We're In This Together
***I'm kinda fast-tracking this part because it's going to get way too hella long if I don't move it along already. Can't write every minute of every day!***
Samantha awoke feeling sick to her stomach. In fact, she hadn't REALLY been asleep, mostly just dozing off, drifting in and out of conciousness. She got up and went to the bathroom, not sure if she was going to be physically ill or not.
It was The Morning. Group performances were that day. The previous day had consisted of Janelle, Tyler, Casey and Samantha all meeting up in the auditorium, and being told to prepare for group performances. They'd got the list of songs to choose from, and all four of them had agreed that the list looked like it had been put together by a 12 year old. There weren't any songs on there that jumped out at them, and they'd picked "Closer" by Neyo for...well, Samantha didn't even know that they had a relevant reason for choosing that one. Rehearsal had gone well enough. Tyler and Janelle seemed to get along...maybe not quite as well as Samantha was HOPING they would, but they certainly worked well together, and the four of them had practiced until about 1:30 in the morning, before agreeing that it was better to get some rest, AND rest their voices, rather than push it. Samantha had tossed and turned all night, still haunted by nightmares of her past experience on Group Day.
She sat on the bathroom floor, her head in her hand. She heard Janelle get up, and it wasn't long before she poked her head into the bathroom. A concerned look crossed her face when she saw Samantha on the floor. "You alright?" She asked.
Samantha looked up, worry written all over her face. "What if it's the same as last time? What if we screw it all up and they send us all home?"
Janelle sat down beside Samantha and put a re-assuring arm around her. "Sam, this isn't last time...we've got a GOOD group. Casey and Tyler are both really strong singers...we're all FRIENDS this time, we weren't fighting at all. Rehearsal actually went pretty well last night, I thought. And we'll probably get a chance to sing through it again a few times before we actually have to perform."
Samantha let out a big sigh. Janelle was right. What her Mom told her yesterday was right. She had to push her last experience out of her mind and FOCUS. "Thanks, that means a lot." Samantha hugged Janelle, and they got up off the floor. "Well, guess there's nothing left to do but get ready!"
2 hours later both girls had showered, changed, and were ready to go meet the guys. THey'd agreed to meet and go over their performance a couple more times before they had to go to the auditorium and wait. Rehearsal went well enough that morning too, and Samantha was starting to gain a bit of confidence. She was also amused by Casey's apparent in-ability to dance at ALL, and while she kept that amusement to herself, not wanting to insult him, it DID help her loosen up a bit.
As they waited in the auditorium, they watched group after group take the stage. Some rocked it, and some bombed. Some people left in tears of sadness, others in tears of joy. After sitting in there for about an hour and a half, Samantha was starting to get fidgety. Casey reached over and took her hand in his, and squeezed it re-assuringly. "It's going to be ok, we'll be fine, we're in this together." He whispered to her. As if on cue, a producer called them up on stage to perform. Samantha wasn't sure her legs could hold her up. She was a nervous wreck, and she actually tripped walking up the stairs to the stage.
"Well, you're off to a great start, aren't you?" Simon commented, as the group walked to the middle of the stage.
Samantha decided to just be confident and give it her best. "Just getting the kinks worked out EARLY." She said, flashing her brightest smile.
"Lets hope so. Alright, go on then."
And on they went. They sang like they were singing for their lives. Which, in a sense, they were. They sang just like they'd rehearsed it. Maybe even a little better than they'd rehearsed it. They were confident, they were in tune, and possibly even more importantly, they were having fun. Samantha was amazed at how being on stage actually seemed to help CALM her jitters.
At the end of the performance, the four of them stood together, awaiting their fate, all four of them holding hands. The judges whispered amongst themselves, but this time Samantha didn't seem to think that part lasted very long. That was either going to be a very good or a very bad thing.
"Well alright then, here's how it goes." Simon said, leaning forward in his chair. Samantha felt Casey's hand tighten on one side of her, and Tyler's on the other.
"It's the same news for all of you, and it's very good news, congratulations, you're all through!"
Samantha thought she was going to collapse. All four of them gathered together in one big group-hug, congratulating each other and celebrating together. They broke apart and thanked the judges, and raced off the stage, out the doors and into the lobby. Samantha hugged Janelle tightly. "See? I TOLD you we'd be fine!" Janelle exclaimed. Then, Samantha hugged Tyler, and finally she hugged Casey. He placed another little kiss on top of her head, and faintly, through her happiness and excitement, Samantha began to wonder if Casey was ever going to REALLY kiss her, or if it would always just be the top of her head that was the recepient of any affection. "What did I say? We're in this together." He told her, squeezing her tight.
