Choosing America's Next Superstar (16 page)

“Tristan, we can’t just drop this,” Jimmy said. “Do you honestly think Reuben’s gonna just drop it? He’ll go after us, all three of us. He’ll do anything he has to, to get rid of us.”

Tristan’s eyes welled with tears. “But you have the tape. He’ll never risk it. He confessed on the tape. And we have the notes. We have witnesses….”

“That’s why we need a lawyer,” Jimmy said.

“But then my mom will find out.”

“Your mom needs to know,” Corey said, placing a hand on Tristan’s shoulder. “Tristan, you are the victim here. You’ve nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Tristan, if we don’t stop Reuben, he’s gonna keep doing this to other boys. He already said as much.”

Tristan stood up and began pacing the room. “Why’d you have to go and interfere? He was probably done with me anyway. He didn’t even call for me to go to his room tonight.”

“Because he’d moved on to me,” Corey said. “That’s what he does. He uses people, and if I’d have submitted to him, he’d have just used me until he got tired of me and then moved on to his next victim.”

“Look, I can’t do this,” Tristan whined. “I just can’t. If you call the TV station or the police, I’ll just deny everything.”

“You can’t deny it, Tristan!”

“This isn’t my fault! Why are you doing this to me?”

Tristan was now sobbing. Jimmy stood up and tried to embrace him, lend him comfort, but the boy shoved him away.

“Please, if you care about me at all, you’ll just drop it. Let it go away… I just want to forget it ever happened.”

“Tristan… please.”

“Promise me! You’ve got to promise you won’t say anything to anyone. Reuben’s not going to mess around with any other boys. He’s too scared.”

“Maybe for now,” Corey said. “But he will eventually.”

“Well, that’s not my problem.”

“Tristan, how can you say that?” Jimmy asked.

“Look, you’re wrong about this whole thing. I’m not a victim. I liked it! Reuben was right. I loved every fucking minute of it, and I’m old enough to decide for myself. If they ask me anything about it, I’ll tell them that. I’ll tell them I begged for it, and you’ll look like a fool.”

“Tristan, I know you don’t mean that,” Jimmy said.

“I
do
mean it! Just fucking drop it!” Tristan stormed over to the door and rushed out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

“Now what?” Corey said, staring at Jimmy, whose jaw had unhinged.

Jimmy shook his head. “There’s nothing we can do… other than sit and wait for the axe to fall.”

Chapter Nine

W
HAT
should have been Corey’s dream come true had suddenly turned into a nightmare. He’d made it through the first two rounds of the competition and was fully prepared for the next round. He had a fantastic voice coach and had selected a song that was perfect for him. He’d met the most wonderful guy in the world and was crazy about him.

But now it all could be taken away. Corey was certain that Reuben would find a way to get rid of both him and Jimmy. He wasn’t the kind of guy who liked to take no for an answer, and when he found out that Tristan was not really underage, he would surely retaliate.

What Tristan had said was disturbing. He’d claimed that he’d enjoyed it, that he was not a victim at all but rather a willing participant in Reuben’s sexcapades. That statement made no sense. He’d gone to Jimmy looking for help. He’d already stated that Reuben was forcing him to do things he didn’t want to do. It had to be that Tristan was just scared. He was embarrassed and afraid of what people would say. He was terrified his family would find out about what he’d done.

That was how people like Reuben got away with this sort of behavior. Nobody was brave enough to tell on him. And even if they did come forward, the allegations would be hard to prove. Sure, there were security cameras in the hotel, but without a court order, they’d never have access to them. And there were the notes that Reuben had sent, but they didn’t prove anything either. The only evidence that they really had was the tape recording of their conversation with Reuben. But what he’d said on tape was that Tristan had loved every minute of it, and now Tristan was backing up that story.

Even if the boys found someone in the media to listen to their story, it would just turn into another one of those “alleged sex scandals.” There were at least a couple of them every season, and no one really believed them. In the process of this revelation, they’d just end up hurting Tristan even more.

