AN: Hello everyone. Thank you for reading and reviewing. To answer the question that I have been getting by many people: Layla is a gorilla. So was Alex, who you might see again later in the story. Miles is a porcupine, if I hadn't mentioned. I will also be bringing in a kola. So, I hope that answers that. Sorry, I wasn't very clear on that.

Next chapter will bring back the contestants. This chapter is more to set up everything those characters need before they start their rehearsals and the thought that goes into that.

I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Happy reading.

Chapter Three: Even If It Breaks Your Heart

When I came back that night, I had a pesto flatbread pizza with onion spinach, and green peppers and a couple of bottles of hibiscus tea in hand. I got back a little later than I thought I would. Once the topic got on to music, Johnny and I both found it a little difficult to stop talking, until we ended up seeing the time. When we saw how late it was, we both parted our separate ways. It wasn't like I wouldn't see him tomorrow.

When I got up to Buster's office, I found him going through the contestants' audition forms and notes and putting together a list of songs for each of them. I half-smiled and shook my head, he always did have to have everything perfect when it came to how he did a show. The problem had never been the way a show was produced, directed, and put together, everything that was done backstage had always gone off without a hitch. It was usually the material we ended up with. Some things were terrible, no matter how much you try.

"How's it coming?" I asked him, setting down the pizza on his desk.

"I think I've got what I think each of them should be singing." He replied, looking up from the stacks of paper, "Why are you back so late? You left hours ago."

"Ran into someone" I shrugged and opened the pizza box.

"You know Layla, I've been meaning to talk to you about Alex." Buster started, assuming I was talking about Alex, but I stopped him before he could continue.

"No, no, Buster, I was talking to Johnny." I told him flustered, "We started talking and lost track of time."

"Johnny?" Buster asked confused, "Contestant for my show, Johnny?" He repeated for clarification, I nodded. "What happened to Alex?"

"He didn't work out."

"Good." He replied relieved, "I mean-"

"I'm glad he's gone too"

We both grabbed a slice of pizza and started to eat.

"Buster, I wanted to talk to you about that elephant girl, Meena." I tried again, "She didn't get a chance to sing at all before Mike pushed her off the stage. She didn't even get her full audition time."

"Now I know you feel she should be able to re-audition. I got that from the first time you mentioned her audition, but I have a full cast, my contestants have already been chosen." He told me. I looked down. I understood where he was coming from, but that didn't stop me from feeling bad for her. "But if she's willing to work backstage and someone happens to drop out for some reason, she can be in the show."

I looked up at him elated. That was an answer I could work with. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, you're the one who's going to be working with her to get her ready for the show if she does have to perform."

"Alright." I agreed, "Can I have her audition sheet?"

Buster handed me her sheet, I folded it and put it in the jacket pocket. I'd have to hear her sing before I could write any notes or songs on it. Getting her to sing would be the harder task of the two. Maybe though, if it were just us one on one, she might have more confidence to sing something even if it were just a few bars.

"How are you going to get her to sing for you?"

"I don't know." I admitted, "But I can't help her unless I hear something."

"Then I guess you'll be busy with Miles until she does."

"You mean he actually showed up?"

"He did." Buster nodded, "Fixed the trap door too."

"Wow." I replied impressed. Before Miles quit, he couldn't fix a faulty spotlight or fractured riser, let alone a trap door.

"He seems to have changed."

"I hope for the show's sake, he has." I replied, grabbing another piece of pizza. The next several weeks before the show and how involved Miles wanted to be will be quite telling on how well the show will go.

Miles' POV

"Becky, have you seen the bandages?" I called out to my girlfriend, trying to prevent the blood from getting all over floor. I knew I'd over done it with on the drums again, but the more I practiced, the harder I worked, the better I will get.

There was no answer from her, which shouldn't have been surprising. She was always gone nowadays. She had met a guitarist and thought he'd make a great addition to our band. There was a small part of me that said there was more to it than that, but will come out when it needed to. I'd rather be with her and have her cheating on me than be alone, she's still paying rent on the apartment that way, at least until I can find a new roommate. It wasn't like I was in love with her. She was a good time, but that was it. She was a little too high maintenance for my tastes and a little dim-witted, but it wasn't like I was looking to marry her.

I found the bandages in her make-up drawer, which wasn't where I had left them at all. I don't want to know why she put them in there. Might as well add those to the list of things to hide along with my iPod charger and the pop-tarts. I shook my head at the thought and then bandaged my right paw. I shouldn't have to hide things from her and I knew it was wrong, but if she didn't keep taking then, I wouldn't have to keep hiding them.

I went in the kitchen and got the cleaning supplies from under the sink, so I could clean the floor. Becky would have a shitfit if she were to see the blood stains in the carpet. The more I think, the less I think I would feel bad about breaking up with her and finding someone less judgmental. If I'm lucky I'd find someone with a bit of talent or interest in music; Becky liked musicians, but had no talent or genuine love of it herself. She loved the idea of being in love with a musician. It was exhausting. She was exhausting. She was proving quite the education though, and to think of all of the times I complained about Layla and her attitude. That girl was a saint compared to Becky. Hell, any girl is a saint compared to her. Being with her felt like my head was repeatedly being slammed against a brick wall. I didn't wish her upon any porcupine, although any guy willing to take her off my hands is a fool.

