𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐲𝐨𝐮 - 𝐣𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡

𝚎𝚒𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗

"Wow, you look... you look..." Jack stuttered as he looked at his girlfriend who was about to go on stage. She was dressed in a one shoulder, tightly fitted, ruffled red dress with a black, bobbed wig and red lipstick. She was almost unrecognisable.

"I know, I look ridiculous." Joelle laughed at herself and how Jack was still staring at her in shock.

"No, you look amazing but it's just not... you." The brunette boy was right. Joelle was never one to dress in flashy or glamorous clothes and wear lots of makeup. The closest she ever got was a nice sun dress when it became too hot to wear jeans and some mascara and highlighter for special occasions.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not changing. This makes me very uncomfortable." The girl laughed as her makeup artist applied a few last minute touches.

"Then why are you wearing it?" Jack was confused. If she hated the outfit, why wear it? The rest of the world should love her for who she is, like he does.

"You'll see. Go back to John so that you're ready for when I come on. I love you." Joelle ushered the boy out of her dressing room. Normally, she would give him a kiss but she was wearing lipstick and she didn't want to get in trouble from her makeup artist for smudging it.

"He's a nice boy, how long have you been together?" A voice broke Joelle away from her thoughts. It was the voice of her makeup artist, Colette. Colette was a nosy woman, she couldn't help it. Most women her age usually were.

"We've only been official for about a month." The conversation was distracting the small girl from her nerves but the judging look that she was giving her wasn't welcomed.

"Oh, and you've already said the l word?" Colette thought she knew everything but what she didn't know was that Joelle and Jack had had a complicated relationship so the raven haired woman had no right to be judging.

"We've known each other a long time. Since birth actually." Just as Joelle finished explaining to the woman who had done her makeup, she was called on by one of the stage managers.

The short girl struggled to walk in the restricting dress but she made it to the stage without tripping.

Joelle made her way onto the dark stage, the lights dimmed so that her entrance would be a surprise. The faces of thousands of people were to be staring back at her in just a few seconds and her stomach exploded with butterflies but before the girl had a chance to be nervous, the music started.

"She just wants to be, beautiful, she goes unnoticed, she knows no limits," Joelle's voice echoed through the microphone and jack and john watched as the girl that they knew so well sing to the large audience.

The first verse continued with Joelle removing her wig and revealing her natural curls underneath. Going into the chorus, Joelle removed her lipstick and the majority of her makeup before her dancers took her dress off. Jack stood in the audience, being in awe of his girlfriend who was performing at a massive music awards show with minimal makeup and wearing her jeans and a tank top. She was the most badass woman he knew.

"No better you than you that you are," The short girl skipped around on the stage, clapping and encouraging the crowd to join in, something that John was more than happy to do.

"No better life than the life we're living," Jack could now see the smile that had appeared on her face. Joelle had dreamed of a day like this since she was four years old. The two of them would stay up late at sleepovers and talk about their hopes and dreams for the future and this was always Joelle's.

"No better time to shine, you're a star," The brunette girl caught her boyfriend's eyes in the audience and sent him a warm smile as she continued to hype up the audience and sing to them. Jack sent her a wink and he could see the small blush that tinted her cheeks.

"There's a hope that's waiting for you in the dark, you should know you're beautiful just the way you are," John was well and truly getting into the song, singing the words at the top of his lungs. Jack knew why he had been sent and if he was being honest, jack should be the one looking after the Scottish boy, not the other way round.

"And you don't have to change a thing the world can change its heart, no scars to your beautiful, we're stars and we're beautiful." Joelle finished singing, mumbling a small 'thank you' as she finished up on the stage and left. The crowd erupted in cheers, applauding not only her singing but the inspiring performance that she had put on.

Leaving the audience in an attempt to find his girlfriend, Jack was beaming with pride. Joelle had smashed it up there and had accomplished something that she had set out to do since she had started school.

Jack had been the one to watch the journey and help her along the way. He might have been absent for six years but he was still a massive inspiration for Joelle, the majority of her songs being written about him in some way or another.

Jack originally left, thinking that he was a distraction for her career. He thought that once they had both achieved what they wanted, they could end up together again. It didn't exactly go to plan and whilst he regretted hurting her every single day, the Brummie boy couldn't have wished for a better outcome.

a/n: i really like this chapter and i hope you do too. it's one of my favourite performances ever but i also love how cute jack and joelle are without necessarily being right next to each other talking?

what song do you always listen to when you need a pick me up?
- mine always changes. scars to your beautiful (the song in this chapter) is always good but i also love listening to any upbeat song.

enjoy and stay safe!

lots of love, e x