"She asked you to move in?" asked John as he and Sam walked out of The Lima Bean with their caffeinated drinks in hand. "And you said no?"
"It wasn't a no-no," Sam responded, carefully stirring his latte as they walked towards their cars. "It was more of a no-for-now, 'let me think about it' no. You know?"
"No," he shook his head with a laugh. "Dude, you are so dumb. You have like ten seconds before she changes her mind and is asking Ryder to move in."
Sam stopped walking before they had even reached either of their vehicles. "Why...?" he asked.
"Oh," John responded flatly. "I forgot. Uh, I'm probably the wrong person to tell you this but..."
"Wait, did something happen between them?" Sam asked, not sure how to feel.
"Well, they dated for months," John said evasively. Sam gave him a look which led him to slowly add, "Aaaaand..." Then very quickly and almost inaudibly he said, "They made out at Christmas."
He put his drink to his mouth and despite it being scalding hot, he didn't stop drinking. Sam pulled the Lima Bean cup away from him and said, "You need to tell me everything."
"I can't," John said. "I just burned my tongue."
"John!" Sam exclaimed.
John let out a deep breath and said, "Dude, I so don't want to get involved... But yeah, he was there for her when you were in dreamland—"
"I didn't dream," Sam interrupted. "I've told you already that I can't remember what I was thinking or even if I could think while I was out, so I doubt that it was like a dream where I could—"
"Do you want me to tell you or not?" John rolled his eyes.
"Please continue," Sam nodded, shutting up.
"He was there for her," he went on. "And he—not her—started developing feelings again and he kissed her."
"Oh," Sam said. "So then... Ok. Good. You made it sound like she kissed him back and—"
"Well, she did," John said, walking away in discomfort. "But I mean, Julie's kissed, like, everyone in this town except the ones she's related to and it's nothing new so—"
"John," Sam grumbled.
"Ok, ok, fine," John sighed, stopping by his car. He leaned against it and explained, "She was confused, I guess. But since she asked you to move in, that probably means she was just horny or something. And gross, I don't want to talk about this anymore."
"Yeah me either," Sam admitted, making a face. "Look, I'll meet you at the studio, ok? I think I need to go talk to her and clear some things up."
"Noooo," John begged. "No, don't. She's going to be so pissed if she finds out I told you. And she's already really unhinged. Any little thing sends her over the edge so please. Let's just go to the studio and let her tell you when she wants." He opened the door to his car and before getting in added, "I'll even drop hints for her to tell you soon if you want."
***
"There she is," said Leila, nervously standing up as Shana stumbled down the hall to the Blackbird Records lobby. Shana lazily made her way over to her, shades covering her eyes, and smiled up brightly.
"Wuz gewd?" she asked.
Leila cringed. "Ugh, what is that terrible odor?"
Shana giggled, "Booze."
"Were you out partying last night?" Leila asked her. "It was a Monday."
"I know, I know," Shana laughed. "But you wouldn't believe who asked me to go clubbing! I was—"
"Well, well, well," said Jake as he walked up to them. "If it isn't the two prettiest singers in this label."
"Ouch," said Amity, joining in behind them with Dan by her side.
"Tied, of course, with you," Jake added with a grin. "And if Santana is anywhere nearby, tied with her, too."
Dan laughed, "Dude, just give it a rest."
He looked around nervously so Jake asked, "You alright dude?"
"Not really," Dan told them. "This red carpet prep thing is making me nervous. I was a mess at the Teen Choice Awards and haven't really done any red carpet stuff since so..."
"It's the Grammy's," Amity shrugged. "You'll be fine."
"They'll probably just ask you a lot about the Spider-Man movie you're going to be working on very soon," Shana said, nudging him playfully. She put an arm around him and said, "Look at us. Movie stars in the making!"
She let him go with a tipsy laugh and Leila sighed. "Wait, you two aren't going to the award ceremony so why are you here?" Amity asked.
"Oh we're here to talk about the direction we want to take with our music," Leila explained. "And I think I just saw Blaine pass by so it looks like we should be heading upstairs to get to work. Good luck with the prep thing."
She smiled at her friends, thankful that she could get going before Crystal Army arrived, and dragged Shana away. It was at the perfect time, too, because it didn't take long for the Crystal Army guys to all stumble in one after the other, with Sebastian finally arriving.
"Ok, let's get started," he said, immediately pointing a finger at Amity and indicating that they were going to begin with him.
