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Post by Charlotte on Mar 27, 2012 20:03:32 GMT -5
This is a completed story I started writing back in 2008. I'm bringing it here for those who haven't read it and I'm working on an alternate universe version that will, hopefully, be posted sometime later this year.
American Idol
Love Is A Song
Prologue
June 2003
Ten-year-old Sundae Wahlberg stood backstage in a TV studio theatre waiting for her turn to perform. She was an aspiring young singer and was competing on a revival of the TV talent show ‘Star Search’. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, listening to the current performer, a girl her own age. “Okay, stay calm. You made it this far for a reason,” she said quietly to herself as she smoothed the skirt of her burgundy velvet dress. “Ready to go?” asked a male voice. Sundae turned, her long brown braid swinging behind her, and saw her dad, Donnie Wahlberg, a member of a popular 1980s boy band, walking up to her. “As I’ll ever be,” she said. Her dad smiled and knelt down beside her. “Dae, you’re here for a reason, and that’s because you’re a great singer,” he said. “Learned from the best,” Sundae said with a smile. “Why thank you, but my point is you have nothing to worry about. The other kids may be good, but you’re better,” her dad said. The portion of the competition she was about to compete in was known as the Battle of the Champions. She was a Junior Singer champion and was competing against the other three junior champions, the other winner from her season and the two from the first season. She giggled lightly at her dad’s comment. “You always say stuff like that,” she said. Her dad chuckled, too. “I say it because it’s the truth. You’re amazing and you know it,” he said. Sundae smiled even more. “Thanks, dad,” she said. “No problem. I’m gonna go grab my seat. Have fun,” her dad said. “I will,” Sundae said. Her dad then patted her arm and turned and headed out into the theatre to take his seat along with the rest of Sundae’s family. Sundae turned her attention to the competition again and saw that the girl on stage was nearing the end of her song. She was up next and she again closed her eyes and tried to focus. She was starting to run through her song in her mind when footsteps nearby snapped her out of her trance. She looked up to see a boy, just about her age, walking up, microphone in hand. He had black hair, which was neatly combed and gelled and he wore dark blue slacks and a matching jacket with a light blue shirt underneath. He glanced in her direction and his bright hazel eyes caught the light and twinkled. Sundae felt a flip-flop in her stomach. He was majorly cute. At that moment Sundae heard the judges giving the girl on stage her scores. She took a deep breath, checked her microphone, and stepped out on to the stage to take her place for her performance.
After the Performance:
Sundae felt a little disappointed as she walked back to the dressing room she shared with the two other girls she had competed against. Her performance had gone well until she had blown a key change two thirds of the way in. She was still kicking herself for the dumb mistake. Her mind was so preoccupied with the thought that she didn’t look where she was going until it was too late. She collided with someone going the other way and had to take a step back to catch herself. “Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I wasn’t looking,” she said as she regained her balance. “It’s okay,” a boy’s voice said. Sundae looked up and blushed to see the cute boy from earlier. “I really am sorry. I was thinking about my performance and I wasn’t looking where I was going,” she said. “I thought you were great,” he said. Sundae blushed. “Thanks, you were great, too,” she said. He smiled and blushed a tiny bit, himself. “Thanks,” he said. Heavy footsteps coming toward them made them look up and Sundae smiled to see her dad approaching. He smiled as he walked up. “Hey, you were great,” he said, giving her a hug. “Thanks,” she said. He then noticed the boy beside her. “And you made a new friend, too,” her dad said. “Yeah, kind of,” she said, blushing lightly again. Her dad squeezed her shoulder. “Let’s go get your stuff so we can go. The little ones are getting antsy,” he said. She nodded. “Alright,” she turned to the boy, “It was nice talking to you and I’m sorry again for bumping into you,” she said. He smiled. “It’s okay, I wasn’t really watching either,” he said. Her dad nudged her then and they started to move on. “Bye,” the boy said. “Bye,” Sundae replied, smiling a little shyly. She then turned back to the front to avoid any more collisions. “You like him don’t you?” her dad asked once they were out of the boy’s earshot. Sundae blushed. “Dad!” she hissed, not wanting anyone to over hear. Her dad smiled. “I thought so. I saw you blush when he was talking to you,” he said. “Dad, I’m only ten. I’m more into my music and my soccer then boys,” Sundae said. Her dad gave her sly look. “Well, it looks to me like things might be starting to change,” he said. Sundae sighed. “Can you please not say anything to mom?” she asked. “May I ask why?” her dad wanted to know. “Well, it’s just…Snow just got her first boyfriend. I don’t think mom’s ready for that with me,” she said. Her dad smiled. “I’m not really either, but that’s kind of beside the point. I won’t say anything,” he said. Sundae sighed in relief. “Thanks, dad,” she said. She then glanced over her shoulder and blushed again when she saw that the boy was still watching her as he turned to go. Her dad saw her blushes and peeked over his shoulder as well, smiling at the sight of the boy watching her. “I think he likes you, too,” he said. “Dad,” Sundae hissed again. Her dad chuckled. “Relax honey, it’s fine, and you know, I wouldn’t be too surprised if, just maybe, you and that boy were to meet up again someday,” he said. Sundae looked up at him as they reached her dressing room. “Are you psychic now, or something?” she asked, raising her eyebrow at him. “No, just a feeling I have,” he said. She giggled. “Whatever, dad. I’ll be out in a few,” she said and stepped into the dressing room. She shut the door behind her and leaned on it for a moment, reflecting. What was it about that boy that made her heart jump? And why was it that she had an odd feeling in her own gut that her dad might be right about them meeting up again someday? The whole thing was a little confusing, but as she stepped away from the door to get her things she found herself hoping her dad would prove right. Whatever it was about that boy intrigued her and she hoped that someday she might get the chance to get to know him and find out what it was. Little did she know, it would only be a couple years before the perfect chance came along.
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Post by Charlotte on Mar 27, 2012 20:08:17 GMT -5
Love Is A Song
Book 1
The Start Of Something New
Fourteen-year-old Sundae Wahlberg smiled at her reflection as she brushed her long brown hair in front of the hotel room mirror. She wore a dark blue denim mini skirt, a black tank top, and a navy blue denim crop jacket and she wanted to be sure she looked good before she headed out for the day. “Dad, do I look okay?” she asked. Her dad, Donnie Wahlberg, poked his head out of the bathroom, his brown hair mussed and shaving cream still on his face. She turned to face him so he could see her better. “You look great, but are you sure you should wear a skirt that short? You’ll be on camera,” he said. Sundae sighed. “The skirt stays,” her dad gave her a look, “Oh please, it’s not like Paula doesn’t wear them this short,” she said. “Paula’s a grown woman. She can dress however she wants. You, on the other hand, are still a kid,” her dad said. “I’m fourteen, dad. Most girls my age like stuff like this. And if it makes you feel better, I’ll be sitting down the whole time. You’ll only see me from the chest on up,” Sundae said. She was an up and coming singer, following in the footsteps of her dad who had been in a boy band before she was born. Presently, she and her dad were in San Diego so Sundae could take part in that city’s auditions for the hit TV show ‘American Idol’. She wouldn’t be singing though, she would be helping to judge. Her dad knew two of the shows infamous judging trio, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul, from his own music days, and it had been that connection that gotten Sundae on to the show, first as an opening act for portions of the competition and now as both an opening act and an assistant judge. The round of auditions she would be seeing that day were only preliminary. Those who got past today’s round would have to face her and judges again in Hollywood before being whittled down to the top 24 and, eventually, top 12. Sundae enjoyed the experience of the show and sharing her knowledge of music with other aspiring dreamers. She’d also made a lot of friends among the contestants over the years and was looking forward to making more that year. “Dae, I know you like to look ‘hot’, as you put it, but I’m concerned that the guys might get the wrong idea,” her dad said, bringing her back to the present. “I know, dad, and you know Randy and Simon would look out for me,” she bit her lip at this point, wondering how to put the next part of what she had to say. Her dad made the contemplation unnecessary. “Oh no. No boys, Dae. This shouldn’t be a social scene,” he said. “Dad!! I’m fourteen. I’m old enough to look,” she said. Her dad sighed. “I know you are, I just want you to be careful,” he said. “And I will be. You never had a problem with the guys I liked at school,” she said. “They weren’t musicians. The guys in the business can be a little rough. I don’t want anything bad to happen to you,” her dad said. “I promise I’ll be careful, dad. You can trust me,” Sundae said. Her dad hugged her. “I know. Now, you’d better scoot. You’re supposed to be downstairs soon,” he said. “True, but I think I might just change, at least the tank top. Black might be a little hot for today,” she said, moving over to her suitcase. “As it’s August I can’t say I disagree,” her dad said and turned to go back into the bathroom. Sundae smiled to herself as she dug a white tank top out of her suitcase. She had a good feeling that this year’s ‘Idol’ would be an interesting one. A half hour later, Sundae made her way downstairs to the first floor of the hotel where the conference rooms were. One had been set aside for the auditions and there were chairs sitting out in the corridor for the contestants to use while they waited their turns. As she approached the chairs, showing a pass to a security official, she noticed a guy of average height with short, spiky, dish blonde hair chatting with a cameraman. “Hey Ryan,” she called as she walked up to him. He turned round, hearing her. “Hey Dae, looking good,” he said, giving her a friendly hug. This was the show’s host, Ryan Seacrest. Sundae had always been friendly with him and his humor and cliffhanger voting results reveals made him an asset to the show. Sundae smiled at his compliment. “Thanks, I hope the outfit’s camera worthy,” Sundae said. She had switched the black for the white tank top and completed the look with a black bracelet, a black jeweled clip in her hair, and strappy, black, sandals with half inch spiked heals. Ryan grinned. “Absolutely you’re camera worthy. Some of the guys might forget their lyrics,” he said. Sundae laughed. “That’s what my dad’s afraid of, actually,” she said. “And he has every reason to worry,” said a female voice. Sundae and Ryan turned to see a petite and beautiful latina smiling at them. “Hey, Paula,” Sundae said, reaching for a hug, which Paula happily accepted. “Hey, sweetie. Don’t take it to heart what I said. You’re just growing up so fast. You don’t even look like a kid anymore,” Paula remarked as they pulled apart from their hug. “You think?” Sundae asked. Paula laughed. “As you are, you could almost pass for 18,” she said. Sundae lit up at that. “Seriously? Mind telling my dad that?” she asked. Both Paula and Ryan laughed at that. “I don’t know if he’s quite ready for that yet,” Ryan said. Sundae giggled. “Maybe you’re right,” she said. “In the meantime, I brought you something,” Paula said and handed her one of the Starbuck’s cups she held. “Oooh, caramel frappucino, love it,” Sundae said as she took a sip from the drink. “Mmmm, caramelly goodness,” she said. “Don’t I get one of those?” Ryan asked, and gave Paula a puppy dog look. She had to laugh. “Randy’s bringing some for you and Simon,” she said. “Good to know,” Ryan said. Sundae giggled again. “Has his Royal Crustiness been behaving himself so far?” she asked, referring to Simon, who was known for being a little rough with his reviews at times. San Diego was the fourth of six cities where preliminary auditions would be held. “For the most part. It’s still early for him to get really harsh,” Paula said. Sundae smiled. “Hopefully we won’t have to endure the full wrath until the top 12,” she said. Paula nodded. “Hey, did you see the cue lining up outside?” she asked. “Mmm, no not yet. Can you see from the window?” Sundae asked. “I think so,” Paula said as they wandered over to a picture window that looked out over the front parking lot of the hotel. Down below, in front of the hotel a huge line of hopefuls was already starting to form. “Wow! There looks like at least a thousand down there,” Sundae said. “Just gets bigger every year,” Paula remarked as they moved away from the window and started toward the conference room they’d be using. “Tell me about it,” Sundae agreed. “What’s up? Let’s get this party started,” came a deep male voice and Sundae and Paula turned to see a heavy-set African American man coming toward them, a tray with three Starbuck’s cups in his hands. “Morning Randy,” Sundae said. “Sup, ladies. Ryan, a little something to wake you up,” Randy said, handing Ryan one of the drinks he carried. “Thank you, Randy,” Ryan said, taking the drink gratefully. Randy nodded and turned to Sundae and Paula. “Whooo, it’s only ten am, but it is hot in here,” he said, grinning at them. “Well thank you, we do try,” Paula said. Sundae and Randy chuckled. “And you certainly achieve today,” Randy said as held grabbed and held open the door of the conference room for them. Inside a long table had been set up at one end for Randy, Paula, Simon and Sundae to sit at. In front of the table was a hard wood platform for the contestants and behind it and the table were backgrounds depicting past ‘Idol’ winners. On either side of the room cameramen were getting ready to film the day’s events and they nodded politely to Randy, Paula and Sundae as they made themselves comfortable at the table. “Guess we’re just waiting for Simon,” Sundae said as she set her purse under her chair, but not before taking out her cell phone. No sooner had she straightened up from doing so when the crusty Brit himself stepped into the room. “Good morning,” he said politely as he took up his place at the opposite end of the table from Sundae. He wore his usual attire of jeans and a fitting long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up at the elbow and his spiky black hair showed tiny spots of gray under the lights of the room. “Morning Simon, are we in a good mood today?” Sundae asked him teasingly. He chuckled. “We’ll see how the first few auditions are,” he said. “Here, wake yourself up first,” Randy said handing over the last extra drink. “Why thank you, Randy,” Simon said accepting the drink. The morning seemed off to a good start and, thankfully, the first few hopefuls through the door were decent enough to keep the good mood going. As there were so many auditioning, Sundae and her fellow judges didn’t get their lunch break until after one pm and they had to make it quick, since the afternoon was to be just as jam packed. By 3:30 Sundae started to wonder if she could take much more. She was starting to get tired and last few hopefuls hadn’t been as good as she would’ve liked. Randy noticed her apparent fatigue in between contestants. “Hey, if you’re that beat you can cut out. We can handle the rest of them,” he said gently. Sundae shook her head. “I can manage. If I’m ever going to get anywhere in this business I have to learn to deal with stuff like this. I’m good,” she said. “Why don’t you grab another soda or something, maybe that’ll perk you up,” Paula suggested, gesturing to a cooler behind them that had been stocked with drinks for them. Sundae shrugged. “I guess another Coke couldn’t hurt,” she said as she got up and bent down by the cooler. She popped it open and grabbed out another bright red Coca Cola can and then shut the lid again. “Go ahead and send in the next one,” she heard Simon say as she stood up. “One second,” she said as she quickly reclaimed her seat and popped open her soda. She heard the door open and close as she took a swig and as she set the can down she caught sight of the next hopeful and a smile came to her face. It was a guy just a little older than her and was he cute. He stood about 5’7” and had thick spiky dark hair like Simon. He wore a black button down shirt and jeans and while he looked confident his hazel eyes betrayed the nerves he was trying to hide. “What’s your name, young man?” Simon asked him. “David,” he replied. “And, you’re how old?” Simon asked. “Sixteen,” David replied. ‘Score!’ Sundae thought. He was just the right age. “You don’t have to be nervous, David. Just take a deep breath and try to relax,” Paula said, snapping her out of her thoughts and Sundae knew she must have picked up on his nerves as well. She turned her attention to him again and had to catch herself when she saw he was looking at her. “Hi,” he said, giving her a shy smile. She returned it, trying with all her might not to blush and failing miserably. “Hi. Um, what are you going to sing for us today?” she asked trying to keep things on topic. “I’m gonna sing ‘Waiting On the World to Change’ by John Mayer,” David replied. “Off you go then,” Simon said in his ‘no nonsense’ way. David launched into the song and Sundae had to be impressed. He was good, really good. He had a deep, rich, almost soulful voice with a natural pure tone and as he came to the chorus of the song it was hard not to sing along. Randy did and she found herself doing so, too. And I keep waiting (waiting) Waiting for the world to change Waiting (waiting) Waiting for the world to change Randy nudged her as they sang along and nodded toward David. “Sing with him,” he mouthed to her. Sundae hesitated a second, wondering what Simon might think, but then chanced it and got up. David grinned at her as she joined him, easing her nerves even more. She started to groove along to the beat while singing harmony to his melody. We keep waiting (waiting) Waiting for the world to change Waiting (waiting) Waiting for the world to change Sundae was almost breathless as they finished the song and Randy, Paula and Simon all applauded, surprising her. The next thing she knew she felt something touching her hand and glanced down to see that David was holding his hand out to her. “David,” he said, introducing himself again. She smiled and gave up trying to fight her blushes. “Sundae,” she said accepting his outstretched hand. As their hands touched she felt a shock go through her, surprising her even more. “Ahem,” Simon coughed getting their attention. Sundae quickly stepped back and retreated to her seat, throwing her fellow judges a sheepish look. Randy patted her shoulder, Paula smiled, and Simon shook his head. “Now, getting down to business, I thought that was a very good audition. You have a very good voice, David,” Simon said. “Thank you,” David said, sounding relieved. “You have a great voice, David. I can see you going far in this competition,” Paula agreed. Randy agreed, too. “Absolutely, man, that was hot, and I don’t think we even need to ask what Sundae thinks,” he said, giving her a knowing grin. She blushed as red as raspberries at the teasing. She was grateful to Simon for getting things back on track again. “Alright, I’m sure it’s unanimous. Four yeses, you’re through to the next round,” he said. David looked psyched. “Yes! Thank you, thank you so much,” he said. He then made his way over to the door, collected his ‘golden ticket’ to the Hollywood round and stepped out with one final wave. Sundae let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding in at that point and the others noticed. “You okay?” Randy asked. “Yeah, I’m fine,” Sundae replied and took a sip of her soda. “He was pretty cute, wasn’t he?” Paula said, knowingly. Sundae blushed again. “God yes, and you just about embarrassed me into the next century with your teasing, Randy,” she said. “Aww I was just playing,” Randy said, giving her a friendly hug. “Well, I wasn’t,” Sundae said. Randy looked at her for a moment. “You really like him,” he suddenly said. Her blushes deepened, answering his question for him. “Uh oh, crush alert,” he said and Sundae swatted him on the arm. “Broadcast it to the world, why don’t you,” she said, but couldn’t help laughing. “Awww, you guys could be like that movie, what was it called? “High School Musical”?” Paula said. “Yeah, that’s the one,” Randy said. Simon just rolled his eyes. “This isn’t a dating show, Paula. It’s a competition,” he said. “That doesn’t mean they can’t have fun,” Paula argued back. “Define fun. It shouldn’t mean sneaking off to make out back stage,” Simon said. “Guys, come on,” Randy said but neither Paula nor Simon paid him any mind. Sundae had to laugh again at the scene. When it came to arguments there was no stopping Paula and Simon. Fortunately, the next contestant coming in got things back on track, but Sundae couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if she were to run into David during Hollywood week. Unfortunately, she would have to wait til January to find out.
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Post by Charlotte on Mar 27, 2012 20:09:15 GMT -5
Chapter 2 January seemed like a long time off to Sundae, but she had plenty of other activities to keep her occupied while she waited. She spent the rest of the summer writing and recording new songs at the private recording studio her dad had set up and performing with the ‘Idol’ season six summer tour. When fall came she set her mind to school, specifically starting ninth grade at East Beverly High School. She also made time for her other passion besides music- soccer. Sundae had played on her school soccer team or a local little league team since she was in second grade and she easily made starting junior varsity along with her best friend Dana. She got so busy with school and soccer practice that she hardly noticed the year flying by and before she knew it, it was the first week of January. Sundae had already explained to her teachers about what her schedule would be once ‘Idol’ got into full swing and they assured her that they were willing to work around any conflicts so she could keep up with her class. When Hollywood week arrived Sundae was ready and raring to go, but it wasn’t until she actually got to the theatre where that portion of the competition would take place, that she started to think about seeing David again. The theatre that was used was fairly new but smaller than some of the major theatres like the Pantages, the El Capitan or the luxurious Kodak. Sundae’s dad dropped her off out front and she showed a special pass to the security people at the door before making her way inside and down to where she would sit with Paula, Randy and Simon, again at a long table facing the stage. The three judges were already there and she smiled as she came up to them. “Morning,” she said, claiming her spot on the end next to Randy. “Hey, girl, looking good,” Randy said, giving her a friendly hug. Sundae had picked a stylish ensemble of black leggings, a long olive green, long sleeved top and black slip on shoes for the day accented by dangly black beaded earrings, the black bracelet she’d worn in San Diego and a black belt around her waist. “Thanks. It took me a while to decide what to wear today, since I didn’t know if they’d have the A/C on in here or not,” she said as she tucked her black purse under her seat and set her cell phone on the table. “You aren’t going to be taking pictures with your phone, are you?” Simon asked, seeing it. “No, of course not. Dana said she’d text me my homework for tonight so I want to be sure I get the message. Don’t worry, it’s on vibrate. Are those the pictures for this year?” Sundae asked, noticing a spread of photos in front of him and Paula. Paula nodded. “Yup, have a look,” she said and Sundae came to stand next to her to look at the photos. “Ooh quite few cute guys this year,” she said as she looked over the spread. “Uh huh including….” Paula said and held one photo out to her. Sundae grinned and blushed a little when she saw that it was of David. “You remembered,” she said with a little giggle. “Of course. I’ve known you since you were a baby, remember? I should have some idea of how you think by now,” Paula said. Sundae laughed and Simon cleared his throat. “If we’re done with the matchmaking…” he said dramatically. Sundae and Paula both laughed at that and Sundae went back to her seat so the day’s events could get underway. For the morning round the contestants were brought up on stage in groups, asked to introduce themselves and sing a few bars so the judges could refresh their memories as to who was who and what they liked about each one. Sundae kept an eye out for David and, at the same time, acquainted herself with those she had yet to meet. She was impressed by quite a few, including a few fellow teens. The number of contestants was much smaller than at the first round auditions but it wasn’t until the fourth to last group that Sundae saw David again. He still looked a little nervous, but less so than before presumably because he wasn’t going it alone this time. Paula and Randy both gave her knowing looks when they, too, spotted him, but she forced herself to keep her mind on track. She listened to the first two contestants in the group, two girls in their early twenties, and when she let herself sneak at glance at David while the judges were commentating she blushed to see that he was looking at her, too. She turned away, but couldn’t help peeking over again and this time saw him giving her a shy smile. She smiled back her blushes deepening, but was yanked back to focus by Simon. “Sundae, did you hear me a minute ago? I asked if you agreed with me on this girl’s pitch?” he said. Sundae gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry, Simon. My mind wandered for a minute,” she said. Simon gave her a scrutinizing look, but then he, too, noticed David at the end of the line on stage. “Well, I would suggest you don’t let it wander again,” he said pointedly. Sundae nodded and turned her attention back to the current contestant. “Your pitch is okay, but you were a tiny bit flat on that one high note,” she said. “A tiny bit? She was very flat on that note. It’s not in her register,” Simon said. Sundae sighed, knowing he was pushing the issue to get back at her for her distraction. “Yes, a tiny bit. It wasn’t that bad,” she said. “Can we stop this before it gets worse,” Paula said. Simon tossed his hands up in defeat and Sundae breathed a sigh of relief. The girl stepped back into line also looking relieved and the next contestant stepped up for his turn. Sundae forced herself to stay focused and when David’s turn came she forced herself to just listen and not look. His voice was as good as she remembered and she smiled to herself as she listened. The judges praised him again as they had in San Diego and Randy gently nudged her when it was her turn to comment. “Don’t let old Cranky Pants get to you. You can look at him,” he said reassuringly. Sundae patted his arm and when she looked up she was met with David’s smile. She blushed again, not daring to look anywhere else but at him. She didn’t even want to see Simon’s expression. “That was really good, better than San Diego, I thought,” she said. David’s smile brightened, making her blush even more. “Thanks,” he said. “All right then, back in line, please,” Simon said. David obeyed and Sundae forced herself to focus again as the next group came up for their turns. Sundae was very relieved when the lunch hour came as she wanted to have some space from Simon. As soon as everyone was released for lunch she grabbed her purse and quickly got up. “Is your dad picking you up?” Randy asked, noticing. “Nah, I was just gonna hit that little deli across the street,” Sundae said. “Will you be okay for this afternoon?” Paula asked her. “Yeah, I just need a little air,” Sundae replied. “You’re not the only one. It’s been stuffy in here all morning and not from the amount of people,” Paula said. Simon sighed, hearing them. “Look, I’m not trying to be mean on purpose, I’m just trying keep things going. This is a tedious business we’re in,” he said. “Yeah, but it doesn’t mean we have to be uptight about it,” Randy said. Sundae stepped down from the little platform their table was situated on and walked around to face Simon. “I know you don’t mean to be mean,” she said. He took hold of her hand, looking her in the eyes. “I didn’t mean to snap at you earlier. I know it’s only natural for you to notice a boy your age, but I would like to try to teach you a few things about this business and you need to be focused for that,” he said. “I understand and you’ve already taught me a lot. I have a heck of a lot more backbone then when I first started performing on big stages and I’ve learned so much more about the behind the scenes stuff than I ever could’ve on my own,” Sundae said. Simon smiled. “I’m glad you’re getting something out of this. You’re one of the most talented kids I’ve ever known and I want to see you succeed at this. I can tell you like that boy, but just promise me one thing. Don’t let it take over your life. Boys will come and go but the opportunities you have are once in a lifetime. Don’t let that get away from you,” he said. Sundae smiled, too, and reached to give him a hug. “Thanks, Simon, and I promise. I know how important all this is for my career, and I won’t forget it. My dad would kill me if I did,” she said. Simon actually chuckled. “I don’t know if he’d kill you, per se, but he wouldn’t be pleased. Now, off with you and get your lunch. We’ve got a long afternoon ahead,” he said. “Thanks, see you guys in a bit,” Sundae said. Randy and Paula waved and she turned and headed up the aisle to the theatre’s exit. As she walked she pulled out a piece of sheet music from her purse and started looking over it. She would be singing as a demonstration to the contestants after lunch and she wanted to be sure she had her song choice down. She got absorbed looking over a key change as she stepped into the lobby and, as a result, didn’t watch where she was going until it was too late. She collided with someone passing by and her sheet music went flying. “Darn it,” she grumbled as she bent down. “I am so sorry. I wasn’t looking,” a familiar male voice said. Sundae’s head jerked up hearing it and she blushed beet red when she saw that she’d run into David- literally. He blushed a little, too, when he saw her. “I should be the one apologizing. I shouldn’t try to read music and walk at the same time,” she said as she grabbed for her music. “It’s okay. I just hope I didn’t just kill my chances here in knocking you down,” he said as he handed her two pages that had gotten beyond her reach. “I don’t think so. We judge on singing talent and you’re way too good to be let go this soon,” Sundae said. He smiled a little at that. “Thanks,” he said earnestly and she smiled, too, as they stood up. “So, uh, would you consider San Diego our official meeting or should this be the official one?” he asked. She laughed as she put her music back into her purse. “I guess this could be the official one. I’m Sundae Wahlberg,” she said, holding out her hand to him. “David Archuleta,” he replied and when they shook hands Sundae felt the same spark of electricity she’d felt the first time in San Diego. David gave her another shy smile. “I uh, was hoping I might run into you,” she raised an eyebrow at him, “Not literally, I mean,” he said, his blush from earlier deepening. She blushed a little, too. “I was kind of hoping for the same thing,” she bit her lip for a moment, “I was gonna go grab a bite across the street. Do you wanna come?” she asked, then mentally kicked herself for sounding like such a school girl. To her surprise though, he nodded. “Yeah, that’d be cool,” he said. She wanted to do a fist pump right there but she held herself in and nodded to the door. “Let’s go,” she said and they turned and headed out side by side.
