"The votes are in!" Chris declared!
Having gone backstage to retrieve the envelope containing their vote counts for a moment, the audience waited impatiently in anticipation for who would move on to the next round.
---
LILYSTAN: I was truly enthralled by both of them and their performance but I will forever be a Lily stan! Her insane vocals just really sell the song for me! She has my vote and that's unshakeable.
Trix Or Treat: Mine goes to Kyle! He really deserves it solely based off of the immense emotional depth he brought to the song.
DonkeyKong: I'm actually quite nervous… And that's saying something because usually, when anyone goes up against Lily, their fate's usually set in stone. This is a rare case of it not being the case.
Hika: May the best contestant win. Godspeed…
---
As the comments poured out in the livestream chat, Chris who was onstage, slowly retrieved the paper from the envelope containing the votes.
Standing between Lily and Kyle who had the calmest expressions and smiles on their faces, the charismatic host read out the contents.
"Lily Lockhart racked up a vote total of 1,554, 578!"
"And Kyle Kestis, had a total vote count of…" the host trailed off, adding a wave of nail-biting tension in the air.
"1,128,510 votes!" Chris declared and then commented immediately after;
"Congratulations Lily! You will be proceeding on to the semi-finals!"
No sooner had those words been uttered, the audience began to applaud the winner while the comments section, had its own things to say.
---
Mamma Mia 0702: No! Kyle lost!!! I'm going to go sob now!
InternetGremlin: Hell yeah! Lily won! That's my girl!
Pro_noobs: Damn. Even though Lily won, I'm still very surprised by the fact that Kyle garnered four more votes than Steven's 1,128,506 vote count. Amazing…
Handsome_Austin: Haha! Called it didn't I?! So satisfying to see pretty boy eliminated!
Princess Peach: SHUT UP you insecure little shit! Kyle darling, please ignore dimwitted assholes like this who only have jealousy and nothing else going for them. Trust me, this is just the beginning of your amazing journey as a singer!
Mushroom Toad: Now now princess, let's not use such crazy languages.
Sid_Nite: Well, the best contestant did win after all but yeah, losing here doesn't mean a thing when there's a whole lifetime ahead of him. If Kyle's truly meant to go far, I'm sure that he will.
---
As Kyle stood onstage, the reality dawning on him that this was his last time on 'this' stage, there was a certain, small, unhappy knot that began to form in the pit of his stomach.
…or maybe deep down, he had already expected this outcome the moment he was paired up with Lily.
And although he had felt like winning against Lily was going to be a daunting task, enough that he had also prepared himself mentally for when he lost against her, there was still that downcast emotion that had ultimately wiggled its way into his mind.
Unwavering with his outwardly gentle smile though, Kyle, as he stared at the judges and the long, long rows of applauding audiences, vowed to reach a stage far, far bigger than this in the future.
'I promise…' he pledged to himself.
Turning over to Lily who had already turned over to face him, her arms offering a friendly hug, the young man indulged in it.
"You were truly spectacular dreamboat" she whispered into his ears as she hugged him.
"And you'd better come back home with the first prize" Kyle replied with a whisper of his own.
"Count on it!" the lady declared as she tore away from the hug.
Ending their gesture with a firm handshake, Kyle and Lily began to walk off the stage as the audience kept applauding.
Backstage though, in the production room where Howard usually was, a slight frown was on the chubby man's face.
As the main producer, he knew just how much of an impact Kyle losing this round would be to the later episodes, especially because he had been sold as the dark horse this season.
Although it would've been very easy for him to ensure that the young man had never gone up against Lily in the first place, there were some lines he would never cross.
He might be open to forcing contestants to reveal their backstories or devil-editing them as he pleased but, manipulating the match-ups and actual performances…
Now that was a line he would never cross even if it meant the ratings might go up a bit more.
This was also because, in his opinion, if it ever got out that the show was rigged, his reputation which he had painstakingly built for a few years now, would come crashing down like torrential rain shower.
That was something he just did not want.
And so, with a slight click of his tongue, Howard further sighed in regret.
Staring at the screen, he watched as Kyle and Lily finally left the stage whilst Joe and Katie were soon called up for their own performance.
…
…
…
Packing all of his stuff into the single backpack he brought along, Kyle slung it across his shoulders and made his way out of the hotel room.
Walking downstairs to the lobby within a few seconds, he soon came face to face with his friends.
With a playful smile, the young man made a witty remark;
"You guys here to make me walk the plank?"
"Oh come on. They're here to make all three of us walk the plank" Joe added, playing along as he and Ryan also made their way down the staircase.
"Please make it a short plank. Make it quick and dirty!" Ryan grinned and joined in on the joke.
"Hear that guys? Awfully diabolical of you don't you think?" Kyle smiled at Steven, Lily and Katie, all of whom could not help but let out small chuckles and laughter.
Yes. Joe had lost to Katie with a vote count of 1,092,465to 1,092,467.
"Oh stop being so sarcastic babe" Katie rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips, replying to Ryan as she moved over to give him a tight hug.
"We should hangout again if we ever we get the chance. Tabs on me" Steven on the other hand grinned and pointed to himself with a thumb.
"Don't you dare forget that!" Joe and Ryan simultaneously said while Kyle just chuckled.
