A/N- OMFG. It's a Dutie one-shot! :D I'm obsessed with the song that's going to be used. I'm dead serious. It's been on repeat ever since I got it on my Ipod.

Also, just for your info, my brother gave me a black eye :P Aha, weird, rite? :D

This story is partly inspired by Steven Howell. Some of you who watch the show 'One Tree Hill' might recognize him. He plays Troy. Anyways, he came to my school, and talked to us about dreams, and never giving up on them. A big thanks goes out to Steven. Thank you (:

BTW, Katie is a little OC in the beginning. You'll see why. But, it's my story. No one can tell me how to make the characters (: Oh, and this takes place a year after TDI.

Disclaimer: I do not own TDI/A/WT/R or the song 'Firework' by Katy Perry.

I've always been confident. But now, I'm not so sure if confidence is how you could describe me. Let me explain.

I'm trying out for a dance scholarship. When it came to scholarships, this was my first and only thought out choice. Dancing was an everyday thing for me. I always dance in front of people.

But a dancing scholarship? That's the one thing that makes me nervous.

"Next!" Someone called. The girl who was next went up. I saw the girl come out of the room, crying. I take it that the judges aren't considering her.

Before I knew it, I was going to be the next person. I paused, as the girl in front of me went in. She stayed in for about a minute, and walked out. She looked mad.

"They're tough. Good luck," She said. Her voice was sharp. Before I could ask her what happened in there, she was gone.

"Next!" They called. I knew that the call was for me. I started to walk into the room, but paused. The girls who ran out crying or ran out mad raced through my mind. The judges looked at me.

"I can't do this," I said, and ran out.

Now, you must think I'm stupid for turning down an opportunity like this. I didn't even try it. But, I was nervous. You can't blame me, right?

I walked outside, and leaned against the wall of the building. I ran a hand through my hair, and sighed.

"I'm stupid," I muttered to myself.

"Why?" The person next to me asked. I knew that voice. The familiar voice ran through my head like a herd of horses. I looked over.

"Duncan?" I asked. The man next to me looked over at me, looking as surprised as I did.

"Well, well, well. It's Tweedle Dum," Duncan said. I smiled at him, and he threw out the object in his hand.

"What did you just throw down?" I asked.

"Nothing," He replied. I looked down next to him, and a cigarette was lying on the ground. I looked at him.

"And when did you start to smoke?" I asked.

"Last year. You want one?" He asked.

A preppy girl like me wouldn't smoke. Or, you think. I had smoked a couple times, at a party. I remembered the last time I had lit a cigarette. It was last year, after my time on TDI. I sighed at the memory.

"Um… no thanks," I said after a minute. Duncan shrugged, and threw the cigarette pack in his pocket.

"So, what brings you here?" He asked.

"A dance scholarship. You?" I asked. He shrugged.

"I like this part of the city. It's fun to see all the crimes, and all the people get in trouble, or whatever," He replied.

"Oh," was all I said. We didn't talk for a minute, until he turned to me.

"When are you trying out?" He asked.

"Well, I was supposed to five minutes ago. I chickened out," I admitted.

"Why?" He asked.

"The majority of the other people who tried out ran out crying. I didn't want to face the shame of not making it," I said.

"What makes you think you're not better than the other girls? I've seen you dance. I have to admit, you're pretty good," Duncan said. I paused, and looked at him.

When you payed attention to his features, you can tell he grew up ever since the show ended. He didn't look like much of a teenager anymore. In fact, if you added a growing mustache and a few wrinkles, he could pass for twenty. Me? I'm pretty sure I looked the same as I did on the show. Well, maybe a couple minor changes, but those weren't important.

"You really think?" I asked.

"Sure. I mean, I almost considered to add you in the talent show on the island," Duncan admitted.

"Just out of curiosity, why didn't you?" I asked.

"Well, because Courtney didn't," He replied.

"What happened to her? Are you too still together?" I asked.

"Nope. She was too uptight. I broke up with her. Oh, she sued me too. Not a shocker," Duncan said. We shared a laugh.

