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MidReal Story
I want to date Taylor Swift
Scenario:I want to date Taylor Swift
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Chapter One
Alex
I was just some struggling musician looking for his big break.
As I sat in the small dressing room at the back of the club, waiting to take the stage, I thought about how many times I’d played this same gig, in this same shithole, to a crowd who really couldn’t have cared less about me or my music.
But tonight was different.
Tonight I was waiting in the wings to perform at the biggest music event of the year. The VIP section was packed with record company executives, famous musicians, and A-list celebrities. They were all here tonight, and by some amazing stroke of luck, I'd been added to the lineup at the last minute.
The pressure was on to deliver my best performance yet.
I took a long swig of beer, trying to calm my nerves. It wasn’t often an unknown musician like myself got a chance to perform for so many important people. If I could just get someone important to notice me, my life could change overnight.
But I had to be memorable.
I had to stand out from all the other hopefuls who would be playing on these same stages over the next three nights.
The door to the dressing room swung open and one of the event organizers popped his head inside.
“You’re up next,” he said. “Come with me.”
I stood and followed him down a narrow hallway, fiddling nervously with my guitar strap.
My hands were shaking as I reached our destination—a small platform at the center of a large ballroom. The dark room was packed with people, all talking excitedly and sipping drinks as they waited for the next performance to start.
The organizer pointed me toward a man crouched beside a soundboard near the front of the stage.
“Tell him what you need,” he said, then he disappeared back through the door into the hallway.
I swallowed hard and took a deep breath, trying not to freak out.
I’d played this song a million times before. It was one of my favorites—the only one I’d written for my ex, a girl I’d loved more than anyone else in this world. She’d broken my heart into a million pieces and shattered my soul when she walked away from me.
But I guess that’s what they call inspiration. And it had been worth it. That song had become my calling card, and it was the reason I was standing here tonight.
“Alex,” said a deep voice from behind me.
I turned and saw one of the event coordinators standing there, holding a microphone.
“Just give me a quick run-through so we can check your levels.” He motioned for me to move closer to where he was standing.
I strapped on my guitar and played along as he held the microphone out in front of him. He nodded when we were done.
“Okay, you’re good.”
I stepped back and closed my eyes, taking one last deep breath before it was time for me to step out onto that stage in front of all those people.
“Just relax,” said a gentle voice from beside me.
I opened my eyes and saw a girl standing there, her head tipped slightly to one side as she smiled at me.
She looked vaguely familiar, but I couldn’t quite place where I’d seen her before. It was probably somebody’s girlfriend or wife. They all looked like carbon copies of each other—tall, blonde, and impossibly beautiful.
“Yeah,” I said. “No problem.”
But she must have seen right through that lie because she just kept smiling at me until I felt my shoulders relax and my breathing slow down.
“That’s better,” she said. “You’ve got this.”
I grinned at her. “Thanks.”
The event coordinator stepped back through the door. “All right, we’re ready for you. Just head out there and—”
I stopped listening to him. I knew what I had to do. All I had to do was sing my song, and maybe, just maybe, luck would be on my side and I’d be discovered.
“Good luck,” said the girl.
“Thanks,” I said as I took a deep breath and stepped out onto the stage.
A few people clapped as I made my way to the center of the platform, but most of them just continued talking as though I wasn’t even there. I could feel their judgmental eyes boring into me as I adjusted my guitar strap and cleared my throat into the microphone.
“Hi,” I said. “My name is Alex, and I’m just going to play one song for you tonight.”
I felt like my voice sounded really small and weak, even in my own ears, but no one in the audience seemed to care. They were all too busy talking or staring down at their phones.
I took another deep breath and glanced up at the soundboard near the front of the stage. The guy standing there gave me a small nod, so I closed my eyes and started playing my guitar.
My fingers moved smoothly over the strings as I played the opening bars of my song. It was a slow, haunting melody, and by the time I finished playing it, the entire room had gone silent.
I opened my eyes and began singing like my life depended on it.
You never really know what you’re made of
Until you’re standing at the edge
And you’re looking down
Staring into darkness
With nothing but your fears to hold you back
And no way to tell if you’ll fall
Or if you’ll fly
But with every step you take
You know that you’re risking it all
To be happy
Is to be brave
And there’s no stronger emotion
No greater force in this world
Than that
Love is a war
But it’s worth fighting
For every last battle
Even when you have nothing left
To give
You keep on trying
Because you know that without love
Life is nothing more than an empty shell
And that’s not what we were meant for
We were meant to love
We were meant to fight
I had tears in my eyes as I finished playing my song. The silence that followed was almost deafening. It was like all of those people were holding their breaths, waiting for someone to say something.
My heart was pounding so hard that it hurt, and I couldn’t help but wonder if maybe I’d made a mistake by pouring so much of myself into this one song. The music industry is a hard place to make it. And even harder when you’re in love with someone who has no interest in you, and only sees you as a way to further her career.