Chapter 267: Rule Changes (2)
"The twenty-ninth contestant that is safe is...Levi, please come up."
As Levi went up to the stage, he glanced back at Ari before shooting a dirty look at the staff members standing in the back and taking the microphone.
"To the fans who kept me in, thanks. To the production team, I hope your hands are clean."
After saying a vaguely threatening message, Levi handed the microphone back to the MC before turning to glance at the contestants sitting on a pyramid that was obviously divided, at least to those who knew the inside story.
To the left and middle were those who were close to William or at least neutral in feeling, while those on the right were those who weren’t that close to him.
The only two seats were one close to William and one by another blonde contestant.
As Levi walked over to the open seat that Jamie had saved, and as their eyes met, Jamie furrowed his brow, covered the seat with his hands, and whispered harshly.
"No. The seat is taken."
"Watch it. I’m not trying to steal your little friend."
With slow steps, Levi moved past Jamie, walked over to the seat beside William, and proceeded to ignore his attempts to get his attention.
"And now to the final contestant who is safe and will be continuing their journey here on Pop Star Academy."
Ryan Leary paused as he glanced at the remaining 11 contestants, still seated in their chairs.
10 of them sat together in one row, hands clasped in one long chain as they stared at him with hopeful, pleading eyes that begged him to call their name and allow them to continue living their dreams.
Their nerves were apparent, and some of them already had tears in their eyes, which didn’t make his job any easier, even though he had been doing this job for months.
And sitting in the row in front of them, all by himself, in the very center was a boy who seemed to suck all the focus to himself and sparkle in the light.
Curly, bright red hair that reminded him of cooling magma framed a strikingly beautiful face that had upturned sea green eyes with large, dilated pupils, red lips set into a confident smirk, and a delicate nose that was still quite red from being blown.
One arm was spread across the back of the seat beside him with the slender fingers holding a plush fur hat, while the second one rested on the knee of his crossed leg, and the school uniform that all the other contestants wore seemed to have been perfectly tailored clothing for him to model.
In comparison to the other contestants who held their friends while shaking, he was alone, and his demeanor was calm.
No nerves.
No fidgeting or signs of excitement.
Just a clear sense of resignation in those clear green eyes as he mouthed something to someone that Ryan Leary couldn’t see before smiling widely.
"That’s a crazy shot. No framing needed." Ryan Leary heard one of the cameramen whisper in his in-ears, and he had to agree.
With an almost perfect face, an unknown charm that seemed to draw people in, and a bold posture, it felt like a piece of art.
With Ariel in the center, all by himself, and the remaining contestants were just his backdrop.
The very picture of a proud boy who had resigned himself to whatever result was announced.
It made Ryan Leary a bit sad because he was used to seeing those green eyes have more emotion than they did now, whether it be mischievousness, frustration, or anger; they were usually more expressive instead of still and resigned.
And it made what the production team wanted to do to him all the more cruel, causing Ryan to shift from hesitation to outright refusal to be complicit.
Perhaps it was pity or sympathy, or perhaps it was a childish hope that being in the entertainment industry wouldn’t dull the sparkle and shine of a young boy who was like a brightly shining jewel, not just in his appearance but in the way he always confidently spoke up, no matter who he was speaking to, no matter the venue, no matter the place for what he believed in.
It was a rarity since the entertainment industry somehow always tarnished the brightest lights in an attempt to humble them and strip them of their confidence, and Ryan Leary sincerely hoped that Ariel could retain the internal thing that made him stand out among other brilliant contestants and made people like and envy him so much.
He hoped that Ariel would survive with his brightness intact, and even if he, as the MC, couldn’t do a lot, he could at least do a small part to show his support.
And maybe that support would be the catalyst for something bigger later on.
Without hiding the motion, Ryan Leary crushed up the card in his hand that wanted him to call another contestant’s name before a staff member would come forward with the correct sheet.
It was a simple ploy that would cause much unnecessary harm to two contestants, all in the name of adding drama to an already dramatic and painful moment where teams were ending, and truly, Ryan Leary wanted no part in intentionally hurting a young person whose only crime was being so outspoken that he offended the wrong people.
"The name of that contestant is... "
In that moment before the final name was announced.
Prayers were said, wishes whispered, and hope rose within the hearts of the waiting contestants, even as doubt-filled thoughts filled their minds.
Had I done enough?
Should I have kept my mouth shut?
Would more practice have improved my skills in time?
It was a circular line of thought with no clear answer.
After a pause that felt like eternity, Ryan Leary finished his words with an excited smile.
"Contestant Ariel, please come forward."
"Whooooo! Yes!"
There was a moment of silence before an enthusiastic yell came from the stage, quickly turning into a loud round of applause.
And seeing who it was, Ari laughed briefly before slowly walking up the steps without looking back at the remaining contestants who were clapping politely despite tears streaming down some of their faces.
Firstly, they weren’t close, and secondly, he didn’t know how to comfort people whom he had been selected over and felt that anything he said would be hypocritical.
When Ari got on stage, the MC stuffed the crumpled paper into his pocket and shook his hand hard.
"Congratulations on being safe. It seems that contestant Jamie is quite pleased that you’re safe, and to be honest, so am I. Also, I didn’t get a chance to say this to you, but I appreciate you speaking up and wishing me well at the performance after I got injured. I once again want to reassure you that no matter what pattern you think you see here, the list of names was listed in a randomized order and has nothing to do with the votes received from the public. Okay?"
