𝐋𝐈𝐅𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐌𝐄 𝐎𝐅 𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 | 𝘑𝘰𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘒𝘭𝘦𝘪𝘯

Chapter 48 - Ich Will Zum ESC!

February finally rolled around. So did my fretfulness. It was still strange to find myself in a tv show to find out if I will represent my country in a silly song contest. I took it seriously though. If I had the opportunity to do this, I would use it mindfully.

The final of the show, to which I gladly made it, meant that I would be performing my song live for the first time. 'Ballad of A Homeschooled Girl' was gaining a ton of recognition. It turned out to be one of my most popular songs of all time. People loved it; the messiness and relatability of my own anxiety. It was my way of telling people they weren't alone with their struggles.

"If that isn't the German participant!", Ellie entered my dressing room as I fixed my outfit.

I highly disagreed with the fact that you had to stick with one outfit for the duration of your journey but I composed myself.

"Only a few hours until we'll find out", I exhaled deeply. A look of doubt cramped up my face.
Joost raised from the couch in the middle of the room: "No! No, absolutely not Len."
He spun me around by my hips to keep eye contact. His hands rested on my cheeks and stopped me from escaping his lecture.

"Don't even dare to question your capabilities of winning this. Your song is out of this world, and you look breathtakingly stunning. You will represent Germany and we will go to Eurovision together", Joost continued his pep talk,"I'm so sure of it, there is no way it won't happen. Come on, deep breaths, liefje. You've got this."

I copied his breathing patterns to ease my mind. His hands swept around my lower back as mine brushed through his platinum blonde hair, and rested there during our clinch.

Joost wanted to go blonder for the 'Europapa' persona, like he wasn't blonde already. We had a whole debate about it in our friendgroup.
Next thing I knew, Joost came home with almost white hair and a strictly cut mullet. Fair enough, it suited him perfectly.

Alanis, Apson, Stuntje and Teun bursted through the door. They increased the volume with their presence, immediately raising the mood. That was something I admired about my friendgroup. Any one of us could have a bad day or simply feel lower and we would manage to cheer them up. We complemented each other's' qualities.

Joost loosened his grip on me so I could face them.

"Damn Lenny, this dress is gorgeous. Looks better than on the pictures you've sent me", Alanis gaped. She was my biggest hype woman at this point.
I twirled to show off my clothes: "Thank you! I love it a lot too. Especially the glitter."

——

My performance for 'Ich Will Zum ESC!', the name of the show, was remarkable. The pressure of knowing this would determine my future, appeared to helped me to get my head out of my ass. I was proud of myself.

Isaak, my opponent, was also not a bad choice for the ESC. He was not well-known as an artist. Apparently he was a street musician before and applied to get his music out there. I respected his dedication, it was quite impressive. Yet from the beginning of the show until now, Isaak had given me the cold shoulder. My guess was the fact I was a nepo baby and had an audience already.

Our presenter, Barbara Schöneberger, interviewed former contestants who participated for Germany and asked about their experiences. It was interesting to hear their stories. They were all positive, to my surprise. Not one artist spoke badly of anything, assumably just for the sake of the public eye.

There was a break. Makeup was touched up and outfits got cleaned. Both Isaak and I were led to the stage and positioned on either side of Barbara. She wished us luck, not aware of the winner as well.

We were back on. An envelope was handed to the blonde woman in the middle of us. I searched the small crowd for any sign of my supportive friends. They were huddled together in the closed-off area, waiting in apprehension. My stare was noticed and responded to by enthusiastic nods and encouraging smiles. Alanis and Ellie held onto each other for dear life.

"Who will win tonight? Who will be the face of Germany for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 in Malmö?", Barbara built up the tension in the small venue,"Is it Isaak who is 'Always On The Run'?" I choked out a laugh, too nervous to move a muscle.
"Or is it the homeschooled girl Lennon?"

Dramatic music howled through the room. I wanted to sprint out the door and throw up. My hands fiddled with the hem of my dress, a huff leaving my mouth.

"Our Eurovision 2024 representative of Germany is..."

She opened the envelope and slowly pulled the paper out. I wanted to scream in her face to cut the torture.

"Lennon with 'Ballad of A Homeschooled Girl'!!!"

Pyros went off, I got showered in confetti.
My palms covered my face as my shoulders sunk in relief. Barbara congratulated me with a short embrace. Even Isaak hugged me quickly, with a bitter aftertaste though.

A mic was handed to me, my thoughtless mind tried to focus: "Thank you so incredibly much. I don't even know what to say right now, I can't believe this. I won't disappoint you, I promise."

My friends got the go from the NDR crew to throw themselves onto me. They jumped and screamed. I was so overwhelmed, tears started spilling from my eyes. Happy tears, for sure, although I couldn't place my own emotions.

In the centre of the chaos, Joost squeezed my body tightly to his. A string of kisses were pressed onto my temple. His grin was so wide, I was afraid it hurt his cheeks.

"You fucking did it, Len!"
His thumbs wiped my tears away. I chuckled, bewildered at the situation: "I did it. We're going to Eurovision, baby. Can you believe this?!"

Joost shook his head and caught my lips in a feverish kiss. The acidity of my tears caused it to taste salty on my tongue. Our teeth touched as our smiles wouldn't disappear.

I was going to Eurovision.
We were going to Eurovision.

—Instagram—

joostklein just posted a story!

——
A/N
last more or less filler chapter BECAUSE WE GOING TO EUROVISIONNNNN
so excited to write these omg