Quest For A Popstar

by Katie Hamstead

“That’s weird.” She presses her hand against her hip. “I have an idea. Pull on a jacket.”

  “We’re going for a walk?”

  “Sort of.” She grabs a robe and pulls it on.

  I grab my jacket and the keycard as I dash out the door after her. She crosses the hall and raps firmly on the boys’ door.

  Levi answers. “Hey.”

  “Lucas.”

  Levi steps back and Clarissa walks in. I stay by the door. Levi looks up at me. “Aren’t you coming in?”

  “No. I’ll just wait.”

  “Hailey!” Clarissa returns and pulls me inside.

  Lucas shoots off his bed as I enter. “Clarissa!”

  “Tell him what you just told me,” she says to me.

  I glance around the room. It’s identical to ours, except messier. Isaiah’s not present. Arnie sits on the bed closest to the bathroom, and Levi shuffles over to sit on the end of it. With a pillow and blankets strewn over it, the couch appeared to be where one of the boys slept.

  “Hailey.” Clarissa elbows me.

  “You’re making her uncomfortable again,” Lucas says.

  “No, I’m not.” She tugs my arm. “Tell him.”

  I glance at him but decide staring at the ground is a better option. His gray t-shirt and maroon pajama pants make him look larger and more masculine. He might be a huge jerk, but he’s sure been blessed in the looks department. “Jeff said I needed to sing without using my voice.”

  Pause. I look up at Lucas. His arms are folded as his eyes narrow. “Is that exactly what he said?”

  I think carefully. “No, not exactly. He said perform without using my voice.”

  “That’s different.” He steps closer. “He wants you to use your body.”

  I grimace.

  “Not like that.” He lowers his head into my line of vision. “When we talk in day to day interactions, we use body language to help get our point across. When you sing, you stand there stiff as a board. In your voice you capture all the emotion, but your face and body stifle the full impact from getting across. That’s something I said I’d work on with you—performing.”

  I huff. I feel like an idiot.

  “Are you worried about it?”

  I nod.

  He steps closer, touching my shoulders with his fingers. “You’re so tense. Relax.”

  I take a deep breath and release, forcing my muscles to release the tension, despite how unrelaxed he makes me feel.

  “Levi.” Lucas’s hands pull back and he motions for Levi to step in front of me. “Waltz with her.”

  Levi grabs my hand and waist without a moment’s hesitation.

  “What’s this for?” I ask, looking at Levi who stood less than an inch taller than me. “I know how to waltz.”

  “Coordination.” Lucas claps the rhythm for us.

  Levi guides me into the moves. I try to keep in time, but…

  “Ouch!” Levi pulls his foot out from under mine.

  “Sorry.”

  “Stop.” Lucas grasps Levi’s shoulder, looking at me. “Let him guide you. He’s following the beat, but you’re trying to take over. Trust him.”

  “What’s the point of this?” I grumble.

  Lucas looks at Clarissa, his jaw tightening.

  “Hailey.” She steps forward. “Trust me. Lucas is amazing and he knows what he’s doing. Just do what he says.”

  I huff and look at Levi. Levi nods and leads me out. We dance, slowly at first, but Lucas steadily speeds up the beat. I glance at my feet, and stumble.

  “Look at Levi,” Lucas says firmly.

  I look up into Levi’s eyes. He smiles. “I got you, Hailey.”

  I gaze into his eyes, letting him lead. I trust him. We dance until we’re practically doing a jig. Then, the door bursts open.

  Laughter fills the room as Isaiah enters with his five new friends. He pauses and looks at me. “Whoa, Hailey’s here.”

  “Get them out.” Lucas rushes to the door, pushing the three guys back. “They don’t come in here, Isaiah.”

  “Aw, Lucas.” Whitney strokes Lucas’s bicep. “Come and hang with us for a while.”

  “No. Get out.” He glares at Isaiah. “Arnie’s only thirteen. He doesn’t need to be exposed to this.”

  “But you brought hottie Hailey in,” Isaiah responds.

  “I didn’t.” Lucas shoves his chest. “Clarissa asked me to help her.”

  “Clarissa?” One of the guys pokes his head in. “Hey, bitch, you need to loosen up a bit.”

