium in New Mexico. The place was already sorted out for tomorrow's show. Ethan hadn't even had the time to go out yet and sightsee, but that was okay. He already had plans for the day, so he wasn't too bothered about it.

As he stepped outside, he saw people heading his way, with Rebecca following closely behind them.

Rebecca reached Ethan and said, "Ethan, this is Tom and Jerry from Time Magazine."

Ethan glanced at the two men and said, "Wait, really? Tom and Jerry? That's your names? That's hilar—" He stopped mid-sentence when he noticed Rebecca's wide eyes and the two men's unsmiling faces. Swallowing his words, he quickly said, "Hello, Tom and Jerry," forcing a polite tone while chuckling internally.

The first man, shorter and wearing glasses, began, "Hi, I'm—"

"Jerry, right?" Ethan interrupted, grinning as he turned to the taller, more athletic-looking man. "And you must be Tom."

The taller man nodded, saying, "Yes, I am. How did you know?"

Ethan, now dying inside but unable to resist, replied with a suppressed smile, "I just guessed."

Noticing Ethan's growing struggle to contain himself, Rebecca quickly intervened. "Why don't we go sit down so we can start the interview?"

While seated in a resting area backstage, Rebecca handed the men a bottle and said, "Would you care for some water?" Jerry accepted it, and Tom raised his hand saying, "If you have milk, please, it would be more appreciated." Ethan screamed in his mind, Oh, come on now!

After getting them their refreshments, Rebecca turned to Ethan and said, "I have some work I'm about to go do later." She waved goodbye to him, who just looked at her like, Don't leave me alone with these people. But she, oblivious to his plea, just turned and looked back, grinning at him. Well, maybe she wasn't so oblivious.

And there he sat, with two men named Tom and Jerry, and one drinking milk.

Tom, putting down the bottle of milk he had been drinking, said, "So, Mr. Jones, about the interview…"

Ethan quickly replied, "You can just call me Ethan. Mr. Jones is my father," he said, smiling.

Tom nodded his head and said, "So, Mr. Jones, for this interview, we'd like to ask you a couple of questions and then take a picture of you so we can use it for our magazine."

Ethan just resigned to his fate after hearing Tom say Mr. Jones again.

"We're doing a segment on the next big superstar in the music industry, and we're here to interview you, Olivia Rodrigo, Saweetie, and The Kid Laroi," Jerry said.

Ethan responded, "Yes, I'm very much aware as to why." Before he could continue, Tom cut in, "Actually, we like The Kid Laroi more than all the others, but by protocol, we have to see everyone, with you being our last one."

Jerry chimed in, "Ah yes, The Kid Laroi, the only one with the decorum to not laugh at others' names." Ethan, hearing that, touched the back of his head with an awkward smile on his face, his mind screaming, Who are these guys?

Then the interview started.

Tom leaned in and asked, "So, Mr. Jones, why don't you tell us what made you become a singer?"

Ethan replied, "Well, I guess it's been since I was small. I've always loved singing, and I was in the choir when I was little. I really loved music, so during the pandemic, I released a couple of songs I liked. And, well, as you can see, God did the rest." He said, smiling.

The two men just looked at him, writing in their notebooks simultaneously, which freaked Ethan out.

After what felt like the longest, most tedious interview ever, Tom finally said, "Okay, Mr. Jones, that would be all. We'll be on our way soon after snapping the pictures."

They got up to start arranging for the photos.

"Wait, you're done already?" Ethan said, not believing himself for saying those words. The interview had been the worst one he'd had since starting, but he knew how much the team wanted him to be featured, and truth be told, he wanted it too. Seeing how the men handled things, he knew if he let them leave like this, that would be the end of it.

"Pardon?" said Jerry.

Ethan quickly responded, "Wait, I got it. You guys should follow me." He stood up and headed outside, the two men following closely behind.

As they passed a side area, they saw Rebecca on the phone. She noticed them and quickly dropped the call, then came over to meet Ethan, whispering to him as he kept walking.

"Hey, what's wrong? Where are you taking them? What about the interview?" she asked, then turned back to give a smile to the two men.

Ethan, still walking, said, "They wanted to start leaving."

Rebecca asked, "And why is that a problem?"

Ethan replied, "After a very bad interview, if they leave now, there's no way I'm getting that cover."

Rebecca blinked and said, "What?" Loudly She quickly looked back, offering a smile, then turned back to match Ethan's pace. "What are we gonna do? That spot was a shoe-in for you! How could you mess this up?"

Ethan shot her a look and said, "Really? Look at those two. You really believe it was me?"

They both turned back to see Tom, sipping his milk while following them, and Jerry, who was digging his nose. They quickly turned their heads forward, flashing them both a smile.

Rebecca sighed. "Good point, but we need that spot. The exposure and influence their magazine brings is massive. What are we gonna do now?"

Ethan grinned as the spot he'd been heading toward came into view. "Don't worry, I have a plan."

Reaching the spot where the tour buses were, Ethan went to the third one, which looked different from the others, and banged on the door. "Wake up, guys! We have somewhere to be," he said.

Tom, having finished his milk, said, "Mr. Jones, I'm afraid we don't have time anymore. We really need to take the pictures and leave."

Ethan turned back and said, "Tom, why the hurry? I clearly remember you saying I was the last person. After we do what I intend to, then you can go."

Rebecca, although not knowing exactly what Ethan had in mind, chimed in, "Yes, after we do what he says, you guys can go." Still seeing uncertainty in their eyes, Ethan added, "How about more milk?" He watched as Tom's face brightened.

Jerry, who was standing there, said, "Mr. Jones, we really need to go."

Ethan smirked and said, "As for you, Jerry, I haven't seen you take anything. How about we get you some cheese?" Jerry's face lit up.

"Well, Mr. Jones, how did you know I liked cheese?" he asked. "Well, you've got yourself a deal."

Ethan smiled. "I took a guess."

Tom, now curious, asked, "Where are we going, if I may ask?"

Ethan, still knocking on the door, turned to face them and grinned. "We're going to crash some weddings," he said, all smiles causing the two men to look at themselves confused on what he might have been saying.

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