Rock Star Makeover, Part 4:
 
(Author's note: Nope, not doing a summary. If you need to know what happened before, read the first 3 chapters.)
 
I was so far into my work I had no idea how much time passed. The next time I was really aware of the outside world was when Gabbi, her mom, and Cathy came up to me. They were each carrying a couple of bags, and it looked like both Gabbi and her mom had taken the opportunity to get a new hairstyle and makeup. The effect on Gabbi was … electric, at least for me.

“Wow. Oh...wow.” Is all I could manage.

“You like the look, Noah?” She asked

“Wow.”

“You said that. Can I assume that’s a yes?”

“Yes.”

“Good.” She looked at my work, and asked, “Is it finished, Noah? Can we look?”

“Just putting on my second signature.”

“Second signature, Noah?” Cathy asked.

“I always put on two. One is hidden in the work, the other is in the traditional place.”

“It’s a fun exercise to try and find the first one, Cathy.” Gabbi said.

I finished my signature, and turned the paper around, so they could see it.

“Wow.” Gabbi said.

“Can I assume that means you like it?”

“Darn right you can.” Gabbi said.

Cathy took a look at it, and asked, “Can I have this, Noah?”

“I kinda meant to give it to Gabbi” I said.

“I love it, Noah, but I would be okay if you wanted to give it to Cathy.”

“I’d really like it, Noah.” Cathy said.

“Okay. If its okay with Gabbi, its yours.”

“Thank you.” Cathy said, and then took all of us for lunch.

After we ate, Cathy said, “I will have to go soon. I have to rehearse tonight, because the concerts at the Staple Center are Wednesday and Thursday. I’ll give you guys some backstage passes to the dress rehearsal tomorrow, and front row seats for both shows.”

I said, “Thanks, Cathy. Honestly, I’m surprised at how much time you’re gave us today as it was.”

“I’ll be honest with you Noah, I hadn’t originally planned to spend this much time with the winner of this contest. But when I saw Gabrielle’s entry, I just had to do more than just meet her. Gabrielle, you are one of the bravest girls I have ever met, to do what you are trying to do.”

“Th...thank you.”

She paid for our meals, and then walked us back to our ride. She gave Gabbi a hug, and then, to my surprise, gave me one too.

“Thank you for the drawing, Noah.” she said.

“You’re...you’re welcome.” I managed

“He’s very talented, as you can see, Cathy.” Gabbi said.

“Yes, I see that. So are you, Gabbi. Its been...an honor to meet you both.”

We both blushed.

She started to walk away, and then turned, and said, “You two make a cute couple, by the way. See you both at the rehearsal tomorrow.”

She turned away, started walking, and soon was out of sight.

I looked at Gabbi’s mom, and asked. “What do we do now?”

“Well, we should drop off this stuff at the hotel, and then maybe we could do some sightseeing. Might not get another chance to see L.A.”

“Sounds good to me, Mom.”

We went back to the hotel, and dropped everything off in our room. Going back to the lobby, we picked up a map of the sites, and tried to figure out what we could squeeze in. The rest of the day, we had a blast. Being geeks, we made sure a visit to the tar pits and the natural history museum were on our list of things to see. We also did a lot of the places more common for tourism, including the walk of fame and a visit to the Warner Brothers studio.

At that stop, I said to Gabbi, “I hoped we might be able to see a comic-book movie being made.”

“No such luck, Noah. But I’m having a pretty good day anyway, as long as you’re with me.”

“I feel the same about you, Gabbi.” I said, and gave her a kiss.

Finally, we went back to the hotel, and crashed.

The next morning, we got up early, and after we got dressed and had a quick breakfast, I asked Gabbi’s mom, “What time do we have to be at the rehearsal?”

“Its not until 8 tonight, so we have the day to ourselves. Any suggestions as to what we should do?”

“Mom, could we go to Disneyland?”

“Sweetie, that’s in Anaheim.”

“Oh.”

“But we could make Universal studios, if we hurry.”

“Sounds good to me, Mom. I always wanted to meet Bruce.”

“Bruce?”

“The mechanical shark. From the movie Jaws.”

“Fine. We will meet Bruce.”

So off we went.

We were lucky in terms of traffic, and made good time. When we got there, Gabbi’s mom said, “We probably wont have time to see everything, so pick and choose your priorities now, okay?”

“Okay.”

The day was great. Bruce was as scary as Gabbi and I hoped, and I discovered the reason why guys ask girls to scary movies. It gives the girl an excuse to hold the guy tight.....

Finally, we had to go if we wanted to make it back in time, so we left the park. The road was crowded, but we moved quickly enough, and got back to the Staples Center with time to spare for the rehearsal.

Cathy came over, and said, “Hi Noah, Gabbi, Mrs. Martin. I cant talk long, but my assistant will show you around.”

“Thank you” Gabbi and I said together.

She smiled at us, and said, “Mrs. Martin, I said it yesterday. These two make a very cute couple, don’t you think?”

