"Why do I have to do this? Does everyone have to?" I demanded to my new assistant, Stacee Davis. Stacee looked at her agenda. "But, Kelly. You have to. It's the most important."
I rolled my eyes. "You've been assigned the job as my assistant. Can't you just make up an excuse or something. Tell Simon and everybody that I can't do this. I don't like doing this. I can't go through with this. I hate this fucking crap!"
Stacee put her hand on my shoulder. "I thought you wanted to be a star." she said calmly.
"Well, now, I just can't stand it. My voice is like sandpaper. I wish I could just stop and take a break."
"But. we're all in this together, Kelly. You can't forget that."
I put my head against the window and sighed. "Maybe it's just me, but I'm really lonely. I just want to go back to Burleson and just forget I ever became a part of this!"
"Well, this is what you've always wanted. Can you imagine what will happen if you're the next American Idol?"
Yeah. I could. An image that would stick in everybody's minds. Fancy cars. A expensive mansion. Glamorous clothes. Blah, blah. I imagine my adoring fans, screaming out my name everytime I'm at a concert, signing autographs, and making people happy. But most of all, I wanted someone to share it with. A person who understood where I was coming from. A person who shared the same aspects and interests as me...That's what I wanted and not all this fucking bullcrap about what a star is supposed  to have.
The car we were in pulled up in the driveway of the house I was staying in for the next several months.
"Well, here we are. Your home..for the next several months." Stacee remarked, but I didn't hear her.?I was looking at the house in awe. It was a beautiful white house, about five stories and the best thing about it was the pool.
"This is sooo cool!" I squealed. Maybe being a star had its advantages.
I put my stuff down near the car and ran about the house.
"Kelly, this stuff is not going to move for you." Stacee reminded me.
"Okay, can you bring everything up for me?" I asked sweetly.
Stacee glared at me but she agreed.
I ran inside the house and just took everything in. The spacious rooms. The expensive stuff. The smell of the house. It smelled brand new.
I walked inside to the patio. By the pool. This is the life for me! I thought. I sat down in a lounge chair and inhaled deeply. Even Texas wasn't like this.
"Enjoying yourself already?" A vaguely familiar voice asked me.
I opened my eyes to see a girl with pink hair and punk-tomboyish clothes on. I'd sort of forgotten who she was, but I knew she was one of the finalists for American Idol.
"Um, yeah. I'm really tired. I just flew in from Texas and I'm really tired. I just went in to say 'Hey' to my people down in Burleson before I left. I'm Kelly Clarkson, by the way."
The pink haired girl smiled warmly. "Nikki McKibbin. I can't believe you're from Texas! I'm from Grand Prarie. I've seen you before, but I forgot your name. But we'll be living here until they choose a winner. And then we'll be moving out." Nikki sighed wistfully. "And I had to bring my son, Tristen, with me. This will probably be the only time he lives in a mansion with his mama, so he'd better enjoy it."
As Nikki rambled on, more people began to mill into the huge patio. "Hey, Nikki! Making friends and didn't invite us!" a girl with a black tank top and low jeans pouted.
Nikki stopped mid-sentence and glared at the girl. The girl she was looking at had dark brown highlighted hair and a ton of makeup on. She actually took out her mirror and began touching up her face.
Nikki kept staring at the girl. "Well, aren't you going to introduce me to your new friend, Nikki?" The girl demanded, grinning evilly at her. "Oh, Kelly, this is Ryan. Ryan, this is Kelly." Nikki said reluctanly. I could tell Nikki didn't like this girl. And vice versa with Ryan.
Ryan distainfully shook my hand. "I've heard about you. You're that Clarkson chick who sang the pants off Tenia Taylor. Boy, was she pissed." She looked a little jealous.
I blushed. I don't know why. And to this day, I still don't know why.
"Oh, and maybe you've met Tamyra Gray and Christina Christian. Do you remember them?"