  “Hey!” Both Lucas and Isaiah push him back and the door slams behind them.

  Muffled arguing comes through the door. Clarissa clutches my arm as we try to make out what they’re saying. The noise suddenly stops, and after a pause, the door flies open. Lucas hurries at Clarissa. “Get her out before he comes back.”

  Clarissa tugs me toward the door.

  “But…” I look at him. “You were helping me.”

  “Tomorrow.” He holds the door open and Clarissa pulls me into the hallway.

  Back in our room, I head straight for my bed. Even though I hate to admit it, I’ve managed to become involved in their family drama.

  “Hailey, are you mad?” Clarissa asks softly.

  I swing around. “Yeah.”

  She wraps her arms around herself as she avoids eye contact. “I’m sorry, Isaiah can be—”

  “Lucas infuriates me.”

  Her gaze shoots to me, a startled look flashing across her face. “Lucas?”

  “Yeah. He’s rude, bossy, and treats me like I carry the plague.”

  She shakes her head. “No. He’s not like that.”

  “Seriously?” I whip off my jacket. “I’m going to bed.”

  “Hailey, he’s not like that. Isaiah just makes him mad.”

  “I don’t want to talk about it.” I climb onto my bed.

  “Lucas wants to help you. He doesn’t mean to be rude, but when Isaiah’s around he gets really short-tempered.”

  “I’m going to sleep.” I pull my blankets over my head.

  She sits on the bed beside me. “Hailey.”

  “Good night.”

  “Hailey.” She huffs. “Please don’t be mad at him. I’ll talk to him, let him know he’s being harsh to you.”

  “Don’t bother.”

  She lets out a long breath. “Fine.”

  She climbs into her bed.

  I start to doze off, when someone knocks at our door. Clarissa shoots up and answers. She speaks in a low voice, but with fierceness. “Go to bed.”

  “I don’t want to go in there with Lucas,” Isaiah responds in a low hiss.

  “You can’t come in here.”

  “I want to see Hailey.”

  “She’s sleeping.”

  “Cute. Let me see.”

  “No! Get back to your room.” She shuts the door.

  ***

  “Tonight is eliminations,” Lucas says, his eyes narrow. “Do you want to be knocked out?”

  I hesitate to answer. I do, actually.

  “No, she doesn’t.” Clarissa steps in front of me, meeting my gaze. “Why are you so tense? I know you’re not comfortable being in front of people because you’re a bit shy, but you’re so good. You can’t let your fear win.”

  I let out a long breath. “I don’t think I can do this.”

  Lucas groans. “Clarissa…”

  “Shut up.” She uses her body to block Lucas, grasping my arms. “Why don’t we take a break? Jeff doesn’t want us for another hour, so let’s go back to the hotel and relax. You’ve been work, work, work, since we arrived. If it’s not this, it’s your classes. You need to unwind.”

  I press the heel of my hands against my eyes. “Yeah.”

  “Yeah?”

  I nod.

  She takes my hand with a huge grin. “Come on.”

  We catch a cab back to the hotel. As the elevator door opens, Isaiah freezes inside it. “Hey.”

  “What are you doing here
?” Clarissa asks.

  He points up. “Forgot my phone.”

  “You know we can’t take calls there.”

  He shrugs. “It’s for games. Hey, I’m in no hurry to go back. Can I hang out with you guys?”

  “No.” Clarissa sticks her hand out to keep the elevator door open.

  Isaiah turns his focus to me. “Hailey, we have fun together, right?”

  I shuffle uncomfortably. “Yeah…”

  “See, sissy? Hailey wants me to hang around.” He pulls us both in, hits the button to close the doors, then our level.

  Clarissa sighs. “Isaiah?”

  “Mmm?”

  “I don’t like your friends.”

  “You never do.”

  “Tyler’s telling everyone I’m a tease.”

  Isaiah frowns as his gaze turns to her. “What?”

  She nods. “Lucas pulled him aside, but he made that into a joke and said horrible things about Lucas.”

  “I don’t care about Lucas.” Isaiah turns his body to face her. “I’ll talk to Tyler. He won’t talk about you like that.”

  “Thanks.”

  Isaiah wraps his arm around Clarissa. Although he has his irksome moments, he has the good brother gig down.

