Face Value

The thing with David Archuleta is that nobody understands him. They can’t differentiate his words from his meaning. This quiet shy kid everyone takes at face value. He’s just too submissive. Not many people can figure him out. But you somehow can. You can tell what he wants exactly even though his words betray it. By looking at those huge brown eyes so full of innocence and yet so full of contradictions, you can tell he wants some time alone even though he says he’s willing to help Jason for his song. His downward tilt of his head signals his uncertainty of a certain topic when he is questioned. His vague “I’m not too sure about that” actually means that he really doesn’t think anyone should try that. But his opinions never truly mattered because nobody thought they had any benefit at all. People took everything he says with about a jar full of salt because he’s so vague all the time. But you know he puts a lot of thought into everything he has to say; it’s just that the only problem is he doesn’t know how to voice out without hurting someone’s feelings or offending someone’s idea.

In short, David Archuleta is just too damn polite. And you feel maybe slightly sorry for him, poor kid.

It’s down to just the two of you; David A and David C. You hear wordplays all week long. Predictions were thrown out into the media like wildfire. He’ll win but you’ll be famous. You’ll win but only because you have those “emo” teens with a hell lot of money. Archie will win but that’s because they will screw up the voting. The new American Idol will be David... DavidDavidDavid.

“Oh, I’m thinking about all our younger years, there was only you and me, we were young and wild and free!”You mock serenaded to the youth in front of you.

A feeling of warmth tugs at your heartstrings as he gives a grin, wide and made of puppies and rainbows you think, and continues on the song. He really has grown. It was a slow and gruelling process you remember, but Archie has grown so much. You remembered from Hollywood Week-- The kid who stands at the edge of the big group, listening in to the conversation, trying to find his place. Then he made it into the top 24. And you remembered the glee so evident on his face. You remembered him smiling, ear to ear, and proud of himself.

It wasn’t so lasting was it? Behind that full voice, he was still Archie-- The barely legal boy who has seen too much. Week after week, he sings his heart out and for those five minutes, he was the star of the stage. But for the next ten thousand and seventy five minutes, he was just nobody following them; a small abandoned puppy that nobody wanted to kick but everyone was reluctant to keep.

There is so much potential in him. So much wit and personality that nobody ever gets to see because one hour on National television doesn’t show much. It’s not until you spend some time with him do you realise this boy is a gemstone surrounded by rubble. You listen to his soft voice every day, so innocent yet, there it is, laced with slight mischievousness of someone dishing out a quick one liner. Nobody will laugh at his pun except maybe you and for the next fifteen seconds, you will see a small smile dancing across his face. Somewhere along the line of this competition, you start to live off those small smiles.

You both sat fidgeting in hard-backed chairs in the dressing room. It was to be mere minutes before the performance of the season; the performance that mattered. You were seated across from the brown haired youth. His eyes were downcast, his lips silently moving to the melody only he can hear. His hands were clasped in front of him, twisting and making odd patterns on his pants. One of his leg was bouncing up and down. You take your phone out of your pocket and before you can think about it, you snap a picture. How can it simultaneously be so embarrassing and yet so ready for Hallmark, you may never know. At the default sound your phone makes as it saves a picture, David looks up.

For that split second, you expect to see that small smile he was always gracing you with. You expect it to shine and douse the room in its brilliance. But you expect too much because he barely lifts up the corners of his mouth. It was then when it hits you. He’s still just a kid. Archie was just a kid and all this pressure from the media, from his family. He doesn’t deserve this burden.

Without thinking about it, without daring to even dream of the consequences, you stand up and walk over to where he’s seated. You see him open his mouth to question but before he could get past mumbling your name, you wrapped your arms around his shoulders and you pulled him into a hug. You felt him clam up for a minute and you half thought he’ll push you away. You just held on a little bit tighter, half wondering if this was for his or your sake.

Slowly, his hands come around to embrace you. And then it wasn’t about you hugging him anymore. It was him searching for something. He was pressed up against you, body wrapped around yours for comfort and warmth. His head was fitted against the curve of your shoulder, his breath tickling your neck. You felt his lips move mumbling something incoherent into your skin.

You open your mouth tasting his soft hair and you whisper back “You too,” before kissing the top of his head affectionately. You rest your head there, keeping Archie’s body steady against yours.

This was how it was meant to end. This was everything you both have ever been put into a moment. This was the moment the competition ended for you no matter who won.