Hi, all--just a quick note or two before we get into the next update, which is really where the story begins.
Our story jumps ahead to be a month later. I hope it's not confusing but it's just to keep things moving along. Also, as I said, the story begins here and the plot involves an award ceremony. It's funny because I recently read a spoiler that said that Jude will be nominated for an award this season (don't quote me on that, in case it's not true!), but this idea came to me back in January. I was going to write it as a one-shot, but once The Blackout was done, I figured I could incorporate it into the sequel.
Importantly, in Canada, the comparable music award ceremony to the Grammy's is called the Juno's, which is used here. I figured she wouldn't really be nominated in the States, so I tried to make it as realistic as possible.
Thanks for all of your feedback, you guys are the best! I'm going to try to get the next chapter out tomorrow so keep your eyes open for it...hope you ENJOY!
The next few weeks flew by as the combination of homework, songwriting, and sneaking around with Tommy was keeping Jude busy enough to blur the week together. The only days she knew were the weekends, when she tried to always find a few hours to spend at Tommy's apartment. She couldn't keep telling her mom that she was staying at Kat's, so she got creative with her excuses – working late at the studio over the weekend, pulling all-nighters with Jamie, or even visiting her father, which was one excuse she only used once because Tommy convinced her it was too risky. All of the excuses seemed to go unquestioned by her mom, who was luckily spending more time with Steven. Sadie, on the other hand, caught on to each of her lies but fortunately kept her mouth shut around her mom. And she even volunteered occasionally to drive her sister to her secret destination, which Jude was always incredibly thankful for.
Jude and Tommy were still paranoid in the studio but it seemed to be working. No one had caught them late at night and they managed to restrain themselves during the day. Kwest kept making sly comments about how Tommy was staring at her or how they were smiling at each other, but they both continued to deny his accusations. After about a month, they felt better about the situation. They had managed to get through 1/5 of their secret relationship and felt more confident at getting through the rest.
Right before 9:00 as the sound of the horn was blaring through the house, Jude ran outside with her jacket half on and bag in one hand. She approached the Viper and got in, throwing her bag by her feet and closing the door.
"Sorry I'm so late, my alarm didn't go off," she explained, pulling her coat on all the way.
He frowned at her. "I thought we agreed no lying between us."
She smiled and looked down. "Right, sorry. You got me. I overslept as usual."
"Thank you," he said with a grin and pulled out of her driveway, speeding ahead towards the studio. "It's a good thing you're on break from school or else you really would've been late."
"True," she agreed. "My excuses work much better on Georgia than on my homeroom teacher."
As they approached the stop sign at the end of the street, they performed their daily ritual and leaned in towards each other. They lightly pressed their lips together and parted with grins.
"Good morning," she said softly.
"Morning," he exchanged with a smile.
"So," she said, sitting back against the seat, "do you know anything about this meeting?"
"Nope, nothing," he said, pulling the car further down the street and towards the highway. "Georgia called me around 7 this morning and told me to get you and be at the studio by 9, which we're apparently not going to make."
"I'll think of an excuse, don't worry," she stated.
"I have no doubt," he said with a smirk.
Fifteen minutes later, they pulled into the parking lot of G-Major and got out. They jogged quickly into the studio and made it through the lobby towards the conference room. They hesitantly opened the door, hearing Georgia's voice echoing through the room. They silently walked in and took seats next to each other at the back.
"Well, how nice of you both to join us. Especially since this meeting is for you," Georgia announced, at which point everyone turned to look at them.
"What?" Tommy asked, nervous by Georgia's statement that the meeting involved them.
"We have important news you'll both want to hear. We got a call this morning from the Juno Awards. It seems that Jude's been nominated for two awards this year."
Jude's eyes lit up with excitement. "Really?"
"Yes, really. Best Female Performer and Best New Artist," she read from her notebook.
Jude shrieked with excitement and immediately turned to Tommy with a hug. He too was excited, smiling widely and hugging her back. He felt Georgia's eyes on them so he quickly pulled away.
"The ceremony is in two weeks, which doesn't give us much time to prepare. But we've divided and conquered the publicity and marketing tasks," Georgia informed them.
EJ stood up, looking equally as thrilled as Jude, and exclaimed, "Congratulations!"
Jude blushed as the rest of the room turned to congratulate her as well. "Thanks, guys. I could never have done any of this without you all."
"Save the acceptance speech for the ceremony," Georgia said as everyone stood to leave the room.
On her way out, EJ approached Jude, with Tommy still sitting next to her. "Jude, we need to talk about that night. I don't want you appearing alone again at another high profile event."
Jude looked confused. "What are you talking about, EJ? I took Jamie to Shay's album launch party two months ago."
"No, Jude, Jamie was a friend. I'm talking about setting you up with someone. Like on a date."
"A date for the awards ceremony? I thought I was allowed to take my parents or something."
"You are, but I'd like to add someone else to the list. I'm thinking an actor or maybe another musician."
Tommy sat silently grinding his teeth, pretending to read some papers Georgia had distributed on her way out.
"EJ, thanks for your concern about my dating status but I honestly don't think that's necessary. I'm not going to want to worry about some random guy when all I'll be thinking about are the awards. It's going to be stressful enough, don't you think?" Jude asked pleadingly.
"Please, Jude. Whoever it will be won't get in your way. We'll have him join you just for the after-parties. That way, the press can get some shots of the two of you dancing."
Jude sighed and tried one last time. "EJ, please, I really don't want to do this. It's just not me. I'm not good at set-ups."
EJ laughed and walked towards the door. "Oh Jude, relax. It's going to be great, I promise." At that, she opened the door to the conference room and left Jude and Tommy alone.
Jude sighed loudly and fell back into her chair. "Well, I tried."
"You could've just said no," he replied sharply.
She looked at him. "Are you kidding? I practically threw myself on the floor begging her not to do it. Did it really look like she was willing to give in?"
He abruptly stood up and looked at her. "I'm just saying, you don't have to do anything you don't want to."
She stood up to meet his gaze, her anger rising. "Tommy, don't you think it'll look a wee bit suspicious if I tell them I refuse to do this but I can't give them a good reason why? Would you like to explain to her why I shouldn't be set up?" He just stood there with his arms crossed and rolled his eyes. She saw his reaction and added, "The single Jude would've gone, she would've done it, I can't act like that's not me."
He shifted, still crossing his arms with frustration. "I just don't think you need to give in because they're putting pressure on you. The Jude I know wouldn't do something she doesn't want to, regardless of single or not."
She shook her head. "No, Tommy, you don't get it. This is something I would do. It's not something I would fight. I'd even be excited about it, if I actually were single, which right now, I'm seriously rethinking," she said crossly and took off, walking straight out of the room and slamming the door.