Chapter 4: Talent Times Two

"Yo! Dude and dudette making out on the blanket! I think you're supposed to stop kissin' and get up on stage now!" said a very annoyed man with dark hair and a scowl on his face.

Duncan and Courtney stopped kissing and stared at the man for about five seconds. Then they both noticed something strange. They were both really hot and sweaty. Looking up, they both saw that two huge spotlights from the center stage had landed on them. All of the eyes of the fans, the band, and even some of the stage crew were staring and cheering at them.

"Uhhh... Duncan? What's going on?" whispered Courtney in an anxious tone.

"I dunno, Princess. Maybe we were being to loud." said Duncan with a smirk.

"Well, looks like we got a COUPLE that's going to help us out tonight! How 'bout we give them a hand with a round of applause to get 'em up here? C'mon! I can't HEAR you!" said Hayley in a sing-song voice.

The crowd all around them screamed and cheered at the couple while they had puzzled expressions on their faces. Duncan then realized what they had to do. Eagerly, he grabbed Courtney's sweaty hand and pulled her, along with him, towards the stage.

"Duncan, what're you doing?" she hissed in a hushed tone.

"Don't you get it? We've been tagged! We're gonna sing! On. The. STAGE!" he said with a smiling face.

"WHAT?! Duncan, please! No! I hate crowds!" she said as she kicked and squirmed.

"Huh," said one man in the audience to the woman next to him, "that must be a new dance move that girl is doing. She's dancing her way to the stage!"

*******

Sweat was rolling down Courtney's forehead and cheeks as Duncan gently pulled her up onto the stage. She must have been there for a while, glued to the floor almost, so much that it caused Duncan to say, 'Come on, they won't bite.' Nervously, she walked across the stage and watched the crowd cheer and applaud as she went to grab her microphone.

"So," said Hayley in her totally-cool manner, "what's your name, girl?"

"Umm... my name's Courtney. And that's Duncan."

"Sweet names! Let's give 'em another round of applause before they sing the last verse! Whaddaya say, guys?" Hayley said into the microphone. She smiled to herself when she heard the entire amount of 23 thousand people around her cheer out Courtney and Duncan's names.

"Kay, Courtney, is it?" said Hayley as Courtney nodded. "Courtney, don't be so nervous. Just sing the songs of the last verse the best you can, and you'll be fine. You can do it!" she whispered as she put the microphone into Courtney's hand.

Stepping back, Courtney and Duncan heard the beginning guitar strums of the last verse. Duncan started out the song with a firm and flowing voice. Courtney was amazed. 'I had no idea he had such an incredible voice... he sounds like David Archuleta.' she thought to herself. She almost missed her cue, but she closed her eyes and started to sing.

Pain, make your way to me. (to me)
And I'll always be just so inviting.
If I ever start to think straight,
This heart will start a riot in me,
Let's start... Start, hey!

Courtney sounded so beautiful and clean with her voice, though she never seemed the type to sing an alternative/rock song as well as she did. Duncan and Courtney continued singing together until the last bit, when they slowed down a bit at the last verse:

I can't trust myself with anything but this,
And that's what you get when you let your heart win, whoa.

At the very end of the song, Duncan and Courtney smiled at each other while the crowd screamed their names and Hayley bounded onto the stage with a wide grin on her face.

"Let's give it up for Duncan and Courtney one more time guys!" she said enthusiastically into the mic.

"Duncan, I had no idea you could sing like that. It was totally amazing!" said Courtney as they held hands while walking down the steps.

"Hey, I didn't either. It didn't surprise me that you sounded like Demi Lovato and Sarah Brightman." he said while he winked at the crowd.

"Well, I think that it's been awesome here. You know, the music, the singing, the stars the—"

"—making out?" said Duncan with a smirk.

"Pig. Just take me home now, okay?" she giggled with a hint of pink on her face.

"Okay, fine. Take away all of our fun and possibly more..." he said as he walked her over to their motorcycle. As Duncan was strapping on his black skull helmet, a pair of hands stopped him from getting into the seat.

"WHAT do you think you're doing?" said Courtney with her hands on her hips.

"I'm about to, you know, drive?" he said as he rolled his eyes.

"You're so CUTE when you're so DUMB. I'm driving so that we don't get into a motorcycle accident. If we do, my parents will put a restraining order against you. Again." she said as she slipped into the seat. "And just a fair warning: Hands around my stomach and NO HIGHER. Don't give me that 'confused look' of yours; you know what I mean by that!"

Duncan laughed a little to himself. She was so cute when she gave him her little 'demands.'

"Fine, fine, Princess. Whatever suits your needs." he said as they slowly progressed to her house.

*******

As she kissed Duncan goodbye at her doorstep, she felt like she was floating on Cloud 9. Bridgette had texted her after the concert saying that her parents never called, and she got to sing with one of her favorite bands in the world. Everything was perfect. She sighed happily to herself and walked into her large entryway. After hanging up her coat and spitting out her gum, she went into the living room to watch some late-night TV before going to bed. When she walked in, her parents were sitting on the couch.

"Hello, mother. Father. How was your night while I was at Bridgette's house?"

"We were about to ask the same thing. We need to talk."

Courtney stared at them, dumbstruck.

"Whatever do you mean, mother?"

"Courtney, we have just seen something despicable on our television. We were scrolling through the programs and observed a band playing in Central Park. You were with that delinquent singing on a stage to an inappropriate song! You are in HUGE trouble, young lady!"

*******

Author's Note: Dun dun DUUUUUN! What will happen to Courtney? What will happen to their relationship? Find out soon with my next chapter! ;)