|
THE AMERICAN DREAM |
Seth's Six String (Chapter 4) |
Summer's right, I can do this. After all, this was my idea. I'm the one who wanted to stir things up. Do something out of the ordinary. This is my one chance to make it happen. I can do this.
"Yeah, kid, you can do it, all right? Just keep it cool, man."
Seth glanced sideways at the usher, slightly mortified. "Was I talking out loud?"
"Oh yeah," the older man confirmed with a smirk.
"Great."
Before he knew it, he was stepping inside the audition room that he'd seen countless times on TV. And there were the judges all in a row, staring at him with expectation. His mouth suddenly felt as dry as the Sahara. It took him several seconds to unglue his tongue. "Hi." His mind worked frantically to say something a little more significant than that. "I'm Seth Cohen and I'm the next American Idol." He wasn't sure if that sounded confident or arrogant. Sneaking a peek at Simon, he tried not to wither beneath the scorn.
"Is that a fact," Simon stated flatly. "And why's that?"
"Well, I...uh...I've got a great voice with the charm and boyish good looks to match." He flashed a grin and glanced in Paula's direction. At least she was responding with a smile even if, he suspected, it was just out of politeness.
"Why do you want to be the American Idol, Seth?"
Back to Simon again. Should he be honest or sincere in a fake way? Man, this was just too hard. He was going to crack if he didn't put a stop to the charade right now. "Okay, look. I'm obviously not the most handsome guy in the world and I'm probably not the best singer. In fact, I *know* I'm not the best singer. I convinced my friends to come here with me today because I thought it would be fun. I didn't count so much on the scariness factor. And believe me, standing here in front of you guys is pretty scary."
"If you think we're scary, how are you going to handle doing this in front of millions of people?" Simon challenged.
Seth gulped, his brow furrowed. "Good point. Honestly, I don't know. I might upchuck or maybe, just maybe, I'll reveal this hidden talent that's deep within my soul, just straining to be unleashed upon America!"
He ended that speech with a fist punched in the air. Rather sheepishly, he brought his hand back down.
"Are you always this melodramatic?"
"Afraid so."
Randy spoke up for the first time, a trace of impatience in his tone. "Let's get this moving, shall we? What are you singing for us?"
This was it. Showtime. Seth drew in a trembling breath. "Bright Lights." Shaking out his fingers to ready himself, he started to sing. He tried to focus on the emotion behind the lyrics but his thoughts were wandering all over the place. Maybe he should have picked a different song. Maybe he really shouldn't be here at all. What had he been thinking? But before he knew it, it was over.
A wave of relief rushed through him as he came to the end. He'd done it. He'd survived. But had it been good enough?
"Dude, that wasn't bad," said Randy. "Not bad at all. Do me a favour, though. Sing something else. Something a little more upbeat."
The request caught Seth totally off guard. He hadn't practised anything else. His usually clever brain was drawing a complete blank. "Uh...more upbeat..." Starting to panic, only one tune was coming to mind. It was one his father had been humming this morning. In fact, his father hummed or sang it so often, it was permanently etched in Seth's frontal lobe. "Okay, how about 'Summer Of '69'?"
"Fine. Let's hear it."
He made the quick decision to just go for it before any self-doubts could break his concentration. With a burst of adrenaline, he sang, danced, and even played air guitar with all his might. By the time he had finished, he'd broken out into a mild sweat.
"Hey, yo, that was great!" Randy applauded.
Really? Great? "Thanks." He attempted to keep it cool, just as the usher had advised him. "Were you feelin' it?" he joked.
"Yeah, I was, man. You're a little rough around the edges but that's okay. You've got the right stuff. I'm saying yes."
Seth was guessing it wouldn't quite be so cool to get down on his knees and thank the Lord. Instead, he dipped his head slightly as a gesture of thanks and looked at Paula. She seemed to be pondering her decision and after several endless moments, she revealed her thoughts. "This is hard for me to say because you're such an adorable guy, but I'm going to have to pass. It just...I don't know, it wasn't for me. I'm sorry."