Samantha was suddenly aware that there was a camera crew right there filming them, and she casually broke away from Casey's embrace. She still wasn't QUITE ready for probing questions from cameramen about their relationship. Besides, she had to phone her parents and tell them the great news, AND she had to get ready for yet another performance!
The next day, Samantha woke up feeling confident. She'd made it through Group Day, she could do anything! There was only one more performance and 2 cuts standing between her and the Top 24. She only had one last chance to impress the judges, but she was certain she'd picked the perfect song to do just that. She knew she was in for a long day though, because not only did they have to sing, today was the day they were going to seperate them into the dreaded rooms, and cut an entire room full of people. Samantha had seen the show enough times to know how it worked, and she'd explained it to Casey earlier on. He'd given her his winning smile and said "As long as we're in the same room together, everything will be fine." And for some reason, she'd been convinced they WOULD end up in the same room together. After Group Day, she was even convinced that Tyler and Janelle would be in the room with her.
Oh how could she have been so naive?
Samantha felt confident after she performed for the judges. It was hard to read any of their expressions, but she'd felt like the performance had gone well. They were all sitting together in one big holding room, being called out to be seperated into 3 different rooms. "Sam Cowling," one of the Producers called out, along with a few other names. "Please follow me." He headed towards the door, and Samantha looked at Casey, panicked. "Don't worry, they're only taking a few at a time, I'm sure I'll be in there soon!" He grabbed her hand and squeezed it briefly but tightly. Samantha headed for the door, along with the other contestants that had been called, and started down the hall. They got to a room that already had a few people in it, a few Samantha recognized, and some she didn't. She took a seat on the floor and waited patiently. Gradually, more people were led into the room, but still no Casey. With one group came Tyler, and he came and sat beside her. They chatted about how they thought they'd done (Tyler seemed fairly confident too, and that made Samantha feel a LITTLE better anyway), and what they would do if they made the Top 24. People had stopped coming into the room for awhile now, and Samantha felt her stomach tighten. It looked like Casey WOULDN'T be in the same room with her, and she could only hope and pray that he'd be in the other room that was safe, not the room that was eliminated. Samantha wasn't sure how long they'd be in there waiting. On TV, they made it seem like an eternity, but tape editing can be very deceiving. Cameramen were in the room interviewing people, and Samantha focused on them, and talking to Tyler to pass the time. It was really only an hour later that they heard loud cheers coming from down the hallway. Samantha didn't know what to do. She tried uselessly to pick Casey's voice out of the crowd of cheers, but everything blurred together in a muddy mess. "Don't worry", Tyler said putting a hand on Samantha's shoulder. "I'm sure he made it...he's got mad talent!" Samantha smiled. "That's true, but you never know what this crazy show's going to do. Besides, WE haven't even made it yet!"
It wasn't long before they'd find out.
The judges walked into the room, looking very serious, but of course this meant nothing. They had to put on a show for the cameras, and Samantha was convinced she wasn't going to let anything they said affect her until they ACTUALLY delivered the news.
The judges started talking, but Samantha was barely paying attention. Her heart was pounding, and she was thinking "screw the TV show, screw the drama, this is my FUTURE you're messing with, just get to the point already!" She was internally screaming at the judges by the time Ellen finally said "So basically, you're in. You're through."
Samantha screamed and hugged Tyler tightly. "We made it! We're through! I don't believe it!" Tyler hugged back, and they hugged everyone around them too, it was a regular hug-fest. It also wasn't long before Samantha was itching to get out of the room and find out who else had made it. More specifically, if Casey had made it. But the camera crew wasn't ready to let them go just yet. They got some more footage, asked some people how it felt, and kept them locked up awhile longer. Samantha was about ready to break down the door by the time someone finally announced that they would be let out at the same time as the other rooms...everyone was going to be mushed together in one big group, no one knowing who in which room got cut. The doors opened, and everyone flooded into the hallway. As they looked around, they congratulated others that they'd met over the week, exchanged more hugs and comiserated with those who had been cut. Samantha was still constantly scanning the crowd looking for Casey, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around, and there he stood, his hair tied back and his blue eyes sparkling with excitement. "Well? Did you make it?" Samantha couldn't even speak, she simply nodded. Casey encircled her with his arms, picked her up, and twirled around excitedly. "So did I! This is AMAZING! I don't believe it! We're STILL in this together!" Samantha clung to Casey as if he were a lifeboat on the Titanic. Relief took over, and she felt tears of happiness stinging at her eyes. He was still holding her tight, and he planted another safe kiss on the top of her head. She wondered if he did it more out of convenience than anything else. After all, he WAS taller enough that the top of her head WAS pretty much in line with his lips. She craned her head back and looked up into his pale eyes. Casey was smiling like a cat that'd just eaten a canary, and Samantha couldn't help but smile back. As she looked up at him, she realized that she REALLY wanted to kiss him. His lips looked so full and inviting, and she started to lean in, but was suddenly VERY aware of the cameras everywhere. Instead, she pulled back and asked, "Do you know where Janelle is?"