***
"So media training," said Dani as she sat across a table from Amity and Dan. "It's not really something I'm used to but Sebastian has had me learning all about it so I'm going to do my best to give you all my knowledge. Just keep in mind that I'm as new to it as you are, almost." Amity nodded and Dan leaned forward in his seat. "So, Amity. You seem like the type that would be shy in front of a reporter."
"I'm not, actually," she responded proudly. "I just speak with honesty and I'm very straightforward so... It's worked out fine for me, so far."
"Great!" Dani exclaimed. She turned to Dan who immediately avoided eye contact. "And you...?"
He opened his mouths but words didn't come out, as he wasn't quite sure how to explain his behavior in front of cameras. "For an actor, he's not really great at public speaking," Amity laughed. "I think a little practice would help."
***
"You'll be on the carpet answering questions for maybe five minutes," Dani told Jake. "Tops. So I'm going to run you through some questions you may be asked as a newcomer and just give me the answer you'd give on the spot."
"Ok," Jake nodded.
"How excited are you to be here tonight?" Dani asked.
Jake didn't hesitate to answer, "Incredibly excited. It's my first time so I'm really looking forward to the night and just being around all these influential people in the industry."
***
"Ok boys," said Dani once she got Sam and Tyler to stop laughing. "You've done this a million times before. You are almost always perfect in these things, so how about we—"
"Wait, why are you doing this?" asked Tyler. "Why isn't someone from our management here?"
"Because you guys were all scattered and we had trouble scheduling an L.A. meeting," Dani sighed. "And because I wanted to practice on you guys. I haven't really had a lot of luck with everyone..."
***
"Will they really ask me when I started to sing though?" Dan asked. "They've never asked before."
"That's because you've been attending events as an actor," said Dani. "But now you have music out. You have toured with Tracy Moore, you are connected to a lot of other big names. They'll ask everything. Just... Relax, take a deep breath. Answer the question."
"Right..." Dan nodded. "Uh... I... Ok, what was the question again?"
***
"I've liked singing since I was a kid," Jake said confidently. "But it really became my passion in high school when I joined glee club."
"Ooh, no, don't say that," Dani stopped him.
"But it's the truth..?" Jake responded.
"I know and a lot of people will already have known this or figured it out," she agreed. "But it's just that with all the drama surrounding Sam and Julie and Alex and John right now, you just don't want to lead into a string of other questions about their personal lives. Keep the focus on you. McKinley is gaining a pretty big reputation for sprouting stars and since you're one of the newest, you want to be recognized for your music, not for where you're from and who you know. Got it?"
"Got it," Jake nodded, though now he felt slightly discouraged.
***
"How'd media training go?" asked Julie as she let Sam into her house.
He quickly removed his coat and hat, hung them, and began walking upstairs. She followed him as he answered, "It was fine. Nothing new. I think the others struggled a little and Alex was a bit off his game but... It was fine other than that."
"Good," Julie said, joining him in the nursery. "And listen, about the Grammy's. Since we're both going, even though I've already invited Jake to come along with me, I was wondering if you'd want to—"
"Were you ever planning on telling me about Ryder?" Sam asked.
"Well, I thought you knew that—" she began nervously.
He walked towards the cribs, smiling down at his daughters' babbling faces, and said, "I'm not angry or yelling at you. I'm just curious. Did we not talk about it because you didn't know how I'd react or because it didn't mean anything?"
"Um..." she murmured. "I don't... I don't really know." He turned around so she added, "But I'm not... There's nothing going on. It was just one moment where there was all this adrenaline and holiday spirit and—Wait, how do you even know?"
"I..." Sam began, not sure if he should lie or say the truth. "That doesn't matter. I just want you to know that you can tell me things like that. We're not together. If I move in here, we still wouldn't be together. I mean, not for a while, I don't think. Because you'd want to take it slow. Right?"
Julie pursed her lips. Did she want to take it slow? That seemed like the smart thing to do but a part of her just wanted to dive in so that they could move on faster.
She took a few slow steps towards him and said, "I just want us to be happy."
Sam looked down at the twins and then back up at Julie. "We are," he said. "We have them and... I mean, we do have each other."
"It'd be a lot easier if we lived under the same roof," she said, taking another step towards him.
He grinned as he also took a step forward and replied, "It'd be useful?"
"Oh gosh!" she exclaimed, moving away. "Let that phrasing die already!"