His hopes were fast diminishing but he still had a slim chance here. It all rested on the toughest critic. Bouncing on his heels, Seth turned to face the final judge.
"I'm afraid I have to agree with Paula. It just wasn't very good."
"Awww, come on!" Randy complained.
Simon went on as if Randy hadn't spoken. "You were all over the place. You nearly kicked over that lamp over there."
"He was dancing! He was just gettin' into the groove."
Simon was unable to ignore Randy any longer. "You've already had your turn. Do you mind? Besides, don't get me started with the dancing."
Okay, now Mr. Big Shot had gone too far. "What was wrong with the dancing?" Seth demanded.
"It was a little spastic."
"Spastic can be defined in different ways. Do you mean spastic, as in energetic?" Seth knew he was reaching, but he couldn't help it.
"I mean spastic, as in jerky, uncoordinated movements. Would that be specific enough?"
Ouch. "Okay, I get the picture."
The lone female judge slapped Simon on the arm. "Let's not get nasty. That was uncalled for."
Simon unleashed some of his own frustrations. "Well I don't understand how Randy can like this performance but he didn't like...oh, what was her name..."
As he rifled back through his notes, Seth supplied a clue. "Do you mean the cool drink?"
"Pardon?"
"You're talking about Summer, my girlfriend."
Simon snapped his fingers. "Yes, that's right, Summer. Oh, is she your girlfriend?"
"Yeah, those were all my friends you met earlier. The last three people. Marissa, Ryan and Summer."
"I see." Pause. "Perhaps you should think about forming a band, then. Individually, you each seem to be lacking something. But together, you could make great things happen."
"Seriously?"
"Sure, why not?"
Seth could feel the tingling of excitement starting to seep back into his bones. A band. Now, that was an awesome idea! "Well, thanks, I've taken enough of your time. It's been a...a learning experience."
Leaving the judges and dreams of fame and fortune behind, he made his way back to his circle of friends. He was welcomed back with a collective buzz of sympathetic noise, as he held up his empty palms. "So much for that," he stated.
"It was a great idea, anyway," Marissa consoled him, after giving him a hug. "I know I was against it at first but I'm glad we came."
"Yeah, man," Ryan agreed. "I had my doubts too but it's been pretty cool."
Now was the perfect opportunity to bring up the newest idea. Everyone could use a little perking up. "So Simon gave me another great idea. Are you ready for it?" He paused dramatically. "We form a band."
Summer gave her head a shake. "You're hopeless, Cohen."
Ryan put an arm around Marissa's shoulder, giving her a sideways glance. "We should grab something to eat," he suggested.
"Yeah, I'm starving."
As they started walking away, Seth called out, "Come on, guys. We should at least consider it!"
But they didn't appear to be interested. Humph. Feeling something brush against him, he looked down to see Summer linking her arm through his. "We could form a duo," he offered.
"I dunno," she sighed. "Apparently I'm screechy."
"Who said that?"
"Paula."
"Well, Simon said I was spastic."
His head whipped downwards at the sound of a chortle. "Are you laughing?"
She brought a hand up to her mouth, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "Sorry. You didn't actually try to dance, did you?"
Miffed, he said haughtily, "I'll have you know, I'm an excellent dancer." That only made her laugh harder. "Stop that." He tried to sound harsh but truthfully, his dance moves were a little jerky at times. Giving up the pretense, he could only chuckle along with her.
She started to pull him along. "We'd better go find them. I'm starving too. And hey, after dinner, we'll all go dancing. All you need is a little more practice."
Dancing with Summer. Yeah, he could handle that. But he had to give it one final try. "Are you sure the band thing is such a bad idea?"
"Give it up, Seth."
Seth. She only let that slip when she was feeling exceptionally affectionate towards him. That was a good thing. As for the band idea...well, he couldn't win them all. He'd save that one for another day.
Completed March 2004
Feedback always appreciated!
|
