Disclaimer: I don't own Instant Star. I do however own the songs and the poetry used. If I didn't write it then I will gladly credit the original artists and/or writers.

Songs Used: Addicted-Kelly Clarkson

Chapter 19: Day One (Getting off the Addiction)

Tommy and I walked into G-Major and it was exactly six o'clock. We walked into the studio hand in hand.

"Alright, day one, lets see what you can do." He whispered in my ear.

"Started" I said. We walked into Studio A and began mixing the song that we recorded yesterday.

By the time we finished recording and mixing the song had taken seven hours to complete, so I was hoping that Darius liked it. Oh yeah, and guess what, I blame Darius for met getting in that bet. I don't know how but I blame him.

"This is great." Darius said as he switched the c.d. off.

"We hoped that you'd like it." I said.

"It will be released later on this month as you're new single. I also need you both to decide on what you want to do for the video for 'Where you are'. I should have asked you sooner but, Jude's album just got released." He said.

"Do you want us to do the concept ourselves?" Tommy asked him.

"Yes, that would be wonderful. I need something by tomorrow morning. The video shoot starts tomorrow night." Darius said.

I looked at Tommy and he looked back. He had this cocky smile like he might actually win this bet but, he was dead wrong. We walked out of Darius's office and into Studio C to start working on the video concept.

"You know that deadline is cutting it close right?" He said.

"I know but, then again who says that we have to kiss in the video. We could just wait until the end that way the two days would be up." I said.

"You really want to win this don't you?"

"Duh, I really don't want you reading my journal." I said.

"Well, it's eight forty-five now that means that you have exactly forty hours to go to win the bet." He said. He reached over to me and his lips lightly brushed mine. I was tempted to kiss him right then and there but, I didn't. I pushed him away.

"Stop tempting me damn it." I said.

"Why?"

"I'm supposed to be trying to get you to break the bet."

"Well, dang it, I don't want you reading my journal just yet." I said.

I moved closer to him. He got his cocky little smile back on his face and I moved like I was going to kiss him but, I didn't. I let him move towards me and then I ducked out of the way.

"I almost had you" He said.

"Not by a long shot Quincy."

"Can we please start this video concept?" He asked with his annoyed voice.

"Alright, we could be….." I said.

"Well spit it out Harrison."

"I'm thinking Quincy. You know how I am. Leave me alone for a minute." I said.

I pulled a piece of paper and a pen and I started writing out ideas and drawing concepts every once in a while I would yell I got it, and then end up ripping the idea to shreds and start another one.

Jeez, this is taking too long." He said.

"Well then Mr. Quincy get off your ass and start doing some of the work. You're in this video to." I said.

"Fine." He said. He grabbed a notepad and a pen and started writing down ideas. He was already more frustrated than I was and I had been doing this for hours.

"See Quincy, it's not that easy is it?" I said.

"Your right it's not, but we need this done. It's been three hours and we don't have one idea." He said.

"I know alright. But my mind is blank, and I mean it, B L A N K" I said.

"I haven't had writers block in at least four years, and now it's like I' never going to get rid of it." He said. He came laid down beside me. I was on the floor with my arms spread out and I was lying on my back.

"Oh I'm sorry. I'll try to make you frustrated more often." I said, playfully punching him in the side.

"Don't be funny Harrison." He said.

"I'm not." I said.

"Good, then I won't have to hurt you later."

"You wouldn't dare hurt me. I'm just a poor sweet innocent little girl." I said batting my eyes.

"You might taste sweet but you're not innocent Jude Elizabeth Harrison." He said to me. I was so tempted to kiss him but, I didn't give into temptation. "Oh yeah, we also need to put being a teas into the list of things not to do during the bet." He said.

"Nope."

"Give me two good reasons why not?"

"Alright, the first is because the bet has already started and secondly because that takes the fun out of everything for me." I pointed out.

"Alright, you have me. It's not going to be added into the bet." He said.

"Thank you." I said. "Now let me get back to the video concept." I went back into my thoughts.

I had this concept in my head but, I couldn't put it down on paper. It was driving me insane. I hated when I got something in my head but, I get it out of my head. It got on my last nerve and I hated it.

"Jude, you haven't written anything in the past hour."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know that I spaced out for so long. I have had this mental image in my head for the last two hours, and I can't put it down on paper."

"Do you think it could be a potential concept?"