Sam laughed, glad that this time she didn't get angry at him the way she had when he'd first suggested moving in together in the Spring. He reached for her hands and said, "Ok, it'd be a lot more than useful. It'd be like... A really cool, day-to-day sleepover."
"I don't think we'd be getting much sleep," she responded.
"Oh?" he raised an eyebrow suggestively.
"Because the girls like to wake up in the middle of the night!" she exclaimed, playfully slapping his arm. "That's why."
A smile now wide on his face, he looked down at her and said, "Maybe moving in together is a good idea."
"Maybe it is," she nodded.
They stared at each other for a few seconds until Julie broke eye contact to look at the girls. As she looked back up, Sam reached down for her waist and pulled her towards him, pressing his lips against her.
It's happening, she said as she kissed him. And she enjoyed kissing him as much as she always had, though something about it felt different this time around. Perhaps it was the fact that it'd been so long and now they had kids together. The fact that Sam had been in a coma so now the need to be with him and to make him happy had gotten stronger. Or maybe it was the fact that until that moment when his lips touched hers, the last person she'd kissed had been Ryder.
She pulled away, feeling sick to her stomach. "Ow," Sam complained, a finger to his lips. "You bit me."
"I'm so sorry," she told him, her voice faint. She took a few steps back and then said, "I just, uh... I remembered something and..."
"What?" Sam asked curiously, his momentary bite pain gone.
"Just that, uh..." she tried to come up with a good excuse for hurting him on the spot. "That, uh, that I have to go by Bree's to do a final fitting for my Grammy's gown."
"Oh ok..." he said, confused.
Julie nodded and began to walk out of the room but then she remembered something. Ryder lived with Bree and was most likely there at her house now.
"But I can just go tomorrow," she said suddenly. "Or, uh, or have her bring the dress here."
"Oh that's ok," Sam shook his head. "I'll stay here with the girls and you can just go do your thing."
"Um..." she hesitated. "Yeah, no, I think I'll stay... You should go and get whatever you need to get done though."
"Ok, yeah, I do actually have a few things to do," Sam agreed. He looked at her with a smile and said, "What if we have like a trial run sleepover tonight?"
"Tonight?" she scratched her head nervously. "Um... Yeah, yeah, that sounds perfect."
"Great," he said jovially. He gave her a kiss on the cheek and said, "Ok, I won't be gone long! I'm just going to stop by John's and my place for a few things. See you later tonight, ok?"
"Ok," Julie nodded, watching him run out. When he was gone, she felt like she was about to convulse and fall down to the ground, so instead she walked towards the window and watched as he drove away.
["Thinking of You" by Katy Perry, probably my favorite of hers and one of her most underrated. Cry at the music video pretty much always.]
Julie: Comparisons are easily done. Once you've had a taste of perfection. Like an apple hanging from a tree. I picked the ripest one. I still got the seed.
She turned back around as soon as the car was out of sight, her hands shaking as she wondered if taking these steps forward with Sam was the right move. She just couldn't think of any other possible direction to take with him.
Julie: You said move on. Where do I go? I guess second best is all I will know.
But then, there were so many things going on with Ryder that were just... unresolved. She didn't want to even think about it but she couldn't help it. It was in her head.
Julie: 'Cause when I'm with him I am thinking of you. Thinking of you... What you would do if you were the one who was spending the night? Oh I wish that I was looking into your eyes...
***
When Sam finally returned not too long after, she forced herself to smile. She wanted this to work so badly, more than she ever had before, and Sam seemed eager to give it a try, too.
Julie: You're like an Indian summer in the middle of winter. Like a hard candy with a surprise center. How do I get better once I've had the best? You said there's tons of fish in the water. So the waters I will test.
But all she felt every time she looked away was guilt. She hadn't been completely honest about the Ryder situation and it was worse now that she had actually brought him into her consciousness while they had been kissing. It was the worst moment of her entire history with Sam.
Julie: He kissed my lips. I taste your mouth. He pulled me in. I was disgusted with myself.
***
It just didn't make sense to her. She continued to think about it until she and Sam were going to bed. He was in the guest room and she was in her bedroom. Things were fine. But she couldn't sleep knowing that somehow without her realizing it, Ryder had managed to get under her skin.
Julie: 'Cause when I'm with him I am thinking of you. Thinking of you. What you would do if you were the one who was spending the night? Oh I wish that I was looking into...
