But those kids just ignored him. Suddenly all five were calling out for people to stand up. My fingers gripped tight to the armrests. This was American Pop Sensation, after all, and nobody had ever seen anything like this before. And then a few people in the audience started doing what the kids asked, rising from their chairs. I remember one of them, a big man with a Hawaiian shirt, glaring at the judges as he stood, and then looking over at me and the other contestants to give us the thumbs-up sign. One by one, others started standing too.
It was crazy. It was the beginning of an open revolt.
RUBY HERNANDEZ-GERMAIN
Thirty-Three Seconds
“Stand up for respect!” the ukulele girl shouted. “Let the world see it means something to you, and that none of us are gonna take cruelty sitting down!”
Franco slapped his palm against the table. “This audition is over! Get back to your seats!”
But it wasn’t stopping. More people rose from their chairs, and some of them started clapping. Others cheered. And it was all for us, the contestants. To my astonishment, even a few of the stagehands were getting in on it, stepping out from the shadows.
I felt something happening inside me. I don’t know if I can explain it, exactly, but before that night I’d never been the kind of person who made a fuss about anything. Until a few seconds earlier, I’d been sitting slumped in my seat staring at my knees and wondering if I could ever face going to choir practices again. What was everybody going to say to me at school? I was so mortified I could hardly breathe. But then I saw those twins and some of the other contestants rising to their feet, and the next thing I knew, I was pulling myself up from my chair and standing too. As soon as I did it the whole place erupted in cheers. It was amazing, as if the air in the studio had been electrified. Not everyone in the room was standing, but most were, and suddenly I felt like a whole battalion was behind me, an army of supporters applauding and filling the room with their voices.
Thirty-three seconds. That’s how much time passed from the moment Lemonade Mouth turned down the golden ticket to when the network finally cut to a commercial. I know this because since then I’ve watched the online video maybe a hundred times. It probably sounds weird, but something happened to me during that half-minute. It might just have been the greatest thirty-three seconds of my life.
LILA PENN
Reconsidering Earl
The show went to a commercial as my daughter Stella and her friends left the stage. I’d been terrified for them, but at the same time I was so proud of what they’d done. People were still cheering and calling out for them. I want to be clear that the crowd was energized but not out of control—things never got to the point where there was any danger. But the atmosphere in the room was charged. As the kids headed to the exit and our little group of parents and friends trailed after them, the judges scowled at us from their table. But there really wasn’t anything they could do. Most of the audience was with Lemonade Mouth, not them, and the damage had already been done.
Not a lot of people know this because it was never picked up by any microphone, especially under all the shouting, but near the exit stood one of the network executives, a donut-faced man with slicked-back hair and a dark suit, and as the kids came near he spoke to them.
“You think you’re funny?” he asked, narrowing his eyes. “You think you own this place?”
That got my blood boiling. I was about to say something, but the kids’ response was better than any I could possibly have given. They simply marched past him through that door, with the rest of us following.
Now, I’ll admit that only a few minutes earlier I’d been furious at Mr. Decker. I’d even grumbled under my breath that he was an idiot for setting the kids up for all this. We’d all known, of course, that putting them in front of those unpredictable judges while millions watched was a risk, but I didn’t realize just how big a risk. It could have ended the band. But it didn’t. As our little entourage slipped through corridors crowded with onlookers who must have seen the whole incident on the monitors, what struck me was all the wide-eyed stares and the way people kept stepping back to let Lemonade Mouth pass.
Maybe I’d been wrong about Mr. Decker. Was it possible that somehow he’d understood Lemonade Mouth better than any of us?
Maybe Earl Decker wasn’t an idiot after all.
Maybe he was a genius.
When all seems perfect and contentment sets in, that’s when to be most on guard that disaster is waiting to leap from its dark hiding place and eat you.
—Phineas Flynn
Charlie
On the Verge
INTERIOR. LYLE’S MESSY GARAGE—MIDDAY
Lyle, wild-haired and intense, stares at his computer monitor as the five members of Lemonade Mouth, plus Naomi Fishmeier, watch over his shoulder.
