Chapter 1

It was exciting. Very nerve-wracking, but exciting none-the-less. Out of 40,000 people, I was chosen as one of the twelve contestants to be on the first season of the Glee Project! I never expected to get this far when I left the comfort of my own home in Derry City, Ireland. I also never expected to get, well, the best thing in my life.

"I can't believe I'm actually here!" They had just announced the top twelve people who made it into the actual Glee Project. I was overwhelmed. I actually made it in.

"Yes!" I watched as some dreadlock boy, Samuel or something, punched his fist into the air. He was a top twelve, too. Some really pretty girl with black, wavy hair just smiled, like she had expected it.

Hannah, a girl I had met before they announced the winners, grinned like crazy. Her face was bright red, and her hands were clasped out in front of her face. "Damian, we made it! We did it! We're going to be on the Glee Project!"

I smiled. I couldn't really find words for what I was feeling… It was a mixture of things, nervous being on of them.

Hannah was definitely something else. She was unique. The minute I stepped into where they announced the top twelve contestants, she was there by my side, chattering away. She really didn't strike me as the shy type…

"So, do you want to go check out our dorms?" She asked excitedly. "I mean, you'll probably have a boy's dorm, and I'll have a girl's one, but…" She took a deep breath and laughed. "Sorry, I'm just excited. Well, let's go!"

I smiled and fallowed after her. I was nice to have actually met someone, so I wouldn't be there all alone. As we walked down the hallway, I looked around. This place was awesome. It wasn't that fancy, but it really was gleeful. It distracted me. It was all just so… Amazing!

"Shit! Ow!" I rubbed my chin in pain.

"Omigosh! I'm so sorry!" A short, young-looking girl sat up. "I didn't mean to!" She had short brown hair, and a few freckles on her cheeks, by her nose. "I'm Ellis, one of the contestants." She tilted her head, smiling. "Damian, right? Your friend, Hannah, is way up ahead. I kind of got in your way." She scrambled to stand up. "So, I guess I'll see you later!" She then skipped off like a ten-year-old.

"Ellis," I said to myself. "That seems easy enough to remember…"

"What's easy to remember?"

I looked up. Standing there was a tall, lanky boy. He had blond hair, a cardigan, nerdy glasses, and was standing pigeon-toed. I recognized him as one of the contestants. That's when I realized I was still sprawled out on the floor. I quickly stood back up, trying not to make a complete fool of myself. "Oh, I um… I'm trying to remember everyone's name…" Great. I sound like a freaking idiot.

He laughed, and then held out his hand for me to shake. "Well, I'm Cameron, Cameron Mitchell. You're that Irish kid, right?"

Awesome. He was amazingly smart. It wasn't like I had a super thick accent or anything… "Oh, yeah. I'm Damian McGinty." I took his hand and shook it. It was warm, sweaty, and surprisingly comfortable. Not that I liked it or anything.

"May I ask what you were doing on the floor?"

I sighed. This was not the first impression I wanted to make. I felt like I needed this guy to like me or something… "Oh, some girl…. Ellis… Ran into me. Then she scampered off. She seems nice, though."

Cameron scrunched up his nose, which made me giggle for some reason. "Sure, Ellis is nice. She has that trait down. I just wish she acted more her age…"

I cocked my head, confused. "Oh yeah, I was meaning to ask… How old is she, anyway? I thought you had to be like, eighteen or something to be here."

He nodded. "Yeah, she's eighteen, don't worry. She looks young though, doesn't she? I think it's adorable."

I imagined Ellis. She did seem adorable… But the little kid kind of cute. Not the kind of girl I'd hit on or anything. "Yeah, adorable…"

"So, where you headed, Damo?" Cameron asked, eyeing me with one eyebrow raised slightly.

What was up with this guy? I had met him less than fifteen minutes ago, and he had already given me a nickname! "Oh, I was just going to check out the dorms. Because I need to unpack. Because I have a lot of stuff…"

Cameron raised his hands. "Kay, I get it. Fallow me, I'll lead you right to 'em."

When we passed the girl's dorm, I wondered right away if Hannah was in there.

