The Pop Star

Megan Smith is getting a lot of attention as a pop star but her parents do not like her behavior. That is why they decide it is time to end the music career and make Megan live an ordinary life.

Prologue

 

            “Do you have a minute, Megan?” my mom asked that afternoon.

            “I guess.”

            “Have a seat,” she said with a gesture towards the couch where my dad was sitting.

            I wondered what this was about.

            “Remember the discussion we had a couple months ago?” my mom asked.

            I thought back to the discussion my parents and I had had right after my music video Bulldozer had come out.

 

            “We have seen your new video,” my dad said.

            “Yeah, isn’t it great?” I said.

            “That’s not how I would describe it,” he said.

            “What’s wrong with it?” I was disappointed. I thought my parents would be pleased with the video. I thought it was one of my best yet.

            “Why aren’t you wearing any clothes in the video?” my mom asked.

            “It is a form of expression, Mom. Besides, you can’t see anything because of the way I am positioned on the bulldozer.”

            “It still isn’t appropriate.”

            “You guys are too old fashioned. Besides, I am trying to get away from my good girl image that I got when I played the kid detective on Detective Megan.”

            “There is nothing wrong with being known as that girl. And that show ended when you were thirteen. People no longer see you as a kid detective. They see you as a famous singer.”

            “They see me as a kid,” I said.

            “You are only sixteen. You are too young to be doing a music video wearing nothing.”

            “Like I said, it was a form of expression and you can’t see anything.”

            “If you cannot present yourself with dignity, Megan, we are going to end your music career. This is your only warning.”

 

            “What did I do wrong?” I asked my parents.

            “Think back to last night,” my mom said.

            Last night was the music awards. I had performed with Tony Martinez. I had danced with a bunch of dolls on stage.

            “What happened last night?” I asked.

            “What were you wearing?”

            “Flesh colored shorts and top,” I replied. I was still wearing clothes even though it was hard to tell.

            “That is one strike against you.”

            “You mean there is more?” I asked.

            “That dance you did wasn’t appropriate either.”

            “Are you talking about with the dolls? They may have been a little creepy but there is nothing wrong with that.”

            “We’re talking about the dance move you did with your partner.”

            “Oh.” Yeah, that might now have been the cleanest dance move I could have done.

            “I’m sorry,” I said, hoping they weren’t serious about ending my career.

            “It is too late for that, Megan. We are ending your music career. We are going to move to Iowa. We are hoping that the small town we are moving to will teach you some values and dignity.”

            “You can’t be serious! You are going to take me away at the peak of my career?”

            “You had your chance, Megan, and you blew it.”

 

Chapter 1

 

            I glumly stared at my reflection in the mirror. My blue hair had been dyed back to brown and was wavy instead of straight. I was wearing a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. I almost looked like everybody else. But all I could see was Detective Megan. People were sure to recognize me.

            My parents had decided that I had needed to change my appearance so nobody would recognize me as a famous pop star. I didn’t think it would take people long to figure it out though. I may not look exactly the same but I still had the same name.

            “I cannot go to school like this,” I told my mom when she entered my room. “I look like Detective Megan.”

            “People won’t even remember the show, Megan.”

            “They are going to recognize my name.”

            “Megan Smith is a fairly common name. You can make up a lot of excuses. Now, let’s go.”

            “Can’t I go to school by myself?”

            “You have never gone to a real school before. I will get you registered and then leave.”

            School hadn’t started yet when my mom and I entered the tall brick building. Kids stared at us as we walked to the office and some of them started whispering.

            “I would like to register my daughter for school,” my mom told the woman behind the desk.

            “Go ahead and fill out these papers and I will go let the guidance counselor know you are here.”

            After my mom had finished with the papers, we joined the guidance counselor in her office.

            “I am Mrs. O’Reilly,” she said as she shook my hand.

            “Megan Smith,” I replied.

            “You look remarkably like the detective on that old show, Detective Megan. My daughter used to watch that all the time.”

