A/N: You can say it. I'm an asshole. I haven't been updating this story. I'm sorry. In case y'all don't know MrsEads, she is one crazy gal. Her review stating that she was going to write my next chapter if I didn't update soon drove me to finally update. And plus, we made a deal – now she has to write two chapters of her fic "All You Need is Love" (go check it out!). Here's your extra-early bday present, Chloe: (I'll update sd soon too!)
"Lainey Stokes!" Ryan Seacrest called. "You're next!"
Lainey couldn't believe that she'd actually made it through all the preliminary rounds with all the half-ass judges and had actually gotten to the auditions with Simon, Paula, and Randy. Well, actually she could. Lainey was an avid viewer of American Idol and knew the kind of pussies that got through. She had to give herself some credit – she was pretty good. And that Ryan Seacrest was just dreamy…
"Good luck, sweetheart. We know you can do it." Sara told her daughter, bringing her in for one last hug. Reagan clung to her leg, and Nick stood behind her, his hands in his jeans pockets, along with Justin. They'd all come down to support her. The Stokeses wouldn't miss their chance to be on TV!
Just then, Ryan came up to the family, seeking one of his revealing interviews with a contestant.
"Lainey Stokes!" He said in his animated way. "How are you feeling right now?"
Lainey turned around and smiled, though she was really nervous.
"Um….okay, I guess. I've got my family here with me."
"Would you like to introduce them to the country possibly?"
The family's eyes lit up at the possibility of being on TV, and their pride of Lainey.
"Yeah." She gestured back to her parents first. "These are my parents, Nick and Sara Stokes. They're criminalists here in Vegas. This is my little sister Reagan. And this is my boyfriend Justin." She grinned when Justin jumped his eyebrows up and down. Reagan was trying to act all cute, knowing it would always attract attention. Ryan noticed, and kneeled down to her eye level.
"Reagan Stokes, do you think your sister will be the next American Idol?"
"Yeeeeess!" She grinned, her hands clasped behind her back. Reagan was just loving this, eating every second up.
"And why do you think so?"
"Cuz she's a good singer and she can dance too, but daddy doesn't like that." She said with all the honesty of a four year old. The family's faces turned a little red and they laughed to shrug it off. Nick would lock Lainey up in a castle if he could.
Ryan stood up and turned his attention to Nick.
"Mr. Stokes, what do you think about Lainey wanting to be the next American Idol?"
Nick paused for a moment, his mouth trying to form a word, but he struggled.
"Well, you know, she's always loved singing, and….dancing. And she's just following her heart, so I could never have a problem with that."
"Blessings from dad!" Ryan said, "And now, it's time to see just what Lainey Stokes can do! Lainey, you're up!"
Lainey took a deep breath and smiled at her family. But they knew her well, and knew that smile meant she was really nervous. Nick gave her a wink as she turned to walk into the judging room. There was nothing they could do to help her now. It was up to Lainey.
Lainey walked into the room as confidently as she could. She wore a pair of black capris, and two layered gray and white muscle tees. Her fingernails were painted the regular black, and a pair of black Old Navy flip flops finished off the get-up. Lainey wasn't goth by any means, but she did like to wear black.
"Hi there." Paula gently called out to the visibly nervous teen. While watching the show, Lainey would frankly get sick of Paula's nature. She always had something nice to say, even if things were awful, making praise seem unbelievable from her sometimes. Now she was auditioning, Lainey couldn't be more relieved to see the friendly face, as Randy and Simon were staring blankly at her.
"Hello!" She sounded cheerful.
"You look an awful lot like Simon, dawg." Randy told her, referring to her black clothing. Simon was also wearing his usual black long-sleeved shirt. He rolled his eyes at the comment, but seemed to smile a bit.
"Hopefully that will do me good." She said.
"Aw, God." Simon said in his English accent. "We've got one from Texas, haven't we?"
"Well, my daddy's from Texas, but I guess I picked up his accent." She smiled, her hands behind her back.
"And a daddy's girl." He commented, and Lainey didn't think it was supposed to mean a good thing.
"What are you going to sing for us today, Lainey?" Paula asked, resting her clasped hands under her chin and smiling sweetly.
"Born to Fly by Sara Evans." Lainey said eagerly. She'd spent days trying to find the perfect song for auditions, and she felt she really did find it. Country music was in her roots, mixed up with a lot of rock. The hopeful nature of the song seemed to fit her mind frame and would let her personality come out.
"Show us what you've got, baby." Randy encouraged her.
Lainey took a deep breath before beginning.
My
daddy, he is grounded like the oak tree Yeah, cause
I will soar away like the blackbird Oh, how do you wait
for Heaven
And my mom, she is steady
as the sun
Oh, you know I love my folks
But I keep staring down
the road
Just looking for my one chance to run
I will blow in the wind like a
sea
I will plant my heart in the garden of my dreams
And I will
grow up where I'll wander wild and free
And who has that much time
And how do you keep your
feet on the ground
When you know that you were born
You were
born to fly
As she finished, she shrugged her shoulders a little, still a bit embarrassed by being a soloist, but gave them a big grin.
"Well, Lainey, I think your voice shows a lot of youth and energy, and I could just feel it spilling over. Loved it." Paula said. She turned to look at Randy.
"Yo, yo, yo, dawg. I like how you kept it real. I can tell you're a country girl, sticking to your roots, man. And, yeah, you got a good voice. Simon?"
Simon paused dramatically and put his pen on the table that he'd been clicking while the others spoke.
"You know, Lainey." Her name came out funny when he said it. "That reminded me of a karaoke performance of a Carrie Underwood song. Didn't do anything for me. And you were pitchy in places." He stared back at the young girl, totally unforgiving and not understanding at all that she was just sixteen years old and had feelings.
"So that's a no from you." Randy clarified, and Simon leaned back in his chair, not even answering. "Paula?"
"I would love to have a sweet girl like you on the show. It's definitely a yes." She clapped her hands together.
Randy's eyes shot up at Lainey, knowing he was the deciding vote. Lainey always hated the drama they created on the show.
"Welcome to Hollywood, dawg!" Randy yelled, and clapped his hands.
Lainey squealed and put her hands up to her mouth, crouching down slightly.
"Oh thank you thank you thank you!" She spurted out, jumping up and down a little. She raced to the door, grabbing the piece of paper that solidified her ticket to Hollywood. Lainey came out yelling and jumping, finding her family waiting anxiously outside the door. As soon as they saw her, they all erupted in cheering, and brought her into a group hug.
The next few minutes was a whirlwind of emotions. Well, mostly screaming and jumping up and down. Nick pulled her into a big bear hug and kissed her head.
"I'm so proud of you." He told her. "I can't believe you're going to Hollywood. I've never even been there!"
Lainey pictured her dad in California. He would definitely not fit in. She giggled and just hugged him back. The teenager knew that she'd have to make it through to the final twelve to get to invite her family out.
The happy family of four, plus Justin, walked out of the hotel, still hugging and congratulating Lainey. She couldn't be more ecstatic, but now she'd have to prepare for the next round – where she'd be by herself. At first, she thought it would be awesome, but Lainey felt her smile wane a bit as she thought of life without her family. She was going to Hollywood…alone.
Btw…I kept writing Mally instead of Lainey…oopsie. I hope I didn't miss any.