"This, my friend, is the boy's dorm." He opened the door. It was a little smaller than I had expected, but it was pretty cool. "It has everything," he explained. "From beds and showers to dressers and bathrooms. It has ev-er-y-thing." He exaggerated each syllable.

I nodded, taking in every little detail. After convincing myself I had memorized every little thing in the room, I suddenly started to feel very hot. "Hey, Cameron, do you mind if I take a shower? All of this commotion is a little much for me, ya' know?"

He shrugged. "Of course. I'll just hand out here so we can look around a bit more afterwards. Take your time, or whatever."

In the shower (which was surprisingly nicer than I expected), I just let the water run down my face, letting everything that happened to me today soak in. I got into the Glee Project, and had a one twelfth chance of actually getting a role on Glee. I had three potential mates so far. Hannah would be anyone's mate, so hopefully I was no exception. Ellis has just bumped into me, but she did seem nice… And Cameron… I sighed. Cameron seemed unique, like Hannah, but in a different way. He just had this charm about him, and it was very intriguing indeed.

"Ah, shoot!" I bit my lip. I forgot to grab a towel. "Ugh, dammit… What should I do now?"

I then remembered Cameron was still here. "Cameron!" I called, praying he would hear me. Sure enough, I heard the door fly open and Cameron come running in.

"What's wrong? Are you okay?" He panicked, looking around for me. I had forgotten I was still in the shower, so he couldn't see me.

"Yes, I'm fine. Can you please grab me a towel?"

"That's what you wanted? A damn towel? Couldn't you have gotten it yourself? You have legs that work just fine, don'tcha?"

"Please, Cameron," I begged. "I don't even know where they are!"

"In the cupboard. Come get it yourself, Damo." I heard him hold back a giggle.

"But… Cameron, I'm… Cameron, I'm naked! Please," I pleaded.

"Oh, come on. We're both guys here. Besides, it's not like I'm going to look at you or anything…"

That made me blush like crazy. "Cameron!" I shrieked, fed up with him. "Please, just grab me a freaking towel!"

He laughed. "Ok, fine, you win. But from now on, no more towels. I refuse to be your personal towel boy." He threw the towel over the top of the shower. I wrapped myself in it, and stepped out.

"Ah, dammit." I slipped on some water and fell hard on my stomach. "Ow…"

Cameron stood over me and looked down. "Well. You surely aren't the most graceful one, are you?" He shook his head, grinning. "Second time I've seen you on the floor in an hour."

"Whatever," I mumbled. "Just help me up please." He gripped my wrist hard, and struggled to pull me to my feel. "Ouch, Cameron, stop! Ow!"

He let go of me. "You ok?"

"I hope so," I hissed, rubbing my wrist. "I'd better go get some clothes on. It sure beats standing here butt-naked."

Cameron's eyes lit up. "Oh, I'll come too!"

When we opened the door, the rest of the boy contestants were in there. They were staring at me with wide eyes. I was confused at first, but then it came to me. Other than the towel I was wrapped in, I was completely naked, and a couple of seconds ago, I was yelling at Cameron to 'stop'. Sounds pretty sexual if you ask me.

"What… Happened…?" Some boy named Matheus asked. "Are you guys… Okay?"

Cameron nodded. "Better than ever!"

Bryce's eyes got even wider. "Are you guys, um…"

"No! I only met him an hour ago!" I explained. I had a bad feeling about this…

"Well, whatever. Just get dressed and ready so we can practice for our first homework assignment," Alex instructed.

"Um, okay…" I suddenly felt uncomfortable with Alex telling me what to do, so I grabbed my clothes and sprinted into the bathroom. My first day wasn't at all like I wanted it to be.

…

"Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours!" We all sang in perfect unison as Darren Criss watched us, a giant smile plastered on his face.

"You guys were all amazing!" He complimented each of us, except for Emily, who was flirting with him and making it uncomfortable for everyone. "But," He started. "If I had to choose a winner, it would be…" He scanned us again. "I have to say… Matheus!"