            “It is just a coincidence,” I said. “People tell me that I look like her all the time. It also doesn’t help that we have the same name.”

            “So you have never gone to real school before, Megan?” Mrs. O’Reilly asked with a look at my information.

            “I was privately tutored because my parents and I were traveling the country.”

            That was partly true. I had done a lot of traveling through my concert tours.

            “I will find a student to mentor you for the first few days so that you will become comfortable with our school.”

            “That isn’t necessary. I will figure it out by myself.”

            “Are you sure?”

            “Positive.” I didn’t want any help.

            “I am going to put you in these classes,” Mrs. O’Reilly said as she handed me a schedule.

            I quickly scanned through it. I would be taking American history, biology, PE, health, English, Spanish, and choir.

            “Let me know how your classes are going,” Mrs. O’Reilly said. “I will go take you on a quick tour and then take you to your first class.”

            “See you later, Megan,” my mom said. “Good luck.”

            I knew I was going to need all the luck I could get.

 

Chapter 2

 

            I managed to survive my morning classes because when I had been on Detective Megan, there were some scenes that were at school. I got a lot of suspicious looks from people this morning but thankfully, no one had said anything yet.

            Now, it was lunch time and as I looked around the cafeteria, I couldn’t find a place to sit. As a former famous actor and now famous pop singer, I have always been surrounded by people. Some of them were more fans than friends but right now, I would take anyone. I just wanted a friendly face to sit with.

            “You can sit with me and my friends,” a girl said behind me.

            I spun around and saw a very plain girl holding a lunch tray. She was better than nothing. I followed her to a table with two other girls that were just as plain as her.

            “I’m Brooke and that is Maggie and Jaycee,” she said.

            “I’m Megan,” I said.

            “You are in several of our classes,” Maggie said.

            “So where did you move from?” Jaycee asked.

            “California,” I answered.

            “What brought you to Iowa?”

            I took a small bite of the mysterious meat and mashed potato combination on my tray and made a face. It was horrible, whatever it was.

            “My parents made me move,” I said as I pushed my tray away from me. I would have to remember to bring my own lunch from now on.

            “I bet this is a huge adjustment for you,” Brooke said. “If you need a friend, we are here for you.”

            “Thanks,” I said. What was with these girls? Not one of them said anything about me looking like Detective Megan.

            “So what do you like to do?” Brooke asked.

            “I like to sing,” I said honestly.

            “Are you in choir?”

            “Yes.”

            “Awesome! So are we.”

            “And if you are interested, our church is always looking for people to sing in the worship band.”

            “Church really isn’t my thing,” I said. If only they knew about my past behavior. They probably wouldn’t be very quick to be friends.

            “Excuse me,” an unfamiliar girl said as she came up to our table, “but my friends think you look a lot like Megan Smith.”

            “Megan Smith the pop star?” Brooke asked with disbelief. The other girls burst into laughter. “Megan Smith has blue hair and does not dress like this. Besides, what would she be doing in an Iowa high School?”

            “You have to admit, she does look like her before she dyed her hair blue and was still on Detective Megan.”

            “My name is Megan and we might look a like but that is where the similarities end.”

            The girl walked away from our table, disappointed.

            “Are you a big Megan Smith fan?” Jaycee asked me.

            “Absolutely! I just adore her music. What about you?”

            “We would like her better if she would clean up her act a bit. Her most recent music video was a little disturbing and that dance move she did on the awards show was very inappropriate.”

            “What would you like her to do instead?” I asked.

            “She should become a Christian singer.”

            “I can’t picture her doing that,” I said with a laugh.

            The bell rang, ending our conversation. It was time to go to choir.

 

Chapter 3

 

            “New student, Mrs. Rayburn,” Brooke said when we entered the music room.

            “Hi, I am Mrs. Rayburn,” she said.

            “Megan.”

            “Any relationship to Megan Smith? You look a lot like her.”

            “No relation.”

            “So what part do you sing?”

            “I can sing any part.”

