~~A Ruiner~~
Aaliyah couldn't fight her grin, and she felt her phone vibrate against her chest and subtly slipped it out before turning her phone on when a message notification from Jacks popped up on her screen: You sound amazing ;).
She felt her heart soften and she blushed, realizing that Jacks was already streaming the song. She was about to unlock her phone when Malcolm continued talking. "Now, Madison wanted to give a few words before we continued with the night." He said before giving Madison the floor, offering her his glass of champagne to make a toast. Madison held up a hand, shaking her head, mindfully before stepping away, as though averse to the drink. Aaliyah looked with a raised brow.
As waiters went around the room offering people champagne glasses to including Aaliyah and Xavier, she cast Xavier a glance, who dropped a wink in her direction. She cocked a brow, raising her glass silently at him. And something about the crooked smile on his lips told her that he knew exactly how this felt for her. How surreal things suddenly felt, nothing much had changed in that moment, except now her voice was out there for the world to hear. She didn't know how to process it. And it was as though Xavier had read her mind.
Madison pulled a wide beautiful smile that had everyone clapping for her again. Aaliyah clapped as well, but her mind was back on Blair. She found Jenny, standing between her parents and Madison's mother who stood next to Willa with a proud smile, clapping louder than everyone.
Aaliyah locked eyes with Jenny who, smiled dropping a wink at her, and Aaliyah smiled graciously before she lifted her eyes above them and saw Blair coming from out of the hallway leading to the stairs slowly, she leaned against the wall, a distance away from the crowd. Aaliyah let herself relax when she saw her.
"I'm not going to go through the normal round of thank yous because the people I'm gracious to know who they are," She started causing a flutter of laughter to go through the room, "I do want to say that the last few months here at Soul Fusion have been one of the greater changes in my life, and I know that success only means something when you're surrounded by the people who support you and love you, the people you call family. I can say without a doubt that I am very successful," She said with another smile, to which everyone seemed to receive well as another round of "awws" went around the room before clapping. "I also want to shout out to Aaliyah, who gave the missing piece no one knew we needed to the song and ultimately the album." She said before looking over to Aaliyah and blew a kiss, to which Aaliyah responded with a tight-lipped smile, everyone looked at her, and she made a small awkward wave in acknowledgment, "Aaliyah, you can come up and say something if you'd like."
Aaliyah shook her head quickly. "Tonight's your night, Madison," She answered quickly, trying to keep herself flushing from all the attention she was getting. Aaliyah instantly felt as though the whole room was talking about her, and she couldn't help but want to sink into a hole and disappear, but regardless of what she told Madison, this was her night too, but she would celebrate it the way she wanted to.
"Well, you're not wrong there," Madison said with a soft laugh and then everyone laughed with her, turning away from Aaliyah as though she never existed. She didn't mind though, it was getting late, she expected Jacks to be getting here soon. "So for now, let's hear the song!" And then a few moments later the intro to the song started playing, Madison's voice sounding from the speakers behind her.
The crowd dispersed after that, slowly returning to their own circles, some people staying where they were to listen to the song. Aaliyah got another text message and when she checked it, she realized it was another from Jacks: I'll be downstairs in ten.
"Aaliyah!" And Aaliyah jumped in surprise before she came face to face with Uriah. He was even shorter now that she was in heels, but he hadn't changed much from the last time she had seen him, but he was impatient. Aaliyah glanced quickly at Xavier, who was watching them both in interest. "A reporter by the name Callie Greene wants an exposé on Soul Fusion's newest artist."
"Callie wants to see her?" Xavier demanded with a cocked brow. The familiarity in his voice hugged the name in a way that made Aaliyah half-suspicious and half-relieved. Uriah nodded curtly in his direction, "That bitch is ruthless, and her page is ridiculously credited for just a blogger. You don't want to mess up with her," He observed before he looked down to Aaliyah with narrowed eyes. Aaliyah couldn't help but break an anxious sweat, "I'll join you."