Matheus jumped us, obviously excited. "Thank you so much! I won't let you down! I promise!" He had won one-on-one time with Darren and a featured role in our big group number, which was Firework, by Katy Perry. Classic Glee.

…

Ok guys, sit in a circle," Zack, our choreographer instructed. "We need to talk about our 'Firework' number."

What was there really to talk about? We just needed to learn how to do our little dance, right?

"You need to think of what you'd be voted for in high school. Like, best dressed or something like that. Be original!" He informed us, a wide grin on his face.

"Well," Lindsay said. "I would be most likely to start a charity. I just love giving back and stuff…"

I rolled my eyes. She didn't seem to be like the charity type. "Well, um…" I thought for a second. "I'd be most likely to become a soap star." The way it came out sounded like super star. It made me sound really self-centered or something, which I'm not.

When it reached Cameron, he smiled slightly. "I'd be most likely to stay a nerd forever…" He blushed.

Hannah looked confused. "Cameron, you're not a nerd… You're awesome!"

I smiled. I had introduced the two the day we got her. They were instant friends. It was great that they got along so well.

"Aw, Hannah, you're so sweet." He cleared his throat. "Well, I'll be right back," He mumbled as he stood up. "I really need to get a drink of water." When he sat back down, his knee rested up against mine. I thought he would move it, but when he didn't, I started to feel somewhat uncomfortable. I turned to Hannah for help, but she was busy chatting away with Marissa.

"Damian? Are you okay?" Cameron asked, looking kind of worried.

"Huh?" I blink. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine. Sorry…"

"Okay… I was just making sure." He flashed me a smile. "Can't have anything wrong with you for our first number, now can we?"

"Yep…" I mumbled. "Zach, are we almost done…? I need to go back to the dorm for something…" This horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach was returning. One I remembered all to well from my younger days.

"Just a second, Damian." He clapped his hands together. "Meet me back here in an hour, everyone. We need to go over our choreography. See you all then!"

When he dismissed us, I bolted out of there. I felt hot, sweaty, and kind of gross. I just felt, well, wrong. I pulled out my cell phone. It cost a lot of money to make a call from where we were to Ireland. Then again, I guess this was worth it.

There was a click on the other end. "Hello?"

I took a deep breath. "Mom." Did I really want to do this? Or was that feeling in the pit of my stomach just some random one-time thing?

"Damian? Is that you? Are you okay?" She sounded really worried.

That was the second time I've been asked that today. Awesome. "Mom… I wanna go back home." I bit my lip, holding back tears.

She gasped. "Honey, are you sure? You have a great career ahead of you!"

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm sure. I miss home. I can't take not seeing you…" A tear ran down my cheek.

"Damian… You've only been there three days! Don't you want to give it some time?"

"No Mom. I'm coming home as soon as I can book a flight. Please, don't worry about me." I gulped. What was I doing?

"Well, okay then. I guess I'll see you then, Baby. Love ya'".

"Love you too, Mom. Bye." I sighed. "Well, better get packing," I mumbled to myself. I had only been here for two nights, yet almost all of my stuff was scattered around everywhere. After about half of it was where it was supposed to be, Hannah and Cameron walked in.

"What are you doing?" Hannah asked. Her tone sounded kind of nervous.

I looked at them, feeling very guilty. "I… Guys, I'm going home."

Hannah's eyes widened and her jaw dropped. Cameron glared at me. "What? You can't just come here, become my best friend, and then just ditch me!" His eyes softened, and he looked at me, pleading silently.

My stomach jumped slightly. "I'm… Cameron, I'm your mate?"

He nodded. "Not only that, you're my best friend, Damo. I've only known you for a few days, but you're so easy to talk to, and you just get me. And, as far as I can tell, you're really awesome." He grabbed my shoulders and stared into my eyes. "Please, don't leave me Damian."

I squirmed out of his grip. His touch sent a jolt of electricity down my spine. "Well, um…" I looked at both of their miserable expressions. "I mean, well, I guess I could stay…"

"Yes!" Cameron exclaimed, high-fiving Hannah. I called my mom and told her I'd see her when the Glee Project was over and done. I couldn't desert my friends. Not now, not ever.

