The remnants of the cold winter air blow through Ember's dark hair as she moves briskly through the streets of New York. Tightening her thin jacket around her shoulders, she walks faster towards The Bitter End. Greenwich Village was too expensive for the 19 year old, but the ride from her small apartment in Brooklyn was worth the time for the amount of tips she got as a waitress. Ember sighs deeply as the blue awning comes into view and hurriedly pulls the door open. Offering a tight lipped smile to the hostess, Alice, she goes to the back, quickly pulling on her apron and fixing her windswept hair. She hangs her tote bag on her marked hook and double checks her appearance in the cloudy mirror before clocking in. "Hey Em! Are you excited for tonight?" Leigh, a fellow server and one of Ember's best friends greets her. "Ugh, I have to get through this shift before I can even think about it." Ember replies, starting her prep work of cutting up lemons, limes, and oranges for various drinks. "Row said she'd be here to watch after her shoot today." Leigh says, wrapping silverware opposite of her, referring to her roommate and their mutual friend. Rowan was the oldest of the three of them at 22 and the only one with a college degree and a real job in the photography industry. "That's sweet of her, I know how busy she's been lately." Ember mused, grateful for the encouragement of her two best friends. Leaving her small town in North Carolina for the crowded New York City was hard on the young girl, especially without any outside support. Finding Leigh and Rowan was her saving grace, keeping her sane through her struggling musician phase. One perk of working at The Bitter End was the manager agreeing to let her play a set on a crowded Saturday night to get her music out there. It was a popular bar where celebrities had been known to play during their rise to fame. As Ember was thinking about her upcoming performance, Alice called her for a ten top that just sat down. Ember tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear and put on a smile.
The eight hour shift went by relatively fast, the high volume of customers keeping Ember occupied with a steady volume of large tables. 8:30pm hit and Ember let out a breath she didn't know she was holding as she finally clocked out. It had been a relatively good day for the waitress and she had about 45 minutes before her set was going to start. Untying her apron, she switches from her work slacks to a simple black skirt that paired well with her clean white button down. She braids two sections of hair and ties them with a ribbon meeting at the back. Sitting on the worn couch in the break room, Ember pulls out her compact mirror and touches up smudges in her makeup from the busy shift, adding her signature maroon eyeliner, a necessity for any "Ember Gray" performance. Switching to her music Instagram account, she takes an artful picture of her guitar with a poster promoting her set in the background and posts it with the caption with the location and time she'd be playing. She had gained a couple thousand online followers and at least a few were in the area coming tonight to specifically see her play. Pulling up her notes app, she checks her setlist one more time, the nerves starting to set in.
The young band that played right before her suddenly entered the break room with wide smiles. "Hey guys, nice set!" Ember gave them a genuine smile and the three boys set down their instruments, flopping into chairs. "Thanks Em, we prepped them well for you." The lead singer, James, says, laying his head back in dramatic exhaustion. "There's a pretty good turn out tonight," the sandy-haired guitarist, Owen, tells her, downing a bottle of water. "Yep, you're on in about 10 minutes, we'll be out there in a minute to watch." The bass player, Leo, interrupts his bandmate. The Tidals, as they called themselves, were a young group in a similar situation as Ember, and they had become good friends, enjoying jam sessions and playing together on occasion when Ember had needed some accompanying music. "Thanks y'all, wish me luck," Ember says, standing up and grabbing her acoustic. They chorus a mix of "good luck" and "break a leg" as she makes her way out. The live music coordinator catches Ember's signal that she's ready and announces, "Alright, welcome to the stage, our very own, Ember Gray!" Clapping from the audience gives Ember the cue to walk out, waving to the audience. She sits on the wooden stool, guitar around her neck and adjusts the mic. "Hello everyone, my name is Ember Gray! Thank you for coming out, I'll be playing a mix of original songs and covers tonight, sing along if you know any. My socials are on the posters around the bar, or you can just look up embergraymusic on most platforms. This is "Picture to Burn" by Taylor Swift!" Ember starts the song, with the audience cheering. Taylor Swift covers were among the most popular and she loved playing up her natural country accent.
