A luxury car drove through the highway at a leisurely speed. A driver in a professional uniform drove the vehicle, making sure to not speed up too much so as to not disturb the person sleeping in the back.
The said person was comfortably leaning against the car window, his eyes closed, lost in his dreams. However, his sweet slumber had to get cut short when the smartphone lying by his side started loudly blaring with an ugly ringtone. It was the sound of someone singing.
The person frowned but still made the effort to pick up the call.
“Jasper, my brother! You need to hurry up! This local tyrant has already shaken up the entire studio with his temper. If you don’t come soon, I’m afraid he might just leave directly!”
Jasper woke up to the loud shout of his best friend. His frown further deepened.
So annoying.
He didn’t let any of his annoyance show in his voice though. “Wasn’t Mr Vade supposed to arrive half an hour later?”
A gentle voice came out of his throat. Though it wasn’t of great quality, and some might even consider it unpleasant, it still had an inherent charm to it that couldn’t be ignored.
The person on the other side of the phone sighed. “You know these singers, man…They have never picked up a pen to write a song in their entire life, but suddenly they feel like they are having an epiphany. This guy comes to me and says that he just got some major inspiration and wants to move our songwriting sessions forward. Tell me, if he’s so inspired, why doesn’t he just write the song himself? Why does he even need you?”
Jasper chuckled in reply. Don’t worry too much. Everyone has their own talents to focus on.”
The person on the other end was quiet for a few seconds before speaking again. “You work so much harder than these spoiled brats, Jas. If you had the things he had, you wouldn’t need to bend your back and be a mere songwriter.”
Jasper didn’t reply. He and his friend had already had this conversation many times before.
Knowing that, the person didn’t dwell on the topic too much and quickly returned to why he had actually called.
“Anyways, how long will it take for you to reach the studio?”
Jasper looked at his watch. “Not too long. It should just be-,” Jasper tilted his head and met the driver’s eyes through the rear-view mirror.
The driver understood his meaning and pressed his foot on the accelerator. The car quickly picked up pace.
“-around 15 minutes,” Jasper finished his sentence.
“Okay, bro. Have a safe ride.”
“I will. Thank you.”
Jasper ended the call and casually scrolled through his phone. Various thoughts occupied his head. It had been around 16 years since he had entered the entertainment industry.
Initially, the young him had come with his head hung high in the clouds, dreaming of becoming like those untouchable pop stars that everyone saw and loved. Unfortunately, reality soon came down crashing hard on him.
He had neither the voice nor the looks to match up to those giants. Music labels didn’t even bother to consider him. Without any significant connection in the industry, he had to fall back into the sidelines, just like every other failed music artist.
He wrote songs, made melodies, and produced beats. His work soon gained prominence as people started taking notice of him. He started earning money as his talent was finally recognized.
Sadly, he was forever doomed to remain in the background. In his 13 years of career as a songwriter, he had written many hit songs for top pop stars, pushing their careers further and increasing their fame. Having achieved all this at just 29 years of age, he could even be considered somewhat of a songwriter prodigy.
But he didn’t want to be a songwriter prodigy. He wanted to be a pop star. A person who could actually go out and sing in front of a crowd, with millions of fans adoring him. Even the money they earned was incomparable to the meagre income of a songwriter.
Jasper sighed.
Not everyone can have what they want in life. I should already be happy with what I have.
With this thought, he turned off his phone, ready to drift into sleep again for the remaining 10 minutes of his journey. He had a tough day ahead. Dealing with moody clients was the worst.
He had just closed his eyes when his body abruptly pushed forward due to inertia. He looked up in shock.
A large truck had suddenly stopped right before the end of the highway, right in the car’s path. As the car’s speed rapidly increased as it went down the downward slope of the highway, the driver pressed the break in a panic. He anxiously swerved the steering wheel, hoping to deviate the car and avoid the collision.
But alas, it was to no avail. The vehicles were too close to each other, and the car was moving with too much momentum. One second later, the car directly collided with the big truck, pieces of metal flying away. The hood of the car even caught fire.
Jasper didn’t even get the chance to have any last thoughts. The regret he felt before dying would be the last thing that occupied his mind.
Surprisingly, the driver somehow managed to survive the crash. As passersby soon gathered at the scene, they helped him out of the car, which seemed to be at risk of exploding at any moment.
The driver panted in pain, clutching the wound on his head. He screamed at his helpers, “Mr Quinn! He is still inside! Somebody help him too!”
The people didn’t waste any time, opening the back door to get Jasper’s body out. Unfortunately for them, the man known as Jasper Quinn had already left the world.
