NO STRAIGHT ROADS x Reader

{ accepted }

1 MONTH LATER
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"Hey guys!" I said to the camera. "I guess y'all know why I'm here hehe..." It was the day of the Lights Up auditions and my god did we train hard. I hope we managed to train hard enough though. In the few weeks I've been here, I've been training a lot for this day. I bought a microphone from a nearby shop and have been practicing singing. Mayday and Zuke were off on the side, silently supporting me.

"I'm (Y/N) (L/N) and I guess.. I sing!". I guess I was kind of nervous since I would soon be right in front of NSR. "I-Is that all I have to say??" I asked the camera woman. "Yeah" she replied back. "Shoo now". "Uhh thanks" I chuckled. Mayday and Zuke waved at me. "Good luck!" Mayday mouthed with stars in her eyes. I smiled and waved back, then started walking to the auditions stage.
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"Why, hello there" a calm voice said to me. The judges were covered in shadows, but I could slightly identify their silhouettes. This voice belonged to the woman who's in charge of Vinyl City and NSR.

"Hi Miss Tatiana" I said nervously. "Nice uhh.. arena you got here?". "Thank you" she replied. "And you are? ". "(Y/N) (L/N)!" I said proudly. I tried to speak with confidence like Mayday always did. "Right. And what will you be playing for us today?" she asked me. "I uh-". I hadn't really put much thought in which songs and genres I should pick. I just know that I would be singing.

"I'll just be singing" I told her. "I hadn't chosen a specific EDM genre since I only moved here a month ago. But I will try my best to impress you!". I looked back. Even if I couldn't see Mayday and Zuke, I knew that Mayday was kind of mad I decided to go the "basic bitch" way. "You've only been here for a month, you say?" Tatiana said. "Well, I hope you put a lot of thought into this. It's time to.."

"START"
"T H E"
" A R E N A "

I held up my microphone to my lips and prepared myself.
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By the end of the audition, I was breathing hard. I had never singed so hard in my life. "Well, how was my performance?" I asked them. "I hope I didn't disappoint you guys". There was a mumbling among both the crowd and the judges.

"Well I've got to say" Tatiana started. "For someone who's only been here for a month, you've got some impressive skill". I was taken by surprise by that. "Impressive skill?? IMPRESSIVE SKILL!?!" I shouted. "Yes" Tatiana told me. "You have potential in the music industry. We'll contact you later if we have any plans involving you". "Thank you so much!!" I yelled, a big smile across my face. I grabbed my microphone then waved at the judges, and ran back to Mayday and Zuke.
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"I'm so proud of you (Y/N)!" Mayday told me and hugged me tight. "You did a pretty good job out there (Y/N)" Zuke told me. "Thank you so much guys!!" I told them. I can't believe I was complimented by the government. "Bunk Bed Junction, to the stage!" someone yelled at us. "May that's us". Zuke tugged at her arm. "Oh oh!" Mayday gasped. "Wish us luck (Y/N)!". "Good luck!" I told them and smiled.

They walked onto the stage. I decided to call my dad, maybe tell him the good news. I waited for him to pick up. "Hey sweetie!" he told me. "How's life in New York?". I had lived here for so long I almost forgot I was supposed to be in New York. "It's great dad!" I told him. "I recently did this singing auditions thing here and the judges thought I did great!". "Auditions?" he asked me. "One minute ago you were too scared to open up to people about that voice and now you're singing all over the place!". "Haha. Yeah I know" I chuckled. We talked for a few more minutes. He talked to me about his recent grocery store job and I told him about my friend's "dog" Ellie.

Suddenly, somebody tapped me on the shoulder. One of the staff members. "Tatiana wants to speak with you" he told me. "Oh.. ok" I told him. "Sorry dad I got to go". I hung up and checked the time. Mayday and Zuke were probably finished their audition by now. The staff member guided me to Tatiana. As I was walking, I saw some security guards. They seemed to be arguing with someone.
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"Come and sit down" Tatiana told me. We were in a white room somewhere in the building. Tatiana was sitting at a table with another chair at the other end. "So...." I started. "What did you want to talk to me about?". "Me and my artists have decided" she told me. "That we will train you to become an NSR artist". She handed me a badge with the words "NSR ARTIST" on it.

I couldn't believe it. Really. I got the career I've always dreamed of all my life. "Me??" I exclaimed. "A-As one of your artists??". "Well, yes that's what I said" she replied to me. "But I-I've only been here for a month!" I gasped.
"Under our training, you will be ready in a few months or so" Tatiana said to me. "We will have to keep your new job a secret to the public until your training is complete". "I-". I was accepted. I had won. "Thank you so so much Miss Tatiana!". "No problem" she told me. There was a small smile on her face.

I got up and started heading out the room. "Oh and before you go" Tatiana said to me. "Us NSR artists have a few concerts coming up. I would appreciate it if you came".
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As I walked out the building, my mind overfilled with thoughts. I'm an NSR artist. I'll be able to share my voice with the world. I have talent. I-

Suddenly, the doors behind me swung open and Mayday and Zuke were pushed out. "YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO US!!" Mayday shouted at the security guards. And the doors shut on them. "Are you guys alright??" I asked them. "No!" Mayday yelled. "They REJECTED US FOR PLAYING ROCK!!". "Can't believe they called us naive too" Zuke sighed. "I know right!?!" Mayday screamed. "This is bulldozer! ABSOLUTE BULLDOZER!!".

As Mayday screamed like the angry gremlin she is, I started rethinking everything. We both trained hard yet I was the only one chosen. They lived here longer yet they were rejected because of something they liked. "Look May" I told her. "I know this didn't go as you planned". "YOU THINK!?!" she yelled back. Geez she was pretty terrifying when she's angry. "But it's no use getting worked up over an empty stomach" Zuke told us. "Let's go get some burgers. On me". "Fiiiinnnneee" May sighed. We both walked away.

"I'll be heading home guys" I told them. "You know, just get some rest". "Well you're lucky you don't have anything to annoy you" Mayday pouted while eating her burger. "The judges liked you at least". That line made me feel a little guilty. I was part of the company they were probably against now. "You can go now if you want to" Zuke told me. "This is a problem me and May have to deal with". "See you guys later I guess" I sighed and walked back to the sewers.
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Ellie was on the couch waiting for me. "Hey Ell" I said to her. I grabbed some snacks out of the cupboard and threw them to her. She basically devoured them all. I sat down next to her on the couch and stared at the blank TV screen. I guess she saw I was feeling a bit down cause she got up on my lap and curled up. I can't believe I was accepted. I can't believe May and Zuke weren't. I can't-

Suddenly, the electricity busted and turned off. Me and Ellie were left in the living room, stranded in darkness. I could hear her whimpering. I grabbed my phone and turned on the flashlight. "Wait here Ellie" I told her and decided to climb back up the ladder.

The city was shrouded in darkness. I remember reading something about this in the internet about how blackouts were pretty common in the city. Suddenly, the electricity turned back on. Well not really. Only a few buildings managed to light back up. All happened to belong to NSR. "Mayday and Zuke aren't going to like this" I mumbled. I decided to walk over near the edge of the city. Where the Festival Plaza and Cast Tech met. The planetarium was lit up. DJ Subatomic Supernova was having a concert.

"Oh and before you go" Tatiana said to me. "Us NSR artists have a few concerts coming up. I would appreciate it if you came".

Going would make me feel more guilty. But I felt something pulling me towards the bright lights. Then I jumped down
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