After about seven songs, Ember takes a sip of water while the audience cheers. "Thank you so much guys, you have been a wonderful audience tonight!" She pauses for another round of applause and shifts, "Alright, I've got two songs left, this next one is a cover of an inspiration of mine. It's called 'Mess It Up,'" Ember moves into her favorite Gracie Abrams song, one of her biggest influences musically. A group of apparent Gracie Abrams fans sing along loudly with her, making Ember laugh. The group cheers boisterously as she finishes, "Thank you to my fellow Gracie Abrams fans over there, that was great energy!" Ember points to the group with a wide smile. They cheer in response and Ember laughs again, "Alright guys, this is my last one for the night, I wrote this a couple weeks ago. Thank you for being an amazing audience, this is 'Afraid of Heights.'" Ember starts one of her softer acoustic songs that had received some good traction on TikTok and Instagram. She finishes, feeling electrified as the audience cheered even louder than before. A sense of pride filled her, knowing they liked one of her original songs. "Thank you again, my name is Ember Gray! Have a good night!" Ember shouts, bowing and waving before running off stage.
Rowan hugs Ember as soon as she enters the break room, catching her by surprise. "You did so good Emmy!" Rowan squeals, squeezing her friend tight. Ember groans under the pressure and at the childish nickname Rowan insists on using. "Thanks for coming Row Man," Ember squeezes her back with a laugh. Rowan lets her go, flicking her head playfully. "Don't start with that nonsense. But seriously, you did amazing, the crowd loved you tonight. Leigh's out there handing out a few of your business cards and everything." Ember rolls her eyes, smiling still, "Aw, Leigh's my little PR rep!" Ember sits on the couch, sipping from her water bottle. "Yeah she is. Did you want a ride back tonight? We're heading out as soon as she's done." Rowan offers, sitting down too. "Yeah, if y'all don't mind, I'd appreciate it. I hate walking back with my guitar in the dark." Ember admits, the door opening. Leigh bursts in excitedly, waving Ember's business cards, "They loved you Ms. Ember Gray! I handed a bunch out, hopefully you'll be gaining a few followers and maybe a scout will see you!" Leigh falls on the couch next to her, wrapping her arms around Ember. "Thanks Leigh, you're my favorite PR manager ever." she hugs back. "Alright kiddies, let's get moving, I'm exhausted." Rowan stands up, clapping like a dad. Leigh untangles herself from Ember and they both stand up and grab their stuff. Their manager hands Ember a thick envelope and pats her shoulder, "Good job tonight Ember, as promised, 90% of the tips from your set." Ember takes the envelope gratefully and thanks him. They pile into Rowan's car and Ember melts into the seat, closing her eyes. The buzz of adrenaline from performing still runs through her veins as she thumbs through the envelope. She was lucky she had a fair manager that gave her the tips from her performances, especially such a large percentage. At other gigs, they gave her a flat rate of maybe $50 dollars because really, they didn't have to give her anything. Tonight was such a good haul, she'd easily made rent in just the first week of the month.
Getting out of the car, thanking her friends, Ember walks up the steps to 13 Cranberry Street. Unlocking the door, she flips on the lights, her gray tabby, Spoon, walks in between her legs, rubbing her head against Ember's calf. She reaches down, giving her cat a quick scratch behind the ears and puts her bags down. "Spoon, I think it's going to happen soon. I can feel it." Ember lays down, Spoon jumping up on her chest. He meows at her, seemingly in agreement and she smiles. "You feel it too." Ember murmurs, Spoon purring softly. He feels it too.
Author's Note:
the first chapter!!! both the bar and the street ember lives on are real places. let me know if you have any feedback!
love,
ella
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sparks; gracie abrams
Fanfiction☆☆☆ she toes the line between them, she says she's new at this there's holy ground beneath them, and sparks fly when they kiss ☆☆☆ 19 year old aspiring musician, ember gray collins, is a waitress at the bitter end in new york city. when her manager...
