A/N: HEY! So here I am. And not alone either. A chapter has come with me.

I got a little frustrated after I posted the last chapter. I had written a lot of the last (this) chapter and was really excited and then out of the blue, I just couldn't write on it anymore. So I took some time off of it because I wanted the ending to be just right. So every day for the past like three weeks (has it been that long? I don't remember.), I would write a little. Since I had almost all of the conversations done yesterday (except like three of them), I decided to finish the performances. I had Karma's already done, but needed to work on Mason's and Jude's. Now, I am halfway done with Mason's, but I have yet to start Jude's; I am little scared to tell you guys the truth. I don't know why. Anyway, I was working on this at like three in the morning today when I decided to look at the word count, I had hit a little over 5,000 words and was only halfway complete with Mason's performance, hadn't even started Jude's, was still working on two other conversations, and had to add three more. So I decided to do something I didn't really want to do, but I am doing it anyway or else you'd still be waiting for any update from me. I made the last chapter into four, so the story will have a total of 25 including that stupid author's note I did at the beginning.

That's it.

I think I rambled enough for now, I still have three other chapters to ramble on…

This chapter is just fun…a lead up to Jude…because "It's ALWAYS about Jude!" (Something kinda happens, but it doesn't really really show until later.)

THANK YOU to: Jommy23, kisstommyq, Nicki-hunny, Monkeyluver42, Pickyfan, and Jude136! You guys made me write faster...(believe it or not!)

THANKS MUCHO!!!

Vinyl Palace was almost ready. Music was filtering through the overhead speakers into the club to get everyone ready for the performances. Last minute checks were made throughout to make sure it was ready to go for when the guests arrived. All of the G-Major staff was backstage waiting for the show to begin, relaxing in various spots. Tommy and Kwest shared a couch near the dressing rooms, looking over all of the Instant Star singles. "So are you ready?" Kwest asked, setting aside Karma's and opening Mason's box with his car keys.

"Ready for what?" Tommy replied, staring at the cover of Jude's single.

"To hear Jude's new song. After all, you were the inspiration," Kwest said, pulling out some of Mason's singles and nudging Tommy with his elbow.

Tommy set Jude's single in one of the three piles in front of him and looked at Kwest. "Yeah, don't remind me."

"Why?" Kwest wondered, facing his friend.

"You think I wanna be the inspiration for a song that I'm thinking basically says 'kiss my ass, fucker!'?" Tommy asked incredulously.

Kwest smirked, trying to stifle any laughs. "Well, if you put it that way, I guess not."

"No," Tommy said, shaking his head, looking away from Kwest, "I want. Love songs. Songs of…devotion and…utter happiness," Tommy finished, with a faraway look in his eyes.

Kwest looked at Tommy and smiled widely. "Yeah. She so has you whipped."

Tommy whipped his head back at his friend and scoffed. "What? I am not whipped."

"Keep telling that to yourself," Kwest said, patting his friend on the shoulder.

"Tommy Quincy is NOT whipped!" Tommy shouted. A few technicians looked over at Tommy, laughing.

"I don't think the whole world heard you, man," Kwest said, smiling.

"Yeah," Tommy said, thankful that the lighting backstage was dim enough that no one saw his cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

Kwest turned away from Tommy and spotted Portia talking to an unknown blonde. "Hey, did Sadie bring along a friend I didn't know about?" Kwest asked, nudging his friend.

"What are you talking about?" Tommy asked, his attention back on the cover of Jude's single.

"That chick. The one talking to Portia," Kwest said, pointing to his far left, "The Blonde, Tom."

"Oh," Tommy said, seeing the woman Kwest was talking about, "I don't think I've ever seen her before. Maybe she's a new friend," Tommy said, shrugging.

"Yeah. Maybe," Kwest said, not believing his friend.

"So, you ready to rock the stage, Miss Harrison?" Karma asked, walking up to Jude who was getting a touch-up by Portia in the makeshift dressing room they had created in the hall; the air in Jude's actual dressing room was a bit stifling.

"I better do something soon. These boots are killing me," Jude cringed. She had been fine for the 10 minutes it had taken to convince herself she looked good, after that her feet started to ache.