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Post by Charlotte on Mar 27, 2012 20:10:12 GMT -5
Chapter 3 The two made their way across the street to the deli and there ordered sandwiches and found a table. “So, do you live around here?” David asked as they sat at a table near the window. “Yeah, in Beverly Hills. I’m a freshman at East Beverly High. What about you? Where are you from?” Sundae replied. “Murray, Utah, and I’m a junior at Murray High. How’d you get to be a judge on ‘Idol’?” David asked. “My Dad’s in the business and I was pretty much born into it. He’s known Randy and Paula for forever and got me the gig as a guest performer when I was nine. I’ve been the opening act for the last two years,” Sundae said. “Wow. You’ve been singing since you were born, I guess,” he said. “Pretty much. Dad got me started and since my mom sings, too, it was always around me. Plus all my siblings sing so there’s really no escaping it,” Sundae said. “Your whole family sings?” David asked surprised. “Yup, we’re a regular modern-day Von Trapp family. Some of us play instruments, too,” Sundae replied. David laughed. “You all don’t break out into The Sound Of Music do you?” he asked. Sundae laughed, too. “No, thank God, though I don’t think my mom would mind. She’s a total Rogers and Hammerstein freak,” she said. David laughed again. “You said some of you play instruments. Do you?” he asked. “Yeah, acoustic and electric guitar and a little piano for when I compose,” Sundae replied. He shook his head in wonder. “Wow,” he said. She laughed again. “So what about you? How’d you get into music?” Sundae asked. “Well like you, it was always around my house and in my family. My mom sings Spanish and English pop and my dad’s a jazz trumpeter. I did Star Search when I was a kid and that kind of solidified my interest in a singing career,” he said. “When did you do Star Search? What year?” she asked. When he’d mentioned being on Star Search her heart had jumped. Could he be the boy she had met that day backstage? “In 2003 when I was 12, why?” he asked. She shook her head in amazement. It was him. “This is too crazy. I did Star Search that year, too,” she said. “No way,” David said in surprise. “Yes way. I was ten and fresh off my first couple guest appearances on ‘Idol’,” she said. David laughed again. “This is intense. Do you remember what you sang?” he asked. She thought for a moment. “Um, “Before Your Love” by Kelly Clarkson, “Open Arms” by Journey and “All By Myself” by Celine Dion. What did you sing?” Sundae asked. “I did “Who’s Lovin You” by the Jackson Five, “Fallin” by Alicia Keys, “You’re All I Need” by Marvin Gaye and “I Surrender” by Celine Dion. The last one was for the Battle of the Champions,” David said. “That was you. I knew it,” Sundae said, her smile widening. “Were you there?” David asked. Sundae shook her head. She couldn’t believe it. “Remember a girl with a long brown braid belting out “All At Once” by Whitney Houston?” she asked. David’s eyes widened. “That was you?” he asked. She nodded. “Yup, that was me. I had the diva bug even then,” she said. “Wow, this is too crazy. You were amazing in that performance. I remember wondering why you didn’t win,” David said. “Thanks, but I totally blew a key change on the second part and the judges scored me low because of it. You were really good, too, if I remember right,” Sundae said. “Thanks, I was already losing a vocal chord then so I was just glad I did as well as I did,” he said. “What do you mean you were ‘losing a vocal chord’?” Sundae asked. “I had bronchitis and it ended up paralyzing one of my vocal chords. It only came back recently so my dad’s pushing me extra hard at this ‘Idol’ stuff,” David said. “Over-working stage parent?” Sundae asked knowingly. “More like the stage dad from heck, or at least he can be. He actually got kicked off the Star Search set for intimidating another contestant, which I hope wasn’t you,” David said. “Wow, I thought my dad was harsh since he’s in the business. I wasn’t intimidated that I’m aware of, but dad wouldn’t have let anyone within fifty feet of me without security clearance anyway,” Sundae said. David laughed. “Protective much?” he asked. “Only insanely. He swears I’m not dating til I’m forty, but it ain’t gonna happen like that,” she said. They both laughed again and then, as they started in on their sandwiches, they started playing the ‘getting to know you’ game. “What are your best subjects in school?” Sundae asked. “Science, Geography, and social studies. You?” David replied. “English, Geography and Music,” Sundae said. “Okay, favorite activities besides music?” he asked. “Hanging out with my friends, playing soccer and kicking my brother’s butt at Guitar Hero. What about you?” she replied. “Video games of which Guitar Hero is one, roller blading, and basketball,” David replied. “Mmm, did you bring your roller blades with you out here?” Sundae asked. “I don’t know how long I’ll be here so I only brought the essentials, why?” David asked. “There’s this great park like two minutes from my house that has the best roller blading paths. I go there with my friends almost every week. If you end up staying I’ll have to show it to you, and we’ll have to hit Venice Beach, too. They have great paths,” she replied. “That’d be cool. Favorite foods?” David asked. “Italian, Chinese and pizza. You?” she replied. “Thai and pizza,” he said. “Pizza Hut, Domino’s or Papa John’s?” Sundae asked. “We usually get Pizza Hut since it’s the main one in our area,” David replied. “I like Papa John’s or Pizza Hut, but we usually get Domino’s because my mom insists on thin crust,” Sundae said. “My mom’s not picky on pizza so we usually don’t have that issue. Favorite Candy?” he asked. “Oooh tough one, probably M&Ms, Reese’s, and Starburst,” Sundae said. “Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups for me,” David said. “Mmmm, yeah those are yummy. Fave singers?” Sundae asked. “This might be a long list; Micheal Jackson, Bryan Adams, Stevie Wonder, Natasha Bedingfield, Celine Dion, and Mariah Carey,” David replied. “For me add to those; Avril Lavigne, Alicia Keys, John Mayer, Destiny’s Child and Mary J. Blige,” Sundae said. “Cool. You have Avril’s ‘Let Go’ CD?” David asked. “It’s only on top rotation on my iPod,” Sundae replied. “Mine, too. Favorite TV shows?” David asked. “Um, ‘Hannah Montana’, ‘Lizzie McGuire’ ‘Don’t Forget The Lyrics’ and ‘TRL’,” Sundae said. “Mine are, ‘Lizzie McGuire’ ‘Star Search’ and ‘Foster’s Home For Imaginary Friends’,” David said. “You actually like ‘Lizzie McGuire’?” Sundae asked surpised. “Yeah, Hilary Duff’s cool. I got to meet her when she was a guest judge on Star Search,” David said. “Oh yeah I remember that. I’m pretty sure I taped that episode since my sister and I were huge Hilary fans at the time,” Sundae said. “How many kids in your family?” David asked. “A lot. I have two older brothers, an older sister, four younger brothers and four younger sisters,” Sundae replied. “Wow! There’s only five kids in my family and we’re Mormon,” David said, sounding amazed. “My dad comes from a huge family, he’s the second youngest of nine kids and my mom is the fifth of six so they kinda always knew they’d have a big family, too. There’s two sets of twins among my younger siblings and one of my younger sisters is adopted, but yeah it is a lot,” Sundae said. “How’d your grandparents manage?” he asked. “I have no idea. I don’t get how my parents do it either,” Sundae said. By this time they’d finished their sandwiches and were sipping the soft drinks they’d gotten. Just then Sundae’s cell phone message alarm rang and she grabbed it out of her purse to check it. “Shoot,” she muttered as she read the message. “Something wrong?” David asked. “Yeah, we’re running late for the afternoon session,” Sundae said, showing him the time on her phone. “Oh crap,” he said and started to get up. Sundae followed suit and they quickly tossed out their trash and then headed out and back over to the theatre. They paused when they reached the inner doors. “Lunch was so fun. Thanks for inviting me,” David said. Sundae smiled. “Thanks for joining me. Now, I’d better get in there before Simon kills me. Here,” she pulled out a slip of paper and jotted down her number, “Call me,” she said, handing him the paper. He nodded, accepting it. “Okay, definitely,” he said. “Cool. I’ll see you later,” Sundae said and then turned to the door. “See you,” David said and she waved as she slipped into the theatre. Inside, she dashed down the aisle to the judges’ table, hoping they wouldn’t notice she was a couple minutes late. She wasn’t that lucky. “Have a good lunch date?” Simon asked casually as he sipped from the coke cup in front of him. “Lunch was fine, and what do mean ‘date’? I went to the deli across the street,” Sundae said as she put her purse back under her chair and set her cell phone and sheet music on the table. “You’re almost ten minutes late, Sundae. You won’t get me to believe that you ate alone. You would’ve been on time otherwise,” Simon said. Sundae sighed and Paula reached over and squeezed her arm. “Don’t mind him. We were all a little lazy getting back from lunch. Did you have a good time?” she asked. Sundae smiled. “Yeah, I did,” she said and glanced over her shoulder in time to see David coming into the theatre chatting with another guy his age. He noticed her watching him and smiled. She smiled, too, and went turned her focus back to working on her song for the afternoon.
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Post by Charlotte on Mar 27, 2012 20:12:20 GMT -5
Chapter 4 That afternoon the contestants were going to sing an accompanied solo and could play an instrument if they chose. First though, Sundae was to going to perform and Simon introduced her as he had done in seasons past. “Before we hear each of you, you’re all going to get a demonstration to show you how it’s done. I expect you lot to pay attention and learn something from this. Now, without further ado, Sundae Wahlberg,” he said and Sundae walked out from stage left toting an acoustic guitar. She perched on a stool in the middle of the stage. “Thank you, Simon, and welcome everyone to “American Idol” Season 7. I’m looking forward to getting to know all of you over the coming weeks. I had a song planned for this, but I got inspired, oddly enough over lunch, to do something different. I hope you’ll all like it,” she said. She then propped her guitar on her knee and started to strum and sing.
How did I get here? I turned around And there you were I didn’t think twice or rationalize Cuz I somehow I knew That there was more than just chemistry I mean I knew you were kind of into me But I figured it’s too good to be true I said pinch me what’s the catch this time? Can’t find a single cloud in the sky Help me before I get used to this guy
They say that good things take time But really great things happen in the blink of an eye Thought the chances to meet somebody like you Were a million to one I can’t believe it oh oh You’re one in a million
You’re making me laugh at the silliest stuff Say that I’m your diamond in the rough Can’t believe that I’m so lucky I have never felt so happy Every time I see that sparkle in your eyes
They say that good things take time But really great things happen in the blink of an eye Thought the chances to meet somebody like you Were a million to one I can’t believe it oh oh You’re one in a million
I said pinch me what’s the catch this time Can’t find a single cloud in the sky Help me before I get used to this guy
They say that good things take time But really great things happen in the blink of an eye Thought the chances to meet somebody like you Were a million to one I can’t believe it oh oh You’re one in a million One in a million oh oh You’re one in a million
As she finished the song Sundae looked out into the audience, which she could barely see for the stage lights. Randy, Paula, Simon and the contestants all burst into applause and Sundae smiled as she stood up and took a bow. “Thank you. I wish you all luck with the rest of the competition,” she said and then made her way off the stage. She put her guitar into its case and then made her way back to the judges’ table. She stashed her guitar under the table as she sat down. “Great song, Dae,” Randy said. “Thanks. I hope I imparted some wisdom to the hopefuls,” she replied. “We’ll see about that,” Simon said as the first of the hopefuls came out on stage for her solo. She was the start of a long afternoon. Hopeful after hopeful came up on the stage to sing, some with instruments and some not. As with the morning round it wasn’t til near the end that David got his turn. He was one of those using an instrument, a keyboard, and Sundae was curious to see what he would do. “What are you going to sing for us this afternoon?” Simon asked. “I’m going to do ‘Crazy’ by Gnarls Barkley,” David said and sat down at the keyboard. Sundae grinned hearing that. Though the song was fairly new it was another one that got frequent action on her iPod. She wondered how it would sound being played on a keyboard, but David played it wonderfully and he sang it even better. He again got her grooving along in her seat to the rhythm. He also again received high praise from the judges with Simon calling the performance ‘incredible’. Sundae completely agreed and traded smiles with David as he headed off stage. At the end of the day the group of nearly two hundred hopefuls that had started had been whittled down to the top fifty. Those lucky fifty would be back the next day to perform solos once again, after which they would be whittled down to the top thirty five and from there to the top twenty four. Sundae was looking forward to seeing what the next rounds would bring.
The next day everyone was back the theatre for the Top Fifty round. For this round each contestant would perform with backup singers and musicians. Once again Sundae performed as a demonstration and as she was putting her guitar away afterward she saw the first group of the morning coming back to get ready. She quickly snapped her guitar case shut, wanting to get back to her seat at the judges’ table so she wouldn’t be in the way backstage. She checked to make sure she had everything and, as she reached to pick up her guitar case, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. She jumped slightly, but was pleased, when she turned around, to see David smiling at her. She smiled, too, and couldn’t help but notice how cute he looked in the striped tee shirt and jeans he wore. “Hey, got an early group today?” she asked. “Yeah, there’re fewer of us left now so…” he trailed off for a moment, “Great song today,” he said. She smiled. “Thanks. I thought it could’ve been better, but it was okay,” she said. “I liked your song yesterday, too,” he said, sounding a little shy. She blushed a little. “I’m sorry if that threw you or something. I just had the thought and ran with it,” she said. “Oh no, it was cool. I liked it,” he said. Before Sundae could reply a stagehand came up to them and spoke to David. “You need to join the other contestants, we’re about to get started,” he said. “Okay, I’ll be there in a minute,” David said. The stagehand went back to what he’d been doing and Sundae spoke up. “I’d better get back to the table before Simon sends a search party or something,” she said. “Yeah, uh listen, there’s a really nice restaurant in the hotel where we’re all staying. I was wondering if maybe you’d like to have lunch or dinner or something,” David said. Sundae smiled. “I’d like that,” she said. David actually looked relieved. “Great, um sometime this week? If you’re busy I understand,” he said. “No, this week’s good. How bout tomorrow? We can both take a break from ‘Idol’,” she suggested. “Okay, lunch or dinner?” he asked. “Well, we’ve done lunch, so how bout dinner? I’ll meet you in the lobby of the hotel at say six?” she said. David nodded. “Sounds great,” he said. “Ready to start, everybody ready on stage,” a stagehand called as he passed them. “I’d better get going,” Sundae said. “Me, too. I’ll see you later,” David said. “Okay. Oh by the way, good luck today,” Sundae said. “Thanks,” David said as he started to step away. Sundae did so, too, giving him one last wave before heading out to the judges’ table. Randy, Paula and Simon all looked up as she joined them. “Taking a long powder break?” Simon asked as she stashed her guitar. Sundae had to laugh. “No, I was just saying hi to someone. I’m sorry if I kept you waiting a while,” she said. “It’s perfectly alright. You’re entitled to make friends here,” Paula said, patting her arm. Sundae smiled at her and then turned her attention to the day’s activities. She had enjoyed the first round of accompanied performances and that day’s was even better. Those contestants who had survived to this point all had genuine talent and each was entertaining in his or her own way. David was the second to last in the second group to perform and Sundae was curious as to what song he’d chosen. Simon, as usual, got right down to business. “So, Mr. Archuleta, what are you going sing for us this morning?” he asked. “I’m going to sing ‘Heaven’ by Bryan Adams,” David replied as he took his place at center stage. “I love that song,” Sundae said quietly earning smiles from both Randy and Paula. The band then started to play and David started to sing.
Oh, thinking about all our younger years There was only you and me We were young and wild and free Now nothing can take you away from me We’ve been down that road before But that’s over now You keep me coming back for more Sundae closed her eyes, listening to his pure, soulful voice and, as he reached the chorus, she mouthed the words along with him.
Baby you’re all that I need When you’re lying here in my arms I’m finding it hard to believe We’re in heaven And love is all that I need And I found it there in your heart It isn’t too hard to see We’re in heaven He ended the song there and when Sundae opened her eyes again she blushed to see him looking right at her. She glanced at Randy, Paula and Simon for their reactions and was relieved to see them all smiling with approval. Randy nodded for her to go first and she turned her attention to David again. “That was amazing. That’s one of my favorite songs and that was one of the best performances of it I’ve ever heard,” she said. David beamed at her making her blush again and Randy picked up the commentary. “That was smokin’ hot. You are the best so far. You, you, you, you,” he said in his usual enthusiastic way. Paula and Simon agreed wholeheartedly making David smile even more. Sundae gave him a special smile as he made is way off stage and he returned it along with a little wave. She already liked him more than any other guy she’d ever met and was looking forward to spending more time with him.
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Post by Charlotte on Mar 27, 2012 20:14:41 GMT -5
Chapter 5 The next afternoon Sundae was digging through her closet looking for something to wear for dinner. She hadn’t asked how fancy the restaurant was so she was in a bit of a muddle trying to decide whether to wear a dress or go dressy casual. She was on the verge of asking her mom for ideas when her phone rang. She grabbed it and was relieved to see that it was her best friend, Dana. “Hey, D,” she said. “Hey, Dae, what’s up?” Dana asked. “Trying to figure out what to wear for dinner,” Sundae replied. “Oooh, hot date?” Dana asked. “You have no idea,” Sundae said. Dana giggled. “Spill girl, who is he? Is it that gorgeous guy in English?” she asked. “No, he doesn’t go to our school,” Sundae said. “Well then since when do you know Zac Efron?” Dana asked. “Are you watching HSM again?” Sundae asked incredulously. “Yeah, Zac’s hot, what’s your point?” Dana asked. “Never mind,” Sundae said with a sigh as she tossed aside another skirt. “So who is it? He must be pretty cute for you to get so worked up,” Dana said. Sundae bit her lip even though Dana couldn’t see. “Well, remember the really cute guy I told you I met at the San Diego ‘Idol’ auditions?” she said. Dana squealed. “OMG, him? I still have that pic you sent me on your phone. He is so hot,” Dana said. Sundae laughed at that remembering Dana’s reaction to a photo she’d sent her of David. It hadn’t been the best photo, as she’d taken it as he was leaving the audition room, but it was good enough for Dana to call him competition for the dreamy Zac Efron, as she put it. “Yeah and forget the freshman boys this one’s a junior boy,” she said. “Way to go, Dae. You’re in high school for three months and you land a junior. Not bad, if I do say so myself,” Dana said. Sundae laughed. “Yeah, and get this, I actually met him before this,” Sundae said. “What do you mean?” Dana asked. “Remember when I did Star Search?” Sundae said. “Get out! He was on Star Search?” Dana asked. “Yup. He was the other season two winner. I competed against him in the Battle of the Champions round,” Sundae said. “Hang on a sec,” Dana said and the next thing Sundae heard was the clicking of computer keys in the background. “What are you doing?” Sundae asked. “Something online,” Dana said. “Are you googling him?” Sundae asked. “No. I’m searching on youtube and I just got a lot of hits,” Dana said. “Really, what’d you find?” Sundae asked curiously. “Quite a few Star Search performances and wow, he was a hottie even then,” Dana said. Sundae laughed quietly. “I remember,” she said. She had found an old photo her dad had taken at the Battle of the Champions that showed her on stage with David, then twelve, and two other girls their age, one of whom had been on ‘Idol’ two years earlier. Dana was right about him being just as cute then and she remembered thinking so at the time when she had seen him back stage. Dana giggled again breaking into her thoughts. “Ooooh, does the diva have a crush?” she teased. “Shut up. I’m just stressing cause I don’t know what to wear tonight. We’re meeting at the hotel he’s staying at to go to the restaurant there,” Sundae said. “Which hotel is it?” Dana asked. “A Hilton, I think. Why?” Sundae asked. “I know which one it is. My dad has business dinners there sometimes. The restaurant’s like Black Angus or Claim Jumper. You can wear nice jeans or a casual skirt and you’ll be fine,” Dana said. Sundae let out a sigh of relief. “Dana, you’re a total lifesaver. Thank you so much,” she said. “No problem, and I want all the juicy details later,” Dana said. Sundae laughed. “We’ll see. I gotta go. Jase is driving me and you know how he gets when he’s impatient,” Sundae said. Dana laughed at that, knowing Sundae’s older brother. “That’s true. Have I mentioned he’s hot, too?” she said. “Dana! I still can’t believe you like my brother like that. That’s just…ewww,” Sundae said. “Well excuse me for knowing a cute guy when I see one,” Dana said. Sundae laughed. “You’re hopeless and I do have to go,” she said. “Okay, call me later,” Dana said. “Sure D. Talk to you later,” Sundae said. As she flipped her phone closed she looked over the array of clothes tossed around her room. She spied a pair of white skinny jeans and grabbed them along with a lavender, three quarter sleeved top and white strappy shoes with half inch heals. She quickly dressed and touched up her make up and then grabbed a small white purse, stuffed it with essentials and dashed downstairs. Her brother Jason, a tall, lanky seventeen-year-old with brown hair and brown eyes was waiting in the foyer when she got there. “About time. Geesh, why does it always take so long for girls to get ready?” he muttered as he grabbed his car keys. “You’d know if you could keep a girlfriend,” Sundae muttered. “Oh, now I’m hurt,” Jason joked as they headed out the door. They arrived at the Hilton twenty minutes later and Sundae took a deep breath as Jason pulled his truck up to the curb in front of the hotel. “Dae, chill. You look great, you have nothing to worry about,” he said. Sundae gave him a small smile. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, Jase,” she said. “Hey, it’s true. No go on and have fun and call me when you’re ready to be picked up,” he said. “Thanks, Jase,” Sundae said and with that she got out of the truck and headed into the hotel. Like most hotels in the Hilton chain this one was very nice with a spacious lobby, marble floors and counters, a cocktail bar and a lounge with squishy chairs and couches. Sundae looked around for David but, when she didn’t see him, she headed toward the couches to wait. As she passed the cocktail bar she noticed a grand piano situated a few feet away from it. She wandered over to it and as she went to sit on the seat she noticed the bar tender looking at her curiously. “Is it okay if I play a little?” she asked. The bar tender nodded. “If you can carry a tune, knock yourself out,” he said. Sundae smiled in thanks and set her purse beside her on the seat. She then laid her fingers on the ebony and ivory keys for a moment before starting to play a song she liked.
