The next morning, I jump out of bed, throw on my clothes, and run to the studio. Tomorrow is the second elimination round, and someone else is going home. I’m not going to let it be me: I deserve to stay, no matter what anyone, including Ryan, has to say about me.
At the studio, Cassandra calls us into a huddle. “All right, crew. Tomorrow’s challenge is going to be a little interesting. Peter’s team won last time, and their reward was the chance to assign songs to all the other teams to perform during the challenge. This is our song.” She presses play on the speakers.
A happy, jumpy beat starts to play. Then comes a high-pitched female vocalist whose joy is so sickly-sweet I can practically taste sugar. Casey and Delia pretend to gag. Lark’s eye twitches. And I glare at the speakers. This is exactly the annoying, cutesy pop I refuse to listen to. And Ryan knows it.
Oh, it’s on.
***
Delia smooths out her frilly lace skirt for the hundredth time. “I hate this.”
“Me too,” Casey moans, tugging at the sparkly ribbons in her jet-black hair.
“We have to play to win,” I tell them, even as I glare at the huge red heart printed on my neon pink dress.
It’s the night of the second elimination round, and the four of us are waiting to go onstage from behind the curtain. If we can’t sing the song well, then we’ll at least catch the judges’ eyes with our over-the-top popstar attire. I had Blair help us pick out the most ridiculous outfits she could find on the dressing room racks.
Then Tix announces our names, and we bound out to the cheers and laughter of the audience. The annoying pop music starts to play through the speakers over our heads. Behind us, the other contestants laugh at our outfits. Ryan’s jaw drops. But I don’t care what he thinks because I’m about to give it my all.
I sing my heart out, making my voice higher than it normally is to capture the spirit of the song. Lark also sings well for her part. Casey and Delia, however, struggle to hit the notes. They barely move, too embarrassed by their skirts and ribbons. The judges aren’t impressed.
Afterward, Ryan runs up to me on the catwalk, beaming. “Good job!” he exclaims.
“Yeah, I know,” I reply curtly.
He looks confused.
After every team has performed, Tix comes on the stage to announce the results. Since Ryan’s team had the advantage of picking songs, they go on to win for the second time in a row. And unfortunately, my team did the worst. He calls all of us forward. And just like that, Delia gets sent home.