Limelight

Chapter Twenty

~~Haters and Rumors~~

"Miss Garcia, you're on in five," Said Fredrick, the assistant stage manager, called out, his head ducked into a clipboard, tapping the Bluetooth in his ear as he passed by her on the small vanity backstage of the set of Morning Manhattan with Yvonne Pembrooke. Without skipping a beat, he continued barking directions to whoever was on the other line of the Bluetooth as he carried on down the catwalk.

          Aaliyah turned around in her seat to say thanks, but before she could even get a word out, Fredrick Robertson had already disappeared down the catwalk. She stared at the dust he left in his wake with a raised brow, observing the bustling of the set as the stage workers went around setting this up for the show, yelling at each other from opposite sides of the room. If it wasn't for Aaliyah's earphones, she would have sunk into her spiraling anxiety being overwhelmed by everything that was going on.

          She had been here from as early as seven AM this morning to be ready for the airing of the show for nine o'clock. Aaliyah had been more or less used to the routine, this being the fourth interview she's been to, including a radio show and a magazine shoot with Weekly Hot Topics that Blair managed to wrangle the editor of the magazine into making an exclusive on Aaliyah as Soul Fusion's rising star. Aaliyah was becoming increasingly intimidated by Blair's tenacity and relentless skills with managing and booking so many interviews with prestigious celebrity personalities, especially since she was a seventeen-year-old Junior talking to seasoned veterans of their field. It was impressive and slightly terrifying.

          The buzzing sound of backstage dulled the sound of SZA's voice when she felt someone take her earphones out and she jumped in her seat turning around to see Blair with a smile. Aaliyah sagged relaxing with a soft smile. "Hey," She greeted, "Don't creep up on me like that. It's working on my nerves."

          Blair looked at her incredulously. "This is your fourth interview," She pointed out like it was obvious, "You can't tell me that you're still nervous about this."

          Aaliyah sighed resisting the urge to run a hand through her slicked and laid hair. She kept the extensions in her hair from Saturday and had styled her hair so that her curls were more tightly coiled and had a damp sheen to their waves. The hair and makeup team on the set were even more intense than any other guest appearance she had made since Saturday, no one seemed to be as vigorous as the team from The Sound of Bachata though, but she took that as a good thing. She still couldn't lie and say that they didn't work miracles with what they were given, not as though they had their work cut out for them, but Aaliyah knew that left to her own devices she couldn't make herself look nearly half as good.

          Her wardrobe choice was also impeccable but Aaliyah had Blair to thank for that. She had argued relentlessly with the wardrobe team about the right colors for her skin tone and the type of clothes that Aaliyah was comfortable with. The team eventually gave in and just let Blair take control, and she ended up in russet-colored pegged wide-leg pants that just about brushed the floor in the small heeled sandals and a ribbed tan bandeau top showing off her brown stomach and most of her chest. Aaliyah didn't really mind, especially since she had started working out with Blair most mornings since she finally had enough of Blair going on about her health regime, her lack thereof in particular.

It was probably the most amount of skin she had shown at one time. The color scheme was complemented perfectly with her gold chain and hoop earrings and Aaliyah had to admit. She looked hot.

          "I don't think this could ever really become normal for me, Blair," She replied tiredly. She hadn't got enough sleep last night having, staying up late last night to fit in another late-night rehearsal for the Winter Showcase happening in the next two weeks before winter break.