Keep Reaching

7. Put To the Test

"I would like to welcome you both to another SB Pro-"

Ariana interrupted him. "Yeah, yeah, we get it. Just hurry up with your point."

"My point!" Scooter clapped his hands gleefully. "I have great news. The duet between you two is finally finished, and now we can announce a release date to the public!"

"If that's your idea of great news, I'd hate to hear bad news from you," Justin commented.

"Please," Ariana said, rolling her eyes. "It's a duet. Which means you sang on it too."

"Against my will."

"You don't have to do anything against your will," Ariana told him, with another eye roll.

"I guess this duet was the first."

"Shush!" Scooter demanded. "You are both far too old be acting like children. As I was saying, we can release the date to the public now, which means that you'll have to start promoting the song. So, I've planned an interview for the two of you on Ellen! Filming takes place on Friday. Be there."

"Or be square," Justin said. He laughed, alone in his jokes.

"You're so lame," Ariana said, throwing a pink mint at his head.

"This is serious!" Scooter exclaimed. "This is going beyond the cheesy movie dates and hand holding, beyond the things that any old fool with half a hand at acting could pull off. Now, you're going to be on television. Millions will be watching. You need to convince everyone, from the most aloof viewer to Ellen herself. Got it?"

"Yes," Ariana said.

"When don't I got it?" Justin asked.

Scooter heaved a breath. "As long as you don't screw this up, then most people should believe you two. This is your first impression, and you know you only have one chance to make it." He scanned Justin and Ariana carefully. "Don't do any of that lovesick stuff. Make sure you don't overdo it. You two like each other, but she snores and he doesn't floss - you two aren't quite ready to take it to the next level. The dating scheme has only been going on for a few weeks, so play it carefully."

"Got it," Justin assured him.

"You have three days to make sure you're ready," Scooter said. "That's not much time, so I figure, what better way to test it out than to practice right here?"

"Now?" Ariana asked. "Um, no thanks. It's already bad enough that I have to go on a talk show being watched by millions of people, but masquerading in front of you and only you is the final straw. Let's not."

"Actually, let's," Justin said. "Come on, honey." He wrapped a casual arm around her shoulders.

"If you're not stupid - which is highly improbable - you'd keep your arm off of me," Ariana muttered. But she did nothing to physically remove his arm, so he left it there.

"Don't look so grouchy, Ariana," Scooter instructed.

"You might as well save your breath if you're gonna ask her to do the impossible, Scott," Justin told him.

"Justin, please don't call me Scott."

"Scott," Justin teased. "Scotty boy."

"Scottie the Hottie," Ariana pitched in.

Scooter glared at both of them.

"What's so bad about Scott anyways," Justin wondered aloud. "I mean, it's a normal name. But what kind of grown man is named Scooter? Seriously."

Ariana snorted. "At least he didn't name himself Racecar or something."

"Racecar," Justin mused. "It sounds like a very tacky male stripper."

Ariana doubled over in laughter while Justin continued to crack jokes at Scooter. For ten minutes, there was no sound in the room besides the two of them having fun together.

Despite being slightly offended and mocked, Scooter was pleased with what he saw. He watched Justin and Ariana with a curious look on his face, trying to figure out exactly what his next move would be.

-

"Today on the show, we have some very special guests! Yeah, I said guests! As in more than one guest! Any guesses?"

The crowd shouted numerous celebrities until Ellen finally gave them a grin and said, "We've got two of the biggest popstars in music today - and they're a couple! It's Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande!"

Justin and Ariana walked out, waving to the screaming audience. Justin had his arm wrapped around Ariana's shoulders, and she was leaning into his side. From the other side of the stage, Scooter gave them a not-so-discreet thumbs-up.

"Hey, it's been a while since I've had you on the show," Ellen greeted.

"Who, me? I'm here like every other week! I pretty much live here," Justin joked.

Ariana smacked him playfully. "I'm starting to think you like Ellen more than me," she said, laughing.

"Speaking of which, you two seem to like each other quite a bit," Ellen commented. "How did this relationship come to be, exactly? Did Justin make the first move? Was it Ariana?"

For a split-second, Justin glanced at Scooter nervously. They hadn't created a solid backstory yet, and he wasn't sure how to answer. But as quick as ever, he shot Ellen a wide grin and answered. "We met a while ago, when we were just teenagers, but I didn't really get to know her until Scooter, my manager, signed her too. So we started spending a ton of time with each other, you know, recording and stuff. And then eventually, even though we always were, like, arguing and messing around, I started to, well, fall for her. A few weeks ago I asked her out, and she said yes."

"How romantic," Ellen said, a hand over her heart. "So I assume Ariana's feelings were mutual?"

"Oh, totally," Ariana said. "Yeah, I was pretty lowkey about it, but I had this crush on him, and when he asked me out I was freaking out." She smiled up at Justin and he smiled back.

"I bet your fans were pretty excited when they heard the great news, huh? They're huge supports of Team Jariana."

"Oh, is that our...relationship name?" Ariana giggled. "It's cute. Yeah, our fans are really supportive."

"Which is why I think they'll be really ecstatic over the news you came here today to share," Ellen announced.

"Yeah," Justin said. "Well, as you guys might now, Ariana and I have been in the studio lately, and... We finished our duet! It'll be released next month, in exactly thirty days. Mark your calendars." He winked, and the crowd went crazy, clapping and shouting.

"We'll be right back with Justin and Ariana, right after this commercial break." Ellen signaled the camera crew and Justin and Ariana relaxed.

Scooter rushed over to them. "Great work! Justin, maybe kiss Ariana's head? Not sure, but work in some sort of romantic gesture. Nice job winging the love story, by the way. Very believable. Keep it up."

"Yeah, that was a nice story," Ariana said pointedly once Scooter had left. "Where'd you come up with it?"

"Uh, just some book I read," Justin mumbled, suddenly seeming tired.

"You okay?" Ariana poked his shoulder. "Can't have my dearly beloved dying on me on national television."

"I'm fine," he snapped.

"Just making sure, Grouchypants," Ariana said, backing away from him. "I'm gonna get some water. I'll be back in a minute. Don't miss me too much."

"Okay," he muttered. He walked around backstage as he waited for Ariana to return. His phone buzzed, so he pulled it to check what it was.

1 new message

Selena: Hey, there's some things I need to say to you. Can you meet me for lunch tomorrow?