I cleaned up the blood off the floor, put back the cleaning supplies, and went to bed. I was going to have a long and early day tomorrow with the rehearsals, I wanted to be prepared for it. I had to make a fresh start Layla, maybe we could have a fresh start and be friends after all of the crap I've pulled.

Layla's POV

The next morning Miles showed up early before the performers arrived and started work in the green room so that it would be ready for them by the night of the contest. He didn't say anything when he came in, he merely went straight to work. It was a very welcomed sight to see compared to how he used to be. While he worked in the green room, I set up each of the rehearsal spaces for each performer. Buster still had their audition sheets with the song choices he had given them, so I set them up based on my notes on their auditions and the type of performer that they appeared to be. Each performer was different. For all of them, I included a stereo, so that if they needed to practice with a track they had the ability to, but I included different CDs for each performer.

For Ash, I included CDs from different female rockers that she could possibly take inspiration from. I tried to give her a bit of variety. I included Stevie Nicks, Heart, Pat Benatar, Blondie, 10,000 Maniacs, Paramore, Halestorm, Avril Lavigne (for which, I gravitated toward her first few albums), and The Cranberries. In her rehearsal space, I also had an amp and everything needed for her guitar brought in, as well as a drum kit and a base if she decided to do something live and wanted to rehearse with real instruments instead of a track.

Mike was slightly easier to put together a stack of CDs for since his genre was swing, blues, and jazz. He was very old school in his tastes in music. For him, I chose Sinatra, Gershwin, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, Bing Crosby, Mel Torne, Perry Como, and Fred Astaire.

Rosita and Gunther both auditioned with pop songs, I thought it would be best to leave CDs of Artists who were in the pop genre. It was a bit harder for me to figure out what to leave in their rehearsal space, not that I had a lot of time to. In the end, I decided to leave them Kelly Clarkson, Taylor Swift, Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, Britney Spears (I gravitated towards her earlier albums), Madonna, Superchick, and P!nk.

For the frog group, whose names escaped me, I put a small stack of boy band CDs in their space next to their player. I didn't have to put much mind into it, they were a boy band. The groups I chose were the ones that would usually come to mind when anyone had to name one: NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, Dream Street, New Kids on the Block, Boyz to Men, One Direction, All 4 One, The Wanted, Westlife, Jonas Brothers, and Jackson 5. For Pete, I stuck with old fashioned country singers from like the 50's through the 70's and placed them on the table next his stereo and moved on to the next room.

Johnny was the easiest to put together a stack for since I had went through his iPod and had an idea of the type of music he listened to. For him, I chose more artists than I did anyone else. When I started compiling his stack, I had a hard time stopping. When I finished the list, it contained: John Lennon, Elton John, David Bowie, Poison, U2, The Beatles, Sam Smith, Mumford & Sons, Billy Joel, Meatloaf, Aerosmith, Simon & Garfunkel, Rob Thomas, The Lumineers, The Script, Hall & Oates, and the Goo Goo Dolls. I had gone through it a few times, adding and taking out artists, and then made sure there was only a couple of CDs per artist. I knew that the more practical approach would have been to have a greatest hits for each of the artists who had one, but I looked at those and didn't like all of the songs on the disc. Instead, I chose my favorite album from each artist. After I finished with the stack of CDs, I had the piano brought in; so if there was the off chance that he played, he would have it there to use.

After I finished the preparing the rooms, I went to help Miles, who was in Concessions, it was going to take a lot of work to get that area back in the shape it was before the kitchen fire. It would have been fair to leave him in there to fix it himself.

"We're probably going to need a professional to fix some of these things." I heard Miles mutter.

"We don't have the money to hire one." I told him as I walked through the door, "Whatever we can do has to be good enough until we can get the money to fix or replace the things beyond our repair."

"How would we get people from coming here during intermission?"

"Short intermission, limit what they can see, and bring what they order to them." I answered

"But it'll just be the two of us." Miles pointed out.

"We'll have Mrs. Crawly to take the orders and everything we serve will be pre-made."

"Wouldn't we lose money if-" He started.

"No, what you'll wanna do is get three different types of cookies from the bakery of any grocery store and then take them out of the container and place them in nice individual sealed bags." I instructed, "Keep the receipt because that's what we'll use to deduce the price that we have the audience pay. Typically, it's double what the cookies would be individually and we market them as homemade."

"Why do I have to go get them?"

"New guy always gets the concessions." I stated, "Don't forget water bottles, preferably one with a common brand name, and a case of any clear soda that isn't club soda. Sprite, sierra mist, or 7up usually works. It's easier for us to clean, if someone spills it."