She hated that about herself, her tendency to not appreciate what she had. Her constant craving for more. Why couldn't she just be content with having Sam back and finally getting the chance to be with him again?
Julie: You're the best. And yes I do regret. How I could let myself let you go. Now, now the lesson's learned. I touched it, I was burned. Oh I think you should know...
And why did she have to bring Ryder back in, of all people?
Julie: 'Cause when I'm with him I am thinking of you. Thinking of you. What you would do if you were the one who was spending the night? Oh I wish that I was looking into your eyes. Looking into your eyes. Looking into your eyes.
With her head facing the wall, she shook her head at herself, wishing for a moment of clarity, or at least for a moment in which she could forget about the kiss and Ryder's confession. The flowers. The fight. Everything about the last couple of months with him.
Julie: Oh won't you walk through? And bust in the door and take me away. Oh no more mistakes. 'Cause in your eyes I'd like to stay... stay.
Julie spun around and buried her face in her pillow. With a grand frustration, she released some of her anger at herself with a muffled grunt, and tried her best to fall asleep.
***
"How was the media training?" asked Sebastian the next morning as he walked into his office and found Dani and Blaine already waiting there for him.
"It went ok," Dani answered. "They definitely improved and I think they'll be fine come Sunday."
"Good," Sebastian responded curtly. "Blaine, where are we with the Santana masters?"
"Uhh, well I spoke to her assistant," Blaine said. "Jesse should be getting back to me soon but it sounds like the album is almost done."
"Good," Sebastian responded again. "When you talk to Jesse, make sure he knows that this album needs to come as soon as possible. I've promised a new Blackbird album in the spring and I thought it would be Vasquez's but since that's no longer an option..."
"What about Travis?" asked Dani. "He's got a lot of new music in the works and the songs he's tried out so far on tour have been huge viral hits so—"
"No," Sebastian shook his head. "We'll give it some more time for that album... There are things to work out first. No, get Santana to send me her masters and let her know that if she doesn't, I'll pull her out of the tour, let Travis headline by himself, and she'll come back here until she can finish the damn album."
Blaine nodded and pulled out his phone, ready to nicely let Jesse know everything Sebastian had just said.
***
"Santana!"
Santana heard her name called out about a dozen or two times per second, but by this time she was already a pro. As she moved through the red carpet, she stopped to pose for a few of the photographers, but she didn't take a pause until she reached the end, where reporters were waiting to ask questions.
As she flawlessly responded to everything that was thrown at her, Travis arrived behind her. He had just stopped and flashed a smile when someone asked, "Travis, any Grammy predictions for tonight?"
He turned to the man who asked the question and replied, "Gaga, Drake, Swift."
They continued to ask him questions and Santana was already walking forward to pose for more pictures, ready to show off her killer outfit and her amazing body.
Meanwhile, Julie tried hard not to look down at her gown as it slid across the floor under her. After a last minute change to more comfortable shoes, her gown turned out to be a little longer than expected, a fact that Bree had been less than happy about. But now here she was, with Jake by her side as her guest, and it didn't take long for her to be surrounded by two reporters, one a man and one a woman.
After greeting them, the woman asked, "Juliet, you look absolutely stunning. Who are you wearing?"
Jake half expected Julie to be confused or to get angry about the question but she effortlessly answered, "Welsh-Hummel. Custom made."
"It is amazing," the man said. "And you're here with Jake Puckerman! Your name has been popping out a lot in the media."
"Really?" Jake responded with a laugh. "That's awesome. Good things, I hope."
"Of course," he nodded. "So are you two friends or..?"
"Yes, we're friends," Julie nodded, smiling as a camera pointed at them from behind the woman. "We've been great friends since we were, what, fifteen? And since we were both with the same label and management for a while, we figured we'd come by together."
Jake turned to Julie, surprised she'd give them that bait, which the female reporter took very quickly. "And you're no longer working with Blackbird Records or Blackbird Management?"
"I'm not," Julie shook her head. "Nothing Blackbird for me anymore. But I have a great respect for the company and what was started there over a year ago. It's amazing that it was just an old floor up for lease not long ago and now half of the building is dedicated to polishing amazing artists like Jake here so I left with nothing but pride."
Jake smiled, feeling his own sense of pride in how well Julie was handling the questions. When they were done with that group of reporters, they made their way to a younger girl who was practically waiting for them.
