From Skid Row to Superstardom: An Idol System Novel

As soon as Ari arrived back in Skid Row, he walked down the familiar streets crowded with trash, tents, and other sketchy things, marveling at the fact that this used to be his daily commute, every day for the past two years.

But because of one incident, his life had changed for both good and bad, and he had found a new normal that didn't mean sleeping in a tent and having to watch his back each night.

[Hurry up.]

And of course, he had unwillingly picked up a partner who liked to nag.

"I'm going. I'm going. How long do I have to be here?" Ari grumbled back while batting away the blue screen that filled his vision.

[Until you're done.]

Very helpful.

Still carefully looking around to make sure that there was nothing dangerous around him, Ari headed toward the main street entrance where volunteers usually met up.

If there were a soup kitchen, it would probably be set up there for easier distribution and for people to gather.

Just as he expected, a table was set up with several steaming pots of food, and quite a long line of people was there to receive it.

Two volunteers, wearing aprons and plastic gloves with branding that said Layla's Kitchen, were manning the table while the line of people waiting to be served was well over 50 and still growing.

Purposely walking as far away from the line as he could to make it apparent that he wasn't cutting, Ari found the third person who looked to be in charge, a larger, dark skin lady with her hair tightly pulled into a bun and a no-nonsense frown on her face, and spoke to her.

"Hi, I'm Ariel Matisse. I'm here to help volunteer for the soup kitchen."

"Did you sign up to volunteer? I don't recall seeing your name on the list."

"No, but I'm willing to do whatever you need, if you need help?"

The woman looked him over, noting the animal tracksuit, scuffed shoes that were the style kids wore these days, and the incredibly handsome face before focusing on his black eye and the bandaged hand, before rolling her eyes and grumbling quietly.

"Ugh, another pretty, rich white boy that's probably here for a photo opp while doing community service for beating somebody up. Probably going to dip once they're gone, aren't you?"

"Pardon?"

"Nothing. Lucky for you, we're always short on hands. Grab some gloves and grab an apron. I'll have you do the deliveries to the tents where people refuse to come out. If they talk to you, ask if they need any toiletries, and you can come back and get the items and deliver them back to them, or tell them to come down here if they can."

The woman intentionally gave Ari a challenging position that would have him not only running back and forth, but would also make him go deeper into the dirtier part of Skid Row.

She expected him to balk at the tasks that were more difficult than just standing there and serving food, but Ari simply shrugged.

"Sure. Do you have any extra trash bags for me to wrap around my shoes? Or if not, any extra shower caps?"

"Yes, ask Thomas for them. Tom!"

At her call, an old, balding man with red hair ran over while panting.

"Ha ha, yes Boss Lady?"

"Get the volunteer some gear and set him loose to do deliveries."

"Roger, Roger. Come with me, please? What was your name?"

"Ariel."

"Ariel? Isn't that the-"

"Mermaid? Yes. Girls name. No."

After being given the proper equipment, Ari began running back and forth with the packed food containers, using the opportunity to knock out one of his repeat missions and build some stamina as he traversed his old haunting grounds.

Although some people were missing or had moved their tents, he focused on handing food to the older people who struggled to move around and might not get a meal otherwise.

While on his 10th or 11th delivery run, he spotted a slightly familiar figure.

It was an old man who occasionally chatted with Grandma Lisa and constantly hit on Grandma Kim.

"Old man George."

The old man with greyish pupils, sparse hair, and age spots dotting his skin smiled widely, exposing his missing teeth as he rocked on his tattered but clean lawn chair.

"Ari, my boy. I haven't seen you around in a bit. Word is that you got out of here, kiddo?"

"I did. A kind priest is letting me live at his church for now. I brought you some grub. It's a sandwich and a pickle with some water." Ari handed the paper bag over.

"Thank you kindly. And I'm glad, kiddo. You're too young and smart to be living on the street. Got a lot going for you. Stay off the streets, don't do drugs, and don't get into fights, you hear me? Appreciate what you have now so you don't end up back on the street like me, you hear me?"

"I didn't get into a fight, old man."

"That eye and wrapped-up hand say otherwise. Next time, keep your wrist straight and use your body weight when hitting so the other person feels it. Not that there's much weight to you. But you hit like this…fwish fwish. Back in my day, I used to really lay it down. They called me hammer fist." The old man did a couple of fake jabs towards Ari before relaxing in his seat.

"I really didn't get into a fight. I promise."

"No need to be shy. Men need to fight. Just make sure you duck, too. Your face is too pretty to be injured. If I had done that when I was younger, maybe I would have had a chance with that gorgeous, sexy beauty, Miss Kim? How's she doing, by the way? Her and Lisa?"

