Sensibilities | Deetranada AU

preclusion

The Next Night

Dee stands nervously in the wings watching Jae perform on stage. She's interacting with the crowd, getting hype and everyone seems to be enjoying it. Shit, man. I don't know if I can do this.

She walks further into the wings, shaking out her hands and taking deep breaths. 'Dee,' Jermaine calls out. She turns, his phone in his hand, pointed at her. She covers her face with one hand and his camera with the other. 'Chill, man!' she exclaims. 'What, you don't wanna see Ki and Myra?' She drops her hands, her jaw following them. 'Are you serious?!' 

She takes the phone from him, seeing her best friends from Baltimore on the screen. They wave at her, calling her name but she's unable to hear them. 'Oh my goooddd, I miss y'all so much!' she says. They yell something and she tries to listen, pulling the phone to her ear but she still can't hear them. 'Y'all staying on?' she asks, her fingers crossed. Ki gives her a thumbs up and Myra blows her a lot of kisses. 'I love y'all man!'

She dabs at her eyes, tears threatening to fall down. Ki says something and Myra laughs. Dee does too, knowing it was probably one of her one-liners. 'You betta not be talkin' mess, ole frankfurter lookin' ahh,' she replies, dabbing her eyes again. The two crack up causing Dee to laugh again.

She hears the crowd roar with applause and cheers and Jae thanking them. Her anxiety starts to rise once again. 'I'll see y'all after. Love y'all!' She waves with a goofy grin, not caring how ridiculous she looks. They wave back, yelling what she hopes are wishes of good luck. She gives Jermaine his phone back, squeezing him tightly. 'I love you, bro.' He gives her a kiss, squeezing right back. 'Love you too, sis.'

Jae comes off the stage, her smile bright and wide. Roscoe is the first to reach her, attempting to give her a kiss. She moves, 'Ew, no, I'm sweaty.' He tries to hide his embarrassment, settling for a hug. Dee tries not to laugh, waiting her turn to celebrate with Jae. 'You killed it, sis!' she exclaims, giving her a hug. 'Thank youuuu,' she replies. 'You ready?' she asks, stepping back. Dee nods, a smile on her face. 

'Nugget 'bout to kill it,' Key adds, coming from behind her. 'Oh, you actually gonna come and see me now?' she jokes. He laughs at her sarcasm, giving her a big hug. 'Good luck, nugget,' he says, shaking her in awkward intervals. She laughs, trying to break free. 'Stop meatball--meat--KEY!' He finally lets go, lightly hitting her chin. She shakes her head, touching her hair to ensure it's intact.

'You look fine, come on!' Jae says, taking her hand and pulling her toward the stage. They stand to the side waiting as DJ Prince plays a quick set. She looks at the crowd and feels her stomach hit the floor. Oh shit, there's so many people here. The pounding returns, her breath frozen. Jae squeezes her hands, giving her a reassuring smile. 'You're gonna do amazing.' Her words restore her breath. She squeezes her hand back.

Jermaine drapes her prop over her shoulders, a sheet with question marks over it. 'Coming up next to the stage, y'all give it up for DEETRANADA!!!' She pulls the sheet over herself and walks out, taking a seat on the platform. She can hear the whispers as her track starts but she keeps going, wanting, needing her story to be told.

When she finally throws the sheet off, the thrill of the crowd reaches her and takes over. She becomes a different person, the crowd feeding off her energy and vice versa. It's exhilarating and as she finishes, she wishes that she could continue. 'Thank y'all, it's been lit!' She puts up a four as she walks off stage. She's met with applause and cheers from her friends. They crowd around her, a giant group hug as they all say congratulations and how proud they are of her.