Guardian (A TBP Fanfic)

Big Machine

Grace POV

I walked into the small, glass door, my hands shaking. I was so nervous! I clutched my guitar for dear life, my knuckles turning white!

"Grace, you'll be fine! He may seem mean, but he's really not. He's just straightforward, that's all." I smiled a bit, maybe he'd like me! Kimberly lead me up to a desk in the front room. "Hey! Kimberly! How ya doin?" The woman asked. She was skinny and had her brown hair up in a ponytail with a black Nike headband. She seemed to be around 25 and had a Tennessee accent.

"Great! How are you, Nikki?" Kimberly responded with a smile. "Great! So who's this here?" She asked, green/yellow eyes glancing to me. I smiled nervously. "This is the girl that is going to be interviewed to headline with us." I looked her in the eye, pried one hand off my guitar and held it out, "Grace! Nice to meet you. I'm sorry, but it's just I'm a bit nervous!" I said.

The girl smiled at me. "Hey, I was nervous when I was interviewed for this job! Couldn't imagine what you're goin through! Good luck! Mr. Scott is expectin you!" She got up and lead us down a hallway to our right and stopped at a big, wooden door. She gave me a quick hug before walking off.

I felt something being slipped into my hand and looked down. My notebook!! I looked at Kimberly gratefully. "Thank you!" She smiled and nodded. "Alright, so I'm gonna walk you in, introduce yourself, answer questions, and then they'll send you to warm up. Ok?"

I nodded, "sounds simple enough!" I smiled, my hands still shaking. "Good luck! You'll do great!" Kimberly smiled at me. I opened the door, took a breath, and walked in.

There was a man sitting at a small, square table, his eyes watching my every move. I found a chair behind me and set my stuff down. I walked over to him, "Grace Oakley." I said, holding out my hand. He shook it with a firm handshake.

He was wearing a black cowboy-looking shirt with jeans and boots. His brown, curly hair matching his small beard. "Nice to meet you. I'm Mr. Scott Borchetta." I smiled at him. "Why don't you go ahead and take a seat? Let's just talk." He smiled.

"Alright." I responded, gently moving my guitar and placing it on the ground. I set my notebook in my lap. I started to feel the pages to stop my shaking hands.

"So, you're the girl Kimberly has told me about, right?" I looked at him and nodded. "Yes, sir." "So, just tell me a bit about yourself and I'll ask some questions, then you can go warm up. How's that sound?" "That sounds good. Thank you." I answered, looking him in the eye.

"Whatcha wanna know?" I asked him, relaxing a bit. "Just your backstory and what you want in Big Machine." He answered simply. "Alright. Well, I grew up in a small home a few cities away from here with two siblings. My siblings liked other genres, mainly pop and rap, but I liked country. So I could hear anything from Eminem to Loretta Lynn everyday.

Anyway, my parents decided to buy me a guitar. I learned anything I could get my hands on. By the time I was... Uh.. Maybe like 16, I played at open mics all over our area and began writing songs. And.... I really would like to join this company because I have been looking for a kinda "family centered" feel. And I think y'all have that. So, there we go!" I smiled.

"So. That sounds good. Just wondering, what do your siblings do? Oh, and you left out saving one of our biggest stars." The room was silent. I sighed. "One is in the army, Sgt. Nick Oakley, and the other is a book author, Alice Oakley...." "Oh, and I really don't think that I need any recognition. I was trying to do what was right, and I didn't wake up thinking, "I wanna be a hero, let's go save Kimberly. I saw someone in trouble and decided to help. I believe that if someone's in trouble, you help them. No matter what happens."