- Text Size +
Story Notes:

This is my take on a Canadian TV show called Instant Star, Changing some characters, situations and adding Nick. Some lines are from the show, but it will evolve and move further from the show as the story progresses. (First time writter)

Author's Chapter Notes:

15 year old Madeline Johnson just won a TV talent show and with it a recording contract. Everything seems perfect until she meets her producer, 23 year old Nick Carter ex- Backstreet Boy.

I'm a first time writter, so let me know what you think. Thanks!

The crowd was going wild, Stephanie Snow was rocking the stage with her bubble gum pop act, the audience was eating it up, the judges seemed to have made up their minds, she was going to be the new "Big Star" they almost felt sorry for whoever had to go after Stephanie.

In the meantime 15 year old Madeline Johnson was locked in a stall in the ladies room, she could hear the loud crow and it wasn't helping her nerves.

"Just say the words Mad and we're out of here..." Said Mattie, Madeline's dorky best friend since kindergarten.

That made her step out of the stall in all her punk rock glory. "If I mess this up I'm going to look like such a dork in school Monday"

"If it makes you feel better most people at school already think we're dorks" answered Mattie with that goofy smile that never failed to make her feel better.

"Thank you Mattie" answered Mad sarcastically. She could hear Stephanie's song coming to an end, she knew the time was up and it was do or die.

"I have to do this" she looked at her best friend trying to pull herself together whispering "Wish me luck" as she headed out the ladies' room. She could barely hear the announcer in the background introducing her.

"Right now we're going to have the final performer of the night, please give her a big round of applause, she is Mad Johnson!" Mad made her way to the stage, the crowd was cheering but she was in the zone so she only heard a small buzzing sound.

I wrote my first song when I was six, got my first acoustic at ten and it has barely left my hands since. Everything I am, everything I've worked for has brought me to the stage tonight. Sometimes if you listen really hard, you can almost hear it, that moment your life changes.... Forever...

... "And our first ever 'Big Star' is Madeline Johnson!" The announcer had said it! Mad had won! Her parents were in the crowd jumping up and down, they couldn't believe their daughter had won, her older sister was there too, Samantha, she wasn't as happy as her parents, she wasn't used to sharing the spotlight at home she had always been the one their parents jumped up and down for, she was always number one.

 They presented Mad with a big check and a record contract, she couldn't believe it, it was the best day of her life.

--------

"Sir, Georgia is on the phone. Says you missed the showcase last night and she doesn't sound very pleased"

He had totally forgot about the showcase, had it been last night? He thought it was next week! He was definitely in trouble! He had promised Georgia to help in whatever he could with this new project of hers. And instead of being where he was supposed to last night he'd spent the night with three gorgeous blondes. A fair trade if you asked him but he knew Georgia wouldn't think so.

"G, babe I'm so sorry I couldn't make it last night" he said after grabbing the phone from Darius' hand and getting up naked, Darius shook his head and covered his eyes as he walked out, as his bodyguard it wasn't the first time he witnessed his boss naked with more than two blondes in bed.  "I was sick as a dog" he said while looking at the three beauties in his bed, they were awake and wanted him back with them, having just woken up and being hung over made his act quite believable, Georgia might had just believed it if it wasn't because the blondes were up and up to no good, she heard them giggling through the phone.

"I believe the dog part not so sure about the sick part. You are supposed to start working today! I want no excuses the winner will be here at 4 and I want you here too! She has school tomorrow so we can't keep her til' late “Georgia made sure her voice showed him just how mad at him she was.

"School? How old is the winner? I thought I was going to work with the real deal not just some kid" he sounded annoyed, he didn't want to baby sit. If he was going to produce he wanted the best.

"Just get your pretty ass her, and don't be late!" With that she hung up leaving him to wonder what he had gotten himself into by agreeing to help Georgia.

-----

G major wasn't the biggest company in the industry but they had been doing interesting things lately to change that, so the industry was looking forward to see what Georgia's new artist could bring to the table.

Mad was amazed by the size of G Major, she couldn't believe this had finally happened, she couldn't believe she was sitting in the lobby and would soon meet her new producer. She let out a sigh trying to control her nerves.

