A/N: So I promised another chapter this weekend and from my end, I have an hour and a half left before Monday is here, so technically I'm not late.
I hope you guys like this one. I just finished Mason's performance, so that will be up tomorrow. I guess there really isn't anything to say.
Wow, that's really weird. Nothing to ramble on. Hmm...I'll have to think of something for tomorrow then. :D
THANK YOU to laugh32. Here is more. :D
THANKS MUCHO! (A/N at the bottom too!)
"So I wanted to say I was sorry," Karma said, leaning against an amp in front of SME.
Spied heard Karma perfectly clear, but acted as if he wasn't paying attention. He looked up to see Karma fidgeting with the hem of her dress. "Wait," Karma looked at Spied, "Guys," the rest of SME looked up from their instruments, "Now what were you saying?"
Karma swallowed hard and stared back at the three pair of eyes looking at her. "I was saying, I'm sorry."
"We accept-" Wally started.
Spied snapped his head to his side and glared at Wally. "No. Some of us don't."
Kyle rolled his eyes. "Spied," Spied turned his head to face his other friend, "She said she was sorry. What more do you want?"
A moment of silence passed. "I don't know," Spied said, shrugging his shoulders.
Wally and Kyle shook their heads. "Come on. You act like you're an innocent one," Wally stated.
Kyle scoffed. "Please. You usually laugh off your apologies."
Spied smiled widely and nodded. "True."
Wally and Kyle turned back to their instruments once they realized their friend was back to his old self. "Spied," Karma called, still leaning against the amp in front of Spied.
"What?" Spied asked, looking at Karma.
"I am truly sorry. It was below the belt, I know." Karma's eyes actually showed remorse. Maybe Jude was rubbing off on her. Maybe.
"Yeah, it was, but the guys are right. I accept," Spied announced, smiling.
"Good. Because if you continued to hate me, I don't know how I would have handled it," Karma whispered hesitantly.
"You care that I hate you?" Spied asked, his eyebrows rose in disbelief.
Karma smiled for the first time since she arrived to talk to SME. "Of course I do. I like you. A lot."
Spied's face contorted into confusion. "Wait. What?"
A stage hand walked in front of SME. Karma looked at him, smiling. "Karma. Dressing room. You're on in 15!"
Karma walked away never glancing behind her to see Spied's face as he gaped at her confession or answering his question.
Jude sat in her dressing room, wondering if she was doing the right thing. It was hard for her to accept the fact that she needed this to go out there and perform. It was a gimmick; like Britney Spears. Jude shuddered at the thought. 'I am not Britney Spears.'
But that was the thing. Would Britney Spears be as popular without all of her "stuff"? The dancers, costumes, provocative moves? Hell no. She needed all that to cover up for her lack of talent; maybe a decent dancer, but singer? Please.
Jude wondered if this was what she had to do. 'Look like this to sing?' she thought, 'I've cared what I looked like before, but this?' Pointing to herself in the mirror, she thought, 'This is an overdose.'
The voices in her head echoed her thoughts, 'An overdose. A Rock Star overdose.'
Jude smiled, knowing she had done the right thing.
The bearable hum that was placed over the room became baited breath as the sold-out crowd saw Patsy take the stage. The show was ready to start.
"Hey kids, my name is Patsy," she read off of an index card in her hand, "and I've been given the lame duty of introducing your Instant Stars tonight," she continued ad-libbing when she felt appropriate.
D loudly cleared his throat as he glared at Patsy from the back of the room as the crowd became dead silent.
Patsy looking unfazed, continued, "The boss man has spoken. On with the show. First up is Miss Naughty herself, your third Instant Star, KARMA!" Patsy finished, reading the card again.
Karma walked out on stage in a deep purple wrap dress and stiletto boots to a large crowd of cheers and cat calls. Patsy walked off the stage in the other direction in her usual form; dreads, combat boots, ripped jeans, and lots of black.
"Thank you!" Karma said, smiling. "I won Instant Star with this song and I felt like I owed it to you to perform it my way, but not as an Instant Star hopeful but as one of the only three Instant Stars EVER!"
The crowd grew louder and the pulsating vibrations that ran through the walls made Karma smile wider.
Karma heard a countdown in her ear and five seconds later, the beginning guitar riffs started to echo throughout and the crowd screamed, starting to dance to their own rhythms.
Friends are telling me I lost my mind
When I hooked up with you
Maybe that's true
Karma walked to the left side of the stage and winked at a group of high school boys who tried to play into the "I'm too cool for school" attitude and would never be caught dead near a Jude Harrison concert. Yet, here they were, listening to Karma sing one of her songs and liking it; their heads banging to each Spiederman riff.
Said that I'll wake up one day
Asking what did I do
Maybe that's true too
Karma looked away from the boys and out into the sea of people and smiled. Each guest was singing along with her and she had never felt more at peace than at that moment; standing in front of people who knew her and liked her.
When I'm with you everything's alright
All I know is how I feel
When you're with me
Karma moved to the center of the stage and held her microphone tighter in her hand. She pulled it closer to her face so that if she needed to bring out her sultry side, it wouldn't look weird. Appearance was everything.
Waste my time, waste my time
Not so sure that I'll be yours
And baby you could be mine
It's all about hanging out
Cause you know how to waste my time
Karma walked to the right side of the stage and down a set of stairs. A Vinyl security guard stood near her as she started to serenade the crowd in front of her. Kwest and Quincy watched Karma work the crowd in front of them from their position at their makeshift mixing room. Both men knew the song by heart and as soon as it started were banging their earphone-clad heads to the riffs that filled the club.
