Chapter 44

Christmas Eve day, Kat and I stood just outside the security checkpoint at LAX, waiting for my friends and family to arrive. I was having a hard time not grinning every time I looked over at Kat. The last three days we’d spent together had been amazing.

While each day I’d been allowed access to the studio to practice and prepare for tomorrow’s competition, and Kat had to train at the UCLA swimming facilities to keep in shape, we made the most out of our evenings going all around the city and taking in the sights. It was really the first uninterrupted time we’d had together, just the two of us, as a couple. And it had been amazing.

I wrapped my arm around Kat’s shoulders and she curled against me.

“This week has been amazing,” I told her.

She smiled and kissed my cheek. “It really has been. One day, we’ll be out of school, and it’ll be just like this: the two of us, living our lives together.”

“I can’t wait,” I said.

“There,” Kat said, pulling out of my arm and pointing at security.

She started to jump up and down excitedly, waving her arms like a crazy person while I finally spotted our group coming through security. Although we’d originally just planned on Mrs. Phillips, Chef, Hanna, Lyla, and Seth joining us, I saw they’d also brought Tabitha, Warren, and, surprisingly enough, Cole was with them.

“Cole!” I called out, surprised. “What are you doing here, man?”

Cole flashed me an easy smile as he approached. “Well, your family invited me to come along and sit in the family section with them. Thought it sounded like fun and figured I could support you too.”

“That’s awesome; it’s really great to see you,” I said, before turning toward Warren. “And you, too! I can’t believe you came. It’s Christmas Eve; shouldn’t you be with your family?”

“We did all our Christmas stuff a day early. They understand. This is a big event for everyone professionally tied to you. If you make it through, we all make it through.”

“Well, tell them I appreciate their sacrificing you for the holiday. I promise I’ll do my best not to let anyone down.”

“I don’t doubt it for a second.”

“We are so proud of you, Charlie,” Mrs. Phillips said, pulling me into a hug. “And so thankful you invited us to share this moment with you.”

I returned her embrace. Having them all here was just the cap on an amazing weekend. While I wanted to win this competition more than anything, if this was where it ended, I’d still have these last few days, and I wouldn’t trade them for anything.

“I wouldn’t want to do this without my family here.”

We went through and got their stuff from baggage claim and then caught an airport shuttle to their hotel. They were staying at a different place than us, about a mile away, since the studio had actually put me up at a really nice hotel.

I waited until we got settled into the van and started on the way to their hotel before I shared the other news I had. I’d held back from talking to Lyla and Seth about it yet because I hadn’t been sure how likely it was to happen.

“So guys,” I said, turning around to the pair of them. “I have some big news. I talked to the producers yesterday and got permission for you two to be my backing band for the finale performance instead of the studio musicians they usually provide.”

Lyla’s face lit up. “Are you serious? We get to play on live TV with you?”

“Yep. It took a lot of convincing since the rules aren’t entirely clear about performers other than the contestants, but I managed to convince them it was no different than the musicians they hired, and actually gave me more of a challenge, since I’d only get one practice with you two before the show. They finally agreed.”

“This is huge,” Seth said.

It was. While my success in the contest was always about finding a way for the whole band to make it, so far, I’d been the only one to see any benefit. I’d been on national TV, on the news, and getting recognized in restaurants while they were working for barely livable wages, just trying to make it through. While part of the reason I wanted them with me was because I just felt comfortable with them and we’d played this song so many times, I knew we had it down; I also wanted to give them their shot on TV as well.

“You guys have worked your butts off and you deserve this shot. I really didn’t want anyone else up there with me other than you two.”

The rest of the trip to the hotel we talked through what tomorrow night was going to be like. Chef, Warren, and Mrs. Phillips just kind of gave each other looks, I guess having fun at the expense of the rest of our enthusiasm, although Tabitha, who was only a few years younger than Warren, was right there with us, chatting away and excited. Lyla had really been a good influence on her, over the last year, getting her to loosen up, but ever since Thanksgiving, she’d been different. She’d been less standoffish, and more willing to be in the mix with us, actually having a good time.

The other thing I really noticed on the trip to the hotel was that Hanna and her mom seemed to be talking again. It was a good sign, but knowing both of them, I wasn’t sure how permanent of a change it was.

Once we were at the hotel and the adults were getting checked into their rooms, I took Hanna by the arm and pulled her aside, away from the rest of the group.

“I just wanted to check in with you. I saw that you and your mom seem to be getting along a bit better, or at least talking again. How are things going between you two?”

“Better,” she said with a smile. While she was still a lot less confident than she used to be, it was good to see her smile again, even in anxious discomfort. “I think my mom finally realized that she can’t control everything, and she backed off. She knows I’m in love with Horace, and she’s accepted it. Now that we’re not fighting every time we see each other, we’re getting along again.”

Part of me just wanted to drop it and leave it at that. The Professor Cross issue would settle itself eventually, probably in a spectacular fashion. Unfortunately, that would also leave Hanna devastated. I couldn’t stop that from happening, but I could at least try one last time to keep her from being blindsided by it.