            “I’ll put you with the sopranos today. Stay after class for a few minutes and sing for me.” Hopefully she wasn’t a huge Megan Smith fan or she would recognize me immediately after I sang.

            I took a seat next to Brooke and warmed up with the rest of the choir. Then, we worked on some holiday music.

            “Are you sure you aren’t related to Megan Smith?” Brooke asked at one point when Mrs. Rayburn was working with the altos. “You sound a lot like her.”

            “I guess it is just another similarity I guess.”       

            “Seriously, you are really good. You could replace her.”

            “Thanks, but it is very difficult to make it in the music world.”

            “Not if you are really good. Maybe you could be a Megan Smith impersonator.”

            The bell rang and I was saved from any more discussion.

            As everyone filed out of the room, I went up to Mrs. Rayburn at the piano.

            “I’ll just have you sing a few warm-ups,” she said as she played a couple notes on the piano.

            “Aw,” I sang over and over.

            Suddenly, Mrs. Rayburn stopped playing.

            “I’m going to keep you with the sopranos. You have a really powerful voice.”

            “Thanks.”

            “I know it has come from all those concerts.”

            “Whatever are you talking about?”

            “I know you are Megan Smith. There are just so many similarities. You look almost like her. You have the same name. You even sound like her. You may have attempted to fool your classmates but you can’t fool me.”

            “Please don’t tell anyone!”

            “I am not going to say anything. Though I really don’t think you are going to fool anyone. What are you doing here anyway?”

            “I would rather not say. I also don’t want people to know. It will just make my life a little easier.”

            “Why are you trying to cover up the obvious?”

            I hadn’t exactly given that a lot of thought.

            “I guess maybe since I am stuck in the normal world, I just want to be a normal person. Besides, if I suddenly revealed to the school that I was a famous pop star, how do you think everyone would respond?”

            “I guess you have a point.”

            “Promise you won’t say anything.”

            “I promise. Let me know if there is anything I can do for you.”

            “Just keep your promise for now.” I left the choir room filled with worry.

 

 

Chapter 4

 

            “Time to get up, Megan,” my mom said early Sunday morning.

            “Why?” I complained. I had gotten up early every day to go to school. I deserved to sleep in on a Sunday morning.

            “We are going to church.”

            “We have never gone to church.”

            “Well, we are going now. It will be good for all of us. Now, go put on some nice clothes.”

            With a groan, I rolled out of bed and threw on a pair of jeans and a nice top.

            I really didn’t think my parents could ruin my life anymore when they took away my music career but apparently I was wrong.

            “Let’s go!” my dad called loudly.

            Once we arrived at the church, someone opened the door for us and shook our hands. “Welcome,” he said.

            Once we were inside, we went and took a seat in the sanctuary.

            “I didn’t think you were interested in coming to church!” Brooke said excitedly when she saw me.

            “Apparently my parents are,” I said.

            “You should think about coming to youth group tonight.”

            “That sounds like a great idea,” my mom said. “You can count on her.”

            Suddenly, some kids got a good look at me.

            “It is Megan Smith!” someone exclaimed.

            All these kids were swarming me, asking for autographs.

            “Kids, come back here,” a mom ordered.

            “I am not Megan Smith,” I said. “I just look like her.”

            “Sorry about that,” the mom apologized.

            “It happens quite often,” I said but I shot a look at my parents that told them this wouldn’t have happened if we hadn’t come to church.

            “I need to get going,” Brooke said. “I am part of the worship band.”

            A few minutes later, the worship band came forward and started singing a song. Even though the song was new to me, I still sang along with the lyrics on the screen up front.

            After a couple songs, the pastor came forward. He started off by reading James 2:1-13; 4:11-12. It was about how everyone should be accepting of all people and not show favoritism. It also said that we should not give special attention to the rich and ignore the poor. We need to love our neighbors as ourselves and not judge.

            “As it says in Romans 15:7,” the pastor said, “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. Do now show favoritism towards people like in says in Romans 2:11. And as it says in Acts 10:34-35, I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation who fear Him and do what is right.

