Taylor looked around nervously. The room was packed in a way that only happened on one of the most stacked nights of the month for American music. Wherever you looked, you could spot a superstar somewhere. Beyoncé chatted near the bar with Jay-Z, Lady Gaga wore a unique outfit that caught every camera flash, and Britney Spears conversed with Madonna against a backdrop of giant screens looping past VMA highlights. It was the kind of room that screamed fame.
So it was understandable why Taylor felt a little overwhelmed.
I reached for her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"It's okay. You'll do great," I assured her. "I'm confident you'll take home something tonight."
"How can you be when I'm not?" she asked. "I mean, I get why you're not nervous after winning more than two dozen Grammys, but I'm new to all this."
"And yet, you have a Grammy of your own," I reminded her.
"Which I got totally because of you," she argued. "If you'd chosen any other girl instead of me, the award would've gone to her because that song was amazing. I wasn't."
I sighed. "You need to stop pulling yourself down so much. It's not very appealing to boys. Or maybe Taylor Lautner is an exception? You never introduced me to him."
They'd started dating in this timeline as well. Taylor had tried her hand at acting briefly and starred in a movie called [Valentine's Day], where she met Twilight's werewolf, Taylor Lautner, and the two fell in love. As much as people liked to make fun of Swift's romances, Lautner was one of her better boyfriends, someone who'd actually been good to her.
She blushed a little at that. "It's not like you don't know him. He works for you."
I tilted my head toward her. "True, but I've only met him a few times, and always in a professional capacity. I didn't cast him in the role. I'm more of a passive producer who watches things from afar. Come on, let's go meet him."
Before she could argue, I lightly tugged her toward Taylor Lautner. He was chatting with Emma Stone and Robert Pattinson, both of whom stood near a decorative neon display shaped like a giant VMA astronaut.
"Emily, Rob, Taylor," I greeted the trio of Twilight stars. "What a surprise to see you here."
Emily stepped forward and hugged me. "You're surprised? I should be the one surprised. I never expected you to come to anything that's not a big award show like the EGOTs, the Globes, and the like. This is your first time coming to the VMAs, isn't it?"
I nodded. "Well, I wasn't nominated my first year because [Echoes of You] was a movie and they don't nominate those. And last year I was busy shooting Harry Potter in London, so I couldn't come to New York."
I won the Best Newcomer award last year. This time, the producers had practically begged me to appear and perform a song. And since I was already in New York preparing for [The Book of Mormon], I agreed. They wanted me to perform just one song, Shape of You, the biggest hit from my latest album, but I convinced them that a medley of three tracks would look better.
"I wonder why I'm even here," Robert Pattinson joked. "I mean, I'm not a singer. Not a successful one at least."
He was here only to increase the visibility of the Twilight actors. If Robert, Emily, and Taylor were seen on red carpets and at award shows more often, the media and, in turn, the public would keep talking about them. That helped keep Twilight in people's minds even when the next movie was still half a year away.
This strategy had originally been devised by Paramount when the first film in the series came out, and even though Phoenix distributed the movies now, we kept using the same plan because it worked.
"Well, you two were in the Daylight video," I pointed out. "And it's nominated as well, so it won't be completely unbelievable that you're here tonight."
My songs had received a total of ten nominations, more than any other artist this year.
Video of the Year - Shape of You
Best Male Video - Shape of You
Best Pop Video - Die With a Smile
Best Rock Video - Demons
Best Direction - Daylight
Best Choreography - 24k Magic
Best Special Effects - Pillowtalk
Best Art Direction - Shape of You
Best Editing - Shape of You
Best Cinematography - Shape of You
It was rare for an artist to be nominated for more than two or three videos in a single year, so I knew how special the moment was. One thing was certain: I wouldn't be sweeping these awards like the Grammys. Smaller shows like the VMAs preferred to spread the wins around instead of giving everything to one person.
After chatting long enough with Emily and Rob, I turned toward the third member of their group.
"Taylor, I've heard you're seeing Taylor," I said with a grin, amused as Taylor Swift immediately tried to hide behind me.
"Please don't act all macho and try to scare him off," she whispered in my ear, but she was loud enough that all four of us heard her, which made everyone laugh.
I wrapped an arm around Taylor Lautner and said confidently, "Of course not. Taylor is one of the best guys you could've found, and I'm happy for you. It goes without saying that if he hurts you, he'll be hurt back, but I'm sure that won't happen, right?"
"Of course," Lautner said right away. "Tay is the best. I could never hurt her."
