Finally, I decided to get my ideas down on paper! And I thought the finale would be a perfect way to express them. So here we go.
Chapter 1: Added May 26th
Chapter 2: Added May 26th
Chapter 3: Added May 29th
Chapter 4: Added May 30th
Chapter 5: Added May 30th
Chapter 6: Added May 31st
Chapter 7: Added May 32st
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May 23rd - 4:22pm
“Hey Carebear, it’s Tony. Just checking up on you, call me back when you get a chance! I‘ve got a surprise for you!”
Carrie Underwood smiled, listening to the message over again. She missed Anthony a lot. And to hear his voice again in this time of chaos was great comfort. It had been only two weeks since Anthony had left American Idol, but to her, it felt like she had been without her best friend for two years.
But now she had to concentrate. She would see Anthony tomorrow at the finale.
The finale. She couldn’t believe she was in the finale. She had gotten to the top two! Instead of all that talent, those amazing people she lived with for 11 weeks, she was the one that had the chance for the title of American Idol. She thought the others deserved it a lot more than her, that was for sure.
“Carrie! You’ve got six minutes till you need to be on stage for last minute prep!” called Ryan through the door.
“Alright! Thanks Ry!” she returned, picking up the phone. Six minutes to talk to Anthony then. She pressed a button, her speed-dial to Anthony’s cell, and held it to her ear, listening to the ring. She counted them, and got up to three when Anthony answered the phone, just like he always did. He let it ring three times before he answered it, for some reason.
“Hello?”
“Hi Anthy Bear!” Carrie teased. She melted when she heard his laugh on the other end of the line.
“Hey Carebear, how are you?” he questioned.
“It’s crazy over here. But I’m alright! How bout you?”
“Couldn’t be better.”
Carrie held in a sigh, glancing at herself in the mirror. Couldn’t be better? Wouldn’t it be better if he were here, with her? “Oh…”
“Hey, Carrie? Go outside a minute.”
“What?”
“Just trust me.”
Carrie blinked at her friend’s odd request, but the blonde-haired girl headed over to the door, curls bouncing. She opened it, then stared in shock.
For there, with his phone to his ear and a huge smile on his face, was none other than Anthony Fedorov.
May 23rd - 4:26pm
“ANTHONY!”
Carrie’s screams of excitement could be heard all down the dressing room hall as she tackled her best friend, screaming and hugging him until he found it hard to breathe. “Ca-Carrie! Carrie? I can’t breathe!” he managed to say.
She blinked, then loosened her embrace. “Sorry. But Anthony! I can’t believe you are really here! I didn’t expect you to be here till tomorrow!” she said, letting go of him.
“We’re all here Carrie. It was Connie’s idea. We thought it would be nice to see everyone again, and be here as a group to support you and Bo.” he explained with a smile, tugging on one of her curls. “I love when you curl your hair.” he added.
She smiled at him, pulling the curl away from him. “Do you now?” she grinned, then noticed Ryan standing nearby with a smile on his face, tapping his watch. “Oh darn...I’ve gotta go!” She fake pouted, then smiled, hugging Anthony again. “See you after the show?”
“You better believe it.”
Carrie giggled, giving him a friendly kiss on the cheek, then she bounded off after Ryan, giggling like a little girl.
The blonde male watched her, chuckling. So full of life. He really hoped she would do well at the finale. Anthony wanted nothing more than the best for his friend, and he prayed that she would win the competition. He loved Bo too, for he had been his room-mate in the mansion, and he had been his best male friend during the show. But Carrie had been his very best friend since the beginning, and he had to admit, he wanted her to win. He knew Bo would be ok without the title.
“Aaaaaaanthony!” called a rather irritating, and yet very familiar voice. Mikalah Gordon ran up, tugging on his arm. “Time to get to our seats! And believe me when I say, they are FABULOUS!” she chirped.
“I’m sure they are ‘Kalah. I’ll be down in a minute. I’ve got to take care of something, alright?” he said, offering her a smile.
Mikalah raised an eyebrow curiously, but shrugged and bounced off, heading down to the stage to sit in her ‘fabulous’ seat next to Lindsey and Jessica.
