A/N- Hello, my lovelies! Sorry this chapter took for-freaking-ever. I had a lot on my plate these last few months… I'll try to get chapter 5 out sooner, haahaa. Anyway, enjoy! I really like this chapter, so I hope you do too! By the way, the song Samuel sings is called "Not Over You" by Gavin DeGraw. I love that song!
Chapter 4
"He looks so cute in that picture!" Lindsay gushed, looking at her laptop computer.
Marissa scrunched up her nose. "His hair is too short in that one, and his smile looks kinda funny. Well, no offense."
"Forget what he looks like… I could listen to him sing all day!" Hannah exclaimed, grinning wildly.
"Who are they talking about?" I asked Cameron.
He shrugged. "I don't know. That one guy who sings that one TV show's theme song."
"That's a lot of help," I mumbled. "Samuel, do you know?"
He shook him head. "I can't recall his name, but he sings One Tree Hill's theme song. My sister loves that show."
"Oh!" Matheus shouted, a look of recognition appearing on his face. "They're talking about Gavin DeGraw, I think. He sings 'I Don't Wanna Be', which is, as you said, One Tree Hill's theme song." He raised his eyebrow at the girls, who were all huddled around Lindsay's computer. "And apparently, he's only attractive sometimes."
McKynleigh looked up at as. "Yeah, but only sometimes." She snatched the laptop from Lindsay and brought it over to us. "Look at both of these and compare."
"Hm," I murmured, studying the photos. "Well, the first one is definitely the best picture of him."
"Exactly!" Marissa exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "What do you think, Cameron?"
He shrugged. "Oh, I have to agree with Damian. The second one is kind of just a bad picture."
Hannah stared at the picture. "I don't know… I don't really find Gavin that attractive. Not my type, really. But holy moly, can that boy sing!" She pressed a button on the laptop that started playing music.
Cameron sighed and dug his face into the pillow. He looked oddly miserable, and honestly, it was quite sad to watch. "Cam?" I asked. "You okay?"
He looked up, nodding. "Yeah… I just… The song. I don't like the song. It makes me sad. I guess…" He laughed nervously. "I guess I just miss Macy. I know the song is about breaking up, but… I just miss her so bad, sometimes it hurts."
For some reason, that made me cringe. "…Oh," I muttered, looking away. "Well… I'm sorry."
Samuel hummed along to, bursting out in song during the chorus. He sounded really, really good. "IfyouaskmehowI'mdoing, IwouldsayI'mdoingjustfine. Iwouldlieandsaythatyou'renotonmymind. ButIgoout,andIsitdownatatablesetfortwo,andfinally,I'mforcedtofacethetruth… NomatterwhatIsay,I'mnotoveryou." He stopped singing, smiling as we all clapped.
"Wow Samuel, you sounded amazing!" Marissa commented. "If you win, they should really let you sing that on Glee."
He blushed. "Thanks, Marissa. That's really sweet. It means a lot to me."
I just had to roll my eyes. They so liked each other, but both of them were completely oblivious. How can love be so romantic, yet so stupid at the same time?
"So… Any guesses on what this week's theme will be?" Hannah asked, looking at us with curiosity.
Lindsay shrugged. "Well, what have we done so far?"
"Let's see…. Three weeks… Last week was vulnerability, and before that we had theatricality, and, um…" Matheus listed, counting off with his fingers.
"Originality," Marissa said, finishing off his sentence.
"I think it might have something to do with singing. Singing well," Alex said with a stupid smile on his face.
"Hopefully it's somewhat like last week, y'know? No dancing involved." I grinned. I was a horrible dancer, and I wasn't going to get better anytime soon.
Cameron rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on. You're not that bad. There are a lot of people worse than you out there. You're nothing in comparison."
Hannah laughed. "I don't know… Damian's pretty darn bad." She winked to show that she was kidding.
Matheus sighed. "Dancing or not, I just want to live to see next week. Stupid competition's getting on my nerves. Well, no. The fear of not getting called back is what's driving me crazy. Can't stand it."
Lindsay shrugged. "Don't worry about tomorrow, Matheus. Just get done with today."