"Juliet Vasquez!" the girl exclaimed. "Wow, I'm such a big fan! And Jake, I just love the song you two did together. Can't wait for both of your albums. Such a massive night."
"Huge," Jake agreed with a nod.
"What are you most excited for?" she asked.
Julie nodded at Jake, indicating for him to take the question, so he said, "The performances, probably. I'm sure there's going to be a lot of other awesome stuff going on but it's a night celebrating the best of music so I imagine the performances will just be absolutely amazing."
As she began to ask them another question, the noise level increased by a lot. Just around the corner from where they were, Crystal Army was arriving for another line of red carpet interviews, having just done a string of photo sessions. Julie turned around upon hearing their names called.
"Crystal Army!" exclaimed the first reporter that managed to get them. "Wow, you guys look fantastic!"
The guys smiled at the woman holding out her microphone and John politely said, "So do you."
"Oh thank you!" she exclaimed with a laugh. "We're here celebrating a very big year in music but you guys had a very big year, too, right? New album, new label, new everything. And Sam, can I just say that I am so happy to see you well and healthy."
"Thank you," Sam said as she pointed her microphone to him. "It's been great seeing all the support of the fans and of just the general public. People have been really kind to me and I just... I guess I had to come out and make it to the Grammy's one way or another."
"And you're a new dad, too," she pointed out.
"I am," Sam nodded as John smiled from beside him. "I have two beautiful, healthy daughters who are back home right now with their grandparents and they are just absolutely amazing. Can't get enough of them."
"Incredible," she said. She turned to John and said, "John, you've had a pretty big year, too. Do you have any big plans for tonight after the awards?"
"Oh yeah, sure," John nodded. "I'm going to get on a plane back home so that I can relax because it's a big week up ahead."
"Yes, and tomorrow is Valentine's Day!" she exclaimed. "Any of you have any big plans with anyone special?"
"Maybe," Tyler answered sheepishly. "Who knows, who knows? We'll see how tonight goes, right?"
"Are you here with anyone?" she asked, intrigued.
"I brought a special friend," Tyler nodded. "Alex brought a good pal of ours. John brought our friend. And we all brought Sam."
"Yeah, we're all bro-ing it up," Sam said, putting an arm around John.
"Well, I really hope to see more of that later in the night," she told them. "It was lovely talking to you but I'll let you walk on now. You guys all look fantastic and again congratulations on your babies and your recovery, Sam."
"Thank you," they all replied in unison before moving on.
It took a while but the group finished their rounds on the carpet and finally got to move on backstage. "If we're here next year," Tyler said, "we should try to sneak in."
"You love the carpets," John pointed out.
"Yeah, but this time I've got Morgan here with me and I don't like that she had to go in through the back with Stefan and Marley and—Oh look, it's Amity, Dan and... Luna?"
When their friends spotted them, they immediately walked over to greet them. "You ladies look amazing," Sam told Amity as he gave her a kiss on the cheek and then proceeded to greet Luna in the same fashion. Around them dozens of cameras flashed in their direction.
"Thank you," Luna said. "You guys look very dashing, too."
"Did you walk the carpet together?" Alex asked, the first words he'd spoken in the last maybe fifteen minutes.
"I walked alone," Luna answered, "and then at some point I met up with these two and then Dan and I were asked to pose together so—"
"So are you two like a public couple now or..?" Alex asked.
"Uh..." Dan hesitated, not really sure what the answer was.
"Hey, how about we go find our friends and our seats?" John stepped in, not wanting Alex to say something rude or inappropriate next and in front of all the cameras that were watching them. "Guys?"
"Uh, yeah," Tyler said, "let me just call Morgan and find out where she is."
"We're going to be sitting down next to Julie and Jake so I want to find them first," Sam added.
"Ok, then, why don't I just take Alex and we'll see you guys over there?" John asked. The guys nodded so he turned to the others and said, "We'll catch up later."
Amity nodded and watched as John practically forced Alex inside the stadium. She turned to Dan and asked, "So should we head in, too?"
"Sure?" Dan said, turning to Luna. "You ready?"
She linked her arm with his and said, "I'm ready!"
***
Sam cheered loudly and clapped his hands. The Black Keys had just given an amazing opening performance and after their medley, he felt his blood pumping. Lights were flashing everywhere from the stage and he felt dizzy but he luckily managed to keep from falling apart.
"Everybody make some noise!" exclaimed Drake as he emerged onto the stage once it had been cleared. The auditorium filled with welcoming applause as everyone returned to their seats.
