Strings Of Harmony

♫40♫ I'm Such A Lousy Person

Chapter Forty

I’m Such A Lousy Person

 

“Check your status!” I urged, as I shoved my iPad into Carson’s hand. “I want to know whether or not the judges kicked you out after you ran off the competition—which I still believe you were stupid to do.”

“I honestly don’t care about what place I got into, Julie. As long as I’m with—”

I put an index finger over his mouth to shush him. “No! Don’t say it! Don’t you dare go all cliché on me, Carson!”

He smirked. “But it’s true though!”

“Well still!” I pointed stubbornly to the screen. “Check the website, dammit!”

Carson groaned. “Fine.”

“I can’t believe you ran out! I bet you could’ve totally won!”

He rolled his eyes. “Sure I would have,” he said, disbelievingly. He clicked onto the website and then scrolled down the list. “I’m not in here.” As if to prove his point, he turned the iPad around so that it in front of me. “But you are.”

I gasped when I saw my band listed as number two. I felt my jaw drop.

Was this real?

“You have to go back, Juliet,” he said, as he looked at me. “You’re doing so well! Please?”

“You’re not in it, Carson,” I said, feeling rather guilty. If I hadn’t left, then he would have made it on—I was sure of it.

“Hey, don’t worry about me. To be honest, I don’t even care if I won or not.”

“But…”

“Don’t blame yourself, Juliet.”

“I’m such a lousy person!” I whined, as I buried my face into my hands. “I can’t believe you ran after me you stupid, lame jerk!” I felt tears prick the back of my eyes.

“Are you crying?” he asked, astonished.

“What do you think? I can’t believe you gave it all up just to go after me!”

Carson pulled me into a hug. “You’re such a crybaby.”

“No I’m not!” I said, as I hastily wiped my nose. “You suck, Carson.”

He chuckled. “But you still love me.”

I didn’t have an answer to that so I just kept my mouth shut.

“Go back, Julie,” he suddenly said, in an almost whisper-like voice. I lifted my head up to look at him.

“What did you say?” I asked.

“Um, go back to L.A. with me?” he repeated, louder this time.

“I…I don’t know…” I didn’t want to go back. After all, going back would mean facing Sterling again and I couldn’t do that.

“Everyone’s missing you,” he said. “And the least you could do for me is winning that competition. There’s still a round left before it ends.”

“Round four’s the last one?” I asked, quizzically.

“Did you not read the fine print under the results?” Carson rolled his eyes and unlocked iPad. “Five people are chosen from round three—which you, Juliet, have just completed. The final competition is next week and that’s where the winners will be announced.”