Uriah made a face at him, but he turned away. "Come with me then," He said and stalked off. Aaliyah and Xavier exchanged a look before they followed him over to a girl who was probably in her mid-twenties, clad in a long nude-colored wrap dress with a split that showed a good portion of her tanned legs. She had pin-straight dirty blonde hair with dark eyes and a hooked nose. Aaliyah thought she was unconventionally pretty and very intimidating.
Callie noticed their approach and brightened, but in a way that made Aaliyah feel like she was an injured dear, and Callie was a hungry lion who had just caught sight of their prey. Her gaze moved from her to Xavier, and a look of surprise crossed her face, and then she was smug. "Aaliyah!" She said cheerfully, and gestured to the speakers, "This is you?"
Aaliyah turned to look at the speakers and then realized that she was listening to her own voice and she smiled, a sense of pride burst in her heart as she nodded returning her gaze to the reporter. "Yep. This is me."
"Wow, you're an amazing singer, Aaliyah!" She complimented, and Aaliyah flushed slightly embarrassed. "And your harmonies backing Madison's voice in the second verse truly made the song three-dimensional, you are truly talented."
"She might be even better than me." Xavier chimed in a low, mocking voice. Aaliyah grimaced and tried not to look at him.
Callie raised a dubious eyebrow at him. "Xavier, I think there's a reason why you mostly rap." She retorted, before looking back to Aaliyah with a smile, "I bet dealing with his overconfident ass all the time is tough, huh." She said shaking her head.
Aaliyah smiled in response, "After weeks of working with him, I've learned to tune him out," She said which earned her a laugh from the reporter, "Also, you can call me Lia." She said.
"Of course," Callie insisted, "That's your name on the single, right? Lia Garcia?"
Aaliyah nodded slowly. "Callie," Uriah said sharply, "The interview."
Callie jumped slightly and then smiled pleasantly in his direction before looking back at her. "Of course, so let's get into it, then," She said and Aaliyah smiled, "So, you were signed to Soul Fusion just over a month ago and you already have your voice heard to the rest of the world. How has it been?"
Aaliyah smiled letting a small laugh escape her lips. This had been a question she had been asked quite a lot so by now her response was fairly practiced. "It's been insane, from singing locked in my bedroom in San Diego to writing and making music in a real studio for the world to hear has been such a huge transition for me and I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity, and I can only hope that the rest of the world loves what I come up with, with my incredibly talented songwriting partner, Xavier," She said gesturing to him beside her, and then added a laugh, "Who when he isn't being a pain in the ass is actually great to work with."
Callie laughed with her, shooting Xavier a look. "You really think so, Lia?" He asked in a teasing voice. Aaliyah turned to look at him. He wasn't smiling, but he definitely seemed interested in her answer, his dark eyes felt like well she was falling through with no sight of coming down. It almost took her breath away.
"Of course," Aaliyah answered trying to keep the fluster out of her voice, looking away and back to Callie, "He's almost as good a songwriter as me."
Callie's laugh was light and soft like wind through trees, before she looked up to Xavier for a moment, her brown eyes shining with amusement. Aaliyah tried not to look at him to see his expression when Callie continued. "How was it working with Madison on her song cursing? I'm sure you must have spent a lot of time with her in the studio as well as Xavier to make such a beautiful song."
Aaliyah wanted to roll her eyes. Madison hadn't been there until it was time for Aaliyah to record the feature, and they didn't even spend all that much time together then, mostly since she was on the other side of the glass, but she supposed she wasn't supposed to say that. "Working with Madison has been another opportunity I'm glad to have taken on, especially seeing how talented she is."
"Do you see yourself working with Madison again in the future?"
Aaliyah's mouth tightened slightly, but she continued smiling. "Well, for now, I think it's probably better if I focus mainly on my own music to push an individual presence in the music industry, but I always leave room for future opportunities. Malcolm Waters taught me that when I first arrived in the city."
Callie's grin seemed to widen, like an eagle who had just swooped down to sink their claws into the flesh of their prey. "It became apparent on Twitter earlier this week that the two of you had sparked a little bit of a rivalry. Several tips came in through my channel about how you have gone head-to-head a few times between classes. Is there any truth to the rumors? Madison didn't seem too inclined to give a straight answer."