…

Oh Jesus. Dancing. Who can live with it? "Ow! Goodness! I'm sorry, McKynleigh…"

She smiled, rubbing where I had elbowed her. "It's okay Damian… I know you didn't mean to."

Cameron raised an eyebrow. "Smooth. You fall down a lot and you're kind of an awkward dancer. Schweet."

I sighed, blushing. "It's okay," Hannah reassured. "To be honest, I think it's kind of adorable.

Cameron's face lit up, and he nodded. This caused me to blush even more.

"You guys," Zach said. "Quit it with your little love triangle and get back to practicing, please." Bryce snorted at his little 'love triangle' joke. Zack swiveled around, glaring at him. "That goes for you too."

Bryce held up his hands in defense. "Okay, jeeze, sorry." But he just went right on back to messing around.

Zach rolled his eyes. "Give me a break," He mumbled, looking back at us. "Please, get back to work."

I went back to practicing my dance moves. How am I ever going to win this? I dance worse that I'd even though possible! Good think this wasn't a dancing competition…

…

I looked at the clock. It was only one in the freaking morning. I couldn't sleep. Today was very interesting. We had learned and (almost) perfected all of our choreography for 'Firework'. Tomorrow, we'll start recording. Hopefully we'll finish by then, too. I don't know how much more of this I can take.

I sighed. Hannah was always happy and excited about whatever we did, and Cameron just always stayed calm. I admired that about them. Although I may not show it much, I've felt nervous and jittery this whole time, and we've only been here for a week.

I miss Derry City. I miss my family. Quite honestly, I don't know why I did this in the first place. Then again, I have this amazing opportunity lying ahead of me. Plus, I've made eleven new, awesome mates! What's more to want?

I looked at the bed to my right. Samuel was sound asleep. I wish I could be like that right now. All of these freaking thoughts were keeping me awake.

My throat suddenly felt dry. I slowly got out of bed, afraid to wake up one of the other contestants. I didn't need to burden them with any of my problems as an insomniac.

The luke-warm sink water felt good on my throat. Not even thinking about sleep, I sat on the step outside of the bathroom. The cold tile caused me to shiver.

"You cold?"

I looked up to see Cameron peering down at me. "Um, jus' a little…."

He threw a blanket over me. "Enjoy it. It'll warm you up." He sat down next to me. "What are you doing up at this hour anyway?"

I wrapped the fuzzy blanket around me, letting it engulf me in its warmth. "Oh, nothing… Just thinking." I glanced over at him. "And you?"

Cameron shrugged. "I couldn't sleep. All of the excitement, and the contenders, have gotten to my head. It's too hard to sleep with all of it going on. You know what I mean?"

I nodded. "I understand. That's one of the reasons I'm up, too."

He sighed. "We should at least get some sleep… Or making the video tomorrow will be way harder than it should be."

Not knowing how to respond, I just nodded my head slowly. A month ago, I would have never even dreamed of having a mate I could just sit and talk to at two in the morning. Turns out, it just happens to be Cameron.

"Want me to carry you?" Cameron asked, already standing up.

"Cameron!" I hissed quietly, trying not to wake up the others. "I'm eighteen. I think I can walk to my own bed by myself."

He shrugged. "Okay, have it your way. Have a good sleep. I'll see you in the morning, Damo."

I stood up. "Okay Cam, goodnight." I slowly trudged to bed, finally feeling tired.

…

"Work with me, guys," Eric, our video director pleaded. "We only have two days to get this video down."

Bryce harrumphed. "This is bored. Boresville. It's filled with so much freaking boredom."

Emily rolled her eyes. Eric had told her that, in the video, Bryce had to flirt with her. She didn't seem to like him much.

Ellis carried around with her a giant stuffed animal. Cameron was right. She did seem to act a little… Young. And frankly, it was getting on my nerves.

Hannah wriggled with excitement. "My first music video! Yay!"

Cameron nodded. "And hopefully, we'll have many more to come. I'd hate getting kicked off in the first week."

