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Editor Note: The images used for this story were purchased and used under royalty-free license* from iStockphoto.com . ~Sephrena
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Comments and suggestions are also welcome at the above email address.

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Sarah Carerra Book 3: Concerto in A-

Chapter 3.31 - The American Music Awards

On Sunday I woke up excited for the awards show. But after returning home from church my day started to take a turn for the worse that left me worried about what would happen later that night.

It started with the weekly countdown. 'Ever After' had managed to claim the top spot on the list last week. But this week it had already given up the title. It had fallen hard, coming in at #6.

I knew when we released the song that it wouldn't have the same impact in the market as my other singles. The fairy tale nature of the song, which really gave it an ethereal feel that I liked so much, limited the fan base that liked it. The song was by no means a failure. Very few songs ever make it to the top spot on the countdown, and I was extremely happy that a song that meant so much to Emily and me had garnered as big of a following as it had. But I was still sad that it wasn't as popular as one of my more mainstream popular hits.

I sighed, but I didn't have much time to contemplate the impact of the large drop the song had made in the charts, because Julia and Stephanie had arrived to help me get ready for the awards show. Alone.

I missed sharing this moment with Emily. We'd had a lot of fun just getting ready for the Video Music Awards, let alone the great time we had at the actual show. But this time I was taking Ethan with me, and he did not need Stephanie’s services. Julia had made sure to attire him in a very expensive suit, but he was dressing in another room.

After Stephanie had finished with my makeup Julia helped me into the dress that Avalon had designed for the evening. It was a black dress that fell to my knees. What gave the dress that 'Glam' factor required of all of Sarah's clothes was the shimmering effect that the fabric of the dress provided as I moved. It was subtle, but oh so very eye catching.

"Thank you both," I said once I was ready. Their smiles told me that they worked with me for much more than just the money. I considered both of them close friends now. We spent enough time together.

"It is our pleasure," Julia replied while Stephanie nodded vigorously.

I smiled back and led them out of the room. I continued down the hall and into our front room where I found my parents waiting with Ethan. He looked unbelievably handsome in the black suit he was wearing. He stood up and gave me the same approving look that I had been giving him.

"You look beautiful, honey," my mom spoke first. I turned my attention to her and my mind drifted immediately back to the night I had attended the Tween Awards with Josh. Back then both of my parents were worried about letting me out of the house with a handsome young man. My life had changed completely that night as I came to the realization of who and what I really was after returning home and talking with my mom.

"Thank you, Mom," I replied, smiling.

But tonight, they had no reservations whatsoever about letting me out of the house once more to walk the red carpet with a boy. Why should they be? Not only had they known Ethan for nearly my entire life, but also tonight was not a date. I shivered slightly at the thought of going on a date with Ethan. That would be weird - very weird. No, tonight was an outing as friends. Just because he was a boy and I was a girl didn't mean that it was a date. I had promised him the chance to attend an awards show with me just like I had promised Emily.

The look he was giving me when I turned back to him, however, was not what I would expect to see from a friend. I couldn't fully read what it meant, but it reminded me so much of the night I had kissed him after my first concert that I worried about him. That kiss - those feelings - had sent him running to a summer camp for weeks. I had thought that I had ruined our friendship that night, and I was starting to feel the same way now.

"Are you okay?" I asked him.

"Yeah," he replied. "It's just...”

"Weird?" I finished for him after he had trailed off.

"Yes," he said, laughing at the same time. I smiled at the icebreaker, and I hoped it was enough to keep the evening light and carefree. I didn't want him to feel out of place with me. I didn't want him to even consider running away again. I knew that we had a strong relationship. We had cemented that a few days ago at the dance. But there was still a fragility to it that revolved around the new dynamic that becoming Megan had thrown into the mix. We were teenagers, and there was always some sexual anxiety involved when two members of the opposite sex were together. Normally I had Emily there to offset that anxiety and to remind us of our friendship.

But tonight we would be alone.

Sure, we would be in a large audience broadcast all over the world. But we would still be alone together. The last time we had been alone together I had dressed up to look as much like my old self as I could when I went over to his house after he had returned from the summer camp. Tonight I was wearing a slinky little dress that played upon my feminine wiles to help increase my image. I didn't know how he was going to react to that.

"It doesn't mean anything," I said quickly, trying to defuse the situation. "We're just friends, right?"

He frowned.

I backtracked immediately. "I mean, it means SOMETHING," I reiterated. "But it's not a date. Right?"

He was silent for a few moments, and I knew I had blown it. My goal tonight was to not bring up the difference in our relationship compared to what it was before. I wanted him to remember that I was his friend first and foremost, not a girl whom he was still getting to know. But I was still so bad at keeping his mind off of that. I could see it in his eyes, and I didn't know what to do.