            As humans, we are very judgmental. We decide what is acceptable and who is a Christian and who is going to Heaven. We compare our behavior with others to make ourselves look better. But as it says in Colossians 3:11, In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and He lives in all of us. In the end, all that will matter is whether we have surrendered our lives to Christ. That is the only way to Heaven.

            “When we judge, we are playing the part of God. Matthew 7:1-2 says, Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

            “Be accepting of everyone. Show everyone God’s love. Tell everyone about Jesus. In the end, it is going to be all about Jesus. If you are ready to make your life all about Jesus, I invite you to come forward now.”

            The worship band came up and sang another song but I didn’t sing. I was too busy thinking about what I had just heard.

            People judged me all the time. Yeah, my behavior wasn’t exactly Christian like and I didn’t exactly care, but it was only God’s right to judge people. And if anyone ever criticized me again for who I am, I would tell them that verse from Matthew.

            The song ended and someone came forward to say that she was ready to surrender her life to Jesus and have her sins washed away through baptism. I didn’t exactly understand what was happening but it was interesting to watch her get dunked in a tub of water.

            Finally though, after a final song, church was over.

            “Are you Megan Smith?” someone asked me as my parents and I were heading out. “Your voice sounds just like hers.”

            “It is just a coincidence,” I said.

            “Well, God has definitely blessed you with a beautiful voice. You should consider singing in the worship band.”

            “I will think about it,” I said. I was ready to get away from this person. I had never thought about my voice being a gift of God. I guess He is the reason behind it but I didn’t feel I needed to sing for Him because I didn’t feel like I owed God anything. Besides, I was hoping my parents would decide we were done with church.

 

Chapter 5

 

            That evening, I found myself back at church sitting at a table with Brooke, Maggie, Jaycee, and two other girls I did not know.

            “All right,” the pastor said loudly, “this morning in church we talked about being accepting of others and not judging people. In your groups, I want you to talk about people you might have judged in the past, about whether you have been judged, and people you need to be more accepting towards.”

            “I’m Diana,” one of the girls said to me.

            “And I am Janet,” the other girl said.

            “Megan,” I said.

            “It is great to have you here, Megan,” Janet said.

            “So does anyone want to start?” Jaycee asked.

            “I guess I am sometimes judgmental about people at school that don’t go to church,” Brooke began. “Just because a person goes to church doesn’t mean they are going to Heaven.”

            I was confused. I thought people who went to church and were generally good people were going to Heaven.

            “I think we are all like that at times,” Janet agreed.

            “Were you judging me the other day when I said I didn’t go to church?” I asked.

            “Sorry about that, Megan. I am really glad you decided to come today.”

            “So we were making judgments about you,” Maggie said. “How did that make you feel?”

            “I guess it is nothing new. People are very quick to judge me all the time. They judge my hair, my clothes, and my behavior. Nothing about me makes people happy.”

            All the girls at the table stared at me. They could see nothing wrong with my hair and clothes.

            “I have changed my appearance shortly before coming here,” I said quickly, hoping they wouldn’t ask any questions.

            “And really, aren’t we all a bit quick about judging appearances?” Diana asked. “We should look at the heart first.”

            “And as long as a person has Jesus in their heart, that is all that matters,” Brooke said.

            Finally, I had had enough of the confusion.

            “What do you mean?” I asked. “How do you have Jesus in your heart?”

            “Every person on this earth is a sinner, Megan,” Brooke began. “Because of that, we are unable to go to Heaven.”

            “But some people are better than others,” I protested. “Some people do try to be good.” I knew I wasn’t one of them but I figured I should make a case for the good ones.

            “Everyone is still a sinner. But God loves us so much that He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins. All we have to do is accept this forgiveness and surrender our lives to Christ.”

            “That seems too easy,” I said. “I am far from perfect. In fact, I have messed up pretty badly. How is that fair for me and a person that tries to do good to both go to Heaven?”

