This Love (Paige Bueckers)

31

narrative

Iris pov

incoming call from "Taylor!! 🫶🫶"

me: "to what to I owe the pleasure, miss swift?"

Taylor: "hey girl! you're friends with Julien, Phoebe, and Lucy right?"

me: "yeah! we hung out all the time on the cruise."

Taylor: "I just wanted to check with you before talking to them. so basically, they need someone to open for them in the east. and they asked for people, and I recommend you."

me: "ME?!"

Taylor: "I've heard you sing before. I also know that you used to write music. you were a theater kid in high school. please just consider it."

me: "no way, Jose."

Taylor: "I also heard your voice during the first boygenius concert you went to."

me: "I don't know Taylor."

Taylor: "at least send in the audition clip. you remember how we met. your voice intrigued me, Iris."

me: "nobody else knows."

Taylor: "Paige doesn't?"

me: "nope."

me: "I'll send in the clip."

Taylor: "fuck yeah!"

Me: "I'll see you later, Taylor."

Taylor: "love you!"

Me: "love you too."

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

three years earlier

"IM DRUNK!" Claire screams. She is very clearly drunk. She's been drunk. For hours.

We're at a taylor swift karaoke party in new york. I'm here for, well I don't know. I felt like it.

"NEXT UP," The man says into the microphone. "IRIS CLARK!"

A crowd of drunk people of all ages scream.

I never even fucking signed up!? CLAIRE.

I slowly walk up to the stage. My hands are shaking like crazy.

"Hi," I say into the microphone. "I didn't sign up for this."

The crowd laughs.

The intro to 'this is me trying' starts.

"I've been having a hard time adjusting," I sing.

I'd never fucking do this sober. jumping off of a bridge right now.

"I had the shiniest wheels, now they're rusting. I didn't know if you'd care if I came back, I have a lot of regrets about that."

The crowd screams. Mostly because they're drunk.

I get to the bridge. "And it's hard to be at a party when you feel like an open womb. It's hard to be anywhere these days, when all I want is you. You're a flashback in the film reel on the one screen in my town."