"I'm right here, silly! I made it too!" Samantha hadn't noticed that Janelle was standing right beside Casey, and she broke away from her embrace with Casey to hug Janelle. "That's so awesome! So did Tyler! We were in the same room...but I don't know where he went...."
Just then Samantha saw Tyler walking over towards them. He'd just bid farewell to someone who'd been eliminated, but he came over and hugged Janelle, and gave Casey the ever popular half man-hug. "This is awesome man, we're like the...four muskateers or something!" Tyler exclaimed.
After awhile, the crowd dispersed. All that was left to do now was wait some more until they found out if they made it into the Top 24 or not, but they wouldn't find out until the next day. They decided to all go for a walk, they WERE in Hollywood after all, there were sights to see! "But first, I just have to go grab something from the room." Casey said. "Samantha, come with me." Samantha slipped her arm through Casey's and they headed off to the elevator. "What do you need?" She asked him. "Oh, just something." Casey said distractedly. They rode up in the elevator, stopping at a few other floors while people got on or off, and found the twelfth floor somewhat deserted. "I can't believe we both made it through, can you imagine if we're both in the Top 24 too?" Samantha was bubbling over with excitement. "I'm sure we will be" Casey said, smiling. "In this together, remember?" Samantha smiled back. "Of course, in this together."
Casey opened the door to the hotel room, and held it open for Samantha. She walked in, and turned around. Casey walked into the room too, and shut the door behind him. "So, WHAT is it that you need?" Samantha asked. Caseys piercing blue eyes locked with Samantha's, and in one swift movement he put one hand on the bottom of her spine and pulled her close, and put his other hand on her cheek.
"This...I need this." He whispered, pulling her face towards his, and kissing her soft lips.
Samantha awoke feeling sick to her stomach. In fact, she hadn't REALLY been asleep, mostly just dozing off, drifting in and out of conciousness. She got up and went to the bathroom, not sure if she was going to be physically ill or not.
It was The Morning. Group performances were that day. The previous day had consisted of Janelle, Tyler, Casey and Samantha all meeting up in the auditorium, and being told to prepare for group performances. They'd got the list of songs to choose from, and all four of them had agreed that the list looked like it had been put together by a 12 year old. There weren't any songs on there that jumped out at them, and they'd picked "Closer" by Neyo for...well, Samantha didn't even know that they had a relevant reason for choosing that one. Rehearsal had gone well enough. Tyler and Janelle seemed to get along...maybe not quite as well as Samantha was HOPING they would, but they certainly worked well together, and the four of them had practiced until about 1:30 in the morning, before agreeing that it was better to get some rest, AND rest their voices, rather than push it. Samantha had tossed and turned all night, still haunted by nightmares of her past experience on Group Day.
She sat on the bathroom floor, her head in her hand. She heard Janelle get up, and it wasn't long before she poked her head into the bathroom. A concerned look crossed her face when she saw Samantha on the floor. "You alright?" She asked.
Samantha looked up, worry written all over her face. "What if it's the same as last time? What if we screw it all up and they send us all home?"
Janelle sat down beside Samantha and put a re-assuring arm around her. "Sam, this isn't last time...we've got a GOOD group. Casey and Tyler are both really strong singers...we're all FRIENDS this time, we weren't fighting at all. Rehearsal actually went pretty well last night, I thought. And we'll probably get a chance to sing through it again a few times before we actually have to perform."
Samantha let out a big sigh. Janelle was right. What her Mom told her yesterday was right. She had to push her last experience out of her mind and FOCUS. "Thanks, that means a lot." Samantha hugged Janelle, and they got up off the floor. "Well, guess there's nothing left to do but get ready!"
2 hours later both girls had showered, changed, and were ready to go meet the guys. THey'd agreed to meet and go over their performance a couple more times before they had to go to the auditorium and wait. Rehearsal went well enough that morning too, and Samantha was starting to gain a bit of confidence. She was also amused by Casey's apparent in-ability to dance at ALL, and while she kept that amusement to herself, not wanting to insult him, it DID help her loosen up a bit.
