Star Crossed Collection

by Campbell, Jamie

  I called Cole and he answered after only a few rings. “Mel, hi. I’m glad you called.”

  “Thank you for the flowers, they’re beautiful. I’m really sorry too. I shouldn’t have gone off like I did.”

  “I should have spoken about it with you first before I told everybody,” Cole said. “It wasn’t right to put you on the spot like that.”

  “I know your intentions were in the right place. Let’s just forget about the whole thing.” All I wanted to do was put it all behind us so we could concentrate on the sing off and making sure Two Dimension won.

  “Agreed.”

  “How are things?”

  Cole let out a puff of breath, telling me things were not good. “Nobody thinks we can win the sing off. The record label is already talking about dropping us. Sponsors are nervous about continuing their support. It’s bad, babe. So bad.”

  “You can’t be thinking about losing. You have to go in there believing you can win.”

  “I don’t know if we can.”

  “You have to believe in yourselves,” I said. The moment the words were out of my mouth, I thought about Dallas saying them to me. If I was quoting Dallas Love, I was in trouble.

  Chapter Six

  Five songs down and the crowd were swaying in one direction. The sing off had not been going well for Two Dimension. It seemed like every time they went out on stage, the audience were waiting for them to fail.

  Standing off to the side, my heart was aching for them. As the night wore on, they were becoming more and more defeated. Meanwhile, Ten Minutes of Winter were just getting better. They were feeding off their success, knowing they had the whole thing in the bag before it was even over.

  Two Dimension had worked so hard for their careers. They’d worked hard just getting their first record contract and then they’d worked even harder to do a good job. They were at risk of losing their entire careers.

  They came off stage and the smug band went on. It was down to one song now and Two Dimension would close the show. They drank water and rested in the green room. Their spirits were as flat as a sheet.

  “This was a terrible idea, I’m sorry,” Reed said. I never knew it had been his initial idea. “I really thought it would go differently.”

  “It’s not your fault. We all agreed to it,” Cole replied. The others mumbled their agreement. Nobody was blaming anyone, they were all blaming themselves.

  I knew they would put everything into their last song, but they didn’t expect to win now. They had already admitted defeat and they were just doing what they were obligated to. Once the sing off was over, their careers would nosedive. It was very difficult to come back from this public humiliation.

  We only had little more than a minute before Ten Minutes of Winter finished their last song and Two Dimension had to go on. It was within my power to do something to help them.

  But could I?

  Should I?

  I might not actually be helping them, I might be making their loss even larger. Anything could happen out there on the stage. Nothing was guaranteed. After all, we hadn’t even practiced. We’d never sung together before.

  But there was something I could do and I owed it to the boys that were like my brothers. I owed it to the boy I loved. I would do anything for them if it meant I was giving them a chance of winning.

  “I’ll sing with you,” I said before I could back out again. Those four little words could get me into a lot of trouble. They may be the four words I’d regret the most.

  All the boys looked at me. “Are you serious?” Cole asked.

  “Yeah. I mean, if you want me. We can do Combat Hearts as a duet. It builds towards an epic moment that I think people will really respond to. But you don’t have to, it’s just an idea.”

  All four of them stared at me for a long, painful moment. Long enough for me to question the absurdity of everything I had just said. I squirmed under their gaze and wondered if they would ever take me seriously again.

  But then…

  They all ran at me at once. I had four boys surrounding me in a group hug. I was just a squished bug in the middle of it all. A squished, terrified, happy, relieved bug.

  “We need to get you wired for sound,” Reed said as they all pulled away. It was down to business now, we only had half a minute before show time. “We need to get Melrose a microphone.” He was giving orders now, making sure the crew knew what was going on.

  Cole remained by my side. “Are you sure you want to do this? I don’t want to make you do anything you don’t want to.”

  “No, I want this. I want to help.”

  “As long as you’re sure.”

  “I am.” I gave him a kiss to make certain.

  The next few moments happened like a whirlwind. Crew members moved about me, threading wire underneath my top and taping a battery pack to my pants. I had no idea what it was all for but by the end of it I had a microphone in my hand and I could hear things much more clearly through earphones in both ears.

  Ten Minutes of Winter finished their song and came off stage. They had to walk through all of us to reach their green room. They just ignored us this time, they’d already said everything they wanted to during the night. They thought they had already won, there was no need to pay Two Dimension any attention.

  The emcee gave us our cue and we all ran out on stage. I followed Cole, praying I was doing the right thing and wouldn’t freeze out on the stage with my first note.

  The arena held six thousand people and it was full to capacity that night. But with all the bright lights, I could barely see only the first few front rows. It was easier than singing karaoke because I could forget about all the masses of people.

  Drums started and then the guitars joined in. Only a second later and the boys started to sing. I waited for my cue, hoping I would hit it at the right time. I couldn’t be the reason the boys lost, I couldn’t be that person.

  But I hit it.

  Right when I was supposed to.