As he gave his opening monologue, Stefan leaned towards Alex and asked, "How are you doing, champ?"
"Champ?" Alex asked him.
"I thought it might put you in a better mood if I used a cute nickname," Stefan said. "Since I am your date and all."
Alex turned to him, let out a soft chuckle, and then turned his attention back to the stage.
"So," Drake was saying, "since I know you don't wanna hear me rambling much longer, let's get right on to presenting the first award. Please welcome to the stage, country superstar, Tracy Moore."
"Hey, look," said Stefan as everybody clapped and Tracy arrived on the stage. "It's my ultimate celebrity crush who you totally banged."
Alex tried not to laugh as he rolled is eyes and politely clapped. He knew he was going to be under camera and just wished that Stefan wasn't acting like he hadn't been warned about it a million times. But all Stefan cared about was making sure Alex had a fun night.
"The first award," Tracy began, "is the coveted Breakout Artist award. So many talented artists are nominated every year and they all go on to do amazing things. This year is no different by the looks of the nominees, and they are..."
Santana watched curiously as the names came up on the screen. She had yet to be nominated for the award and by now it was probably too late in her career for Breakthrough Artist but Mercedes had been nominated for something once and though she hadn't won it was still one accomplishment she held over Santana. As the winner was announced, Santana let herself fantasize about what it would be like to even be nominated for a Grammy, and by the time she'd snapped out of her daydream, the winner had already been awarded.
***
"You look amazing!" exclaimed Julie as she walked into the closest bathroom and saw Marley there. "And you're blonde!"
"I thought I'd make my big Hollywood debut with a bang!" Marley laughed. "And you look beautiful, too."
"Oh, thank you," Julie chimed, reaching for her phone.
"You're not here to use the restroom?" Marley asked while she washed her hands.
Julie looked up briefly from her phone to say, "Oh, I have to pee so badly. But even more badly I want to call my dad and check on the girls."
Marley grinned. "It took me a while to get used to leaving Ben, too, but I'm sure Bree's taking great care of him. I have to admit, though, I'm just a little surprised that you're so... concerned..."
Julie was about to press the call button but she put it down for a second. She sighed, "Look, Marley... I know that you probably think I'm this awful, careless—"
"Julie, Julie, stop," Marley told her. "I get it, ok? I understand what you were going through and even though I didn't really go through it, I know that you're not alone. I'm surprised because of how quickly you seemed to have made a recovery."
"Having Sam back helped," she said softly.
Marley looked at her and leaned back on the counter. "Look, I'm not trying to judge but—"
The door opened and a woman walked into the room, heading straight into one of the stalls. Julie watched curiously and then turned to Marley.
"Was that Madonna?" Marley mouthed.
Julie put a hand to her mouth, trying not to say anything. The woman in the stall said, "It's ok, gals, you can talk in front of me."
"Um, we were actually just heading out," Julie said, reaching for Marley's hand.
"Yeah, good luck!" Marley added as they left the room. When they were outside, Julie burst into laughter and Marley asked, "Oh my gosh, did I just wish Madonna luck using the restroom?"
"You sure did," Julie said between laughs, barely able to breathe anymore.
"Wait, didn't you have to use it?" she asked.
"I think I..." Julie laughed, gasping for air. "...already did..."
Marley started laughing alongside her and neither of them could even remember what was so funny by the time they stopped. They were on their way back to the show when they saw a group of people passing by, among them Nick Jonas.
"Hey, it's my good pal, Nick," Julie said giving him a hug.
He smiled and said, "Juliet. Good to see you. Wasn't sure you'd make it."
"And miss my first Grammy's?" she asked. "Yeah right. Oh, by the way, this is my good friend Marley. Marley, this is—"
"Nick," Marley said, laughing nervously. "Yes, I know who he is very well. Hello, big fan."
"Nice to meet you," he responded. He turned to Julie and said, "We should talk later. You still haven't given me an answer."
She nodded and waved as he walked away. When he was a good distance away, Marley asked, "What did he mean?"
"Oh it's nothing," Julie sighed. Marley watched her so she said, "Ok, he sort of offered me a record deal."
"Wow..." Marley replied, impressed. "That's... That's huge, Julie. And what are you going to tell him?"
Julie looked down at her hands and then up at Marley to tell her what she'd been telling everyone who asked: "I have no clue."