"I always knew this would happen" Mattie told her with confidence

"What? You knew I would win some cheese TV talent search?" Said Mad trying to make fun of the situation

"No, that you'd be discovered somehow" said Mattie with admiration on his eyes, "you always said I could be psychic"

"Uh no... I think I said sometimes you can be psychotic" replayed Mad, laughing and making fun of her friend "just joking..." She said while pushing him, they both laughed but Mattie got suddenly serious and looked at her with meaningful eyes the mood suddenly changed, "Don't let them change you, okay?"

"I'm not changing for them" said Mad, looking him straight in the eye "I'm not changing for anyone"

Meanwhile coming out of studio B was Georgia and E.J, EJ was the labels head of PR and she wasn't pleased with the competition winner and wasn't too subtle on letting Georgia know.

"I'm telling you Georgia, she's too young, too green, too unpackaged, and I just want my objections put on record!"

"Put them on mp3 for all I care EJ!" Georgia was a no B.S. kind of person, she'd been in the business for too long and knew what she wanted and right now what she wanted was waiting for her right in the lobby of HER record label. "And get over it, Mad is our girl!" She finished while entering the lobby.

"There she is our 'Big Star'" greeted Georgia while approaching Mad; Mad got up the couch and greeted Georgia with a nervous "heey"

"You travel light Mad, your parents couldn't make it?" Said Georgia

"Oh they could I just, I kinda wanted to do this on my own" said Mad with more confidence.

Georgia understood, having your parents with you didn't complete the rock star look. EJ gave Mad a fake smile, she still didn't approve, "And who's this?" Asked Georgia, referring to Mattie.

"I'm Matt... I'm her… uhm… people" Mattie introduced himself as dorky as ever.

"Hah ah, right" Georgia said kinda laughing and shook his hand while EJ didn't even acknowledge him, instead she looked at Mad and said: "Mad, there were some artists in the showcase, Stephy for example, who were better suited to become a pop star"

"Well..." Started Mad not liking EJ's tone but still being respectful "I'm not a pop star, I'm a songwriter..."

"And that is exactly why you won, Mad" added Georgia giving a look to EJ and trying to make Mad feel comfortable, continuing,  "now, I believe that your songs can move units, but I also believe they can move people and that's why we've teamed you with a writer-producer with real substance"

"Billy Joel from Green Day?" said Mattie wide eyed

"Tim Armstrong from Rancid?" Asked Mad

"We were thinking more in the lines of... Nick Carter..." Said Georgia proudly

Mad couldn't believe it, in the 90's the Backstreet Boys were 'it', Nick Carter was the original boy band heartthrob and now her producer! "Nicky?! From the Backstreet Boys?!" She wasn't excited; she was outraged!

Mattie let out a big laugh and when everyone looked at him he added "sorry, I thought you were kidding"

Mad got lost in her thoughts, all she could see when she thought of Nick Carter was all those magazines at the supermarket and of course all those cheesy videos with cheesy lyrics and dance moves, the one that came to her mind right now was the one in which lil' Nicky and his band mates were playing and being goofy in the rain while singing a love song. She was so lost in her thoughts she didn't hear Georgia calling her.

"Sorry you were saying..." She said when she was finally pulled to reality.

"I know his reputation and I know he's still in and out of the tabloids but he has grown as an artist and he's become a brilliant writer-producer"

"But he's pop..." Argued Mattie "... And retro” he added

"And really, really lame; you can't be serious, Nicky? From the Backstreet Boys?" Mad continued Mattie’s sentence without skipping a beat.

In the background a throat cleared "First, I'm here because Georgia is a friend of mine" standing right on the balcony that overlooked the lobby was Nick Carter, who knows how long he had been standing there or how much he heard, but he wasn't happy (probably the fact that he had to leave his trio of blondes in order to be here, wasn't helping Mad's case) "I can care less for you or your whack contest…" he was hotter than Mad imagined from the magazines "…second…" he said while giving her a look that showed her he disliked her already "…the name is Nick Carter, don't you ever call me Nicky again"

"Sorry..." Was all Mad was able to say in a quiet whisper.

"Why don't you show me what you've got" Said Nick and left for the studio, leaving everyone looking at each other awkwardly, all Mad could do was say ok and head to the studio.