CHAPTER 2 FOR YOU GUYS!! I will update every Saturday from now on. I only chose to update once a week, because I do have school, and I won't have time every day to write a chapter. So, if I update once a week, I won't have to worry about rushing the chapter to get it out for you guys. The chapters will be well thought out. That way, I won't miss any key points that I wanted to include.
"this is perfect" -a_gilinsky
"im crying. this story is so well written omg. and also becoz I can't Imagine my idol crying." -uglyinblue
TWO
No, no, no, no. I repeated to myself in my head. This is my worst nightmare and dream come true at the same time. I had dreamt of the day I would see him again, but the days and nights I spent fantasizing over this could never prepare me for the moment in front of me. The way he looked at me just ruled this as a nightmare more than a dream come true. He looked at me, well more like glared at me. I had always loved how his attention was on me, but this was different, and it wasn't a good different either. He used to look at me with love in his eyes that would make me melt every time, but now he looked at me with hatred like he would rather be anywhere else than to be here in my presence.
So, I did the first thing I had always done in situations like this. I ran. I bolted out of the room, with a few of the cameramen following after me. I just wanted them to go away. I wanted to scream at them, beg them to leave me alone for me to have a moment in peace. But I couldn't do that because from the very instant I signed up for this reality competition show, I knew that my privacy wasn't entirely mine anymore.
I slid myself down the wall, ignoring everything, especially the cameras pointed at me. I rested my head on my knee, using my arms to cover my head, as I let out tears. My breathing increased and I began to have trouble with breathing. I wheezed and coughed aggressively, holding my hand to my neck, indicating that something was wrong.
A lady rushed towards me, concerned and pushed a bottle of water in my face, telling me to calm down and to drink it. The lady may think that water is the best answer and is helping me, but that wasn't the case at all. I pointed to the door where the competition was being held, and where I left my inhaler in the midst of panic. The lady patted my back as I choked on the water and soothingly told me to calm down, but that really didn't do any good.
In a matter of seconds though, someone busted through those doors, holding my bag. The person, who I couldn't really focus on—due to the fact that I was getting dizzy—ran to me. I could make out his male-like features, his brown short hair, and lean yet muscular body. He told the lady to back off and give me some space. The guy held me in his arms with such care that it surprised me so much because no one has ever cared for me like that in nearly a year or two. He put the inhaler in my mouth and released the vaccine inside of me.
My breathing decreased and returned back to normal. My dizziness has faded and I could finally make out the guy who took care of me and was more shocked by who I saw.
"Jack," I whispered, having it come out as a statement rather than a question. He was here. For me. I was relieved to see that he still cared enough for me to help me with my asthma attack. My anxiety mixed with my asthma wasn't the best combination in the world.
He looked at me with a hard expression, and I immediately became confused. Did he truly did care for me or was it just another fantasy in my head? "You're in my group, and I can't let you jeopardize the stakes of us failing. Pull it together, will you?"
"I'm sorry," I muttered, hurt.
"Bullshit," he snarled. "Whatever. Here's the song the judges chose for us." He threw me a few sheets of paper. They dropped to the ground, and I bent down to pick it up. Once I gathered the papers in my hands and looked at the title of the song, I dropped the papers on the floor again.
❅ ❅ ❅
I looked out at the beautiful scenery before my very own eyes. Watching the sunset was something I looked forward to every day. It was a family tradition to come out to the beach every month to look at the sunset together, but I loved it so much, I decided to just come out here every day. Even the seagulls seemed to be captivated by the sunset because they always seemed to stop flying around and calling out, for a little while just to stare at the sunset.
The wind flew roughly around me, causing my hair to fly all over my face. I didn't mind though, because this feeling was something that I had grown to love. I loved the breeze; it made me feel alive and at ease.
The only thing I loved more than the sunset and the breeze whooshing past me was playing my guitar and singing to it. I tapped on my guitar, making a few beats before strumming notes to a song that had been playing on the radio so many times, that it had been stuck in my head for the past weeks.
"Lately I been, I been losing sleep. Dreaming about the things that we could be, but baby I been, I've been praying hard. Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars," I sang, shutting my eyes at the last note of the chorus, then opening them again to play the next notes for the verse.
"I see this life like a swinging vine, swing my heart across the line. In my face is flashing signs, seek it out we shall find. Old, but I'm not that old. Young, but I'm not bold. I don't think the world is told, I'm just doing what we're told," I continued, concentrating hard on my fingers as they plucked the strings.
"I feel something so right, doing the wrong thing. And I-I feel so something so wrong doing the right thing," I stopped singing once I heard a voice joining me. "I could lie couldn't I, couldn't I? Everything that kills me makes me feel alive," the voice finished the first verse, without me, seeing as I was too shocked to finish.
I turned around, finding myself coming face to face with him. "You," I pointed at him. "What are you doing here?"
