Five Years of Fame [COMPLETE]

12. Goodnight, LA

Her driver got out and walked around to open the door for her. She gripped his arm before placing one high-heeled foot down on the pavement below. She left Kelly to grab her things from the middle seat and she was already waiting for Reeve by the time she had found her footing and was ready to begin.

At this point in her career, the red carpet tradition was familiar. She was a seasoned veteran. But she was forced to imagine was it would seem like to someone new to this world as she followed Kelly's lead.

Kelly was, of course, a complete professional. But Reeve saw her hesitate, for just a second, to watch as other assistants, publicists down the line, lead others down the red carpet. Only once figuring out what they were doing did Kelly start leading Reeve down as well.

Once inside, Reeve released her mouth from its tight smile, her shoulders shuddered to release the tension that had built around her neck from being once again amid the flashes, the questions, the cheers, the noise.

The sounds of a party well on its way rushed out of a pair of large double doors located to the right as they entered the lobby. Reeve paused in front of the entrance, trying to prepare herself for what was inside. She was far from the couch in her living room, and even further from the dark safety of her bedroom.

It was only after a nod from Reeve that Kelly entered the ballroom to go find Reeve's seat and introduce herself to the technical staff working the event who would be there to get Reeve ready to perform.

A few people came up behind Reeve to enter the room and Reeve moved out of the way to keep from blocking anyone's path. She stepped deeper into the lobby, away from the ballroom, and stopped right in front of a mirror.

She hadn't looked when she left the house. She had complete faith in the make-up artists, the hairstylists, the whole team that had appeared earlier that evening to get her ready. She hadn't wanted to look. But now she had no choice.

She stared at her reflection for a long minute. The goal of the team was to create the look of true LA glamour. And they had done their job well.

Reeve could feel herself trying to look the part, her posture straight, her shoulders back. But no amount of makeup could cover up the look of exhaustion she felt radiating out of her green eyes, hanging low in the bags under her eyes. Even when she smiled, it seemed only to make her appear more haggard. It was her first event out of the house since September and it showed.

While staring at her reflection, she tried to conjure up an image of what she used to look like before. Before getting signed, before the car accident, before September, before everything. She couldn't. All she could see was someone standing in front of her that she could just barely recognize. Someone who seemed somewhat familiar, more of a shadow of someone she used to know, but no one she knew now.

Reeve trying squaring her shoulders, trying to act the part she knew she had to play to get through the night. She had just won a Grammy, after all. But that thought depressed her and her shoulders sagged. Kelly had confirmed what Reeve already knew on the way over. This was far from a night of celebration.

With one last deep breath, Reeve entered the ballroom.

Streamers of gold and black hung from the ceiling, matching balloons lining the edges of the large room. A few crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling, emitting a low warm light. A stage stood at one end of the room and Reeve made a mental note of its location as that was where she would be performing at midnight. A live jazz band was playing the blues and a few couples were out on the dance floor, slowly swaying back and forth.

Reeve headed in the opposite direction, towards the bar on the other side of the room. She knew her voice needed rest if she was to perform, a part of her unsure how she would even sound. It felt like it had been years since she had performed.