Melody 5 - Rising Stars

3 (ii) - Amy

“I can’t.  I’m helping my flatmate with some audition prep.”  Damn!  Why couldn’t she have thought of a better lie?  Saying the word ‘audition’ was bound to make him think about today.  Although how could he not be thinking about it already?  It was the only thing whizzing through her mind – and now she’d seen Derren, the shame and humiliation felt just as raw as earlier. 

As she turned to a customer to take their order, Derren gave a small chuckle.  He clearly wasn’t going to help her feel any less small than she already did.

“That’s a shame,” he sighed.  “I thought we could go out and celebrate.”

Celebrate?  Really.  Did he just say celebrate?

“But if you’re busy with your flatmate or washing your hair or whatever…” he turned as if to leave.

“Wait,” said Amy, slamming the customer’s gin and tonic down on the bar, splashing them.  “Celebrate what?”

“What do you think?” smiled Derren.

Amy wanted to leap over the bar and wring his neck. 

“Excuse me, miss,” said the customer.  “I ordered a Mojito too.”

But Amy wasn’t listening.  “Derren, don’t mess with me.”

“I’m not,” he said, suddenly deadly serious.  He leaned over and pulled her to the end of the bar.  The disgruntled customer looked on in disbelief.  “Look, I could tell you thought you’d done badly when you left the audition.”

“Hey, I didn’t do badly,” asserted Amy.  “You lot just didn’t appreciate it.”

“We did.  We really did.”

“What?  Even Tony Ward?”

“Well,” stumbled Derren.  “Maybe he wasn’t as enthusiastic as Sherri and me.  But he’s not the important one.  Sherri is and she loved you.”

Really?

“Sherri Holt loved me?”

“Hm-mm,” smiled Derren.  “And trust me, she’s the only one that counts.  She said you reminded her of herself when she was starting out.  All ambition…and big hair.”

“Stop it,” said Amy, slapping him on the arm playfully.  “She did not say that.”

“Okay, maybe not the thing about the hair.  But she loved your passion and ambition.  You wouldn’t believe how many girls shuffled in today looking as if they couldn’t be arsed.  I swear, some of them hadn’t even brushed their hair.”

“Er, that’s the fashion now,” smiled Amy.

“Well, give me long glossy locks any day,” smirked Derren, as he teasingly twirled a lock of her hair around her fingers.

“Excuse me!” said the exasperated customer.  “How about some service please!”

“Sorry mate,” said Derren.  “She can’t serve you because she’s now a member of a hot new girlband.  I’d get her autograph while you can.”

WTF?  She was in?  Amy finally let the news sink in.

“Are you for real?” she said.  She wanted to be absolutely sure before she made a total fool of herself.

“Absolutely,” laughed Derren.

Amy raced around the other side of the bar and ran straight into Derren’s arms.

“I can’t believe it,” gushed Amy.  “I really thought you all hated me.”

God, how pathetic did she sound.  She was turning into one of those X-Factor contestants that she couldn’t bear – why couldn’t they have a bit of dignity when they got through, instead of gushing all over the place?  Yet here she was going the same thing, and on Derren McKenzie’s shoulder of all places.  He was going to think she was a total idiot, but right now she didn’t care. 

She’d been convinced it was game-over for her.  She’d really believed that a career in carpets beckoned, but it didn’t.  Thank God, it didn’t.

“But you’re not supposed to know any of this yet,” said Derren.  “So when Lena, Sherri’s assistant, rings you tomorrow to break the big news, you’d better act surprised.”

“Don’t worry about that,” said Amy.  She didn’t think the surprise would wear off any time soon.

“So, shall we go for that drink now?” asked Derren.

“Absolutely,” said Amy, finally tearing herself away from him and trying to adopt some aura of cool.

“Hey Max,” she called to her boss.  “I’m on my way.”

Yes, she thought.  I’m finally on my way.