Get a load of me get a load of you Walkin down the street And I hardly know you(hardly know you) It’s just like we were meant to be
What if this is just the beginning? We’re already wet and we’re gonna go swimming
Why can’t I breathe whenever I think about you? Why can’t I speak whenever I talk about you? It’s inevitable, it’s a fact that we’re gonna get down to it So tell me Why can’t I breathe whenever I think about you? “Wow, that’s really good. I’m glad you’re not in the competition,” a girl’s voice suddenly said. Sundae looked up and saw a pretty girl a little older than her with dish blonde hair watching her. “Hi, I know I’ve seen you at the theatre, but I can’t remember your name,” she said. “Alaina Whitaker,” the girl replied. “I’m Sundae Wahlberg. Have a seat,” Sundae said and slid over to make room for Alaina on the piano seat. She now remembered her as another teen contestant on ‘Idol’. “Great outfit. Got a hot date tonight?” Alaina asked as she sat down. Sundae smiled. “Something like that,” she said. “How cute is he?” Alaina asked. “Majorly, and he’s really nice and funny, too,” Sundae said. “Oooh, you’ve got it bad. Were you thinking about him just now when you were singing?” Alaina asked. Sundae sighed. “Am I that transparent?” she mumbled. “Pretty much and by the way, I meant what I said about being glad you’re not in the competition. You’re really good. You could probably get a record deal in a heartbeat, and I bet you’ve got the execs banging on your door since you’re part of ‘Idol’,” Alaina said. “I do record, but I’m still looking for just the right single,” Sundae replied. “Sundae?” a guy’s voice asked and the girls turned to see David approaching them. At first Alaina smiled but then noticed he was just as dressed up as Sundae in nice jeans, a pressed off white shirt and a corduroy jacket. She turned to Sundae with a questioning look and she gave a tiny nod. Alaina took her cue at that point. “Okay, I’ll go,” she leaned close to Sundae so David wouldn’t hear, “I want all the details later,” she got up and started to go, “ Later DJ,” she said as she moved past David and headed toward the elevators. “Later,” he said and Sundae shook her head with a little giggle. “She’s pretty crazy, huh?” David said. Sundae nodded. “Tell me about it. DJ huh?” she asked, with a smile. “Yeah, my middle name is James so it works,” he said. She smiled even more. “Yeah it does. My friends call me Dae,” she said as she got up from the piano bench. “Dae, I like that,” David said and she blushed as they started off toward the restaurant. The hostess, woman in her twenties with curly blonde hair greeted them as they reached the entrance. “Good evening, did you have a reservation?” she asked. “Yeah, for two under Archuleta,” David replied. The hostess checked her list and smiled. “Alright, right this way,” she said, grabbing two menus and leading them to a booth in a quiet corner of the restaurant. Sundae took in the atmosphere as she and David slid into the booth. As Dana had told her it was set up a lot like Black Angus with mostly booths that offered a little privacy for their occupants. The lights were just bright enough to see by but dim enough to add an element of romance and the restaurant was decorated in tones of dark reds, greens and blues giving it an elegant touch. “This is nice,” she remarked as the hostess handed them their menus and then turned to go back to the entrance. “I hope it’s not too fancy,” David said. “Oh no it’s fine. I’ve actually never eaten here and I’m really glad Dana knew about this place,” she said. “Dana?” David asked. “My best friend. Her dad’s a lawyer and he sometimes has business meetings here. She was the one who advised me on style for tonight since I didn’t know if this place had a dress code,” Sundae said. “Well, you look amazing,” David said. Sundae blushed bright pink. “Thanks, you look pretty good yourself,” she said. He blushed a little, too, at that, as they turned their attention to the menu. Their server approached a few minutes later with waters and a breadbasket. “Good evening. My name is Sandra and I’ll be your server. Would you like anything to drink besides water?” she asked. “What sodas do you have here?” David asked. “We have Pepsi, Coke, 7UP, Root Beer and Dr. Pepper,” Sandra replied. “Um, I guess 7UP for me,” David said. “Mmm, I’ll have 7UP, too,” Sundae said. “Alright, any appetizers?” Sandra asked. Sundae and David looked over that portion of the menu and settled on an order of mozzarella sticks. Sandra took everything down and then left to fill the order and let them decide on their entrees. As she looked over the selection of entrees Sundae noticed that many were a little pricey. She mentally debated and decided to see what the bill added up to before saying anything. “Anything looking good to you?” David asked breaking into her thoughts. “Yeah, I’m kinda thinking chicken. How ‘bout you?” Sundae asked. “I’m not sure yet. Chicken sounds good, but a steak sounds good, too,” he replied. They perused the menus for a few more minutes and by the time Sandra came back with their sodas and appetizers they had made up their minds. Sandra took their orders and then left them alone to talk and snack on the mozzarella sticks. “What do you think of the competition so far?” Sundae asked. “It’s completely out this world. This week has been incredible and to be part of it is just amazing,” he said. Sundae smiled. “I really do think you’ll go far here. You have definitely got what it takes,” she said. “Thanks,” he said. They were quiet for a moment and then he spoke again. “So, where’d we leave off on the ‘getting to know you’ stuff the other day?” he asked. “Um, I think favorite singers,” Sundae replied. “Okay, how ‘bout favorite actors?” he asked. She laughed. “Alright, this’ll be another list; Reese Witherspoon, Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Will Smith, and Jim Carey,” Sundae said. “What’s your favorite Jim Carey movie?” David asked. “You’re a fan too, huh? That’s a tough question. Probably ‘The Mask’, but I like all his movies,” she replied. “I like all his stuff, too, but ‘The Mask’ and ‘Ace Ventura’ are up there at the top,” he said. “‘Ace Ventura’ is what got me into Jim Carey. My brother got me to watch it when I was ten. Needless to say I’ve been a fan since. Any other favorites for you besides Jim?” Sundae asked. “Robin Williams. He is the definition of brilliant,” David said. “Amen to that. The voices he does are just too crazy,” Sundae said. “Yeah. Any favorite movies?” he asked. “A few; the Harry Potter Series, ‘Bend It Like Beckham’ ‘She’s the Man’ and the first of the ‘Lord of the Rings’ trilogy. How ‘bout you?” she replied. “’Lord of the Rings’ one and two and ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone’,” he replied. Sundae smiled as she sipped her soda. “We’ll have to do a movie day at my house sometime. We’ve got all those and then some,” she said. “That’d be cool,” he said. At that point Sandra appeared with their dinners; a zesty Chicken Parmesan for Sundae and a medium rare steak for David. They thanked her and resumed their conversation after she’d gone. They talked all through dinner and even dessert, and never seemed to run out of topics. They talked more about their families, favorites and just life in general. Sundae couldn’t remember when she’d enjoyed a conversation so much. They were finishing up the a la mode piece of cherry pie they’d gotten to share for dessert when Sandra came by with the check. “Did you two enjoy your meal?” she asked as she pulled their check out of the stack she was holding. “We did, thank you,” David said. “You’re welcome. You can pay for your meal up front,” Sandra said as she set their check on the table. “Thanks, have a nice night,” Sundae said. “You, too,” Sandra said as she turned and left. David reached for the check as Sundae finished the last bite of pie. “How bad is it?” she asked, as he looked it over. “A lot, but not awful,” David replied and fished out his wallet. “I’d be happy to help with some of it,” Sundae said, reaching for her purse. “I’ve got enough, it’s okay,” he said. “At least let me help with the tip?” Sundae asked. He thought for a moment and then smiled, nearly making her melt. “Sure,” he said. Sundae glanced at the check and then pulled her wallet out of her purse and started counting out a tip. Once that was taken care of she and David made their way up front and while he went over to the register to pay the bill, she pulled out her cell phone and called Jason to let him know they were done with dinner, but to give them a couple minutes when he got there. She was just flipping her phone closed when David came back over to her. “Ready?” he asked. She nodded and they headed out of the restaurant. “That was probably the best meal I’ve ever had, and I enjoyed the company even more,” Sundae said as they stepped out into the corridor. David smiled, a light blush creeping into his face. “Me, too,” he said and Sundae was very pleasantly surprised when he gently took hold of her hand, letting their fingers twine together. She had held a guy’s hand before, but it had never felt so right as it did then. She smiled in contentment as they walked down the corridor and out into the lobby of the hotel. They turned toward each other as they neared the main doors. “I had a great time tonight. Thanks for thinking of this,” Sundae said. “I had a great time, too,” David said. He hesitated for a moment and then started to lean toward her. Sundae felt her heart jump into her throat, but before he could get close enough a car horn honking loudly made them jump apart. Sundae looked out the doors and saw her brother watching from his truck. “I’m gonna kill him,” she muttered. David chuckled lightly and she couldn’t help but join him. “I’d better go. Thanks again for a great evening,” she said and then stepped away and turned toward the door. She was almost to the door when he stopped her. “Sundae?” he called. She turned as he came up to her and she was surprised again when he swiftly leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. They were both blushing when he pulled back. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said. She nodded. “Mmm k. Night,” she said, slowly stepping away again. “Night,” he said and she gave him one more smile before slipping out the door. She dashed over to Jason’s truck and hopped in. He gave her a look as she buckled her seatbelt. “Have a good time?” he asked. She couldn’t keep the smile off her face. “Wonderful,” she said. “You like him don’t you,” Jason said. “Absolutely,” Sundae said without hesitation. “Hmm, sounds like I need to have the old ‘big brother to little sister’s boyfriend’ talk with him,” Jason muttered. Sundae whirled around to look at him. “No! Jason Matthew Wahlberg if you say one word to him…” she started to say, but he cut her off, laughing at her protectiveness. “Chill Dae, I was just kidding,” he said. “You better be,” Sundae said. Jason laughed. “Man, you do have it bad,” he said. Sundae didn’t really hear him. She was staring out the window thinking about her evening and how she couldn’t wait to see David again.
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Post by Charlotte on Mar 27, 2012 20:15:46 GMT -5
Chapter 6 The next day was a big day for ‘Idol’. Randy, Paula and Simon had spent the previous day talking over the remaining thirty-five contestants and had made their choices for the top twenty-four. Sundae didn’t know what their decision was, but she was looking forward to finding out. She got to the theatre just after lunch and ran into Ryan in the hallway. “Hey Dae,” he said, seeing her. “Hey Ry, ready for a long afternoon?” she asked. He laughed. “I hope so. Did you enjoy your day off yesterday?” he asked. “Yeah, it was nice, never mind that I had school,” she replied as they wandered into what was known as the holding room. Here was where the contestants would wait their turns to find out if they’d made the final cut and many of them were already there. Sundae spotted David sitting off to one side of the room with two other guys his age whom she vaguely remembered, but couldn’t identify by name. David noticed her watching him and gave her a special smile. “Anyone in particular you like this year?” Ryan asked innocently from behind her. “Maybe,” Sundae said, returning David’s smile and giving him a little wave. “Ah huh. Anything you want to tell me?” Ryan asked. Sundae laughed lightly as she turned back to him. “No, and if you start to pry I’ll sic Simon on you,” she mock-threatened. “I’ll be good,” Ryan promised, raising his hands in defeat. Sundae laughed again. “That’s a good boy,” she said and headed for the elevator that went up and down between the holding room and the rehearsal studio where the judges were situated. When she reached the studio Sundae found all three judges, getting settled at the usual long table. An ‘Idol’ backdrop was set up behind them and their customary red Coke cups sat on the table. “Hey guys,” she said as she approached the table. “Hey girl,” Randy said. “Good afternoon,” Simon chimed in. “Hi sweetie,” Paula said. “So, today’s the big day. I saw a lot of nervous faces downstairs,” Sundae said as she claimed her usual spot on the end next to Randy. “Yeah, I almost wish we didn’t have to make them so nervous like this,” Paula said. “Anybody you’re rooting for, Dae?” Randy asked. Simon actually laughed before Sundae could respond. “Oh come on, Randy. Do you even have to ask that?” he said incredulously. “For once in this life I actually agree with him,” Paula added. “Seems you all think you know me pretty well,” Sundae said as she sat down and popped open a coke can. “Well, if the looks you’ve been trading with him all week are any indication then I’d say it’s pretty obvious,” Simon said bluntly. “Okay, maybe you know me better than I thought,” Sundae said, blushing slightly. Paula reached around Randy and patted her arm. “It’s perfectly okay for you to like him. It’s a normal teen girl thing. Besides, he is cute,” she said. Sundae giggled and settled in for what she knew would be a long afternoon. It was a long afternoon, but a smooth one. One by one the contestants made their way upstairs via the elevator to learn their fates. Sundae had picked out a handful of talented ones, in addition to David, that she liked and was pleased to see many of them make it through. Around two-thirty Alaina came in and Sundae remembered her echoing Dana’s request for details of the previous evening. Fortunately, Simon got the discussion started right away, and Sundae hoped that Alaina wouldn’t remember the request. “Okay, Alaina, we had a lot to consider with you. You are still sixteen and have plenty of room to grow and could easily do this again in a couple years,” he said. Alaina nodded, looking too nervous to speak. Randy took over the commentary from there. “You could do this again…but we want to see you make the best of it now,” he said. Alaina slowly started to smile. “Congratulations, Alaina, you’re through to the next round,” Simon said. “Congratulations,” Paula chimed in. “Yeah, way to go,” Sundae said. “Thank you, so much,” Alaina said, looking both relieved and excited. “You’re welcome; now go have fun with your family. You’ve earned it,” Paula said. “Thank you,” Alaina said and started to go. She’d only gone a few steps when she turned back around and looked to Sundae. “Oh hey, you owe me details from last night,” she said. Sundae laughed a little nervously. “Later, I promise,” she said. “I’ll hold you to that,” Alaina said and then turned and left, looking very happy. “What was she on about? What happened last night?” Simon asked Sundae once Alaina had left. “Oh nothing, just girl stuff,” Sundae said. “Right, and I’m Elvis Presley,” Simon said, sarcastically. Sundae rolled her eyes. “Can we not, please?” she asked. Simon started to respond, but Paula cut him off. “It’s obviously something personal, so let it go,” she said. Simon shrugged and turned back to the papers in front of him and Sundae breathed a sigh of relief as the next contestant came in. As it had been over two hours by then Sundae started to wonder when David would get his turn. At the same time she hoped it would be prolonged just a little while longer as she was just as nervous for him as she knew he was for himself. Four contestants after Alaina, the time came. When David stepped out of the elevator and into the studio she glanced over at her fellow judges, trying to read their expressions. They all nodded politely to David, but didn’t give anything away. She shoved her hands into her lap, crossing as many fingers as she could. Then, for extra assurance, she crossed her toes, too. David sat down facing the judges and, when he glanced at her, she gave him a hopeful smile. Simon cleared his throat and got their attention. “Alright David, just so you know we had a lot to consider as you are only sixteen and we sometimes have to work a little more with the young ones. But it was unanimous,” he said. Sundae was a little surprised. The judges didn’t usually unite in decision unless they really liked someone—or didn’t like them. David looked calm, but she could tell he was nervous. Randy nudged her arm. “You want to do the honors?” he asked and slid a sheet of paper over to her. On it was a list of the top thirty-five with marker notations, yellow for ‘yes’ and red for ‘no’, next to each name indicating the judges’ decision. She nearly thought she’d drop when she saw the yellow dot next to David’s name. She looked to him, keeping her composure. “David…it’s good news,” she said, a grin splitting her face. David let out a huge breath of relief, a grin equaling hers coming to his face. “Thank you, thank you so much,” he said, sounding happy and very grateful. Randy nudged Sundae again, this time nodding toward David. She smiled and got up from her seat and walked over to him. David smiled at her and she reached to give him a big hug. “Congratulations,” she said, only for him to hear. “Thanks,” he said, returning the hug. “Awww,” Paula said and both Sundae and David blushed lightly when they pulled apart. “Off you go then and celebrate,” Simon said to David. He nodded and turned to Sundae again. “I’ll see you later?” he asked hopefully. She grinned. “Definitely,” she said. He gave her hand a squeeze and then stepped back, waving to the judges one more time. “Thank you again,” he said. They nodded, smiling, and he turned toward the elevator. Sundae watched him go before returning to her seat. “That was too sweet, Dae,” Randy said. “Yeah, you guys are very cute together,” Paula agreed. Sundae smiled, thoughtfully, thinking of the possibility of the ‘together’ Paula was thinking of becoming reality.
After the last of the remaining contestants had come and gone, Sundae bid good day to the judges and headed back downstairs. As she came into the holding room fiddling with her cell phone, Ryan came up to her. “Happy with things so far?” he asked. Sundae smiled. “Absolutely, this is shaping up to be a good competition,” she said. Ryan nodded. “I agree. Oh, here, one of the girls left this for you when she came down,” he said and handed her a folded note. Sundae took it and nodded her thanks before opening it. It was from Alaina and read;
Sundae, I’m having one of the other girls over to my Hotel room for a sleepover and we wondered If you’d join us? Call me and let me know, Alaina Sundae flipped open her phone and punched the speed dial button for her home. Her dad answered on the second ring. “Hey, Dae, how’d it go today?” he asked. “It went fine but you know I can’t spill details,” she replied. “Are you ready to be picked up?” her dad asked. “Actually, one of the girls invited me to spend the night at the hotel. Can I?” Sundae asked. “Her parents will be there?” her dad asked. “Yeah, they’re with her and the sleepover’s in their hotel room,” Sundae said. “Alright, I just wanted to be sure. It’s okay by me since it’s Friday,” her dad said. “Thank you,” Sundae said. “You’re welcome. I’ll have your mom pack some overnight stuff for you and have Jase bring it by the hotel later,” her dad said. “Thanks, dad,” Sundae said. “No problem, have fun honey,” he said. “I will, later,” Sundae said. She then ended the call and punched in the number for Alaina’s cell phone. She answered on the first ring. “Hello?” she said. “Hey Alaina, it’s Sundae. I just talked to my dad and he’s okay with the sleepover,” Sundae said. “Okay cool. I’m at the hotel now if you want to come on over. It’s room 435,” Alaina said. “Okay, I’ll be there in a few,” Sundae said. “Great, see you then and you still owe me details,” Alaina said. “When I get there,” Sundae said. “Okay, see ya,” Alaina said. “See ya,” Sundae replied and flipped her phone shut. She then headed out the door of the holding room and out of the theatre. The hotel was right down the street so she walked, enjoying the evening air as she went. She reached the hotel a few minutes later and, as she walked into the lobby, she almost immediately remembered the previous night and how much fun she’d had. She walked across the lobby to the elevators and, as she reached them, she saw one of the guys she’d seen David talking to when she’d walked into the holding room earlier. He was taller than David with blonde hair combed in a punk style and light eyes. She remembered that he’d made it through to the top twenty-four, but she still couldn’t recall his name. He seemed to remember her, though. “Hi, Sundae, right?” he asked as she punched one of the ‘up’ buttons. “Yeah, you’re in the top twenty-four right?” she asked him. “Yup. I’m Colton,” he said, holding out his hand. She took it, but she didn’t feel the same spark she felt with David. “Nice to meet you,” she said politely. “You too. Maybe we could catch a movie or something sometime,” Colton said. Sundae was taken aback by the offer, but she already knew what to say. “It’s nice of you to ask, but I’m kind of already seeing someone,” she said. Colton shrugged. “It’s cool, I just thought I’d try,” Colton said. At that point the up elevator arrived and Sundae stepped into it. “Going up?” she asked Colton. “I’ll get the next one,” he said. She shrugged and pushed the button for the fourth floor. “Nice meeting you. Good luck with ‘Idol’,” she said as the doors slid closed. She leaned against the wall as the elevator made it’s way up. She knew she’d made the right decision with Colton, but she was a little surprised that she’d made it so quickly. Normally, she’d be flattered that more than one guy was interested in her, so it surprised her that she didn’t even blink in turning down Colton. “Okay, either I’m losing it or I’ve got it worse than I thought,” she thought as the elevator dinged to a stop and the doors opened. She stepped out into the hallway and made her way down the hall to Alaina’s room and tapped on the door. Alaina herself answered a moment later. “Hey, come on in,” she said, undoing the security latch and opening the door all the way. “Hey, Alaina,” Sundae said as she stepped into the room which was actually a miniature suite. There was a bedroom area that was separated from the rest of the suite by a curtain and a comfortable living area that had a couch, a small table and two chairs along with a TV and adjoining half bathroom. “This is nice,” Sundae said, but then noticed the other girl sitting in one of the chairs. “That’s Alexandrea Lushington. She’s in the top twenty-four, too,” Alaina said. “Call me Alex,” Alexandrea said. “Sundae, nice to meet you,” Sundae said as she claimed a spot on the couch. “As in the day of the week?” Alex asked. “As in ice cream sundae. Don’t ask. My parents have weird name ideas,” Sundae said. “It’s cool, I like it,” Alex said as Alaina joined them. “We’re gonna camp out here so we won’t drive my mom nuts. Did you bring overnight stuff?” she asked Sundae. “My brother’s bringing it later. He’ll call me when he gets here,” Sundae replied. “Oh you have a brother?” Alaina asked mischievously. “Six actually and five sisters,” Sundae said. “Whoa!” Alex said. “Tell me about it. How do you cope?” Alaina asked. “I have my music and we all sing in my family so it’s not so bad,” Sundae said. “Maybe, but I still can’t imagine having that many siblings,” Alex said. Sundae smiled. “Well, dinner’s coming by room service so we could watch TV or do makeovers or something,” Alaina suggested. The three girls looked at each other for a moment before grins broke out on their faces. “Makeovers,” they said in unison and Alaina got up from the couch. She went into the bathroom and grabbed her makeup and hair stuff, Alex brought her makeup out of her over night bag and Sundae pulled her hair brush and touch up makeup out of her purse. Alaina also brought out nail polish so they could do manicures and pedicures, too. They laid everything out on the table and then set to work. Alaina did Sundae’s hair, Sundae did Alex’s toes and Alex started on Alaina’s hair. “So, what do you like most about the competition thus far?” Sundae asked as she buffed Alex’s toes. “Making it this far?” Alex said. “Yeah, I kind of agree, but the people are really cool, too. I’ve met so many nice people since I’ve been out here,” Alaina said. “Not to mention, cute guys,” Alex said. Alaina and Sundae giggled. “That, too,” Alaina said. “Sundae, who do you think is the cutest guy in the competition?” Alex asked. “Oh, I know the answer to this one,” Alaina said with a grin. “Laina,” Sundae warned playfully. “What’s going on?” Alex asked with a grin. “Only a budding romance and I’m still waiting for details of last night,” Alaina said. “Oooh, who’s the lucky guy?” Alex asked. Sundae blushed a little. “David,” she said. “Which one? There’s three here,” Alex said. “What do you mean which one? She’s dating DJ,” Alaina said. “You mean sweet, cute DJ from Utah?” Alex asked. “That’s the one,” Alaina replied. “Oooh, way to go, Sundae, and by the way I agree with you,” Alex said. Sundae laughed lightly. “Thanks, but I don’t know if I’d call it dating yet, per se. We’ve only gone out twice and the first time was just to a deli for lunch,” Sundae said. “Okay, you need to learn the dating and boy rules,” Alex said. Sundae had to laugh as it was very similar to a quote from one of hers and Dana’s favorite movies, ‘High School Musical 2’ and was exactly what Dana would’ve said to her. “Alright, what are the rules?” Sundae asked. “There’s ten of them and rule one is ‘If you go out with him more than once, it’s dating’,” Alex said. “Okay, but the deli doesn’t even count. We were just having lunch and getting to know each other,” Sundae said. “Rule three, ‘All dates are official’,” Alaina said. Sundae laughed. “You guys sound like Taylor from ‘High School Musical’ with her boy rules,” she said. Alex and Alaina laughed, too. “That’s kinda where we got this from, but it hey, it’s pretty right on,” Alaina said. Alex nodded. “Yeah, I guess you’re right, but don’t ever tell my best friend, Dana about it, though. She’s a tad obsessed with HSM and she’d never let me live this down,” Sundae said. “The secret’s safe with us, don’t worry, but we want the details from last night,” Alaina said. Sundae laughed as she finished with Alex’s left foot. “It was so nice. We had dinner at the restaurant downstairs. He’s just…I’ve never met anyone like him,” she said with a dreamy smile. Alaina and Alex giggled. “Oooooh,” they said in unison. “You’ve got it bad,” Alaina said. Sundae blushed and Alex gave her a friendly hug. “I think it’s sweet. You and DJ would look so cute together,” she said. “Paula said the same thing earlier,” Sundae said. “Well she’s right,” Alaina said. Sundae smiled even more. “Oh, but get this, I got asked out by another guy on my way up here,” she said. “Anyone we know?” Alex asked. “Yeah, another of the top twenty-four, Colton,” Sundae said. “Oh him, he’s okay,” Alaina said. “Yeah, he’s nice, but DJ’s way more adorable. He’s even cuter than he was when I first met him,” Alex said. “When did you meet him before?” Sundae asked. “On Star Search, when we were kids,” Alex said. “You did Star Search too?” Sundae asked surprised. “Yeah, I actually competed against DJ. One guess who won. Why? Did you do Star Search?” Alex asked. “Yeah, that same year. I competed against David, too, but in the Battle of the Champions,” Sundae said. “Get out! You were the other season two winner?” Alex asked. “Yeah, that was me. As I told David, I was a diva even then,” Sundae said. “Wow, you’ve got quite a resume then what with your dad being in the business, too,” Alaina said. “Yeah, I guess you could say that,” Sundae said. “You should do a duet with DJ. That’d be so cool,” Alex said. “Yeah, it would,” Alaina agreed. Sundae smiled, thoughtfully. “That has crossed my mind,” she said. In truth the idea had been on her mind since she’d first heard David sing. She loved the sound and tone of his voice and she knew from having sung along with him at his audition that they could sound really good together. She wondered if she could convince him as well as she had convinced her self.