CHARLIE (V.O.)
Over the next few days the online video clip of our appearance on American Pop Sensation went viral, peaking on the favorites charts for a whole week.
REVERSE ON: The computer monitor. The camera closes in on the glowing screen as we see and hear a few seconds of the clip: Stella calling into the microphone. The furious faces of the judges. The defiant audience members rising to their feet, applauding, cheering. Chaos in the studio.
CHARLIE (V.O.) (CONT’D)
(over the ongoing audio from the clip)
In the first twenty-four hours alone it was watched and shared more than two hundred thousand times. Let me say that again: the video clip got two hundred thousand views in just one day.
REVERSE ON: The seven dumbfounded faces still watching the clip.
CHARLIE (V.O.) (CONT’D)
We were only doing what we thought was right, but I guess we must have hit some kind of a nerve out there, because there were lots of comments from all over. Not all of them supported us, but most did.
REVERSE ON: The monitor again. We pan down to the comments area. As the words fill the screen, the monitor image fades so that behind the words we can also see a series of commenters, each one speaking the words aloud as we read them. (Note to whoever directs this: I’m thinking we could use big-name actors for this part. Good idea, right? It’d be a chance to put some A-list stars in cameo roles. Just a thought.)
COMMENTER #1: RUMPLED MOTHER HOLDING A BABY
It’s about time somebody stuck it to Franco. Nice job, guys!
COMMENTER #2: CUTE TEEN GIRL
OMG! Way to go, Lemon Head! Those judges had it coming!
COMMENTER #3: MIDDLE-AGED DUDE IN A SUIT
I laughed out loud the first time I saw this. Didja catch the look on Franco’s face? Classic.
COMMENTER #4: HEAVYSET BOY WITH A BACKPACK
Thank you, Lemonade Mouth! You said exactly what I’ve been thinking for a long time!
COMMENTER #5: GRUMPY OLD MAN
Who do these snot-nosed kids think they are? And that name! Lemonade Mouth? Really? What kind of twisted person makes up a crazy name like that?
COMMENTER #6: KNOW-IT-ALL GIRL
Fake, fake, fake. Is it me or is it not totally obvious this was a publicity stunt staged by the show to get higher ratings??? Come on, people!!!! What are you, gullible?
COMMENTER #7: LITTLE KID WITH BRACES
Lemonade Mouth for president!
CHARLIE (V.O.)
And on and on …
DISSOLVE INTO: A television set. The late-night talk show host CHET ANDERS (late forties, shaved head, dapper) is doing the opening monologue of his nightly show.
CHARLIE (V.O.) (CONT’D)
(over Chet’s voice and the audience’s reactions)
For a few days, not only was Lemonade Mouth all over the blogosphere, but the story got picked up in other places too. We even got mentioned on After Midnight with Chet Anders, a late-night talk show that was available on cable outlets across most of the country.
CHET
(relaxed, a pro at this)
Oh, so anyone happen to catch American Pop Sensation last nig
ht? Those kids who turned down the golden ticket because they didn’t like how Franco and the other judges made fun of the other contestants?
Audience laughter, applause.
CHET (CONT’D)
Well, uh, as I understand it, Franco’s agent still isn’t taking calls after the testy incident. When asked if he’s planning to take the kids’ advice about being a little nicer, Franco reportedly responded, “Shut up, stupid. You’re ugly and you bother me.”
(deadpan)
Which for him is gentle, so I guess that means he’s taking it under consideration.
Howls of laughter from the audience. A gap-toothed grin from Chet.
INTERIOR. EARL DECKER’S STRETCH LIMOUSINE—NIGHT
CLOSE-UP ON: Mr. Decker’s face. He’s happily checking his messages as highway lights speed past the window behind him.
CHARLIE (V.O.)
As for Mr. Decker’s reaction to what we did, well, he was a little hard to read. Even back then there was talk that maybe he’d known ahead of time that something like that could happen, so I asked him.