Marissa nodded. "That right there is good advice. I advise you all to take that good advice." She smiled, giggling.
Alex rolled his eyes. He didn't look very amused with us. "So, when can we look and see what our homework assignment is?"
Samuel checked his watch. "In about half and hour or something… Why?"
Alex sighed. "I want to know. We need to practice. Only eight of us can make it into next week, and dammit, one of them better be me."
"You don't even know what it is yes," Matheus mumbled. "What if you like, suck at whatever it happens to be? Then you may not even have a very good change."
Alex fumed. I stifled a giggle. He looked so angry, but so funny at the same time. Thank goodness I was successful at holding my laugh in. He probably would have ripped off my face.
Just then, one of the camera men walked into the room. "We, uh, have the cameras up and running," he informed. "If you want to, you can go early, I guess."
Cameron shrugged. "Sounds good to me. The sooner I can learn what the hell this homework assignment is, the sooner I can stop worrying about it."
Alex practically leaped out of his seat. "Okay guys, let's go!" His eyes twinkled with excitement.
Lindsay grinned. "I'm excited guys. Holy cow guys, we're in the fourth week. We've made it through three eliminations."
Come to think of it, it did happen to be pretty amazing, considering I was in the bottom three twice. "We should go," I urged, curious about what our assignment would be.
Hannah hooked arms with Marissa, smiling widely. "Well, duh! Let's go!" We made our way to the homework assignment room, which we had affectionately named "The Room". The Room was where our assignment was posted each week.
We waited outside The Room for our cue to go in. When the cue was given, I practically busted the doors down trying to get in. "Oh. Oh shit," I muttered, gulping as I stared at the blackboard. Our song was "Hey Soul Sister" by Train. That didn't worry me. I'd sang that song before. It was our focus for the week that caught me off guard.
"Dance Ability," Cameron stated, resting his elbow on my shoulder. "How the heck am I supposed to get passed this week, Damo? You know I'm a horrible dancer!"
I shrugged, forcing his elbow off of me. "Hey, I'm not any better. Remember what Lindsay said? I happen to be worse than Cory Monteith, y'know."
He laughed. "But your dancing just looks kind of awkward… No offense, I mean. You just look awkward while I just look all-around bad."
I shook my head, confused. If anything, it was the other way around. I was the bad dancer, and he was the awkward one. Besides, his quirky moves were adorable. "Wait…" I murmured to myself, dumfounded. Did I just think his dance moves were…?
"Are you, um…? Damian, you okay?" Cameron asked, resting his hand on my shoulder.
"Yes!" I squeaked, batting his hand away. My stomach fluttered.
"Hey, Damian, come here," McKynleigh asked, smiling warmly. "Dance with me please."
I froze, my eyes wide. "What? You want to what?"
Alex giggled. "Dance with her, silly. Go on." I saw the challenge in his eyes, and I thought back to last week when he had mistaken me for gay.
I smiled, accepting his challenge. "Okay, sure. Of course I will. Come here, McKynleigh."
She put her hands on my shoulders and I wrapped my arms around her waist. We swayed back and forth, a little too fast to be considered slow dancing. When Alex raised his eyebrow at me, I just grinned with triumph.
McKynleigh giggled. "I've never danced like that before. Thank you, Damian."
That took me by surprise. She's really never dances with anyone before? "McKynleigh, wait." I grabbed her wrist as she tried walking away. "I know it doesn't sound like much, but I', lucky to be the first guy to slow dance with you. You're a beautiful girl McKynleigh, and any guy would be lucky to have you."
She widened her eyes, and for a second, I thought I said something completely wrong. Then she through her arms around me. "Thanks, Damian. You're a great friend. Any girl would be lucky to have you too."
Someone tapped on my shoulder and I spun around. Hannah stood there with her head cocked to the side, and a goofy grin on her face. "What was that all about? Does Mr. McGinty have a lady-friend?"
"Shut up," I said, smiling. "She just wanted to dance, and I agreed. It was nice. McKynleigh's sweet, that's for sure. I just don't like her, you know, that way."
