Portrait of Him | Wilbur Soot ✔️

A Gig

"And lastly, a big thank you to all the people behind the stage, that work out all the technical. Honestly, without them, not a thing would have worked. So cheer for them, they deserve it!" Wilbur encouraged with a wide smile.

The crowd went wild another time that evening. The band gig had been a great success for lovejoy. Generally, they had built quite the fan base. They had just published a new EP and it completely went through the roof. Even better! Beyond the sky. They had gone on tour, for now only in the UK, and we're sold out. Their management team had planned even more concerts.
They were soon to be the new arctic monkeys.

"And now, sadly. We have to say goodbye. It was a great pleasure to play for you. But believe me, we will be back!" All of the band members formed a line at the front of the stage and bowed down. The people cheered and didn't stop until each of the four left to the side of the stage and and the lights were turned off.

Backstage, they were greeted by their manager and some assistants, who passed them water and some towels to dry themselves off. He went to high five every single one of them. "Amazing job, guys! You're really having a run. I'm so proud." Matt had only become their manager a while ago. It was his first position of this sort. And the success of the band had completely overwhelmed him. He had been working non stop with organizing sponsors, getting gigs and hiring other people. In no world would he have expected the bands popularity to explode like that.
It was almost perfect. He liked his four stars, his children. He did feel like a proud dad sometimes. He was noticebly older than all of them. Therefore, it wasn't a surprise that he had an absolute overview of the atmosphere amongst the band members.

So, of course he knew that there was a problem child. Wilbur.
It wasn't like this at the very beginning. Wil was the reason this band existed. He was sweet, genuine, passionate, caring and kind.
Matt wasn't sure what the crucial turning point was. He guessed, that it was the fame, the money and the admiration. Wil's ego had gone up an obnoxious amount.

He had started to talk down to people, basically spitting his words. His friendly eyes turned more annoyed with every unnecessary interaction he did not care for. His mask fell the very second he left stage. The moment he stepped out of public view. It was like a chore to look nice. His once optimistic point of view faded into an I-don't-care-attitude.
He had been nice to fans. Those interactions were rarely longer than a minute or two.

Aside from that, people around him had grown bitter of his behavior. Wilbur was dear them his friends, yet had become the friend they avoided to talk to because they knew that he had lost interest in most of them anyway.

"Imma just go to my hotel room, I'm done for the day. " Wilbur explained with an overly exhausted tone in his voice. He took a step away from the group, signaling his upcoming absence.

"I thought we were supposed to spent the evening together? This is basically the last day of this tour before we leave to go back to Brighton!" Ash stopped him, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You've already skipped two of the previous nights out."

First, Wilbur looked at him, then the other three people around him, letting his eyes wander from one person to the next. He then gently took Ash's hand with his thump and index finger and dropped it in the air. "Yeah no, I really don't feel like it. Drink on my behalf, Matt. You deserve it the most. I'm sure you guys are gonna have a great night without me." The praise did not sound like actual praise, even Matt himself caught onto that. It felt more like a stab in the back with a toothpick to the others.

Wilbur wasn't aware of that, but if he had been, he wouldn't have made the efforts to clear it up anyways. He turned his back and left to call for a taxi.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Authors note:
I plan on doing relatively frequent updates. I have resently finished another Wilbur fanfic called "Call me what you like" so if you need a story while you're waiting for new chapters, be sure to check that out.

If you happen to like my writing, I'd appreciate a vote a lot
~Claire