A.R.M.Y- Not really a Fanfic

EPILOGUE

"Hey, you ready?"

The voice that comes through the earpiece startles me. Though I have been doing this for years, I can never get used to it.

"Yeah", I reply as I get up and look at myself in the vanity mirror. 

The person I see is everything I wanted to be.

I inhale deeply and turn around toward the door, leading me towards the talk show set. As I go, I grab a bag of donuts.

You see, the "Donuts and Tea" talk show had a weird tradition of 'passing donuts to spill the tea', meaning the person who held the donuts had to speak out. Afterwards, they would pass on the bag of donuts to the person who had to speak next. 

I know, crazy.

I hear the crowd roar as the host announces my name.  I walk in, wave, smile at the host, and look around to see my group seated on the lime green and blue couches.

Don 'Tea'man, the host of the show, sizes me up the minute I am seated.

"So, Ara, I believe congrats are in order. How do you feel about the success of your latest single, 'Xie Xie'? It hit number one on billboard hot 100 didn't it?"

His manner of talking is like any other talk show host's, fast and prompting.

" Yeah, I feel quite excited. We, as a group, have hit number 1 before, but this... this feels unreal."

"What has been your biggest inspiration? How did your bandmates react to this?"

" Inspiration...hmmm..., I actually wrote part of this song with a dear friend during my trainee days, although, to be honest, the reason for me continuing to produce it can't possibly be pinned on one person or thing so I'd have to say everything!! "

The last part is a lie, but he doesn't need to know that.

He gives out a loud guffaw at my statement, I smile at him before looking at Xylene, nodding my head, and continuing.

" Speaking of my bandmates, who have been very supportive, I believe we have an exciting announcement to make."

"Go on, go on" Don prompts. 

I pass my bag of donuts to Xylene who sits right beside me, she flashes the camera a dazzling smile. Then, she looks at Don.

"We will be collaborating with our teachers for our 2nd and their 15th Anniversary."

There is a collective gasp from the crowd, Nicole suppresses a grin. Don's eyes widen, I can see the gears in his brain turning, imagining how many views this interview might get.  After a moment, he pretends to fall from his chair in mock surprise. The crowd cheers.

He gets up, still smiling, grabs hold of his mic, and says in a deep voice, " Well that was quite a bag of donuts they dropped, wasn't it? Stay tuned to 'Donuts and Tea' for more information regarding the upcoming collab! Let's hear it for Ara, Xylene, Nicole, Luna, Misty, Hei Ran, Gigi, and Queen from Destin-8-on*!"

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Back in the dressing room, we change into comfy clothes and snack on the leftover donuts. One of the best things about being a performer is the luxury that comes in the form of bean bags in the dressing room. Ahh, heaven.

I lean back on my orange bean bag, relishing the taste of the lemon donut."Great work Miss Leader." I say to Xylene, she grins at me, "Right back at you fellow leader"

 "Oh stop it, we all know who does all the work and who does the playacting", I say and everyone bursts out laughing. Gigi turns towards me, " On a much more serious note, how is the bridge going?", "It's going okay, though I might need help with the...", I don't get to finish my sentence before Xylene shushes me and says, " Not here, there might be cameras here and we don't know what Don has planned for us."