It's Not Over Yet (the seventh book in the glee series)

Chapter 15: 500

She hadn't walked any carpets but she had done a post-show interview, in which she only answered questions about her recent change in look. Not just her red hair. She was wearing darker lipstick, more makeup in general. 

Tonight she wore a short black dress, skin tight, and thigh length black boots, with fishnet tights underneath. Everything about her looked different and yet she felt more herself, dressing as she might've in high school, outside the Cheerios uniform. She was ready to stop being who the public wanted her to be and show them who she really was. Who they knew deep down she was. Unhinged.

At her table, her father, Veronica, Sarah, Lyric, Riley, Kayli and Quinn clapped when Demi Lovato appeared on stage. This was the moment. Her moment.

"I am proud to personally know Billboard's Woman of the year, Juliet Vasquez," Demi began her speech. 

Julie let out a long, slow breath that the cameras weren't capable of catching as the room filled with cheers at the sound of her name.

Demi continued, "Juliet started out as a songwriter, writing hits for other talented singers. She never planned to move into recording her own music but thank god she changed her mind because she's become one of the most successful recording artists of the decade. I could stand here and tell you the million things about Juliet Vasquez that make her the amazing musician and human being that she is... but I think she does it better herself."

Demi moved aside and behind her the big screen displayed a video. Julie clutched her chest as she watched the narrated video of her journey. Blank Space played non-diegetic to the several clips of her performing live over the years while the recorded woman talked about her career beginnings. Her performance of that very first single on Jimmy Fallon's show. A clip of her singing Really Don't Care with Shana at a benefit concert. One Last Time at her first ever Summertime Ball in London. Cool For The Summer on the final day of Tracy's tour two months after that. 

Then the narration changed to when she became a chart-topper with Black Roses. Clips from the Break Free and Dangerous Woman music videos showed along with the songs. The narrator talked about her sales, her Grammy awards. The viral video of her performing Don't Put Dirt On My Grave Just Yet while getting booed at Crystal Army's concert came on. Every major moment of her career, up there for everyone to see and remember.

The video closed on a message about her supportive fans and endurance through tough times, with a short clip from her performance at the AMAs ending on the beat that her dress went up in flames.

The four minute video ended and around her it seemed everyone was applauding. Her dad and Veronica cheered the loudest and it made her want to cry. They normally didn't like attending celebrity events but given the week she had due to Crystal Army's hiatus announcement they had come to personally support her. The only people she spotted not cheering her on, not surprisingly, were Tracy and her friends.

"Please welcome to the stage, Santana Lopez!" the announcer beamed through the house speakers.

Santana emerged from backstage and climbed down the steps to the main stage, smiling as she glimmered in her gown and approached the microphone. She, like Julie, had spent half of her time backstage, and the other half explaining to people that Shana hadn't come because of their daughter. 

The truth was that Shana hadn't attended the show because she told Santana that if she did it would be to support Amity and Tracy, not to join her in being a lapdog to Julie. As expected, Santana didn't react well to this declaration and they decided that it'd be better if she attended alone and Shana watched from Lima. Leila also stayed home, but though Kayli had gotten a seat at Julie's table, Zoe had joined Amity, Cleo, and even Francesca at Tracy's table, along with a couple of other Tracy groupies.