I gave his back a quick, reassuring pat before turning to Swift again. "See? And you were worrying for nothing. It's not like I haven't met Lautner before. I handpicked him out of hundreds of guys to play Jacob."
Taylor Swift stared at me in disbelief at the blatant lie I'd just told in front of everyone. I couldn't help laughing. She was far too expressive with her emotions.
Before the conversation could continue, a woman walked close to us, someone anyone could recognize instantly. It was Stefani Germanotta, better known as Lady Gaga.
"Oh my God!" she gasped as soon as our eyes met. "I'm such a huge fan."
"Aww, really?" I grinned, stepping closer and pulling her into a quick hug. "I'm an even bigger fan of yours. I absolutely love Poker Face and Paparazzi. Mark my words, there's no way you're not winning Best New Artist. I wouldn't even be surprised if you took Video of the Year."
Lady Gaga shook her head. "That's not gonna happen. They never give that award to newcomers."
"Never say never," I said, then turned to the rest of the group. "Have you met these guys?"
I introduced her quickly, since she hadn't met them before.
Taylor Swift looked thrilled to meet Gaga, and within moments the two were talking animatedly, hands moving as they laughed together. That was the Taylor Swift effect. She could befriend any girl within seconds.
As much as I wanted to stay and talk to Gaga more, I couldn't.
"I'm sorry to cut this short," I said. "But the organizers are calling me backstage." I nodded toward the man standing a few feet away, holding a headset and waving at me. "See you guys later."
And with that, I headed off, since my act was the opening act of the night. The VMAs apparently wanted to recreate the success of the last three Grammys.
(Break)
Taylor Swift was having the time of her life at the VMAs. She knew she wasn't gonna win anything tonight, but just being there was more than enough, and she was enjoying every second of it. She'd already met Lady Gaga, Shakira, Eminem, and so many other huge artists. She couldn't be happier. And now she sat in the front row, near the corner, buzzing with excitement as she waited for Troy's opening act.
The lights sank into darkness before a very recognizable tune, Human, filled the hall. The stage split open in the middle, and Troy rose from below, lifted smoothly into view in a way that looked almost unreal. He wore a plain black T-shirt and blue jeans, a simple look that made him feel down to earth despite the grand entrance. Instead of building the song slowly, Troy launched straight into the chorus. It took the audience only a few seconds to join in the sing-along.
~But I'm only human
And I bleed when I fall down
I'm only human
And I crash and I break down
Your words in my head, knives in my heart
You build me up and then I fall apart
'Cause I'm only humaaaaaaaaaaaaan~
He stretched the high note in human so long that Taylor was sure no actual human could've produced it.
Taylor didn't even notice the exact moment she got to her feet, but suddenly she was standing with her hands raised, swaying with the rhythm or clapping along, doing whatever felt right in the moment. She was completely lost in the performance, and so were the hundreds of others across the hall.
The music shifted as soon as the chorus of Human ended, and the next song to rise through the speakers was Take Me to Church.
Backup dancers appeared behind Troy, moving gracefully even with the heavy emotional tone of the song. Troy didn't join them, aware of how serious the track was. This time, he started from the very first verse and sang all the way through the chorus, his voice carrying through the hall with raw intensity.
~Take me to church
I'll worship like a dog at the shrine of your lies
I'll tell you my sins so you can sharpen your knife
Offer me that deathless death
Good God, let me give you my life~
When that ended, it was time for the most nominated song of the night. A female backup dancer stepped beside Troy, wearing a sparkly, revealing dress that shone beneath the stage lights. The rest of the dancers helped Troy into a matching sparkly jacket as the music changed. This time, Troy joined the choreography, his moves smooth as butter, making the performance look effortless.
~I'm in love with the shape of you
We push and pull like a magnet do
Although my heart is falling too
I'm in love with your body
Last night you were in my room
And now my bedsheets smell like you
Every day, discovering something brand new
I'm in love with your body~
"Oh I oh I oh I oh I… I'm in love with your body," Taylor sang along with the rest of the crowd. It felt surreal to enjoy the performance of one of her favorite people in the world from the very front row.
The dancing was just as impressive as the vocals. Touring with Michael Jackson had made sure Troy's stage presence had improved dramatically, especially when it came to performing intense choreography while still maintaining perfect pitch.
When the performance ended, she sank back into her seat with a breathless sigh.
"He's definitely the biggest musician here," Lady Gaga commented beside her.