Ari thought about Granny Kim dressed in her hot pink tracksuit and matching cane and her arguing with the other old lady at their retirement home, and tried to reconcile it with a hot, sexy beauty before laughing, "Granny Kim is doing well, so is Granny Lisa. I need to go visit them soon."

"You should. When you do, tell Kim to call my number. I'd love to take her out." As the old man waggled his eyebrows mischievously, Ari laughed.

"Uhhhh, got it, I guess? The lady in charge said I should ask if you need anything. Toiletries, etc? They have a few things, and I'll bring them over to you if you tell me what you need."

"Are they over there by the main street entrance?"

"Yes, sir."

"I'll just head over myself. A walk will do these old bones some good."

"Take it easy, old man. Nice and slow so you don't fall."

"Now don't you start nagging me, too. I'm still young and spry!"

"Of course you are. But please take it slow for me. I get tired easily. Not enough meat on my bones."

"Hmph. As long as you know."

With slow steps, Ari walked alongside him, chatting about random things until they finally reached where the table was set up.

Thankfully, the long line had dwindled immensely, so old man George could walk right up and ask for what he wanted.

Seeing that he was fine, Ari went to check with the boss lady, whose name was Layla.

When she caught sight of him, he looked him up and down before begrudgingly giving him a nod.

"You lasted longer than I thought you would and actually did work instead of running away. I guess you're alright, white boy."

"Uh….thank you?"

Before Ari could ask if there was anything else to do-

Grumbllllllllllllleeeeee.

His stomach let out a loud noise, making it known that he hadn't eaten breakfast today and had been exercising hard.

The corners of Layla's mouth twitched before going back to a straight line.

The two of them stared at each other while Ari's stomach continued to embarrass him until she asked.

"Hungry?"

"…yes."

"I only have what we provided. Can you eat that, or are you too good for food given to homeless people?"

"I'd be grateful for anything you give me to eat," Ari told her honestly.

He had barged in to volunteer and hadn't expected a meal at all, so anything he got was a sweet bonus.

Layla gave him another strange look before grabbing an identical paper bag to those that had been handed out and giving it to him, watching as Ari ripped into it, took out the chicken sandwich, and bit off a large piece.

"You know most volunteers refuse to eat this food. They think it's beneath them."

"Well, I'm a terrible cook, so I don't think I'm allowed to be a picky eater," Ari replied as he munched on the sandwich.

It was a bit salty, but it wasn't the worst thing that he had ever eaten before, and free food was free food.

Who was he to complain when all he had to do was drink a little more water?

"I hope you don't think that just because you're a boy, cooking is not for you. It's not just for girls. You should learn how to cook."

"I don't think that at all. My dad was the cook in our house, and he used to say that to me and my mom all the time."

"Your dad is right. It's a life skill everyone should have."

"Hmmm," Ari replied noncommittally as he continued to eat.

This wasn't a conversation he particularly wanted to have, and it seemed Layla got the hint.

"I noticed you used the past tense when speaking about your father. I'm sorry for your loss."

"It's fine. I appreciate you letting me help out and feeding me. It's a pretty good sandwich."

"No need to lie. I know it's a bit too salty."

"Well, so is life, and we power through that anyway."

"Heh. You're a funny kid. What's your story? Lose a fight and have to do community service?"

"Absolutely not. And if I did get in a fight, I'd win."

"Doubtful."

Ari: ಠ_ಠ

"Anyway, I'm on an idol survival show trying to become a member of a global boy group. Today's my off day, and I was given a task to do some acts of service, so here I am. You?"

"Huh. Well, I recently opened a restaurant and we're trying to make sure we give back to the community as we continue to grow, so here I am."

"Well, thanks for your hard work. I'm sure the people here appreciate it."

"Likewise. You were quite helpful today. What's your show called? Maybe I can show you some support?"

"It's called Pop Star Academy. If you do watch it, please vote for me. My name is Ariel. Ariel Matisse."

"Got it. I'll keep it in mind and share it with the regulars who come by to eat."

"Thanks."

It was silent while Ari ate his food, until somebody called out to Layla.

"Boss Lady, we're out of some things here. What do we do?" Thomas called out.

"We have more things in the van. You come help me out while Liz takes care of the table. Ariel, if you want to leave, you can since we're almost done for the day."

"I'll just hang around and wait until the job is all done."

Even if he wanted to, he couldn't leave until the task was complete.

"Suit yourself."

As Layla left with Thomas, Ari parked himself by the now empty table and line and began making conversation with Liz, who seemed to be college-aged and on the shyer side.

"So how long have you been working with Layla?"

"For about 4 months now. I'm an assistant manager at the restaurant."

"Nice. What's that like?"

"It's actually really fun! One day, I want to open my own restaurant!"