  Cole and I sung the main parts together, our voices hitting the notes entwined and giving their song a completely new spin. Even though I’d heard the song a million times before, it sounded so different now with a female voice mingled in with the boys.

  The boys moved around the stage while I stayed in the same area, trying to move along and not stand completely still. Thank goodness I’d seen the band perform so many times before, it gave me a perfect idea of what they would do so I could do the same thing. I’d never imagined I would be on stage with them. Not in my wildest dreams.

  The big climax of the song approached. I prayed my voice would hold. If I didn’t hit the notes then nobody would remember the rest of the performance. They would only remember my epic failure.

  Cole came over and held my hand, looking into my eyes as he sang his part. He stopped so I could do mine. I launched into it fearlessly, hoping I would be able to pull this whole thing off.

  My voice crept higher. I took a final breath for the big crescendo.

  And I nailed it.

  I sang the words exactly as they needed to be sung. Cole squeezed my hand just before he joined in. I couldn’t see much of the crowd but I could suddenly hear them over my earphones. They cheered and screamed out their approval, making me have to focus on what I was doing so I didn’t get carried away with them.

  The song ended quickly then and the five of us stood at the front of the stage together. We took a bow and I had never seen Two Dimension so happy before.

  We didn’t leave the stage. The emcee and Ten Minutes of Winter joined us on the stage instead. It was crowded with everyone so we had to stand together in our groups.

  The results of the sing off had been calculated. And now it was time to announce the winner.

  Chapter Seven

  You could have heard a pin drop in the arena while we waited for the announcement. The host was standing there, pausing to raise the level of excitement and anticipation. He needn’t have worried, it was already at
the maximum level.

  Cole and I held hands throughout it all. Every second felt like a day and it was killing me waiting to hear the winner. The host didn’t need to make the wait this long, he could end our misery just by uttering the name of the winner.

  “And the winner is…”

  Still more waiting. I was about to run across the stage and grab his card from him. Security weren’t near that part of the stage, they wouldn’t be able to stop me.

  If Ten Minutes of Winter won, it would be all over for Two Dimension. The public would view them differently, defeated by the newer band. Only their most dedicated fans would stick with them. Unfortunately, their record label might not be in that group.

  So much was at stake and it all came down to the winner of this sing off. Perhaps it had been a really bad idea to make the challenge. But at least their feud had come to a head, it had to do that eventually. Otherwise it could have just continued to get nasty with the fans losing out.

  I watched the host take a deep breath.

  He was about to announce the winner.

  “… Two Dimension!”

  The crowd erupted into cheering but it wasn’t as loud as the cheers coming from Two Dimension. They jumped around the stage, Cole almost taking my arm off in the process. I was swept into their happiness as the host continued to talk. I wasn’t listening to what he was saying.

  The boys calmed down enough to thank their fans before the live broadcast was cut. Ten Minutes of Winter left the stage while Two Dimension continued to play up to the live audience. They were so happy and they wanted to share the triumph with their fans. And there were plenty of them still in the arena.

  We stood on stage for ages before we were told we had to leave by the arena security. They needed to clear the place so all the staff could go home and they could close up.

  My mouth was sore from smiling when we stepped off the stage. I couldn’t believe the boys had pulled it off and achieved what they set out to. It shouldn’t have been a surprise, but it seemed the odds were stacked against them.

  Their first stop backstage was to the second green room. They thanked Ten Minutes of Winter for participating in the sing off. It seemed a kind of truce was settled between them. Ten Minutes agreed to keep quiet about Two Dimension and they proposed perhaps working together on a song in the future.

  It seemed the fight was over.

  Back in their own green room, the excitement from the win couldn’t be capped. The boys were still coming down from the adrenalin rush.

  I knew how they felt. I still couldn’t believe I’d sung with them, in front of millions of people. It seemed something so far from what I’d normally do that I was a different person on that stage. Maybe the whole thing was just an out of body experience.

  “We couldn’t have won this without you, Melrose,” Reed said. Suddenly all eyes in the room were on me. Scott was the only one scowling.

  “I didn’t do anything,” I protested.

  “Yeah, you did. We were losing until you came out there with us and completely rocked it.”

  I looked to Cole and he nodded. “It’s true, Mel. You were amazing, even better than amazing. The audience didn’t care about us until you stepped on stage.”

  The boys gathered around me and we had a massive group hug. I still didn’t entirely believe them but it felt really good to hear what they were saying. And who knows? Maybe I did help them win, even if just a little. Singing with them and seeing how happy they were now was enough reward.

  Nick spoke next. “You have to join the band, Melrose.”

  “Yeah, you have to,” Reed added.

  “That would be awesome,” Dylan said.

  Cole took my hand in his. “I think that’s a really good idea. If you want to, that is.”

  My heart beat so fast in my chest I wasn’t sure if it would stay in my ribcage. I wasn’t sure whether I needed to laugh or cry. The thought of joining Two Dimension was like a dream and a nightmare happening all at once.