  She squeezes him, and says with a heavy sigh, “We’re going up to have a break. Hailey’s a bit stressed.”

  “Oh yeah?” He releases her, raising an eyebrow at me.

  She nods. “She works too hard. She’s really tense, and I think her boyfriend not calling yesterday didn’t help.”

  He hadn’t? I guess I’ve been so overwhelmed I didn’t even think about it. I pull out my phone. No texts, emails, or missed calls. Odd. I hurriedly type out a text to check in.

  “Trouble in paradise?” Isaiah asks, cutting into my thoughts.

  I shake my head. “He’s graduating at the end of the school year. He’s got a lot on his plate.”

  “I wouldn’t go a day without talking to you if you were mine.”

  Clarissa elbows him.

  “I’d struggle to go an hour.”

  She elbows him again, but harder. “Stop.”

  The door opens and I dash out.

  “Geez, leave her alone,” Clarissa hisses as she follows.

  We head to our room, Isaiah following. “I’ll stop. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable, Hailey.” He steps beside me as I slip my card in the lock. “I’m just really attracted to you. But, I don’t want to upset you, so I’ll back off.” He raises his hands.

  I glance up at him. “Thanks.”

  He grins. “You’re welcome.” He pushes the door open and enters in front of us.

  Clarissa rolls her eyes, and follows him in.

  The next forty-five minutes go by well. Like when we went to lunch, Isaiah makes me feel at ease. No flirting, no innuendoes.

  My phone rings. Isaiah snatches it up before I can react. “Hey.” He grins. “Ah, this must be Tom.”

  Tom’s yelling blares through the speaker, but I can’t catch what he’s saying.

  “Give it to me.” I grab the phone from Isaiah.

  “…and if you so much as—”

  “Tom.”

  “Hailey!” Tom’s voice sounds tight. “Who was that? Was it that Lucas guy? Oh! I’m going to get the next flight over there.”

  “Calm down.” I retreat to the bathroom for some privacy. “It wasn’t Lucas.”

  “Who was it then? And why’s he answering your phone?”

  “Tom.” I sigh as I sit on the toilet seat. “Everything is fine. Clarissa’s here with me too, so nothing’s going on.”

  “I don’t like those Murphys,” he grumbles. “I’ve see the shorts for this week’s episode. You’re always with them and the two older brothers are too good-looking.”

  “Tom.” I chuckle. “Are you jealous?”

  “Yes, I’m jealous.” He growls. “You’re my girlfriend, and you’re not here. You’re with them. I’m just…ugh!”

  “Tom, you don’t need to worry about me.”

  “But I am worried.” He lets out a long sigh. “Your mom called me last night.”

  Grateful for the change of subject, I go along with it. “Why?”

  “She said she noticed you were working with Jeffrey Halloway. Apparently, she’s a huge fan. She wanted to know if you’d said anything to me about it.”

  I chuckle. “She’s definitely a fanatic. I’ll call her.”

  “Thanks. I like your mom and all, but…it was weird.”

  “Is that why you didn’t call me yesterday?”

  Pause. “Oh man. I’m a jerk.”

  “No, it’s fine.”

  “No, I promised I’d call every day. I’ll make it up to you.”

  “Don’t worry about it.”

  “I am. I feel terrible. Give me the hotel address.”

  I give him the address. The last time he wanted to make things up, he’d sent a huge bouquet of flowers. Having something in my room would be a good reminder to me, and Isaiah, that I’m committed to Tom.

  Clarissa pokes her head in the door. “We need to get back.”

  “Okay.” I say goodbye to Tom, who keeps apologizing, and I head out of the bathroom.

  I must be wearing a goofy grin across my face, because Clarissa giggles. “All good?”

  “Yep.”

  Isaiah runs his hand through his hair and winks at me. Ignoring his flirting, we walk down to the cab together, talking and laughing.

  ***

  Every seat in the auditorium must have a butt in it. There’s not a gap anywhere as I stand backstage, listening to the judges criticizing the act before me. Steven’s acts had gone on earlier that day, and several had already been eliminated. Drusilla, and the last judge, Lance, would have theirs tomorrow.

  “We’re afraid this journey is over for you.”