Anthony watched her go, shaking his head. Where did she get all that energy? He shrugged it off, then picked up a bag he had set down by the wall, where it had been un-noticed to Mikalah, Ryan, and Carrie. He walked into Carrie’s dressing room, set down the bag on the makeup table, then headed out, closing the door quietly behind himself. Then he headed down to the stage.
When he arrived, Vonzell and Scott waved him over. “We’re sitting in order of elimination. Can you believe it? Constantine and Nikko get the best seats!” Vonzell teased.
A few seats down, Constantine turned and stuck his tongue out at Vonz, who laughed at him.
Anthony rolled his eyes, then flopped down in his seat between Scotty the Body and Lady V. Ryan had nicknamed Scott so, and Baby V had grown into her Lady V title on her birthday. Most of the group had nicknames in fact. Only Carrie was allowed to call him Anthy Bear though. That was her pet name for him, and hers alone.
Ryan wandered down and started shaking hands, speaking to the contestants. “How are you guys?” he asked, grinning. He hadn’t seen a few of them in a long time. He’d seen Vonzell the week before, but he still offered her a hug.
“We’re doing FABULOUS Ryan.” Mikalah chirped, while the others groaned. She blinked, looking at them. “What?”
“I heard, that some of you have been offered record deals.” Ryan said, sitting on the judges’ table.
A few cheers emitted from a few of the contestants. The other not so lucky ones booed playfully.
“Congrats to you guys then. And the rest of you, don’t worry. You’ll get them. People would be stupid not to pick you guys up. If I had a contract company, I’d get you ALL.” Ryan said.
“Awww! Ryan, you’re so sweet!” Lindsey cooed.
“I know.” he replied, winking.
“Can you imagine? Seacrest Records.” laughed Constantine.
Anthony was half listening to the group, but most of his attention was placed upon Carrie, who was with Bo on stage, listening to the producers give them the final low-down before the show started. She seemed to be glowing. She looked so happy…he wondered if it had anything to do with his surprise visit. He sure hoped so…
“Earth to Anthony!” laughed Ryan.
He blinked, looking up at Ryan. “What?”
The group laughed, looking over at him. “Anthony, at least PRETEND you are listening, and stop being so obvious.” Nadia ordered.
“Obvious about what?”
“About your Carrie crush.” she replied.
“WHAT? You’re joking. I’m not crushing on her!”
There came several snorts and giggles from the Idols.
“I’m NOT!” But he knew they wouldn’t believe him. He wasn’t even sure if he believed himself.
May 23rd - 5:55pm
“You would know, it would be clear…that angels brought me here…” Carrie’s voice cracked as emotions caught up with her, and she simply stared at all the people, all the people that had their eyes on her. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, trying to relax.
When she opened them again, her gaze locked onto Anthony, who was up on his feet, whistling and clapping. When he noticed she was watching him, he grinned and put a hand on his heart playfully, winking to her.
Carrie grinned at him, then turned to Ryan, who had walked up. “And that’s it for Carrie!” was all she really heard him say. As he went on to ramble about her numbers, she looked around the Kodak theater again. There were so many people…and at least half of them supported her! It was amazing really.
These types of thoughts were on her mind until Ryan closed the show, and she was allowed to hop off stage and run to her friends. She grinned and leapt at Anthony, hugging him while looking over at the others. “Thanks for coming you guys!” she exclaimed.
“No problem Carrie. We’re glad to see you again.” Nikko offered.
“Yea! We’ve missed you and Bo sooooo much.” added Jessica.
“I can’t wait till we go on tour. No eliminations!” grinned Anthony.
“Amen to that.” Scott replied.
Carrie nodded with a smile. “Yea! The tour is gunna be so awesome. We don’t have to say goodbye to anyone!” This thought excited her. She could spend time with her friends, and Anthony, without having to worry about saying goodbye. It was going to be GREAT.
“Ok, I’m hungry. Can we eat now?” Bo interrupted.
The group laughed, each agreeing. Dinner did sound nice. Carrie and Bo were hungry and exhausted after their three performances, and besides, dinner was also a great social time. And it would be a good stress reliever.
“Me and Bo have to be up early in the morning to get ready.” Carrie suddenly remembered. “So we can’t stay out too terribly long.”