My insides twisted. Yes, getting the boot on the first week would suck. But, with my amateur dancing and ok singing skills, it was possible. I just hope I'll at least make it into next week.

Lindsay pulled her hair up into a ponytail. She looked extremely hot. Beauty was not a problem for her, and she was definitely the prettiest girl here. Even prettier than Marissa, and that was saying a lot.

"Well, aren't you going to get into your costume?" Hannah asked, brushing her hair.

I looked down at what I was wearing. "Well, um, this is my costume. All I need is my prop, and I'm set." I reached into my pocket. "Shoot! My glasses are gone!"

I panicked. Eric had told me I had to take great care of all of the props. Losing my first one probably wasn't the best way to start off the day. Scanning the room, I noticed Cameron helping Alex with something. The sunglasses were hanging from his shirt.

"Hannah," I muttered, elbowing her.

"What?"

I positioned my eyebrows in the cutest possible way I could. "Will you please distract Cameron so I can get his sunglasses?"

She shrugged. "Sure. Just be quick about it. We're shooting the video in like, five minutes."

"Ah, screw it. I'm just going to take it from him." I stomped over to Cameron. "Give me my glasses."

He pivoted to look at me. His eyes were wide with surprise. "Well. That's not the right way to ask."

"Get ready, everyone! Shooting starts in two minutes!" The camera men were getting everything ready.

"Please Cameron. I need them. Eric will kill me if I don't have them! Please!" I pleaded with him, using my eyebrows for the cuteness effect.

He took the glasses out of his shirt. His eyes shifted from the glasses to me. "Well… Okay, here you go. Only because you asked so nicely. Now go get ready. Can't be late for shooting now, can we?" He tilted his head just the tiniest bit, flashing me a toothy grin.

"No, we can't! Thank you, Cameron!" I rushed quickly to my position for the video.

…

"And that's a wrap!" Eric finally announced, clapping his hands.

I felt relief. After lip-synching my part over five times, I was ready to be done. Cameron wiped his head. "Finally done." He smiled towards me.

"Thank goodness," I muttered. "If I have to wink at that stupid camera one more time, I'll…"

He cut me off. "Oh, psht. You got to wink at the camera? Lucky! Did you do it all sexy-like?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. I just winked how I normally would. Nothing really special about it."

Emily walked over to us. "Hey guys!" She grinned, chewing her gum. "Did I do great? You guys were both awesome too!"

Cameron put his hand on her shoulder. "Thank you! You were awesome!"

I turned to her. "Thank ya', Emily. You were amazing. How was it having Bryce flirt with you?"

She rolled her eyes. "Don't remind me. I never want to talk about that again… Ugh." She shuddered.

Cameron cocked his head. "You may be out of luck. When the first episode of the Glee Project airs, I can promise there will be at least one fan that wants you and Bryce together. And I know you'll have that one amazing fan that loves you way more than everyone else. More than me, even!" He grinned.

Emily's eyes widened. "Seriously? Why did I agree to do this stupid video?" She ran off to slap Bryce or something. That's what I would do if I was her. But, I'm not her, and it's not like me to just go up and slap someone for the heck of it.

Hannah grabbed my arm. "Wasn't our first music video great? I can't wait to do more!" Her smile stretched across her face. It was a miracle it didn't split in half.

Cameron's eyes lit up. "Who's excited for the bottom three tomorrow?"

I glared at him. "Please explain to me how the hell I could be excited for this." To be honest, I was preparing myself to go home.

He smiled. "Oh, come on Damian. It's not like you'll be the one who gets kicked off. You're too awesome for that."

My stomach flipped. "Unless, of course, Ryan Murphy hates my guts or something like that."

Hannah gave me a playful shove. "Get real! Everyone loves Damian McGinty, and we haven't even been here for a full week!"

I blushed. It was true. Tonight would be our fifth night here. Hannah and Cameron were already such amazing friends. "Thank you, guys…"

Cameron smirked. "Do you want to go back to the dorm and rest? We've had a full day of recording."

I nodded. "Yes please. I need a shower, badly. I haven't moved around much today, but I feel, well, sweaty and gross."

