The Heartbreak Factor - Part One

Chapter Nineteen.

Standing behind the huge sliding doors, I took one last final deep breath before the doors opened. My nerves weren’t as bad as they were last week, but I still had butterflies in my stomach. As I stood waiting, I looked across the room to see George, Josh, Jaymi and JJ stood watching me, grinning from ear-to-ear. They’d just finished their performance and from their facial expressions, it must have gone well. I flashed them a quick smile as I stood facing away from the doors to start my performance off like we had done all week in rehearsals. My heart began to pound as I heard the end of the VT finish and the music began to play in the studio behind the doors. 

“Sammy Jones,” the X Factor voice announced, and with that, the doors opened leaving the room lit up in bright lights.

“You think I’m pretty without any make up on,” I began to sing, looking directly at George as he stood in the corner of the backstage area smiling at me. “You think I’m funny when I tell the punch line wrong. I know you get me so I let my walls come down, down.” 

“Before you met me, I was alright but things were kinda heavy - you brought me to life. Now every February, you’ll be my valentine,” I continued to sing, preparing to turning around. “Valentine.”

“Let’s go all the way tonight,” I sang as I turned around. Seeing all the audience watching me, I began to smile as I continued to perform, putting my all into it. “No regrets, just love.” Once I did the dramatic fainting pose as I did in rehearsals with a huge smile across my face, I began to enjoy the performance and the nerves seemed to vanish into thin air. “We can dance until we die. You and I will be young forever.”

As I got to the centre stage, I looked at Tulisa, who was sat on the judging panel, smiling at me. “You make me feel like I’m living a teenage dream, the way you turn me on.” The choreography was so fun to do. It wasn’t over the top either; it was just simple moves. “I can’t sleep. Let’s run away and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back. My heart stops when you look at me. Just one touch, now baby I believe. This is real, so take a chance and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back.”

The audience seemed to like it and the judges’ were all smiling as they watched me – it must have been good enough. “I’ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans, be your teenage dream tonight.”

As I carried on singing, I noticed George stood on the Xtra Factor studio’s balcony, smiling down at me as he watched my performance. “Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans, be your teenage dream tonight.” I couldn’t help myself but smiling as I sung the lyrics as George smiled back at me. “You make me feel like I’m living a teenage dream, the way you turn me on,” I carried on singing, putting all my energy into focusing on hitting all the notes. “I can’t sleep. Let’s run away and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back.” Even though I was still doing the choreography as Brian taught me, I continued to look up at George, who was still watching me with a huge grin across his face. “My heart stops when you look at me. Just one touch, now baby I believe.”

Glancing over to Tulisa and leaving George stood on the Xtra Factor studio’s balcony, I saw that she nodded her head at me smiling as if to say I was doing okay. “This is real so take a chance and don’t ever look back, don’t ever look back,” I carried on harmonising. “I’ma get your heart racing in my skin-tight jeans, be your teenage dream tonight. 

Holding the microphone in one hand, I played with my hair with the other hand. “Let you put your hands on me in my skin-tight jeans, be your teenage dream tonight,” I grinned. 

As I finished the song, the audience began applauding me.  Looking back up at George, he grinned and winked at me before rushing down the stairs and through the stage door. “Sammy, Sammy, Sammy,” Nicole began. Turning my attention back to her, I smiled. “That song was absolutely perfect for your voice and was completely different to what I was expecting you to sing.” The audience cheered. “But do you know what I loved the most about that performance?” she asked. “You were smiling and looked like you were enjoying it so much and that’s what was missing from last week’s performance. You really are the dark horse of the competition.”

I grinned. “I agree with Nicole. The song really suited your voice and the performance was full of energy,” Gary smiled. “Tulisa should be proud.”

“I am extremely proud of you, Sammy. You did that song perfectly and the smile on your face made all the rehearsals and practices all worth it. You’ve got nothing to worry about this week as that performance was flawless,” Tulisa grinned.

“Sammy, I think you’re one of the strongest contestants in this competition after that performance,” Louis said. 

I sighed a sigh of relief discretely to myself as I looked around the studio at the audience who continued to applaud me. As Dermot joined me on stage, I couldn’t stop myself from grinning with pride - I managed to get positive feedback! 

“So Sammy, a better week in comparison to last week then?” he asked me, handing me the microphone so the audience could hear me since my pack had been switched off. 

“Absolutely,” I nodded.

All the way through Dermot’s scripted bit about voting, I found myself grinning like a mentalist - I did it.