MR. DECKER
(looking up from his messages)
Did I know exactly how it would play out? Well, no, Charlie, of course not, but I had a feeling you kids might stir up some press, and, well … you sure did.
CHARLIE (OFF-SCREEN)
So … you’re not mad at us?
MR. DECKER
(a half-smile)
What can I say? You took a chance and veered off the traditional map a little and it worked out … this time.
(a pause, smile suddenly vanishes)
But we can’t push our luck again, guys. From now on, we stick to the map.
Dissolve to …
EXTERIOR. OLIVIA’S BACKYARD—LATE AFTERNOON
Lemonade Mouth, plus Lyle and Naomi, having an epic water fight in Mo’s backyard with hoses blasting and huge plastic water guns firing away. Everybody’s soaked and laughing.
CHARLIE (V.O.)
Those were crazy days for us. It all seems kind of dreamlike now. It might seem hard to believe but while all this stuff was going on, to us it felt as if it was happening sort of in the background. We were regular kids, right? That didn’t change. That never changed.
Rajeev and Mo’s little sister, Madhu, sneak like ninjas around the side of the house carrying a huge bucket of water balloons. They crouch behind a bush and peek commando-style over it, waiting for just the right moment to attack. The moment comes. They start hurling the balloons, dousing Mo and Wen—a nice barrage. Mo shrieks. But Stella has the hose and is quick to fire back. Soon Rajeev and Madhu are surrounded and dripping wet, with everybody cheering and whooping.
Dissolve to …
EXTERIOR. RECORDING STUDIO—DAY
Lemonade Mouth stands around a microphone at Z-Division Studios, all five of them with headphones on. They’re adding a group vocal track—the humming part of their song “No Words Can Say It.”
CHARLIE (V.O.)
(over the music)
We completed the recordings for Mr. Decker. One last session of finishing touches, and after that it felt like we had time on our hands again. You know, time for normal things like summer jobs, hanging out at home, stuff like that.
Music continues over a montage of shots:
A. Stella answering the phone in the lobby of her mom’s lab, with Rajeev flipping through a magazine beside her.
B. Olivia helping out with her grandmother’s printing business, both of them stuffing envelopes at the kitchen table.
C. Charlie helping Mo’s dad pack a shelf with rice sacks at Banerjee Grocery while, nearby, Mo talks with a customer.
D. Wen and Olivia writing music together in Olivia’s backyard.
E. Stella walking hand-in-hand on the beach with Rajeev with the sun setting and waves rolling gently over their bare feet.
F. Wen in the wiener suit on a busy street corner. He’s playing his trumpet while Stella, grinning beside him, attacks her uke with some killer riffs. Charlie, hair flying, slaps an all-out merengue odyssey on a garbage can. They’re jamming out and having an amazing time. Rajeev is there too, popping and sliding and flipping like a mad dog to the music. (I’m telling you, he could dance like nobody else, as if he could defy space and time and gravity. The kid was unbelievable to watch.)
INTERIOR. STELLA’S FAMILY’S STUFFY LIVING ROOM—EARLY EVENING
Lemonade Mouth are back at a computer monitor again, only this is a different day and a different place. On the screen is Earl Decker, puffing on his cigar as he listens to Stella talking, asking him questions. Her words are indistinct to us as Charlie narrates:
CHARLIE (V.O.)
In retrospect everything was happening incredibly fast, but at the time it seemed to us like things were taking forever. We had the Too Shy to Cry shows to look forward to at the end of August, but most of us couldn’t wait that long to play another gig—a real gig, wherever it was going to be. Mr. Decker kept telling us we needed to wait it out.
MR. DECKER
(Zen-like, a rock guru giving sage advice from the screen)
Patience, kids. It takes time for the tide to shift. The winds of opportunity are about to fill your sails, but first there’s work still to do in preparing the ship for the voyage.
REVERSE ON: The five faces taking this in, foreheads wrinkling.