Aaliyah laughed, hoping she didn't come off too bitter or annoyed. Madison was determined to either make Aaliyah look bad, or garner clout for her own career at the expense of Aaliyah's, but that didn't mean she had to take her bait. "I don't blame her. It's an old tale by now, pitting two artists against each other for the interest of money. Especially when it comes to female artists, Solange and Beyoncé, Nicki and Cardi are like two huge examples. I'm personally for the idea that two driven and talented artists are more than capable to find room for success and happiness in this industry."
Callie's eyes sparkled. "Do you see yourself likened to those celebrities? They are definitely giant household names."
Aaliyah laughed shaking her head. "I aspire to be like them one day definitely. The way they've grown their status and careers, it's inspiring. The influence they have with just their music, I'd love to be able to reach that many people with what I have to say like that," She said, "I grew up watching artists like them owning and sharing their success in this industry and it's definitely something I want to be able to do."
"Your optimism is definitely contagious, Lia. If this song is any indication, I can definitely see you among the greats one day." Callie replied with a grin that Aaliyah wondered was genuine.
Aaliyah smiled regardless. "Thank you for the vote of confidence," She said kindly.
"Just one more question," Callie said, then she cocked her head to the side, "A tip had made it known that the circumstances surrounding your arrival in the city had been less than ideal," She started and Aaliyah felt her stomach churn, "You had been essentially homeless until Malcolm had opened up his doors to you. Do you feel like you owe a lot of your growing success to him?"
From Aaliyah's periphery, she saw a look of surprise flick across Xavier's expression before it disappeared, and she tried to fight her scowl. It must have been Madison to let her know, she thought, she had gone out of her way to let the whole school know about her living situation before Malcolm let her stay. "Of course," Aaliyah said, "I owe him so much for just giving me the opportunity, to begin with."
"How about your parents?" Callie continued, "Do you feel indebted to them in any way or do you feel nothing for the people that had left you with so little on your own—"
"Callie." Xavier interrupted sharply, and she had looked to him with surprise, and then she looked back to Aaliyah who was flushed darkly, embarrassed that she was being forced to talk about this on the record. And frustrated that Xavier had the idea that he had to save her, she was perfectly capable of setting Callie straight without his help, she had made it here on her own. She could handle an invasive reporter.
Callie pulled a soft apologetic smile. "That may have been too much," She said, "I'm sorry. Just one more question Lia. Since this is your first time recording a single, especially since you're a songwriter, what was it like singing someone else's lyrics instead of your own?"
Aaliyah frowned. "Someone else's lyrics?" She echoed completely baffled, "I didn't sing anyone's lyrics. The part of the song I sang was the work Xavier and I came up with—"
"Okay that's the end of this interview," Uriah cut in grabbing Aaliyah by the arm almost jerking her back painfully. Aaliyah's heart started thumping hard in her chest, and loud in her ears, "Thank you for that, Callie." He called.
"Wait Lia, are you saying that Madison didn't write the entire song? That you and Xavier had written the feature without Madison—"
"Callie enough," Xavier said harshly, taking her by the arm tightly and saying something to her in a low voice that Aaliyah was too far away to hear.
Aaliyah could feel her breathing become more ragged, and the only thing she could hear was Uriah's cold voice, "Don't say another word."
She yanked her arm out of Uriah's grip stopping where she was in the hallway away from prying eyes. She glared at Uriah furiously, her heart hurting in her chest. "What did she mean by that?" She demanded, pointing back in the living room where Callie was with Xavier, "What did she mean that Madison wrote the whole song? She didn't write the feature. I did. With Xavier. Is Madison even a songwriter—?"
Uriah scowled deeply at her. "No. She's not, but that's not what the world thinks, but not anymore." He snapped coldly, "Because now you've exposed her to the world because you had to take credit."
"What the hell do you mean I had to take credit, why did I have to take it, to begin with?" She hissed, her voice rising several octaves, "It's not Madison's. It was mine."