"Anyways, get in there, and show them what you're made of," Duncan said. I paused.

"I can't," I said. Duncan grabbed my hand.

"Look, my dream was to be a police officer. But, since I've had a few run-ins with the law-"

"A few?" I asked.

"Let me finish. But since I've had a few run-ins with the law, I had to give up my dream. Your dream is to be a dancer. You still have a chance at that. You're not stupid. But if you decide to blow your one chance at this, you're going to be stupid," Duncan said. His speech surprised me, since he acted all uncaring all the time.

"Wow," I said.

"What?" He asked.

"That speech. It was… touching," I said, lost for words.

"What? Did you think a tough guy like me couldn't be touching at times?" He teased. I nodded, and he smiled.

"Well, maybe Courtney was right about the whole bunny thing you did for DJ," I said.

"Maybe she was," Duncan said. We stopped talking for a second, until he faced me.

"You know, you really should go back in there," He said.

"The judges might reject me, because I ran out of there," I said. He sighed.

"I just gave you this speech. Get your ass back in there, and show them what you're made of," He said. I smiled at him, and then walked towards the door. I stopped.

I knew that he gave me the speech, and I thought it would've given me confidence. But, I couldn't go in. I sighed, and stood there, staring at the door. After a minute, I felt a pair of warm hands touch my shoulders, giving me Goosebumps. I turned around to see Duncan.

"Look, Katie, are you going in or not?" He asked. I gave him a sympathetic look.

"I can't do it," I told him. He spun me around.

"You can. Look, I don't say this to many people, but I believe in you Katie. You know I do, you know you believe in yourself, and you know you can do this," He said. I looked down, and he tilted my head back up.

"Seriously Duncan, I know you're trying to help, but I can't," I said.

"Are you sure? I can give you a confidence boost," He said.

"You can?" I asked. He didn't give me an answer. He just looked at me for a moment. Then, he grabbed my face, and kissed me softly. He pulled away from me, and I licked my lips with a grin.

"You're going to leave them all in awe," He said. I smiled at him, and licked my lips again.

"I'll do it," I said.

"I'll be right here," Duncan said. I walked into the building with a smile. I walked straight into the room, not bothering to wait in the line again.

"I'm sorry I walked out earlier. Do you think I could still audition?" I asked the judges. They looked at each other, and nodded. I smiled, and got up onto the stage.

The music turned on, and I automatically felt comfortable. I started to dance. When I was finished, they smiled at me.

"We'll consider. More than likely, you're in," One of them said. I squealed, and they covered their ears.

"Sorry!" I said. I ran out of the room, with a smile on my face. I ran straight outside. Duncan waited right outside the door. I jumped into his arms. He looked surprised, but soon smiled.

"Sounds like it went smooth," He said, with a jingle of laughter to his voice.

"I made it! I made it!" I said. I sounded like a five-year old. But, at the moment, I didn't care. Apparently, Duncan didn't either.

"See? Told you that you could do it," He said. I smiled a cheesy grin at him, and then stopped. We looked at each other, the staring hurting my eyes. He grabbed my face, and pulled me into another kiss. I was still in his arms, as he kissed me. I kiss him back, as much as I could.

"Get a room," Someone walking by said. We ignored them. Duncan eventually pulled away from me.

"I… uh…" I was speechless, as I released myself from Duncan's arms.

"Hey, you wanna go to a party with me sometime?" He asked. I tried to hide the blush crawling up my face, but I failed.

"Sure," I said. I handed him a piece of paper with my cell phone number on it. He smiled as he took it.

"I'll call you later," He said. He gave me a quick wink, and walked off. I stood there, watching him. Once he was around the corner, I blinked a few times.

"What just happened?" I asked myself. I shrugged, smiled, and walked the other way.

A/N- Ahha, TOTAL fail. Sorry! But, I wrote Dutie! :D

Featured Music (songs I listened to while writing this): Firework- Katy Perry, What to Wear- Taylor Swift.

~Musicstar5