Choosing America's Next Superstar (20 page)

“With me, of course. Officially you’re in the guest bedroom across the hall.”

“Ah, and we’re not gonna get caught?”

“You’ve met my folks,” Jimmy said. “Do you really think they’d care? I’m sure they know we’re sleeping together.”

“If you want, I could go to bed in my own room and wait for you to sneak over in the middle of the night to take advantage of me.”

Jimmy sat down on the couch beside him. “I can’t wait that long,” he said. “I wanna take advantage of you now, not in the middle of the night.” He leaned in and planted a kiss on Corey’s expectant lips. “And in the middle of the night too.”

“Mmm,” Corey moaned. “That was sweet, the way you carried your brother to his room.”

“Like this?” Jimmy slid an arm around Corey’s shoulder while scooping his other arm beneath his knees and then quickly hoisted him from the sofa.

“I feel like a bride.”

“And you’re about to be deflowered.”

“Deflower me… please,” Corey whispered.

T
HURSDAY
of that week was Thanksgiving, and it came as no surprise to Corey that it was another enormous meal. This time, instead of it being the solitary effort of Jimmy’s mom, the dinner included dishes from numerous family members. The entire extended family was there—aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents, spouses, kids—a total of thirty-four guests. Not one of them said a negative word to Corey. They all accepted him as Jimmy’s friend, though he did get a little bit of ribbing for being Jimmy’s competitor on
Superstar
.

As hectic as it was Thanksgiving morning, by late afternoon everyone was lethargic. Overstuffed and drowsy, several guests gathered around the big screen downstairs to watch the football games. About half the extended family said their goodbyes and took off for the day.

“Come on,” Jimmy said, “let’s go for a walk.”

“Good idea,” Corey agreed. “If I sit here much longer, I’m gonna be asleep.”

They walked for a couple hundred feet, and when finally the house behind them was out of sight, Jimmy took Corey’s hand. “Three more days,” he said. “That’s all I have left with you.”

“And then it’ll just be a month… and you’ll come see me.”

“I can’t wait.” He squeezed Corey’s hand. “I wanna show you something. See that house up ahead?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s my granddaddy’s.”

“The one I met today?”

“Yeah. He’s ninety-four. He’s leaving me that house when he dies.”

“Wow. That’s nice, but why you?”

“We’ve always been close, and I’m the first grandson. Granddad could live to be a hundred twenty, though. He’s been healthy as a horse his whole life.”

“Maybe you’ll be rich and famous and won’t even need the house by that time.”

“I’ll never be too rich or too famous to live in Granddad’s house. That there is where I wanna raise my family.”

“Your family?” Corey asked. “You want kids?”

“Don’t you?”

“Uh… I never really thought about it. I guess I just don’t picture myself as ever being able to get married.”

“We could go back to New York to get married,” Jimmy said.

Corey stopped in his tracks. “We?”

“I’m sorry.” Jimmy suddenly appeared regretful, as if he feared he’d said the wrong thing.

“Jimmy, don’t be sorry.” Corey’s voice was barely audible. He was choking up. “Yes, we could go to New York to get married… or Vermont or Connecticut. There are a bunch of states now. But Jimmy, does this mean you’re proposing?”

Jimmy pulled Corey into him, kissing him tenderly on the lips. “Consider it a preproposal, I guess. No, this is not the way I wanna propose. I ain’t even met your mama or your family yet.”

Corey felt the sting of the hot tears streaming down his cheeks. “So if this is a preproposal, do you need a preanswer?”

“Not if you’re not ready….”

“I’m not ready to go home. I’m not ready to leave you again. I love it here, and I love your family….”

“But this isn’t exactly real life,” Jimmy said. “It’s usually a lot more boring. I’m usually working nine or ten hours a day. We usually don’t have all this company and all these huge dinners.”

“I don’t think life with you would ever be boring to me.”

“I’ll take you horseback riding tomorrow,” Jimmy promised. “And we’re doin’ a show tomorrow night at the civic center. It’s to raise money for Julia Brentworth. She’s only sixteen and has cancer.”