"Yes, I think that it could be really good if I could just get the idea on the freaking paper." I said in an agitated tone.

"Come on, let's go and get some lunch and maybe we can concentrate afterwards."

"Fine with me, let's go." I said jumping to my feet and grabbing Tommy's hand to help him up. After he got his balance we walked out of Studio C hand in hand.

We left G-Major and walked to the deli around the corner. When we walked in we felt eyes on us but, we ignored them. We had been public figures for far too long, to let random people staring at us run us out of a restaurant when we are both starving.

"Hi, what can I get for you?" the waiter asked when we took our seats.

"Umm, I'll have a ham, bacon and pepperoni sandwich on white bread with honey mustard, and a mountain dew to drink." I said.

"and, what would you like sir?"

"I'll have a b.m.l.t with white bread and mayo with an espresso shot and water." He said.

"Alright, I will be right back with your drink orders." He said and he walked off.

"So you have made it five hours. Let's see how much longer you can go." He said.

"Just stop it. I will, make it and you need to stop being so sure of yourself." I said.

"You're the one who is being arrogant."

"How am I being arrogant?" I asked.

"Well you are way to sure that you're going to win this bet when anything and I mean anything can happen."

"That does not have grounds for arrogance."

"It does in my book." I said. He grabbed my hand a placed it on the table inside of his. We sat there in silence for a long minute until the server interrupted with our drinks.

"You know what Quincy?"

"What Harrison?"

"I'll give you grounds for arrogance. When I first met you, you barely talked to me, plus you were this huge jackass, you acted like my songs weren't good enough and you didn't smile the first six months that I knew you." I said.

"Your right, I was being arrogant." He said.

"Wow, I got Little Tommy Q to agree with me." I mocked him.

"Don't you dare call me that."

"Really, what are you gonna do about it. You can't kiss me, and you can't give sexual favors so what are you going to do, Little Tommy Q?" I said.

"Hey Jude" he sang like from the Beatles song.

"Tommy you're pushing it." I said.

"Well, what are you going to do about it Jude?" He sang.

"Here are you're orders." The waiter said, and he placed out food on the table in front of us.

"Thank you." We both said to him.

"Let me know if you need anything else." He said, and he turned around and walked away.

"I didn't get to finish my thoughts on you yet Quincy." I said.

"Jude, you can't do anything to stop me. You can't kiss me, and you can't do any sexual favors." He said mocking me.

"Ugh, and your still being an ass." I said.

"Oh shut up and eat Harrison." He said taking a big bite out of his sandwich.

We spent the remainder of our meal in silence and we stole occasional looks at one another when random people weren't looking. Whenever I smiled, he smiled back. It felt so good to be out with Tommy. I loved it, and I knew he did to. At random moments I would look at my ring finger and I smiled. Tommy knew what I was smiling about and he just laughed at me.

The waiter brought us the bill and Tommy threw some money down to cover it. We walked outside hand in hand and we walked towards the park. Tommy threw me over his back and I put my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist and we walked like that through the park.

The wind started to blow and my hair ruffled from the blow. Tommy's perfectly gelled hair just stayed in place. I hated it when his hair did that, but it was one of those things that you get used to.

"I love you." I whispered into Tommy's ear.

"I love you too girl." He said back.

We both heard the thunder rumble in the skyline and we saw the lightening, and the rain started to fall. Tommy ran with me still on his back, all the way back to G-Major. We got inside and we were both soaking wet. Tommy let me down off of his back and I was freezing.

"What the hell happened to you to?" Darius asked.

"We went out for lunch and then the rain fell hard." I said.

"Do you have any new concepts for the video?"

"Nope, I have one but, I can't get it out on paper."

"Well see what you both can do, you're on a deadline here." Darius said walking off back into his office.

"Well that was entertaining. We need to get back to work." I wrapped my hair up in a towel from the hospitality cabinets and walked back into Studio C to finish recording.

"So what exactly are we doing back in here?" He asked.

"I'm going to make a new video concept." I said slaying down on the floor with my stomach on the ground.

I had ideas flowing in my head, and this time they were actually making it onto the paper. The concept that was flowing out of my head that we were in two separate places and like we were singing to each other. I was in a hotel somewhere and he was somewhere else. Where I was it was snowing and where he was it was raining, and about three hours later I was drawing a perfect sketch of the concept.

"That's good Jude."

"Thanks, it's still a work in progress." I said.