"Thought I'd find you here again," he smiled, taking a seat right down next to me on my bench.
"Stalker much."
"No, I like to call it observant."
My eyes widened at his statement. "So you've been observing me?"
"Yep," he replied, and he laughed when he saw my appalled face. "Don't worry I'm not a crazy stalker that's planning on killing you later on or anything," he assured me, but I wasn't too convinced. I mean, he is a stranger after all, and I was taught ever since I was a little kid to not trust strangers.
"I don't know that," I spoke out my thoughts to him.
"I swear on my mother's life that I won't," he said confidently, looking at me right in the eyes. "Anyways I couldn't help but notice that such a beautiful girl like you would always come to the beach around the same time I do. Is it fate?"
I laughed. "That's totally not it. I just like seeing the sunset."
His smile grew even more if that was possible. "I come here to see the sunsets too. Maybe it is fate after all."
"Whatever you say, pretty boy."
"Oh, so you think I'm pretty?" he smirked.
"No, I didn't say that," I rushed.
"But you did."
"Um I-I," I stuttered, looking around nervously. "You have no proof," I stated after a while.
Suddenly he took my guitar out of my hands and placed it on his laps. "What are you doing?" I cried out. "Give me back Macy!"
He looked at me for a while, his mouth hanging open, then he threw his head back and laughed. "Macy? Did you name your guitar? And out of all the names, you chose Macy?"
"Yes I did, and there's nothing wrong with the name Macy," I murmured.
"Did you walk out of the store, and see the Macy store in the distance, and named it that?" he laughed, but I stayed quiet, looking down at my hands. He stopped laughing, "That's what happened, isn't it?" I didn't reply back, giving him the answer to his own question, which only made him laugh even harder.
"I have another guitar named Juliet," I told him. I don't really know why I decided to tell him that though. Maybe so that I could swim away from this embarrassment and by telling him that I named my other guitar. Yea, that sure helps it.
"You have another guitar? And you named it Juliet?" He laughed, just like I thought he would. I looked down embarrassed and picked at the skin of my arm nervously. "Did you happen to watch the play while thinking of a name?"
"Actually, I have always loved that play, so I thought that my guitar should be named after it," I told him, crossing my arms.
"That play is lame. They both died in the end," he said, rolling his eyes.
My mouth opened in shock. How could he? "It is not lame!" I exclaimed in his face. "It's one of the most beautiful love stories ever, and it shows us that not all things relating to love can end happily. Unlike all those other cliche movies."
"I think all romance chick flicks are lame," he responded.
"Whatever," I said, tired of arguing back with him when this was obviously going nowhere. "Just give me back Macy," I reached over to grab my guitar, but he only pulled it back with his hand and held it high above me.
"Not so fast," he smirked as I tried to jump and grab my guitar, but him being as tall as he is and me being as short as I am, couldn't take it out of his grip. "I think we sound magnificent together, so how about you sing with me, and I'll give you your guitar back."
I stared at him, slightly confused. Why would he want to sing with me? I'm not even that good in my opinion, and who goes around offering to sing with another person? I shrugged my shoulder as I said, "Sure. I don't see why not."
He smiled, before playing the notes of the song from earlier, and we both started singing. I hadn't realized before, but it seemed as though our voices matched perfectly together. It was as if they were two missing pieces of a puzzle. Our voices blended well together, and it seemed as though I wasn't the only who thought that because soon, we were surrounded by people watching us and listening to our duet. People placed money into my guitar case, and someone even recorded us.
Little did we both know then, that the video this girl recorded then posted, would become viral, and change our lives forever.
❅ ❅ ❅
We had been getting ready and practicing our song for about 12 hours now, and I am exhausted. Jack pushed us to our limits, saying that we have to practice all night long, and he didn't allow me to go to sleep. He threatened that if we didn't make it, it was my fault, and he wouldn't let me live like that.
Our relationship right now is strictly professional. He hasn't spoken a single word to me besides, "Sing with more emotion," "Stop stuttering," "Why aren't you hitting that high note?" And I hadn't spoken at all, period. I just nodded my head and followed his instructions.
This was torture. Not only did I have to work with a guy that I still love and that hates me, not only did I have to cooperate with a guy who broke my heart, but I also had to stand there and receive hurtful comments.
❅ ❅ ❅
We were now standing next to the stage, ready to go on. He turned to me and looked at me in my nervous state. I was biting my nails and looking everywhere else, but at the stage and the judges.
He had sympathy in his eyes for a second, and it flew away just as quickly as it flew in like he finally realized who he was looking at. It was if he told himself that he couldn't feel sorry for me. "Don't mess up," he spoke, sternly.
"Will you just breathe, so that I could breathe?" I snapped, and he looked shocked by that. "Your comments towards me aren't going to help us win, but worsen my anxiety and possibly make me have an asthma attack. Again."