"Callie's not striking what she said off the record," Xavier said storming into the hallway, and Aaliyah whirled on him, her eyes burning. Xavier looked to her crossing his arms over his chest with narrowed eyes, seeming to be just as angry as Uriah. "What was that, Lia?"
Aaliyah felt like she was going to explode if someone talked to her like she was at fault again. Uriah cut her off before she could say anything, "Which idiot forgot to mention to her that she acts as a ghostwriter on other people's songs?" He snapped glaring at Xavier, and he quickly realized what was going on, and a look of sympathy almost softened his expression before it disappeared.
Aaliyah looked at Uriah over her shoulder. "I'm a ghostwriter?" She demanded. "Why is this the first time I'm hearing this?"
"That's what I'd like to know." Uriah snapped back. Then Malcolm came into the hallway with Willa on his arm, and Blair following behind them curiously.
"What's going on here?" Malcolm asked in a calm looking between Aaliyah's flustered cheeks, Uriah's deep scowl, and Xavier's blank eyes.
"Aaliyah just told Callie Greene that she and Xavier worked on the feature for Madison's song. " Uriah said, shooting Aaliyah a dirty look that made her want to strangle him. "And she's not striking it off the record."
Malcolm paled and his lips parted in astonishment before looking to Aaliyah. Aaliyah felt her heart throb painfully against her ribcage when she met Malcolm's gaze, and she looked away, feeling her cheeks burn brightly. Willa seemed to have more words than Malcolm. "I knew it!" She exclaimed throwing her hands up in exasperation, "I knew that signing this girl on would be a mistake. You have just potentially ruined my niece's career!" She shrieked wagging an accusatory finger in her face.
Aaliyah blinked rapidly at her, not saying a word. Her throat had tightened so much that she was just about able to breathe.
"It was an accident," Xavier said lowly meeting Willa's eyes with a hard gaze, "She didn't know she was a ghostwriter on the song."
"And how was that possible? It says so in the contract we made her sign." Uriah snapped, glaring at Aaliyah, "Did you even read the thing?"
"Of course I did," Aaliyah snapped in a choked voice, "I had three months to read through that contract. There was no clause in it saying anything about me being a ghostwriter."
"Three months?" Uriah demanded, "The ghostwriter clause was only added into the contract at the beginning of August."
Aaliyah blinked not knowing what to say to that. She hadn't been here then, but she had the contract, Malcolm had given her three months before she came. She looked over to Malcolm and watched as the realization dawned on her face. "Her contract was still viable at the time that I had received it, but it wasn't the updated one." He said and then he looked to Uriah, "Her contract didn't have the ghostwriter clause in it."
Silence blanketed the hallway they were in thickly, and Aaliyah could barely breathe. It was Blair who broke the silence. "So what does this mean? She didn't breach her contract. She's in the clear."
"She did potentially hurt your cousin's career," Willa hissed, "I wouldn't even be surprised if it was on purpose."
"Why would she hurt Madison's career on purpose?" Xavier demanded with a cocked brow, "What does she gain from that?"
Aaliyah closed her eyes and looked up to the ceiling, trying to fight the tears threatening to spill when her phone vibrated again. This time without looking at it she knew who it was from, and at that moment, she realized he was the only one she wanted to see at that point. She blinked fast forcing her tears back. "I'm going to get some air," She breathed out walking back out the hallway, ignoring Willa's cold glare and even Blair's sympathetic eyes, and stormed out, and didn't stop until she was in the elevator taking her to the lobby where she would meet Jacks' soft teasing blue eyes and wide grin quickly to turn concerned when he saw that she was on the verge of tears.
Jacks didn't say a word, and only pulled Aaliyah out of the elevator by her hand and pushed her against his chest, wrapping his arms around her in a hug, until her senses were overwhelmed by his lime scented soap and the softness of his detergent on his clothes.
"How were you not told that you're a ghostwriter for other artists?" Jacks demanded incredulously, "Like you've been here for a month, writing for another artist and no one decided to bring it up. It's ridiculous! Did Xavier never bring it up?"