Taylor turned and took in Gaga's now fully assembled look. Before the awards, she hadn't yet attached her headpiece, which now sat atop her like a carefully constructed nest. If Taylor hadn't known it was Gaga, she might've struggled to recognize her at all.
"Of course he is," Taylor said. "He's the biggest superstar in the world."
Gaga shook her head. "That's not what I mean. He has six songs running for awards tonight, yet he chose to perform Human and Take Me To Church. Neither of those was even nominated. And still, every single person around us was singing along. That shows how great Troy 2.0 is. I wasn't just saying it for the sake of it when I said I admire him. This album is gonna go down as one of the greatest of all time."
Taylor hadn't thought about it in those terms, but now that she was, she knew Lady Gaga was right. Of course, she knew the lyrics to all of Troy's songs, but so did most people in the room tonight. It wasn't surprising that he'd won three consecutive Album of the Year awards, especially given the negative publicity he'd faced this time around.
Suddenly, a male voice announced loud and clear: "To present our first award of the night, please welcome Taylor Lautner and Shakira."
Taylor waved excitedly at Lautner, who gave her a discreet little wave in return as he walked onstage beside Shakira. She began the opening lines of the presentation, her voice smooth and confident.
"We are here to present the MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video, and the nominees are…"
As the list was read out, Taylor slipped an arm around Gaga's shoulder and said, "No hard feelings if either of us wins or loses this, okay?"
Gaga giggled. "Definitely."
The envelope was handed to Taylor Lautner, and he opened it carefully. "And the Moonman for Best Female Video goes to Taylor Swift for 'You Belong With Me.'"
Taylor froze for a second. She'd actually won. Not only had she beaten Lady Gaga, but she'd also won over Beyoncé, Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, and Pink. She didn't think she deserved it at all. Even so, she hugged Gaga quickly before standing and heading toward the stage. It was her first major solo award, and she wished she could've hugged Troy too, but it made sense that he wasn't here. He'd only just finished performing.
Onstage, she hugged Lautner a little longer than necessary before moving to Shakira. The older singer handed her the trophy with a warm smile.
"Thank you so much," Taylor said into the mic. She hadn't prepared a speech because she truly didn't think she'd win. "I always dreamed about what it would be like to maybe win one of these someday, but I never actually thought it would happen. I sing country music, so thank you so much for giving me a chance to win a VMA award."
Crap. Why did she have to mention the country music part? Also, VMA Award? The A already stands for award; she just made it so awkward. The crowd was so lovely, clapping for her even when she messed up the speech so badly. Before she could say something else, anything to divert the attention away from her nerves, something strange happened.
Kanye West, Taylor's favorite rapper, who had been sitting just in front of her in the audience, suddenly jumped onto the stage and snatched the mic from her hands.
"Yo Taylor, I'm really happy for you, and I'mma let you finish," he said. Then he turned and pointed somewhere into the crowd, though she couldn't see where. "But Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time."
The mood in the room changed instantly. Moments earlier, people had been clapping for her. Now the boos began. They started scattered and low, but within seconds they grew louder and louder, rolling like a wave through the audience.
"The best video of all time!" Kanye repeated, shrugging as if he were stating a simple, universally accepted fact. Then he walked offstage as abruptly as he had appeared.
Taylor stood frozen under the bright lights, unsure what to do or what to say while the boos kept coming. It felt like every nightmare she'd ever had, the kind where everyone told her she was a fraud and that the only reason she'd succeeded was because of Troy.
She couldn't say or do anything. Couldn't even walk backstage. She was frozen in place. She didn't even register that Taylor Lautner was still onstage. Not that it mattered. He didn't actually do anything. He didn't react at all to her being humiliated in front of the world. Maybe he even believed what everyone said about her music.
Finally, a producer walked on stage and held her hand, guiding her away from the cameras.
Once she reached the backstage area, she found a chair, sat down, and burst into tears. She didn't look up until she felt someone's arms wrap around her, warm and steady.
"Shhh, don't cry, love," Troy murmured softly. "You deserve every award in the world. You deserved this one today. Fuck Kanye West."
Taylor cried into Troy's chest and whispered, "Then why was the crowd booing me offstage? Everyone knows I'm a hack. No one believes in me."
"I do," I said firmly. "And they weren't booing you. They were booing Kanye. Believe me."
"I don't," she whispered.
Troy nodded gently. "Then I'll prove it to you."
____________________
AN: Check out my second story, 'Swimmer to Superstar (A Hollywood SI)', which is now publicly available.
Link: www(dot)fablefic(dot)com