"Pain is beauty. It's a mantra, try it," Karma said, adding more lip gloss to her already shiny lips. Portia giggled as she reached for more eyeshadow, Jude's eyes already closed.

"What I do for this business," Jude whined.

"You asked for it," Karma said, leaning next to the mirror that Portia was using for Jude's touch-up. Jude opened her eyes suddenly. Thankfully Portia wasn't doing her eyes at the moment.

"Remind me never to ask you to cheer me up. You suck at it," Jude glared, smiling. Portia laughed as she got Jude to close her eyes again.

Karma shrugged. "Not my job. I'm just here to get the party started," Karma said, dancing a little in the small space the three girls inhabited.

"Yeah. And get my band members to drool over you," Jude scoffed, her eyes still closed as Portia finished lining them for the second time that day.

Karma stopped dancing and straightened up. She looked to her right and saw SME tossing around some clothes that Portia had given them to use for the show. She turned back to Jude and Portia. "About that. I think I hurt Spied's feelings," she said, hesitantly.

"Spied has feelings?" Portia asked as she lined Jude's lips.

"I know," Karma said, laughing a little, "I kinda said he was Boy George."

"Boy George? Funny-" Jude said, looking through her peripheral vision to take a peek at Spied, "Wait, add a little eyeshadow and-okay, no. that is mean."

"That's not it," Karma cringed, continuing.

"What else do I have to do damage control on?" Jude said as Portia added lip gloss over her liner.

"I kinda implied that Wally or Kyle was John Moss," Karma said.

"You questioned their sexuality?!" Jude asked jumping a bit, causing Portia's hand to move in the opposite direction as lip gloss streaked Jude's cheek.

"That's below the belt," Portia commented, wiping off the excess lip gloss from Jude's face.

"Almost literally," Jude muttered.

"Yeah, I know. I'm sorry," Karma pleaded.

"Don't say sorry to me. Say sorry to SME," Jude said, tilting her head to the boys.

Karma looked over at the boys again. "If I have to. I'll be right back," Karma whined.

"Um, Tommy," Kwest said, nudging his friend, but never taking his eyes off of what lay in front of him.

"Huh?" Tommy asked, listening to Jude's voicemail for the fifth time in ten minutes.

"Tommy?" Kwest said, not knowing if he should tell Quincy what he was seeing.

"Kwest, she's not answering," Tommy said as he placed his phone on the table in front of him, "Where is Jude?" Tommy asked, facing his friend.

Kwest finally broke his stare and looked at Quincy. "Tommy, that's not Sadie's friend."

"What?" Tommy asked, confused, "How do you know?"

Kwest took a deep breath. "How many girls do you know that wear a star ring?"

"Is that a trick question?" Tommy asked, his eyebrows scrunching in frustration.

"No," Kwest started, momentarily looking back to his previous fixture, "It's a-"

Tommy glanced over at what had his best friend in such a huff. "Oh my God. That's Jude." 'It can't be. No freakin' way,' Tommy thought to himself, in awe of what his eyes were showing him.

"Um," Kwest said, looking away from the girl in question.

"Isn't Kwest?" Tommy asked, his eyes still fixated.

"I-" Kwest said, returning his gaze to their original spot, when he had started his conversation with Quincy.

"Kwest!" Tommy exclaimed, getting angry that his best friend wasn't answering him.

Both men broke their stare and turned to face each other. "Yeah. It is."

A/N: I figure since you've waited sooooo long for me to post anything, I'd give you something to hold you over until I post again, which actually should be like this weekend since the next chapter is done, but I want to wait until I get the third chapter done. :D

"So I wanted to say I was sorry," Karma said, leaning against an amp in front of SME.

A moment of silence passed. "I don't know," Spied said, shrugging his shoulders.

Spied's face contorted into confusion. "Wait. What?"

'I am not Britney Spears'

"Hey kids, my name is Patsy," she read off of an index card in her hand, "and I've been given the lame duty of introducing your Instant Stars tonight," she continued ad-libbing when she felt appropriate.

Karma thought Jude would understand, it was about music and nothing else.

There you go...I'll post more when I get back from the beach tomorrow...or some time this weekend!

ENJOY!