“Good, I’m glad to hear that,” I said, and then paused, almost chickening out. “You know that’s not the last of it, though, right? This is a truce at best. I don’t think she’s accepted your relationship with him, only decided she’d rather keep some level of relationship with you over burning all the bridges trying to protect you.”

Hanna gave me a look like she wanted to argue, but then sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “You’re probably right. But I can’t do anything about that. I’m not changing my mind and if she doesn’t change hers, that’s on her. For now, I’m just going to enjoy the peace while it lasts.”

The adults were all stepping away from the front desk, which meant it was time to head up to their rooms and plan out what we wanted to do for the night. I could see Mrs. Phillips giving me a look, which probably meant she knew what I was doing.

I gave her a small head shake to wave her off and said, “Okay. I just wanted to check. Let’s go upstairs and drop everything off, so we can all have a fun day out.”

“Sure,” she said, turning and rejoining everyone else.

I hung back a little bit, kicking myself. I really did want to try and help Hanna through this, but every time I got involved, my relationship with her seemed to get a little worse. I’d take that if it meant protecting her, but I wasn’t succeeding in that either.

This was going to end badly, and more than anything I wanted to make sure she still had some bridges to run to when it did, instead of letting her burn all of them behind her.

After a nice night on the town with my friends and family, and a wonderful Christmas morning, we were back on the studio lot. It seemed impossible that the finals were here, and tonight, everything was going to be done, but the time had finally come. The other contestants looked to be just as nervous, excited, and overwhelmed as I was. At least this time, I wasn’t alone. Lyla and Seth were standing with me, although they’d gotten more than a few odd looks from the other contestants, who no doubt were wondering who these two new people were.

And then the house lights went on, and the intro music started playing again, for the last time. For me, at least.

“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the finals of The Stage!” Dexter exclaimed as he walked out onto the stage, the spotlights picking him up. “We have seven incredibly talented contestants who have fought their way to this point, and tonight, we’ll find out who will be crowned the winner of this season. Are you all excited?”

The crowd went nuts. You had to hand it to the guy. He really did know how to work an audience.

“Good. Before we start, let’s meet our contestants. First up, we have Marissa, the country singer who’s been captivating audiences with her soulful voice and heartfelt lyrics.” Marissa walked out from backstage as her name was called and waved to the crowd.

They hadn’t covered it with me, but I already knew my name was going to be called last. They loved doing that. So I stood there, waiting as Clay Harris, the hip-hop singer and rapper, Arthur Hanson, who did mostly progressive rock, Ada Rodriguez, who had real diva energy, Willa Baker, an amazing singer-songwriter with one of the purest voices I’d ever heard, and Neil Cooper, who was closest to me in style, doing mostly alt rock.

“Finally, Charlie Nelson,” he said. “Who has played so many genres this season it’s really impossible to say what his style is.”

I slapped Seth on the shoulder and walked out, giving a wave to the crowd and taking my place next to Neil. I tried to come off as confident and sure of myself as I could, even though on the inside my stomach was doing flips.

“Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for our finalists!” Dexter said, gesturing to us as the crowd erupted in cheers. “They’re going to head backstage now and get ready for their performances while I introduce you to your judges for the last time this season. Give a big round of applause to country superstar Dakota Rayne, industry legend and head of ARC Records, Hal Steiner, and rising producer extraordinaire Lexi Durant.”

We walked off stage as the judges were announced, and the crowd gave each what seemed like heartfelt applause, but I couldn’t see what happened. We were, naturally, up last, which meant it would be at least an hour and a half before we went on, so I took Lyla and Seth and found a good place where we could sit and watch the competition from the wings. We’d circled around just in time to see Dexter close out the intro and get the show started.

“All right, folks, the time has come!” Dexter was saying as we found our spot. “Let the finals ... begin!”

Marissa was up first, and she knocked it out of the park. She’d put together a medley of country songs from the last sixty years, blending one into another as she moved forward from real classic country all the way to the almost pop version of country that was currently popular. It seemed like a risk, not doing a single song where she could have a cohesive performance, but her vocals were really strong and it really showed her range. It might have been gimmicky, but the in-studio audience was what mattered tonight, since they’d be the ones voting on it, and they were on their feet before she was even halfway through her performance. I had to give it to her. As just an exercise in songwriting and transitioning instrumental changes, it was very impressive. Again, the audience agreed since the applause she received when she finished was deafening. Marissa took a bow and blew a kiss to the audience before stepping forward to the judges.

The judges were generally impressed and gave her high marks. Dakota praised Marissa’s authentic country sound and was pleased that she could showcase its rich history. Hal called her a “shining star” with huge crossover appeal. The only one who had anything negative to say was Lexi, who echoed some of my thoughts, about it being a risk, since the medley limited her from doing a full song that might build to a satisfying climax. Lexi wasn’t all negative and did give her praise for how she pulled it off, though.