Chapter 11
[The Day of Ameture Night]
"Oh gosh, D! Don't worry!" Chantel said while hugging her overly nervous friend. "You are gonna do wonderful and blow away the competition! There is no doubt that you'll win!"
Destiny laughed through her forced smile. She would be heading for 'The Attic' in a few minutes time. All 3 of her best friends had helped her prepare. They chose a baby blue knee length dress spaghetti straps that crossed over her bare back. Matching strappy sandals were on Destiny's feet, showing off her toenails which were painted baby blue. At her last hair appointment, Destiny had gotten it cut short and layered with new blond highlights. As a treat, she had also recieved a free french manicure from the Nail woman, who also happened to be Nikki's Aunt. And to top everything off, the girls had bought Destiny little rings, bracelets and earings at a nearby accessories store.
"You guys don't think I look.... overdone?" Destiny asked, looking herself over. The only thing she hadn't let her friends do was her makeup. There was no way she would allow them to go near her face. Instead, Destiny put on her own shiny lip gloss and baby blue eyeshadow.
"You don't look overdone, you look beautiful." Nikki said, placing her hand on her friends shoulder. The others quickly agreed and they all scattered to take pictures.
"I feel like I'm going to prom." Destiny laughed. She looked at the clock on the wall and her eyes widened. "I need to be there soon.. wheres that ride you guys arranged for me?"
As if on cue, the doorbell rang, signaling the arrival of her chauffer. Her friends gave her one last hug before she went to the door.
Destiny opened the door and gasped in shock. Was it really.. could it possibly be? But there they were- the platinum curly haired youngster, the deep voiced Mississippi native, the flirtascious Brooklyn boy, the high pitched crazy man, the.. That was it.
"Smiley!" They said all at once. Destiny smiled, forgetting her brief sorrow and turning attention to the four who were there.
"Guys!" She smiled, hugging each of them. "What are you boys doing here?"
"You didn't hear?" Joey asked. "We're your fine young escorts here to show you the best evening of your life."
Lance hit Joey's stomach then turned to Destiny. "I'm sorry. He had some champagne earlier and he is still thinking he is the sexiest man alive. Damn Hangovers."
Destiny laughed at Lance's joke then turned back to serious. "But, seriously, what brings you to my home?"
"We're really here," Chris began as he took out some keys. "To bring you to your big competition."
Destiny looked back at Chantel who was still standing behind them. Destiny gave her a questioning look, and Chantel nodded then left. So Destiny turned to the guys.
"Shall we?" Lance asked, holding his arm out for Destiny. She smiled politley and linked her arm through his, following the guys to the car.
"So.. you guys just came from a photo shoot?" Destiny asked, maiking conversation as they rode in Chris' car. It was pretty evident they had come from one- all were wearing a different colors with army print pants and matching solid T shirts and black vests. Destiny thought they looked hilarious.
"Yeah, can you tell?" Justin asked as he tugged at his vest and laughed a bit. "We look embarassingly stupid."
"And we get to keep the wardrobe!" Chris said, looking at his rearview mirror to look at Destiny with his cheesy smile. All she did was laugh with the rest of the guys.
"Was it just you four.. or were there five of you?" Destiny asked, where the fifth member of their music group was.
Lance just sighed. their plan was going great, until JC bolting saying he recieved an invitation to an important event. It just ruined everything, but they still wanted to see her. All they could do was hope JC had a really good excuse for pulling it on them at the last minute. But then again, it wasn't JC's fault, Lance thought. We never told him our plans.. "Jace had a previous engagement." Chris informed. He felt horrible seeing the usual smile on Destiny's face fade after he said that. JC was supposed to be there, they just couldn't make him stay.
"So, Smiley..." Justin spoke, trying to change the subject. "What songs are you going to sing?"
"Just some little songs that came out of my mind." Destiny shrugged. Since everyone else know knew about her writing, there was no use in hiding anything.
"No way!" Joey turned from his passanger seat. "You write?" Destiny just nodded her head and smiled. "Are you any good?"