Hannah shrugged. "Hey, I get it. Completely understandable." She paused, looking behind her shoulder. "Maybe you should go help Cameron a bit. I don't think he seems to quite understand the concept…"
I looked over her shoulder to see Cameron… Dancing the way Cameron does. Giving Hannah a confused look, I shrugged. "Calm down. He's fine, just doing his little… 'Cam Dance'. You have to admit though; it's really not that bad…"
She sighed. "I know… You're right." She smiled. "I'm just jealous that he's doing better than me! Don't tell him I said that though. I'd have to kill you!"
I chucked. "Don't worry, Hannah. He won't find out. I promise."
She glared at me, a joking gleam in her eyes. "Oh, he won't. I'll be sure of that," she said.
Just then, someone grasped my shoulder. I yelped, practically jumping out of my skin.
"Whoa, dude, calm down. It's just me." I turned to see Samuel standing there. Matheus was next to him, looking confused.
"You okay man?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes," I informed. "You just startled me, that's all." I sighed. "So what do you need?"
"Alex said everyone needs to practice as a group now. I guess this is the 'most important assignment'." Samuel shrugged. "His words, not mine."
"Well then," I muttered, standing up straight. "I guess we should go practice for this very important assignment. Whataya' say?"
…
My breath got stuck in my throat. Of all the guest mentors, why did they have to choose him? This isn't going to end well…
"Well, I'm ready to see your skills!" Harry Shum Jr., the best dancer on Glee, said excitedly. I was so scared. How the hell was I going to manage to dance well in front of him?
"Get ready," Cameron mumbled to me under his breath.
I nodded, mostly to myself. I would not let Harry psych me out. It was just intimidating, having him there watching me, y'know?
"I knew when we collided," Cam sang, "colliding" with me. My stomach jerked.
I think we did pretty well. Sure, I definitely wasn't the best dancer there, but… I didn't suck. I wasn't terrible, that's for sure.
Samuel ended up winning the homework assignment. I could understand that. His dance moves were good, and definitely unique.
When Harry told Alex it looked like he wasn't really trying, Alex argued. He said he was trying to throw the competition so someone else could be able to win. Honestly, he sounded like a little kid when they "mean" to do something so it didn't look like they messed up. It looked like all a big act.
Everyone else's dancing was really good. I was particularly fond of Lindsay's dance. Although, the girl was adorable, so I would probably like anyone she did. I wasn't in love with her or anything, she's just too beautiful to resist.
"Damo!"
I whipped my head around quickly. I heard something crack in my neck, and I winced in pain. "Cameron, what do ya' need?" I muttered, rubbing my neck. Hopefully it was just a quick, passing pain. I don't want to be injured and have to back out of the competition…
"You did great, man," he said, smiling. His smile looked genuine, like one of a proud father. I couldn't help but to smile back.
"Thanks Cam! You were pretty awesome too. If only I was half as good as you!" My stomach fluttered. It literally felt like there were butterflies in my gut.
"So, do you want to go back to the boy's dorm, or hang here for a while? The others said it's up to you." He laughed. "Damian McGinty, the tie-breaker."
I shrugged, laughing. "Oh, I dunno. Why don't we stay here? We're always in the boy's dorm. Not that I don't like it there, but… We're only in this room once a week. I just don't get tired of it."
Matheus laughed. "Jeeze Damian. We asked you a simple question; we weren't looking for your full explanation!" He paused, looking around. "Well, I guess it's settled then. We'll stay here."
Samuel raised an eyebrow. "And, um, who made you in charge?"
McKynleigh laughed. "Oh, of course Matheus isn't in charge. He's too small." She winked at him to show she was kidding. "Damian was our tie-breaker."
I nodded. "Yup, and I chose to stay in here. Well, um, you know, if that's okay with you…"
Hannah rolled her eyes. "Well dud! We're still here, aren't we? Silly Damian! What's going through your head, boy?"
I thought for a second, trying to visualize what was going through my head at the moment. "Well, um…"
She held up her hand. "Scratch that. I changed my mind. I don't want to know. It's probably some perverted boy crap."
Marissa giggled. "Oh, I doubt Damian would have that dirty of a mind… I mean, look at him! Innocent to the max, am I right?" She smiled warmly. "Oh Damian. You know we adore you."
