Summer of Stars 🌟 [complete - Under Editing]

Virtuous Kiss

I now understand why some musicians chose to wear sunglasses while performing live. The lights of the Tacoma Dome were almost blinding as they gleamed down on the stark set. 

Behind me sat a grand piano and a cello where my accompanying musicians would join me after the first song. I was completely alone in a massive hall filled with thousands of bodies.

The thunderous applause and shouts from the crowd echoed and reverberated on the stage. There were pockets of angry 'Boos' coming from all sides, but thankfully I couldn't see their faces, which made them easier to ignore. All I had to do was follow Connor's advice, and this would all be over.

I approached the mic stand holding my guitar, trying not to shake as I adjusted it to the perfect position. Then, it happened.

I watched in horror as the mic tipped to seemingly dislodge itself and fall towards the stage. I swear, time slowed down as if to taunt me and I watched as the mic bounce once, twice, three times on the stage.

The industrial-sized speakers made terrible popping noises followed by an earsplitting screech of feedback that made everyone (myself included) wince. It was like nails on a chalkboard, only the chalkboard was the size of a football field and wired to everyone's eardrums. I stood there mortified, looking out over the audience with a stunned expression.

Frantically, I looked around trying to suss out the best path of escape, when my eyes fell on James at the side of the stage. 

From a distance, I could see that he was holding up a tablet. On the video feed was the only person in the whole world I wanted to impress, my daughter. Maddy's tiny body was jumping up and down in excitement, so I sucked in a breath as she watched the concert (and her mom) live on stage.

Slowly, I knelt down to pick up the mic. "Wow, epic fail? Or preemptive mic drop?" I cracked at the audience. "You decide."

The crowds roared with laughter and a refreshing wave of relief washed over my limbs.

"How is everyone doing tonight?" I asked them. The answer was deafening and indiscernible, but largely positive. "Are you guys as stoked as I am to see Ninja Bear?!"

I was getting a contact high from the shrieking fandom that threatened to crush the stage. I turned to wave at the boys enthusiastically (who were offstage and nowhere to be seen), which was actually a secret wave for Maddy.

The mob went nuts and I had to bring my fingers up to playfully plug my ears against the pandemonium.

"Ooh, I know Colton is going to love that shirt!" I said pointing at one of Ninja Bear's young fans in the front row.

Her tiny frame went into euphoric convulsions at the thought of her teenage crush noticing her. I fitted the microphone back into place and leaned in to tell the audience a secret.

"Well, the boys will be out shortly, but for now you're stuck with me."

The hoards of people bellowed their approval and I struck a chord on my guitar with a flourish that brought my hand to the sky. "This one's for you, you know who you are!" I shouted with gusto.

I began Over You, the song that had won me the competition, and to my utter surprise, people started singing along.

Up until that point, I had decided that there was no part of fame I wanted. It was an ugly beast that quickly became an insatiable monster, feeding on the drama and pain of others. But to connect with people through my music because it moved them, that was blissful.

I enjoyed every second of the song, tossing my head with sass and holding up the mic to the audience to hear them shout out the chorus. I even saw some parents in the front row who were singing, enjoying the empowering anthem's message.