Lance reached up and smacked Joey's head. "I'm sorry. Its that damn champagne again. Bad Joey.."
Destiny just laughed. Those guys were a riot, truly. A good laughed was just what she needed to calm her nerves. Those four were just the guys to make her laugh.
Chris pulled into the parking lot then turned off the engine. "You ready, Smiley?"
"No," Destiny said as she unbuckled her seat belt. "But there is no stopping now. I've gotten this far."
All five exited the car and walked to the back door where she was instructed to enter. As soon as they reached it, the guys surprised Destiny by enveloping her in a big group hug.
"Ahh! Guys.. can't breath!" She said into one of their shirts. They laughed and pulled back, each smiling brightly.
"C'mere girl." Joey said, arms open and ready to pull her into a hug. Destiny gladly returned it, and smiled at Joey's tight hold. "Good luck."
As she pulled back, she was immediatley pulled into Lance's arms. "Do wonderful, and be ready to win."
Destiny giggled as Chris tore her away from Lance and squeezed her close. "All you have to do is close your eyes and sing."
Destiny took a mental note of that as Chris kissed her forehead. "You're gonna do great."
Last, but certinley not least, was Justin. He certinley had the most exciting hug- he picked her up and twirled her in a circle. But it was definitley heartwarming, to say the least. "I have faith in you, Smiley."
Destiny pulled back and looked at the four who she now felt even closer to. Her only regret was that the fifth member wasn't there to share in the special moment. But he wasn't, and Destiny knew there was no way of changing that.
Suddenly, the door opened and Patrick Atwood came rusing out, looking everywhere. When he spotted Destiny, he let out a big sigh and called out her name. "Destiny!"
"Umm. hi Patrick!" Destiny called back, confused and wondering why he was acting so panicked. "Uhh.. whats up?"
"You need to come inside NOW! You're the only one who isn't in there and we have only two hours to prepare!"
"Oh, okay. Give me a few seconds.. alright?"
"Yeah yeah.. but HURRY!" He called back before hurrying into the door.
"You guys are coming to the show, right?" Destiny asked.
"We'll be there." Justin assured. "Just gotta change first."
"Then I'll see you later!" Destin waved then walked into the room, leaving the guys to leave anbd prepare for their arrival later that night.
"Destiny!"
She smiled seeing her new friend and fellow competetor, Shanice, waving her over. Destiny was confident that Shanice would win, while Shanice was confident that Destiny would win. they were the two that stuck out in the group of 10 performers- they were the only ones who wrote their own songs. Everyone knew it would be between those two for the top spot.
"Hey Shanice!" Destiny said as she walked over. Shanice was also the only other black female in the competition. Which was suprising, since most of those who attended nights at The Attic were African-American.
"Destiny, its a good thing you got here." Shanice said, flipping her long black hair over her shoulder. "Patrick was running around around like a lunatic, mumblin' all these cuss words to himself. I swear, I would have slapped him if you hadn't gotten here in five minutes."
Destiny just laughed. Shanice and her were so alike it was scary. Thats why they had been getting along so great. It was like they had known eachother for a long time. They had even gone to Lunch on day after a morning rehersal. Destiny felt so open when talking to Shanice.
Shanice had chosen a more consertive look for the night. She wore black flares with diamonds lining the sides, and a pink tanktop underneath a sheer black over coat that went down to her knees. She looked extremley laid back, and not a nerve seemed to be running through her. Destiny expected this, since Shanie had been to many auditions and performances before. But this was Destiny's first time, and she had a million butterflies in her stomach.
"Okay people, listen up!" Patrick said, clapping his hands and standing on a crate near the front of the group. Nichelle stood beside him, biting her manicured nails. Destiny and her had chatted a few times. They weren't friends like before, more like people who had just met. But it was a start.
"I wish you all luck. Making it this far is a great accomplishment, and you should all be proud. Though all of you are extremley talented, only one can walk away a winner..." He sighed and looked at everyone. What a time it had been getting everything together. But this was it, the first and final performance. "Go on with your warmups, the list of order is posted by the stage entrance. Please make sure the pianist has your music."