So Corey feared his days were numbered in the competition. Reuben would influence the other judges to vote him off the very same way he’d done to Jeremy. And Jimmy would go down with him. Corey wished now that he’d not shown Jimmy the note. He wished he’d have just met with Reuben secretly. Of course, that wouldn’t have been possible. Jimmy was in the room when he found the note, and he’d have had no way of sneaking out.

All they could do now was give their best performance and pray that was enough. Corey lay in bed, cradled in the arms of his boyfriend. Yes, he was beginning to think of Jimmy as more than just a guy he liked. He knew that what they had was more than just a casual affair, and in fact, he could not imagine how horrible it was going to be saying goodbye when the elimination round was over.

“Jimmy,” he whispered, not even sure if he was still awake, “I love you.”

Jimmy’s arms tightened around him. “It’s gonna be okay,” he responded. “Try not to worry.”

It might have been a little easier for Corey to heed Jimmy’s advice, if only Jimmy had returned his sentiment.

T
HE
following day was all about rehearsal. Corey was thankful that the schedule was so busy. He met with the makeup artists, the wardrobe specialists, the hair stylist, the stage manager, his accompanist, and of course Stella, his voice coach. Both Jimmy and Teri had similar schedules, and the three of them saw far less of each other than they were used to. It seemed as if Tristan were nowhere to be found. Corey didn’t run into him even once during the day.

Around four that afternoon, Corey had his first ever dress rehearsal on the
Superstar
stage. It was an exhilarating experience to be up there under the lights, dressed to the nines, belting out his song. He realized that this could be the closest he would ever get to being on the real
ANS
stage—the one in Hollywood where the whole world would be watching.

A half hour after Corey’s rehearsal, Jimmy was scheduled, so Corey hung around in the auditorium. He took a seat and waited, and while he waited he texted his friend Megan. He told her about just finishing his rehearsal and how awesome it was. Before he knew it, it was Jimmy’s turn. Corey put away his phone and sat there in the dark, watching.

When Jimmy stepped out on the stage, Corey caught his breath. The young man looked spectacular. He was wearing a western shirt and form-fitting jeans, and, of course, a cowboy hat. The way he walked across the stage so confidently, with that Southern swagger, was a thrilling sight. Jimmy was so damned sexy. Corey could just about lose control simply by looking at him.

It was the voice that really did it, though. Jimmy’s baritone nearly sent Corey over the edge. Needless to say, his performance was flawless, and when he completed his song, Corey stood and applauded. Jimmy squinted, trying to see who was in the audience clapping.

Just then, Corey heard another pair of hands clapping behind him. He turned and saw that they belonged to none other than Krystal, one of the official judges. “Wow, isn’t he amazing?”

Corey turned all the way around and smiled at her. “Yes. He’s fantastic.”

“He’s sure to make it through,” she said.

“Really?” Corey said. “How can you be so certain?”

“Well, assuming he performs like that tomorrow. You too, young man… Corey, isn’t it?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said. “Thank you. Did you also see my rehearsal?”

“I did, and I’m very impressed.”

“Krystal?” Corey said, hesitating.

“What is it, sweetie?”

“Can I ask you something?” He wasn’t sure how exactly to ask her what he needed to know.

“Anything,” she said, still smiling.

“If there is one judge who wants to get rid of a contestant, how much sway does he have over the other judges?”

She laughed and reached out to place her hand on Corey’s shoulder. “Which judge is it that you’re worried about, baby? Reuben?”

Slowly Corey nodded.

“Don’t you worry about Reuben. His bark is worse than his bite, and to be honest, he really likes you. He likes both of you.” She pointed to the stage at Jimmy.

“I’m not so sure. Not anymore, I mean.”

“Why? What happened?”

Corey reached in the pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a folded note. “Last night when I got back to my room, I found this note.” He handed it to Krystal. “I was afraid to go by myself, so I took my roommate with me—Jimmy. Well, Reuben wasn’t too happy….”