"Good luck on your future endeavors Joe" Lily, the last of them to speak, shook the young man's hand and then turned to the other two and simply said with a light smile.
"I'll see you both at college"
"Yeah. We'll be waiting" Ryan replied and Kyle nodded.
With all the pleasantries out of the way, all three men soon made their way out of the hotel.
The cold air of the night and the headlamps of the many cars zooming past, along with the vibrant and busy nightlife of the L.A streets greeted them.
As they each waited for their respective rides to come pick them up, Joe let out a deep breath of air, vapor coming out from his mouth and began to speak;
"You know, this was actually my last chance to pursue my dreams…"
This single statement of his caused Ryan and Kyle to turn over to face him.
"Pops and Ma have never been all that supportive about my choice to pursue a singing career…" he continued.
"They've always wanted me to become a basketball player since that's what our family's been known for. My elder brothers followed their whims and although they're great and all, it just never felt right for me"
"Guess I'll have no choice but to honor their wishes now because I'm not getting any younger and I've also been offered a spot on a small basketball team before coming to the show…"
"Might as well have a proper source of income…" Joe concluded, his hands in the pockets of his jacket.
"I don't think you should do that. Trust me. It's not worth it" Kyle swiftly countered, a very mature expression on his face as he looked to the sky and said;
"If there's something you really want Joe, you have to chase after it and tightly cling on to it without worrying about appearances…"
"Last chances are what we delude ourselves into believing when we see no way out…" Kyle continued his monologue with a bit of a thin smile.
"It's what we tell ourselves when things aren't going our way" he added.
"But in reality, there's really no such things as last chances…" he said, his eyes lingering on the many stars in the sky.
"Just… opportunities and missed opportunities…" he sighed and said.
Turning his gaze over to face his friend, the young man then added a few more words with a warm smile.
"So Joe, if you lose or miss an opportunity, or you're unable to find or grab another one for that matter…"
"Then you make one. You make your own opportunity. You make do with what you have, and you pursue your dreams…"
"Believe me. You don't wanna look back one day and wish that you'd done things differently. No one does…"
"So, do what you love and be proud of it. At least, that way, you'll lead a happy life"
Patting his friend's shoulder, Kyle then turned back to gaze at the street while Ryan and Joe just stared at him, a bit in awe of his demeanor and his words.
Occasional moments like these were things they had come to experience with him over the past two months and it was as if the young man always knew the right words to say for any scenario.
Allowing a wave of deep introspection to wash over him, Joe pondered over Kyle's words for a few minutes before he then spoke, this time a thin smile on his lips as he said;
"You sure do know how to cheer someone up… Makes me wonder if you're really in your twenties just like us"
"I know right?! So wise. Like an old sage!" Ryan chimed in and Kyle just gave him a light jab while smiling as he replied;
" 'Course I'm still in my twenties! What'd you mean an old sage?!"
Exchanging a hearty laughter between themselves, Kyle did comment inwardly as they all faced the street while waiting for their rides again.
'Well, mentally, I guess they aren't too far off…'
Although it was still a bit complicated to Kyle himself how he had years' worth of memories but didn't particularly feel like he had aged past twenty, he did like the fact that his thoughts felt very mature for someone his age.
No sooner had he thought of that though, a black van suddenly screeched and came to a quick halt before them.
Rushing out of the driver's side was a man in his late fifties who quickly ran around to meet them, confusing all three of them even more.
Panting tiredly, the man glanced over to Kyle and instantly shook his head.
He knew he would never get the chance to recruit him due to other agencies and record labels with more resources already being after him.
And so, quickly, he faced Ryan and Joe.
"Are you alright sir?" Ryan worriedly asked the suited man.
"Yes! Yes! I'm uh…" the man fumbled to remove a card out of his pocket and then gave it to both Ryan and Joe.
"I'm from SoundWave Records! A mid-sized record label really. I'd like to have a word with both of you!" the man whose black hair already had a few mixed greys in anxiously said, his tired grey eyes hopeful.
Glancing over at each other, genuinely surprised by the turn of events that was currently unfolding, especially because they knew where it was headed, both men were short of words to say.
Glancing over to Kyle who was standing on their left, the young man simply smiled knowingly and shrugged.
Understanding that his gesture basically meant; 'Why not give it a shot?'; Joe and Ryan swiftly replied;
"Yes! We'd like that!"
In the next few minutes after that, all three had already planned out a small restaurant nearby to meet and have a much longer discussion regarding the entire thing.
Now currently standing alone after they had left, Kyle just shook his head at how crazy and unpredictable life really was.
"Pfft! Hahaha! Isn't that just fantastic?!" he suddenly let out a hearty laughter as he spoke and looked to the twinkling stars in the sky.
Ryan and Joe had just been eliminated from the show and yet, life was already pushing them on a path forwards anyway.
And just like that, their new chapter had just begun… and the same was for him too.
As Kyle was musing and laughing to himself, Oliver's Black Porsche soon pulled up and the young man quickly made his way over.
Entering the car, the agent was a bit surprised to see his ward full of smiles despite the fact that he had just being eliminated.
"Why are you so happy?" Oliver couldn't resist asking.
To that, Kyle just turned over and replied with an even wider smile;
"Because Oliver, a new chapter of my life has just begun and I'm very much looking forward to what the future has in store for me!"