Fifteen Minutes

to have plenty of footage showing the reality of the denied romance, the heartache of the forgotten girlfriend back home. At a meeting last week Samuel Meier had put it simply. “America’s going to fall in love with Zack and Zoey. It’ll be the biggest finale ever.”

With everyone caught up in the moment and the cameraman getting a drink at the bar, Chandra slipped into the hallway. Sure enough, Zack was ten yards down sitting on the floor, his back to the wall, one knee pulled up. Head in his hands. Whatever had happened, he looked crushed.

Chandra made her way quietly to him and when she reached the spot where he sat, she dropped down cross-legged and faced him. Only then did he notice her. He looked alarmed at first, but then his face fell and he brought his fists to his eyes again. Whatever had happened, he was struggling.

Chandra remembered the moment in her trailer before the season began, after Zack had made it through the tent round. She wondered then if he was the reason she was here. Maybe she could offer insight to this young man and in the process find a meaning that had evaded her since the death of her parents.

“Hey.” She realized it probably seemed strange to Zack, one of the celebrity judges sitting on the floor of a dark hallway across from him. Especially this early in the show run, when the contestants felt a chasm between themselves and the judges. But that didn’t change the fact that Zack clearly needed help. Chandra kept her voice gentle. “You wanna talk?”

“It’s okay.” He lowered his hands and stared down the hallway toward the door. “I need to think.”

Chandra searched his face, saw the muscles in his shoulders. He was one of the best-looking contestants the show had ever seen. But she felt nothing but pity for him.

“Well.” She drew a slow breath. “If you don’t want to talk, I do.” She leaned her elbows on her knees, only a few feet separating them. From the distant party room, the noise grew, the music louder than before. “What happened?”

He gave a frustrated shake of his head. “We kissed. Me and Zoey.” He looked defeated as he moved his eyes from her to a spot on the floor. “Was it obvious?”

“No. I had a feeling.” There was no judgment in her tone.

“It was a stupid mistake. I . . . It happened before I could stop it.”

“I get it.” She slid back and leaned against the wall, her eyes locked on his. “Living together like this, it isn’t natural. Things happen.”

For the shortest moment she remembered her own secrets. How she had done the same thing when she was a contestant. She had been engaged back then. The affair was another part of her story—the part she rarely thought about anymore. That season the producers constantly placed her with Broadway singer Demetri Johnson, a beautiful brown-skinned dancer with a silky tenor voice and an ocean of charisma. The two of them had done more than make out in their weeks housed together.

She refused the memories. “Tell me about your girlfriend.”

“My . . .” He shook his head. “She’s amazing. She . . .” His voice trailed off. “The two of us, we need to talk.”

“Zack.” Chandra held up her hand. “Just tell me about her.”

“Okay.” His eyes welled up. “She’s . . . she’s perfect. Our grandparents were friends decades ago. It’s like . . . like we were destined to be together.”

“Mmm.” Chandra nodded. “Is she in school?”

“We graduated. She teaches equine therapy.” He ran his fingers through his hair, his eyes strained from the stress of the night. “Her work . . . it’s changing lives.”

“Have you talked with her? Since the show aired?”

“I tried to call her. The signal was bad.”

“Yes . . . convenient.” She leaned her head back and surveyed him for a long time. “Zack, can I tell you something?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Don’t ‘yes, ma’am’ me. I’m your age. Don’t look at me and see Chandra Olson, celebrity. Okay? Can you do that?”

Zack looked slightly baffled. He sat up straighter and nodded. “I can try.”

“Before Fifteen Minutes, I was just another girl. I was in college and I was engaged to my high school sweetheart. I was close to my parents and all of life was real and alive and perfect.” She raised her eyebrows, her gaze intent on his. “Can you see that?”

The question seemed to hit a mark with Zack. He nodded slowly and exhaled, settling down some. “I think so.”

“Okay.” She lifted her chin, wanting him to see the changes as clearly as she could see them. “What did I want when I auditioned for Fifteen Minutes? What was I trying to do?”

He shrugged. “Make it as a singer.”

“Yes. I wanted people to know I could sing.” She smiled, but the feeling didn’t reach her soul. “You know what happened instead? I stepped on a speeding train, and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Overnight, Zack. Overnight people knew my name. I couldn’t go shopping or stop at Starbucks for a latte. My Twitter blew up and so did my Facebook. I couldn’t tell my friends from the people who stalked me.”

His eyes grew a little wider.

“You feeling me?”

“I think so.”

“How many Twitter followers did you add tonight?”

“A hundred thousand.” He picked up his phone beside him and shoved it in his pocket. “I haven’t really looked.”

“Oh”—she pointed at him—“but they’re looking, aren’t they? And by next week it’ll be twice that. All those girls wanting a piece of your look and your voice and your body. You ready for that, Zack Dylan?”

He looked at the ground again. “I guess . . . I didn’t think about it.”

“You’re thinking about faith, right? How you can give God the glory through the platform of Fifteen Minutes.” Her tone didn’t quite mock him, but it came close. “We had your type the year I won. It’s the same every year. But you know what?” She leaned close again, bent over her lap so she could see his face through the shadows. “Your God doesn’t shine in this environment. It’s like you have to pick who you’re gonna serve. God or fame.” She sat back and stared at him. “Really, Zack. That’s how it is.”

“I’ve seen people . . .” He didn’t sound convincing. “You know, make a stand for Jesus on shows like this.”

“No.” Her answer was quick and sharp. “You see what the cameras show. Behind the scenes there’s always compromise. Always.”

“What about—”

“The Voice last year? Sure, okay. He came out alive. But he hurried over to a Christian stage, didn’t he? Country music? Pop rock? Those worlds would’ve destroyed him. He knew better than to go that route. You remember how he left, right?”

“I do.” Zack narrowed his eyes.

“On his knees. He left on his knees, Zack. Singing to God, because he had to choose. God or fame.” She felt herself getting worked up. The last thing she wanted was anyone from Fifteen Minutes looking for her. This conversation was for her sanity. Her purposes. Not theirs. She forced herself to be quieter. “You know about my parents?”

Zack shook his head. “They were killed. I don’t know a lot more than that.”

“My fame killed them.” She waved her hand at demons she couldn’t see. “Some crazy stalker hunted them down and killed them when they came home one afternoon.”

He looked down. “I’m sorry.”

“You see it better now, Zack?” Her tone softened. “This show, shows like it, they suck people in and spit them out. They build them up and make them famous. For their purposes alone.” She leaned close again. “Hear me, Zack. When normal people become famous overnight they can never, ever go back. Not for any amount of money.”

Zack was listening now, no question. His look was more intent, deeper than before. “Back to the girl you were the day before you auditioned. Is that what you mean?”