Aaliyah shrugged helplessly, idly twirling the fork around in her noodle stir fry. "Xavier and I don't talk much beyond our work. And I guess he assumed I already knew about it since apparently, it was in the updated contract, the one I was supposed to sign when I got here."
"But Malcolm said that your contract was still viable," He argued, with a frown taking another bite from his own bowl, "Something about that just doesn't seem right to me."
"That's because it isn't right." Aaliyah sighed, reaching out with her free hand to rub her bare feet, still aching from her heels. Halfway through the car ride over to the warehouse, Aaliyah had taken off the heels instantly feeling her toes relax from all the pressure being spent on standing on her tiptoes for almost three hours.
For their date, Jacks was going to make dinner for them both. They were in one of the lounge rooms of the warehouse that had completely transformed into a fancy dining room. A small round table in the center of the room, covered by soft white cloth and a vase with pretty colorful flowers. Candles sat on every surface and cast a golden light in the room and gave the room a more intimate touch.
Aaliyah had been so distressed that she was barely able to appreciate the gesture, but Jacks didn't seem to be all that bothered. Jacks also didn't cook beyond a cup of noodles, so the dinner plan was more or less a bust until Aaliyah suggested that she cook. "You never mentioned that you cooked." Jacks said in the kitchen whilst she was cutting up the vegetables for the stir fry.
"I was more or less at home a lot," Aaliyah explained with a shrug, not looking up from the cutting board, "Cooking was just something to do, I guess." That was at least kind of true. When Danica and Quincy had been out for long hours of the day, and Lauryn wasn't over for a lesson, she would cook or bake loads of different things to fill the boredom. But she had to learn how to cook all the meals for her foster parents since she was more or less their servant since she was old enough too. Danica had made it clear to her then that she's was not to live in their house for free, "If you're going to be a thorn in my ass, you might as well be useful for something," Danica had told her once at twelve years old shoving a bunch of cleaning supplies at her.
Now they sat on the sofa in the lounge room that was pushed against the windows that overlooked the Brooklyn bridge which dazzled with lights at night. Aaliyah loved New York in the day, but the sight of the City's twinkling lights blazing up and lighting the night sky like stars were beautiful. "What do you think Malcolm's going to do?" Jacks asked.
Aaliyah sighed, putting down her fork in her bowl. "I don't know, it was pretty tense when I left. I probably shouldn't if I'm being honest," She muttered, "They all probably think I'm some type of diva now. Especially since it's Madison's career at stake."
"When everyone is treating you like public enemy number one despite being guilty of nothing but being a little too honest, I think you deserve a little space," Jacks replied, nudging Aaliyah gently, "You're allowed to cut yourself some slack some time. You're not superhuman."
Aaliyah smiled graciously, sitting up a little in her seat, frowning again as she thought. "It's not just down to Malcolm anyway. It's down to all the shareholders and the board of directors, and to be honest I'm pretty sure Malcolm is the only one on my side. I'm supposed to have another meeting with them Monday morning about the songs I'm making. They'll probably turn it into a meeting with the principal because of tonight. I wouldn't be surprised if they decided to drop me from the label."
Jacks shook his head, his mouth turned down at the corners. "No, they'd be idiots to let you go. You're incredibly talented, and the world knows it now. Have you checked your socials yet, everyone is buzzing about Madison's new single."
"After everything, I completely forgot about that," She said with a tired laugh, "What have they said?"
Jacks grinned. "Everyone loves it, you've been tagged in hundreds of posts on Instagram and Twitter in the last two hours since the song dropped," He took her hand gently in his. "The world loves your voice Aaliyah, and they want more. It's strategically unfavorable for them to drop you now when you're bringing in loads of money for them."
Aaliyah rested her head on the sofa, as she stared down at their interlocked hands. "Maybe," She breathed, "But I don't know if the board is all that strategic when it comes to me. They'll find any reason to drop me, and I just fucked up someone else's career. I feel awful about it." Aaliyah and Madison didn't get along as well as they could, but that didn't mean she wanted her to fail.