He opened his mouth, forming a 'sorry' on his lips, but shut it and stared at me with cold eyes. I sighed, just wanting for him to just take my hands in his, just like he used to when we performed live to calm down my nerves. I could already feel my anxiety coming in, and I wanted to back out, but I knew that Jack would hate me even more if I did that. I didn't want him to hate me anymore. I just wanted to feel loved by him again.
"Jack and Elena," Simon called on us. We walked onto the stage, and I felt tempted to grab Jack's hand, but of course, I couldn't do that. "Are you guys ready?" We nodded. "Go on then."
The music started playing, and I gripped onto the mic with all my strength. He started his line first, and my part was coming up fast, but I couldn't do it. I looked at the judges, and I couldn't do it. I could feel the nerves attacking me.
Our first line was coming, but I couldn't get myself ready to sing it. Jack glanced over as he sang the first line, "Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep. Dreaming about the things that we could be. But, baby, I've been, I've been praying hard. Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars. Yeah, we'll be counting stars."
"I see this life like a swinging vine, swing my heart across the line. In my face is flashing sing, seek it out and ye shall find," he glared at me, giving me a look that said, 'You better sing your part or I will make your life a living hell.'
I sighed before singing the next part along with him. "Old but I'm not that old. Young but I'm bold." Now it was his turn to sing the next line alone, in his perfectly smooth voice, "And I don't think the world is sold. I'm just doing what we're told."
"And I, I, I, I feel something so right by doing the wrong thing," he sang with me harmonizing with him at the 'I, I, I, I' part, making the song sound better by our perfect synchronization.
We both joined together to sing. "I could lie, couldn't I, couldn't I? Everything that kills me makes me feel alive."
It was time for my solo, so I gripped onto my mic, getting ready to sing. I pinched my eyes shut as I started, "Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep. Dreaming about the things that we could be. But, baby I've been, I've been praying hard. Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars."
My nervousness was clear in my voice and I wanted to leave. Jack looked at me with urgent eyes, like he sensed my doubts. He begged me with his eyes, and it just hurt so much more that it was him on stage with me.
I couldn't do it anymore. I bit on my lip, suppressing a cry, ready to run out the door, and get the hell out of here. But before I could do that, Jack went to grab for my hand, squeezing it. I looked up at him in complete surprise.
He did the one thing I had wished for him to do, and I was right, it calmed me down. I let out a huge breath and started to sing my part. I was surprised that he decided to sing it with me. "Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep. Dreaming about the things that we could be. But, baby I've been, I've been praying hard. Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars."
I looked up at him for comfort, and he urged me to keep on singing. "I feel the love and I feel it burn. Down this river, every turn. Hope is our four-letter world, make that money watch it burn," I sang that last line in a kind of falsetto tone, making it my own. "Old but, I'm not that old. Young, but I'm not that bold. And I don't think the world is sold. I'm just doing what we're told. And I, I, I, I feel something so right by doing the wrong thing. I could lie, couldn't I, couldn't I? Everything that kills me makes me feel alive."
He breathed out a sigh of relief once I finished my part, and he began to sing his. "Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep. Dreaming about the things that we could be. But, baby I've been, I've been praying hard. Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars." I added a few harmonizations in there as he sang.
"Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep. Dreaming about the things that we could be. But, baby I've been, I've been praying hard. Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars," I sang, getting more comfortable with singing on stage on him. I bounced my head back and forth to the beat of the song.
"Oh, take that money watch it burn, sing in the river the lessons I learned. Take that money watch it burn, sing in the river the lessons I learned. Take that money watch it burn, sing in the river the lessons I learned. Take that money watch it burn, sing in the river the lessons I learned," We both sang, and the crowd burst in applause.
I smiled, loving the feeling of having a crowd cheer for you. It was something I haven't experienced in a while and had missed it dearly. "Everything that kills me.... makes me wanna fly."
I hung onto the last word as he sang the chorus again. "Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep. Dreaming about the things that we could be. But, baby I've been, I've been praying hard. Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars."
He looked at me as I sang the chorus again, making feel happier. "Lately I've been, I've been losing sleep. Dreaming about the things that we could be. But, baby I've been, I've been praying hard. Said no more counting dollars, we'll be counting stars."
We smiled at each other, and I didn't know what was happening. He wasn't acting like he hated me. In fact, he was acting the complete opposite. I don't know why, but I don't care. I love that he looked at me every time it was my turn to sing just to reassure me. It felt amazing. It was what I dreamt about over the past year or so. It was just like old times, but I knew that this wasn't going to last.
❅ ❅ ❅
I decided to write out the full song for y'all most of time. It adds more words AND I wanted to explain their chemistry on stage. btw, JOSEPH VINCENT IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SINGERS ON YOUTUBE, SO I JUST HAD TO INCLUDE HIS COVER.