            “God just loves us so much that He wants us all to spend eternity in Heaven.”

            “So after a person surrenders their life to Christ, what does that look like?”

            “Well, first, a person is baptized. You saw that this morning. Baptism symbolically washes away all sins. The person that is baptized joins God’s family; starting over a new life. After they are baptized, they follow whatever plans God has for them and tell others about Jesus.”

            I tried to imagine what my life would look like with Jesus. I would have to make a lot of changes. I would have to sing new songs, dance differently, and change my appearance (from what I looked like as a pop star).

            “When a person is ready to surrender their life to Christ, they often pray, telling God they are a sinner and ready to accept His forgiveness.”

            I couldn’t explain what I was feeling right now. All of a sudden, I was starting to regret my past decisions. I also wanted the confidence that the other girls had that they would be spending eternity in Heaven. Apparently, it was not too late for me.

            “God, why would you want me?” I prayed silently. “Who am I but a sinner? I am only a worthless sinner with nothing to offer You.”

            I didn’t focus much on the rest of youth group. While I was thankful that these girls were very accepting of me, I really had a lot on my mind. All I really wanted to do was go home so that I could think.

 

Chapter 6

 

            “Lord,” I prayed when I got home, “I do not understand all these feelings in me. I get the feeling that You really want me. I cannot understand why You would though. Look at all those things I have done. Before, I never thought of them as sins. But now, I am regretting all those things. Lord, do You have big plans for me? Because if You do, could You let me know what they are?”

            Suddenly, I felt the beginning of a song starting to form in my head. It was unlike any song I had sung before. I picked up my guitar and began playing.

            “Lord, I have made a lot of mistakes in my life. The biggest mistake I have made is not seeing You sooner. I am sorry, Lord, for the past. Now, I am ready to start a new life with You. I am ready to make it all about You.”

            Suddenly, my cell phone rang. I looked at it. It was my old manager, Daniel.

            “How is my favorite pop star?” he asked. “Have you gotten your parents to crack yet?”

            “It does not matter about my parents anymore,” I told him.

            “What do you mean? Your parents are the ones that ended your music career. If they do not give you permission to return, we might have to come up with a plan to have you leave your parents or get them to no longer have custody of you.”

            “Daniel, slow down. This is not about my parents anymore.”

            “Then what do you mean?”

            “Look, before I left, I had a pretty bad image. I did that to myself because I did not want to be known as a little girl any more. I did not want people to think of the sweet and innocent Megan from Detective Megan.”

            “I am still having trouble seeing where this is going, Megan,” Daniel said.

            “I do not want to be the pop star that is known for her disturbing dance at the awards show. I do not want to be known as the pop star that wore no clothes in her music video.”

            “But those stunts just increased your popularity, Megan. It is not that you need more attention but those things keep your name out there. Those stunts are keeping your music career alive. Are you saying that you no longer want to be a pop star?”

            “No, I still want to be a singer. But we both know that the stunts are not necessary. We both know that my voice will keep my career going for a long time.”

            “I still do not understand where you are going with this.”

            “God blessed me with this amazing voice. I want to sing for Him.

            “You want to be a Christian singer?” Daniel burst into laughter. “You have got to be kidding. You are the farthest thing from a Christian singer.”

            “I am being totally serious. Look, I regret all those things I have done as a famous pop singer. It is a good thing God loves me so much that He sent His Son Jesus to die for my sins. I am ready to accept that forgiveness and to live my life for Him.”

            “So now you are going to become one of those born again Christians?”

            “I will really soon. And then, I am ready to live my life for God. And in the end, because I have surrendered my life to Christ, I will one day spend eternity in Heaven.”

            “Well, do not expect me to represent you when you are a Christian singer!” Daniel said angrily before he hung up.

            “Lord,” I prayed, “I know I am a sinner. I am ready to accept the forgiveness You have given for all sins. Now, I am ready to live my life for You. Amen.”