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Post by Charlotte on Mar 27, 2012 20:20:36 GMT -5
Chapter 7 The next week ‘Idol’ kicked into high gear. With the contestants down to the top twenty-four this was the time when the viewing audience was able to start voting for their favorites and that Sundae stopped being a judge and started being a performer. It was also the time that those contestants under the age of eighteen began attending what was known as ‘Idol’ school; a three-hours-a-day tutoring program designed to allow them to keep up with their studies while they competed. Sundae also attended the school, as it was easier for her than trying to go to regular school when she had hours of rehearsal crammed into her schedule. On the first Monday morning, her dad dropped her off at the studio and she made her way back to the small room where the school classes were held. Students always did their schoolwork in the morning and rehearsed in the afternoon. When she reached the room she could hear talking and laughing coming from inside and as she stepped in she saw Alex and Alaina sitting at one of two tables giggling over something while David, Colton and another guy with shoulder length, curly, dish blonde hair were sitting at the other table in the midst of a discussion. The room itself was fairly sparse with just the tables and a white board. Alaina and Alex noticed Sundae at that point and waved to her. “Hey Sundae, come sit here,” Alaina said. Sundae smiled and made her way over them, sliding into a seat next to Alaina. Almost as soon as she was seated David slid into a chair opposite her. Alaina and Alex both giggled like crazy, but Sundae ignored them. “Morning,” she said to David. “Hey, I didn’t know you took classes here,” he said. “You think I can keep up with regular school with four hours of rehearsal everyday? Not if you paid me,” Sundae joked. “Point taken,” David agreed. “Have you taken classes this way before?” Alex asked. “I went through middle school this way. I started doing ‘Idol’ school in sixth grade when the rehearsals got to be too much for a regular schedule,” Sundae replied. “What’s this like?” Alaina asked. “It’s fun. It’s more concentrated since it’s a smaller class size plus we have to cram six classes into three and half hours, but it’s still fun. We usually get to do assignments in pairs or groups,” Sundae said. “I bet I know who you’ll pair up with,” Alex said with a mischievous grin and a nod in David’s direction. Both he and Sundae blushed making Alex and Alaina giggle like crazy again. “I knew it,” Alex said. “You are too crazy, both of you,” Sundae said. “Seriously,” David agreed. The other two guys picked that moment to speak up. “Yo DJ, dude are you gonna sit with girls all day?” the curly haired guy said. Sundae, Alaina, and Alex all gave him a look. “I don’t see anything wrong with sitting with girls. If he wants to sit here, he can,” Alaina said. “Yeah Garrett, get a grip,” Alex said. “Yeah, besides the view’s better over here,” David said, blushing a little as he smiled at Sundae. She blushed too, returning his smile. “Ooooooh,” Alaina and Alex giggled. “Whipped,” Garrett and Colton crowed. “Alright people settle down,” came a stern female voice. The six turned and saw a woman in her late thirties with wavy brown hair coming into the room rolling a cart with school supplies in it behind her. “Good morning. I’m Ms. Barnes and I’ll be your teacher for as long as you’re on ‘Idol’. Miss Wahlberg, good to see you back this year,” the woman said. “Good morning, Ms. Barnes,” Sundae said. Ms. Barnes nodded. “The rest of you, would you please tell me your names and what grades you’re in. You first,” she said, nodding to Alaina. She stood up. “I’m Alaina and I’m a junior,” she said. “I’m Alexandrea, or Alex, and I’m a senior,” Alex said. “I’m David and I’m a junior,” David said. “I’m Garrett and I’m a junior,” Garrett said. “And I’m Colton and I’m a senior,” Colton said. “Alright, here’s how we’re going to do things. Since there’s only six of you we’re going to push the tables together and you’ll all sit facing the front. There will be no talking during lessons, you will answer when called on, and absolutely no note passing. I catch you passing notes; they will be read aloud to the class. Are we understood?” Ms. Barnes asked. “Yes, Ms. Barnes,” everyone said. “Good, lets get these tables moved,” Ms. Barnes said. The six teens hurried to comply and, once the tables were situated side by side they all sat down in chairs facing the white board at the front of the room. Ms. Barnes then brought folders of work packets out of her cart and started passing things out. “I know we have two seniors, three juniors and a freshman, but I would presume you’re all at about the same level with math,” she said as she handed out packets of math problems. “You don’t have to worry about the calculus stuff if you don’t know it yet, Sundae,” she said, seeing Sundae’s worry over the harder problems. “This goes up to pre-calculus?” Colton asked, surprised. “Yes, it does and there’ll be no wheedling out of it. There is a national requirement for all high school students to know math and language arts up to certain level by the time they graduate. If any of you have yet to take or pass the high school exit exam you’ll do so here,” Ms. Barnes said. A few groans were heard, but a stern look silenced any further complaints. Classes went on for the rest of the morning. Ms. Barnes covered all the main subjects; English, Math, Science and History, and also went over some Geography, and Foreign languages. By the time the teens were released for the day they were all ready for a change of scenery. Ms. Barnes had even assigned them homework and some of them grumbled as they made their way out into the hall and off toward the theatre for rehearsal. Sundae walked quietly in thought until David came up beside her. She smiled in greeting. “Hey, what do you think of ‘Idol’ school so far?” she asked him. “Is she always that strict or was it my imagination?” David replied. Sundae laughed. “Ms. Barnes is a little strict, but you get used to it pretty quickly,” she said. He nodded. “I um, I’m sorry about earlier, about what I said. If I embarrassed you, I didn’t mean to,” he said. She smiled at him. “You didn’t embarrass me. Remember, I have six brothers. I’ve seen what happens when guys goad each other on,” she said. “I meant what I said about the view, though. You look great today,” David said, nodding shyly. Sundae smiled even more at that. She had dressed more casually that day; in skinny jeans, a three quarter sleeved top and slip on flats, but it was still nice to get a compliment. “Thanks,” she said. Before anything more could be said one of the backstage crewmembers passed them. “You two should go get some lunch while there’s still some left,” he said as he maneuvered around them and continued on his way. Once they were alone again, Sundae turned to David. “Would you like the two cent tour on the way?” she asked. He smiled. “That’d be great,” he said. She smiled, too, and led the way down the hallway toward the catering room.
The next day, after rehearsals finished Sundae walked with Alex and Alaina to the girls’ dressing rooms. The first live show was that night and everyone was nervous, the guys more so. In this portion of the competition the top twenty-four were divided into two groups, the top twelve guys and the top twelve girls. There were three live shows a week for three weeks with the guys performing Tuesday, the girls on Wednesday and elimination of two guys and two girls on Thursday. At the end of the three weeks they’d be down to the top twelve over all. That night would be the first performance for the guys, but Alex and Alaina were both nervous, thinking about their turn the next night. “I so need to work more on my song. It just doesn’t sound good,” Alaina lamented. “You’re not the only one,” Alex said as they and Sundae reached the girls’ dressing room. “I thought you guys sounded fine in your rehearsals,” Sundae said as they went in. “Thanks for the vote of confidence, but I’m still nervous. The guys sounded great, though,” Alaina said. “Yeah, they did, especially DJ. I think he may be the one to beat this year,” Alex said. “He did sound great, and I love the song he picked,” Sundae agreed. “Do you know it?” Alex asked her. “Yeah, kinda. My mom likes the oldies once in a while and I heard it on the station she usually listens too,” Sundae said. There was a different theme each week for the contestants to pick songs from and that week was ‘60s week. Sundae would be beginning her opening act performances that week and had picked ‘It’s My Party’ to kick off with. She was just starting to hum the opening bars of the song when Alaina piped up again. “Hey, speaking of DJ, how are things going with you and him, Sundae?” she asked. Sundae smiled. “Things are fine. We had lunch together today, which was nice,” she said. “Any plans for the next date?” Alex asked mischievously. Sundae laughed at her friends’ one-track minds. “Not yet. Rehearsals are taking up so much time that it just hasn’t come up yet,” she said. Alex and Alaina giggled. “Girl, just ask him out already,” Alex said. “Yeah, we all know he’ll say yes,” Alaina agreed. “Ask him out? Uh-uh. I’ve never asked a guy out. They’ve always asked me,” she said. “You’ve never been to a Sadie Hawkins dance?” Alaina asked. “Well, there was one at school last fall, but just went with a friend,” Sundae said. “So, you still had to ask him, right?” Alex prodded. “Well, yeah, but that’s not the same. He was just a friend,” Sundae said. Alaina eyed her for a moment. “You really like DJ, don’t you?” she said. Sundae sighed. “Yeah, I do, and I don’t really even get it either. I’ve liked guys at school before, but never in the way I like David,” she said. “Well, you are in high school now. Things are a lot more platonic in middle school, if memory serves,” Alex said. “That’s true,” Sundae said with a shrug. “So, ask him out already. There are a lot of girls who would kill for a guy like him,” Alaina said. Sundae thought for a moment and then got up, grabbing her purse, and headed for the door. “I’ll see you guys later,” she said as she stepped out of the room. She vaguely heard Alex and Alaina giggle as the door closed behind her, but her mind was elsewhere. She made her way back down the hall toward the stage, and as she neared it, she spotted David chatting with Colton and Garrett. She took a deep breath before making her way over to them. “Hey guys,” she said as she came up to them. They all smiled in greeting, David especially. “Hey, your rehearsal was amazing today,” he said. “Yeah, totally. I’m glad we’re not competing against you,” Colton agreed. Sundae had to laugh at that. “Alaina said the same thing, actually. You all sounded good, too,” she said. They shrugged. “Thanks. I know my song still needs work, but guess it’ll have to do,” Garrett said. “Same here. DJ over here doesn’t need much help, though,” Colton said. David nodded modestly. “Thanks, I guess,” he said. Sundae smiled at him. “You were really good today. Alex was saying you look like the one to beat,” she said. “I’ll echo that,” Garrett chimed in. David again nodded modestly. “Thanks, but I don’t think so,” he looked to Garrett and Colton, “Can you guys excuse us a minute,” he said and without waiting for a reply he took hold of Sundae’s hand and pulled her a few feet away, out of Garrett and Colton’s earshot. “Is something wrong?” Sundae asked once they were alone. “No, nothing’s wrong. I just wanted to ask you something,” David replied. “Oh okay. What’s up?” she asked. “Well, I’ve been thinking about this all day and, well, here goes nothing. Would you go to a movie with me on Saturday?” he asked. Sundae couldn’t control the grin the spread across her face. “I’d love to,” she said. David grinned, too. “Great, I’ll pick you up at six-thirty?” he suggested. “Perfect,” she fished into her purse, pulled out a slip of paper and scribbled her address on it, “Here’s my address. Call me if you need help with directions,” she said, handing the paper to him. He smiled. “Okay, I’ll see you tonight at the show,” he said. She nodded. “Definitely,” she said and then out of spontaneity she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “See you later,” she said as she stepped away and headed down the hall. “See you,” she heard him say and she grinned like mad as she made her way down the hall. She ran into Alaina and Alex as she passed the girls’ dressing room again and they immediately noticed her grin. “Oh my God, did you do it?” Alex asked. “Did you ask him?” Alaina chimed in. Sundae felt her grin growing wider. “He asked me to a movie,” she said. Alaina and Alex squealed with delight. “Spill it, girl,” Alex said. “Yeah, don’t leave out a single detail,” Alaina added. Sundae laughed as they strolled off towards the studio exit. This was definitely a good day, or so she thought. When she got home for an early dinner her mom, a lovely red head, greeted her in the foyer of the family’s sprawling two-story house. “Hey, mom,” she said as she set her purse on the hall table. “Hi sweetie. Listen your dad and I were talking and we thought it might be fun for all of us to go to Griffith Park this Saturday for a dinner picnic and visit the observatory. What do you say?” her mom asked. Sundae bit her lip. “That does sound nice, mom, but I already have plans for Saturday,” she said. “What plans?” her dad asked as he joined them. Sundae sighed, hating it when they gave her the third degree. “I have a date,” she said, not wanting to meet her dad’s gaze. “What?” he asked. “We’re just going to movies,” Sundae said. “Whom are you going with?” her mom asked. “David,” Sundae said. Her mom smiled. “Your friend from ‘Idol’? How nice,” she said. “Not so nice. He’s two years older than her,” her dad said. Mrs. Wahlberg gave him a look. “Donnie, she’s almost fifteen. She’s old enough to go to the movies with a boy,” she said. Sundae decided to make her retreat at that point. “You guys talk it out. I need to go eat so I can go again,” she said and then turned and headed for the kitchen leaving her parents talking. Sometimes she wished her dad wasn’t so protective.
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Post by Charlotte on Mar 27, 2012 20:21:20 GMT -5
Chapter 8 The rest of the week was filled with the activity around the competition. On Tuesday and Wednesday first the guys and then the girls performed songs from the ‘60s, and then Thursday was elimination day, but with an unusual twist. Normally group numbers were saved until the start of the final twelve portion of the competition, but the producers had decided to try doing one with the top twenty-four. As it was 60s week that was the theme of the number- a medley of 60s hits. Sundae wouldn’t be in it, but she did get a kick out of the 60s style costumes the girls were wearing. “I still can’t believe we have to dress like this. Our parents will think we raided their closets,” Alaina said to her as she pulled on the gogo boots she’d been given. “I know. It’s almost too retro for my taste. The footwear’s cool, though,” Sundae said, nodding to the boots. “Yeah, I have always wondered what it would be like to wear these, so this will be interesting,” Alaina said. Just then Alex came up to them, a big grin on her face. “OMG, Dae, you have to come with me,” she said, grabbing Sundae’s hand. “What’s up?” Sundae asked as Alex pulled her up from the bench she’d been sitting on. “Yeah, what’s going on?” Alaina asked. Alex leaned over to her and whispered in her ear. Alaina lit up at whatever she said. “OMG, I am so coming with you,” she said, jumping up as well. “What’s so exciting?” Sundae asked again. “Just a little surprise you won’t want to miss,” Alex said. Sundae sighed. “Fine. You’re lucky I’m already dressed for the evening,” she said as she let herself be pulled along. She would just be sitting with the judges that night, so she was already set to go and looking stylish in a black mini skirt, a silk blouse with elbow length sleeves and black one-inch heels. Alex and Alaina dragged her out of the dressing room and down the hall toward the stage entrance. She started to get a little exasperated as they neared it and she turned toward her grinning friends. “Will you just tell me what this is about?” she asked, taking a couple steps backward to keep up with the walking pace. Unfortunately, she couldn’t look where she was going and she bumped into someone from behind. “Sorry,” she said, but when she turned around she nearly forgot how to breathe. It was David that she’d bumped into, but it was how he looked that took her breath away. He was dressed to the nines in a black suit with a red silk tie a la Frankie Valli and the Jersey Boys, and to her he looked gorgeous. “Hey,” he said, smiling at her. “Hey, you look amazing,” she managed to get out, blushing as she spoke. He blushed, too, at the compliment. “Thanks, you do, too,” he said. Alaina and Alex giggled from behind them. “Told ya you wouldn’t want to miss this, Dae,” Alex said. Sundae blushed again at that. “Two minutes to air time!” a crewman called out as he dashed past. “I should be getting to my seat,” Sundae said. She started to take a step back, but he took her hand in his, stopping her. They both blushed a little when he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “See you out there,” he said. “Okay,” she agreed and then stepped back and turned and headed out into the studio. She made her way over to the judges’ table, still feeling the blush on her cheeks. Randy, Paula and Simon noticed it as she sat down. “You okay? You look flushed,” Randy said. “I’m fine,” Sundae replied brushing her hands over her cheeks. “You’re sure?” Paula asked, reaching around Randy to pat her arm. “Yeah, I’m sure,” Sundae said, giving her a reassuring smile. Paula, however, didn’t miss the gleam in her eyes. “Uh oh, I know that look,” she said. “What look?” Sundae asked. “The sparkle in the eyes that’s put there by someone special,” Paula said, smiling knowingly. Sundae blushed again and Simon chuckled. “I wouldn’t go trying to deny that if I were you,” he said. Fortunately, the lights dimmed then signaling the start of the show and putting Sundae at ease for the moment. She wondered, as the show got underway, how the group number would go off with twenty-four people instead of twelve or less, but it went off without a hitch and was more than fun to watch.
The next day when Sundae got to the “Idol’ school classroom, David was the only one there to greet her. All four of their other classmates had been eliminated the previous night, which bummed them both out. They sat together and looked over that day’s L.A Times, which Sundae had brought with her, and tried not to think about the competition. It didn’t work for very long. “It’s too quiet in here,” David remarked, glancing around the room. Sundae nodded. “I’ll say. I wonder what Ms. Barnes will say when she gets here and finds it’s just us,” she said. David shrugged, but then noticed the section of the paper she had. “Hey, is that the movie section?” he asked. “Yeah, it is. You want to pick something for tomorrow?” she asked. “Sure,” he said. Sundae laid the paper out on the table in front of them and flipped over to the page that showed the local theatres. “Is there one theatre you like best?” David asked, noting the number of theatres in the area. Sundae pointed to the listings for one called Plaza Cinemas. “I usually go to this one. It’s close to my house and it’s got a good selection,” she said. They looked over the choice of movies playing at Plaza, but before they could settle on one, Ms. Barnes walked in. “Okay people, let’s get… where’s my class?” she asked when she saw only Sundae and David waiting for her. The two teens traded looks and Sundae spoke up. “Um, I don’t know how to break it to you, but we’re all that’s left,” she said. Ms. Barnes sighed. “This soon? Well, never mind about that. We’ve got a lot to cover today. Get those newspapers cleaned up and let’s get the extra table out of the way. We don’t need both if it’s just the two of you,” she said. Sundae quickly folded up the papers and stuffed them in her backpack and then she and David moved the second table to the side of the room, before reclaiming their seats for the day’s lessons.
The next afternoon, Sundae was in her room getting ready for her date. She was tossing clothes this way and that when she heard a knock at her door. “What is it?” she called. A moment later the door opened and a six-year-old girl with blonde pigtails poked her head in. “Sundae?” she asked. “What do you want Destiny? I’m a little busy here,” Sundae said. “Dana’s on the phone for you. What are you doing?” Destiny asked. Sundae put aside the pair of jeans she was holding and walked over to her little sister, taking the cordless phone she held from her. “Thank you, now scoot,” she said, showing the little girl the door. Destiny stuck her tongue out at her as she left. Sundae simply shut her door and put the phone to her ear. “Everything okay over there?” Dana asked by way of greeting. “What do you wear for a movie date?” Sundae asked. “You’ve been to the movies with Josh. Wear what you wore for that,” Dana said. Josh had been Sundae’s sort of boyfriend in eighth grade. “This is different, D,” Sundae said. “Ooooh, you got another date with your ‘Idol’ hottie?” Dana said with a giggle. “You’re bad,” Sundae said. Dana giggled. “Do you know what movie you’re seeing?” she asked. “Not yet. We were looking at the papers yesterday, but our teacher showed up before we could pick something,” Sundae replied. “Okay, well just go with something casual. Nice jeans or leggings, one of your cute tops and flat slip-ons should do,” Dana said. Sundae glanced around at the mass of clothes covering nearly every inch of her floor. She noticed a dark pink and black striped sweater that would go well with black leggings and her black flats. “That might work,” she said. “Of course it’ll work. Don’t stress so much,” Dana said. “I’ll try,” Sundae said. Dana sighed dramatically. “You’ve gone out with him before, what’s so different this time?” she asked. “Nothing other than the fact that he’s picking me up this time,” Sundae replied. “Uh oh, ‘meet the parents’ time,” Dana said. “Yup, plus you know my annoying siblings will poke their heads in, too,” Sundae said. Dana laughed. “They’re not that bad, cut them some slack,” Dana said. “I guess. I’ve gotta go so I can have time for hair and makeup,” Sundae said. “Don’t forget to accessorize and that reminds me I want to borrow some earrings next week,” Dana said. “We’ll see about that. I’ll talk to you later,” Sundae said. “Have fun tonight,” Dana said. Sundae then switched off the phone and went back to deciding what to wear. She debated for a while longer, but finally decided on the pink and black sweater she’d seen earlier along with black leggings, a black suede belt and black flats. She accessorized with hoop earrings in the same shade as the pink of her sweater and her black hoop bracelet and left her hair down but brushed to softness. She was checking her look for the umpteenth time when she heard a car pulling up outside. She moved over to her bedroom window, which looked out on the front of the house and saw that it was one of the studio’s cars parking in the driveway. She quickly grabbed her purse and dashed out of her room. “Stay away from the door,” she called as she came down the staircase and into the foyer. “Why?” her twelve-year-old brother, Rocky, asked as she passed him. “Because my date’s here. Now scram,” she said. “You are such a dork,” Rocky said as he turned and went up the stairs. “Rocky that’s enough,” their mom said as she came into the foyer. Sundae gave her a small smile, but then nearly jumped a mile when the doorbell rang. “Calm down, honey, it’s just a date,” her mom said. “Mom, can you please just let me go and not make a big deal out of this?” Sundae asked. “A little late for that,” her dad said as he, too, came into the foyer. Sundae sighed. “Fine,” she grumbled as she turned toward the door. A smile quickly replaced the annoyance as she reached it and it only grew when she opened the door to see David waiting for her. He smiled, too, when he saw her. “Hey, you look great,” he said. She couldn’t keep herself from blushing. “Thanks, so do you,” she said; taking note of the pressed shirt and nice jeans he wore. “Thanks,” he said. She smiled. “Come on in for a minute,” she said and stepped aside. He stepped into the foyer, but looked at her nervously when he saw her parents watching them. “I had nothing to do with this, I swear,” she said to him as her parents approached them. Sundae took a deep breath, deciding to just get it over with. “Mom, Dad, this is David. David, these are my parents,” she said. “Nice to meet you,” David said politely. “You, too. We’re enjoying watching you on ‘Idol’,” Mrs. Wahlberg said. “Thank you,” David said. Sundae shot her dad a warning look, hoping he wouldn’t say anything to embarrass her. He merely nodded. “Have her home by eleven, no later,” he said. David nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said. Sundae then grabbed his hand and pulled him back toward the door. “I’ll see you guys later,” she said to her parents and gave them a little wave before pulling David out the door. Once outside she let out a breath of relief and was surprised hear David laugh. “What’s so funny?” she asked him, unable to help a little laugh of her own. “Were you really that nervous back there?” he asked. “A little…” he raised an eyebrow at her, “okay, a lot. I was so afraid my dad would say something embarrassing,” she said. “They seemed nice. My mom would’ve brought out the pictures and videos,” he said. Sundae laughed even more. “Oh, my parents have done that, too. My mom did it with my older sister’s boyfriend. She was mortified for a month,” she said. They both laughed as they walked toward the waiting car. “I hope you don’t mind having a driver,” David said as he held open the door for her. She poked her head into the car and was surprised to see that their driver was a security guy she knew from the studio. “Hey there, young lady. Don’t worry I won’t intrude on whatever you two are planning,” he said. “Thanks for the assurance, Nick,” Sundae said as she slid into the back seat. “You know him?” David asked as he slid in beside her. “Yeah, he works security at the studio. He’s alright,” Sundae replied. “Good to know,” David said as Nick started up the car and pulled out of the driveway.