Bo sighed and nodded. “Yea, I’d forgotten about that.”
“Well, we have to be here around noon to get ready.” Anwar said, gesturing to the rest of the eliminated Idols. The others nodded.
“Well, what are we wasting our time here for? Lets go!” ordered Mikalah.
Eventually, Mikalah was able to usher the group outside, and towards the two vans they had. “Now, who’s riding with who?” she questioned.
“I call shotgun, where ever I’m riding!” called Constantine.
“And I call it in the other van then!” added Bo.
“Me and Anwar will drive the vans.” said Nadia.
“And the rest can just pile in. Now mooove it, I’m hungry!” wailed Mikalah.
The vans ended up gender split however, one van containing the guys, and the other containing the girls, and Constantine. Nobody really knew how THAT happened. Everyone just kinda piled into whatever van was available.
Carrie was a tad disappointed. She had wanted to talk to Anthony, but he’d been pulled into the other van by Bo. She sighed, watching the other van pull out, then suddenly remembered something. “Hey, Constantine, thanks by the way.”
“For what?” he asked, twisting in his seat to look at her.
“For having the idea to bring everyone here to see us.” she replied, blinking.
Nadia nearly crashed the car when she stepped on the breaks. “WHAT? Hun, that wasn’t Constantine’s idea.”
Carrie blinked at her. “What? But Anthony told me…”
“It was Anthony’s idea! He was desperate to see you again!” Nadia interrupted.
The blonde girl stared at her. “Well...I’m sure he wanted to see Bo too…they DID share a room after all…”
“You are so naďve Carrie. Anthony was talking about you, ALL the time. We couldn’t get him to stop! He didn’t suggest this so he could see Bo. It was so he could see YOU.” Vonzell said, turning around to look at her.
Carrie let this information sink in slowly, and she glanced towards the other van, which was driving down the road already. Anthony had been talking about her?
May 23rd - 6:12pm
The whole way to the restaurant, Carrie was fuming. Why did Anthony lie to her? Why didn’t he just tell her that it had been HIS idea to invite everyone to the finale? Why’d he pin it on Constantine?
Everyone else was singing along to the Showstoppers CD as she thought about this. But of course, they kept skipping the boys’ songs, which irked Constantine somewhat, but he didn’t mind singing “Total Eclipse Of The Heart” with Jessica.
When Nadia pulled the car into the Ruby Tuesday’s parking lot, Carrie threw open the door and marched out, over to the male van. The boys saw her from inside, and stared. Bo decided to lock the doors just as Carrie arrived, putting her hands on her hips, glaring.
“Er…what’s wrong with Carrie?” Bo asked, blinking at her. Suddenly, all eyes turned to Anthony, who stared back.
The Ukraine boy turned a tad red, blinking. “Why are you looking at me? I’ve been in THIS van. How could I have made her mad?”
Bo started to reply, when Carrie’s voice rang out. “Anthony Fedorov! Get out of that van NOW!”
“Maybe Carrie didn’t like it when you were looking out the window at those chicks in the convertible…” Scott offered.
“I DIDN’T look. Geez.” Anthony responded. He took off his seatbelt slowly, and gently opened the van door. Bo hopped out as well, to offer protection to the younger boy if needed.
“Er…hi Carrie…something wrong?” Anthony asked quietly.
“You LIED to me!” she said, stomping her foot angrily.
“Did I?”
“Yes! You said inviting everyone was Constantine’s idea! It was YOURS! Why lie about something so stupid?” she fumed.
“Yea, why did you?” Bo echoed.
Anthony cast him a glare, then looked at Carrie again. “Well…I…”
Mikalah stepped between them, pouting. “I want to EAT! Argue later!” she said, grabbing their arms and pulling them towards the restaurant.
Carrie rolled her eyes, while Anthony sighed gratefully. He certainly owed Mikalah one. She saved his butt. Now he had to last the night without Carrie attempting to beat him up. His best bet was to stick with the guys for the night.
“Table for twelve please!” Mikalah chirped to the waitress.
The starstruck waitress nodded dumbly, then lead the group to a private room in the back, that was set aside for Hollywood’s stars. “ALRIGHT! Private room!” grinned Constantine. Apparently, this meant they could be as loud and wild as they wished to, which was always fun for Constantine.
