The Archives of BFF
Pre-Switch (Before 2010): I’m not joining ‘Kidz Bopz’.
This story's purpose is to expose sin, not to glorify. As a reader, you are challenge in identifying what is considered sin or Christ-like. Remember, you are reading a testimony. Therefore, if God can help them, then He can do so much more for you!
Jesus can heal you.
Jesus can redeem you.
Jesus can save you.
“GET UP! You are going to be late for school,” Theo’s mom yelled as she pull the blankets off him.
Theo grumbled as he sat up in frustration. It has been six months since his family moved from Washington D.C. to Brixton, England.
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The interviewer question, “What were you doing in London?”
Theo boldly said, “Wasting time. My dad was chasing a weird pipe dream of being in the chocolate business. Things were working well with his job but he started to become a drunk. We lost our luxury flat after two months of living in it because my dad gamble all his savings at some pub. So we moved to Brixton, where the rent was ‘cheaper’.”
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Theo, being an only child, rush down the stairs. However quickly he came to a halt. Peeking around the corner he saw his dad drinking some whisky out of the bottle while reading the newspaper. He had dark red hair like Theo and rusted white skin. Had to been at least 32 but look 50 from all the stress he was holding on to.
Slowly he grab his backpack from under the stairs and tip toe out the door.
Yet his efforts were in vain because his father notice him.
“THEO!”
Theo drag his feet to the kitchen.
“Hey buddy, look what I found in the newspaper,” he said.
“And what would that be?” Theo said with an attitude.
Theo’s dad laid the newspaper and pointed to an ad.
It read,
[The world famous Ex-S Records is looking for talent! If you can sing and dance, make your way to the Ruben Center and audition your way to fame!]
Theo didn’t seem so interested.
“I’ve seen the commercials. Not interest,” Theo said walking away.
“Wait. I know you can sing and dance. Think about it. You could get us out the hood,” Theo’s dad suggest.
Theo turned around and harshly said, “No I will get out the hood. You already tried that and now we stuck here with fake green cards, pretending to blend into the crowd.”
This offended Theo’s dad.
“Don’t you talk to me like that mister. You better show me some [redacted] [redacted] respect!”
“I have school,” Theo said walking out.
“I will decide you punishment when you get back from school. Mr. Know-It-All! YOU BETTER-”
Theo slam the door before his dad could finish.
Waiting for him at the bottom of the steps was young Romeo. The weather was cold but the sun gave some life to the dull color boroughs.
“Theophilus you ready?” Romeo asked in his heavy British accent.
“Stop calling me Theophilus,” Theo pleaded.
Romeo rolled his eyes, “What ‘ever bro. Ready for school?”
Theo came to the bottom of the steps smirking really hard.
He turned around briefly and to make sure his parents weren’t watching him through the window.
“Let’s skip school,” Theo said pulling Romeo down the street.
Romeo stop in his place very quick.
“Ayo. What chu mean. I can’t bunk off, especially right now. I can’t afford to be sent back to preparatory.”
Suddenly a girl with pale skin and brown fluffy yet frizzy curly hair came up to them. Her accent wasn’t as heavy as Romeo. Maybe because she stay watching many Canadian shows.
“What’s this I see? Theo and Romeo.”
Theo gazed at Brionna in awe.
“He want us to bunk and ditch school,” Romeo pouted.
“Why bunk?” Brionna asked.
Theo notice his mother down the street getting into her car.
In urgency he beg for the two to hide with him behind some boxes.
Once his mother car pass by, the three came out of hiding.
Theo said, “Remember those Kidz Bopz lookin commercial’s? Auditions are today at the Reuben center. If we catch -”
“Woah Woah Woah. Woah,” Romeo said, “I am not interested in being in the next generation of Kidz Bopz or Miniz Pop Kidz.”
Brionna suck her upper lip a bit. She joked, “Well Miniz Pop is pretty good actually…”
“Who wouldn’t want to be in Kidz Bopz? You can live a lavish life,” Theo said excited.
Romeo was not convince.
He said, “No. My mother would disapproval this foolishness.”
“If you can get in, you can say goodbye to boarding school threats,” Theo offered.
“And what do I get out of this?” Brionna asked.
Theo gave it some thought, “Well you could travel the world. Get out of this dump.”
Brionna fold her arms, “That’s the ticket out? Joining a Kidz Bopz group?”
Theo sighed, “We are 13. That’s your only option right now, unless you plan on graduating early.”
“But its Kidz Bopz. I am not interested in being bully yea. I have a reputation to hold,” Romeo said disgusted.
Theo pointed, “Its LIKE Kidz Bopz. Its LIKE Miniz Pop Kidz. We are not joining the next generation of any of those group. We will be part of the first generation of a new group.”
Romeo questioned, “A kids group that makes covers to popular songs?”
“I’ll pass,” Brionna said.
Romeo and Brionna started walking away but Theo pull them back.
“Come with me. I have a really good feeling about this.”