Nothing like an empty day
With nowhere to be
You're right there with me
Laughing as the world goes by
How we let the day
Moving way too fast
Karma took her microphone away from her mouth and placed it in front a couple who was swaying together; the guy's arms wrapped around the young girl. Both looked shocked that Karma would ask them to sing, but the feeling was infectious and they started a few seconds after, all the while looking into each other's eyes.
Cause when I'm with you I don't really care
What they all want me to be
I just want you beside me
Karma moved back on stage as the chorus started. She put one arm up in the air and started waving it back and forth. Soon the entire room was swaying with their arms to the ceiling.
Waste my time, waste my time
Not so sure that I'll be yours
And baby you could be mine
It's all about hanging out
Cause you know how to waste my time
As Karma finished the last line of the chorus, she started to sway her hips as Shay's voice flowed through the amps, but the sound was louder and rougher than what Tommy had laid on her track. A shadow formed into a person as Shay walked on stage to crowd screaming as if it were the Sixties and the Beatles had made their way on stage. Karma looked to her right to see what the commotion was and came face to face with Canada's hip-hop heartthrob.
Call me Shay on the M-I-C
When you listenin' to me
She was confused to say the least as his appearance was completely unexpected and she had no idea he would be there or that she was sharing the stage with S to the H to the A to the Y, The Shay. The Shay continued his rap and Karma's confused face turned into an entoxicatedly happy one and she began to dance next to Shay as if she was Beyonce.
You be listenin' to b bumpin'
To the rhythm they'll be given
When we hit em with the beats on the streets
Don't forget the way we livin', yo
(Waste my time)
Karma continued to sing between the crowd and Shay. Karma's eyes widened as she thought about what she was doing for the first time since Shay had entered the stage. The Shay was there, but so was Jude. She had finally gotten on semi-decent terms with her and now she was messing it up by performing with her ex. Karma thought about it about it a bit more as she sang.
You girl on the other side of the wall
(Waste my time)
I like the way you move your body, and if you fall
(not so sure that I'll be yours)
I'll be the one that's gonna catch you before you hit the ground
(Baby you could be mine)
I'm feeling your sound
Karma thought Jude would understand, it was about the music and nothing else. Jude knew how Karma was; all the backstabbing and childish games Karma played just to move a few spaces ahead of Jude or whoever was in her way. It was all a game and Karma was one of the many players. Jude would understand.
It's all about (yeah girl, it's all about)
Hanging out (you know, we hanging out)
Cause you know how to waste my time
Jude stood backstage with SME and Mason as they waited for their turn on stage. Mason was going over some arrangement when she stopped to listen to Karma. 'Wow, she sounds really good," she thought, "Tommy did wonders with Shay's rapping.' Jude stepped away from the boys to follow the sound on stage. At stage right she stopped. Stopped breathing to be exact. It was him. She let go of the vision in front of her and eyed the crowd. Tommy and Kwest were in their producer mode, looking unhappy and sneaking comments in here and there through clenched teeth. Jude kept looking. In the back of the room, standing on a staircase was the guy she had been looking for. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to throw daggers at him from her place in the wings as Karma and Shay continued to sing.
Waste my time (wasting my time)
Waste my time (yeah, yeah)
Not so sure that I'll be yours
But baby you could be mine (you could be mine)
Shay felt Jude's presence as he saw her from the corner of his eye. He stole a glance over and saw her fuming. She caught him staring and he shrugged as he rapped. He mouthed 'sorry' as fast as possible as he tried to keep up with Karma. Jude didn't care. She was done. Over it. Over it all. Karma didn't notice Jude standing in the corner and pulled Shay closer to her as they danced and sang the rest of the chorus.
It's all about (yeah girl, it's all about)
Hanging out (we hanging out)
Cause you know how to waste my time (wasting my time)
The crowd cheered as the song ended.
"Thank you!" Karma and Shay said in unison, bowing together.
Patsy walked on stage and in her most fake voice announced, "Give it up for Karma!!!" Patsy turned her head and noticed the guy next to Karma. Her eyes widened, but she recovered quickly.
"And um, Shay."
Karma winked out at the crowd and swayed her hips off the stage. Shay walked behind Karma, not before looking over his shoulder to check if Jude was still there, but there was no one except a Vinyl Palace security guard.
A/N: So many of you were right. It was Shay on the phone with Darius. :D
Anyway, I know that technically the way Karma sang "Waste My Time" is not actually her way, it's still Jude's and I actually had planned on using Karma's version from the IS3 soundtrack (which despite the lack of Alexz, isn't half bad. You should check it out!), but when I listened to it, some of the lyrics were changed and there was no Shay (which makes sense, but I didn't think about it at the time.), which messed up my Shay appearance, so I left her singing the original version.
I think that's it…get ready for MASON!!!!!
Here is another preview, since I believe you all deserve it:
Girls screamed loudly as Mason blushed his way on stage. 'If they only knew,' Mason chuckled to himself. He pulled the microphone stand closer to him and looked over to his left. Spied looked back Mason and nodded, just once. Everything was set in motion.
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Darius firing her also floated through her mind. You never knew what he was capable of pulling. Obviously; example number one: his nephew, her ex, magically appearing on stage with Karma.
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"Did you come up with that on your own?" D rebutted, his eyes narrowing.
"No. You wrote it for me. Like you do everything else," Shay responded, bringing some of their past into the mix. He shook his head and walked away, leaving D to ponder Shay's original comment.