As they waited in the auditorium, they watched group after group take the stage. Some rocked it, and some bombed. Some people left in tears of sadness, others in tears of joy. After sitting in there for about an hour and a half, Samantha was starting to get fidgety. Casey reached over and took her hand in his, and squeezed it re-assuringly. "It's going to be ok, we'll be fine, we're in this together." He whispered to her. As if on cue, a producer called them up on stage to perform. Samantha wasn't sure her legs could hold her up. She was a nervous wreck, and she actually tripped walking up the stairs to the stage.
"Well, you're off to a great start, aren't you?" Simon commented, as the group walked to the middle of the stage.
Samantha decided to just be confident and give it her best. "Just getting the kinks worked out EARLY." She said, flashing her brightest smile.
"Lets hope so. Alright, go on then."
And on they went. They sang like they were singing for their lives. Which, in a sense, they were. They sang just like they'd rehearsed it. Maybe even a little better than they'd rehearsed it. They were confident, they were in tune, and possibly even more importantly, they were having fun. Samantha was amazed at how being on stage actually seemed to help CALM her jitters.
At the end of the performance, the four of them stood together, awaiting their fate, all four of them holding hands. The judges whispered amongst themselves, but this time Samantha didn't seem to think that part lasted very long. That was either going to be a very good or a very bad thing.
"Well alright then, here's how it goes." Simon said, leaning forward in his chair. Samantha felt Casey's hand tighten on one side of her, and Tyler's on the other.
"It's the same news for all of you, and it's very good news, congratulations, you're all through!"
Samantha thought she was going to collapse. All four of them gathered together in one big group-hug, congratulating each other and celebrating together. They broke apart and thanked the judges, and raced off the stage, out the doors and into the lobby. Samantha hugged Janelle tightly. "See? I TOLD you we'd be fine!" Janelle exclaimed. Then, Samantha hugged Tyler, and finally she hugged Casey. He placed another little kiss on top of her head, and faintly, through her happiness and excitement, Samantha began to wonder if Casey was ever going to REALLY kiss her, or if it would always just be the top of her head that was the recepient of any affection. "What did I say? We're in this together." He told her, squeezing her tight.
Samantha was suddenly aware that there was a camera crew right there filming them, and she casually broke away from Casey's embrace. She still wasn't QUITE ready for probing questions from cameramen about their relationship. Besides, she had to phone her parents and tell them the great news, AND she had to get ready for yet another performance!
The next day, Samantha woke up feeling confident. She'd made it through Group Day, she could do anything! There was only one more performance and 2 cuts standing between her and the Top 24. She only had one last chance to impress the judges, but she was certain she'd picked the perfect song to do just that. She knew she was in for a long day though, because not only did they have to sing, today was the day they were going to seperate them into the dreaded rooms, and cut an entire room full of people. Samantha had seen the show enough times to know how it worked, and she'd explained it to Casey earlier on. He'd given her his winning smile and said "As long as we're in the same room together, everything will be fine." And for some reason, she'd been convinced they WOULD end up in the same room together. After Group Day, she was even convinced that Tyler and Janelle would be in the room with her.
Oh how could she have been so naive?
Samantha felt confident after she performed for the judges. It was hard to read any of their expressions, but she'd felt like the performance had gone well. They were all sitting together in one big holding room, being called out to be seperated into 3 different rooms. "Sam Cowling," one of the Producers called out, along with a few other names. "Please follow me." He headed towards the door, and Samantha looked at Casey, panicked. "Don't worry, they're only taking a few at a time, I'm sure I'll be in there soon!" He grabbed her hand and squeezed it briefly but tightly. Samantha headed for the door, along with the other contestants that had been called, and started down the hall. They got to a room that already had a few people in it, a few Samantha recognized, and some she didn't. She took a seat on the floor and waited patiently. Gradually, more people were led into the room, but still no Casey. With one group came Tyler, and he came and sat beside her. They chatted about how they thought they'd done (Tyler seemed fairly confident too, and that made Samantha feel a LITTLE better anyway), and what they would do if they made the Top 24. People had stopped coming into the room for awhile now, and Samantha felt her stomach tighten. It looked like Casey WOULDN'T be in the same room with her, and she could only hope and pray that he'd be in the other room that was safe, not the room that was eliminated. Samantha wasn't sure how long they'd be in there waiting. On TV, they made it seem like an eternity, but tape editing can be very deceiving. Cameramen were in the room interviewing people, and Samantha focused on them, and talking to Tyler to pass the time. It was really only an hour later that they heard loud cheers coming from down the hallway. Samantha didn't know what to do. She tried uselessly to pick Casey's voice out of the crowd of cheers, but everything blurred together in a muddy mess. "Don't worry", Tyler said putting a hand on Samantha's shoulder. "I'm sure he made it...he's got mad talent!" Samantha smiled. "That's true, but you never know what this crazy show's going to do. Besides, WE haven't even made it yet!"
