"Babe, don't be angry," Charlie said, patting Melissa gently to comfort her. "It doesn't matter if that girl is the lead singer; she won't steal your limelight. I'll be there in the VIP section, right behind the judges."
This year, the Sky's the Limit was being filmed in a mansion in Chicago. On the day of the recording, there would be only around a hundred members of staff present, and only two thousand carefully chosen audience members would be allowed inside. Very few people would be allowed to watch the show.
Charlie was rich and powerful, and the seats behind the judges' table were in a great position.
"Really?" Melissa asked happily. "That's great. How much did you have to spend?"
"Not much," he said. "Just fifty thousand dollars, and it's worth it to be able to chat with some of the celebrities. I'll record your performance for you."
Charlie opened the car door and said, "Get in. Let's go home first. Katie, Olivia, it's fine if you don't want to go back to the hotel. You can stay at my place. There are plenty of guest rooms."
Debbie and Rita walked out of the building.
"Hey, little bitch, look at this," Melissa said, sneering at Debbie. "My boyfriend came to Chicago with me, and he even has a big house right here in the city. Where's your loser boyfriend? Why isn't he here? Oh, I forgot. He doesn't even have a car, so how could he afford to come to Chicago? He's exactly the kind of person you deserve. Meanwhile, I'm going back to my mansion to sleep, and you'll be taking the bus back to Janice's hotel."
Melissa got into Charlie's car with Katie and Olivia, and they drove away.
"Are you okay?" Rita asked with concern. Debbie shook her head slightly.
"Rita, are you going back to the hotel?" Debbie was feeling extremely lonely, and she really wanted Rita to keep her company.
Before Rita could answer, a Mercedes-Benz stopped in front of them. A well-dressed man got out of the car and said to Rita, "Are you ready to go?"
Debbie recognized the man as Rita's boyfriend, and her heart dropped.
"Wait a moment," Rita said to her boyfriend, and then she turned back to look at Debbie with a hint of worry in her eyes. "Sorry, Debbie. I can't go back to the hotel with you."
"It's okay," Debbie said. Her smile was so forced that Rita felt sorry for her. She helplessly looked skyward.
"Debbie, I hope you don't mind me giving you some advice," Rita said, looking at her. "I really think you should break up with Alex as soon as possible. It's obvious that he can't protect you, so why waste time on him?"
Rita looked at Debbie seriously. "I know he helped you a lot at school and that you love him, but you have to understand that the real world is much more complicated than that. We're all going to be big stars in the future. So, even if you don't let go of him now, will you still have time for him once you're famous? I doubt it. You'll be living in two completely different worlds. And since you're destined to be apart, then why not just let him go now?"
She had been wanting to say that for a long time, and she hoped that Debbie would understand.
But Debbie's eyes grew wide, and then she lowered her head and laughed softly, looking slightly embarrassed.
"I know you're just looking out for me," she said. "But I won't break up with Alex."
Rita was speechless. She rolled her eyes and looked away in frustration. She had already made the situation clear to Debbie, so why was she being so stubborn?
"I really appreciate your concern," Debbie said. "But I can't break up with Alex. You don't understand what's between us, and he isn't what you think he is."
Debbie knew how rich and important Alex was. Even Sam Woodsworth had to listen to him, and Alex was much wealthier than Rita and the others could imagine.
"Fine," Rita said, a little angry. "I won't waste my breath. Since you're willing to suffer with Alex, then you should just stick with him." Debbie was being far too stubborn, and Rita didn't want to argue anymore. She didn't even look at Debbie as she walked toward her boyfriend's car and got in.
"Rita, please don't be angry," Debbie said. "I really want to thank you for looking out for me."
"If you want to thank me, then think about what I've said and leave him!" Rita said through the car window, and then she told her boyfriend to drive away.
Debbie was left standing alone. Her smile gradually faded, and a strong sense of loneliness hit her. She pulled up the collar of her coat and walked toward the bus stop.
She sat on the bus heading to the hotel and looked out the window at the brightly lit city.
After a while, she slowly shifted her gaze to inside the bus. She felt so alone, and when she saw the smiling faces of the other passengers, she couldn't bear it anymore. She leaned her head against the back of the seat and closed her eyes.
The days passed in much the same way.
One day passed.
Then two days.
For seven days, Debbie had worked hard in rehearsals during the day and then took a bus back to the hotel at night. She grew lonelier with each passing day, and the longing for Alex became stronger and stronger.
She pictured Alex's face in her mind, but she couldn't smile like she had the last time she had seen him. Her face started to crumble, and her lips thinned. Two tears slipped from her eyes, sliding down the side of her face and dripping onto the ground.
She slowly opened her eyes, which glimmered with tears. Then she took out her cell phone, found Alex's number, and called him.
"Hey, Debbie, you finally found time to call me. Tell me, do you miss me?" Alex's familiar voice came through the phone, causing warm tears to roll down her face again.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Alex asked, feeling a little worried.
"It's nothing," she said, controlling herself so that he wouldn't hear her cry. "I'm just calling to tell you that we're starting the talent show tomorrow at 8pm."
"That's great!" he said. "I've missed you so much this last week."
She listened to him speak, and she wanted him to come and visit her. Before coming to Chicago, she hadn't thought much about it. And now she wasn't sure what to do. She wanted Alex to see her first performance on stage, but she didn't want Melissa and the others to mock her.
"You called to ask me to come and see you, didn't you?" Alex asked, saying exactly what Debbie had most wanted to hear.
"No, I've been having a good time in Chicago all by myself," she said, smiling. She didn't know why, but when Alex had suggested she wanted him there, she wanted to deny it. She whispered, "But if you want to come, then come."
"Uh, I'm sorry, Debbie," he said. "But our class is going to the city park to identify plants, and I have to be there, so I can't come to Chicago."
debbie was stunned.
"It's fine," she said. "You do what you have to, and I'll be fine by myself in Chicago."
She ended the call and leaned her forehead against the window. She wasn't aware of anything around her as the bus continued to move through the streets.
**
Back in New York, Alex smiled as he put down his phone. He had intentionally tricked Debbie, saying that he wouldn't go to Chicago to see her. He planned to surprise her, knowing she would be happy when he turned up unexpectedly.
**
At 10 am the next day, a large crowd gathered in front of the building in Chicago where the Sky's Limit would take place.
The crowd consisted of mostly young men and women, and they were all there to chase after the stars. This year's judges were all famous singers, and there were many rich people in the audience. With so many handsome men and beautiful women around, how could the crowd not be excited?
The talent show was due to begin at 6 pm, and more and more people began to arrive.
One by one, the important guests were allowed through the doors to sit in the audience.
Luxury cars appeared, one after another. Each contained famous wealthy people, who were all extremely attractive and almost as exciting as the celebrities.
"Oh, that's the son of one of the richest men in the world," someone said.
"And that's the president of a huge international company," someone else replied.
"That's one of the top models in the world."
"Hey, isn't that the son of one of those noble families in Europe?"
"And that's definitely the daughter of a Hollywood actress."
The crowd cheered and exclaimed over each of the arrivals.
At 5 pm, the four celebrity judges arrived in private cars and walked inside, waving to the crowd and sending them into a frenzy.
The girls in the crowd jumped up and down, shouting out the names of their idols, and hoping that they would be able to catch a glimpse of them.
"I love you!" one girl screamed.
"Over here!" another yelled.
"You're my favorite singer," a girl shouted.
"I got an autograph," one fan squealed. "I'm so happy I could faint!"
The bus carrying Debbie and the other contestants slowly moved through the crowd and approached the building. Looking at the people on both sides of the road, Debbie hoped that she would have that many fans one day.