the rising star

Chapter 3

For the next month and a half, life went on as splendidly as it had already been going. Your EP was a massive hit and you were gaining more and more fans by the day.
What was more, you had been offered an Album record deal by the same company that had agreed to release your EP. Not to mention the amount of uncontainable excitement you had for the Grammys. The idea that you had even been nominated for a Grammy still hadn't processed, everything felt like a fever dream.

After what seemed like ages of waiting, the day of the Grammys finally arose. You woke up early in the morning to prepare for the big night. You had planned to spend the day getting ready alongside Willow, who you had chosen as your plus one for the event. So after getting out of bed and throwing on a hoodie and some leggings, you shot her a message.

hey willow are u awake yet? I was thinking we should start our day by grabbing some breakfast at a cafe, what do u think?

After going to the bathroom to brush your teeth, you came back to your room and realised you had already received a reply from Willow.

yes that sounds good! let's say we meet at starbucks in 20 minutes?

sounds good to me, see you soon!

Before leaving the house, you took the dress you were wearing tonight out of your wardrobe and hung it on your bedroom door. It was a silver, mermaid gown embellished with crystals and off-white pearls. You also had a pair of long, white gloves, a shoulder bag that matched the dress, and a pair of white, glossy platform heels.
You smiled, appreciating how elegant and exquisite the piece was, before realising you should probably leave, or you would be late for breakfast. With that, you grabbed your phone and left the house before getting in the car and preparing to drive off.

When you arrived at Starbucks, you saw Willow waiting for you at the entrance. "Hey, it's so nice to see you!" you greeted her, inviting her for a hug. "Hi y/n, it's so nice to see you too!" she replied.
"How are you feeling about tonight?" she added, as you both entered the building. "I'm feeling excited, but I'm also a little nervous I think,".
"It's normal to be a bit nervous since this is your first time at the Grammys,".
"Yeah, you're right, I just hope I don't embarrass myself in front of everyone,"
"You'll be fine I promise, anyway, who cares if you do? What's the worst that could happen?". You smiled, how were you lucky enough to have such an amazing best friend? You really didn't know how you would cope without her.

For the whole morning, you and Willow hung out in various places, discussing the upcoming event and making sure everything was prepared. At last, it was 4pm and it was time to start getting ready.

Opening the front door to your house, you headed straight to the bathroom to shower before putting on your outfit for the evening. When you had carefully slipped on the mesmerising gown, gloves and shoes, you stood in front of your mirror, gazing at your reflection. You couldn't help but grin at how beautiful you felt right now; this was all so surreal. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Breaking your train of thought, you rushed to open it, knowing that it was your hair and makeup artist. "Hi Emma, it's lovely to meet you!" you said, holding out your hand.
"Hello y/n, it's so nice to meet you too!" she replied, shaking your hand.
"Come in," you told her, stepping aside to let her into your home.
You both walked to your room, before you sat down at your vanity table while Emma unpacked her supplies. "So we're going to start with hair first," she told you, taking a hairdryer from her bag.
"I was thinking a wavy blowout with some extensions to go with your dress. Does that sound okay?".
"Yes that sounds perfect," you exclaimed .

Two and a half hours later, your hair and makeup had been finally completed and Emma had left, meaning you were all ready to go. Hearing three knocks at the door, you went to open it, to find Willow wearing a plain and simple, yet elegant and classy, long, black, tight dress. You both gasped at how amazing each other looked as you invited her for a hug. "Oh my goodness Willow you look amazing!" you remarked.
"No you look amazing, you look like a real life mermaid," she replied, admiring your outfit. "Thanks!" you said, enthusiastically. "Are you ready to go?".
"Yep I'm all ready!" you said, grabbing your bag and heading out the door. As you both waited for the car taking you to the event to pull up, you told Willow, "I'm feeling really scared,".
"You're going to be okay I promise, I will be with you and we're going to have the best night ever!" she told you, reassuringly. You nodded in response as your car pulled up by the driveway.

Around twenty minutes later, you had arrived at your destination. This was it. You were about to attend the Grammys.
You took your time stepping out of the car and onto the red carpet, before you were blinded by camera flashes. You tried your best to walk normally and not squint at the abnormal brightness that your eyes were encountering right now, Willow following right behind you. You eventually entered the building and had to pose for the photographers. This was all so crazy and overwhelming for you; you didn't love loads of attention, but you were grateful for the opportunity to do what you did for a living and therefore, didn't complain.
You and Willow were finally shown to your seats, you were really looking forward to witnessing the ceremony in real life. It had been a lifelong dream of yours to attend the Grammys, and the fact that that dream had become a reality had still not sunk in.

It was about two minutes before the ceremony was about to start, when you saw them approaching your table. Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams. Realising you hadn't looked to see who would be sitting with you, you quickly checked the name cards placed next to the two other vacant seats on your table. Sure enough, both Taylor and Gracie had been put on the same table as you. You and Willow both stood up as they approached. "Hey I'm Taylor, it's lovely to meet you!".
"Hi I'm Gracie, I'm so happy to meet you, I love your work!".