"Just friends," he finally stated with a smile and held his hand out to me. "Are you ready to go?"

"Yes," I replied, thankfully.

I breathed a sigh of relief as we walked toward the front door. But when he opened it we came face to face with a young boy I had never seen before. His eyes went wide immediately as he recognized me, and his mouth dropped open, but no words came out.

"Hi," I told him as Ethan pulled me forward and around him. I also couldn't resist the temptation to kiss the poor boy on the cheek as I passed. He just stared back, frozen in place as we continued down the walk.

"Hello George," I heard my mom say behind us. The humor in her voice was quite evident, and I knew she had seen the kiss. "Austin's in his room."

Once Ethan and I had slipped into the waiting limo we burst into laughter. It took us a while to calm down again, but when we did I found the Ethan of old staring back at me.

That made me smile all over again and brought some of the excitement I had lost back into my day.

* * *

"Are you ready for this?" I asked Ethan as the limo approached the drop off point for the red carpet.

"Probably not," he said, but he had a smile on his face and in his eyes unlike the look of terror that Emily had when she was in the same position. "But it should be fun."

I smiled back at him. I had taken Emily to many more events than I had taken Ethan to. That was partially because she was a girl. I couldn't imagine Ethan at one of the Starshine parties. It was nice to share this experience with him.

The limo came to a stop and the door was opened from the outside. Because Ethan was at the door closer to the curb he was the first one to exit the car. Cheers erupted from a crowd that was located nearby. They didn't care who he was, he was there. I watched him casually wave to the crowd, and their noise died down some when they realized they didn't know who he was.

He took their attention in stride and then turned back toward the limo and offered me his hand. I looked up at him as he helped me out and I immediately knew that he was having fun. There was a light in his eyes that I hadn't seen in a while. He was smiling back at me with one of the biggest smiles that I'd ever seen from him.

The cheers erupted again as I emerged from the car. People recognized me, and their noise showed it. Once I was on my feet I waved to the crowd like Ethan had before turning toward the red carpet.

Ethan was standing there, waiting for me. He had a goofy look on his face when he held his arm out for me that made me laugh, but I slipped my arm in his and we began walking forward.

"This is insane!" he whispered into my ear over the noise around us. He was grinning widely as he looked from side to side. I could tell that he was impressed, and every time he caught sight of someone famous he nearly swooned.

We stopped at a number of places to get our picture taken. I tried to keep Ethan near me as often as I could. He kindly stepped to the side at the few places that wanted pictures of me alone. But not once did his smile ever falter.

Eventually we found ourselves being waved over toward one of the many interviewers vying for my attention. I didn't know the young lady holding the microphone, but she was standing next to a crew from a very respected entertainment television show.

"Sarah!" she greeted me excitedly as we approached. "It's so good to meet you!"

"It's nice to meet you too!" I responded excitedly. I had hoped that she would provide me with her name, but she didn't.

"I’ll get right to the question that everybody is already asking," she said. "Who is this handsome hunk on your arm tonight?"

I wasn't able to hold back the laugh that jumped almost immediately to my lips. I wasn't laughing at how much she was gushing over Ethan, but at the 'who me?' look that had jumped onto his face. It was nice to see that Ethan still had a great sense of humor in the midst of the chaos of the red carpet. I put my arm around Ethan, pulling him close to me as I responded.

"This is Xander Dailey," I replied while turning my gaze back to the girl and the camera behind her. "He's been one of my best friends since we were little kids."

"And are you enjoying the red carpet experience, Xander?" the girl asked him.

"Very much so, Gail," Xander replied. I was surprised that Ethan had recognized her, but I was also thankful that he had provided me with her name. "But I always enjoy spending time with Sarah."

He turned to me as he said that, and the look on his face confused me. He was smiling at me again, but it was a smile that I didn't normally see from him. It was the smile I usually got from the male fans that I met whenever I was dressed as Sarah.

I was speechless, but Gail filled the air with another question, oblivious to Xander’s look.

"You've been nominated for four AMAs tonight, Sarah," she said. "That's an impressive feat for someone so young. How do you handle all of the pressure that is sitting on your shoulders?"

"I try my best," I told her. "When I was first offered a recording contract I never thought that anybody would like my songs. I'm still in awe at the fans I get to meet. I just want to reach out and do whatever I can to help make their lives better. I don't do what I do for the fame or the money. I do it to see the elation on their faces as I sing, as I sign an autograph, or just in passing. It's the fans that we are honoring tonight, and I want to thank every single one of them."

"Well said," Gail replied. "Good luck tonight."

"Thank you," I told her.

