Categories > Celebrities > Panic! At The Disco > Just For the Attention
A/n- If anyone has seen my sanity, feel free to return it to the ASU band office. The locations and streets used in this chapter are real, which makes it that much funnier. I own Danielle and coincidentally Nikol whether her inspiration likes it or not (she flipped me off. Hahaha, she's sick.) Dedicated to Seth, because now he's part of this, and would have been overly amused at me being such a dork.
Reviews will be taken out on a romantic stroll
**
After six hours on the road of trying to listen to anything but Panic on Danielle's iPod, the two friends pulled off the freeway onto the familiar Las Vegas Boulevard, the place of many of their drunken night escapades on a weekend when they had too much flow for their own good. By the time they had reached their hotel, the Wild Wild West Gambling Hall and Hotel a seedy little place just west of the Strip, tucked behind the looming structure of New York, New York, Panic had yet to find its way onto the playlist.
After checking in, which took a bit too long for their tastes, they dropped their stuff off in their room and changed into appropriate clothes to practice in. The auditions were being held at a local high school called Silverado High, located only a few miles away. The open gym practice was costing them twenty bucks a head, but was worth it to get used to the feel for the gym, especially for Danielle, who had ceiling height to worry about.
They finally gave in on the drive over and put on “A Fever You Can't Sweat Out”, each running through their routines when their song played in the car. Danielle's was set to `There's a Good Reason', where she finally performed to the kind of song her teacher had wanted her to as a child. As a bitch slap for the teacher, the choreography was a bit more risque than it would have been when she was twelve, and she liked it that way. Nikol's was set to `I Constantly Thank God for Esteban' and involved some of her odd back handsprings, where she failed to move anywhere.
On their drive, they crossed over Patrick St, and appropriately changed the iPod so it would play “Golden”, but were forced back to Panic when they found themselves having to drive down Spencer St. The whole idea of their auditions had put them in a slightly giddy mood, considering this was something neither of them had expected themselves to do. But between the hundred dollar application fees a piece and travel expenses, there was no backing out.
One minor detour later, the girls ended up at the gym, and found themselves a corner to practice in. A lot of people had turned out, even more than they thought would, but then again, these were the only auditions being held. Two hours later, they decided to take off, the competition both making them laugh and a little bit nervous. A ride down Spencer Street and two showers later, they were ready to hit the strip.
*
The next morning, the friends were partially regretful of their night before. One too many sake bombers had brought about good sense of drunkenness and they had spent the rest of the night running around with enough money to lose on slots machines, and a digital camera that Nikol abused profusely.
It didn't help that they had asked for an early wake up call so they could shower off the hangover and get dressed, so they could go for early warm-ups. So it wasn't any surprise that it took them almost two hours to get fully awake and ready, and that they were still right on time due to Danielle's uncanny ability to show up abnormally early to everything. They registered, and warm-ups commenced without any mishaps. Suddenly they were calling numbers and the pair was more nervous than they looked. Danielle was suddenly reminded of how she had felt at twirler auditions every year and was constantly wringing her hands trying to keep them dry. Nikol just paced around with the iPod, running through her routine in her head.
“Nine!”
The lady that was calling numbers had just walked out of the doors and called out Danielle's number. She stood up, collecting her four batons and her folding stool, top hat, and jacket. With a quick look at Nikol, who flashed her the pitchfork, she returned the gesture and then hurried inside the gym.
A small set of bleachers had been pulled out and were scattered with various people that probably worked with the tour. Just by looking she could tell that the group closely gathered near the bottom on the left of the bleachers were the people from the Cirque, based on their states of dress and their general mannerisms. A small group of casually dressed people sat side by side near the top of the stands towards the center. She knew from many years of finals that this was the general set up for the judges. From there they could see everything that the competitor was doing and make comments without the person hearing. She also made a quick note that none of the band members were there, which caused a bit of relief. If she was already thinking that what she was doing was silly, she could only imagine what she would be feeling if she had to perform it in front of the actual performers.
She stopped walking when she reached the center of the gym, and turned to face the judges.
“State your name please.”
“Danielle Kay Bryant”
“Age.”
“23.”
“Location.”
“Tempe, Arizona,” she was slightly frustrated with having to repeat everything she had written on the application, but figured that since there was only one copy of that and about six judges, she assumed none of them had any information.
