don't forget | michael conor

four

/ / sydney davis \\

eventually, thursday comes around and that means we're taping the show all day today. i wake up when my alarm goes off and i get dressed right away. since it's show day, i wear a white off the shoulder shirt and a pair of light wash jeans. i leave my hair down, but i decide to curl it. when i'm finished, i step out of the bathroom and find my dad dressed too.

"ready for your first show?" he asks.

i nod eagerly while slipping on a pair of white wedges.

"well then lets go. the van should be here soon," he explains.

grabbing my phone, i follow him out the room and down to the lobby. when we get down there, some of the boys are already there.

"hey syd!" brady calls.

"hey brady," i say walking over to him.

"why didn't you answer our texts the other day?" he asks.

"i was really tired and i fell asleep as soon as i got back," i explain.

"oh, that's ok," he says.

"so what did you guys end up doing?" i question.

"we did a live, and then michael came and we went to the gym," he answers.

"sounds like fun," i say.

"it was. ya know besides the gym part," he laughs.

before i could say something else, miles sneaks up behind brady and jumps on his back, nearly knocking him to the ground.

"jesus christ miles!" brady exclaims.

miles and i laugh at brady's reaction as michael comes over to see what happened.

"what did you do now?" michael asks miles.

"he scared me to death," brady answers for miles.

michael joins in on the laughter. eventually, we stop laughing.

"so, are you guys ready for today?" i ask.

"yeah, i'm pretty confident about our performance," michael replies, looking over at miles.

"yeah, i think michael will do great," miles exaggerates.

michael looks at miles with an unreadable expression and i choose to ignore it. instead, i nod in agreement.

"well, i bet you'll do great too miles," i say.

"thanks syd," he smiles, hitting michael's arm.

i smile once more before leaving the group to go find my father. he's talking with another group of boys. one had tan skin with dark hair and dark eyes, and the other has curly black hair with dark eyes as well. i join them and listen to their conversation. i think they're talking about the show.

"just remember what i said in rehearsal and you should be fine," my dad tells the boy with curly hair.

"i hope so," he says.

"oh, hey syd, when did you get here?" my dad notices me.

"not that long ago," i answer.

"oh ok."

"hey, i don't know if we actually officially met, but i'm chance," the boy with tan skin says.

"i'm drew," the boy with curly hair introduces himself.

"nice to meet you, and good luck today," i tell them.

"thanks, i'll need it," chance replies.

"seriously? i've heard you sing in rehearsals, and you were great!" i say.

"thanks, but i'm really not," he blushes a little bit.

"whatever you say," i reply.

a little while later, the vans show up to bring us to the studio. i climb in the van with my dad, miles, brady, chance, drew, and michael. the whole ride there was silent, but i didn't really mind it. i knew that it would be chaos when we got to the studio; even though we weren't going live yet, we were still having a live audience.

finally, we arrive at the studio just in time to start taping. we walk through the door that leads backstage, and the boys go straight to hair, makeup and wardrobe.

"hey, michael," i call after him.

he turns back around and looks at me.

"good luck," i say.

"thanks," he smiles, before following the other boys.

eventually, the boys finish and we start taping. during the show, my dad and i stay back stage with the producers. all three bands perform, but only one band's performance will be aired each week until we start the live shows in three weeks.

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after hours of taping, we were finally able to go back to the hotel. i sit in the backseat of the van and stare out the window while we drive back. during the show, three boys were eliminated, but thankfully it wasn't michael. i think if he was eliminated, things wouldn't be the same.

when we get back to the hotel, my dad and i hang out in the lobby for a little bit. he talks to the choreographers, while i sit on one of the chairs. the boys' van pulls up and they pile into the lobby one by one. some of them head upstairs, some go out to the pool, and some stay in the lobby.

"hey syd!" brady says, sitting down next to me.

"hey, you did great tonight," i tell him.

"thanks," he smiles.

miles and michael walk in from outside and sit across from brady and i.

"let's do something," miles suggests.

"like what? we've already gone live, watched movies, and sat out by the pool," brady asks.

"yeah, and we can't go anywhere," michael says.

"we can watch a different movie," i suggest.

"ok, we'll go to my room," miles says.

"but i'm going to change first," i tell them.

i head up to my room and change into leggings and an oversized sweater. i also take my contacts out and put my glasses on before going to miles's room.

i knock on the door and wait for them to answer. while i wait, i text my dad to tell him where i am so he doesn't get worried.

"hey," michael opens the door.

"hey."

he moves over and let's me in. i sit on the same bed i did the last time and saw that they already chose a movie.

"so, what movie are we watching?" i ask.

"just my favorite movie of all time," miles answers.

"which is?"

"the shining," he says.

"not another scary movie," i complain.

"oh c'mon, it'll be fine," brady states.

i sigh before pulling the covers over my body. just like last time, michael sits next to me. i turn to face him and pout a little bit.

"don't worry, it's only a movie," he says soothingly.

i nod while miles presses play. i keep glancing over at michael whenever i feel scared and it helps me relax. towards the middle of the movie, i feel my eyes getting heavy, and eventually i close my eyes.

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