            I felt like a new person after praying. Now, it was time to start my new life. I got back to writing my new song.

 

Chapter 7

 

            After school the next day, I was telling Brooke, Maggie, and Jaycee about my decision to have Jesus in my life.

            “Congratulations, Megan!” they exclaimed.

            “I want to be baptized soon,” I told them.

            “You will need to tell Pastor John.”

            Suddenly, a cameraman jumped out of the bushes.

            “Smile, Megan!” he said.

            How in the world did they find me? I left no forwarding address.

            “Let’s run!” Brooke yelled.

            We took off towards her car and then once we were inside, Brooke sped off. She did not stop until we arrived at the lake, several miles away.

            “I think you have some explaining to do,” she said when we had stopped.

            “I am Megan Smith,” I said. “I am the girl that was once on Detective Megan. I am the famous pop star responsible for the music video Bulldozer and for that horrible dance at the award show.”

            “What are you doing here?” Jaycee asked.

            I explained how disappointed my parents were in my behavior.

            “So you came here and tried to hide your identity?”

            “It definitely was not easy. I look just like Detective Megan. I had to lie to a lot of people and say that I had a lot in common with Megan Smith.”

            “Were you really serious about becoming a Christian, Megan?”

            “Absolutely. I did not tell you the best part. I want to sing for God.”

            “That is going to take a lot of people by surprise.”

            “They will get used to it. I am a Christian now. And I can use my popularity to tell other people how to become a Christian.”

            “That is really great, Megan. But how in the world are we going to escape from the paparazzi?”

            Suddenly, from out of no where, cars were swarming us.

            “I have an idea,” I said as I got out of the car.

            Cameras started flashing but I ignored them and started singing my new song.

 

Chapter 8

 

            “Do you have a minute?” I asked my parents when I got home. They were busy watching the news but I did not think they looked that interested.

            “What’s going on, Megan?” my dad asked.

            “I want to go back to the music world,” I began.

            “But, Megan…” my mom protested.

            “I want to go back as a Christian singer,” I explained.

            “Are you saying that just so we will let you go back?” my dad asked.

            “I am being totally serious.”

            “You have been to church and youth group and suddenly you are a serious Christian?”

            “I know it sounds like I rushed through this but I am being totally serious.”

            Suddenly, a news story was mentioned with my name and my parents turned to watch.

            “It looks like the famous Megan Smith has a new side to her,” the reporter said. “She recently disappeared from California but was found in Iowa today. It appears she now has a Christian side to her.”

            The camera showed me singing my new Christian song at the lake.

            “We talked to some citizens in this small community and they have told us that Megan appeared at church and youth group yesterday but when she was confronted, she denied being Megan Smith. Nobody knows what to make of this new Christian attitude. It definitely does not fit with what we know about Megan.”

            “No, it does not,” my dad agreed. “But if you are serious about this career change, than we support you.”

            “Thanks, Dad.”

            “You better get to writing some songs.”

            “It does not work that way anymore, Dad. I can only write songs when God reveals the words and music to me.”

            “Well, in that case, I will be praying for you,” my mom said.

            Suddenly, my phone rang, interrupting the conversation.

            “Hey, Megan,” Brooke said.

            “Hi, Brooke; what is up?”

            “Well, remember your first day at lunch when you asked us our opinion of Megan Smith, the singer?”

            “Yeah. What about it?”

            “We said some pretty harsh things; not knowing who you really are. We are really sorry.”

            “Forget about it. What you said was true.”

            “But we were being judgmental. That is not right.”

            “Yeah, well, if it were not for you guys, I never would have found Jesus. It is because of you that I am going to turn my life around and try to become a Christian singer.”

            “I am really glad I got to meet you, Megan. It is sad that our time together was so short.”

            “I am not saying goodbye. I want to stay in touch with you. After all, how else will I be able to tell you how I am growing as a Christian?”

            “I will be praying for you, Megan.”

            “Thanks.” I was going to need it as I embarked on my new career for Jesus.