[Ryan holds the award aloft. Thunderous applause roars from the crowd.]
Jasmine
I was standing with rest of the team backstage as they led Ryan over to the wings. She came immediately to me and threw her arms around me.
“Did I do okay?” she asked. I could feel her heart beating fast,boom-boom-boom, through her dress. “I was so scared. I forgot to thank you all. I didn’t know what to do.”
I squeezed her tight and said, “You were perfect.”
Sixteen
Teen StarMagazine, November 2012
Pop star Ryan Holding isn’t going to let the haters hold her back!
The 23-year-old “Mine All Mine” superstar got some serious side-eye from Helladonna when the “Candy Wonderland” legend presented her with the Artist of the Year award at last week’s AMAs.
“So much hate comes from other women” like Helladonna, Ryan said in her acceptance speech.
But this catfight ended with claws safely sheathed. The strawberry-blond bombshell seized the moment to preach girl power to the people and share the challenges she faces as a “woman in this industry.” In a chic champagne gown and pumps to die for, she encouraged artists to “stand tall.”
Hopefully she can find a man who can handle her new heights!
Mari
Ben and I broke up shortly after the AMAs.
It wasn’t just about my relationship to Ryan’s fame, though I would be lying if I said that didn’t play a role. It was a lot of things. He was looking to settle down and have kids, and I still didn’t know what I wanted out of life, where I’d like my career to go.
And I did want a career. A good one.
Without our weekly dates and his constant presence around my apartment, I realized that my life was ... quiet.
I had a few friends, no one close—a lot of them were hangers-on who wanted invites to Ryan’s and Kylie’s parties and sort of faded when I’d had my argument with her. I had decided to stay on campus over the holidays because I would start applying for summer internships over the winter and wanted to get my portfolio in order. Also because Ben and I were going to spend them together.
But without him, I was looking down the barrel of a very long and empty few weeks.
And that’s when Ryan called me.
“You want to come over?” she said.
When I showed up at her house, I stood on the front step, and she opened the door and said, “Hey.”
I said, “Hey.”
Then she said it all in a rush: “I can’t believe I accused you of being as bad as Justin. I was a wreck, and I was out of my mind with the whole situation. If you can ever forgive me, I’ll never let you down again.”
I said, “You can’t promise that.” I smiled. “But I forgive you.”
And she pulled me into a bear hug.
“I missed you so bad at the AMAs,” she said into my ponytail.
“I missed you too,” I said.
We spent the rest of the afternoon making pizzas from the Pillsbury frozen dough and watching HGTV and painting our nails together.She caught me up on everything that had happened at the end of theDiatriberecording sessions and the AMAs show.
“And you brought Kylie,” I said. I didn’t mean to sound so whiny. I didn’t really mean to say it at all, but it just sort of came out.