Krystal read the note with a puzzled look on her face. “I don’t get it. Why would Reuben….” Her voice trailed off.

“We didn’t do anything with him. I swear.”

“Corey, have you shown this to anyone else?”

Corey looked down toward the ground, unsure of how to answer.

“Please, Corey, I have to know….”

“There’s another boy, but I can’t say who he is. He’s been meeting Reuben in his room every night since we got here.”

She folded up the note and handed it back to Corey. “Hold onto that, and guard it with your life,” she whispered. “Listen to me, Corey. Don’t worry about Reuben. I’ll make sure you and Jimmy get a fair shot in the competition. Just concentrate on delivering your performances, because if you screw up, there’s no way I can save you. You know that Reuben has a lot of sway. He’s the one who first started this show. He thinks of it as his baby, and sometimes he acts like he has more power than he really does.”

“Well, what’s going to happen? Are we gonna have to worry about him retaliating against us? What if he does? It’s not like I can do anything about it. I can’t even go to the media….”

She shook her head. “Don’t go to the media. Like I said, just focus on your own performance, and I’ll make sure Reuben doesn’t hurt you.”

“Thank you,” Corey said.

“I’ve got to go now. Good luck tomorrow.” She stepped closer to Corey, holding out her arms to hug him. “You just hang in there. I know you’ll do great.”

B
OTH
Corey and Jimmy gave flawless performances the next day, but they had to wait for their results. During this round of elimination, the contestants were not immediately given feedback. When Corey took the stage, he tried not to look at Reuben, and he had no idea what impression any of the judges had of his presentation. When he was finished, he took a seat in the auditorium and waited for Jimmy.

It was a long day, one of the most grueling of Corey’s life. Sitting there waiting and worrying was horrendous. He hated the fact that the judges waited until all the contestants had sung before rendering their decision. After Jimmy’s song, the two sat together. All they could do was wait.

After the last performance of the day, at seven o’clock that evening, the judges posted their results. The one hundred contestants were divided into five groups of twenty, and each group was sent to wait in a separate room. Two of the groups would make it through to the Top Forty, the other three groups would go home.

Corey and Jimmy did not end up in the same group.

“Crap!” Corey whispered.

“It’ll be okay,” Jimmy said. “There are two groups that will make it. Hopefully they’re our groups.”

Tristan and Teri ended up in a group together, but it was not the same group as Jimmy or Corey. This meant that at least one member of their foursome would be cut, possibly two. If Corey’s and Jimmy’s groups made it through, then Teri and Tristan would not. If Teri and Tristan were saved, then either Jimmy or Corey would have to go. Worst-case scenario would be that all three of their groups were cut.

Corey and Jimmy hugged before heading to their rooms. He knew that when they saw each other again they’d either be ecstatically happy or terribly disappointed. It was a horrifying feeling. As Corey sat in the corner, anxiously awaiting his fate, he prayed that Jimmy would make it. If Jimmy were cut, it’d be awful. Corey actually was more concerned about Jimmy than he was about himself. He knew that Jimmy would be able to go on without him, but he wasn’t sure if the reverse was true.

Although it was less than an hour wait, it seemed an eternity. The four judges went to each of the rooms, delivering their verdict. The members of Corey’s group looked at one another when they heard shouting and cheering coming from one of the other rooms. Apparently the judges had already delivered their results to that room, and it sounded favorable. Corey prayed that the shouting they heard was coming from Jimmy’s group.

At last the door opened, and the judges stepped into their room. All the contestants were seated on the floor, looking up at the judges expectantly. It was Krystal who spoke.

“Well, first of all, I want to tell all of you that you should all be very proud. To have made it this far—into the Top One Hundred—is an accomplishment in and of itself. Unfortunately, we have the unpleasant task of choosing only forty people from this sea of amazing talent. The worst part of our job is delivering our verdict when it’s time to make these very difficult cuts.