“And what will you be performing?”
“A baton show routine to `There's a Good Reason.'”
“Thank you, you may begin whenever you are ready.”
She quickly set up the four batons where she needed them, and walked back to the chair, which she had left in the center of the gym. She donned the jacket and hat, and sat down, nodding to the person working the sound system.
From the opening drum beat to the last blast of the trumpet she was completely zoned in, selling every motion, and (thankfully) catching every trick. Unlike she feared, her four baton section went off without a hitch, and she ended on the floor, in the splits with the hat back in her possession. Breathing heavily, she stood up and gathered her things quickly.
“Thank you very much, if you'll just follow Kristin, she'll lead you out to your interview.”
She gave them a thankful smile, and hurried after the young assistant that had been sitting near the bottom of the bleachers, with her nose buried in a book.
After a short panel interview, like the ones she had gone through for work. They asked her about her interest in the band, how long she had been performing, and some basic facts that would help them determine if she could (a) be around celebrities and (b) handle life on the road. She approached the whole thing with complete honesty and a few jokes. Finally, they ran out of questions and took a quick Polaroid, then let her go. She stood by the door that she had left from, pacing around with pure energy flowing through her like it only had in high school.
Ten minutes later, Nikol emerged through the same door and Danielle practically pounced on her.
“How did it go?” she said in one breath.
“Well, I think I might have fucked up my first back handspring, but I nailed the ones at the end and the martial arts section went flawlessly, so I think I did okay. We'll see.”
“How'd you handle the interview?”
“With honesty and nervous laughter, that's how it always ends up isn't it?”
“I performed my stand up routine, so I was just as nervous, don't even worry about it,” she said, slinging an arm around her best friend as they took off for the car, to spend the rest of the day shopping and ignoring the fact that they would be staring at their phones, praying for a call back.
*
Brendon sat near the back of the bleachers, wearing an overly large hoodie and a baseball hat so he wouldn't stick out. He and the others weren't required to attend the auditions until the final call backs so they could interact with the performers and help make final decisions, but he couldn't resist. The idea had been partly his, after wondering out loud what their fans could bring to the show. When he had been told the idea was a go, he was excited to see what would turn out. He was impressed with what he had seen so far, but there were a few that stuck out in his mind. The judges finally decided to take a lunch break, and he snuck off with the Cirque, wondering which of the faces he had seen that morning would end up back at the final round.
Reviews will be taken out on a romantic stroll
**
After six hours on the road of trying to listen to anything but Panic on Danielle's iPod, the two friends pulled off the freeway onto the familiar Las Vegas Boulevard, the place of many of their drunken night escapades on a weekend when they had too much flow for their own good. By the time they had reached their hotel, the Wild Wild West Gambling Hall and Hotel a seedy little place just west of the Strip, tucked behind the looming structure of New York, New York, Panic had yet to find its way onto the playlist.
After checking in, which took a bit too long for their tastes, they dropped their stuff off in their room and changed into appropriate clothes to practice in. The auditions were being held at a local high school called Silverado High, located only a few miles away. The open gym practice was costing them twenty bucks a head, but was worth it to get used to the feel for the gym, especially for Danielle, who had ceiling height to worry about.
They finally gave in on the drive over and put on “A Fever You Can't Sweat Out”, each running through their routines when their song played in the car. Danielle's was set to `There's a Good Reason', where she finally performed to the kind of song her teacher had wanted her to as a child. As a bitch slap for the teacher, the choreography was a bit more risque than it would have been when she was twelve, and she liked it that way. Nikol's was set to `I Constantly Thank God for Esteban' and involved some of her odd back handsprings, where she failed to move anywhere.
On their drive, they crossed over Patrick St, and appropriately changed the iPod so it would play “Golden”, but were forced back to Panic when they found themselves having to drive down Spencer St. The whole idea of their auditions had put them in a slightly giddy mood, considering this was something neither of them had expected themselves to do. But between the hundred dollar application fees a piece and travel expenses, there was no backing out.
One minor detour later, the girls ended up at the gym, and found themselves a corner to practice in. A lot of people had turned out, even more than they thought would, but then again, these were the only auditions being held. Two hours later, they decided to take off, the competition both making them laugh and a little bit nervous. A ride down Spencer Street and two showers later, they were ready to hit the strip.