“Oh, wow.”

“You can sing with me.”

“I’d like that. I’d like that a lot, and I think I’d be fine with your real life.”

“Corey, even if I succeed, I’m always gonna just be a country boy. You’re probably going places I never even dreamed of. You’re gonna be a superstar for real. I’m so afraid that my boring, country lifestyle is not gonna fit….”

“Jimmy, I should be the one who’s worried. What you have here is heaven. When you see my hometown and meet my family, you’ll understand. I came out to my mom a long time ago. I always thought she was fine, that she had no problem with it, but she does. All this time she was just pretending to support me, but she really thought I’d outgrow being gay.”

“Lots of folks are like that. Especially round here,” Jimmy said. “I’m just lucky. Mama and Daddy almost lost one son. They aren’t about to lose the other to prejudice. I think there are people everywhere who are like that. We hear it a lot, people sayin’ it’s a sin. Some say it’s just a choice. Give your mama time. She’ll come around; I know she will.”

“I guess we should focus on getting through the competition before we make any plans,” Corey said, “but I know I don’t wanna live my life without you. Somehow, some way, we’ve got to be together. And no matter who wins or loses, you’ll always be my Superstar.”

Chapter Twelve

“
W
HAT
do you mean, he can’t stay here? Mom, he’s already got his plane ticket. He’ll be here in four days!”

“Corey, you’re asking me to do something I just can’t do. I’m not comfortable having him in my house. You’re old enough to do what you want, and I’ll always love you. But that doesn’t mean I have to condone your lifestyle.”

Corey’s jaw came unhinged as he listened to the unbelievable statements his own mother was making. “Mom, you already know the lifestyle that I live. It’s the same lifestyle that you and Lanie have. I’m not some sort of circus freak just because I’m gay.”

“I wish you’d never gotten involved in this contest… this
Superstar
thing. It’s changed you, Corey. You came back from New York, and now all of a sudden you want to shove this homosexuality down everyone’s throat. This is northern Michigan—
not
New York City.”

It seemed every time he and his mother were in the kitchen together there was an argument. He looked up at the wall clock, noticing that it was past midnight, and wondered if it’d be too late to call Jimmy. What was he going to tell him? Jimmy couldn’t cancel his trip, not this late.

“Mom, when I went down there for Thanksgiving, Jimmy’s whole family welcomed me. They accepted me just like I was one of their own, but you won’t even let Jimmy sleep in your house.”

“You have no idea what it’s like. I go to work every day. To the supermarket. The bank. People stop me and ask me about my son, the one on
America’s Next Superstar
. They say, ‘You must be so proud,’ and I don’t know how to answer them.”

“Maybe you could say, ‘Thank you’, or even, ‘Yes, I’m very proud.’ The problem is, you’re not. You’re not proud of me at all. You’re ashamed. You’re embarrassed that your son is a
fag
, and now the whole world is gonna see.”

“I love you, Corey,” she said, choking back tears. “I will always love you, no matter what. But you’ve chosen a life I cannot condone.”

“Look, Jimmy’s coming here, and I’m spending New Year’s with him. If you want me to be a part of this family, you’ve got to accept me for who I am and respect the person that I love. If not, I’ll stay with Jimmy in his hotel room, and I’ll move out of your house when he goes back home.”

“Corey, don’t be ridiculous. You know you can’t afford to live on your own….”

“The college has a dormitory. I can get in there during semester break and stay till I save up enough for an apartment. Or maybe I’ll just move to Kentucky!” Tears were now streaming down his mother’s cheeks. Corey was on the verge of tears himself, because he was so angry. “You say you love me, Mom, but you have a piss-poor way of showing it.”

He stormed off to his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. He did call Jimmy, in spite of the fact it was so late, and Jimmy’s calm, soothing voice made him feel better. He assured Corey it was going to be all right. He’d be glad to pay for a hotel room, and that might be better anyway.

