Choosing America's Next Superstar

by Jeff Erno

  “So we’re gonna have to face him?” Corey sat up in bed, shaking his head. “He knows we’re the ones who turned him in, and we have to perform again in front of him?”

  “Well, at least one of us does,” Jimmy said. “Maybe both.”

  “If they were going to do it this way, why didn’t they just wait?”

  “They had to get the video. By cutting this deal with him, they were able to get the video into their hands before he destroyed it.”

  “I’ll be so glad when this is over!”

  “It may not be over for a long, long time,” Jimmy said. “And I bet Reuben tries to pay off the witnesses.”

  “Maybe he’ll at least be kicked off the show,” Corey wished out loud.

  THE show that evening was incredibly emotional. They showed footage of each of the homecomings. Seeing it all capsulized into a five-minute video was even more moving than living through it. As thrilled as Corey was to see his own video, he was equally impressed with Jimmy’s.

  Jimmy’s homecoming event had been held at the fairgrounds, and the place was packed with thousands of fans, all chanting his name. He took the stage and brought Charlie up with him. Charlie stood there while Jimmy sang the song to him that he’d written for him.

  At the end of the two-hour program, Dylan Seagraves again had the contestants take center stage. Corey’s heart was beating so fast he thought it would thump right out of his chest. They had placed Jimmy and Corey on the outside, sandwiching Elaina between them.

  “Dim the lights, please,” Seagraves shouted. “Corey Dunham, it’s been a long journey for you. We watched you in Detroit as you gave your audition.” Behind them, on a big screen, they were showing scenes as Dylan was talking. “And since that point, you never once were in the Bottom Three… until now.” The crowd laughed. “But that, of course, is because there are only three contestants left. Corey, they say all journeys must eventually end, and tonight… is not quite the end for you! You’ve made it through to the final round!”

  The entire audience was on their feet, cheering and wildly applauding. Corey was instantly overcome with emotion. He hugged both of the other contestants, and then stepped to the side of the stage to await Jimmy’s fate.

  “Not since the very first season of America’s Next Superstar have two male contestants squared off in the final round of competition. This could be another year like our first. Or we could have a battle of the sexes.

  “Jimmy Sawyer and Elaina Covey, both of you have come a long way. Both of you have had incredible journeys, and as we saw in your homecomings tonight, you’ve both made your hometown communities proud. But only one of you can go on to compete in the final round.

  “Dim the lights please. Elaina and Jimmy, for one of you, your journey has come to an end. Sadly, the contestant who will go home tonight is….

  “Elaina Covey. Jimmy Sawyer, you are going on to the final round of competition!”

  It was like something right out of a fairy tale. How could it even be true? Both he and Jimmy had made it all the way through, and one of them would be America’s Next Superstar!

  It was a long, joyous night. After the show, the two finalists had to meet with the press for photos. They were grilled with questions, hugged, photographed, congratulated, and praised about a million times. It wasn’t until after one in the morning that they made their way back to the hotel.

  Chapter Seventeen

  SIX days later, Jimmy and Corey competed against each other one last time on the America’s Next Superstar stage. It had been the most grueling week of rehearsals that Corey had endured thus far. They were singing three songs apiece, and Corey wanted to do something fresh. He had a repertoire of songs to choose from, but he needed at least one of his songs to go outside the box.

  He decided to sing one song that would be significant to Jimmy and him, and so he chose a country classic, “When You Say Nothing at All.” The song seemed perfect, especially because Jimmy was so often a man of such few words.

  His other two choices were pop songs that had originally been sung by boy bands. Corey had always liked that style of music, particularly because the members of those groups were generally such strong vocalists. They had to be. When those groups were formed, only the most powerful and perfectly pitched voices were chosen, and the resulting harmonies were beautiful.

  Jimmy went 100 percent country in his performance. One of his songs was a bit more upbeat, but the other two were heart-rending ballads. These were Corey’s favorites, actually, and they almost always brought tears to his eyes. He was glad Jimmy selected the songs that he did, and he knew that Jimmy had at least an equal chance of winning.

  After the show, nobody dared predict who the winner would be. They’d all have to wait until the next night, Thursday, when the results were announced at the end of the season grand finale.

  It felt good to be finished with the competition. There’d be no more performances other than a couple group songs they’d be singing at the beginning of the final show.