Then we moved on. There were more such interviews as we continued down the red carpet. There were also more photographs being taken. Eventually we made our way into the theatre, my arm still intertwined with Ethan's.

* * *

Ethan and I were really enjoying ourselves as act after act got up on stage during the awards show. The sixth row gave us a very good view of the stage. We were even sitting close to the center. Unlike the VMAs, the American Music Awards focused more on being a performance show than an awards show. There were 17 performances with the awards intermingled in between. Ethan was having a blast watching all of the famous singers and groups perform. It was like some kind of super concert to him.

I was enjoying the show just as much as he was. The main stage had been split into three separate sections. One performer would perform on one side of the stage while the next act would set up on the other side. A small section in front of the two performance areas was used by the presenters of the awards. It had been chaos during the dress rehearsal I'd been part of last week. But luckily I really only had to show up and sing.

Clarissa Montague, one of Josh Holliday's old flames, had just finished performing when the front area of the stage lit up once more where Tommy Sinclair was waiting at the microphone. Tommy was a relatively new, though successful, actor. I had met him on the Tonight Show after I had released my album. At 22 he was also one of the hottest actors in movies these days.

"Every year we see new bands and new singers willing to provide us with new experiences and new music," Tommy told the crowd. "Tonight we honor the best of those newcomers. The nominees for New Artist of the Year are For the People," He had to pause for a moment as clapping echoed throughout the theatre. "Caleena," he continued before pausing for the crowd once again. "Shauna," he announced. "And Sarah Carerra."

It was probably just my imagination, but after Tommy called my name and the crowd started cheering and clapping once more I couldn't help but think that it was louder than the others. Even if it wasn't, the recognition from so many people still brought a smile to my face.

"And the winner is..." Tommy said before unsealing the envelope he was holding.

I waited nervously for him to speak, but it seemed like time dragged on. I had been nominated for the same category at the VMAs with each of these individuals. I had lost that award to For the People, but I hoped the tide would be turned tonight. This was likely the only award I had a chance to win tonight.

"Sarah Carerra!" Tommy said into the microphone. The crowd erupted into cheers and I felt myself take a breath. Then the smile crept onto my face and I turned to Ethan.

"You really deserve it," Ethan whispered to me. I was keenly aware that we were being watched by millions of people on TV, so when he leaned over and kissed me on the cheek I was scared about my reaction. He had never done anything like that before!

I didn't have time to contemplate why he would do that as I moved toward the aisle and then toward the stage. I had done the same thing to Josh when I had accompanied him to the Tween Awards at the beginning of the summer. It hadn't meant anything when I did it, but it had developed into something more. I knew that Ethan didn't feel that way about me, but the kiss had still been unexpected.

Once I reached the stage I took the trophy from Tommy before he too kissed me on my cheek. Then I stood before the microphone.

"Thank you!" I said immediately. The AMAs were fan voted and I wanted to make sure that they were recognized first. "Thank you to all of the fans who voted for me."

There was some cheering and clapping throughout the crowd, but my time was limited so I kept talking.

"I still can't believe that you guys like my music so much!" I told them. "But I certainly love sharing it with you guys. This one is for the fans!"

I lifted the statue, and the entire theatre erupted into noise. I knew that they wouldn't calm down soon enough for me to say anything else before my time was up so I blew them a kiss instead.

The crowd roared louder, and then I was escorted off the stage toward the gauntlet of media that followed a win.

* * *

My luck did not continue when they announced the winner for Favorite Pop/Rock Album. Travis Edmunds took that title and I sadly left my seat afterward to prepare for my performance. 'Intuition' had sold enough albums that I thought it had stood a chance to win the award, but the fans had not agreed. I would have liked to win, but I also knew that my next album, which I was already starting to compile, was going to be much better.

I found Stephanie waiting for me in my assigned dressing room - a small, curtained off area. We didn't have much time to talk while she touched up my makeup and I changed my dress, and then I hurriedly made my way to the stage. I found the band there quickly putting the finishing touches on setting up their equipment. Tim, the man in charge of taking care of Sparkle at all of my concerts, was with them and he quickly helped me slip the strap of the guitar over my head before I moved into place.

The lights that we had used to get ready faded, leaving us in darkness. The large barrier that they placed in front of the unused portion of the stage lifted, and I saw many members of the audience peering in. It was too dark for them to identify us, but I knew they were trying. I had tried to see who was performing every time one of the barriers had opened for a performance.

But the crowd’s focus was diverted as a spotlight shone down on someone on the far side of the front stage. The crowd started clapping for a bit before they calmed down enough to let the person in the spotlight speak.