Hardly. But I shook their hands.
"And the guys are over there, standing by the pool. There's Jim Verranos, R.J Helton, Ejay Day, A.J Gil, and Justin Guarini." Ryan pointed out.
I looked. They all looked cute. Especially the guy with the curly fro. He looked cute from a distance.
Ryan stretched out her arms and sighed. "Just between you and me, I've had my eye on all the guys all day. I intend to have a boyfriend after all this is over."
Nikki smirked secretly.
"And that Justin guy is gonna be mine. All mine." Ryan boasted.
"Just what makes you think he's yours?" Tamyra asked.
Ryan stared at Tamyra like she'd just grown sprouts out of her nose. "Haven't you noticed?"
Tamyra gave Ryan a blank look.
"Noticed what?" she asked.
"Just the way he looks at me, like I'm the only girl in the room...Oh, be quiet! He's doing it now!"
We watched for several minutes, but I didn't think he was actually looking at Ryan.
"He's only looking at the patio tables. He's not interested in you." Christina scoffed.
"Oh, yeah. He's not looking at you, Christina Christian!"
"I don't care! Why should I give a damn?" Christina demanded.
Ryan fluttered her long lashes. "Don't hate, Christian! He was too looking at me! I saw him! It's time for all of you to watch the pro!"
Ryan got up and began to dig in her purse for her lipstick.
"And what are we watching?" Tamyra asked.
"Watch me begin to flirt. Just watch me."
Nikki rolled her eyes as we watched Ryan touch up her lipstick and strut herself over to Justin and his gang.
"Why'd Simon choose her to join us? I really wished Alexis was here with us. She was a much better person than Ryan Starr." Nikki complained when Ryan was out of earshot.
Before anyone could answer Nikki's question, we watched Ryan start her flirting techiques on Justin.
"That poor guy. I'm sure he wishes she would just dry up and go away." Nikki remarked.
She and Tamyra laughed, but Christina and I didn't.
"Did you see how Starr pulled her shirt down, just about below the cleavage line? What are so great about her tits?" Nikki replied.
"It's her way of flirting." Christina said.
Nikki began to walk away. "Look, this is making me sick. Let me know if that guy spills his drink on her shirt or she falls in the pool." She walked into the house.
Just as Nikki walked away, Ryan and the curly-haired boy were heading straight for us.
Ryan was literally dragging him with her.
Ryan waved to us. "I tried to have all the boys come and sit with us, but they want to play water polo or something. Anyway, this cutie I brought with me is Justin Guarini. Justin, these are my friends. (I was her friend?) There's Tamyra Gray, Christina Christian, and Kelly Clarkson."
We all waved and said hello. I was laying on the lounge chair in my bathing suit. (I'd been wearing it under my clothes. The clothes I was wearing were in a heap near my chair) I had a huge straw hat on and it was kinda hard to see Justin's face. I also wearing some nose coat to protect my nose from all this California sun. My skin is sensative to stuff like this, so I have to wear tons of sunscreen, nose-coat, and a humegous straw hat. Or else, a major sunburn.
I heard laughter. I peeked from the straw hat I had on my head. It was Justin.
"What's so funny?" I asked.
Justin laughed so more before he stopped. "I'm sorry I was laughing at you, but I thought it was funny the way you look with that goop on your nose and that silly hat."
"I have to wear this stuff."
"I'm aware of that."
"But why laugh at somebody's condition? I mean, if you had asthma or something, do you think I would laugh if you were wheezing and coughing?"
Justin put his hands up in defense. "I didn't mean anything bad by it. I'm sorry if you took it to offense. I won't laugh at you anymore." He turned back to Ryan. "I'll come back and talk to you, Ryan. When your friend has cooled down some." He stalked inside the house, with Ryan glaring at me as they left.
"Thanks a lot, Kelly." She mouthed to me as she followed Justin.
Good riddance, I thought. I hoped I would never talk to that jerk again.