  “Good luck tomorrow,” Corey whispered as he snuggled against Jimmy’s warm body. They were in bed together.

  “You too, baby.”

  “You realize this is our last night together,” Corey said. “Whoever wins tomorrow will be flying to New York, and the other is going home.”

  “We won’t be separated for long,” Jimmy said.

  “I know, but I’m not looking forward to it.”

  Corey relaxed, resting his head in the crook of Jimmy’s shoulder, and slowly drifted off to sleep. All his life he’d dreamed of being America’s Next Superstar, but as he closed his eyes, he prayed a silent prayer. Please, God, let Jimmy win. He deserves it so much more than me.

  The show was broadcast live at eight o’clock Eastern time, which meant it started at five. They took a limo over to the theater to rehearse one last time with the group, and when they were finished, Corey realized it was only one in the afternoon.

  “You know, I think I might go home and take a short nap. I’m really exhausted.”

  “Okay,” Jimmy said. “You sure you’re not hungry? We could grab lunch.”

  “I’ll get a bite before I come back over at four. What are you gonna do?”

  “I think I’ll call my folks and see if they wanna meet me.”

  “Good idea.”

  When Corey got back to his room, he called the front desk and asked for a wake-up call at three o’clock. He then sprawled out on the sofa and drifted off. A few minutes later he was awakened by a knock on the door.

  He was confused when he first woke up, not used to sleeping in the afternoon. But he stumbled over to the door and flung it open. There before him stood Reuben, and Corey’s jaw nearly hit the floor.

  Reuben didn’t wait for an invitation. He stepped into the room, pushing his way past Corey.

  “What are you doing here?” Corey asked. “You’re not supposed to….”

  “I won’t be at the finale this evening,” Reuben said. “I just met with the producers and tendered my resignation, effective immediately.”

  “Reuben, I don’t care. After today, I never want to see you again. Now if you’ll kindly leave, I won’t have to call Security.”

  Reuben took a step closer to him. Corey felt his heart rate quicken. The last time he was alone in a room with this man….

  “I’m not here to hurt you, Corey. I never meant to hurt you.”

  Resolved to show no fear, Corey took a deep breath and looked Reuben right in the eyes. “You have a funny way of showing it, Reuben. What you did to me… it was sick.”

  “What we did together was beautiful,” Reuben said, his voice thick with emotion. “Don’t belittle it. Don’t turn it into something obscene.”

  Corey couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You tied me up and tortured me,” he said.

  “Corey… my sweet innocent Corey, we made love. We made beautiful love.”

  “Reuben, you’re sick. I don’t care what kind of shit you�
��re into. If you wanna play around with bondage and domination—whatever your thing is, I couldn’t care less. But when you force it on someone else, that’s not making love. That’s rape!”

  “You were so pure, so perfectly innocent and undefiled.” It was as if Reuben was in a world of his own. The man had not heard a word that Corey said. “And so utterly helpless.”

  “Reuben!” Corey screamed. “Listen to me! I’m not helpless, and I’m not innocent. Don’t you realize I’m the one who turned your ass in?”

  “No… no, no, no… it wasn’t you. It was that other one. The other one I liked, at first. He’s the one who corrupted you.”

  “Jimmy?”

  “Yes, Jimmy. He was the other one I’d chosen. It was supposed to be the three of you. The one who looked like Justin Bieber.”

  “What are you talking about?” Corey yelled. “Do you mean Tristan?”

  “Tristan, Corey, and Jimmy. You do realize that if I had not handpicked you, none of you would have made it through auditions. And Tristan, that boy was just exquisite, my absolute favorite.”

  “What happened? What was it that changed?”

  “They all change,” Reuben said, his voice very matter-of-fact. “They lose their innocence. The fear and panic eventually leaves their eyes as they grow accustomed to the things I do to them.”

  “And then you have to either intensify the torture, or move on to your next victim,” Corey whispered. It all was starting to make sense. “And when you found the video of Jimmy, you no longer had any interest in him. He’d already been corrupted. The only victims you like are virgins… or at the very least, they must seem like virgins.”

  “And now it’s over,” Reuben said. “Now everything has been ruined.”

  Corey took a step back as he noticed the rage in Reuben’s eyes. Reuben reached behind him and pulled something out of his waistband. A knife!