"Oh yeah? What kind of food do you want to serve?"

"Funny you should ask. I really want to go to culinary school in France and do-"

"Hello, we're with LA local news, reporting on the homeless issues in Skid Row and how the community helps those who call this place home. I apologize because we're a bit late. It seems like you're volunteering here? Could you tell us about yourself and what Layla's Kitchen stands for? "

A loud voice interrupted their conversation, and when Ari turned, he noticed a woman wearing a skirt suit holding a microphone, along with a camera crew behind her.

Ari glanced over at Liz and, seeing that she seemed to be frozen from nervousness, he began speaking, basically regurgitating all the information that he had learned.

"Uh, hi, I'm Ariel Matisse. This is Liz. She's the assistant manager at Layla's Kitchen, a restaurant that's been open for a couple of months, and she wants to give back to the community as it grows. As you mentioned, I'm a volunteer, and Layla's Kitchen had a soup kitchen today, providing not only food but toiletries and other necessities. I'm not in charge, so please give me a second, let me go get the boss lady, Layla, so that she can tell her story."

"I'll do it!"

Before Ari could turn to leave, Liz had already run off at high speed without looking back.

Ari glanced at the cloud of dust that she had kicked up before laughing awkwardly at the news crew.

"I think she's shy."

"Well. I can see that you're not. That was a lovely intro for something you claim not to know enough about. Why don't you tell us a bit about yourself, what you do, and how you got to be here, Volunteer Ari?"

The news reporter couldn't help but blush as she stared at the young man who made having a black eye while wearing an apron and plastic gloves look attractive.

Ari thought it over for a moment before giving his best smile.

"Oh, sure. Once again, I'm Ariel Matisse. I'm currently on an idol survival show called Pop Star Academy, where I'm trying to become the biggest global Pop Star ever. If you could vote for me, I would really appreciate it. If you don't want to do that, then please donate to your local food bank and homeless shelter or make time out to volunteer however you can. Many homeless individuals are simply down on their luck and would greatly appreciate a kind word, a warm meal, and being treated with dignity. Thank you."

"Wow, thank you for that lovely message. If you're on an idol survival show, does that mean you can sing? Why don't you sing something for us while we wait?"

Ari thought it over before closing his eyes and singing a short segment of a song that he thought would show off his vocals.

Isn't it lovely, all alone?

Heart made of glass, my mind of stone,

Tear me to pieces, skin to bone,

Hello, welcome home

Clap clap cap

When Ari opened his eyes, it was to see the reporter clapping happily with slightly teary eyes.

Even the cameraman's eyes looked glossy.

"That was so beautiful. Wow. I felt like I was in so much pain just from hearing you sing. It brought tears to my eyes."

…is that a good thing or a bad thing?

Choosing to take that as a compliment, Ari just smiled at her.

"Thank you for listening. Oh, look, here's Layla now."

Ari pointed off to the side, where Layla was speed walking at a pace that Liz and Thomas couldn't keep up with.

When she arrived, she quickly did an interview with the news crew, while Ari stood off to the side and waved when the camera pointed in his direction.

And after everything was done…

"Actually, do you mind if we take a picture of all of you? We'd like to put you up on our segment tonight about community heroes."

"Sure. Everyone, let's gather up! 1, 2, 3 say cheese!"

"Cheese!!"

They took a group photo where Ari somehow ended up in the center.

"Thank you! I'll definitely push to get the story out and share your social media profiles. Have a good day!"

"Bye!"

Once the newly brought goods were shared and Layla was packing up to leave, Ari finally got a notification.

[Ding!]

[Task 1/4: Volunteer at a soup kitchen at Skid Row Complete]

[Time to head to complete the next task.]

[Task 2/4: LA Community Beautification Trash Pick Up and Street Cleaning.]

[The closest stop is half a mile away, and the bus comes in 5 minutes.]

[I recommend that you start running.]

Waving politely at Layla and her crew, Ari began to make a run for it.

At the following location, he picked up trash, wiped public benches, and somehow ended up in another photo before being forced to head to the next location.

[Ding!]

[Task 2/4: LA Community Beautification Trash Pick Up and Street Cleaning Complete.]

[Task 3/4: LA Environmental Tree and Wildflower Planting For The Community.]

After digging in the firm, rocky California ground to plant trees and wild flowers at the following location, he was finally on the last task, which led him to a residential area.

[Ding!]

[Task 3/4: LA Environmental Tree and Wildflower Planting For The Community.]

[Task 4/4: Find Fat Boi]

"What the heck is a Fat Boi?"

Ari stared at the playground that he had been directed to in complete confusion.

Then he heard a cold voice behind him.

"Why do you know that name? Are you a stalker, the harasser, paparazzi, or all of the above?"