Choosing America's Next Superstar Read Online Free

he has the most amazing story.”
    “Oh?”
    “Corey has a brother—two years younger than him—his name is Jimmy, and he has a heart condition.” Corey’s mouth dropped open in shocked disbelief. Megan must have been eavesdropping on his conversation. “Jimmy and Corey are very close, and Jimmy just had to have a life-saving surgery. Corey wasn’t even going to come to the audition, but Jimmy insisted. He told Corey to go and win his way to New York. Corey’s doing this for him, his dying brother.”
    “Wow,” Renee said. “Has he been ill for a long time?”
    “It was a condition he was born with, and they didn’t expect him to even live this long. Jimmy prays every day he will be able to hang on long enough to see his brother crowned America’s Next Superstar.”
    “Amazing, that’s truly a touching story,” Renee said. “You know….” Her voice was beginning to choke up. “You know, I think we’re going to just go ahead and put you through to the auditions. Corey, why don’t you come with me?” She stood up and grabbed Corey by the arm.
    “But….” Corey turned and looked at his new friend Jimmy, who was just sitting there with a dumbfounded expression on his face.
    “Go ahead!” Megan urged him. “Corey… go!” Megan stood up and grabbed Corey’s other arm.
    “You come with us,” Renee said. “They’ll need to film Corey’s supporters. Are you with him too?” she said as she turned to Jimmy.
    “Uh… no. I have nothing to do with him,” Jimmy said, quickly turning away.
    Corey felt his face redden. Suddenly he was being escorted across the huge auditorium floor toward an area that had been cordoned off with large collapsible walls. They were like huge cubicles. Corey assumed that this was where they did the actual filming.
    “Wait here,” Renee said. “I’ll be right back.”
    Corey turned to Megan. “Oh my God! I can’t believe you just did that.”
    “Did what?” Megan said, as she grabbed Corey and spun him around. Suddenly he was staring directly at a television camera. “You mean that I told the touching story of your dying brother? Corey, you shouldn’t be shy or embarrassed by how close you are to Jimmy. He’s so proud of you.”
    Corey looked up into the camera and gulped, suddenly unable to speak.
    Megan wrapped her arm around his shoulder. “Don’t you worry. I have so much faith in you, Corey Dunham… and so does Jimmy.”
    The next thing Corey knew, someone had stepped up beside him. Corey’s jaw just about came unhinged when he turned to see it was Dylan Seagraves, the host of Choosing America’s Next Superstar .
    “Corey, I’ve heard your story… our producer just chatted with me. It’s very moving. Can you tell us what you’re feeling right now?”
    “Um… I’m a little nervous….”
    “I can understand that. It must feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders right now. If you don’t do well and make it through the audition, you’re going to feel as if you let your brother down. This may be your very last chance to make this dream a reality for him….”
    “Uh… yeah.”
    “He gets very emotional about this,” Megan said. “Surely you understand….”
    “Oh, of course,” Dylan said, nodding emphatically.
    Just then Renee stepped up behind them. “Okay, Corey, do you happen to have a photo of your brother?”
    “Uh… no.”
    “We’ve got lots of pictures we can bring you,” Megan volunteered. “I might even have one in my purse. It’s locked in my trunk….”
    “Good,” Renee said. “Regardless of what happens with the audition, we’ll want those photos. We can get them later, though. This show won’t be aired until several months from now. Corey, I see your song choice is ‘Shape of My Heart’. Does this have any significance to your brother?”
    “It’s his favorite group,” Megan said. “Corey sang him this song just before he went into surgery.”
    “Mmm, very good,” Renee said, jotting