Anthony managed to seat himself between Bo and Mikalah, which would prove to be a great mistake later, but at least it wasn’t Carrie, he supposed. She was seated at the other end of the table, but every-so-often he noticed that she would send a glare or questioning look towards him. It made him uncomfortable, and he wished he could leave, but he knew he couldn’t. Why couldn’t have tonight gone better?
Carrie was wondering the same thing. She was supposed to be having a good time. But she wasn’t. She was upset and hurt that Anthony would lie to her. She thought they didn’t keep secrets, or tell lies. They were best friends after all, right? So why did he lie to her?
She wished she could pull him aside and ask, but she couldn’t. Not without looking suspicious. She was seated between Constantine and Jessica, who kept chatting over her. She was right in the middle of their rocker conversation.
It would be a long night.
May 24th - 4:49pm
Carrie walked down the dressing room hallways, running her fingers through her hair. It was almost time…almost time for her to find out if she had won…she was so nervous. And to top it all off, she hadn’t talked to Anthony after what had happened the night before.
The whole experience at the restaurant had been horrible. She had managed to have a decent time, but she never talked to Anthony again that night. She wished she hadn’t snapped at Anthony…she just didn’t understand why he lied to her.
She pulled out her dressing room key and unlocked the door, stepping in and flipping on the light. And that’s when she noticed a bag sitting on her table. She blinked at it curiously. She hadn’t left that there…and she’d never seen it before.
Putting down her purse, she walked over to it, picking it up and sitting on the couch. She pulled off the card and opened it, scanning over it. Her eyes softened as she read it.
“Dear Carrie,
I knew you could do it. Look at you, you’re one step away from being the American Idol. I always knew you’d get this far. You deserve to be here. Here’s something for you to wear in your glorious moment. After all, you need to look glorious too for such a moment.
With love,
Anthony.”
She set down the card, then reached into the bag, expecting to bring out some jewelry. Instead, her fingers brushed against fabric. She gasped as she pulled out a gorgeous leopard spotted dress. “Oh my god…this is gorgeous…” she whispered to herself, running her hand over it. She stood up and unfolded it, holding it to herself and looking in the mirror. It looked like a princess dress!
She twirled around, and something fluttered from the dress. Pausing, she bent down and picked it up. It was another note from Anthony. Putting down the dress, she sat down again to read it.
“Carrie,
One more thing. You’re my best friend, and you’ve been a great help to me during this competition. I’ve spent so much time with you, and we’ve had so much fun. And not only did you grow on me as a best friend, but you’ve grown on me as even more. I’m sure you get what I mean, but if you don’t…well, then never mind, it’s not important.”
She stared at the note, letting it slip from her fingers. He loved her! She did know what he meant, she felt it too. Anthony cared about her! Tears came to her eyes, and she shook her head in disbelief.
She wanted to run and find him, but just then, her makeup crew came in. She sighed, putting the notes on the table next to the dress. Now she would have to wait until later to talk to him! She’d probably have to wait until the end of the show. She wouldn’t see him before it, since it would take forever to get her hair and makeup done, and whenever he would be on stage, she wouldn’t be. Not that she would discuss this stuff on stage anyway.
She sat down in her chair and allowed the hair stylists to start on her hair. She would be wearing some tight curls tonight, she had decided. And she just couldn’t wait to wear her new dress. She would save it for the end of the night…
Meanwhile, Anthony and the other nine were getting ready to open the preshow with their medley. He was supposed to be listening to instructions, but he wasn’t. His mind was elsewhere.
He was nervous. Nervous for Carrie, because of the competition, and nervous because she probably found the dress by now, and the notes. And she was mad at him at the moment. So what would she do? Would she ignore them?
“ANTHONY!”
He jumped, glancing over at the others, who were raising eyebrows at him. “Er...what?”
“Get your head out of Carrie’s dressing room and back here dude. We’ve got work to do.” Constantine said.
Anthony shot him a glare, but attempted to pay attention anyway. He would just have to hope that Carrie would forgive him, and would understand why he put the idea on Constantine. Because he had been nervous about giving away his present, and feelings.