There was a brief applause and Patrick stepped back and off the crate. All scattered around the room, soem actually doing warmups and others just singing quietly to themselves. Shanice and Destiny took turns helping eachother with their warmups. Shanice knew warmups that prepared their voices for notes high & low, loud & soft, long & short, and just about everything else. She had taken vocal lessons throughout her teenage years and always used the vocal preps.
"You think we're ready?" Destiny asked some time later. It was almost showtime, and they were the only ones who were still warming up. Most others were chatting quietly, waiting for everything to happen.
"Yeah, I think we got it." Shanice smiled, then looked over to the cutain. Nichelle was sitting in a chair, going over things she was going to say. "Lets go see the crowd that showed up. I wanna see if my parents came."
Destiny's heart sank knowing her parents weren't alive to see the event. She had thought of this many times, and always came up with the same answer- they were here. They were in her heart, and watching her from heaven. That is what made it so special- they were helping her get through all that had happened. That was even better than having them sit in the audience.
"Oh Destiny! I found them!" Shanice said after looking for a few minutes. Destiny walked over in her heeled sandals and Shanice pulled the curtain over a bit more for her to see. She pointed straight to her parents, and Destiny immediatley saw the resemblance. "I am so glad they came! Flew all the way from California to see!"
Destiny smiled and scanned the rest of the front row. It was originally reserved for one special group each performer wanted to attend. But they had made a mistake and didn't reserve enough tables for the front row. One of the performers had to forfit a table. Since Destiny didn't really have any family, she said she wouldn't mind. Nichelle had told her she could use her table, but she declined.
Then she saw who was occupying one of the front row tables. Destiny's heart skipped a few beats when her eyes fell upon him. His beautiful his beautiful blue eyes were staring down at the napkin his fingers were tearing apart. He sat alone at the table, making him look even more uncomfortable, and making Destiny slightly laugh. He was weraing a navy blue sweater and a pair of baggy cargo pants.
"Oh my god!" Destiny said, stepping away from the curtain as if she had seen a ghost. "Holy mother.."
"Umm.. Destiny?" Shanice asked, looking at her with a confused look on her face. "Whats wrong?"
"He is here.." Destiny said, wondering who could have invited him. The guys obviously didn't tell him, and there was no way that her friends could have contacted him.
"Who is here?" Shanice looked out into the crow again and found many male faces. She was growing more curious by the second.
"My ex... JC."
"Really? Where is he sitting?"
"He's right in front.. sitting all alone."
Shanice looked again, this time her brown eyes immediatley finding him. She was in shock at first. "You dated a white man?"
Destiny swallowed a lump in her throat and nodded. She didn't want to hear any crap, especially if they weren't dating anymore.
"Ha.. cool! He is pretty hott." Shanice said, peering through the curtains to look again. "JC you say? He looks kind of familiar..."
"Yeah, alot of people know who he is." Destiny said softly, stepping to the curtain again. "He is in a pop group.. NSync." She sighed and rested her head on a pole. "I can't figure out who invited him."
"I invited him."
Destiny turned to find Nichelle standing up from her seat. Destiny's eyes clouded over in confusion, wondering why Nichelle would do this. She was one of the people who didn't want them to be together. An act like inviting him would be "against her African American beliefes" and crap.
"Why.. why would you do anything like that? I thought you didn't want us together?"
"At first, I didn't want you to. I guess for some reason, I felt betrayed." She sighed and looked at Destiny. "But after I lost your friendship, I regretted it. I heard how miserable you were after you two broke up. I then realized that you two did love eachother, and I had a horrible feeling that you two breaking up was my fault."
Destiny was glad she didn't wear any mascara, because tears were rolling down her cheeks. "Thank you, Nichelle."
Nichell smiled, knowing everything was going to go back to normal. She just smiled and gave Destiny a friendly hug.
"Nichelle, I have only one question." Destiny asked pulling away and wiping her eyes.
"How did you get him to come?"