I got some food and a beer and sat next to Jared, careful to stick to my side of the bed so we didn’t touch. With my luck, I’d probably drop pizza all over his white sheets. Why couldn’t they have ordered something less messy to eat? But soon the warm smell of cheese and pepperoni hit me, and I was digging in, too.

“Oh my god, this pizza is the greatest thing I’ve ever eaten.”

“I know. I thought I was going to chew my arm off earlier,” Jared said.

“Maybe the show is starving us so we’ll lose those ten pounds the camera adds.”

He laughed, and I loved the sound of it, how honest and real it was. “That must be it. Though I think you look perfect the way you are.” His voice dropped so the other guys couldn’t hear the last part, and I swear the room temperature jumped by at least ten degrees.

“Quiet, it’s starting,” Kyle said and used the remote to raise the volume.

For the first few minutes, the show explained the premise and how it worked and then introduced the mentors. They made a big deal about how Lance had won the last three years in a row and then showed a quick preview of the bands performing tonight, including a one-second shot of us, before it cut away to commercials. I nearly dropped my pizza when I saw it. I knew our audition would be aired one of the nights, but it was still a total shock to actually see us on TV.

“That was us!” Kyle said, slapping his hand on the desk.

“We must be on tonight’s show,” Jared said.

He got up and dropped his empty plate in the trash and then sank back on the bed. His elbows brushed against my side as he opened his laptop, making me tense up, but when I tried to look at him without actually looking at him, he didn’t seem to notice. Had he purposefully sat a little closer to me this time? Or was I imagining it?

The show returned with the first audition from an alternative band I didn’t recognize. Lissa was the only one who buzzed for them, which explained why I hadn’t seen them yet. The auditions continued, and we all made comments about who was good and who was probably just filler while Jared took notes on his laptop. There were always a few bands that would obviously get weeded out early on. They weren’t bad, but they didn’t have the skills or experience yet for the show. I really hoped we weren’t one of those bands.