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Post by Charlotte on Mar 27, 2012 20:26:27 GMT -5
Chapter 9 They arrived at Plaza Cinemas fifteen minutes later and Nick dropped them off out front saying to call when they were ready to be picked up. Sundae and David headed toward the box office window, Sundae looking at the movie selections. “Anything in particular you want to see?” she asked. He looked up at the movie selections as well. Most of the films were Oscar contenders including ‘There Will Be Blood’, ‘No Country For Old Men’, ‘Atonement’ and ‘Into the Wild’. “Well, do you know if they ID here?” David asked. “Yes, and I hate it. Dana and I want to see ‘No Country…’ but we have to wait til we can rent it,” Sundae said. “I’ve heard that one’s pretty intense,” David said. “Yeah. My sister said ‘Atonement’ is really good,” Sundae said. “Alright, why not,” David said. Sundae smiled as they made their way up to the ticket window. After buying their tickets the two walked into the theatre’s spacious lobby. They showed their tickets to an attendant and Sundae noticed that David was pretty wide eyed at the size of the theatre. The lobby was large with two screen rooms on each side, benches to sit on, and a snack counter facing the main doors. Hallways on either side of the lobby led to more screen rooms and there were arcade games, movie posters and large cardboard advertisements in various spots. “Are theatres smaller where you’re from?” she asked him. “A little, well at least the lobbies are,” he replied. Sundae smiled. “This one is pretty big, but there are a few smaller theatres around here. They mostly show Indie films, but they’re still nice,” she said. “Maybe we could try one of the small ones next time,” David said. Sundae smiled, pleased that he was already thinking about them spending even more time together. “I’d like that,” she said. They smiled at each other for a moment and then turned toward the snack counter. “Would you like a soda or something?” David asked. “Yeah, that’d be nice,” Sundae replied. As they approached the counter they noticed there were several people already in line. Sundae checked her watch. “We’ve got enough time,” she said. He nodded and they stepped into the line. They’d only been waiting for a couple minutes when a family with a few kids came up behind them. The kids were restless and jumped around bumping into them. “This is why I never go to the movies with my little brothers and sisters,” Sundae said as two small boys darted in front of them and ducked under the cord separating the lines of people waiting at the counter. “I can get the drinks if you want?” David suggested. Sundae was a little hesitant at first but then the boys came running around again, one of them knocking into her this time. She gave David a sheepish smile. “Can you get me a Sprite and a popcorn?” she asked. He smiled. “Sure, no problem,” he said. She smiled, too, and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before stepping out of the line. She noticed the couple behind them trying to wrangle their kids and smiled sympathetically as she passed them and went over to one of the benches. She had only just sat down when she heard someone say her name. “Sundae, hi,” a boy’s voice said and Sundae looked up to see a boy with light brown hair approaching her. With him was a pretty blonde and both were about her age. “Hi, Josh,” she said, a little surprised to see them. “Hey, you remember Cara, right?” Josh said, gesturing to his companion. “Sure,” Sundae said. How could she not remember? Cara was one of the most popular girls in school. “Hi, Dae. Had the idea for a Saturday movie, too?” Cara said. “Something like that,” Sundae said, glancing over her shoulder as she spoke. She saw that David was at the front of the line now and was paying for their snacks. “You’re welcome to join us if you’re seeing the same movie we are,” Cara said. Sundae was a little taken aback, but she recovered quickly. “Thanks for the offer, but I’m with someone,” she said as David walked up. “Everything okay?” he asked. “Yeah, these are classmates of mine from East Beverly High, Josh and Cara,” she said. David nodded to the other two. “Nice to meet you,” he said politely. Sundae scooped up her purse and then took hold of David’s hand. “Let’s go?” she asked him and he nodded, “See you at school,” she said to Josh and Cara as she and David walked away. She breathed a sigh of relief as they walked into the screen room where their movie would be. “Are you sure you’re okay?” David asked as they started to look for seats. “Yeah, they just surprised me,” she said. “Have you known them a while?” David asked as they grabbed two seats toward the back of the room. “I’ve known Josh since elementary school, but I only met Cara this year. She’s one of the popular ones,” Sundae said. “And you’re not?” he asked. “Not for the reasons I’d want to be. My brother always teases me that I’m only popular because of ‘Idol’, and there are times I think it’s true. I know it’s a big part of why Josh ever asked me out. He always goes for the popular types,” she said. “You and he…” David started to ask, but Sundae stopped him before he went too far. “It was only that silly middle school stuff, you know, you say you’re dating, but you don’t actually go out unless it’s to a school dance or something,” she said. “Oh, that. I get what you mean. What I don’t get though is why you’d only be popular because of ‘Idol’. You’re pretty and smart and fun to be around. That would be enough for me,” David said. Sundae blushed. “You’re sweet, thank you,” she said. He nodded. “I mean every word and speaking of ‘sweet’…” he said and reached under the jumbo popcorn, that sat on a tray with their drinks on his lap, and fished out a packet of M&Ms. Sundae grinned. “You remembered,” she said. “Yup,” he said as he handed her the packet. They then situated the popcorn between them and set their drinks in the armrest cup holders and then settled back to enjoy the movie. The movie ran longer than they had thought it would, getting out around nine-thirty. After exiting the screen room, Sundae and David strolled across the lobby, toward the main doors, talking about the movie. “Wow, that was amazing. Can you imagine what must have been going through the younger sister’s mind,” David said. “As a younger sister myself, I sort of can. I’ve been jealous of my older sister a few times. Never like that, mind you, but still” Sundae said. “I sort of get it, too, even though it’s from a slightly different viewpoint,” David said. “My sister told me the movie’s based on a book. Now I’m gonna have to read it, and see how it measures up,” Sundae said as they stepped outside into the cool night air. “Since you don’t have to be home for a little while yet, do you want to do something else?” David asked. “Sure. Remember the park I told you about with the great roller blading paths?” she asked. “Yeah, sure,” he replied. “One of its other perks is a great look out point. It’s got a great view of the whole valley,” she said. He smiled. “Okay, why not?” he said. They walked over to Nick’s car and had to suppress laughs when they saw him conked out in the driver’s seat. Sundae tapped on the window and Nick woke with a start. He rolled down the window when he saw them. “Hey, good movie?” he asked. “Very. Can you drive us here?” Sundae asked, handing him a slip of paper with the address of the park on it. “Sure, hop in,” Nick said sitting up further in his seat. Sundae and David got into the back seat and Nick started up the car and pulled out of the theatre’s parking lot. He pulled up to the park ten minutes later and the two teens got out. “We’ll be back,” Sundae said before she and David strolled off. They walked along an inclining path until they reached the top of a hill and then went over to bench. “What do you think?” Sundae asked they sat down. “This is amazing,” David said as he took in the view. From where they were they could see almost the entire Los Angeles valley below them. A sea of twinkling city lights with a sky full of stars overhead made for an incredible view. “It’s nice during the day, too, except for the smog layer,” Sundae said. “I saw the smog when I flew in for Hollywood week, one thing we don’t get much of where I live,” David said. “Yeah, my mom has said that if dad ever decided to stop working that we’d move to either Utah or Colorado. She’s been to both and said she’s never breathed better,” Sundae said. “Where in Utah did she go?” David asked. “She went through a lot of towns actually; St. George, Zion, Salt Lake City. Dunno if she went through Murray enroute to Salt Lake, but we can always ask,” Sundae said. They both laughed lightly and then settled into a comfortable quiet. Sundae thought back to running into Josh earlier at the theatre. She had once liked him, but seeing him with Cara hadn’t affected her at all. If anything she was glad he had someone else. She had certainly moved on and she very happy for doing so. She took a chance and leaned her head on David’s shoulder. Her heart skipped a beat when he didn’t even hesitate to wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her closer. She smiled knowing she was definitely where she wanted to be.
After that night, it was rare for Sundae and David not to be seen together. They were rarely apart at the studio and it didn’t escape the notice of the other ‘Idol’ contestants. When they walked into Tuesday afternoon rehearsals hand in hand they drew immediate attention. “Whoa! What’s this?” one of the guys asked. “What’s what?” Sundae asked calmly as she tossed her purse on a chair. “This. You two. We all bust our butts with these rehearsals and junior, here, gets all the action,” another guy said. One of the girls came up then point and lightly thwacked the second guy on the arm. “Get a grip. They’re friends, there’s no crime in that,” she said. “Kids, can we get back to rehearsals, please?” asked a male voice and everyone turned to see the leader of the house band, Ricky Minor, watching them. “Sorry about that, Ricky,” Sundae said. He nodded. “Not a problem. Who’s up next?” Ricky asked, getting things back on track. Rehearsals continued without incident for the rest of the afternoon. That week was 70s week and everything from disco to classic rock was covered. Since it was the guys’ day to perform the rehearsal focused more on them, with everyone getting a chance to run through their song choice with the band. Sundae flipped through the sheet music for her own song choice, Stevie Knicks’ ‘Landslide’ as she listened to the guys. She was debating over part of the arrangement when the girl who’d stepped in earlier came up and sat beside her. “If you’re here to ask questions, don’t bother,” Sundae said, sparing the girl a short glance before going back her music. She was African American and had her hair cropped short in an almost Afro style, but not as fluffy. “I’m not here to ask questions. What goes on between you guys is your business,” the girl said. Sundae glanced at her again and this time smiled a little. “Thanks, I appreciate hearing that,” she said. “No problem. I’m Syesha,” the girl said. Sundae smiled even more. “Cool name. I’m Sundae, nice to meet you,” Sundae said. “As in the day of the week?” Syesha asked. Sundae laughed lightly. “You’d be surprised how often I’m asked that. It’s actually like ice cream sundae. Don’t ask, my parents are weird,” Sundae said. Syesha giggled. “It’s cool. What song did you pick?” she asked. Sundae showed her her sheet music. “Oooh, Stevie Knicks, great choice,” Syesha said. “Thanks,” Sundae said. “Who’s next?” Ricky’s voice called out through the room. “I am,” one of the guys called out and Sundae looked up to see David going up on to the stage. He smiled at her and she gave him a little wave as he stepped up to the microphone. “What song did he pick?” Syesha suddenly asked. “You know, I never thought to ask,” Sundae replied. Ricky cued the band and they started to play. Sundae almost immediately recognized the song even though its arrangement was a little different. “Interesting choice,” she murmured as David’s rich voice filled the room.
Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world
You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one I hope some day you’ll join us And the world will be as one David had picked the John Lennon masterpiece ‘Imagine’ but instead of starting at the beginning he had started with the third verse of the song. No one seemed to mind the twist and all listened intently to the remainder of the song.
You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one Take my hand and join us And the world will live Will live as one Sundae applauded as David finished the song and several of the others joined her. She couldn’t help a grin, though, when she saw the looks on some of the others’ faces. Some of them looked like they knew they were fighting a losing battle. “Wow, he could have a hit single with that song,” Syesha said, getting her attention. Sundae nodded in agreement. “Amen to that,” she said. As it turned out they were right. Each week the show’s producers released the contestants’ performances as iTunes singles. David’s version of ‘Imagine’ went straight to number one, just as Sundae and Syesha had predicted. Sundae had also predicted that he would sail into the next round, which, of course he did.
The next week, in keeping with the pattern, was 80s week and it was also the week that the remaining contestants would be whittled down to the top twelve, and the last week before the competition moved from the small studio into the larger ‘Idol Dome’. After rehearsals on the day of the girls’ performance Sundae was cutting past the back of the studio on her way out for dinner, when, as she passed a side door, she saw David standing on the stage, seemingly taking it all in. She stepped out onto the walkway behind him, a small smile on her face. He turned, hearing her footsteps and smiled in greeting. “Hey,” he said. “Hey, whatcha up to?” she asked as she approached him. “I was just thinking. It gets bigger after this, doesn’t it?” he asked. She nodded. “Yeah, it does. You get to start doing studio recordings of your songs each week, you get to work with celebrity mentors, you start shooting the weekly Ford videos. It gets pretty huge,” she said. “Wow,” David murmured, looking a little overwhelmed. Sundae smiled. “It’s a lot of fun, though, and you’ll love the ‘Idol Dome’. It’s a lot nicer than this little studio, better acoustics, too,” she said. He smiled a little and she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Do you want to get some dinner?” she asked. His smile grew and he nodded. “Sure, lets,” he said and they turned and started to leave the studio. “Hey, I was going to ask, what song did you pick for tonight?” he asked as they stepped backstage and started down the hall. “Mmm, I think I’m going to let you be surprised this time,” Sundae replied with a mischievous grin. They both laughed then and continued on their way to dinner. That evening Sundae sat with the girls in what was called the ‘red room’ before the show. She sat off to one side touching up her make up and running through her song in her head. Syesha came and sat down beside her, as she was finishing with her lip-gloss. “Hey, nervous for tonight?” Syesha asked. Sundae shrugged. “Not really. I used to get nervous when I was younger, but I’ve been performing since I was six, so it doesn’t get to me as much anymore. Are you nervous?” Sundae asked. “A little, but it’s not too bad. What song are you gonna do tonight?” Syesha asked. “Well I’ll tell you it’s by Belinda Carlisle, but I won’t say what the title is,” she said. “Why the secrecy?” Syesha wanted to know. “No reason, really. I just want to,” Sundae said. “Well hey, I was going say, great choice on your wardrobe for tonight. I especially love the boots,” Syesha said. Sundae smiled glancing down at her outfit of a sequined tank top, jeans and brown suede boots. “Thanks, I love the boots, too. My best friend, Dana helped me find them one day,” she said. “Is there good shopping out here?” Syesha asked. Sundae gave her a look. “Are you kidding? This is LA remember. There’s great shopping. Hollywood and Highland, Santa Monica, Rodeo Drive, Beverly Hills, stop me when I make my point,” she said. Syesha laughed. “Oh, you made it. We are so going for a spree at some point,” she said. “You’re on,” Sundae agreed with a grin. Just then Ryan poked his head into the room. “Everything okay in here, ladies?” he asked. “We’re good, thank you,” one of the girls said. Ryan nodded and turned to Sundae. “We’re ready downstairs,” he said. She nodded. “Okay, thanks,” she said. “Knock ‘em dead, girl,” Syesha said as Sundae stood up. “Thanks, you have a good show, too,” Sundae said and then turned and followed Ryan out of the room. Moments later the show got underway. Sundae waited just out of sight until Ryan announced her for her song. “To kick things off tonight as always, please welcome our resident diva, Sundae Wahlberg,” he said. Ricky and the band started playing Sundae’s song of choice as she came out onto the stage and when she reached center stage, she started to sing.
When I’m with you I shake inside My heart’s all tangled up My tongue is tied, it’s crazy
Can’t walk, can’t talk, can’t eat, can’t sleep Oh, I’m love, oh, I’m in deep, cuz baby
With a kiss you can strip me defenseless With a touch I completely lose control All that’s left of my strength is a memory Ohhh oh, oh, oh, oh
I get weak when I look at you Weak when we touch I can’t speak when I look in your eyes I get weak when you’re next to me Weak from this love I can’t speak when I look in your eyes I get weak
Convincing eyes, persuasive lips The helpless heart just can’t resist, their power You know you’ve got a hold over me You know you’ve got me where I want to be, cuz baby
Like a wave you keep pulling me under How I’ll ever get out of this I don’t know I just know there’s just no way to fight it Ohhhh, oh, oh, oh, oh
I get weak when I look at you Weak when we touch I can’t speak when I look in your eyes I get weak when you’re next to me Weak from this love I can’t speak when look in your eyes I get weak, I get weak, I get weak
Just a kiss you can strip me defenseless Just a touch I completely lose control All that’s left of my strength is a memory Ohhhh, oh, oh, oh, oh
I get weak when I look at you Weak when we touch I can’t speak when I look in your eyes I get weak when you’re next to me Weak from this love I can’t speak when I look in your eyes I get weak
I get weak I get weak The assembled crowd applauded as she finished the song and, as she took her bows, Sundae caught sight of David out of the corner of her eye, sitting with the rest of the guys, a big grin on his face. She smiled, too, and refocused as Ryan came up beside her. “Great job as always, Dae,” he said. “Thank you, Ryan,” Sundae said. Ryan nodded. “Tell me, was that song meant for anyone in particular?” he asked. Sundae had to laugh, knowing exactly where he was headed with the questioning. “Ryan…” she chided him. “Would it be someone over there in the front row?” Ryan prodded gesturing to where the guys were sitting. David happened to be in the front row of their two rows of seats, three over from the judges’ table. “Ryan Seacrest you are pure evil,” Sundae accused playfully. “That’s why they keep me around, right?” Ryan joked. “I guess,” Sundae said, unable to help a little laugh. “Can we get on with the competition, please? This isn’t TMZ,” Simon suddenly said, getting their attention and garnering laughs from the crowd. Sundae shot him a grateful look and he nodded, seemingly knowingly, as Ryan got back to the purpose of the evening. A few minutes later Sundae was back stage heading for the red room again. She paused on the stairs musing over how close she came to being the gossip story of the season. Knowing Ryan, she knew she wasn’t out of the woods yet.
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Post by Charlotte on Mar 27, 2012 20:28:12 GMT -5
Chapter 10 The next night was the final elimination before the top twelve. Six guys and six girls would make it into the final group of twelve. Sundae was more nervous than usual for the night, both in hopes that David would make it through and in hopes that she would get along with everyone who made it since she’d be working alongside them for the next several weeks. She took up her spot at the judges’ table as the show started and cast a nervous glance at the group of twelve stools waiting nearby for the lucky ones. “Nervous for this?” Randy asked her. “Yeah, everyone’s so talented this year. I’m just hoping the real talents make through,” she said. “I’m sure they will, they usually do,” Paula said. “That’s true, but there has been the odd case of the reverse,” Sundae said. Randy patted her hand. “I’m sure it’ll work out,” he said. Sundae took a deep breath as Ryan stepped out onto the stage to get things started. “I really hope so,” she murmured and turned her full attention to Ryan. “As you all know our top twelve will be revealed tonight, but who will be the lucky ones? Shall we find out?” he asked and the audience applauded in approval. Ryan smiled. “Alright, lets get things started with the guys,” he said and the lights shifted to reveal the top eight guys sitting on a two tiered sofa. The top eight girls were seated in two rows of folding chairs next to the twelve stools. Sundae took another deep breath, trying to calm her nerves as the lights dimmed. Ryan first turned his attention to a guy in his twenties with a bit of a punk rock look to him. Sundae recalled he had done an amazing rendition of Lionel Ritchie’s ‘Hello’ that week and she wasn’t too surprised to see him make it through. Sundae let out a breath as the guy made his way over to the stools. Randy gently nudged her arm. “Squeeze my hand if you feel you need to,” he said. Sundae grabbed hold of his right hand as Ryan turned to the remaining seven guys. “Hmm, where shall we go next? How ‘bout David Archuleta, would you stand up?” he said. Sundae tightened her grip on Randy’s hand as David, who was sitting on the top tier of the sofa, rose and focused his attention on Ryan. “Okay David, you sang ‘Another Day In Paradise’. Randy and Paula liked it and Simon called the performance gloomy,” Ryan said. Sundae rolled her eyes hearing Simon’s comment. She would agree with him most of the time, but this was one of the times when she didn’t. Ryan’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts. “As you know, America voted…and you put a smile on their faces. Congratulations, David, you’re in the coveted top twelve,” he said. “Yes!” Sundae whispered, doing a little fist pump as a grin came to her face. She let go of Randy’s hand and he winced a little and rubbed his palm. “Don’t think I’ll be gripping anything for a while,” he said. “Sorry,” Sundae said sheepishly. “It’s alright,” Randy said. Sundae only half heard him as her attention was focused on David, who was being congratulated by the girls as he made his way to the stools. “Go congratulate him,” Randy suddenly said into her ear, making her jump slightly. She spared him and the other two a glance as she slid off her chair and stepped down off the platform their table was situated on. She stepped over to the stools as David approached them, accepting a handshake and a pat on the shoulder from the punk rock guy on the way. He saw Sundae approaching as he moved to sit on the second stool and happily accepted the hug she offered. “Congratulations,” she whispered into his ear. “Thanks, Dae,” he whispered back. She then pulled back and gave his hand a gentle squeeze as she stepped back and turned back toward the table. He claimed his stool and she glanced over at Ryan as she started back to her seat. He was watching them with an amused smile and Sundae had a pretty good idea what he was thinking. “Didn’t I tell you the ladies love you?” he said to David, eliciting a round of squeals from the girls in the audience. David nodded bashfully and Sundae giggled as she reclaimed her chair. “Better now?” Randy asked her. “Much,” she said, turning her focus to the remainder of the evening. Randy chuckled and Sundae didn’t miss the knowing smiles from Paula and Simon either. The rest of the show went smoothly and Sundae was pleased by with the rest of the top twelve, particularly Syesha, whom she was starting to think of as a friend. After the lights had dimmed on the set and everyone had left, the top twelve contestants headed to an after party at a nearby club. Sundae went, too, as her dad liked her to network with the music biz pros. She dolled up for the event in a navy blue mini dress, navy blue, half inch spiked heals, and a white leather jacket. She thought it was a little Hannah Montanaesque, but since this was an industry party she wanted to look good. The club was decorated in ‘Idol’ theme, music blasted as people rocked out on the dance floor, a bit of a who’s who was in attendance, and there were media people everywhere looking for interviews. Sundae tried to avoid the media as best she could and managed to make her way over to a table off to one side of the club. She sat and sipped on a soda she’d gotten at the bar and watched the frenzy around her. She hadn’t been there long when Syesha joined her with a soda of her own. “Is this crazy or what?” she asked as she sat down. “Tell me about it. My dad likes for me to network with the bigwigs, but these parties are almost too much,” Sundae said. “Mmmhmm, and on top of all this we get to go to a movie premiere this weekend, too. I don’t think it can get any bigger,” Syesha said. Sundae laughed. “Wait til the finale, heck wait til ‘Idol Gives Back’ week. There’ll be more celebrities and media around than you can imagine,” she said. “Whoa,” Syesha said. “Yeah, they go pretty all out with this show, and no wonder since it’s so popular,” Sundae said. “Yeah, no wonder. Hey, I was going to tell you, we girls are having a ‘getting acquainted’ sleepover Saturday night after the movie premiere and we’d love for you to come,” Syesha said. Sundae smiled. “Sure, sounds great,” Sundae said. Syesha was just about to say something else when David approached them. “Hey,” he said as he walked up to their table. “Hey,” Sundae said, smiling at him. “I’m gonna go dance. I’ll see you two later,” Syesha said. Sundae laughed as Syesha got up and bopped out onto the dance floor. David laughed, too, as he claimed the chair she had vacated. “Are all Hollywood parties like this?” he asked. “The music industry ones are, yeah. They can be more low key, but this is the standard,” she said. “I’ll bet you’re used to it by now, though,” he said. Sundae laughed again. “I wish. I’ve only been going to these parties for a few months. I’m still a rookie myself,” she said. “Wonder if you ever get used to it,” David mused. “I dunno, but I could ask my dad or my uncle, Mark. They’ve been doing this since before I was born,” Sundae said. “Your uncle’s in the business, too? You do have a musical family,” David said. “Yeah, Uncle Mark was a rapper in his day. Dad helped him get into the business. He had one hit record, but then moved on to other things. He’s an actor now,” Sundae said. David nodded. “Speaking of actors, did Syesha tell you we’re all going to a movie premiere on Saturday?” he asked. “Yeah, she did. She didn’t say which movie, though,” Sundae replied. “It’s ‘Horton Hears A Who’,” David said. “Oh wow, that sounds cool. My younger siblings are really excited for that movie,” Sundae said. “I’ll bet. Um, the reason I mentioned it was because I wanted to ask you…would you go with me as my date?” he asked. Sundae smiled. “I’d love to,” she said. He smiled, too, taking hold of her hand. Sundae tapped her feet along to the beat of the current song and suddenly another idea came to mind. “Do you want to dance?” she asked. David nodded. “I’m not too good at it, but sure,” he said as they got up and headed out onto the dance floor. It was indeed a night to celebrate.
The movie premiere was two days later on Saturday. Even though it was a big thing Sundae decided to go a little more casual than what she’d worn for the after party. She picked blue skinny jeans, a red tank top, black flats, a blue jean jacket with some gold buttoning on the lapel, gold hoop earrings and two gold bangles. She finished getting ready at about two thirty and went downstairs to wait for her ride. The ‘Idols’ were being driven to the premiere in a limo and they’d agreed to pick her up on the way. When she got downstairs she noticed her parents and some of her younger siblings hanging around in the foyer. “What is this, a convention?” she asked as she came down the last few steps. “Why would you think that, honey?” her mom asked. “You’re all hanging around in the foyer like you’re waiting for something,” Sundae said. Then she noticed that her siblings were fairly dressed up, all wearing nice shirts and pants or dresses. “Oh no, you’re not taking them to the premiere are you?” she asked. “Yes, the ‘Idol’ people know you have younger siblings and they thought this would be fun for them. It is a kids’ movie,” her dad said. “Can’t you take them to Plaza some other time and see it?” Sundae begged. “There’s nothing wrong with them seeing it today,” her dad said. “Horton! Horton! Horton!” whooped Destiny, her twin brother Alexei, their eight-year-old brother Dakin and their adopted six-year-old sister, Precious. “Settle down, now,” their mom said. Sundae sighed and looked to her younger siblings. “Listen tweebs, and Dakin, I’m going to be with someone at the premiere so you are not to talk to me or interact with me in anyway, got it?” she said. “What’s ‘inter act’?” asked Dakin. Sundae groaned. “Just stay away from me, okay?” she said. “Meanie,” Destiny accused and her twin stuck his tongue out in agreement. “Alright that’s enough,” their dad said. “Dad, promise me you’ll keep them away from me?” Sundae asked. “I don’t see a reason why they can’t say ‘hi’ to their famous sister,” her dad said. “Dad!” Sundae said. “Why can’t we say ‘hi’?” Precious whined. Sundae sighed and walked over and knelt down in front of her and the other kids. “Look, you guys know I love you, but when I say I’m going to be with someone tonight I mean it like Snow and Micheal,” she said, referring to their oldest sister and her boyfriend. Destiny and Precious both lit up while their brothers cringed. “Oooh,” they said. “Ewwww, cooties,” Alexei and Dakin said, making yucky faces. Sundae laughed. “Wait’ll you’re in your teens,” she said as she stood back up. As she did so she noticed her parents’ raised eyebrows and rolled her eyes. “It’s just a date, don’t freak or anything,” she said. “We’re not, but you did just compare it to your sister’s relationship,” her mom said. Sundae sighed again, but was saved from having to say anything by the sound of a car horn honking outside. “Can we talk about this later? I’ve gotta go,” she said. Her dad nodded. “Alright, are you still spending the night with the girls?” he asked. “Yeah, why?” Sundae asked. “Just checking. Call your brother when you’re over there and he’ll bring your stuff,” her dad said. “Thanks dad. Remember what I said, tweebs,” Sundae said as she dashed out the door. As she got outside she saw David coming to meet her. “Hey,” she said as she came up to him. “Hey, you look great,” he said as they hugged. She smiled. “Thanks, you do, too,” she said. He, too, was semi casual wearing nice jeans and a tee shirt with a jacket over it. “Thanks,” he said, blushing a little. They then turned and walked over to the limo that awaited them and he opened and held the door for her. She poked her head in and smiled at the other eleven Idols who all smiled back at her. “Scoot over people,” she said and squeezed in next to a very petite Asian girl. David squeezed in next to her and pulled the door closed before the limo pulled out of the driveway. Sundae looked around at all the faces watching her. “Okay, you all know who I am and I know a couple of you, but not all of you,” she said. The Asian girl smiled. “I’m Ramiele,” she said. “Kristy Lee,” said the pretty blonde next to her. “I’m Chikezie,” said the African American guy next to her. “I’m Jason,” said the next guy who had light eyes and dread locks. Syesha was next to him. “You know me already,” she said. Sundae nodded. “Yup,” she smiled at the other four, “nice to meet all of you,” she said and then turned to the other half of the group. “Your turn,” she said to the dark haired girl on the end. “I’m Carly,” she said and Sundae noted her Irish accent. “Amanda,” said the dark haired rocker girl next to her. “David Hernandez,” said the Hispanic guy beside her. “I’m Brooke,” said the pretty blonde next to him. “Michael Johns,” said the tall guy next to her with an Australian accent. “David Cook,” said the last guy on the end, the punk rock guy who had been first into the top twelve. Sundae giggled. “There’re three Davids? Oh boy, Ryan’s gonna have a field day with this,” she said. “How so?” asked David Cook. “Well he loves to be dramatic so he could make things weird on elimination nights. Like when he wants one of you at center stage he can prolong the moment by not saying which one he wants,” she said. “Ah, I see,” Cook said. “For my own benefit, I’m going to give you two,” pointing to Cook and Hernandez, “nicknames. Lessen the confusion a bit,” Sundae said. Both guys nodded. “You,” nodding to Cook, “will be known as Dave. You look more like a Dave, actually. You on the other hand” to Hernandez, “I’m not sure yet,” she said. “You can just call me by my last name if you need me for something,” Hernandez said. Sundae nodded. “Sounds fair,” she said. Cook on the other hand didn’t seem quite so pleased with his nickname. “Why’d I get stuck with Dave? It makes me sound like the father of the Chipmunks,” he said. Everyone laughed at that. “Okay, that’s too funny,” Kristy said. “Yeah really, but Sundae’s right. You do look more like a Dave,” Carly said. Dave rolled his eyes dramatically. “Whatever,” he said drawing another round of laughter. Fifteen minutes later the limo pulled up outside of the theatre where the premiere was being held. Everyone leaned forward trying to see out the window. “Wow,” Amanda said flatly as they looked out at the crowd assembled. “You can say that again,” Kristy said. The driver came round and opened the car door at that point, but everyone looked a little nervous about getting out. “Relax you guys. Just pretend it’s a normal day at the studio,” Sundae said. The Idols traded looks and then Dave led the way out of the car. Those on his side followed him and Then David stepped out, followed by Sundae and those on their side of the car. They then started to make their way up the ‘red carpet’ growing more confident with each step. Sundae watched them smiling and waving to the fans and knew they’d handle the fame just fine.
