Never Always (NaNoWriMo 2014)

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-One

I opened my eyes and found Grady standing in front of Carrington’s set. Everyone was waiting. The band. The stadium.

Everyone.

This was the worst song.

To this day, I still loved the song but it was hard to listen to. It was an apology and a gift. Every time I’d hear the first strumming cords, I’d be taken back to the night at Fifty-Third when he first played it. I remembered how I begged and begged for him to learn it and his insistence that the song wasn’t the right one for the band to play.

“I don’t like playing it.”

I hugged his arm. “Why?”

His hand wrapped around my leg and pulled me closer. “Because it reminds me of things I’d rather not think about.” He kissed my forehead. “Let’s not talk about this, ok?”

Watching him now, I knew his reasoning was still valid. The song was still painful reminder of the promises he hadn’t made.

He let out a breath and walked down-stage, stopping next to Hush who started to play.

Today is gonna be the day that they're gonna throw it back to you

By now you should've somehow realized what you gotta do

I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now

Grady’s voice melted through the air, curling, swirling, enchanting. Butler patted me on the shoulder before following the tape around the back of the stage to the other side, leaving me to myself.

Their performance of the song was flawless, even better than the first time at the bar. The emotion put into it was undeniable and by the time it would end, no face in the house would be dry.

Mine wasn’t.

I didn’t want to stay where I was but barging out on stage wasn’t the right thing to do. Yet.

Stage left was where I was supposed to be, so that’s where I stayed.

Someone nudged me forward. I glanced back and found Karen standing there, not surprised to see me. Go she mouthed.

I shook my head I can’t.

She nodded and nudged me again Can.

Going out there wasn’t my thing. I hung in the background and waited. That was always my role, one among many supporting characters. She shrugged and went the way Butler had.

By the beginning of the last verse, he was back to struggling and he still had the piano bit to get through. He was rocking it out the best way he knew how without it becoming a mournful mess. The crowd was swaying and clapping along with the hits of the tambourine.

Ever the performer, he left them to emulate the tambourine so he could finish.

Something went wrong, however. He kept playing the same notes after the guys finished, when the song officially ended. After going through it maybe twice, he began banging on the keys. It made a horrible sound and hinted at the breaking dam inside.

He was done. They wouldn’t be able to get anything else out of him.

That’s when I knew.

It was time.

Emory had unhooked his bass and was about to take it off when I rounded the riser of the upstage. He saw me and stopped. Hush stood there like always, but acknowledged my presence by nodding. They were leaving this to me.