Romeo and Brionna look at each other than at Theo, who was filled with puppy eyes. Given in the two decided to skip school. (Little did they know they actually had a free day off. Admin day for the teachers).
The only rule of thumb was that they ALL had to audition together. Ex-S Records must take the three of them or no one at all.
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“How simple,” the interviewer smiled.
Brionna nodded in agreement, “Yes. I still remember the bus ride there. I was so scared of getting in trouble with my parents. I was also mad that Theo dragged me to a ‘Kidz Bopz’ audition. I was not interested in being apart of a group that served the little children demographic.”
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The three arrived to the Reuben Center. It was a massive convention in a very trendy neighborhood. However to their surprise, there was no advertisement of the auditions.
“Are you sure the auditions are today,” Romeo questioned.
Theo looked around in slight panic.
“It has to be today. Lord knows I need a ticket out of this country… No offense,” Theo said.
“None taken,” Romeo said.
The three slowly walked into the center. It was a ghost town.
“Where do we register?” Romeo asked.
Suddenly they heard some noise coming from a conference room.
Quietly they walk closer and closer to the sound.
“Open the door,” Theo whispered.
“Wait.”
“Shush. Shush.”
“Open the door.”
“There probably no one in there,” Romeo whisper.
Then they felt a heavy divine presence push the three through the door.
Coming through Romeo, Brionna, and Theo froze in their fall. There was three judges staring at them.
“GLORY GLORY GLORY!,” cried one of the judges, “I thought I was about to lose my job. FINALLY someone had came to the audition. CAN YOU THREE SING?”
Brionna, Romeo, and Theo looked at each other in confuse. Slowly they walk into the a classroom like space.
“Sure…” Theo hestiated to say.
“Sing then,” request one of the judges.
The three decided to sing an old Mamas and Papas song in acapella. (Something they learned in music class.)
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Romeo was laughing hysterically.
“Oh! We sounded horrible. My voice was cracking. Theo was off beat. Brionna was forgetting her lyrics. It was bad,” Romeo explain.
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Bad show didn’t matter. A bad audition didn’t matter because they had favor over the Lord. Something about character dynamics struck the three judges.
“You are in,” said one of the judges, “all three of you.”
“What? How? You don’t even know our names,” Romeo said.
“That don’t matter. We have a quota to meet before 12pm today for our London rounds before we go to South Africa. We needed three singers and you three came.”
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Romeo continued during the interview, “We were given three contracts right on the spot. Now I realize it was probably illegal to let some minors sign a 360 deal while in their school uniform. We were only in Year 9. What do we know about contracts?”
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Outside the building, the three look at each other in shock.
Out of nowhere Brionna pushed Theo.
“Hey hey hey. What did I do,” Theo said brushing his sleeves.
“I just got suck into a children show group!” Brionna said upset.
“You sign the papers. Not me,” Theo said.
“It happen so fast. I didn’t have time to think,” Brionna said freaking out.
Romeo started walking down the street, feeling like he was going to faith.
“Romeo,” Theo said coming behind him.
Suddenly Romeo ran to the side of the street and started vomiting repulsively.
“What just happen? They said we are moving to New York,” Romeo said before vomiting again.
Brionna dragged her feet to Romeo and Theo feeling very worry.
“You will love the States,” Theo said.
Romeo tried to catch his breathe as he stood up straight.
“You… You are from America. Brionna and I are from here.”
Theo threw his hands in the air.
He cried, “We audition for an American company. Its an American group. Of course we have to move to America.”
“I can’t believe it,” Brionna whined.
“We might not be doing covers,” Theo suggested.
“I can’t live off a might Theo,” Romeo said holding back his vomit.
Theo respond, “You the sign the papers. If you want that might to come true, you better start praying for it.”
Romeo and Brionna was not happy. If only they knew what group they were really joining.
Theo pluck his collar and adjust his tie, “Well I am going to pack my bags. I can finally get away from the demons that made my pops an alcoholic.”
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“Is that what the archive say,” Theo questioned.
The interviewer handed over Theo a thick binder, filled with archives.
“I can finally get away from the demons that made my pops an alcoholic,” Theo read before handing the binder back to the interviewer.
“Thoughts.”
Theo scratch his head.
“Is that what I told you Valen?” Theo asked.
Off camera I said, “I only write down what you tell me.”
“Geez,” Theo sighed shifting his attention back to the interviewer, “Those demons followed me to New York. They followed me everywhere. Generational curses. I made had broke away from the spirit of poverty but intoxication had a… what’s the word…”
“Stronghold,” one of the members yelled from the sideline.
“Yes. Stronghold over my life. My father, my grandfather, and his grandfather, and so on and so on are all… alcoholics. Don’t know why but I was numb to the convictions of drinking but now I have been sober for three years so cheers to that.”
The interviewer smiled, “How did your parents respond to you signing to Ex-S Records.”
Theo laughed.
“I got kicked out. Had to live with Romeo until it was time to fly out to New York City.”
“Oh…”
Esther 2: 8-9