The premiere lasted for nearly three hours, but every minute was fun. Greeting their fans and getting to meet the stars of the film were among the big highlights. Nevertheless, this first outing was also tiring, so everyone was glad to get back to the apartment complex where they were staying. In past years the top twelve Idols had lived together in a hilltop mansion during the competition, but this year was different. The studio and producers of the show had rented out a whole portion of an apartment complex and had divided the top twenty-four among the suites, two people to a suite. Even though there were only twelve left now, they still had the whole section of the complex to themselves, including their own laundry room, pool, hot tub and weight room with sauna. They were still living two to a suite and the girls decided to have their sleepover in the suite occupied by Carly and Amanda. They all brought over night stuff and settled in the living room with snack items and proceeded to get to know each other. “What did you guys do before you tried out for ‘Idol’?” Sundae asked. “I was a nanny,” Brooke said. “Actress,” Syesha said. “Oooh, were you in any movies?” Carly asked. “If I’d made it in acting would I be trying to make it as a singer?” Syesha asked rhetorically. “Good point. I was waitressing at a bar and trying as I might at music,” Carly said. “I was a nurse,” Amanda said. “Really? I was studying to be a nurse,” Ramiele said. “Oh, what specialty?” Amanda asked. “I hadn’t decided yet,” Ramiele replied. “Ah, well whatever you do don’t get into emergency medicine. It’s he** on wheels,” Amanda said. Some of the others giggled at that. “What? You’ve watched ER,” Amanda said. “True, but if I got to work with George Clooney or John Stamos I wouldn’t be complaining,” Ramiele said. “Amen to that,” Kristy agreed. “Alright, I see your point, but the ER’s still too fast-paced for me,” Amanda said. “Wait’ll you’ve been doing ‘Idol’ for a while then talk to me about fast paced,” Sundae said. “Yet another good point,” Syesha said. Amanda shrugged. “What about you, Kristy? What did you do before ‘Idol’?” Sundae asked. “I was on a ranch with my horses,” Kristy said. “You obviously ride then,” Brooke said. “Everyday since I was a kid,” Kristy said. “Okay, what’s one weird thing about you that not many people know?” Carly asked the group. “Well, I don’t know if it’s weird or not, but I love the hula and Polynesian dance,” Ramiele said. “Oooh, that’s cool. You’ll have to show us that sometime,” Syesha said. Ramiele hopped up right then and started dancing a hula right there. She was pretty good. “Wow, that’s good, Rami,” Brooke said. Ramiele smiled as she sat back down. “Thanks, your turn next, Brooke,” she said. Brooke bit her lip. “I’ve never seen a rated R movie,” she said. The others including Sundae, gaped at her. “You have got to be kidding,” Carly said. Brooke shook her head. “Nope, I just never had the want to see one,” she said. Amanda patted her shoulder. “Sweetie, we’ll get you converted yet,” she said with an almost evil grin. “Okay, you’re starting to scare me,” Brooke said. The others laughed and Syesha spoke next. “Okay, for mine I have to show rather than tell,” Syesha said. The others all leaned toward her eagerly and were blown away when she did a dead on impression of a crying baby. “Oh my God. Okay, I have a baby sister and you could seriously freak my mom out with that,” Sundae said. “You could freak anyone with a baby out,” Kristy said. “I know, I’ve done it with my sister. You next, Carly, since you thought of this one,” Syesha said. “Alright, you all might not believe this, but I burnt my house down trying to make potatoes when I was twelve,” Carly said. Again, everyone gaped. “Get out!” Brooke exclaimed. “I’m not kidding. I was never allowed near a stove again after that,” Carly said. “You wouldn’t be allowed near mine for sure. My mom would murder you if you so much as dripped on her kitchen floor,” Sundae said. “She loves to cook?” Kristy asked. “Oh yeah, she’s a tad obsessed. She’s always looking for new recipes to try,” Sundae said. “Okay, why don’t we get off the weird topic? What musical experience do you have?” Ramiele asked. “I was in theatre as a child. I tried my luck with a pop album, but it didn’t get anywhere,” Carly said. “Same luck, different genre. I play a little guitar, too,” Kristy said. “I play guitar, too, and piano and I was in a band for a little while,” Brooke said. “I’ve only performed at family functions and such, but I’ve been doing it since I was twelve,” Ramiele said. “I’ve been singing since I was really young,” Amanda said. “I competed in and won a competition in Florida. You’ve probably got the most experience, Dae,” Syesha said. A knock on the door made them jump. “I’ll get it,” Ramiele said and got up and headed for the door. “To answer your question, Syesha, yeah I do have a lot of experience. I’ve been singing practically since I could talk, been performing since I was six, my siblings and I perform sometimes as a band, I play acoustic and electric guitar and piano and I write songs,” Sundae said. “Not to mention you’re also a former Star Search champ,” Syesha said as Ramiele came back into the room. “Speaking of former Star Search champions, there’s one here to see you, Dae,” she said in a singsong voice as she sat back down. “Ooooooh,” the other girls chorused. “Cut it out,” Sundae said as she got up. She brushed off her jeans and grabbed the hooded sweatshirt that had been packed for her, and headed out of the room toward the door. She paused by a mirror to check her makeup and then hurried over to the door. David was leaning on the doorframe when she got there. He smiled when he saw her. “Hey,” he said “Hey, yourself. What’s up?” she asked. “Not much. The others were arguing over what movie to watch. I didn’t want to get in the way,” he said. “I know what you mean. When my brothers start fighting over the TV, I vacate the premises,” Sundae said. They both laughed. “What are you all up to?” David asked once they’d regained their composure. “Asking each other insane questions,” Sundae said, giggling again. He laughed a little, too. “Would you maybe like to take a break and go for a walk?” he asked. She smiled. “I’d like that,” she said. “Are you two going somewhere?” asked Carly’s voice from behind them. Sundae turned to see her heading for the kitchen with the snack bowls. “We’re just going for a walk,” Sundae said. “Alright, but don’t wander too far,” Carly said. Sundae nodded, pulled on her sweatshirt and stepped out onto the porch with David and pulled the door shut. “So, where to?” she asked. “We could walk over by the pool,” David suggested. “Sure,” Sundae said. They strolled off hand in hand, walking down the corridor, down a flight of stairs and out into the complex’s courtyard. They walked in the direction of the pool but, as they neared it, Sundae caught sight of something she hadn’t seen earlier, a small playground. “Hey, check that out,” she said, nodding towards it. They walked over to it and saw that it was a simple set up of swings and a slide. “I didn’t know this was here,” David said as they walked toward the swings. “Me either,” Sundae said as she sat on one of the swings. She leaned back letting the swing rock back and forth. “Haven’t done this in a long time,” she said as she kicked at the ground to make the swing go higher. David moved over to the other swing and joined her. “Did you ever trying jumping from a swing?” he asked. “Dana dared me once. I twisted my ankle on the landing and, needless to say, never tried again,” she said. “I dare you to try right now,” he said. Sundae laughed. “Are you serious?” she said. “Yeah sure. It’s not so hard,” he said and demonstrated by leaping from his swing, landing easily a few feet away. “Come on, jump,” he said, turning to her again. She laughed again. “Alright, here goes nothing,” she said. She quickly switched the position of her hands and then, as the swing swooped forward, she leapt from it. She managed to land safely, but she tumbled forward onto all fours her hair flying forward. David came dashing over to her. “Are you okay?” he asked, stooping next to her. “Yeah, I’m okay,” Sundae said, flipping her ponytail back into place. The next moment her breath caught in her throat when she felt him gently brush another lock of hair away from her eyes. She turned her head and their gazes locked, neither of them moving for a moment. Then he moved, slowly leaning toward her. Her heart started to pound and she took a chance and let her eyes slip shut. She was quickly made glad she did. The next thing she knew his lips met hers. For the few sweet moments of the kiss Sundae felt like she was flying, dancing on air and never wanting to come down. All too soon, he pulled back, but only a little, and rested his forehead against hers. After a moment she dared to look up at him and she smiled to see his eyes shining as brightly as she knew hers were. “Wow,” she whispered. “Yeah,” he murmured in agreement. Suddenly the perfect quiet was disturbed by a beeping noise. “What’s that?” Sundae asked. “Oh, I brought my phone since I don’t wear a watch,” he said, fishing the offending device out of his pocket. “What time is it?” Sundae asked as they stood up. “Getting late,” he replied. “We should probably head back before Carly decides to send a search party,” she said, stifling a giggle. He smiled, too, at that. “Yeah, you never know how crazy she’ll get,” he said, taking her hand again. Instead of starting to walk, though, he turned her toward him, taking hold of her other hand as well. “Is something wrong?” she asked. “No, I just want to ask you…I’ve been wanting to ask this for a little while,” he took a deep breath, “I was wondering if maybe…would you be my girlfriend?” he blurted out, sounding quite nervous. Sundae couldn’t control the warmth that flooded her body at those words nor could she control the huge grin that came to her face. “Yes,” she threw her arms around him in a huge hug, “Yes,” she said again, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back just as tightly, both of them savoring a moment they’d always remember. After a few more minutes they walked back toward the suites and made their way upstairs and back down the corridor to Carly and Amanda’s suite. They paused outside the door and turned to face each other. “Thanks for the nice walk,” Sundae said. “You’re welcome,” David said. He then leaned in again, this time kissing her on the cheek, but as he pulled back he lightly brushed his lips against hers again, briefly but sweetly. “Night,” he murmured as he pulled back. “Night,” she said softly and then opened the door and stepped inside. She lowered the zipper on her sweater as she shut the door behind her, since it was warmer inside, and then made her way into the living room. There she found the girls had gotten out some board games. “Oooh Monopoly. Who’s winning?” she asked as she joined them. “Dunno quite yet. You wanna be the banker?” Syesha asked. “Sure,” Sundae said. Carly handed her the box of money and Sundae had to stifle another giggle at the grin on her face. “Don’t even go there,” she said as she set the moneybox in front of her and started to organize it. “I wasn’t going to,” Carly said. Sundae breathed a sigh of relief. “By the way your lip-gloss is smudged,” Carly added. Sundae’s hand immediately flew to her mouth and Carly nearly cracked up laughing. “I knew it, I knew it,” she turned to Amanda, “Pay up, lady. I won,” she said. The other girls giggled and Sundae looked up in time to see Amanda slap a hundred dollar Monopoly note into Carly’s hand. “Uh uh, the real stuff,” she said. Amanda grumbled and reached behind her for her purse. “You just lost me my spending money, missy,” she said to Sundae as she handed a real c-note to Carly. “And how did I do that?” Sundae asked curiously. “She bet me a hundred bucks you and David would hook up and I had to go and agree to it,” Amanda said. Sundae looked to Carly. “How can you be so sure you won?” she asked slyly. “That lip-gloss trick is one of the oldest in the book. If you hadn’t kissed him you wouldn’t have gone to check it when I said it was smudged,” Carly said. Sundae blushed in realization and the other girls giggled. “Oooooooh,” they said. “Oh yeah, I knew it,” Carly crowed. “You guys are so bad, but I’m gonna remember that lip-gloss trick,” Sundae said. Syesha sat up a little more, her full attention on Sundae. “Spill it, girl. We want details,” she said. Everyone else perked up as well. “Yeah, how was it?” Kristy prodded. Sundae thought back over the previous half hour. Another huge grin came to her face and she flopped back on the carpet with a happy sigh. “Ooooooh,” the girls giggled again. Sundae knew they were going to pummel her for details, but she was too happy to care. That last half hour had been, thus far, the best of her life.
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Post by Charlotte on Mar 27, 2012 20:36:21 GMT -5
Chapter 11 The rest of that night was spent on giggles and gossip, but come the next day, it was time to get back to work. The theme for Top 12 week was songs of Lennon and McCartney and everyone had preparations to make. Sundae had been torn between two different songs, but after Saturday night, she knew exactly which one she’d sing. On Monday she and David started ‘Idol’ school again while the others took the morning to start rehearsing. Starting that week there would only be two nights of live show rather than three with performances on Tuesday and elimination on Wednesday, which meant an extra day each week to fit rehearsal into around other things. After their classes were done for the day Sundae and David headed for the studio for their own rehearsals, walking hand in hand as always. As they came into the ‘Idol Dome’ from stage right, they saw all of the others going over their song choices, some with the aide of instruments. Dave, who was sitting center stage with his guitar, was the first to see them. “Ah hah, ha, ha, ha, ha,” he turned to Michael, who was sitting behind him, “That’ll be fifty bucks, please,” he said, holding out his hand. “Ugh, da** it,” Michael groaned and fished his wallet out of his pocket. “What’s going on?” Amanda asked as she and Carly wandered over. “Me and my big mouth and agreeing to bets on teenagers, that’s what,” Michael said as he handed Dave two twenties and a ten. “You bet on them, too?” Carly asked. “Yup, and I just got fifty big ones out of it,” Dave said proudly. “Da**, and I bet you a hundred,” Amanda said to Carly. “Oooh, nice,” Dave said, slapping Carly a high-five. Sundae and David meanwhile, had watched the whole thing and had come to a realization. “We’re gonna have to swear them to secrecy. It’ll be all over Access Hollywood if we don’t,” Sundae said. “I agree,” David said. Sundae then turned her attention to the room at large. “Can I get everyone’s attention please?” she called. Dave, Michael, Carly and Amanda all turned round and the others all wandered over from various spots around the room. “What’s up?” Syesha asked as she sat on the edge of the stage. Sundae took hold of David’s hand. “We need to ask you guys not to say anything to the media about us. It’ll be better for all of us in the long run if it’s kept quiet,” she said. “Darn, that was gonna be the fun part of all this,” Amanda joked. “Hey, it isn’t funny. Would you want your love life splashed all over the pages of ‘People’ magazine?” Ramiele said. Amanda raised her hands in defeat. “Never mind,” she said. “So, you guys are okay with keeping things secret?” David asked. Syesha nodded. “Of course. None of us wants our own privacy invaded, so the least we can do is be respectful of your wishes,” she said. “Thanks,” Sundae said, feeling very relieved. At that point Ricky wandered in heading for the bandstand and was surprised to see the group all gathered together. “You all having a convention or something?” he asked. “We were just talking,” Brooke said, scooping up her acoustic guitar. The others nodded, but as they went back to what they’d been doing, David pulled Sundae off to one side. “What about Ryan? I’m pretty sure he suspects something with us,” he said. Sundae smiled. “No worries. As long as I have the Simon card in play, Ryan won’t try anything,” she said. David smiled, too, and they then went off to find a spot of their own to work on their songs. Later that afternoon everyone got the chance to run through their songs with Ricky and the band to get the feel of performing in the new theatre. They performed one by one, adding in their choreography as they went. While the ‘Idols’ were working, Sundae took the opportunity to go to the private dressing room she’d used for the last few years and make sure everything was in order. She was just finishing organizing the dressing table when she heard someone calling her. “Sundae! Sundae where are you?” she heard some of the girls calling. “In here!” she called back and a moment later Brooke and Ramiele burst into the room, worried looks on their faces. “What’s wrong?” she asked, immediately concerned. “You need to come quick,” Brooke said, grabbing her hand. She and Ramiele pulled Sundae from the room and back down the hall to the theatre. As they reached stage left Sundae saw the others all looking equally concerned and when she looked out onto the stage she saw why. David was on stage facing a middle-aged man, taller than him, who was yelling loudly at him. “What are you, stupid? That whole run through was expressionless and you were flat on the entire bridge,” the man snapped. “Oh God,” Sundae gasped, realizing who the man was. “Do you know what’s going on? Who is that jerk?” Dave asked. “That’s his dad, but I’m really not at liberty to say anymore,” Sundae said. She didn’t feel right telling them what David had told her about his dad. Still, the others were all stunned. They were even more surprised that David was just standing there taking it. “I’ve been here long enough to see that you are not the only talented one here. Any one of those guys could sell records, but you won’t sell jack unless you get your da** act in order,” his dad yelled. David turned away from him and the others could see he was squeezing his eyes shut to fight back tears. “Fine! Do whatever you want. I don’t give a sh**,” his dad snapped. “Oh, that is it,” Carly growled as she stepped past the others and started toward the stage. “Carly, don’t!” Sundae said, grabbing her arm before she could get too far. “We shouldn’t just stand here and let that happen,” Carly said. Before Sundae could say anything David ran past them and the others. Sundae let go of Carly and followed him into the backstage hallway. She caught up to him when he plopped down on a bench. “You okay?” she asked gently as she sat beside him. “Can’t say I didn’t warn you about him,” David said. She squeezed his hand. “I know, you shouldn’t have to go through that,” she said. “Not like I have much of a choice. You can’t pick your parents,” he said. Sundae mulled that one over. “Maybe not, but if you don’t want him to be here there are ways we can make that happen,” she said. David sighed. “That probably would be best, I just wish I knew why he gets like that. He’s great at home, but he goes overboard when it comes to me performing,” he said. Sundae squeezed his hand again. “He just wants you to do your best. My dad’s the same way,” he looked over at her and she gave him a reassuring smile, “I’m not trying to persuade you. It’s your decision,” she said. He was thoughtful for a moment, but then a small smile came to his face. “Thanks, Dae. It helps to have you to talk to,” he said. She smiled, too, giving him a half hug. “That’s what I’m here for,” she said. They then stood up and started to make their way back to the theatre. The others were still milling around by the stage left entrance and they all looked relieved when Sundae and David appeared. “Hey, you okay?” Ramiele asked. “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” David said. “You don’t have to take that from him, you know,” Jason said. David shrugged. “That’s easy for you to say,” he said. Carly came up to him and patted his shoulder. “If it’s any consolation, I was ready to kick his *** off the stage,” she said. David couldn’t help but laugh at that and Sundae giggled, too, and the others all smiled at the mental image. “Now that would’ve been something,” Chikezie said. Just then Ricky walked up. “Everyone okay for going back to rehearsals?” he asked and received nods all around. He turned to David. “You want to run through your song again?” he asked. David peered around him out into the theatre. “Don’t worry, security sent him out,” Ricky said, knowing what he was thinking. David nodded. “Alright,” he said. Ricky then turned and went back to the bandstand so rehearsals could resume as scheduled.
Rehearsals went fine for the rest of the day and the next night was performance night. Sundae hadn’t told anyone, including David, what her song choice for the week was so everyone was curious. The girls prodded her about it while she was hanging out in their dressing room. “Why won’t you tell anyone what you picked?” Syesha asked as she touched up her make up. “Because I don’t want anyone getting any ideas,” Sundae said. Carly, who was next to her, grinned. “Well I’ll bet David knows. We can always pry it out of him,” she said. Sundae shook her head. “Much as it may surprise you, I didn’t tell him either,” she said. Carly nearly dropped the eyeliner she was using. “Why not?” she asked, surprised. “Because I knew you guys would go after him for details and I don’t want anything throwing him off his game,” Sundae said. “Awww,” Brooke and Ramiele cooed. Sundae giggled, and before anymore could be said a crew worker poked her head in to let them know it was almost show time. “Well, that’ll be my cue. Have a good show, all,” Sundae said as she started toward the door. “Later, Dae,” Syesha said. Sundae waved and then stepped out the door and headed down the hall. When she reached the stage left entrance she saw some of the guys milling around doing vocal warm ups and other pre-performance rituals. She saw David sitting off to one side with his head bowed and, having an idea what he was doing, she decided not to disturb him and instead moved over to the stage entrance to look out at the crowd. She had started counting heads in the audience to occupy her mind when she felt someone beside her. She turned and smiled to see David beside her. “Hey, are you ready for this?” she asked. “I hope so,” he said. She took hold of his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “You’ll be fine. You sounded great in rehearsals,” she said. He managed a small smile. “Thanks. Speaking of great, you look very great,” he said. Sundae smiled, a light blush tinting her cheeks. “Thanks,” she said. She was stylish as usual in black leggings, a long sleeved blue sweater with a black belt at the waist and black boots. Just then Ryan appeared, putting an end to all conversation. “Everyone ready to start?” he asked and got nods and yeses all around. He then turned to Sundae. “Let’s get the ball rolling, shall we?” he said. She nodded. “We shall,” she said. He nodded and stepped out onto the stage to do the evening’s intro and Sundae snatched up a cordless microphone off of a nearby table. David grabbed her hand as she stepped toward the stage. “Good luck,” he said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. She beamed at him. “Thanks, same to you,” she said. She then turned, headed out onto the darkened stage and took her opening pose, listening to Ryan making his introductory remarks. “Tonight it’s the music of John Lennon and Paul McCartney and this promises to be a very entertaining evening. To get us started, as she does every week, please welcome our very own Sundae,” he said. Sundae heard the tapping of drumsticks and launched into her song.
1 2 3 4! Well he was just seventeen, And you know what I mean, And the way he looked was way beyond compare So how could I dance with another, whooo When I saw him standing there Sundae had picked the upbeat hit ‘I Saw Her Standing There’ and had tweaked the lyrics to make it come from a girl’s point of view instead of a guy’s. The crowd loved it and clapped along as she sang.
Well he looked at me, and I, I could see That before too long I’d fall in love with him He wouldn’t dance with another whooo When I saw him standing there
Well, my heart went boom When I crossed that room And I held his hand in mine
Whoa we danced through the night And we held each other tight And before too long I fell in love with him Now I’ll never dance with another whooo When I saw him standing there
Well my heart went boom When I crossed that room And I held his hand in mine
Whoa yeah we danced through the night And we held each other tight And before too long I fell in love with him Now I’ll never dance with another whooo Since I saw him standing there Since I saw him standing there Since I saw him standing there The crowd roared their approval and Sundae took her bows as Ryan walked up. “Great song, Dae, but again I have to ask…” he started to say. Sundae gave him a warning look. “Ryan…” she said. “Well this is the second week in a row. I can’t be the only one who’s curious,” Ryan said. Sundae nodded. “True, but what did I say would happen if you pried?” she asked nodding toward Simon. He gave Ryan a pointed look and, as usual, it worked. “Okay, getting back to the music of Lennon and McCartney. Your Top Twelve perform, right after this,” he said. The show then cut to commercial and Sundae started to head backstage. “Hey, warn a guy next time, would you?” Ryan suddenly said. She laughed. “Now where would the fun be in that?” Sundae said. Ryan rolled his eyes and she laughed again and made her way backstage. The girls had joined the guys by this time and they all greeted her in one way or another. “Hey, great song choice,” Syesha said. “Thanks, I had fun with it,” she said, smiling in David’s direction and getting an equally warm smile in return. “I’ll bet,” Carly said, knowingly, making Sundae giggle. “Nicely played with Ryan, too, by the way,” Dave said. “Yeah, I’ve learned how to handle him by now,” Sundae said. At that point Ryan walked into the little corridor and paused seeing the group all together. He looked around at them, his head tilting to one side thoughtfully. “Okay, why do I get the feeling that whatever’s going on with Sundae, you all know about it,” he said. “Maybe you’re imagining things?” Hernandez suggested. Ryan thought a moment then shrugged. “Maybe,” he said and then grabbed a water bottle from the table and went back out to the stage. As soon as he was out of earshot everyone cracked up laughing. “Okay, forget what I said about picking on the kids, picking on him is gonna be way more fun,” Amanda said. “You got that right,” Chikezie said. At that point the show’s theme music filled the theatre signaling the return from commercial. Everyone took a deep breath to get back into focus and got their minds back on the performances still to be done.