Cameron snorted. "Adore? Oh, I wouldn't be so sure."
Alex sighed. "Sorry Damian. I love you, as a friend, but adore is too strong of a word. It implies that I like, have a crush on you or something. Which I don't. No offense."
I shrugged. "Hey, none taken. I understand completely." I glared at Cam. "But you, Cameron freaking Mitchell, I expected more from you."
Lindsay giggled. "Since you two are getting all hot and heavy…" I blushed. "Can I choose someone to love, too?"
Matheus gave her a thumbs up. "By all means, go ahead. Damian and Cameron are too in love to realize what's going on around them, anyway."
I know he meant it as a joke, but I got all flustered anyway. I felt embarrassed, exposed, for no reason at all.
"Okay!" Lindsay squealed, standing up. She scampered over to Marissa, who was tying her shoe. "Marissa von Bleicken."
Marissa looked up, surprised. "Lindsay…? You weren't serious, were you…? I mean…"
"Oh, of course not!" Lindsay replied, her voice cracking ever-so slightly. "Anyway…" She grabbed Marissa's hand. "Rissa, will you be my lover for life?"
Marissa giggled. "Of course, Miss Lindsay Pearce!" She blushed, and then smiled. "I mean, of course. I'd love to!"
Samuel harrumphed, shifting in his seat. For a guy who has just won the homework assignment, he didn't look too happy. Then, I remembered. He liked Marissa. Problem was, he didn't know I knew.
"Sam," I murmured quietly. "Samuel, she's just messing around. Don't worry. Lindsay isn't going to turn her lesbian or anything."
His eyes widened and it looked like he was going to say something, but he just nodded.
Hannah plopped down next to me. She put her face close to mine. "Damian, can I ask you something?"
I shrugged. "O' course. You can ask me anything, Hannah."
She smiled. "Well, okay then… Damian Joseph McGinty, are you homosexual?"
I blinked and just sat there speechless. "What? Hannah… What gave you that crazy idea?"
She shrugged. "I don't know. Alex wanted me to ask you. Don't ask me why. I have no clue. I guess a better question, one I actually want to ask, would be this," she shifted in her seat, looking kind of uncomfortable. "What do you do if you like a guy, but have no clue if he likes you back?"
I raised an eyebrow. "Hannah… To be honest, I have no clue. I'm sorry. I'm not very experienced with that. I'm really sorry. Why do you ask?" I wondered, cocking my head to the side.
She laughed. "Mo reason…. I was just curious, that's all."
I nodded. "Oh. I see… That's cool. Are you excited for this week?"
She rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, I'm thrilled. I'm such an expert dancer." She smiled. "I do like the song though," she said, referring to this week's song, "Can't Touch This".
I shook my head. "Yikes. I'm kind of intimidated by it, y'know? I cannot rap. I just… I just can't!"
She shrugged. "I don't know how good I am. I've never tried. I mean, I don't think I'll be great, but… I can't really be that bad, can I?"
I chuckled, smiling. "Hannah, you'll do just fine. I promise. Trust me on this one. You'll be amazing."
…
"I am so done with this!" Matheus groaned, resting his head on the wall.
Cameron sighed, sitting down on the floor. "You can say that again. I'm dying here."
Zach clapped his hands. "Come on, guys! This is only the beginning. We still need to get a lot done today! Who's ready to try again?"
I weakly raised my hand, even though I felt as though I was about to pass out.
"Oh, good. See guys? Damian, McKynleigh, and Alex are willing to keep going. Oh, you too Lindsay? Great." He smiled, looking around. "We could just learn the dance without the rest of you. That would really improve your chanced of doing a last chance performance."
That really seemed to get everyone motivated.
After about twenty minutes of practice, Cameron turned to me. "Hey," he panted, exhausted. "How are you holding up?"
I shrugged, sweat dripping down my back. "Could be better, but I'm not complaining. And yourself?"
He giggled. "Jesus, Damo, your accent is so awesome. I love it." I gave him a confused look as my stomach flipped. He smiled. "They way you say certain things, like yourself. You said it just like this." He pronounced it "yurshulf".