"The next performer has managed to capture the hearts of many people worldwide in a very short time," Tracy Hall said. Tracy’s current crime drama was one of the most watched TV shows this season. "Her music first graced our ears this last summer but she has already become a multi-platinum selling artist. Performing her new single, 'Your Time Will Come’, please welcome Sarah Carerra!"

The lights illuminated my band and me immediately. I strummed my guitar at the same time that Stacy's drums echoed throughout the theatre and my dancers started moving around in their choreographed moves. The crowd cheered, and I smiled.

Everyone, including the crowd, quieted as I started to sing and play through the first part of the song. This was almost a true debut for the song because most of the people listening to my performance had never heard the song before. I had only performed this song once - at the school concert - and it wouldn't be released as a single until tomorrow morning.

I continued to sing my heart out as we played. This song deserved to be performed to the best of my ability every single time I performed it. I could not move around the stage as much as I normally did because I was playing Sparkle, but I made sure to put that extra energy into the song.

The same emotions I had felt when performing this song for Austin at the school came rushing back to me, and I knew that he was watching. I did my best to remind him how much he meant to me, and how much faith I had in him. I hoped that the rest of the audience would feel the same way.

I looked out at the crowd during the long instrumental at the end. I was too far back on the stage to see any facial expressions. But I could see people moving along with the music, and I knew I had accomplished my goal. I also knew that I had given the song a fighting chance to become one of the most popular songs in America.

And I knew that the audience appreciated it.

* * *

I was still backstage where Stephanie was touching up my makeup once again when I was informed they were presenting the nominees for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist. I'd barely had enough time to secure Sparkle with Tim and change back into my red carpet dress. I had to hurry to a designated spot backstage so they could film me while announcing the nominees.

"Sarah Carerra!" I heard as I got into place and the red light on the camera in front of me came out. I smiled my best, and tried to keep from panting after my performance. The red light went off, and whoever was presenting the award continued announcing some big names. Stella, Allyson Sutterfield, and Kristy Deltoro had been my opponents at the VMA awards in this category, and any one of us was poised to win this award.

"And the winner is...Sarah Carerra!" The light on the camera came on once again to catch the large smile that spread across my lips. Then, before I knew what was happening I was being directed back onto the stage. It had only been about five minutes since I'd been in front of the crowd as they cheered after my performance, and they were nearly as loud as I walked over to the podium and accepted my second award of the evening.

With the trophy in hand, and a smile on my face, I turned toward the microphone.

"I guess you guys liked that last song, huh?" I said. There was some cheering and laughing from the crowd. "Again I want to thank all of the fans. I wouldn't be here tonight without you. I'm just a simple girl trying to share my songs with the world. I never expected that you guys would like them so much! Thank you!"

It was simple, and to the point. My dad, Amy, and I had all agreed to keep the gratitude for any of the awards I won tonight pointed at the fans since it was a fan-voted awards show. There were so many other people that I wanted to thank, but I had stuck to the plan.

I made it through the media gauntlet once more and finally made my way back to Ethan and my seat.

A few more awards were given out and we had the opportunity to enjoy a few more performances from some big names. Overall, I was satisfied with what I had achieved this evening. Two awards is no small feat! I had missed out on one of them, and it seemed unlikely that I would win the big award of the evening. I knew that I had a lot of fans, but NOBODY had won the Artist of the Year award their first year. In fact, it was very rare to even be nominated for the award the first year. Usually performers were nominated for the New Artist of the Year their first year before they were even considered for the big award.

That was why I knew how honored I was to be nominated for both awards this year. The nomination showed just how quickly I had become popular. Nearly every day I still found myself wondering how all of this had happened. How had I gone from the shy person I had been to someone who craved the attention I got on stage? I had been so scared for most of my life to share my talents with anyone.

But now...now I couldn't imagine not performing for others.

"And the nominees for Artist of the Year are," Leon Raime, a very successful musical artist announced as the night was coming to an end. "Allyson Sutterfield."

Ethan reached out and took my hand.

"Travis Edmunds."

I looked over at him. He was smiling, and I smiled back before squeezing his hand.

"Sarah Carerra."

He returned the squeeze, and I almost stopped caring about the award. Just having Ethan here was almost an award in itself. I thought that I had lost him earlier this year, but he was proving to be more resilient than I thought he was. I didn't think that our friendship had ever been as strong as it had been this past week. Something had changed between us, and I liked whatever it was.

"Mark Bruno."

I turned back to the stage.

"and Stella," Leon concluded. "And the winner is..."

My grip on Ethan's hand tightened.

"Travis Edmunds!" Leon announced, and the crowd went wild. My heart fell, even though I knew it was a long shot that I'd actually win. I had hoped I would, at least. Ethan squeezed my hand once more in reassurance, and I looked over at him.

He was a very worthy consolation prize.

* * *

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