Justin looked up and saw her expression. It was obvious shock that he, Justin Timberlake, was who she’d sing for. And a lot of nervousness. He briefly gulped and wondered if she had a fear of public speaking. He smiled gently, trying to sooth as much of the nerves away. “Hey, what's up? You're Nicole, right?” Moving on autopilot, she nodded. "Do you want some water or something before you start?" He asked, though part of him was unsure why he was so concerned about her well-being. It was just a simple music audition, right? But he felt a connection to her, maybe from music, and wanted to help her should this be her dream.
“Thanks, Mr Timberlake,” she said quietly. “I feel honored to have this opportunity.”
“Justin, and no, the pleasure’s mine. Everyone deserves a shot at what they want,” he chuckled. “So, you ready? We’ll do a little interview first between you and I and then you'll sing, ok?”
Taking a deep breath, Nicole answered, “I guess it’s now or never.” She sat down in front of him, Lynn, Johnny, Linda, and the foundation’s executive director.
“Linda said you're a fan of my music?”
“Yeah, you have an amazing voice. It’s got a sort have calming tone,” Nicole answered and her face lit up.
‘There we go, she’s smiling, we’re on a good start,’ he thought. “That’s good, what's your favorite song?”
“Oh, wow, um...Take a Ride?”
“Cool, that’s a good song when you want to get away from stuff.” Justin looked at her as he thought. “So, how’d you end up on crutches? If you want to tell me, of course.”
“Oh, it’s no problem. I was born this way, my legs don’t do what my brain tells them. I had a lot of problems in school, which is where you came in.” She paused for a deep breath. “I went through a lot of bullying and other stuff. I ignored it but after a while it got hard. I’d liked your music with *NSYNC so when your first solo dropped, I used that to escape what everyone was saying. I owe a lot to you for where I am now.”
“Wow, that’s amazing. You seem very optimistic. Music does help people no matter what the situation, I agree with you on that. And how long have you been interested in music?” he asked
“Um, really all my life. Whether it be oldies or what's out now, there’s always been some kind of music playing around me.”
“Ok, very good.” Justin made some notes before looking encouragingly at her. “You ready to sing?” She nodded. “Go ahead.”
Have you ever loved somebody so much
It makes you cry
Have you ever needed something so bad
You can't sleep at night
Have you ever tried to find the words
But they don't come out right
Have you ever, have you ever
Have you ever been in love
Been in love so bad
You'd do anything to make them understand
Have you ever had someone steal your heart away
Justin’s head snapped up. The sound was beautiful and he stared as she continued.
You'd give anything to make them feel the same
Have you ever searched for words to get you in their heart
But you don't know what to say
And you don't know where to start
After Nicole was done, she looked down and fidgeted. Justin noticed this and knew it was unnecessary but he was so in shock by her voice, he couldn’t make the words come out. He cleared his throat, leaning on the counter, and smiled. “Hey, wow, that was...that was amazing. Honestly.”
The timid young woman looked up, a smile on her face. “Really?”
“Mm-hmm. You can't find raw talent like that very often. You're really good.” He looked to Johnny and Timbaland who nodded their approval. “Ok, that settles it; you're in. We’ll set a time for you to come in after classes and we’ll see what we can get, ok?”
Nodding enthusiastically, Nicole almost tripped getting up. “Thank you to all of you, you don’t know how much this means.”
“Everyone deserves a chance. See you, tomorrow.”
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