I laughed. "Yikes. I never noticed how weird stuff comes out when I talked. I sound odd…"
Marissa danced passed us. "Not weird, Damian. Just Irish! I think it's cute." She danced away before I could thank you.
"She's right," Cameron said. "It really isn't weird, Damian. Besides, it's what makes you, well, you."
I felt myself blush. "Thanks Cam. I really appreciate it. My voice really isn't that special though."
Lindsay stopped by us to get a drink of water. "Of course it is, Damian. Everyone's voice is special. Even Cameron's regular, ordinary voice is extraordinary in a way!"
He hung his head and sighed. "Thanks, Lindsay. I love you…"
"Love you too!" she gushed, skipping away.
"Thanks for making me feel bad," Cam murmured, looking back at her.
"Oh Cam… I'm sure she means well… She just doesn't know how to say it in the nicest of ways," I said, trying to reassure him.
He shook his head. "Thanks, Damo. I love Lindsay, I do, but… Yikes. She's just a little much for me. Thank goodness we're not dating or anything. I wouldn't be able to live with that."
My eyes widened. "Why? Do you want to be dating her?" For some reason, the thought perturbed me.
"No," he laughed. "I have Macy, remember? She's all the love I can handle at the moment." He paused for a second. "But I love you too, of course. I just don't, you know, love you."
For some reason, that bugged me even more. "I, um, need a drink of water," I mumbled, stepping away. I felt rude, but there was something about our conversation that was driving me crazy.
…
"Damian, are you okay?" Marissa asked, rapping on the bathroom door.
Sitting on the edge of the bathtub, I shook my head. I knew she couldn't see me. "…Yeah. I'm a fine. I'm just a little nauseous, that's all."
I heard her lean up against the door. "Damian… We have to be at the set soon. Will you be okay?"
I opened the door slowly, so I could be sure not to hurt her. "Just tell Erik I'll be a little late… I really just need time to rest. Do you think you could please do that for me?"
She nodded. "Of course. But are you sure you'll be okay in here all along?"
"I'll stay with him," Cameron offered, shrugging.
I shook my head. "No way, Cam. Go to rehearsal. I'll be fine alone."
Lindsay stood up. "I'll stay with you, and I will not take no for an answer!"
I sighed. "Lindsay…"
She grinned. "No, Damian, hush. I'm happy to do it."
I reluctantly nodded. "Well, okay, sure. Fine."
Her face lit up excitedly. "Okay, awesome! Thank you Damian!"
"…You're welcome?" I was very surprised. Lindsay was the very last person I expected to skip some video time for me. I couldn't believe it, to be honest. "But do you think you could leave me be while I rest?"
"Sure," she replied, but I could hear the lie in her sweet little voice.
After everyone left, she plopped down next to me. "Lindsay," I mumbled, my face in my pillow, "You said you'd leave me alone."
She inched closer to me. "I know. I know I'm a dirty, stinking liar. I don't care though." She smiled.
I looked up at her. "Lindsay… Why did you volunteer to stay in here with me when you could be out there, shooting the video?"
She stayed quiet, studying my face. "…There's more to you than meets the eye, isn't there?"
I felt my face twist in confusion. "What?"
She squinted her eyes slightly and turned her head. "But I just can't seem to figure it out…"
I opened my mouth to say something, but quickly closed it. What was I supposed to say? I have no clue what the heck this girl was talking about!"
She chuckled softly. "Damian, you looked very confused."
I nodded. "I can't really comprehend a word you're saying…"
She smiled. "You're adorable when you're confused." She quickly shut her mouth, shaking her head. "But I'm not flirting with you or anything, okay?"
I was very much confused. "Um…. Okay…? Linds, what's going on?"
She swallowed. "Nothing. I'm fine."
I nodded, still confused beyond belief. "We, uh, need to get to the video shoot. We said we'd be late, not that we'd miss it."
She grabbed my wrist, pulling me up. "Okay then, let's go. They probably miss us!"