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Post by Charlotte on Mar 27, 2012 20:37:47 GMT -5
Chapter 12 As it was still early in the competition Sundae wasn’t too worried about the eliminations yet. Hernandez took the fall first, but did promise to keep in touch before he left. With the first week done attentions were turned to the next week, another week of Beatles’ music. This time the contestants could pick from the entire Beatles catalog instead of just songs written by Lennon or McCartney. Sundae decided on a song she’d used before ‘Paperback Writer’ and she was curious to see what the ‘Idols’ would do with a second week of Beatles. In the meantime she continued to make friends with them. She clicked easily with the girls and often gabbed with one or another of them on the phone or via text messages. She also found something to like in each of the guys. Jason was laid back, relaxed and easy going. The dread locks were a little odd, but Sundae thought they added to his character. Chikezie was also fairly easy going and had a wonderful humor to him. He had worked as a security screener for the transportation industry and he had a lot of great stories of people submitting to weird things to get through. Australian born Michael was not only a singer but also a songwriter. He usually had song ideas flowing and Sundae quickly came to enjoy bouncing some of her own ideas off him. She was surprised to discover that she actually had quite a bit in common with Dave. Like her, he’d been singing and performing since a young age, and loved the guitar. Sundae often brought either her acoustic or electric guitar with her to practice and was grateful for any tips she would get from him or from Jason and Brooke, who also played. To no surprise, however, her favorite companion was David. The two of them were nearly inseparable around the studio and they talked on the phone almost every night. As the ‘Idols’ were in lock down at the apartment complex it was a little difficult for them to see each other socially, but they managed. Sundae started spending Tuesday nights with the girls, and she and David would spend time together then, sometimes walking around the grounds or just sitting and talking. He was rooming with Jason and Chikezie and they would politely make themselves scarce when Sundae was around. When performance night for the second week rolled around everyone was ready and much less nervous than the first week. Sundae opened the show as always, this time trying a little electric guitar with her number. She was relieved when it went off without a hitch. After she’d finished her number she went back to her dressing room and changed out of the skinny jeans and tank top she’d worn to perform in and into a black mini skirt, a navy blue silk blouse and black half inch heeled shoes, and then headed back toward the stage entrance. She found several of the ‘Idols’ including David, going through their pre-performance rituals. Sundae moved to one side of the small anteroom, out of the way of the activity, but she wasn’t alone for long. She smiled when David came and joined her. “Hey, great song tonight,” he said as he came to stand beside her. “Thanks. I’ve used that one before, but it was interesting trying to spice it up with the guitar this time,” she said. “It worked pretty well, I thought,” David said. Sundae nodded. “Yeah it did. What song did you pick for this week, or am I allowed to know?” she asked. He laughed. “You can know. I picked ‘The Long and Winding Road’,” he said. “Hmm, I don’t know that I’ve heard that one, which is odd because my parents and grandparents love The Beatles,” she said. “Well, I’m doing a slightly different arrangement so even if you’ve heard the song you might not recognize it,” he said. “I’m sure I’ll like it. I’m gonna be sitting with the judges tonight so I’ll try to keep Simon on a short leash,” she said. They both laughed at that. “Thanks,” David said as they regained their composure. His expression then softened a little and he started to lean toward her. She smiled, leaning toward him as well. “Ryan alert,” Michael said from beside the entrance and the two teens jumped apart. “I’d better get going. Good luck tonight,” Sundae said and then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before turning and heading out to the stage. “Hey Ry,” she said as she passed him on her way to the judges’ table. “Hello,” he said, but Sundae missed the hint of curiosity in his tone. She made her way over to the judges’ table and sat in her usual spot next to Randy. “Hey, you been stealing from Paula’s wardrobe?” he asked, giving her the once over. “What would give you that idea?” Sundae asked, half laughing. “You’re starting to dress as fly as her,” Randy said. Sundae glanced around him to Paula, who nodded. “I’d definitely wear that if it came in my size,” she said. Sundae smiled. “Well, thanks. I just found the components at department stores, but I guess if you know where to look you can come up with nice stuff,” she said. “Absolutely,” Paula agreed. At that point the show’s theme music played cuing up the next segment. Sundae wondered how everyone would do with a second week of Beatles music, and she was pleased to see everyone handle it fairly well. She was nervous for David when he came out for his turn, but as soon as he started to sing, she forgot the nerves and let herself drift off in the sound of his voice.
The long and winding road That leads to your door Will never disappear I’ve seen that road before It always leads me here The song was a sweet, melodic ballad, and Sundae thought it was a great choice for David. It showcased his warm, rich voice, wonderfully.
The wild and windy night That the rain washed away Has left a pool of tears Crying for the day Why leave me standing here? Let me know the way
Many times I’ve been alone And many times I’ve cried Anyway you’ll never know The many ways I’ve tried
But still they lead me back To the long and winding road You left me standing here A long, long time ago Don’t keep me waiting here Lead me to your door The crowd erupted as he finished and Sundae, of course, joined them. She had very much enjoyed the performance as always and, though they were a little back and forth with their opinions, the judges liked it over all as well. Simon even went so far as to call the performance a master class on selling a song and giving a memorable performance. After the show ended Sundae went back to her dressing room to change and get her things together to go spend the night with the girls. She changed back into her jeans and tank top and pulled on a hooded sweatshirt and then quickly finished packing her bag. A few minutes later she was walking down the hall toward the dressing rooms to meet up with the girls. As she neared the two rooms, which were situated across the hall from each other, the door of the guys’ room opened and Michael and Jason came out followed by David. Michael and Jason nodded hello to Sundae as they walked by and she waved before turning to David. “Hey, you were great tonight, as I knew you would be,” she said. He smiled, modestly. “Thanks. I uh, I was wondering if you’d come with me for a minute? There’s some people I’d like you to meet,” he said. Sundae smiled and nodded. “Sure just give me one minute,” she said. He nodded and she walked over to the girls’ dressing room door and poked her head in. Syesha, who was stuffing some things into her bag, looked up when she did so. “Hey, Dae,” she said. “Hey, can you guys watch my stuff if I leave it here? I’ll just be couple minutes,” she said. “Sure, no problem,” Syesha said. Sundae slid her bag off her shoulder and dropped it on the floor just inside the door. “Thanks, I’ll catch you guys in a few,” she said. She then stepped back out into the hall, letting the door close, and turned to David again. “Let’s go,” she said. He took hold of her hand and led the way down the hallway back toward the stage left entrance. As they stepped out into the theatre, Sundae noticed a few people, mostly crew, bustling around. One group sitting in the audience seats near the judges’ table stood out. It was obvious at one glance that they were related as they all had the same dark hair. There was a middle-aged woman along with a young woman who looked to be in her late teens, a teenaged boy and two young girls. The teenaged boy looked up as she and David approached the group and Sundae was stunned by his striking resemblance to David. “Hey, there’s the man of the hour,” he said as David and Sundae walked up to him. “Cut it out,” David said, giving him a playful shove. “Hey, he’s right. You were terrific tonight,” the young woman said. “Thanks,” David said. “Who’s this?” the middle-aged woman asked then, looking toward Sundae. David turned and pulled Sundae over to stand next to him. “This is Sundae. Dae, this is my mom, Lupe, my older sister, Claudia, my brother, Daniel and my little sisters Jazzy and Amber,” he said, gesturing to each person as he introduced them. Sundae smiled. “Nice to meet all of you,” she said. “You, too, we’ve heard a lot about you,” Claudia said. “All good I hope?” Sundae said. “Oh, of course,” Claudia said. Sundae then felt a tug on her sleeve and looked over to see the youngest girl looking up at her. “Hi, Amber, right?” she asked. The little girl, who looked no older than ten, nodded. “Uh huh. Can I ask you something?” she asked. “Sure,” Sundae said. “Are you DJ’s girlfriend?” Amber asked, almost innocently. Sundae and David both blushed lightly at that and the others smiled. “I think that’s obvious to anyone with eyes,” Daniel remarked, drawing a round of chuckles and causing Sundae and David to blush even more. His mom spoke then. “Alright, that’s enough teasing,” she turned to Sundae, “We were going to go to dinner, and I’m sure David would love for you to come, Sundae,” she said. Sundae looked to David again and his inviting smile was all she needed to see. “I’d like that, thank you for inviting me,” she said. “You’re welcome, I hope Mexican’s okay,” Mrs. Archuleta said. Sundae nodded. “It’s perfectly alright,” she said. The group then started to head out of the theatre, Sundae and David trailing behind the others a little. Sundae suddenly remembered something and squeezed David’s hand again to get his attention. “I need to let the girls know to take my stuff back to the apartments,” she told him quietly. He nodded and looked to his family. “Hey guys, can you give us a minute?” he asked. “Sure, we’ll wait in the hall,” Claudia said. As they then stepped out of the theatre, Sundae pulled her cell phone out and punched the speed dial button for Syesha’s number, hoping she had her phone on. She was relieved when Syesha answered on the second ring. “Hey Dae, where are you? We’re pretty much ready to go,” she said. “Hey Esha, can you guys just take my stuff to the apartments and I’ll meet you there?” Sundae asked. “Sure, I guess. Is everything okay?” Syesha asked. “Yeah, I just made some last minute plans. I’ll be around later,” Sundae said. “Alright, have fun, whatever you’re doing,” Syesha said. “Thanks Esha, I’ll see you later,” Sundae said and then flipped her phone shut. “Ready?” David asked as she put her phone away. She nodded. “Let’s go,” she said, taking hold of his hand again. They then turned and went to catch up to his family. They ended up going to dinner at a Mexican restaurant on the same block as the hotel where the Archuleta family was staying. The food was delicious and Sundae enjoyed getting to know David’s family. His mom was a native of Honduras and sometimes mixed a little Spanish into her speech, which Sundae found charming, and his sisters and brother all reminded her of her own siblings in various ways. It was after ten pm when Sundae and David were finally dropped off at the apartment complex for the night, but not before Mrs. Archuleta insisted that Sundae join the family for dinner again soon. The two teens walked slowly upstairs towards the girls’ suites, enjoying their time together before they’d have to say goodnight. When they reached the suite Syesha shared with Ramiele they turned to face each other, looking into each other’s eyes. “Thanks for including me tonight. Your family’s a lot of fun,” Sundae said. David smiled. “It was fun having you with us,” he said. He then gently pulled her closer to him, leaning in as he did so. She tilted her head up, her eyes slipping shut, and their lips met. This time the kiss lasted longer. She slipped her arms up around his shoulders and his hands came to rest on her waist. They finally broke the kiss after a few moments, but didn’t step apart from each other. “Would you like to come over to my house this weekend, just hang out and get our minds off ‘Idol’ for a while?” Sundae asked quietly. David smiled. “Yeah, that’d be fun,” he said. She returned his smile and he leaned in again. Again, they broke the kiss a few moments later and this time Sundae slowly stepped back, fishing a key out of her purse. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” David asked. “Definitely,” Sundae said as she unlocked and opened the door. “Night,” she said as she stepped inside. “Night,” David said. Sundae then turned and went inside, quietly closing the door so as not to disturb Syesha and Ramiele if they were already asleep. She discovered that they were still up a moment later when she came into the living room and found them watching a movie. Syesha saw her as she plopped down in a chair. “Hey, how was your evening?” she asked shifting on the couch to face her. “Really nice,” Sundae replied with a smile. Syesha giggled. “I don’t even need to guess who you were with. Did you guys go to dinner or something?” she asked, as Ramiele turned round to face them. Sundae nodded in response to Syesha’s question. “Yeah, with his family. It was a lot of fun,” she said. “You got to meet David’s family?” Ramiele asked. “Mmmhmm, his mom and sisters and brother. They’re really nice. His mom was almost insistent that we all have dinner again sometime,” Sundae said. “Wow, if that’s not a ‘you’re okay by me’ I don’t know what is,” Syesha said. “I’ll say. I’ll bet he was happy,” Ramiele said. Sundae giggled. “Yeah, we’re gonna hang out at my house this weekend, so if you don’t see him around on Saturday that’s why,” she said. Syesha and Ramiele giggled, too. “Okay, you guys are definitely a couple now,” Syesha said. “Especially if what I saw out the window is any indication,” Ramiele said. Syesha looked at her in surprise and Sundae sat forward in her chair. “Were you spying?” Sundae asked, tensing slightly. “No, no, no. I heard a noise outside and thought it might be the guys playing a joke. I didn’t know it was you and David until I looked. I only saw about two seconds worth, I swear,” Ramiele said. “But a good two seconds, I’ll bet,” Syesha said. Ramiele glanced over at Sundae. She only shook her head, unable to hide a grin, and Ramiele giggled. “Oh, it was good, alright,” she said to Syesha and wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. Syesha grinned and turned to Sundae. “Oooh, you go girl,” she said. Sundae couldn’t help a laugh. “Thanks, I guess,” she said. “She’s right, you know. You’re a lucky girl,” Ramiele said. Sundae smiled dreamily at that. “Don’t I know it,” she said, leaning back in her chair with a happy sigh. Syesha and Ramiele both giggled and then started asking her more about her evening. She laughed again at their curiousness, but answered their questions as far she felt the liberty to do so. She was happy to have an excuse, no matter how silly, to relive time spent with David. The next night was elimination night, but like the previous week it wasn’t too stressful. This week, however, there was the added bonus of those who were safe being guaranteed places on the ‘Idol’ summer tour. Sundae had done the tour before and was looking forward to doing it again, especially when she saw David make it through and guarantee himself a spot. When all was said and done that night, it was Amanda who got the boot. Sundae had no doubt, though, that she’d find the right path for herself.
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Post by Charlotte on Mar 27, 2012 20:39:25 GMT -5
Chapter 13 Almost as soon as it was down to the top ten it was back to rehearsals. The next week’s theme was ‘Songs From the Year You Were Born’ and it was one of Sundae’s favorites since there were a lot of good songs for her to pick from in her year, 1993. She was curious as to what everyone else would pick too, as there was a wide range in years of birth, from 1978 to 1990. Rehearsals, as always were draining, and by the time the weekend came it was definitely time for a break. There were rehearsals on weekends, too, but only for half of each day. Just after lunch on Saturday, Sundae was up in her room, getting ready for David’s visit, when her cell phone rang. She grabbed it from where it sat on her bed and saw that it was Dana calling. She flipped the phone open and put it to her ear. “Hey Dana,” she said. “Hey Dae, what are you up to today? Not more rehearsing I hope,” Dana said. “There was a rehearsal this morning, but I didn’t go. Dad insists I get the weekends for myself and so I can keep up with homework,” Sundae said. “I heard that. You should see the killer project we have in science,” Dana said. “Oh, I’ve heard. Ms. Barnes is making me do it during tutoring,” Sundae said. “Eww, that sucks, but on the bright side, you do have a very cute lab partner,” Dana said. Sundae giggled. “You make a good point with that one,” she said. “I know. So anyway, I was planning on going over to the park and kick the ball around for a while. Wanna come?” Dana asked. “I do need the practice, but I’ve already got plans,” Sundae said. “Ooooh, is the cute lab partner coming over for a study date?” Dana teased. Sundae laughed. “You’re bad. Yes, David’s coming over, but we’re just gonna hang out. Anything rather than think about ‘Idol’,” Sundae said. “Do you have any idea how lucky you are?” Dana asked rhetorically. Sundae giggled. “Dana…” she said. “I’m serious. Just about every girl in our school has a crush on him. I even heard the captain of the cheerleading squad, a senior, saying she’d date him,” Dana said. “You’re exaggerating,” Sundae said. “No I’m not. Pay attention at our next soccer practice. The other girls can’t get over the fact that you’re dating such a hottie,” Dana said. Sundae giggled. “I’ll just take your word for it,” she said. The sound of a car outside grabbed her attention, and she got up and looked out her window to see one of the studio cars pulling into the driveway. “I gotta go, Dana,” she said. “Alright. Hey, why don’t you guys come by the park later? You can show him your soccer moves,” Dana said. “We’ll see. I really gotta go,” Sundae said. “Okay, see ya,” Dana said. Sundae quickly flipped her phone shut, checked over her look of jeans, flats and a tank top in the mirror and then dashed out of her room. “I’ll get the door,” she called as she came down stairs. Her younger brothers Rocky and Tom looked at her as they came into the front room from the kitchen. “The bell didn’t even ring,” Tom said, but almost as soon as he finished speaking it did. “You are such a tweaker,” Rocky said. “Look who’s talking gaming nut,” she said. Tom and Rocky just shrugged and headed up stairs and Sundae turned and headed over to the door. She couldn’t control her smile as she opened it. “Hey, David,” she said as she stood aside to let him come in. “Hey, Dae,” David said, returning her smile. “You kids have fun,” a male voice called and Sundae peered out the door to see Nick waving from the car. “Thanks, Nick,” she said and then stepped back inside and shut the door. She turned to David again, her smile growing when he slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her to him. He then leaned in and she moved even closer as their lips met. Again, her arms found their way around his shoulders and he brought his other hand to rest just above her hip. “Whoa baby!” a surprised little voice suddenly exclaimed and Sundae and David whirled around to see Destiny, Precious and Alexei watching them from the bottom of the stairs with wide eyes. “Scram, tweebs,” Sundae said. “We weren’t doing anything,” Precious said. “You’re intruding,” Sundae said, giving them a look. “Are these some of your siblings?” David asked her. She nodded. “Yeah, blonde pig tails is Destiny, the red head is her twin brother Alexei and the auburn haired one is Precious. They are otherwise known as the tweebs,” Sundae said. “Why tweebs?” David asked. “That’s kind of a long story. My older brother, Jason, started it with the other set of twins, Kimmie and Tom, thinking twin dweebs, tweebs. It sort of carried over with these three,” Sundae said as they approached the three little kids. David smiled as he stooped down to meet their gazes. “My name’s David, it’s nice to meet you guys,” he said. Destiny lit up. “So you’re the one Sundae talks about,” she said. Precious grinned, too. “Ooooh,” they both said at once. “Alright, how bout you three go play with your coloring books or something,” Sundae said, and started ushering them toward the living room. “Awww,” Destiny complained. “Go on,” Sundae said and the three reluctantly scampered off. “They’re cute,” David said as he came to stand beside her again. “Yeah, but they’re also annoying as heck at times,” Sundae said. “My little sisters bug me too, sometimes, but I still love them,” David said. “I love mine, too, I just wish they wouldn’t go poking into my private life,” Sundae said. “I think that’s sort of what younger siblings are made for,” David said. “Unfortunately. You can’t live with them, but you can’t live without them,” Sundae said with a smile. “Exactly,” David agreed, smiling too. “So, would you like the grand tour of casa de Wahlberg?” Sundae asked. “Sure, that’d be fun,” David said. Sundae smiled, taking hold of his hand. They turned from the stairs towards the second corridor off the entryway, but didn’t get too far. “Sundae!” and girl’s voice called and they turned back around to see blonde haired girl a little younger than Sundae come running up, holding a blonde haired baby on her hip. Sundae groaned. “Kimmie, I have company,” she said as the girl came up to them. “I know and I’m so sorry, but Steph’s gonna be here any minute to work on our cheers for next week’s game. Can you please take Baby, please?” Kimmie pleaded. Sundae sighed. “Fine, but you owe me hugely,” she said, taking the baby into her arms. “Thank you so so much,” Kimmie said and then bolted for the stairs. “One of the other twins?” David asked. “Yes, that was Kimmie, cheerleader extraordinaire. You probably won’t see much of her twin, Tom, or our other younger brothers, Rocky and Dakin. They’ll be absorbed with their video games all afternoon, thank God,” Sundae said. “Ah, and who’s this little cutie?” David asked, gesturing to the baby. Sundae smiled. “This little one is the youngest Wahlberg, Pleshette. As such she’s entirely spoiled by all of us, aren’t you booboo?” Sundae said, bouncing her baby sister in her arms. Pleshette giggled and David smiled. “Awww, she’s sweet and it’s easy to see she loves her big sister,” he said. Sundae smiled at that. “Yeah, she has yet to reach the annoying stage so I love her, too,” she looked to Pleshette again, “You wanna help me show David around, huh?” she asked. Pleshette giggled again in response. “I take it that’s a yes?” David said. “Yup, that’s yes in Pleshette speak,” she said. She then shifted Pleshette in her arms to sit on her right hip and took hold of David’s hand again. “So, as I was going to say before we were interrupted, on with the tour,” she said and they both smiled as they turned and headed down the corridor. The Wahlberg home was a modern two-story manor with eight bedrooms on the second floor and a spacious entryway with two corridors leading to the rest of the house. One corridor led into the living room/den/kitchen area while the other, which the two teens were in, led to rooms used for work and study. They peeked into Mr. Wahlberg’s office and Mrs. Wahlberg’s reading and writing room before coming to the last door on the left. “This is my favorite room in the house next to my own,” Sundae said. She opened the door and one look inside made the room’s use obvious. There was a grand piano in the middle with sheet music on its rack. There was also a drum set and several guitars, some in cases some displayed on stands. There were a few music stands folded neatly in a corner, a bookshelf filled with songbooks, cases with more instruments, and three filing cabinets stuffed with sheet music. “Welcome to the music room,” Sundae said as they walked into the room. “Wow, this is where you all rehearse?” David asked, looking around. “Yeah, dad set it up when he realized he had a house full of singers on his hands,” Sundae said. “Well, I think you guys have more instruments than Ricky and the band,” David said. Sundae giggled. “You’re not the first to say that,” she said. David’s gaze wandered over to the guitars, one in particular, a black electric with hot pink and orange flames decorating it, catching his eye. Sundae grinned as he walked over to it. “This is nice,” he said, running a finger down the strings. “That one’s my baby. Dad gave it to me last Christmas,” she said. “I’d love to learn to play one like this,” David said. Sundae smiled. “I’d be happy to teach you, if you like,” she said as she came up beside him. He smiled, too, as he turned to face her. “I’d like that,” he said. Their eyes met then and Sundae almost thought she’d melt in the warmth of his smile. Pleshette then wiggled in her arms, ending the moment. Sundae glanced down at her. “Spoil sport,” she accused, ticking the baby’s tummy. Pleshette giggled and Sundae and David laughed. “Has she decided whether she likes music or not?” David asked. “Oh, she loves it. We all sing to her all the time. She likes the piano, too,” Sundae said. David glanced over at the beautiful black grand piano behind them. “Yours looks like the one I’ve used on ‘Idol’,” he said as they walked over to it. “It is similar. Dad got it for when he writes music, but some of us kids use it, too,” she said as they say down on the bench, Sundae positioning Pleshette in her lap. “Looks like you use it for practice, at least,” David said, noticing the sheet music. “Yeah, some of this is my oldest brother’s. He was home from college last weekend and obviously forgot some stuff,” Sundae said. David thumbed through the pieces of music and suddenly pulled one out of the pack. “This is a good one,” he said, setting his pick in front of all the others. Sundae smiled when she saw that he’d picked out ‘I’ll Be’ by Edwin McCain. “I like that one, too,” she said. David laid his hands on the piano keys and Sundae’s smile grew when he started to play.
The strands in your eyes That color them wonderful Stop me and steal my breath And emeralds from mountains Thrust towards the sky Never revealing their depth
And tell me we belong together Dress it up with the trappings of love I’ll be captivated, I’ll hang from your lips Instead of the gallows Of heartache that hang from above Sundae closed her eyes momentarily, listening to his pure voice, but then realized that Pleshette was being awfully still. She looked down at the baby girl and saw her gazing, enraptured, at David as he sang.
And I’ll be your cryin’ shoulder I’ll be love’s suicide I’ll be better when I’m older I’ll be the greatest fan of your life As David finished the chorus of the song, Pleshette lit up with a big smile and clapped her tiny hands as best she could. Sundae couldn’t help a giggle at the sight. “I think you’ve got a little fan, here,” she said to David, who smiled at Pleshette. “You liked that, huh?” he said, gently touching the baby’s hand. Pleshette smiled even more, grabbing onto his fingers. “I’d say she did and now I know what mom was talking about,” Sundae said. “What do you mean?” David asked. “A couple weeks ago mom fed this one her nighttime bottle while she was watching ‘Idol’. Pleshette always fusses about it, but when you came on and started singing she got just as still as she did just now and had a big smile on her face when you finished. Mom said she thought there was something about your voice that calmed her and I think we just saw the proof,” Sundae said. David smiled. “I’m glad you like my singing, Pleshette,” he said. The baby beamed at him and Sundae smiled, too. “She’s not the only one who likes it,” she said. David blushed a little at that. “Thanks,” he said. Sundae fished through all the sheet music on the piano, pulling out another piece from near the back. “I liked this one best,” she said and David saw that she’d picked Bryan Adams’ ‘Heaven’. Sundae played a couple of chords on the piano and began to sing, starting with the second verse of the song rather than the first.
Oh once in your life you find someone Who will turn your world around Bring you up when you’re feeling down David joined her on the second part of the verse, their voices blending in perfect harmony.