"You didn't ruin her career, Aaliyah," Jacks said in a soft voice, "Everyone has ghostwriters. Some of the most successful performers have admitted it, the worst you've done is gotten her a little bad clout, but nothing that'll stick for long," He said, staring deeply at her, making her stomach turn inside out. His eyes were like an ocean, never still or constant, but always in constant motion, and if she let herself stop for too long, she'd drown. Aaliyah didn't want to drown, "If anything you'd get the bad attention for exposing her, to begin with."
Aaliyah glared, hitting him hard on the shoulder and Jacks laughed, throwing his head back. She sighed, sitting up before looking back at the small table with remorse. "You went through all of this for me, and I've unloaded all of my shit on you," She mumbled, looking back to Jacks, "I'm a terrible first date."
Jacks smiled shaking his head, putting down his bowl of stir fry. "You're not a terrible date," He said, "And if I'm being honest, I had the crew help out with all of this. And I almost burnt the kitchen down trying to make a lasagna. You pretty much saved it with the stir fry. Which is amazing by the way," He said raising the hand he held and pressed a soft kiss to the back of her knuckles, keeping his gaze on hers the whole time. Her breath hitched in her throat and she flushed, looking away.
"I even forgot," She said trying for a smile, "You're in Nationals."
Jacks let out a breathy laugh, looking away, his cheeks turning a little pink. Aaliyah couldn't help but smile at the sight. Jacks always seemed so confident with himself, so self-assured that seeing him flush was strange, but in a good way. It meant that he needed someone, even when it seemed like he didn't. Aaliyah was happy to be that someone, to be there for him the way he seems to always be there for her. "I still almost can't believe it."
"Why not?" Aaliyah demanded, squeezing his hand, "You were amazing, Jacks. You are an amazing dancer, Jacks. The whole choreography was beautiful, but I couldn't take my eyes off you. It's no surprise that the judges thought you were great."
Jacks shook his head, still smiling at her like she was the only thing that mattered. "No," He said, "I mean, I know I'm a great dancer, but there is so much I don't know yet. When West first found me, I was just some kid dancing on Subway Stations in Brooklyn, and that was almost three years ago. He taught me that there are so many styles to learn from different cultures that can all be incorporated into a two-minute choreography from ballet and the Brazillian Samba to Japanese Kabuki dance," Aaliyah stared in fascination and awe as he spoke so passionately about his love, his hands flying around as he gestured, his blue eyes danced as his mind went all over the world. He looked over to her and it was like The Call of the Wild in his eyes; feral and free, unshackled by burdens civilization demands. Blair always called Jacks laid back and unbothered, but Aaliyah thought he was far from that. There was fury in his heart, and urgency for freedom in his soul. "That's why I want to travel after Senior year, I want to be able to learn and study other cultures, infuse all of it so I can tell their stories with my dance because everyone deserves their stories to be told."
Aaliyah felt elevated by his passion and her heart soared with the clouds in the sky. For a brief moment, she felt what Jacks must have felt when he danced. Cold liberation. "And that's why you're doing this competition. Because you need the money to travel."
Jacks smiled. "The prize money is ten thousand dollars and split between us is almost two thousand dollars. And with my savings, I can use all of it to travel for the summer."
Jacks' voice was soft and gentle, but Aaliyah could hear the sense of cold steel and determination under it. Aaliyah recognized it, she felt it every day. The reason for her getting up in the morning. It was what brought her here to New York. She was glad that Jacks felt it too.
Aaliyah couldn't fight the smile off her face. "That's amazing," She breathed out, her eyes wide with astonishment and her stomach warm with the thought that she wasn't alone because at the moment that she met Jacks gaze, she knew that they were the same at their core, no matter what differences they may have on the surface. And that's what should matter, "You live and breathe your dance and it's in everything you do. It's beautiful to see," She said as their eyes locked. Jacks' breathing seemed to be heavier as they stared, and they stared at each other for a long time, their silence hanging above them, but it didn't bother her like she thought it would. She was content in the sounds of their heartbeats, and their breaths. She thought she felt Jacks move closer.
"You're beautiful," He said softly, and Aaliyah felt his breath dance along her skin and the calluses of his hands against hers, sending shockwaves down her nerve endings so that she was hypersensitive to even the air around her that seemed tighter.