Four days later, Megan drove Corey to the Traverse City airport, where they picked up Jimmy. She dropped them off at the Best Western motel, where they stayed the next three days. They spent most of their time by the indoor pool and walked downtown to look at all the stores which still had up their Christmas decorations. Jimmy had never seen that much snow, so Corey had to initiate him by starting a snowball fight. They went to the gay bar on New Year’s Eve. They weren’t old enough to drink but were allowed entry with a hand stamp.

Jimmy’s visit was way too short, but when he left they knew it’d only be three more weeks until they were together in California. During that interim period, Corey moved his belongings to a dorm room. He wasn’t even sure if he’d be back by the end of the semester. If he succeeded in the contest, he could be in Hollywood until as late as June. All of the new classes he’d enrolled in were online courses, and he was using his financial aid to pay for his housing.

There was no big send-off on the day of his departure. Although he was nervous, the whole thing seemed anticlimactic. Megan dropped him off at the airport and gave him a hug and kiss goodbye. His arrival in Hollywood was starkly different than the trip to New York. This time he was treated like a celebrity. A limousine transferred him to his hotel, and he was given a private room. The room was much nicer than what he and Jimmy had shared in New York. This room was a suite and had its own kitchen and living room, and there was even a Jacuzzi in the bathroom.

Corey flopped down on the sofa, sprawling out. It would be another eight hours until Jimmy arrived, so he decided to sleep off some of his jet lag.

Just as he dozed off, he was startled awake by a knock at the door. He got up and stumbled over to open the door. His jaw nearly hit the floor when he saw who was standing before him.

“Hello, Corey,” Reuben said, “welcome to Hollywood.”

J
IMMY
’
S
adrenaline was surging, not only because he’d just gotten off the plane and was on his way to the hotel where he’d begin preparing for the
America’s Next Superstar
show, but also because he was only minutes away from being with the one person he loved more than life itself. Back in Kentucky, on Thanksgiving Day, he’d promised Corey that when the time was right, he would propose to him the proper way.

In his pocket, he was concealing a very special package. He didn’t know for sure exactly when he would pull it out, but sometime before he left Hollywood, he would drop to bended knee, pull the tiny box from his pocket, and slip the ring on Corey’s finger. The contest was exciting, and he’d love to win. He’d love it if Corey won too. But the bottom line was that winning was secondary. He’d already won the biggest prize, and no contest was ever going to change that.

He looked at his watch and wondered if he should try calling Corey’s cell phone. It was after midnight, but Corey had arrived eight hours prior. He’d have had time to nap. Jimmy decided to text him. Hopefully he’d respond, but if not, he’d just wait till morning to see him.

Wait till morning to see him?
Jimmy laughed at the ridiculous thought. Of course he wouldn’t wait until morning. If Corey was tired and needed to sleep, that was fine, but he’d be there beside him, holding him against his warm body.

He picked up his phone and dialed Corey’s number. After three rings, Corey answered.

“Hey, did you make it?” Corey said. Jimmy knew immediately that something was wrong. He could tell by the tone of Corey’s voice, and he sounded like he might have been crying.

“What’s wrong?” Jimmy asked, concerned.

“Oh, nothing. I’m just tired.”

“I figured ya might be. Jet lag and all.”

“I think I’m gonna go to bed,” Corey said. “Call it an early night.”

“I should be there in a few minutes. I’m at the airport waiting for my ride.”

“Oh, that might be awhile. Listen, just get checked in, and I’ll see you in the morning.”

“What’s your room number?”

“I’ll talk to you tomorrow sometime.” The call ended.

“Hello?” Jimmy stared at his phone, puzzled. That was crazy. He’d spoken to Corey on the phone every single day since September, and not once had their conversation ended without them telling each other, “I love you.”

Something was definitely wrong. Jimmy wondered if maybe Corey’d had another fight with his mother. He had to find out. He couldn’t stand having Corey upset like that. He’d go to the hotel and get checked in and then find Corey. He wasn’t about to let his Corey spend his first night in Hollywood alone.