It wasn't long before they'd find out.
The judges walked into the room, looking very serious, but of course this meant nothing. They had to put on a show for the cameras, and Samantha was convinced she wasn't going to let anything they said affect her until they ACTUALLY delivered the news.
The judges started talking, but Samantha was barely paying attention. Her heart was pounding, and she was thinking "screw the TV show, screw the drama, this is my FUTURE you're messing with, just get to the point already!" She was internally screaming at the judges by the time Ellen finally said "So basically, you're in. You're through."
Samantha screamed and hugged Tyler tightly. "We made it! We're through! I don't believe it!" Tyler hugged back, and they hugged everyone around them too, it was a regular hug-fest. It also wasn't long before Samantha was itching to get out of the room and find out who else had made it. More specifically, if Casey had made it. But the camera crew wasn't ready to let them go just yet. They got some more footage, asked some people how it felt, and kept them locked up awhile longer. Samantha was about ready to break down the door by the time someone finally announced that they would be let out at the same time as the other rooms...everyone was going to be mushed together in one big group, no one knowing who in which room got cut. The doors opened, and everyone flooded into the hallway. As they looked around, they congratulated others that they'd met over the week, exchanged more hugs and comiserated with those who had been cut. Samantha was still constantly scanning the crowd looking for Casey, when she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around, and there he stood, his hair tied back and his blue eyes sparkling with excitement. "Well? Did you make it?" Samantha couldn't even speak, she simply nodded. Casey encircled her with his arms, picked her up, and twirled around excitedly. "So did I! This is AMAZING! I don't believe it! We're STILL in this together!" Samantha clung to Casey as if he were a lifeboat on the Titanic. Relief took over, and she felt tears of happiness stinging at her eyes. He was still holding her tight, and he planted another safe kiss on the top of her head. She wondered if he did it more out of convenience than anything else. After all, he WAS taller enough that the top of her head WAS pretty much in line with his lips. She craned her head back and looked up into his pale eyes. Casey was smiling like a cat that'd just eaten a canary, and Samantha couldn't help but smile back. As she looked up at him, she realized that she REALLY wanted to kiss him. His lips looked so full and inviting, and she started to lean in, but was suddenly VERY aware of the cameras everywhere. Instead, she pulled back and asked, "Do you know where Janelle is?"
"I'm right here, silly! I made it too!" Samantha hadn't noticed that Janelle was standing right beside Casey, and she broke away from her embrace with Casey to hug Janelle. "That's so awesome! So did Tyler! We were in the same room...but I don't know where he went...."
Just then Samantha saw Tyler walking over towards them. He'd just bid farewell to someone who'd been eliminated, but he came over and hugged Janelle, and gave Casey the ever popular half man-hug. "This is awesome man, we're like the...four muskateers or something!" Tyler exclaimed.
After awhile, the crowd dispersed. All that was left to do now was wait some more until they found out if they made it into the Top 24 or not, but they wouldn't find out until the next day. They decided to all go for a walk, they WERE in Hollywood after all, there were sights to see! "But first, I just have to go grab something from the room." Casey said. "Samantha, come with me." Samantha slipped her arm through Casey's and they headed off to the elevator. "What do you need?" She asked him. "Oh, just something." Casey said distractedly. They rode up in the elevator, stopping at a few other floors while people got on or off, and found the twelfth floor somewhat deserted. "I can't believe we both made it through, can you imagine if we're both in the Top 24 too?" Samantha was bubbling over with excitement. "I'm sure we will be" Casey said, smiling. "In this together, remember?" Samantha smiled back. "Of course, in this together."
Casey opened the door to the hotel room, and held it open for Samantha. She walked in, and turned around. Casey walked into the room too, and shut the door behind him. "So, WHAT is it that you need?" Samantha asked. Caseys piercing blue eyes locked with Samantha's, and in one swift movement he put one hand on the bottom of her spine and pulled her close, and put his other hand on her cheek.
"This...I need this." He whispered, pulling her face towards his, and kissing her soft lips.