Ari blinked at the MC in surprise before smiling softly.
"Sure. Thank you."
Ryan Leary patted Ari’s shoulders firmly before continuing his words.
"I mean it. Then contestant Ari, would you like to say a few words?"
Ari thought for a moment as his fingers tightened on the microphone before giving his thoughts as simply as he could.
"I’d like to thank my fans and supporters for continuing to support me up until this point. I hope my actions haven’t disappointed you, and if they have...well, I’m not sure what to do. I plan to try my hardest so I’m not in a position like this again, and I hope that hard work pays off. Once again, thank you to the fans for their support. I would never have made it to this spot without you, and I appreciate the time and effort you’ve put in to support a person like me."
"A surprisingly long and reflective message from contestant Ariel. Thank you. Please go take a seat. From now on, I will be calling the contestants who are unfortunately not continuing the journey with us. When you hear your name, please come say your final words. First up is Tony."
As the MC began calling the names of contestants so they could give their final speeches, Ari just stared blankly ahead while clapping along with everyone.
Mentally, he just felt a bit tired of being here, and the longing for his parents was stronger than ever.
Feeling a familiar hand patting his back and almost breaking it, Ari turned to look at Jamie, who gave him his characteristically bright smile before whispering-
"Fresh start. So smile."
Well, Jamie was right.
For now, he was safe.
The votes had been zeroed.
He had improved and was much better than he was in the beginning.
And in two days, he would be going to Korea.
At the next evaluation, Ari vowed that he would do his best to outdo their expectations for him.
But for now...
He was just really, really tired.
Still, completely aware of the camera, he forced a smile.
***************
"Hang out tomorrow? In my studio?"
"I have to go to school to turn in my last couple of assignments. Then, actually do some work at the restaurant so I’m not just a bum leeching off their family." Ari replied with a tired sigh.
They were parked by the church, and he wanted to go inside, but Jamie wouldn’t let him.
"Okay. Then I’ll come pick you up to go to the airport the day after. Unless you want to sleep over at my house tomorrow night? We have lots of rooms in our house and I’ve always wanted to have a sleepover with people who were not my brothers or sports teammates."
At Jamie’s sparkling puppy dog eyes, Ari laughed before shaking his head.
"Nah, your dad doesn’t like me. Wouldn’t want to rile your old man up. What if we get into a fist fight or a shouting match?"
"Well..."
Jamie wanted to say it wouldn’t happen, but with his dad’s temper and Ari’s sharp words and personality that hated taking a loss, they would probably start arguing.
"It’s fine. I’ll just meet you there."
"Mmm, fine. Did you open your birthday presents yet?"
"No. Not yet. I had to rush back, remember? And it’s been busy since then."
"Well, open them. And absolutely positively open mine first! Mine is the most important one!"
"It’s also the biggest box."
"I mean it! And also..."
Jamie looked at him for a second before continuing in a slightly low tone.
"Don’t feel bad about this ranking ceremony. Since our ranks are being zeroed anyway, you can start afresh and make your way to the top again."
"You told me that already."
"I’m saying it again," Jamie yelled, his country twang coming out in full force as he shouted.
"I don’t think you were wrong, and I liked your performance. A lot of others did too. Some of the trainers are biased, the production team is weirdly mean, and that producer’s song was terrible. I think it’s better to be somebody who speaks up when things happen and somebody treats you wrong than to keep it bottled up, and music is a good avenue to do this. And I would rather have someone like you on my team who would support me in saying what I wanted to say when somebody was foul than to tell me to stay quiet and suck it up."
"Haha, are you trying to comfort me?"
"Yes. Is it working? You seemed down." Jamie peeked at him before looking away.
"More or less? I’m not down, just disappointed a bit."
And mentally tired.
"Okay. Then I’ll come pick you up to go to the airport. I’ve already paid for long-term parking, and I’m already picking up Benjamin, so it doesn’t make a difference to me. The taxi prices are really expensive, so just give me the gas money instead. Or snacks. I liked the last ones."
"Okay. Then thanks. I’ll get you snacks."
"Deal."
Since they were in agreement, Ari hopped out of Jamie’s truck and waved him away before entering the church to drop his things off in the dust-covered room.
He wanted to fall asleep right then and there, but instead, he forced a bright smile on his face and made his way into the restaurant, where he saw Grace manning the cash register while tapping away on her phone.
"Sup GC."
She immediately scowled at him before looking back down.
"I don’t like that nickname. Do it again."
"Alright. Take two. Action!" Ari walked out the door before walking back in with an exaggerated swag.
"What’s up, Grace Choi? Big G is in the building. Pow pow pow. Was that good enough for you, reporter, pr firm, social media, director extraordinaire? Or shall I perform another scene for you?"
"You think you’re funny?" Grace glared at him, somewhat relieved to see that Ari was in a relatively good mood.
She hoped that it meant that he hadn’t been eliminated.
"Hilarious, actually. Where’s Granny Choi?"
"Here I am. What happened to you? Your lovely black hair became this color? Aiyah. And look at you. You’re all skin and bones. Did they starve you at that show? Should I report them for child neglect? Are you hungry?"
Hearing the familiar gruff voice nagging him and seeing the stern face of an old Korean lady wearing a bright yellow apron and holding a wooden spoon in a threatening manner, Ari let out a small laugh.
"Yeah, I could eat."