"Okay then, let's go. While you shower, I'll just wait for you, and the other way around." He raised an eyebrow at me. "Right?"

I shrugged. "Sounds good to me. The other guys should be in there soon. They'll surely keep you company."

…

The shower felt amazing. Granted, I've never been very picky with showers, but this one just felt perfect. All the stress of the competition just seemed to vanish. The water was simply flawless. The pressure massaged my scalp, my neck, my back. I shuddered, turning it off. This was the kind of thing you'd never want to end.

I stepped out of the shower and groaned. Once again, I forgot to grab a towel. At least now I knew where they were. I dashed over to the dark cupboards. There were plenty of clean towels in there.

Towel in hand, I turned around. I gulped. Cameron was standing right there. He looked surprised, his jaw dropped. And yet, he didn't look away. He was staring into my eyes. I then realized I was as naked as a jay-bird.

"C-Cameron!" I stammered, wrapping the towel around me. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

He shook his head. "What? Oh, um… Nothing! I was just coming to see if you needed a towel!"

"Seriously Cameron! Knock if you need to come in!" I growled at him.

He looked away, his face a deep shade of red. "I'm sorry," He muttered. "I didn't know you were, um, naked. I'm sorry, Damian. You're right. I should be more careful."

He looked sincere enough. I sighed. "Okay Cameron, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blow up at you… It's just… I'm just stressed for eliminations, that's all."

"Oh… Well, makes sense. I'm nervous too, but, well, I'm trying my best not to show it." He forced a smile.

I looked into his eyes. I could tell her was nervous. It wasn't obvious, not at all, but somehow, I could just tell. "I see… Well, I'm going to um, go get some clothes on."

We both left the bathroom in silence. He sat on his bed while I started to get my clothes on. While my pants were half-way on, he turned to me.

"Damian?"

"Yes?"

"Do you like me?"

I froze, and my stomach did a little Irish jig. "Uh, what do you mean…?"

He shrugged, looking down. "Oh, I don't know… I don't really have a lot of friends at home. I just need someone that will listen to me, and put up with me and stuff."

I pulled my shirt over my head. "Cameron, of course you're my mate! Sure, we've only known each other for a few days, but you seem cool enough."

He gulped. "Okay, thank you. I'm sorry to bother you."

I let out a snort. "Bother me? Cameron, you haven't bothered me at all! I adore having someone talk to me."

Cameron flopped onto the bed, smiling. "Okay. Thank you, Damian. I really appreciate it."

…

Jessie's Girl. It was obviously a popular American song. Too bad I've never heard it before in my life. And yes, here I am, two minutes away from belting it out in front of Ryan Murphy himself.

Yes, I'm in the bottom three. Although I was expecting it, I didn't feel any less lousy when they announced my name. I was here along with Bryce and Ellis.

"Hello, I'm Damian McGinty, and I'll be singing 'Jessie's Girl'." The music started and my heart pounded. This was it! Time to show Ryan Murphy what this little Irish boy was made of.

I belted out the lyrics, surprised that I had remembered them. But, when the song was over, a moment of panic rushed over me. I had been singing "I wish that I WAS Jessie's girl" instead of "I wish that I HAD Jessie's girl".

"Is that you?" Ryan Murphy asked. "Because, I could write for that, you know."

I gulped. "Um, no sir… I'm not gay."

He shrugged. "Well, I thought it was very good. You may return to your dorm now. Good luck!"

I trudged out of the auditorium. My heart raced. In the dorm, I was completely silent. Everyone else seemed to be, too.

Robert walked in. "Unfortunately, the list is up. You all did amazing this week, and I'm heartbroken to see one of you go. You may go see if you made it into next week. Good luck, all."

My stomach flopped as I made my way to the callback list. I had messed up my song. I turned it gay, for goodness sakes! There was absolutely no way I could be called back.

I cautiously opened my eyes. "Not called back: Bryce". I squealed like a ten-year-old. I did it! I made it into next week! I danced around the room, overcome with joy. I did it. I am officially part of this competition.