Yeah nothing could change what you mean to me Oh there’s lots that I could say But just hold me now Cause our love will light the way
Baby you’re all that I want As I’m lying here in your arms I’m finding it hard to believe We’re in heaven And love is all that I need And I found it there in your heart It isn’t too hard to see We’re in heaven “Wow, that was terrific,” a male voice suddenly said. Sundae and David whirled around to see Mr. Wahlberg in the doorway of the room. “Hi, Dad. We were just fiddling around,” Sundae said. Her dad nodded. “Perfectly alright. I couldn’t help but hear you from down the hall. That duet was amazing,” he said. Sundae and David traded looks. “Really?” Sundae asked. Her dad nodded. “Really. I never heard you blend that well with anyone, including your siblings. I’ll have to come up with a song for you two,” he said. Sundae smiled a little shyly. “Thanks, Dad,” she said. “Don’t mention it. By the way your mom’s been looking for this one,” he said, bending down to kiss Pleshette on the top of her head. As he straightened up she noticed the papers in his hand. “Speaking of new songs…” she started to say. Her dad held the papers out of her reach. “This one’s for me and the guys,” he said. “The guys?” Sundae asked as she and David got up from the piano bench. “You know, your uncle John, your uncle Danny…” her dad started. “I know who they are, but you guys haven’t recorded since before I was born,” Sundae said. Her dad shrugged as he sat down at the piano. “Yeah, but we were thinking of giving it a try again,” he said. “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you when mom finds out,” Sundae said. Her dad laughed. “Let me worry about that. You kids go have fun,” he said. “Don’t overwork yourself,” Sundae said as she and David stepped out of the room and pulled the door closed behind them. “Everything okay?” David asked as they started back down the corridor. “Yeah, sure,” Sundae said. “That was amazing singing with you,” he said a little shyly. She beamed at him. “Ditto,” she said. He took hold of her hand, their fingers twining together, as they continued on down the corridor. “Who were those guys your dad was talking about?” David asked. “Oh, those are his former band mates, and between you and me, mom’s not gonna be happy when she finds out about this. With so many kids around, she likes having him around the house,” Sundae said as they crossed through the entryway and went down the other corridor into the other part of the house. The den was cordoned off on its own while the living room and kitchen were connected and as the teens came into the living room, they saw Mrs. Wahlberg coming out of the kitchen. “Hi Mom,” Sundae said, seeing her. Her mom looked up and smiled at them. “Oh, hi kids,” she said. “You remember David, right?” Sundae asked. Her mom smiled. “Of course, nice to see you again,” she said. David nodded. Mrs. Wahlberg then noticed Pleshette in Sundae’s arms. “I’ve been looking for you Princess P,” she said, gently taking the baby into her own arms. Pleshette wriggled, but Mrs. Wahlberg was having none of it. “Oh no, it’s naptime for you, missy, no arguments,” she said. She then stepped around Sundae and started out of the room. “You two have fun,” she called over her shoulder as she left. “Seems like it’s pretty busy around here,” David remarked once the two teens were alone again. Sundae giggled. “With fourteen people in this family, you better believe it,” she said. Her gaze then fell on the nearby sliding glass door and the sprawling yard beyond it. “Do you wanna see the backyard?” she asked. “Sure,” David said. She led the way over to the door and out into the yard. It was bigger than it appeared from the inside, covering at least a quarter of an acre. There was a swimming pool and hot tub on one side, fenced off so the little kids couldn’t get in without supervision; there was a vegetable garden along the back wall and yards of grass for romping on. “Wow, I thought we had space in Utah, but this is huge,” David said. “Nice isn’t it,” Sundae said as they strolled across the grass. They noticed Kimmie and another girl her age with dish blonde hair practicing cheerleading moves. “They’re pretty good,” David remarked as they watched the two girls moving and dancing in synch. “They’re co-captains of their competitive squad so I guess they should be,” Sundae said. “You’re not so into cheerleading I take it,” David said. “Not really. I was always more of a tomboy where sports are concerned. Give me a soccer ball over pompoms any day,” Sundae said. David smiled and then noticed a basketball court on the other side of the yard. “You guys have a hoop, too?” he asked as they walked over to it. “Yeah, dad had it put in, mostly for the boys. My older brother, Jason, is on the school team so he uses it a lot,” Sundae said. David picked up a ball that sat on the grass beside the court and bounced it on the concrete. “I’ve got a hoop at home, but it’s just one of those cheesy ones on an extendable pole. Yours is a lot nicer,” he said as he tossed the ball toward the hoop. It bounced off the backboard and went in. “Wow, nice jump shot,” Sundae said with a grin as she jogged after the ball and scooped it up. “Thanks. I shoot hoops with some of my friends sometimes, but I was never on a team. I was never tall enough,” David said as she came back over to him, dribbling the ball. “I don’t think height has anything to do with talent. My mom’s only 5’3” but she’s a pretty good shot, when she has the time for it anyway,” she said. She then took a shot, but missed, the ball bouncing off the rim and coming back toward them. David grabbed it when it came within reach. “Hey! What have I told you about playing on my court? No one under 5’10” allowed,” a guy’s voice suddenly said. Sundae and David turned to see her brother, Jason, wearing his team practice sweats approaching them. At 5’11” he towered over them both. “Dad did put the hoop in for all of us,” Sundae pointed out. “Maybe, but as a starter on the varsity team, it’s technically my turf,” Jason said, snatching the ball from David as he stepped onto the court. “You play varsity?” David asked him. “Star center,” Jason said as he bounced the ball and took a shot. It bounced off the backboard. “Nice shot, Mr. Star Center,” Sundae said as she grabbed the ball on the rebound and handed it back to David. “You think you can do better?” Jason challenged. David bounced the ball a couple times and took a shot. Sundae grinned when the ball swished right through the net. “Lucky shot,” Jason scoffed as he grabbed the ball again. “I don’t think it was just luck,” Sundae said. Her brother laughed. “Oh really? You wanna challenge J the Play?” he asked. Sundae looked toward David and saw his unsure expression. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. “I believe you can do it,” she said. He smiled at her for a moment and then stepped onto the court. “Alright, I’m game,” he said. “First one to seven wins,” Jason said. David nodded and they started their game. Sundae sat down on the grass at the edge of the court to watch. Jason did show the talent that made him a varsity starter, but David did a good job keeping him on his toes. He put the four-inch height difference to his advantage, dodging around Jason and making some good steals. Sundae cheered him on from her spot on the grass, and she was soon joined by Kimmie and her best friend, Stephanie. Sundae didn’t notice them at first since her attention was focused on David. He had the ball and was trying to get around Jason, who was doing a decent job of blocking him. “Give up, yet?” Jason asked. “Nope,” David replied. He then faked left and dodged right around Jason and sunk a terrific lay up. Sundae cheered and David grinned at her as he jogged back to the other end of the court. “Your boyfriend’s a pretty good shot, Dae,” Stephanie commented. “I’ll say, he’s actually keeping J the Play on his toes,” Kimmie agreed. Stephanie laughed. “I still can’t believe your brother calls himself that,” she said between giggles. Sundae wasn’t really listening to them. Stephanie’s statement was the first time someone had referred to David as her boyfriend and she absolutely loved hearing it. By this time the game was tied at four a piece and Jason actually looked like he starting to tire. “You sure you don’t want to give up, Jase?” Kimmie teased. Jason rolled his eyes at her. “Run along back to your cheers children. J the Play does not give up without a fight,” he said. “Well, J the Play looks like he’s about to pass out,” Stephanie said, dissolving into more giggles. An idea suddenly popped into Sundae’s mind and she decided to end the argument. “Hey Jase, how ‘bout next point wins it?” she said. Jason sighed. “Fine, but only because I have other things to do,” he said. “Okay, one more thing. If David gets the point he gets to borrow your roller blades for the afternoon,” Sundae said. David raised and eyebrow at her and she smiled. “Remember I told you I’d show you the paths in the park,” she said and he grinned. Jason just shook his head. “Whatever, let’s just do this,” he said and bounced the ball. He then made to go around David, but didn’t quite manage. David snatched the ball in mid-dribble and made another easy lay up. The girls cheered as they got up and Jason grabbed up the ball. “Good game,” David said to him. “You, too. You had me going,” Jason said. David nodded and turned to Sundae as she came up to him. “You were great,” she said giving him a half hug. “Thanks, Dae,” he said, returning the hug. They then turned to go back to the house, but Jason stopped them. “I have to ask, are you sure you’ve never played on a team?” he said. David and Sundae both laughed. “I’m sure. You actually just got beat by a choir boy,” David said. Jason’s jaw dropped in surprise. Sundae and David then turned and dashed back to the house before he could respond. They were both laughing as they reached the house and went inside. “Oh my gosh, that was priceless. Did you see the look on his face when you said that,” Sundae said. “Yeah, that was too funny,” David agreed. “His teammates would never let him hear the end of it,” Sundae said as they plopped down on the living room couch. They’d only been sitting for a few minutes when Mrs. Wahlberg came in heading for the kitchen. “You two having fun?” she asked. Sundae nodded. “Yeah, we are. Is it okay if we go to the park?” she asked. “Oh sure. It’s such a nice day, you should be enjoying it,” her mom said. “Thanks, mom,” Sundae said. She and David then got up from the couch and headed back to the front entryway, pausing by the stairs. “I’ll just go grab mine and Jase’s roller blades and we’ll go,” she said. “Sure,” David said and she turned and dashed up the stairs. She grabbed her own blades from her room and then poked into her brother’s room, wrinkling her nose at its messiness, as she grabbed his blades from his closet. She then hurried back downstairs and found David waiting for her by the door. “Do you want to skate to the park or walk over?” she asked as they stepped outside onto the front porch. “How far is the park from here?” he wanted to know. “It’s not even three blocks. I’ve skated there before,” Sundae replied. David shrugged. “Let’s skate then,” he said. She smiled as they sat down on the front steps. They traded their shoes for the skates and were soon on their way to the park. The last time they’d been to the park it had been nighttime so David hadn’t been able to see much of it. Since it was daytime this time he was able to really see things. The park spread out over several acres and was full of rolling green lawns situated around three playgrounds, and a large duck pond. It was dotted with shady trees, flowering bushes and benches and picnic tables, and was woven with a ribbon of paths for biking, skating or just walking. “This is really nice,” David commented as he and Sundae skated along one of the paths hand in hand. “Yeah, I love this park. I’ve been coming here since I was little,” Sundae said. “Looks like a lot of people had the same idea we did in coming here today,” David said, glancing around at all the picnickers around them. Sundae smiled. “It does, doesn’t it? And speaking of which, I should warn you some of my friends from school might be here,” she said. “Oh?” David asked. “I talked to Dana earlier and she said she was coming for some soccer practice. We don’t have to talk to her, or anyone else we might meet, if you don’t want to,” Sundae said. “It’s okay. We can say ‘hi’ to them if you want,” David said. Sundae’s smile grew. “You’re too nice, you know that,” she said. David laughed. “Ah I don’t believe in being ‘too nice’,” he said. Sundae laughed too, as they continued to skate along admiring the natural beauty around them. As they came around a curve the path they were on wound past a patch of open grass. There were quite a few kids there, doing everything from playing tag to whacking softballs and soccer balls around. “Sundae!” a girl’s voice suddenly called out. Sundae and David looked up to see a girl with light brown hair cropped in a short bob running up to them, soccer ball in hand and two other girls her age following her. “Hey!” she said, grinning at Sundae as she approached her and David. “Hi Dana,” Sundae said, unable to help a grin. “You guys decided to roller blade, huh?” Dana said. “Yeah, I wanted to show him the park,” Sundae said. “So this is the Dana I’ve heard about,” David said. “Yup, this is Dana and our soccer teammates, Cassie and Selena. Girls, this is David,” Sundae said. “Hi,” Cassie and Selena said. “Nice to meet you,” David said. “You guys wanna come kick the ball around?” Dana asked. “Well, I don’t have my cleats and it wouldn’t be comfortable in stocking feet,” Sundae said. “That’s true, darn it. I need some real goal practice and you know these two can’t make penalty kicks,” Dana said. “Says you,” Cassie said. “Says me, too. Look, Dana, call me later and we’ll set up a time for us to practice together,” Sundae said. Dana shrugged. “It’s okay by me. I shouldn’t have asked anyway, since you’re already occupied,” she said with a grin. Sundae smiled, too, squeezing David’s hand. She felt him squeeze back and gave a quick nod to Dana. “I’ll talk to you later,” she said. “Okay,” Dana said. She, Cassie and Selena then started back out onto the grass and Sundae and David skated off along the path. “Sorry about that,” Sundae said. “It’s okay, she seems nice,” David said. “She is. Cassie and Sel are okay, too, but I haven’t known them as long,” Sundae said. “How long have you known Dana?” David asked. “Since kindergarten. She’s almost like another sister to me. I’ve only known Cassie and Selena for a couple years, though,” Sundae replied. “And apparently you all play soccer?” David said. Sundae giggled. “Yeah starting junior varsity. I play forward, Dana plays goalie and Cass and Sel are guards. I don’t get much practice during the ‘Idol’ season though,” she said. “Do you ever wish you didn’t have so much to do for ‘Idol’?” David asked. Sundae looked thoughtful for a moment. “Sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade my ‘Idol’ experiences for anything. My career would be nowhere near where it is now and I wouldn’t have met so many great people,” she said. He smiled at that as they continued on their way. When they reached the lookout point they skated off the path but, instead of going over to the bench, they sat down on the grass. They pulled off their skates and settled together, looking out over the valley. It was just after four pm and the sky was swirled with the pink, yellow and orange bands of a beautiful sunset. “Great view, isn’t it?” Sundae murmured. “Yeah, it is. Doesn’t matter what time it is either,” David said and she giggled knowing what he meant. They were quiet for a while, enjoying the beautiful view, and the warm breeze. “This has been an amazing afternoon, Dae. I haven’t had so much fun in a long time,” David said. Sundae smiled as she looked up at him. “Me, too,” she said her gaze meeting his. He smiled and slowly leaned toward her. She tilted her head up as though she’d been expecting nothing less and she felt a warmth flood her body as their lips met. He slid one arm around her waist and, when they broke the kiss she cuddled up to him, resting her head on his shoulder. To her it was a perfect end to an amazing day.
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Post by Charlotte on Mar 27, 2012 20:41:09 GMT -5
Chapter 14 The weekend was wonderfully relaxing, but as soon as Monday came, it was back to business. Tuesday was performance day as usual, but it turned out to be one of the most awkward evenings of Sundae’s life. She performed her opening number, as always, and then changed and went to sit with the judges. As the only rule of the night was ‘your song must come from the year you were born’, there was an eclectic mix of choices that evening, everything from rock to country and adult contemporary. Ryan interviewed a few of the contestants before they took the stage with usual bordering on embarrassing humor. Sundae hoped David would get to escape Ryan’s teasing, but when he came out for his turn Ryan waved him over and she sighed, wondering what he had in mind. “Everything alright?” Randy asked her. “Yeah, I’m just praying Ryan watches where he treads,” she replied. Randy patted her hand and she looked back over toward David again as he sat down opposite Ryan on a stool. “So, you’re taking classes here to keep up with school. What have you missed being away from home?” Ryan asked. “I’m not too sure. I know I’ve missed a couple dances. I might even miss prom,” David replied. “When is prom?” Ryan wanted to know. “I don’t know actually,” David said and Sundae could tell Ryan was making him nervous. “Is there someone special you’d like to take to prom?” Ryan prodded. “I don’t know if I should say,” David said, laughing nervously. Sundae felt her own nerves go on edge as well. “Is it someone sitting over there next to your family?” Ryan continued. David’s nervous laughter picked up, but Sundae was surprised. She felt Randy pat her arm, but she ignored him as she twisted around in her seat. She found David’s family in the crowd and the next moment felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach. Sitting next to his parents was a girl of about sixteen who looked like she could’ve been Dana’s sister. She had shoulder length medium brown hair and a friendly face and seemed at first glance like she was probably very nice. Sundae, however, didn’t want to find out. She got up from her seat and stepped down from the platform. “Hey, Dae wait a minute…” Randy started to say, but she again ignored him. She made her way along the front of the stage, went up a short flight of steps on its left side and went backstage as quickly as she could. The other ‘Idols’ were all hanging around watching the action and some of the girls reached out to Sundae as she walked past them. “Sundae, wait a minute,” Syesha called after her and followed her into the corridor behind the stage. Sundae turned to her, tears in her eyes. “You don’t have to say it, Esha. I was an idiot. I should never have let myself like him. I shouldn’t have even looked,” she said and the turned and dashed off down the hall. She didn’t stop until she reached her dressing room and got inside. There she kicked off her shoes and tossed aside her crop jacket and lay down on the small sofa that sat against one wall. She couldn’t believe she’d been so naïve. She also couldn’t believe David had never told her about his apparent girlfriend. Had he only been leading her on these last few weeks? She buried her head in a throw pillow letting the tears fall. She didn’t know how long she’d been lying there when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She rolled over and sighed when she saw Brooke sitting on the edge of the sofa beside her. “Don’t you have to perform, Brooke?” she asked. “I’m already done and I wanted to be sure you’re okay. We’re all really worried about you,” Brooke said. “Not all of you,” Sundae muttered lowly. Brooke shook her head. “Yes, all of us. David’s practically going out of his mind,” she said. Sundae sat up abruptly. “Yeah right. If he actually cared he would’ve been honest with me in the first place,” she said, feeling anger flare up. “You need to talk to him, Dae, it’s the only way to sort it out,” Brooke said. “I can’t do that. I’d be embarrassed to even look at him. I was a complete idiot letting myself like him,” Sundae said. “I know this has to hurt,” Brooke said, giving her a half hug. “I have never hurt like this and what makes it worse is that I stupidly believed our time together meant something to him,” Sundae said, choking up again. Brooke hugged her again. “Well, as Carly would put it, men can be real scum,” she said. Sundae almost had to laugh. “Carly would say they’re sh**s, but I know what you mean,” she said. Brooke giggled lightly. “Yeah, that sounds about right,” she said. Sundae pulled away from her and sat staring at the floor for a moment. She sighed again. “I just don’t get it, though. Why did he even ask me out if he was already with someone? W-why did he kiss me?” she muttered brushing away a few new tears. Brooke rubbed her back soothingly. “You really need to talk to him, Sundae. It sounds like there’s been a big miscommunication here,” she said. “I appreciate your kindness, Brooke but I can’t talk to him, I just can’t,” she said as she stood up and moved over to her dressing table. Brooke got up as well and came to stand beside her. “All I ask is that you think about it and remember we’re all here if you need to talk,” she said. Sundae nodded and Brooke then turned and left. Once she was alone again, Sundae glanced up at her reflection in her dressing table mirror. Her mascara had run a little from crying and her eyes and nose were red. “Ugh, rescue me,” she muttered as she grabbed some tissues. She dampened them with baby oil and removed her makeup, wiping her face down with a wet paper towel afterward. She then went ahead and got changed and started packing her bag for the night. “God, I hope Carly has some Rocky Road in her freezer,” she mumbled to herself as she packed her makeup into its travel case. She was putting the case into her bag when a knock sounded at her door. “Who is it?” she called and she turned back around in time to see the door open and the girl from earlier poke her head in. “What the heck to do you want here? Trying to make me even more miserable?” Sundae asked, her anger rising again. The girl had some nerve coming to her dressing room. “I just want to talk to you for a minute…and to explain,” the girl said. “Explain what? That your boyfriend lied to us both?” Sundae snapped as she grabbed a couple of CDs from her dressing table. “He’s not my boyfriend,” the girl said. Sundae nearly dropped the CDs. “Excuse me?” she asked, feeling even more confused. “I wanted to kill Seacrest when he said that. Why does he embarrass people like that anyway?” the girl said. “I don’t know, but that’s not the point. If you’re not his girlfriend then who are you?” Sundae asked. “My name is Megan. I’m a friend of David’s from Murray,” the girl said. “A friend from home?” Sundae asked. “Yes. I came with a couple other friends of ours to see him perform this week. Didn’t know how much trouble it’d cause,” Megan said. “That makes two of us,” Sundae muttered. Megan couldn’t help a small smile. “Tell me about it. David’s been one of my best friends since grade school. He’s actually almost like a brother. It’s like you are with your friend, Dana, or so I’ve been told. I think I turned about four different shades of red when Seacrest teased us like that,” Megan said. “Yeah, he will definitely be groveling for a few weeks,” Sundae said. Megan smiled even more. “I hope that this doesn’t damage whatever you and David have going on. You should’ve seen the look on his face when you left earlier. He wanted so badly to go after you. He just barely got through his song tonight and, fortunately for him, I think, no I know, the judges knew why,” she said. “What do you mean, ‘they knew why’?” Sundae asked. “You should’ve seen their reactions when you left. Randy and Simon looked ready to bite Seacrest’s head off and Paula was nearly on the warpath. You must be pretty friendly with them,” Megan said. “Yeah, they’re almost like extended family. It doesn’t surprise me that they’d get protective,” Sundae said. Megan nodded then looked back at Sundae unsurely. “Are you gonna be okay?” she asked. Sundae sighed. “To be honest I’m not sure yet. I can tell this will take some time,” she said. “I understand, but can I ask one thing?” Megan asked. “What’s that?” Sundae wanted to know. “There’s an incredibly sweet guy who’s nearly losing it because he doesn’t know if the girl he’s completely smitten with will ever talk to him again,” Megan said. Sundae was quite surprised to hear that. “Completely smitten?” she asked. Megan smiled. “Like I said, I’ve known him a long time and I know him well. I’ve never seen him this crazy about anyone before. Promise me you’ll talk to him, not for me but for him?” she asked. “I can’t say it’ll happen right away, but yeah, I promise,” Sundae said. Megan smiled. “Thanks. I’ll go and let you finish up here,” she said. “Thank you for telling me what I needed to hear,” Sundae said. “No problem. I hope things work out for you and David,” Megan said. Sundae managed a small smile. “Thanks,” she said. Megan nodded and left and Sundae went back to her packing. She quickly finished and then left her dressing room and went to meet the girls. They were already loading their stuff into the car that would take them back to the apartments and they all looked up when Sundae arrived. “Hey, is everything okay?” Ramiele asked her. “Yeah, you had us all worried,” Kristy said. “I’m sorry about that. I just needed space,” Sundae said. Carly patted her shoulder. “Completely understandable. I have plenty of ice cream and hot fudge at home if you need it,” she said. Sundae couldn’t help laughing. “I was hoping you’d say that,” she said as she tossed her stuff in the back of the car with the rest. She and the other girls then got into the car and headed for home. “If you’re wondering, Dae, we made the guys take their own car tonight. We figured you wouldn’t want to be around them,” Brooke said as they pulled out of the studio parking lot. “I kind of thought as much,” Sundae said. Syesha giggled. “Dae, you should’ve heard Randy after you left earlier. He was practically furious with Ryan. What was it he yelled at him?” she asked. “’You have no idea what you just did’ or something along those lines,” Ramiele said. Sundae smiled a little. “That doesn’t surprise me that he’d say something like that. He’s always been like a big brother type to me,” she said. The rest of the ride home was quiet and when they arrived at the apartments the girls gathered their stuff and headed for the suites. Sundae was sharing with Carly that night so she said her goodnights to the others and followed Carly to her suite. There they tossed their stuff by the door and pulled off their coats. “Let’s go soothe our emotions with an ice cream binge, shall we?” Carly said. Sundae smiled. “Yes, let’s,” she said, following her into the kitchen. There they pulled out bowls, spoons, ice cream and toppings and proceeded to build sundaes. Carly suddenly paused in mid scoop. “You know what forget the bowls, here,” she said, handing Sundae one of the quarts of ice cream along with a spoon. Sundae had to laugh. “This’ll do,” she said. Carly laughed, too, as they dug in. Sundae hopped up on to a barstool and sat with her quart in front of her, a thoughtful look in her eyes. “Still contemplating tonight?” Carly asked quietly. Sundae sighed. “Yeah. The whole thing was just confusing,” she said. “That’s normal. If there’s one thing I know about men and relationships, it’s that it’s never straightforward. There are times I swear men should come with an instruction manual,” Carly said. Sundae laughed. “My mom says the same thing,” she said. “Well, since she and I are both married women we should know, right?” Carly said. Sundae nodded. “Yeah I guess,” her expression turned thoughtful again, “Do you mind if I go for a walk? I just need to think,” she said. “Oh, not at all. Go right ahead, just don’t wander too far,” Carly said. Sundae smiled as she got up from the counter. “Thanks, Car. I’ll be back in a bit,” she said. She then went over to the front door, pulled her coat back on, grabbed a key and stepped outside. She shoved her key into her pocket and strolled off, heading downstairs and out toward the pool yard. As she neared the pool, she caught sight of the little playground in the distance and walked toward it. She paused beside its gate and looked at it for a moment before walking over to it and sitting on one of the swings. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d told Carly that she was feeling confused. She had thought her feelings towards David were a teenage infatuation, but the hurt she’d felt that night, had changed that. Could it be that she was feeling something more? She looked up at the sky, which was quite clear that night, and started to softly sing a song that perfectly described her present state.
You are fine, you are sweet But I’m still a bit naïve with my heart When you’re close I don’t breathe I can’t find the words to speak I feel sparks But I don’t wanna be into you If you’re not looking for true love No I don’t wanna start seeing you If I can’t be your only one
So tell me when it’s not alright When it’s not okay Will you try to make me feel better? Will you say alright? Will you say okay? Will you stick with me through whatever? Or run away Say okay “I was hoping I might find you out here,” a soft voice suddenly said, startling Sundae out of her song. She whirled around to see David hesitantly watching her from beside the gate. “I know you probably don’t want to see me, but I had to see you. I haven’t been able to think straight all night. Dave was about ready to strangle me earlier,” he said as he stepped through the gate. “Funny as Dave’s annoyance sounds, I can’t really laugh right now,” Sundae said. David sighed. “And that’s because of me. I can’t even begin to say how sorry I am for that,” he said. Sundae thought for a moment then spoke again. “Megan came and talked to me,” she said. David looked at her in surprise. “She did?” he asked. “Yeah. She explained a lot, but still, why didn’t you just tell me?” she asked. “I don’t know, but I do know I owe you that much. You told me about your friends, I should’ve told you about mine,” he said. They were quiet for a moment and the he spoke up again. “Look, I just wanted to apologize for tonight and to say I don’t blame you if you don’t want to talk to me again,” he said and then started to go. Sundae jumped up from the swing and caught up to him before he could get too far. She took hold of his left hand in both of hers, surprising him. “Me never talking to you again would never happen,” she said quietly. He turned to face her a small smile coming to his face. “I’m glad to hear that, Dae. You have no idea how glad,” he said. They stood together, staring into each other’s eyes for a long moment, until a beeping noise cut into the quiet. “Dumb cell phone,” David muttered, fishing into his pocket. Sundae had to smile at that, but she knew it was getting late. “I should probably get back,” she said. “Is it okay if I walk you back?” David asked hesitantly. Sundae smiled a little. “Sure,” she said. He nodded and they walked back to the suites side by side. When they reached Carly’s suite they turned to face each other. “I know I shouldn’t hope for much, but I’d like for us to be okay,” David said. The small smile came back to Sundae’s face. “We will be,” she said quietly. She reached and gave him a gentle hug, which he returned whole-heartedly. She then pulled back and, after a long shared look, she turned and went inside.
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