*
The next morning, the friends were partially regretful of their night before. One too many sake bombers had brought about good sense of drunkenness and they had spent the rest of the night running around with enough money to lose on slots machines, and a digital camera that Nikol abused profusely.
It didn't help that they had asked for an early wake up call so they could shower off the hangover and get dressed, so they could go for early warm-ups. So it wasn't any surprise that it took them almost two hours to get fully awake and ready, and that they were still right on time due to Danielle's uncanny ability to show up abnormally early to everything. They registered, and warm-ups commenced without any mishaps. Suddenly they were calling numbers and the pair was more nervous than they looked. Danielle was suddenly reminded of how she had felt at twirler auditions every year and was constantly wringing her hands trying to keep them dry. Nikol just paced around with the iPod, running through her routine in her head.
“Nine!”
The lady that was calling numbers had just walked out of the doors and called out Danielle's number. She stood up, collecting her four batons and her folding stool, top hat, and jacket. With a quick look at Nikol, who flashed her the pitchfork, she returned the gesture and then hurried inside the gym.
A small set of bleachers had been pulled out and were scattered with various people that probably worked with the tour. Just by looking she could tell that the group closely gathered near the bottom on the left of the bleachers were the people from the Cirque, based on their states of dress and their general mannerisms. A small group of casually dressed people sat side by side near the top of the stands towards the center. She knew from many years of finals that this was the general set up for the judges. From there they could see everything that the competitor was doing and make comments without the person hearing. She also made a quick note that none of the band members were there, which caused a bit of relief. If she was already thinking that what she was doing was silly, she could only imagine what she would be feeling if she had to perform it in front of the actual performers.
She stopped walking when she reached the center of the gym, and turned to face the judges.
“State your name please.”
“Danielle Kay Bryant”
“Age.”
“23.”
“Location.”
“Tempe, Arizona,” she was slightly frustrated with having to repeat everything she had written on the application, but figured that since there was only one copy of that and about six judges, she assumed none of them had any information.
“And what will you be performing?”
“A baton show routine to `There's a Good Reason.'”
“Thank you, you may begin whenever you are ready.”
She quickly set up the four batons where she needed them, and walked back to the chair, which she had left in the center of the gym. She donned the jacket and hat, and sat down, nodding to the person working the sound system.
From the opening drum beat to the last blast of the trumpet she was completely zoned in, selling every motion, and (thankfully) catching every trick. Unlike she feared, her four baton section went off without a hitch, and she ended on the floor, in the splits with the hat back in her possession. Breathing heavily, she stood up and gathered her things quickly.
“Thank you very much, if you'll just follow Kristin, she'll lead you out to your interview.”
She gave them a thankful smile, and hurried after the young assistant that had been sitting near the bottom of the bleachers, with her nose buried in a book.
After a short panel interview, like the ones she had gone through for work. They asked her about her interest in the band, how long she had been performing, and some basic facts that would help them determine if she could (a) be around celebrities and (b) handle life on the road. She approached the whole thing with complete honesty and a few jokes. Finally, they ran out of questions and took a quick Polaroid, then let her go. She stood by the door that she had left from, pacing around with pure energy flowing through her like it only had in high school.
Ten minutes later, Nikol emerged through the same door and Danielle practically pounced on her.
“How did it go?” she said in one breath.
“Well, I think I might have fucked up my first back handspring, but I nailed the ones at the end and the martial arts section went flawlessly, so I think I did okay. We'll see.”
“How'd you handle the interview?”
“With honesty and nervous laughter, that's how it always ends up isn't it?”
“I performed my stand up routine, so I was just as nervous, don't even worry about it,” she said, slinging an arm around her best friend as they took off for the car, to spend the rest of the day shopping and ignoring the fact that they would be staring at their phones, praying for a call back.
*
Brendon sat near the back of the bleachers, wearing an overly large hoodie and a baseball hat so he wouldn't stick out. He and the others weren't required to attend the auditions until the final call backs so they could interact with the performers and help make final decisions, but he couldn't resist. The idea had been partly his, after wondering out loud what their fans could bring to the show. When he had been told the idea was a go, he was excited to see what would turn out. He was impressed with what he had seen so far, but there were a few that stuck out in his mind. The judges finally decided to take a lunch break, and he snuck off with the Cirque, wondering which of the faces he had seen that morning would end up back at the final round.
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