CHARLIE (V.O.)
Mr. Decker had a way with words. In a parallel universe, maybe he could have been a sailor.
Dissolve to …
EXTERIOR. A QUIET BEACH—EARLY MORNING, THREE YEARS FROM NOW
Dressed in his favorite lambswool parka and Hawaiian shorts, Charlie, older and more mature, is looking pensive as he walks barefoot in the sand. Beside him, the ocean drifts in and out in gentle waves. Other than Charlie, the beach is empty. (Note to whoever directs this: I’m thinking this is kind of a documentary-style part here, where a future me is strolling along the edge of the water, hands in my pockets, talking to the camera.)
CHARLIE
But as for me, even with all the excitement, underneath it I was going through a personal crisis. I guess it started with the realization of my own stupid jealousy when it came to Mo and Rajeev, and the total disaster it might have caused for Lemonade Mouth. For me it was an important reminder that Lemonade Mouth was a delicate balance, just like everything else in the Universe—and my own balance seemed to be out of whack. My whole life was changing, and I realized that something was missing, something I needed to find even though I didn’t know exactly what it was. I can’t explain it better than that.
Picks up a pebble and tosses it into the waves.
CHARLIE (CONT’D)
I didn’t understand it myself at the time, but I felt it, believe me.
Dissolve to …
EXTERIOR. SLEEPY SUBURBAN STREET NEAR STELLA’S HOUSE—PRESENT DAY
A long shot of the road. Lemonade Mouth gets smaller on the screen as they run laughing down the street, away from the camera. The sun is setting and the kids’ shadows stretch long behind them.
CHARLIE (V.O.)
Not to say that it wasn’t a happy time, or that I didn’t get caught up in the thrill of the moment just like everybody else. I did. In fact, maybe that was the problem. Looking back, sometimes you see the past in a different light. For a short while things seemed to be going so crazy good for us that it was like we were living in a dream. And maybe that explains why we made the mistakes we did. Maybe our recent taste of success somehow ended up throwing our judgment out of whack. Who can say? The fact is, even though none of us knew it yet, things were about to take an unexpected turn. The universal balance was about to shift, and Lemonade Mouth was on the verge of screwing up big-time.
OLIVIA
Secrets at the Kitchen Sink
Dear Ted,
Got your letter. Let me get this out of the way so we can both move on, okay? No, I still haven’t told Brenda about the note from Mom yet. She’s stressed enough already, I can tell. In
fact, I’ve been thinking maybe I’ll hold off on telling her until things calm down. It’s not just her either. Every time I think about Mom it makes me upset. Plus, my life is already going nuts, as you know, so adding even more chaos doesn’t seem like the best idea—not for Brenda or for me. Please understand. My mother made her decision long ago. Why should I let her shake up my world just because she decides all of a sudden to parachute back into my life after all these years?
That’s it. I’m done with that subject now. I love you, but I’m asking you to please stop pushing me about this.
Moving on from the bizarre to the surreal …
Yes, the American Pop Sensation thing was a total fluke. Even now I find it hard to believe it actually happened. And no, we didn’t plan any of that ahead of time. Before we went into the studio my only goal was to stop myself from barfing on national television. I barely made it, and afterward my hands shook for almost an hour. I’ve been doing what you suggested, trying to pretend that the people just aren’t there, but it’s not working. (I can almost hear your next suggestion, but no, I don’t want to quit doing this because I love making music with my friends, and, besides, I don’t want to let everybody down. I’ll figure this out somehow, Dad. I have to.)
Anyway, I’m glad to hear that the other inmates are treating you like a celebrity now. As long as you’re enjoying that, I’m happy for you.
You asked for an update on Daisy: she’s the same—a complete mystery to me. This morning she dug a giant hole in the middle of the yard, dropped one of Brenda’s orthopedic shoes into it and then hissed whenever Brenda or I came near it. I never had a cat like that before. Good thing she’s cute, because I think she might also be certifiably bonkers.
Puckers Up Page 10