She started to burn up, her cheeks flushing darkly as she turned away, looking back to the table, trying to fight the urge to look back at him because she knew that he was still staring at her. Memories from the night they first kissed came rushing back, the softness of his lips like pillows, how gentle he was with her, the way he caressed her skin, a feather touch. It was her first kiss, and it had been everything she ever dreamed of. It was what she thought it might be to be loved by someone. "I have an idea," She murmured looking back to Jacks with a slow smile. He was incredibly close to her, his eyes twice as dark and twice as large, as they had been under the night sky.
Jacks' eyes skipped down and then back up again, suddenly seeming back to his normal self and he sat back. "What's your idea?"
Aaliyah dragged him to another one of the rooms of the warehouse with a laugh barefooted as Jacks demanded an explanation. She remembered from one of the times she had looked around the warehouse and found a room with a piano, and after a few minutes of searching, she found the room and barged into it. Jacks looked around the room and then laid eyes on the piano, "I'm officially intrigued," He said looking back to Aaliyah with a cocked brow, "What's your idea, Aaliyah?"
Aaliyah grinned before moving over to the piano that stood before the mirror walls so she could see herself as she ran her hand over the piano cover before sitting down at the bench and lifting it up revealing pretty ivory keys, browned slightly with age. It was different from the piano at school, and the one on the Waters' balcony, but then every piano was different, Mr. Gonzalez had taught her. "Blair told me that even after the song's released I should continue to promote it, and myself, so I thought that now is a better time than ever," She said, and she turned around to look at Jacks who had slowly started to approach her leaning against the piano in front of her. She took a look at herself in the mirror, her hair still in their cornrows, and her makeup still intact, but she still looked a little unkempt, a little wild. But she felt like she was at home, "I want you to record an Instagram Live for me," She said taking her phone out of her bra and unlocking it before handing it over to Jacks who stared at her curiously, "I'm going to play something."
"Okay," Jacks answered in a slow voice as he brought up the app on her phone, "And you're just like Blair, keeping your phone in your bra." He said with a laugh.
Aaliyah laughed and rolled her eyes. "I don't have any pockets," She insisted, "I had to keep it somewhere."
"You're live," He said in a low voice, and then his eyebrows shot upwards in surprise, "Damn, you've already got people watching."
Aaliyah laughed at Jacks. "Well I guess that's a good sign," She said before she started with a smile, "Well hey everyone! A lot of you probably know me by now, because I'm almost certain most of my followers are from school. You probably know that Madison's song cursing just came out two hours ago, which explains why I'm here since I featured on it." She started, "I heard that it's being received really well and I am so thankful that you all loved it, it means a lot to me to finally have my voice shared with the world. And I want to remind you to continue sharing with everyone, with your friends, family, your pets even." She said with a laugh.
"You should see the comments, everyone loves you," Jacks said, then he peered at the screen with narrowed eyes, "Someone just asked who's talking."
Aaliyah grinned. "That's Jacks talking, he's helping me record."
"Someone else just asked who he is to you."
Aaliyah couldn't help but flush, and when she looked up to Jacks, who was looking back to her with a teasing grin that made a pit in her stomach. Was he a friend? Or was he a boyfriend? Aaliyah didn't know, how to introduce him. "He's been very close to me since I got here from San Diego," She explained, rolling her eyes when he started laughing, "Anyway, in light of recent events I thought that I'd come up on Instagram and like play something. Someone I know was very straight up with me about me trying too hard on here, and I guess he was right to some extent. So I thought that maybe I show you all something real. How do you guys all feel about that?"
"I'm only seeing good responses here," Jacks said as he eyed the comments rolling, "And damn there are already up to a thousand viewers."
Aaliyah smiled, "Thank you guys all for all your support," She said with a laugh before she took a deep breath and closed her eyes as she let muscle memory take over and she started playing the intro for Naughty Boy's and Beyonce's runnin', "The first song I'll play is runnin' by Naughty Boy and Beyonce, a song that really touches my heart, and I hope you feel that way by it too."