  I loved Two Dimension, I never thought I’d be asked to join the band. Never in my most wildest dreams did I ever think that was a possibility. But I had four eager faces looking at me, encouraging words coming from their mouths, and adrenalin still pulsing through the air.

  Perhaps it was just a joke they were playing on me. Maybe they hadn’t really thought it through and would start to regret it straight away. I looked to Scott, standing by the door like he was ready to go home already.

  Scott, the man I thought hated me from the moment I met him, actually nodded. He didn’t shake his head like he was telling me to refuse the offer. He was actually nodding encouragement my way. Like he wanted me to join the band. He was my arch nemesis, he wasn’t supposed to be acting that way.

  The boys were still staring at me expectantly, waiting for an answer to their question.

  They were serious.

  They seriously just asked me to join Two Dimension.

  Did I want to be a starlet?

  Star Fall

  Chapter One

  The lights were really bright. I never realized just how much until I was sitting on the opposite side of the stage. Standing by the edges had been easy, but sitting right in the middle of the action was something else entirely.

  “How do you find it being the only female in what used to be an all-boy band?” The interviewer was looking at me, expecting an answer.

  As were the studio audience.

  As were the cameras.

  As was Scott, standing in the side of my vision and waving me on. He was probably the only person as stressed as I was about this interview.

  I needed to say something, it was starting to get awkward in the television studio. “The guys are all really great. We’ve known each other for a while now, and we’ve toured together before, so we get along really well. They’re like my brothers.”

  “Except one of them, of course.”

  I felt the heat rising to my cheeks. “Yes, of course. Cole doesn’t feel like my brother.” That sounded wrong but it was out there now. Too late to rephrase.

  The interviewer continued, the smile never leaving her face. “It was a very bold move adding a female voice to your songs. Were any of you worried about how it would affect the dynamics of the band?”

  It was Reed who answered. “Not at all. As artists, we are constantly evolving and changing. Bringing Melrose into the band felt natural, like she was always supposed to be there.”

  Awww, that was really sweet.

  I really loved those guys.

  “Plus, she’s hot,” Nick added, breaking the spell somewhat. His comment elicited some laughter from the audience. The next rumors to circulate were probably going to be about us having a secret affair.

  “Cole, you and Melrose have been in a relationship for some time. Do you worry what might happen now you’re working together?” This woman wasn’t going to hold anything back. She kind of scared me. I was glad she asked Cole and not me. He was much better at these things than I was. It was only my first interview.

  “Spending time together has always been a challenge for us with my crazy schedule. I’m really happy now we get to spend so much more time together. We’ve only grown closer through this experience,” Cole replied calmly. I loved him so much. Sometimes I was certain he was too good to be true.

  “Melrose, do you agree?”

  “Yes, I do. We have loved everything about our new situation.”

  The interview wrapped up with information about where people could find Two Dimension’s latest releases. When the lights dimmed and the producer said we were done, I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

  We left the stage, me amongst the four boys of the band I was now a part of. We moved in step with one another, a cohesive unit. Reed was right, it did feel like I was always supposed to be amongst them.

  Even though I still couldn’t believe it.

  Little Melrose Morgan, a member of the world’s biggest (former) boy band.

&
nbsp; A warm hand on my arm stopped me going any further. I looked over to see Cole staring at me seriously. “Can we talk for a minute?”

  I nodded and we moved to a quiet corner backstage while the rest of the band went on. My stomach clenched with what Cole could be so worried about. His problems were mine too, and I wanted us both to be stress-free.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “I want to make sure you’re okay. We haven’t really talked about any of this since the sing off.”

  I relaxed. This was just Cole being a concerned boyfriend. It was why I loved him so much. “I’m okay. I mean, this is all kind of crazy, but I’m handling it.”

  “And you really want to be in the band? You’re not just doing this because you think I want you to?”

  “As much as I love you, Cole, I would never do anything just because you want me to. I’ve got my own mind, I’m always going to make decisions based on what I think I should do. I’m here because I want to be.”

  He kissed my forehead. “That’s my girl.”

  “You’re sure you want me here?” I asked, suddenly wondering if I was encroaching on his territory.

  “Of course I want you here. I’m so excited about this whole thing. Not only do I get to spend more time with you, I can’t wait to see what the band does with your voice added to the mix. All this is awesome.” I could see the honesty in his eyes as they sparkled back at me.

  We were doing the right thing.

  “We’re both good then,” I said. “Let’s go catch up with the others before they start wondering what we’re up to.”

  We caught up at the door, the boys all ready to get back to the hotel for the night. It had been a long day already with the interview and a morning meeting with the publicist. Everything went well, but we’d been up since very early.

  The car was waiting on the other side of the door for us and we piled in. Our hotel in L.A. was fancy, with chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and the elevator paved in marble. The rooms were spacious with massive televisions.