HAZEL FINE SINGS ALONG (WATTYS 2022 Winner!)

Chapter 42: Enter Chris

Hazel stumbled out of the rehearsal space without any direction in mind. The hotel was full of landmines—paparazzi, her parents, Nick, Benji, Bella. Being in her room would only remind her that Checkers was missing, but she needed to lie down and gather herself.

She started to make her way through the lobby when she stopped short.

Chris was sitting with her arms folded at one of the bistro tables in front of the coffee cart.

"Chris! Did I miss a check-in? I'm sorry, things have been so chaotic ..."

The first time Hazel had met Chris she'd been surprised. She wasn't sure what she was expecting—a middle aged frump with bad hair smelling of cigarettes if television was any guide. Instead, she got a hard-nosed beautiful red head who could've stared in a 1950s private detective movie as the femme fatale. She wore well-cut suits, her hair was in a perfect updo, and she smelled of gardenias, not cigarettes. But the take no prisoners part was right, and that's what her expression was right then. Like Hazel was a prisoner who stepped out of bounds.

"Sit down, Hazel."

Hazel took a seat, glancing around nervously. There wasn't anyone who was an obvious pap, but that didn't mean they weren't listening, blending in like tourists.

"Could we, maybe discuss this somewhere else?"

Chris frowned. "I assumed you didn't want to come down to my office with all of the ... attention you've been receiving."

"Thank you. But this is a very public place and ..."

"Hazel, I'll be frank with you. You're in trouble."

"Because of the lying to get on the show?"

"I was ... displeased to read about that. And you never reported your change of location and job switch to me properly. That is a violation of the terms of your probation."

"I explained about that, though. I meant to, it just all happened so suddenly, and ... It's not like I was doing anything wrong, right?"

"Except lying about your age and everything about you."

"Yes, okay I did do that, but it wasn't illegal ... I mean, I didn't intend to ... No one got hurt."

"That is not the standard. And there is more to it than that."

Hazel felt like she was sobering up when she hadn't even been drinking. "What?"

"The company you've been keeping."

"You mean Martin?"

Chris's face filled with distaste. "He hasn't been charged with anything. I'm speaking about Dan Moore."

"I don't even know who that is."

Chris took her phone out and showed her a photo. It was of her and Benji and Bella and Bella's brother at Christopher's.

"Dan, Bella's brother?"

"What do you know about him?"

Hazel shrugged. "He's connected in Hollywood. Some people say that he got her on this show."

"He's under federal investigation for financial fraud and is about to be indicted."

"I don't even know him."

"But here you are in a bar, clearly inebriated, hanging out with him. You know the conditions of your parole."

Hazel's heart hammered. "But I haven't done anything wrong."

"I beg to differ." Chris lifted her hand and began counting off a list. "You left your approved job without permission. You left your approved housing without permission. You have been consuming alcohol excessively. You have been consorting with financial criminals."

"But I got a better job. I mean, potentially. And you can't really mean I should've stayed in the Motel California rather than move into a five-star hotel. And I don't know Dan. That was one night."

"And the alcohol?"

"Blowing off steam. You can't send me back to prison. Please, Chris, I'm begging you."

"It's not entirely in my hands."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Stay out of the press until I get this resolved."

Hazel sat back in her chair. "That's kind of out of my hands."

"Yes. Well. You should have thought of all of this before you went off the rails."

"You're right."

Chris looked at her. Assessing her maybe. "I'm disappointed in you, Hazel. You were coming along nicely. Sticking to your program. What happened?"

"I had a shot to change my life."

"Was it so bad?"

"It wasn't great."

"It was a life, though, Hazel. A simple life without complications. A life that many people would've been grateful to have."

"So, I'm wrong to want more?"

"You're wrong to want more when you're under court supervision."

"But I'm supposed to be rehabilitating myself," Hazel said. "That's what I'm trying to do."

Chris's mouth was a thin line. "There's a right way and wrong way to go about that."

"And I've chosen the wrong way."

"I agree."

"I meant that more as a question."

Chris stood. "Did you?"

"What do I do now?"

"You can finish the Sing Along, but like I said, stay out of the media if you can. I don't want to be seeing any more stories about partying or hanging out with soon-to-be-indicted financial fraudsters."

"I never wanted to hang with Dan in the first place."

"Good. You should also have a plan for after all of this. What happens if you don't win?"

"I'm not sure."

"Where are you going to live? How are you going to eat?"

"I should have opportunities regardless of whether I win or not. I've been making good money for each aired episode, and I haven't spent it. I have a bit of a cushion."

"That's not a plan, Hazel. That's what I need from you. A solid plan and a real recognition that you are playing with fire here. You need to get your house in order, or I'm afraid you're going to end up right back where you started."

"I hear you."

"Good."

"Thank you, Chris."

"For what?"

"For coming here and being straight with me. You didn't have to do that, I know."

Chris nodded. "Don't make me regret it."