  The crowd awws as the middle-aged man bursts into tears. I feel sick. As much as I want to go home, I don’t want to be eliminated. I can’t believe how conflicted I feel about the whole thing. I don’t want the public humiliation of being knocked out, but I don’t want to keep the constant battering from Jeff going.

  “Hey.”

  I jump, glancing over my shoulder. “Isaiah.”

  “You’ll be fine.” He leans against the painted black wooden wall beside me.

  “What are you doing here?”

  He shrugs. “Snuck in.” He grasps my hand and kisses it. “You look gorgeous and you sound even better, so you’ll blow them away.”

  I let out a long breath. “I hope so.”

  “If we both stay for the top twenty, I’ll take you for ice cream.”

  “Isaiah.”

  He holds up his hands at my scornful scowl. “Not a date. Just a treat.”

  “Okay.”

  He drapes his arm over my shoulder. “Looks like you’re up. They managed to get blubbery off the stage. Break a leg.”

  I take a deep breath, trying to ignore my trembling hands. As I step out, I can’t help noticing him brush his hand over my behind. I flash him a quick glare, but he acts like nothing happened.

  The roar of the crowd makes me pause. My hesitance seems to drive them wild. Banners with my name appear all around. How on earth had I managed to get so popular?

  Jeff stares at me, a hint of pride in his crooked smile. I hope Mom sees that. She’d go bananas.

  “Hailey Becker,” Steven says, sending the crowd into a renewed frenzy.

  As they die down, I say into the mic, “That’s me.”

  Everyone laughs. I’m not trying to be funny, but oh well.

  “This look is a drastic improvement. What enticed you to change?”

  What enticed me? Did he really just ask me that? But something tells me not to admit the truth. “I wanted to look the part.”

  The crowd screams again. I must look shocked, because their screams turn into my name being repeated. Good heavens, what’s going on?

  “Well, are you ready?” Jeff asks.

  I
nod and the crowd screams. I’m surprised more celebrities aren’t totally deaf. The lights dim, and the screaming fades along with them. The spotlight hits me, and I’m able to shut everyone else out.

  “Trust him,” Lucas’s words ring in my mind. I look at Jeff. I trust him. I’d always known Jeff. His songs played in my home growing up, his image on the records familiar. I shut my eyes as the music begins, seeing Levi’s eyes as we danced. I let him guide me as the music takes control. I relax.

  My mouth opens and I sing. The love ballad sweeps over me, the words gripping my heart. I want that kind of love. Does Tom make me feel that way? Of course he does…doesn’t he?

  As I belt out the final notes, and the song comes to an end, silence hangs in the air. I open my eyes, the tears rolling down my cheeks. The judges stare at me, their jaws hanging open, except Jeff. He smiles.

  The crowd erupts into a roar. I flinch back, the noise startling me.

  Steven leans toward his mic. “Thank you, Miss Becker.”

  Is that it? No, you’re ugly, we hate you, why are you crying? “Th-thank you.”

  “Hailey,” Jeff says, leaning toward his mic. “I can tell you worked hard these past few days. Good job.”

  I bow my head, smiling.

  The producers around them signal for me to leave, so I grin as I trot off stage.

  In the rehearsal room, Clarissa rushes over, throwing her arms around me. “Amazing! You did it! Even Steven couldn’t say anything. I think you’ve got this.”

  The man who performed before me glares over as he packs his things.

  “We don’t know that yet,” I say softly, not wanting to hurt anyone’s feelings. “Only five acts from our group will go through.”

  “Yes, and I’m betting you are one.”

  “There’s twenty-four other acts!”

  She giggles. “Yup.” She wraps her arm through mine and leads me to the corner. “From what I’ve seen, it’s you, Jessica, Phil and Celeste, Class of the Year, and—”

  “You guys,” I say quickly. “If I get through, you definitely will.”

  She raises her hand, wobbling it in the air. “Us, I don’t know. I guess we’ll see. Isaiah was still arguing with Lucas over one of his moves last time I checked.”

  “Murphys!” a stagehand calls.

  Clarissa throws her arms around me. “Wish me luck.”

  “Break a leg.”

  She dashes off, her family appearing from among the crowd and Isaiah from the opposite direction.