Like Father, Like Daughter

Chapter 4: Vegas Week

David's POV: "I'm back." Iman said as she walked into the house. "Hey babe." I said as I kissed her. We went and sat down on the couch. "Why'd Janie want to go out?" I asked. "She wanted to meet up with a friend. The two have been talking for awhile. They live in the area and she wanted to meet up with them." She said. "Why are you saying 'them'?" I asked. "No reason." She said. "Iman, you're hiding something. What's going on here?" I asked. "Nothing David, everything's fine." She said. "Iman. Who is Janie meeting up with?" I asked seriously. She was silent for a moment. She let out a sigh. "She's meeting up with a boy. His name is Devan. They've been friends for a while now." She said. I closed my eyes and let out a sigh. "David, she's almost 14. She's going to have a boyfriend eventually. She's growing up." Iman said. I was silent for a moment. "You're right. It's just—she's our little girl." I said. "And she'll always be. You're going to have to let go eventually." She said. My little girl's growing up, and I guess it's just hard for me to accept that. "Don't go crazy over this David, ok? I promised her I wouldn't tell you." She said. "Ok." I replied.
•
Janie's POV: Devan drove me home. It's weird thinking that I'm dating my 16 year old friend now. I'm happy though. "See ya." He said. "Bye hun." I said as I got out of his car. I walked into the house. Mom and dad were sitting on the couch. "I'm home." I said. Dad got up and walked towards me. "Uh, Janie, can I ask you something?" He said as he stood in front of me. "Sure, but I have to pack for Vegas." I said. "Why didn't you tell me about this?" He asked. "About what?" I asked. "You and Devan." He said. I became nervous, but I was a little angry at my mom. She said she wouldn't tell him. "Janie, you could have told me. I just want you to be happy. And if your happy with being friends with him, I'm fine with that." He said. I was a little relieved. "Well, we're actually kind of—a couple." I said. Dad closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Ok." He said. He gave me a hug. After a few seconds, I pulled away and went upstairs.
*The next night*
Janie's POV: We arrived in Vegas this morning. My older brother Duncan came out to support me as well. I don't see him very often, so I was excited. I've been practicing all day. I'm singing "Changes" by my dad. I feel like it's not enough to get me through to the live shows, but I'm going to take that risk. When the time came, we went to the casino where it was being held. My parents weren't allowed to come in, so I gave them both a hug and a kiss. My dad told me that no matter what happens, he'll always be proud of me. I went back into the waiting area and sat in the female singers section with the other woman singers. Hearing them practice, I became very nervous. My anxiety was acting up. I continued to take deep breaths. After about an hour, we were all called to the stage. We watched as one by one the girls performed. I was so nervous. What if I forget the lyrics? What if I mess up my pitch? What if I break down? Last time I did this my dad was at the side and there was an audience. Now it's just me and the judges. I was next. I walked out to the stage. "Hi Janie." Heidi said. "Hello." I replied. "You nervous?" She asked. "Very." I replied. "Well Janie Bowie, take it away." She said. I took a deep breath. The music started.
"I still don't know what I was waiting for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets
And every time I thought I'd got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet
So I turned myself to face me
But I've never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
I'm much too fast to take that test"
I got even more nervous as the chorus came.
"Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Turn and face the strange
Ch-ch-changes
Don't want to be a richer man
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes
Turn and face the strange
Ch-ch-changes
Just gonna have to be a different man
Time may change me
But I can't trace time."
I finished up singing. The silence in the room was scary. "Ok, thank you Janie." Heidi said. I nodded with a smile before walking off stage. "How do you feel Janie?" Nick asked. I shook my head. "I could have done better. I feel like I could be going home tonight." I said. I wiped away the tears that were forming in my eyes. I didn't even realize that the cameras were filming. I walked back to the waiting area. The rest of the acts performed and we all waited for the results. I was shaking. A cameraman came up to me. "Excuse me Janie, can we get your thoughts on how you're feeling?" He asked. I nodded. He counted me down. "This is the deciding factor. I need to prove to everyone back home that I am worth it. I need to prove to them that I'm not going anywhere. I just don't know if I was good enough to make it though." I said. He thanked me, filmed a few shots of me sitting down, and left. They started calling groups of people out for their results about an hour later. My heart was going quickly. Eventually, they called the last group of people, including me. They had two people at a time go out and hear their fate. I saw people's feelings get crushed as they were sent home and others sent to New York. I was the last one left. They called me out. I stood in front of the judges. "Janie, let me start off by saying this was the hardest decision we made all night." Howard said. I became nervous. "You really do have an amazing voice, it's pretty obvious where that came from." He said. I chuckled. "But we did come to a decision. We're going to send you home." He said. My heart sank. I took a deep breath to hold my tears back. "Pack you bags, you're going to head home—so you can spend some time with your family, because we're taking you with us to New York." My heart skipped a beat. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. I crouched down and started crying tears of joy. "Thank you so much." I said through my tears. The judges were smiling. I walked off the stage and out the door. "Congratulations Janie! You're going to New York!" Nick said. "I can't believe this. I'm just—." I stopped talking and wiped my eyes. I walked away and saw my family waiting for me. I ran and jumped right into my dads arms. I could tell he was crying. He hugged me tightly. "I'm so proud of you baby girl." He said. I was still crying. My mom and brother hugged me, and we went back to the hotel...