I finally finished it and it was perfect. I didn't know how it was going to be done but, I had a feeling that it was going to work. I looked up at the clock and it was six forty-five.

"Come on, let's go and show it to Darius." We walked out of the studio and into Darius's office.

"D, can we come in?" Tommy asked him.

"Yeah, what you got for me?"

"The video concept." I said handing him the papers that the pictures were drawn on. He looked at them and seemed impressed.

"This is good, this is very good. I like this idea." He said. Tommy and I looked at each other and we smiled.

"Than you. Jude came up with herself." Tommy said.

"Well Jude, you proved it now, you're multi-talented in the hardest areas." Darius said.

"Thanks D, so when do we start shooting?" I asked.

"Tomorrow night, I will call you and let you know the location." He said. We both walked out of the office and into Tommy's office. I was the first in and Tommy shut the door behind us.

I walked over to the couch and sat down, I grabbed a pen and paper and I started scribbling down words. I was humming the tune and writing it down as I went. I was drawing hand drawn notes on the crappy staff that I made. After about thirty minutes I was done. I had my new song.

"So Harrison, can I see it?"

"You can ear it, I'm gonna go and get SME so we can record." I said running out the door and noticed that Karma and Spied were singing something in Studio A. I walked in and Kwest was sitting behind the soundboard with Wally and Kyle.

"I didn't know they were doing a duet?" I said to them all.

"They just decided to do one; I had no idea at all." The music stopped and they nodded for Kwest to press the stop button. "That it guys?" Kwest asked.

"Yeah, for now at least." Karma said. She and Spied walked out of the sound booth together and I grabbed Spied's arm to hold up a minute.

"What's up dude I mean Jude?" He said.

"Come on here are some copies of the music I want to record this asap." I said.

"Alright, we can do this it's easy, let's get this over with." They said walking into the other part of the studio. I walked into the recording booth and I put the headphones on. I nodded at Spied to start and Tommy to press record. I started singing.

It's like you're a drug
It's like you're a demon I can't face down
It's like I'm stuck
It's like I'm running from you all the time
And I know I let you have all the power
It's like the only company I seek is misery all around
It's like you're a leech
Sucking the life from me
It's like I can't breathe
Without you inside of me
And I know I let you have all the power
And I realize I'm never gonna quit you over time

I opened my eyes and I looked Tommy straight on. He knew I wrote this song about him but, I don't think anyone else in the room noticed. I smiled and I closed my eyes and moved onto the chorus.


It's like I can't breathe
It's like I can't see anything
Nothing but you
I'm addicted to you
It's like I can't think
Without you interrupting me
In my thoughts
In my dreams
You've taken over me
It's like I'm not me
It's like I'm not me

I opened my eyes and Tommy was still staring at me but, he was whispering something to Kwest at the same time. Karma looked stunned that I was recording so soon after my album release.


It's like I'm lost
It's like I'm giving up slowly
It's like you're a ghost that's haunting me
Leave me alone
And I know these voices in my head
Are mine alone
And I know I'll never change my ways
If I don't give you up now

It's like I can't breathe
It's like I can't see anything
Nothing but you
I'm addicted to you
It's like I can't think
Without you interrupting me
In my thoughts
In my dreams
You've taken over me
It's like I'm not me
It's like I'm not me

I'm hooked on you
I need a fix
I can't take it
Just one more hit
I promise I can deal with it
I'll handle it, quit it
Just one more time
Then that's it
Just a little bit more to get me through this
I'm hooked on you
I need a fix
I can't take it
Just one more hit
I promise I can deal with it
I'll handle it, quit it
Just one more time
Then that's it
Just a little bit more to get me through this

It's like I can't breathe
It's like I can't see anything
Nothing but you
I'm addicted to you
It's like I can't think
Without you interrupting me
In my thoughts
In my dreams
You've taken over me
It's like I'm not me
It's like I'm not me

When I finished singing, I took the headphones off and I walked out of the sound booth. I was impressed at how fast SME played the music and understood it. I walked over and stood Next to Tommy, and I felt our hands brush against one another. I felt an electric shock run through my body.

After about what it felt like ten hours of mixing, the song was finally done. I was tired and dead on my feet, I just wanted to go home and sleep nothing more. I was glad that I was so tired, because tomorrow we had the day off until we had to go in for the video shoot. So now it was the end of Day One.