I stumbled after her. My head whirred in confusion. I always thought Lindsay was interesting, but what was going on with her? And what was she doing, studying my face like that? She told me she wasn't flirting, and I believed her. I've seen what love looks like, and when she was staring into my eyes… I didn't see it. I saw something, though. Confusion? Wonder? Interest? It was mysterious for sure. Lindsay was hard to figure out, but I was going to find out the truth eventually.
We walked out of the set. Erik, Zack, and Robert smiled when they saw us. "Hey, nice of you to join us!" Robert joked.
I grinned. "So, where do I go?" I asked, looking around.
"Over there, with Matheus and Marissa," Erik said, pointing. "I'll come with you, so I can show you your mark and stuff."
I nodded, and then turned to head in the general direction of my mark. "Here?" I asked uncertainly.
He cocked his head, concentrating. "Um… No, a little more to the left. Okay, stop." I obediently obeyed.
We practiced our verses and our dances a few times before we actually started shooting. They had Marissa do a solo "booty-pop" on the wall. Now, I'm not in love with her anything, but… Whoa. I knew she's hot, but… Golly. It was quite sexy.
"We're all committing sins in our heads," I said, staring at her awkwardly.
"Ewwww," Alex giggled, looking away. It seemed silly that he was looking in a different direction. Even the girls were mesmerized by Marissa's dance.
"You okay, Damian?" Cameron asked, smirking.
"I'm fine," I murmured, finally finding myself able to tear my eyes away. "Why do you ask?"
He shrugged. "Oh, no reason. Just that you were caught in some kind of 'Marissa Trance'. Unless, of course, you just in a 'Cameron Trance', thinking about me," he said, winking.
My stomach did a little dance. "Oh, haha. You wish." I laughed, rolling my eyes.
"What up, gals?" Hannah asked, squishing her way in between us. "Talking about your best friend?" She giggled, striking a pose.
"Oh, you mean Marissa? Yes, actually, we were. Glad you noticed," Cameron informed, trying his best to keep a straight face.
Hannah sighed, punching him lightly on the arm. "Whatever. How is your dancing coming along, Damian? From what I saw, you looked pretty good. Am I correct?"
I shrugged. "Well, I could always do a bit better, y'know? But I guess I am doing well. For a week all centered around dancing, I mean."
"I couldn't help overhearing your conversation," McKynleigh said, blushing with a guilty look on her face. "I just wanted to let you know you're all doing amazing. Really, you're all doing amazing. I can't wait to see the completed video!"
Hannah grinned wildly. "Thank you! You're doing awesome, McKynleigh. I'd say your part is the hardest part to rap in the whole song! Your dancing is great, too." They exchanged hugs and McKynleigh scampered away.
"Well, I'd better get back to my mark," Cameron stated, sighing. "Come on, Hannah."
She waved to me. "See ya', Damian! Talk to you later! Good luck with the video."
"Thanks!" I called back, feeling a random pang of jealousy as she walked off with Cam. What's wrong with me?
…
"And that's a wrap!" Erik said, grinning toward us.
I cheered silently. I was extremely sweaty, and still catching my breath. This week was very, very hard. How I'm still alive is quite a mystery.
"You okay?" Marissa asked, offering me a cold bottle of water.
I took it and greedily chugged the whole bottle. "Yes and thank you!"
Cameron laughed at me. "Are you sure you aren't going to die? Damo, you look like you're about to pass out."
"And pass out I will," I muttered, sighing. "I'm really, really tired."
"Then sit down," Hannah suggested, shrugging. "That's what I'm doing… I'm all tuckered out. This week was a challenge."
McKynleigh nodded, panting. "Ain't that the truth? I'm dying here!"
"For the record, I'm not that tired," Alex said, shrugging. "I think I did pretty well this week. How do you guys feel?"
"Well, I'm confident with my dancing, but… Rapping is a lot harder than just singing normally. We'd better not rap again," Samuel said, shaking his head.
"You can say that again," I muttered. "It's definitely not my strongest subject..."
"I think you did pretty well," Matheus said, grinning slightly. "I think I'm actually a pretty okay rapper."
Lindsay pushed him playfully. "Hey now, no need to get cocky on us," she teased, giggling.