“They do. I’m glad Gabbi is happy, that’s what matters.”

“I am, mom.”

“I’ll talk to you guys later. My assistant Alice will take care of you while I rehearse.”

For the next little while I think Gabbi was in heaven. She was introduced to all the people who make a performance possible, and was able to ask them about lighting, sound, costumes, and just about everything else needed to run one.

At the end, Alice was smiling and said, “Gabbi, you should definitely make theater or music a career. Do you take Drama at school?”

Gabbi said, “No. Drama would have been …. torture. To be that close to such beautiful clothes and not be able to wear them, I... I couldn’t take that.”

“But there are lots of plays where a boy plays a girl. You could gone for that, surely?” Alice asked.

“I....I was scared. I was convinced they’d figure out the real reason, that I really was Gabbi. In fact, last year, they were doing a production of Cinderella, and offered me the part of one of the step sisters, and.I ….turned them down and...it hurt so much, That’s when I made the decision to come out, I couldn’t take it anymore.”

I held her tight, and said, “Its behind you now, Gabbi. You’re moving forward. Look how far you’ve come.”

“I would have to agree, hon.” Gabbi’s mom said.

Gabbi wiped her eyes, and we went back to where Cathy was finishing her rehearsal. “Did you guys have fun?”

“Yes, thanks” Gabbi said.

“Gabbi could have a real future in show business, Cathy.” Her assistant Alice said.

“That’s wonderful. Do you plan to go to a performing art school after you graduate?”

“I...I can’t. I have to tap into most of what we’ve saved for college to …. take care of my situation.”

“I’m sorry, Gabbi. I wish we could do both.” Her mom said.

“Have faith, Gabbi. You will find a way. You’re a smart girl.” Cathy said.

“Th...thank you.” Gabbi managed.

“Anyway, here are your backstage passes for the concerts. Do you want to go to both shows, or is there something you guys haven’t had a chance to do yet you would like to?”

Gabbi said, “We were hoping to go to Disneyland but its too far away if we have anything else to do that day.”

“Tell you what. Come to tomorrow’s show. And I will send tickets to Disneyland to your hotel for Thursday.”

“We....we couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking, I’m giving. See you tomorrow night.”

She gave Gabbi a hug, and then we left.

We went back to the hotel, and got ready for bed. Soon I was asleep, and dreaming.

The next morning, Gabi asked, “What should we do today, Mom?”

“I thought we might take it easy until the concert. We’ve been spending pretty freely.”

“I’m sorry mom. I should’ve been thinking of that.”

“Its okay hon. You guys deserved to take advantage of this opportunity.”

“Thanks mom.”

“Welcome. Lets go eat some breakfast.”

We had fairly quiet day. Gabbi watched TV, her mom read, and I worked on some drawings. Even dressed casually and not wearing makeup, Gabbi looked good. Especially when she would catch me looking at her, and she’d smile. It warmed me inside, every time she did.

Finally, it was time to go to the concert, and we got changed, and went downstairs. A limo arrived, and we got the red carpet treatment when we arrived. The best part was a number of people took pictures of us, and everyone who did complimented Gabbi on how pretty she was, which made her glow.

Once backstage, Mrs. Mason took a moment to say to Gabbi, “Part of winning this contest means you will be announced during my opening song. You okay with that?”

“S...sure.” Gabbi stammered.

“You’ll be okay. Your mom and I will be right beside you.” I said.

“Okay.” She managed.

We went to our seats, and settled in. Soon, the lights went down, and the opening act came out. I was not familiar with them, but they were pretty good. After about a half-hour, they were done, and the lights went down again. Cathy Mason came out, and the Staples Center exploded with cheers and applause.

When it finally calmed down, Cathy went to a microphone, and said. “Thank you very much. Before we get this place rocking, I want to take a moment to give props to a very brave girl. She won the ‘Rock Star Makeover’ contest, and here is her entry.”

A video monitor dropped down, and Gabbi’s entry was played. The monitor went back up, and the place was dead silent. Gabbi squeezed my hand tight as the moment seemed to stretch for several minutes.

Then Cathy spoke again. “I can tell you I was moved by her courage. And now I’ve had a chance to meet her in person, and she is even braver than I thought. Some people would hate her, for wanting to be true to who she is. But, even knowing that could happen, she is doing it anyway, and I am in awe of her. She had to enter the contest with her boy name, but I want to introduce her tonight by her true one. Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you … Gabrielle ‘Gabbi’ Martin!”

A light shone on our seats, and Gabbi’s mom nudged her. “Stand up, hon.” She said.

Gabbi shook, but managed to stand. She tugged on my hand, whispering “Come stand with me. We’re in this together..”

I stood, and Gabbi managed a shaky wave. I raised my free hand and sort of wiggled my fingers. Mrs. Mason said, “That’s Gabbi’s boyfriend with her. His name is Noah. He’s a brave young man too. Come on, folks, give them both a hand.”

The applause almost deafened me.

The rest of the concert was pretty good too.