What The Heart Wants (Stereo Kicks/ James Graham)

Chapter 12

When Tom and I pulled up in the parking lot, we ran inside and found the rest of the boys waiting for us. "What the hell took you guys so long?" Casey asked us. He looked as nervous as I felt. "Dipshit here didn't want to get out of bed." I pointed at Tom. Casey opened his mouth to respond but Barclay cut him off.  "Okay guys, we need to go practice." He said. I nodded my head and we left to go find somewhere quiet. We ended up finding a little spot backstage that was separated from everything else. "This will have to do." Jake said. "Tom, where's your guitar?" Jake looked at Toms empty hands. Tom sighed and said, "I didn't think we would need it." Tom shook his head in slight disappointment. "Whatever, it's ok. We'll just have to practice acapella for now." I said. The boys agreed and we all formed a circle. I tapped the tempo on my leg, and after four beats Jake bagan singing. Then Barclay, Reece, Chris, Tom, Charlie, James and then finally, we all sang the chorus together. After we finished, I for some reason, didn't feel so nervous. I smiled and looked around at every one. "We've got this guys." I encouraged. "She's right. I think we're ready." Casey agreed, then looked at me and smiled. I smiled back and then returned my attention to the others. We ran over the song a few more times, just to be safe, and then we heard the music start and the crowd erupt into cheers. "Its starting." Charlie stated nervously. "Hey," I reached over and grabbed his hand. "It's gonna be ok. You sound great." I squeezed his hand and smiled. Then, the boys and I left our secluded corner and went to wait with the rest of the acts. The longer we waited, the more acts we seen, and the more acts we seen, the more nervous we got. There were alot of talented people here. So when it was our turn to go on stage, my stomach felt like somebody was trying to churn butter in it. I ended up standing between James and Casey as we walked single file onto the stage. "Hello guys. What song are you going to sing for us today?" Cheryl asked us. "We're gonna sing Run, by Leona Lewis." Casey answered. "Wow. Great song. Good luck." Cheryl replied. Before I knew it, the music started and Jake was singing. Our voices were a little shakier on stage than they were when we were practicing, but we still sounded good. James was singing his solo now, and the crowd was going crazy for him, and the looks on the judges faces were priceless. After he finished singing, we all sang the chorus and I couldn't help but smile. This was the best we've sounded together. Once we finished, the crowd screamed and all the judges stood up. The boys and I couldn't believe it. A standing ovation! The judges gave us our feedback, and since Louis was our mentor he had to decide if we would get a chair and become part of his final six. "TAKE A SEAT!" He smiled, and the boys and I were over the moon excited. We got a seat! Now, we just needed to stay in it. Group after group performed, and eventually all the seats were taken. Time to start swapping. The boys and I sat there as Louis exchanged groups who just performed, with groups who thought they were safe. It was the most nerve wracking part of the day. There was even a sing off for the final chair. Eventually, the last chair was given away and the boys and I looked at each other. "We're going to judges houses!" Jake exclaimed, and we all hugged each other. After we went backstage, Louis found us and told us to pack because we were going to Bermuda in the morning. "No way!" Casey yelled then picked me up and pulled me in for a hug. I excitedly hugged him back. The other boys were hugging too. After Casey set me down, I ran over to James and threw my arms around him. "We did it!" He said while he wrapped me in his arms. "I told you." I smiled and then released my grip. "Yes. You did." He smiled, then was attacked by Chris who was giving him a bear hug. After we all congratulated each other, we went out to the parking lot and said our goodbyes. "See you guys bright and early tomorrow morning!" Barclay waved as he got in his car. The next two people to leave were Charlie and Reece, whose parents couldn't stop crying. After a few minutes of small talk, Chris got in his car and left to go pack as well. Now all that was left was me, Tom, Jake, James and Casey. "I can't believe we did it." Tom smiled. "To be fair, Aria did tell us we were going to make it. Maybe we should listen to her more often." Casey winked at me. "I am right ninety eight percent of the time." I joked. The boys laughed and we all decided we should go pack since we have an early flight in the morning. "First step Bermuda, next step, the live shows." Casey smiled as he gave me a hug goodbye then got in his car. I gave Jake and James a quick hug too before getting in the car with Tom. He started the car, and we left with only one thought in our minds. What the hell are we going to pack?

YAY! THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE CASEY IN THIS CHAPTER. I PROMISE HE'S GONNA BECOME A MORE IMPORTANT CHARACTER SOON! HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT SO FAR. PLEASE KEEP READING AND DONT FORGET TO VOTE AND COMMENT :)