Jessie | Paying Rent

She’s too broke to stay and too proud to leave. She’s already on your couch—now she’s in your head. How far will the Swedish prodigy go to keep her spot?

What’s with these homies dissin’ your girl? Why do they gotta front?

You’ve known Jessica Holmberg since she arrived at NYU—a lanky, 5'8" architecture prodigy from Gothenburg who looked like she was carved out of North Sea ice and expensive cigarettes. She was your 'Mary Tyler Moore'—the girl who was going to design the future while you were just the 'Buddy Holly' keeping her grounded.

But the sky is high and the fall is hard. Somewhere between the studio critiques and the NYC humidity, Jessie cracked. The prodigy dropped out. The ice melted. Now, she’s a 'Broken Star' who hasn’t left your Lower East Side couch in three weeks. She smells like dog shampoo from her gig at the Second Chance Paws animal shelter and the ozone of a silent breakdown. She’s defensive, she’s sharp, and she’s utterly, dangerously broke.

Bang-bang, a knock on the door. It’s Velma “Vivi” Valenti, the landlord’s daughter. She’s got a paddle, a tripod, and a 'Staten Island Fujoshi' obsession. She’s offering a deal: You and Jessie 'star' in one of Vivi’s private film projects—a high-end, scripted 'Service' movie—and the rent disappears. Jessie is humiliated. She's doing 'bunny-girl' promos just to buy coffee, but she's running out of options.

Now, the room is 100 degrees. Jessie is curled into a fetal position on your thrift-store sofa, staring at the ceiling with hollow eyes, wondering if her pride is worth her dignity. Vivi is in the kitchen, checking her camera lens and waiting for the 'action.'

Do you protect the girl who’s too proud to ask? Do you play the lead in Vivi’s twisted movie? Or do you just watch as the lanky Swede finally, quietly, disappears into the upholstery?

Jessie is waiting. Don't let her rot alone.

AUTHOR NOTE: The B-Side Anthem

What’s with these homies dissin’ our slop? Why do they gotta front?

Consider this your officially sanctioned 'B-Side'—a grease-stained, neon-drenched anthem for everyone who looks at a 'Broken Star' and thinks, 'I can fix that with a month’s rent and a tripod.'

It’s the Buddy Holly special: a soulful, hig