After a few more minutes, the producers left the Idols to go talk to Carrie and Bo. Mikalah and Lindsey were squealing, no doubt over the song they would have later on with some guy named Babyface. Constantine was talking with Jessica and Nadia, and Anwar was discussing something with Scott and Nikko.
Vonzell poked Anthony in the back and smiled. “You’re nervous, and I doubt it’s for yourself. What’s up?”
“Nothing Vonz…I’m just nervous for Carrie and Bo.”
“You mean Carrie.”
“You know I like Bo, Vonz. He’s one of my best friends. But I really want Carrie to win. Is that bad of me or what?” he said, sighing.
“It’s not bad at all. We’ve all got our favorites. I’m voting for Carrie too. And so are a few of the others, and then there are Bo fans among us too. But we all care about them both. And they know that. So it’s cool.” she said with a smile. She patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. Carrie’ll be fine, no matter what.”
Anthony certainly hoped so…and he hoped things would be alright between them later on...
May 24th - 5:15pm
“And now, singing her song ‘Angels Brought Me Here’, Carrie Underwood!”
Carrie walked out onto the stage, wearing a very country-esque outfit of pink plaid and jeans. Nervous, she clutched the microphone between her hands tightly, raising it to her lips. She sang from her heart, for this song meant a great deal to her now. She was singing this to Anthony, where-ever in the building he might be.
“It’s been a long and winding journey, but I’m finally here tonight. Picking up the pieces, stepping back into the light…” It really had been a long journey, with many ups and downs. The ups? Meeting Anthony and the others, and getting this far in the competition. The downs? Night’s like the previous. But now she had to pick up all the pieces of the mess she made. She had to fix things.
“Into the sunset of your glory, where my heart and future lies.” She happened to turn her head a bit, and out of the corner of her eye noticed Anthony standing backstage, watching her. She smiled and continued, singing to him.
“There's nothing like that feeling, when I look into your eyes…” She melted whenever she looked into those eyes…they were so caring…so loving…
“My dreams came true, when I found you. I found you, my miracle…” Carrie knew that Anthony’s fans called him a miracle. And she also knew it was true. If not for Anthony, her miracle, she wouldn’t have gotten this far in the competition. Without his advice, and his friendship, and those moments spent on the couch, singing to each other and asking about pitch. They all helped so much…
“If you could see, what I see. That you're the answer to my prayers. And if you could feel, the tenderness I feel, you would know, it would be clear, that angels brought me here…” Angel…that was what Anthony was. She knew the fans tended to call him one also. But she knew it was true. He was her angel, her angel that had brought her here, to this finale stage.
“Brought me here to be with you, I'll be forever grateful, oh, forever thankful. My dreams came true, when I found you, my miracle…” He would never know how thankful she was…never.
“If you could see, what I see. You're the answer to my prayers. And if you could feel, the tenderness I feel, you would know, it would be clear…” She prepared herself for her glory note. She had to pull it off to prove she was worthy of being there. She dedicated it to Anthony. That would do it…this was for Anthony. “That angels brought me here...!”
She continued right into the chorus again. “And if you could feel, the tenderness I feel…you would know, it would be clear…that angels brought me…here.”
She broke into a grin when she heard the thunderous applause. All this applause, from her. She glanced over at Anthony again, then mouthed to him, ‘I love you’, then smiled and looked back at the audience as to not look suspicious.
Anthony stared, pausing in his clapping. This wasn’t like the time when he was kicked off that she said it. This time, he knew she really meant it. She loved him! Oh, how he wanted to run to her and hug her. But he knew he couldn’t, not now. But he really wished he could.
He would have to wait till after the medley and the announcement of the winner. It seemed like he’d have to wait forever to talk to her…to hold her…
“Is Carrie your American Idol? We’ll see, after the break!” Anthony heard Ryan say. Oh perfect! A break! Maybe he could flag her over! But no, alas, Carrie was quickly ushered off-stage, probably to get dressed for her duet with Rascal Flatts. He sighed, dismayed, but headed off to get changed himself.
He would just have to wait.
The last chapter! :)
May 24th - 5:50pm
Carrie was on Cloud Nine.
She was still excited about Anthony’s messages to her, and she was amazed that she had been able to perform with Rascal Flatts. But now it was time for the results, and she was nervous, but still excited. After all, she had gotten this far!
