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THE AMERICAN DREAM |
The Idea (Prologue) |
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of the O.C. or American Idol. All rights belong to the Fox network.
Author's Note: This silly idea came to me today and wouldn't rest until it was written. My apologies upfront to Simon, Paula and Randy. I never thought I would write a fanfic involving real people but in this story, it's rather unavoidable. I will do my best not to portray them in a negative light and keep this in the spirit of good, clean fun. Enjoy!
An idea had begun forming in Seth Cohen's mind ever since he'd spent the better part of last night surfing the net. At first, he'd dismissed it as insane. Stupid. Perhaps insanely stupid. But this morning in the shower, as the warm spray began to waken his senses to another day, the idea crept back as insistent as ever. By the time he'd towelled off and jumped into his clothes, his mind was made up. Now he just had to face the task of convincing his friends that the idea could become reality.
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Shielding his eyes against the sun's glare, Seth surveyed the lunchtime crowd until he spotted the gang at their usual table. And to top it off, everyone he wanted to have assembled were already there. Perfect.
"Hey," he greeted them brightly, slapping his tray on the table.
He was answered by a chorus of 'heys' and it struck him just how utterly bored they sounded. He had just the remedy to stir things up.
"Listen, guys," he began, only to be interrupted by Summer.
"Why can't they choose some other cheese in the ham sandwich besides cheddar?" she complained, slightly lifting the bread with one finger to stare at the offensive peek of orange at the corner.
"I know," Marissa agreed, nevertheless biting into her own ham and cheddar sandwich. She spoke around her mouthful. "Like swiss."
Seth rolled his eyes upwards, glancing at Ryan with a 'can you believe this' look. Ryan, however, had his nose in his history book and missed the chance for male bonding.
"Or havarti," Ryan suggested, without even missing a beat.
"Oooh, I love havarti!" Summer exclaimed.
Seth could barely contain his annoyance. "Guys, would you forget the cheese? I've got the most awesome idea." He paused, waiting for that revelation to sink in. His gaze slid diagonally across the table, only to be met by Ryan's downcast profile. "Would it be too much to ask for your attention?"
Finally, his so-called brother managed to look up. "Sorry."
"Okay, you know how we're always talking about how boring things are around here. The same people doing the same things, going to the same places all the time. And we're just as bad, basically doing the same thing every weekend..."
"Is there a point coming up, Cohen?"
Seth glared at Summer. Interrupted yet again. But she was right, he was rambling like an idiot. Time to get to the point. "Yeah, I'm getting there. So what's the hottest show on television right now?"
There was a moment of silence as the group mulled over the question. Summer was the first to pipe up. "Smallville?"
"What?" He shook his head but Marissa was nodding in apparent agreement.
"Yeah, that Clark guy is really cute."
The two girls shared a mutual giggle. "Did you see it last week when he..."
It was Seth's turn to halt Summer in mid speech, as he held up his hand. "Just stop right there. It's not 'Smallville'. Think reality TV."
Seconds ticked by until Marissa broke the lull. "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" she guessed. As three sets of eyebrows lifted and swivelled towards her, she shrugged defensively. "What? I watch it with my dad sometimes."
A tiny sigh escaped Seth's lips as he realized this was hopeless. They only had forty-five minutes for lunch. "American Idol!" he barked, sitting back in his chair with a huff. Now all pairs of eyes were on him and he was disappointed by their lack of reaction.
"What does this have to do with our apparently boring lives?" Summer asked.
Honestly, he hoped a piano would drop on his head this very instant and end his misery. But like the dependable guy he was, Ryan snatched him from the very jaws of death by his swift deductive reasoning. "I think he wants us to audition."
Seth snapped his fingers and pointed to Ryan in jubilation. "Yes! Thank you."
Marissa looked horrified. "You can't be serious."
"Why not? I'll bet we're a hundred times better than the yahoos they show on TV auditioning. It'll be fun."
"It's crazy," Marissa retorted, her tone firm.
Seth looked around the table and although no one besides Marissa had yet voiced their opinion, he could sense a definite absence of enthusiasm. "What? What is so crazy about it?"
"Oh, I don't know," Ryan pondered out loud. "Maybe the fact that we can't sing?"
"How do you know? Have you ever tried?"
"Maybe in the car along with the radio..."
The sentence trailed off there but Marissa caught his eye, seeming intrigued. "I've never heard you sing in the car."
"I don't like an audience." He offered a shy, lopsided smile.
Seth turned to Summer next. Her lips were pursed and she was unusually quiet. That probably meant trouble but he decided to risk having his head snapped off. "What do you think?" he asked.
She spoke slowly at first but then grew more animated as the idea took hold. "My first reaction was 'yeah right' but actually, I think this could be fun. We'd be in L.A., which is a lot more happening than Newport. And we might even get on TV. That would be really cool!"
"Actually, meeting Simon would be pretty cool," Marissa murmured, her expression thoughtful.
Seth did his best to suppress a groan, not wanting to dampen her first spark of interest. "Don't tell me you think he's cute too."
Although she didn't bother replying, the hint of a smile around her lips was answer enough. A quick glance at Ryan reassured him that the guy hadn't even noticed. Just as well. Subtlety had never been his strong suit. "How about you, Ryan?"
Seth held his breath and was rewarded with a shrug and a one-word answer. "Sure."
"So are we all decided then?" he asked, taking another glance around. All three heads were bobbing their assent.
Joyous, he bounded out of his seat. "Yes! Watch out America, here we come."
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