Marissa grinned, shifting in her seat. "It's okay, Linds. Cockiness is the first step in becoming an actor bitch. We don't want to get in the way of that, do we?"
Cameron shook his head. "Don't encourage him, guys. Do you really want to have to live with that?"
Matheus giggled. "Don't worry guys. I'm fine. You won't get an actor bitch out of me."
Alex rolled his eyes. "Well, one of us is going to leave this week anyway, so they won't have to hear it."
I shot him a death glare. I really hated talking or thinking about eliminations. Strangely though, it didn't bug my stomach. I'm beginning to think it has nothing to do with this competition.
…
"So… Eliminations tomorrow… How ya' holding up?" Cameron asked, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.
I sighed, shrugging. "I'm really nervous, that's for sure. I don't think I did that great… You've seen my dancing, you know I suck!"
He laughed. "That's not true. Stop saying that to yourself. It'll just make you worse. You know that, right?"
I shook my head. "Um… Nu-uh."
"Well, if you say something enough, you'll just believe it enough for it to be true. And that will just make you worse." He looked at me, pleading with his eyes. "Don't discourage yourself, Damo."
Reluctantly, I nodded. My stomach tightened, but I barely took notice to it. They seemed to become more and more common, so I just learned to ignore them. It wasn't easy at first, but eventually, I got the hang of it. Now, I could do pretty much anything and say almost everything I wanted without being bothered. It was quite a nice feeling. "Thanks Cam. You either." I sighed. "I just wish we could both win."
He chuckled. "Same here. Hannah too. And… How about Samuel? He's a pretty cool guy."
I smiled. "Maybe Marissa and Lindsay, too? Could they tag along with us?"
"Heck, why don't we just take everyone? Emily, Ellis, and Bryce included," Cameron said, grinning.
Samuel stepped out of the bathroom, looking rather surprised to see us. "Aren't you guys supposed to be somewhere?"
Cameron shrugged. "It's our free time, isn't it? Why can't we spend it in our own room?"
Samuel shook his head. "No, I just thought… I expected you guys would be with Hannah and them."
Cameron looked surprised. "Why did you think that? Do we need to be there? Is there something important we're missing?"
"Well, no, I just… You're always hanging out with Hannah, so I guess I just expected you to be with her. Sorry."
"Well, I guess we could go over there now. Marissa's hanging with them," I said, glancing knowingly at Samuel.
Cameron must have noticed and realized what was going on. "Wait, you… And Marissa? Really?"
I mouthed "I'm sorry" to show Samuel that I didn't mean for Cameron to find out.
"Well, no…" He sighed. "Nothing's going on between us, I promise. But, gosh… She's simply beautiful. It seems almost impossible not to like her."
"I know what you mean," I said, grinning. "Marissa's amazing. Samuel, if I were you, I'd go for it. What do you have to lose?"
Cameron gave me a look that could only be described as confused. "How could they go on a date when we're confined to this building?"
I shrugged. "Oh, I don't know… Maybe we could talk to Robert or Zach and see if they'll let them have dinner alone or something."
Samuel's eyes kept darting to the door nervously. He was probably afraid Marissa was just going to waltz right on in. "But… Don't I have some competition?"
I snorted. "Between who? Alex and Matheus? Because I'm highly certain that out of all of us, you would be her first pick."
"Well, uh, okay then. I guess I could give it a shot," he said, looking at the door again. "Well, wish me luck then! Thanks for the advice, guys." He walked out of the dorm, glowing with confidence.
"Did you ever have a girlfriend?" Cameron asked, leaning up against the bed frame.
"Yes," I said, like it was obvious. "Back in Ireland. I loved her to death, but I had to leave her. I wanted this too much."
"Do you regret it?" he asked softly, staring up at the roof.
I looked at the dorm I was in. I looked everything around me, and I looked back at Cameron. "No. Not at all…"
…
I gulped, sitting silently in the Room. Luckily, I wasn't in the bottom three, and neither was Cam. Hannah, Marissa, and Lindsay were safe too. This week, Alex, Matheus, and McKynleigh were performing for Ryan Murphy. Alex was kind of understandable. He didn't really look like he was really trying at all this week. He just acted sort of out of it. Matheus was acting kind of, well… Like a man-diva, I guess. I loved the little guy, but he really seemed to get on my nerves this week. McKynleigh was the only one that was a surprise to me. I personally thought she did really well this week. She looked like she was trying very hard, and she seemed to be enjoying herself.