And she felt like a princess in her new dress. She couldn’t wait till Anthony saw her in it. But she would have to wait, cause now she had to make her way onto the stage. Bo walked up to her and offered her an arm with a smile. “You look gorgeous.” he whispered into her ear.
Carrie grinned at him. “Thanks! You don’t look too shabby yourself!” She accepted his arm, and together they made their way onto the stage, just as Ryan picked up the show from commercial. He squeezed himself in-between the two friends. “Alright, here are the results.”
Anthony, who was standing off to the side, was amazed that Carrie was actually wearing the dress he had bought her. She looked absolutely AMAZING in it. She was so beautiful, with her curly hair and her painted lips, and her new dress. Then he remembered what was happening, and grew nervous. What if she didn’t win?
No, she would win. She just would. Still, he crossed his fingers, just in case.
Carrie looked up at the ceiling, concentrating on a spot. She was so nervous…
“And the American Idol 2005 is…” Ryan paused dramatically, then said, “Carrie Underwood!”
She couldn’t believe it. She covered her face, tears springing to her eyes. All she could think was, “Oh my god, oh my god.”
Anthony practically leapt five feet into the air. “She did it!” he screamed. Before the others could even react, he darted out onto the stage, clapping. He didn’t latch onto her just yet. He didn’t want to seem too obvious. But the others made their way over and hugged her.
Once Bo and Mikalah finished hugging, Anthony slowly stepped up. Carrie grinned at him, and he leaned in and kissed her cheek before wrapping his arms around her in a hug. “I love you too.” he said softly.
This brought a whole ‘nother wave of tears to Carrie’s eyes, and she latched onto him tightly. “Thank you…for everything.”
“I told you, you could do it…and you look stunning.”
“Thank you…a special friend left a present for me.” she whispered back, smiling and pulling away.
The others noticed the rather long hug and the whispers between the two blondes, and they exchanged knowing glances, then backed off as Ryan offered Carrie the microphone. “And now, your Idol will sing to you!”
Carrie stared at him, wide-eyed. “You expect me to SING?” she gasped. She was too emotional! After all that with Anthony, and the fact that she had actually WON? Could she even sing a note? But she had no choice, so she glanced back at Anthony with a smile before starting her song.
“I’ve been down…but now I’m blessed…I felt a revelation coming round…” After yesterday, she thought it was over with Anthony. But look at them now! Everything seemed so perfect, now that all this was happening.
“I guess it’s right, it’s so amazing…every time I see you, I’m alive.” her voice broke, and she looked to Anthony for help. He offered her a smile and a thumbs up. This gave her strength, and she continued.
“You're all I've got, you lift me up. The sun and moonlight, all my dreams are in your eyes.” She looked at Anthony again, noting the excited look in his eyes. Those bright blue eyes twinkled…
“I, wanna be inside your heaven, take me to the place you cry from, when the storm blows your way. I, wanna be the earth to hold you, every bit of air you're breathing in, a soothing wind, I wanna be inside your heaven… When minutes turn to days and years, if mountains fall I'll still be here, Holding you until the day I die…” Her voice cracked again, but she tried to continue. “I…wanna be inside your heaven…thank you SO much!” she added quickly, to Anthony and the audience. “Take me to the place you cry from, when the storm blows your way…!”
Anthony watched from the side, keeping his eyes on her at all times. She was so gorgeous, and practically glowing. And when the fireworks and confetti started, it made him even more proud. She was incredible. And she was the American Idol.
“I, wanna be the earth to hold you. Every bit of air you’re breathing in, a soothing wind, I wanna be inside your heaven, oh yes I do…” She felt Anthony approach her again, and she smiled. “I wanna be inside…your heaven…”
As soon as she finished, she turned and hugged him. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her for a second, then let go. Then he pointed to her, which caused the audience to clap even louder.
Carrie couldn’t believe it, and eventually, she started to cry again. She was in heaven. She was here, on the American Idol stage, crowned Idol, and with her best friends, and her new boyfriend.
Her dreams came true. And she couldn’t ever ask for more.
As the show came to a close, she turned to Anthony again. “I love you.”
He grinned and hugged her again. “I love you too, my American Idol.”