Placing the Beats headphones over her ears, she took a deep breath, feeling her nerves take over as the countdown ticker flashed in red above the On-Air light, signaling how much time she had to get her mind together before she was back on air, gracing the waves of all of the metropolitan Atlanta area.
"You can do this girl, you got this. It's just like the college station, just the entire city, no big deal" Savannah coached herself as the final minute turned into seconds. The radio jingle played it's intro as she cleared her throat, pulling the microphone toward her face and watched the timer switch to On-Air.
"Hot 107.9! You already know it's your girl Savannah K. coming to you on this hot afternoon, getting you through your traffic commute home. Got a couple of topics coming up for you for Savannah Speaks, also taking your requests here in the studio. Hit me up, 497-1079. Coming up we got that new joint from Dave East and Chris Brown, it's called Perfect. Keep it locked here on Hot 107.9"
Turning off her mic, she switched the boards into the music cue, exhaling deeply as she leaned, wondering when she would stop being so nervous on air. It was only her second week, but it seemed like her anxiety was still getting the best of her. She worried how her voice sounded, if people were even listening, or what they thought about her becoming the new voice of their afternoon commute after replacing a popular personality who had moved on to a different business venture. Looking out into the hallway, she noticed her coworker, and former classmate Kareem waving at her, giving her a thumbs up of encouragement before continuing on his way.
Getting the opportunity fresh out of college was nothing short of a blessing. She was sure after graduating with her Mass Communications degree from Georgia State University, she was going back home to her hometown of Philadelphia, jobless and never hearing the end of it from her mother that she wasted her time on a low-paying career field without much chance to advance. However, that was her motivation to push forward and not only get into her field, but be the best she could.
Looking down, at her phone, she noticed a text notification flash across her iPhone 7 screen, recognizing the name as "Bestiiiie" followed by a slew of emojis.
Bestiiiie: I ever tell you how much I HATE traffic? Why do I still live in Atlanta?
She giggled, immediately sending her response back, then switching over to her Twitter account to check her notifications from her growing follower count.
Savannah: You're still here because I need you here! You're not allowed to leave lmao
Her mentions were filled with encouraging sentiments, old friends still congratulating her, as well as family and friends from her hometown who listened via radio apps, which she found embarrassing that people went out of their way to hear her voice. Seeing another incoming text from her best friend, she glanced up at the timer to see if she had time to shoot her a quick phone call before getting back on air. With ten minutes to spare, she dialed her number, sliding the Beats headphones down and popping in one of her Bluetooth earbuds and waited for her to answer.
"Sup?" Kamyah answered
"You listening to the show?" Savannah asked
"What else would I be listening to sitting on this raggedy ass highway?" Kamyah said breathing heavily into the phone
"Oh God, how do I sound then? Am I talking too fast?" Savannah asked
"Are you gonna ask me this every day? You are doing fine love. You got this, stop selling yourself short" Kamyah said
"I don't know why I feel like this is so hard to do. I mean, it's not like my first time being on air, so why can't I seem to shake these nerves?" Savannah asked
"You're psyching yourself out Vanz, relax. Take a deep breath and just let go of whatever is telling you that you can't. People are gonna find something to talk about regardless so just let loose and fuck em" Kamyah said causing Savannah to let out a chortle, glancing up at the ticker counting down to the five minute mark
"I hear you, but let me hit you up after I finish here. I'll call you on my way home" Savannah said
"Okay cool, and remember, relax" Kamyah gave one last encouraging note
"Got it, thanks boo" Savannah said before they ended their call
Everything Kamyah was telling her she had already heard a million times before, most of which it came from her. Something Savannah consistently struggled with was self confidence within her abilities to put her negativity towards herself to rest. Second-guessing things to avoid humiliation was her biggest flaw. She wanted nothing more than to be in control of a situation before it could make a fool out of her. She used that logic in relationships, friendships, and anything else where she was required to break down her mental walls and become completely vulnerable.
_
After her four hour radio block ended, the time was nearing 9pm, meaning most of the traffic had ceased and her drive home would be somewhat seamless, however it was still Atlanta. Sitting in the breakroom, she gathered her thoughts before heading home, checking once again her social media expecting to see at least one negative comment, but once again nothing but praises.
"You stay on your phone"
Shooting her head up, she smirked as Kareem stood in the doorway, snacking on a bag of chips as his backpack hung off his shoulder.
"No I don't" Savannah rolled her eyes, placing her phone down and retrieving her lunch from the fridge
"I told you, stop checking Twitter looking for the bullshit. Let them people talk if they want" he said
"You sound like Kamyah" Savannah shook her head, grabbing her things to head out
"But are we lying?" he asked
Since the beginning of college, Savannah, Kamyah, and Kareem had been a tight knit group. Meeting Kareem during their first freshman seminar class, their similar interest in the field of communications is what drew them together in the first place. From that friendship, Savannah was introduced to his twin sister, Kamyah, which he consistently argued that she stole her away from him.
"No, but you two have that twin power. You two think a lot alike" she said walking out of the breakroom and toward the back exit
"No, we're just right. You gotta stop waiting for someone to say something bad. You put way too much pressure on yourself" he said
"Can you not read me right now?" she frowned up, turning back to look at him while he shook his head
"I'm just saying, you're made for this, but you'll never know until you let go of whatever is telling you, you can't" he shrugged
Once again, the small doses of reality were annoying her, even if they were completely right. While appreciative of their realness, it was hard for her to just accept that all of this was in her head.
"Anyway, I gotta get home. I know my dog hates me right now since I started doing this late show" she smiled to change the subject
"I'm surprised you don't bring her up here with you. That's like your child anyway. Don't they have like doggy daycares or something?" he asked
"They do, but I don't make that type of money yet. Besides, your sister has a key and stops by to let her out for me" she said
"Wait a minute, Kamyah got a key and I don't? How's that work?" he asked folding his arms
"Why would you have a key Kareem?" she asked rolling her eyes, mimicking his actions
"I knew you first! See, I told you she snatched you away from me. That's fucked up Savannah" he playfully pouted
"Shut up! I'll see you tomorrow" she erupted into laughter as she made her way out of the studio