Everyone sat silently, worried about our fellow contenders. "So, um…" Lindsay started, breaking the deadly silence. "It's nice to know we'll get another change, but, um… I kind of really don't want any of them to leave. They're, you know… My friends." She looked down and I saw a tear stream down her face.
Marissa pulled her close into a friendly hug. "Sh… It's okay, Lindsay… Look on the bright side; they all got to meet the amazing Lindsay Pearce!"
Lindsay attempted to smile. "Thank you, Rissriss," she muttered, burying her face into Marissa's stomach. Marissa rubbed comforting circles into her back
I sighed, resting my arm on one of the small, white pillows. "I know what you mean, Lindsay. I'm really, really stoked that I'll be here for next week, but at the same time, I also feel bad that one of them has to go home. It really just isn't fair, y'know?" I forced a small smile.
Cameron jumped in surprise when the door to the Room opened. Matheus, Alex, and McKynleigh walked in, looking understandably nervous.
Alex was the first one to speak up. "I doubt I'm going to be kicked off this week. I did really well, in my opinion. If I get kicked off, it'll be a surprise."
Samuel rolled his eyes. "Don't get cocky, dude. That'll just make things worse for you. If they show this stuff on TV, fans may think you're just an ignorant bitch."
Hannah glared at Samuel. She hated it when we called each other names. I thought it was sweet.
Matheus chuckled. "I almost dropped the microphone. I was dancing around, ripping my shirt off… It was crazy. Ryan Murphy laughed. I think that was a good sign…"
McKynleigh managed a smile, looking both confident and nervous. "I think I did pretty well. They gave me the best song, 'Last Name'! I nailed it, but I don't know if I nailed it well enough…" She gnawed on her fingernail nervously.
"I'm sure you all did great," Cameron encouraged. He looked almost as scared as McKynleigh. It was pretty heartbreaking, actually. Seeing him that sad… It hurt me, and I didn't know why.
"Thanks," Alex muttered, looking at the clock. "I'm very interested in seeing the list now… This is intense."
Marissa raised her eyebrow. "Getting intense? Alex, it's only the fourth week! How is it already intense?"
Lindsay looked up at her, shocked. "You better be kidding… Marissa, it was intense from the get go!"
Marissa smiled. "Well, duh! Man, this competition has been a crazy, nerve-wracking, gut-wrenching production ever since I sent my audition video in. I can't be the one to say this isn't intense."
"Can we please stop saying that word?" Hannah whined, laughing. "It's driving me crazy!"
We all giggled. For an elimination day, the mood was pretty uplifting. Everyone was having fun, savoring their last minutes with whoever was getting the boot.
The Room's door opened behind us. The mood immediately darkened. Everyone let out a sigh, turning to face Robert. The feeling I had right now could only be described as pure worry.
"Well guys, sadly, the time has come again. This week, it was very hard to reach our decision. Good luck." And with that, he left the room, leaving us filled with pain and worry.
Alex, Matheus, and McKynleigh left the room. After waiting around five minutes or so, the rest of us quickly followed. We saw McKynleigh sitting on the piano chair, looking miserable. Tears ran down her cheeks. It broke my heart, seeing her like that. We all tried our best to comfort her. I have her a hug. The others gave her kind words of encouragement. When it was time for her to leave, Cam stopped her.
"McKynleigh, wait!" he called breathlessly. "These… Are for you." He handed her a few yellow flowers.
Her face lit up. "Cameron! You did not just do that! Thank you so much!" She gave him a huge hug. I felt a pang of jealousy.
Tears were shed as McKynleigh walked out of the room. She was an amazing young woman, and the competition would not be the same without her. I was really going to miss her. A wave of sadness washed over me.
"Cameron? I… I miss her already," I said, still staring at the door.
"Me too," he muttered, also gazing at the door. "Me too…"