  “Reuben, no! Please….” Corey took another step back.

  “You and your friend ruined everything. You’ve destroyed my life!” Reuben lunged toward him. Corey spun around, barely avoiding the trajectory of Reuben’s swing. As Corey’s body twisted, he stumbled, falling flat on his face.

  Reuben dropped down on top of him, flipping him over and pinning him to the ground. Corey was terrified, but the weight of the bigger man atop him had him trapped. Reuben used his knees to pin Corey’s arms against the floor, and then he pressed the knife against Corey’s throat.

  “Don’t make a sound,” Reuben threatened.

  Corey wanted to scream for help, but he knew it’d do no good. He’d be dead before anyone heard him. “Please, Reuben,” he pleaded. “Please don’t….”

  The door behind them suddenly flew open. “Freeze, police!”

  It was Mr. Roberts, the prosecuting attorney, and he was accompanied by two officers. Reuben dropped the knife and raised his hands in the air. Seconds later, Corey was back on his feet, and Reuben was facedown on the floor with his wrists cuffed behind his back.

  “We’ve been monitoring the security cameras in your hall for the past several weeks,” Roberts explained.

  Corey was trembling, and tears were flowing freely down his cheeks. One of the officers led him over to the sofa. “Can I call Jimmy?” Corey pleaded.

  The district attorney nodded. “Go ahead.”

  IT WAS almost four thirty when the police car dropped Jimmy and Corey off at the back of the theater. They raced inside and headed straight for the dressing rooms.

  “Where have you been?” one of the producers shouted.

  “Sorry,” Jimmy said. “Long story.”

  “Hurry!” she said. “Makeup! Wardrobe! Get over here, stat!”

  Thirty minutes later the boys were standing just offstage waiting for the show’s opening number. Jimmy took hold of Corey’s hand. “Are you okay?”

  Corey nodded. “I am now.”

  “I’m so proud of you,” Jimmy said. “You were very brave, the way you stood up to that maniac. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you.”

  “Let’s not talk about that man anymore,” Corey said. “He’s hurt enough people, and he can’t hurt us anymore.”

  The grand finale show was absolutely amazing. Famous musicians from around the world, people Corey had only dreamed of ever meeting, were there to perform. Not one word was said about Reuben’s absence. It was as if he was never even a part of the show. Corey should have been on pins and needles. He should have been obsessed over who would win the competition. But inside he felt very calm, and he wasn’t worried at all.

  The show lasted for three hours, but it wasn’t until the very end that Dylan had Corey and Jimmy take the stage one last time.

  “Ladies and gentlemen,” he began, “America has spoken. You have selected your next Superstar, and I have the results in my hand, right here in this envelope. Dim the lights, please!

  “Corey Dunham and Jimmy Sawyer, one of you is America’s Next Superstar.” Dylan peeled open the envelope and pulled out the card inside, reading it and then nodding.

  “And the winner is… Jimmy Sawyer!”

  Immediately the crowd erupted in uproarious cheers, confetti fell from the ceiling, and Jimmy was surrounded by people. Tears streamed down Corey’s face as he looked over at him, thrilled beyond words. His man had won. Jimmy had made it all the way, just like Corey knew he should, and he didn’t feel even a tiny bit of regret or jealousy.

  Jimmy pushed his way through the throng of people, as microphones were shoved into his face. He grabbed hold of Corey and hugged him tightly. “I love you,” Corey said into his ear. “Congratulations.”

  Jimmy pulled back, but only briefly, and then, on live international television, he leaned in and gave Corey Dunham the most passionate kiss of his life.

  And Corey felt like a Superstar.

  About the Author

  JEFF ERNO works a full-time job as a retail store manager, and at the age of thirty-seven, he finally acquired his bachelor’s degree in business management. He began writing in the early 1990s, primarily as a means of catharsis after having experienced the multiple losses of several close family members and friends. Originally his work was posted on a free amateur website, where it was eventually discovered and published.

  Erno currently resides in southern Michigan with his twenty-one-year-old cat, Winston, and he co-owns a book review website that focuses on M/M fiction. He enjoys reading, movies, theater, country-western music, community service, political activism, and cake decorating.

  Visit his website at http://www.jefferno.com.

  Also from JEFF ERNO

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  Also from JEFF ERNO

  http://www.dreamspinnerpress.com