Losing My Mind

Chapter 56

'Thank you, guys and best of luck to you too.'

'I admit you all surprised us.' Ashton says, 'Is it all an act?' He mocked her.

'Cheeky sod, no!' And they laughed. Once they stopped, she thought and asked. 'Daft question, but have any of you heard from Rory?'

'No, but I do need to tell you they want you side stage for soundcheck again. We've already been.' Elliot tells her.

'Oh, Ok.' She got off her chair and made her way to the side stage.

She looked around, trying to find the assistant who sorts the microphones.

'Psst.' She hears and sees a man whose eyes are hidden by a black cap.

'Me?' When she responds, he nods and invites her to come over. But, even as she draws nearer, she cannot identify him.

'I couldn't wish you good luck by text.' He lifted his head and gazed at her. She recognised his eyes. Ryleigh gasped and leapt into his arms. Rory's right; texting and calling are not the same as connecting to someone in person.

'How did you get here?'

'Josh and Kelsie, let me in.' She grinned happily, 'I've heard your songs. They're amazing.'

'Thanks. I'm glad you're here. I've been pretty nervous about the video, the songs-.'

'Hey, you're going to do great.' Rory interrupts her. She looks around to see if the area is clear.

'Are you going to give me a good luck kiss? I think I deserve one?'

He does a corner smile. 'I would, but I brought your number one fan.' He steps to one side to see a tiny person standing beside him.

'Ryleigh!' She called out.

'Layla.' She yelped and went to hug her.

'Good luck.'

'Aww, thank you.' She went back up to Rory's height. He wanted to kiss her, but Layla was very young and wouldn't understand keeping it a secret.

'We'll be watching.' Rory takes Layla's hand and makes their way into the audience. With his other hand, he grabbed Ryleigh's hand and held it til he had to let go. Everything is 10 times better now that he is there.

Elliot went first, excited the crowd, and she was next to take the stage. Everything she worked up to, this is her last chance to prove once and for all that this is her time to win. She walks onto the pitch-black stage with the spotlight on her and waits to be counted in.

Her lyrics scream the idea of a monster in her head, implying that she had no control over what she could do with her life. It was always bringing her down, telling her to be safe, even if you are miserable. She admits hiding all the happiness, all the bullshit; she had to convince herself that she didn't need to change.

She also confesses having a broken heart when she had to let her ex-fiance go, but it was the right thing to do. But now she is ready to knock all the walls down of her supposed kingdom and take the crown to the throne where it belongs.

The guitar riff got heavy, and the drums beat hard in her eardrums, with the lyrics that hurt her but made her feel better, finally releasing the anger that she had built up all over the years. Ryleigh held onto the last note and, while lifting her head, stayed there for a little bit, and it all went quiet.

The judges gave her a standing ovation as the crowd clapped for her and stood to applause. She dreamt about this one night and thought it'd never happen. Then, after what felt like 5 minutes of cheering, the judges sat back down, and she tried to look for Rory, but no luck.

'Ryleigh, Ryleigh, Ryleigh. WHAT?' Marcus says to her, 'How do you do it?' It made everyone laugh. 'You know how to grab people's attention without overdoing it. This is a fantastic track and fantastic vocals. All of it was fantastic.'

Everyone applauds and she mouths "Thank you" to him.

'Every time you perform, it's always something different, something unique to it. And it has just been...wow each time.' Aimee says. After that, she makes her way off stage.

In the green room, Ryleigh spent some time unwinding while Kelsie supported and encouraged her from the sidelines. Her body became buzzing with energy as this song reshaped her, giving her confidence before she gained her greatest feat: belief.

She was ready for round two.

Her final song of the evening was personal and focused on taking the next step in moving forward with someone. She hopes he likes it. Ryleigh gets called back onto the stage and stands by the keyboard in pitch black.

She hears the crowd's nose faint away and presses the keys on the piano to start. The lights were dim enough to make a silhouette of her, and the crowd were quiet and tuning in. She plays the sequence Rory had taught her.

The song's flow builds up as the rest of the band joins in. As soon as it happens, she walks away from the keyboard and moves to the centre of the stage, the lights are fully on, and she can already hear the shouts coming her way.

She reads aloud to him, almost like a poem, telling him not to be ashamed of his scars. Then, while they flee together, she relieves his suffering and stands by his side during his battles.

She's coming home: to his arms and into a new life, a future that she doesn't want to miss. His past doesn't change her mind about who he is now, and his touch and love will keep her safe.

The atmosphere was different with this song, and the crowd could feel it as she made it simple for them to sing along. When she finished, they cheered her on again, and the judges gave her another standing ovation.

'Oh my god, you seem to take something and go out with 110 per cent each time. It gives me chills.' Bruce comments. Ryleigh tried to look for Rory again, but still no luck. Never mind, she thought.

After Ashton played his second song, the TV show went for a break. Then, finally, they were all in the green room, and all the previous contestants came through the door. Ester grabbed onto Ryleigh.

'Oh my god, that was amazing!' She said.

'Ester! Thank you.' She squeaked. Ryleigh then said hello to everyone who was there. Then, in the back of the room, she saw Rory with his hands in the pockets of his overtired leather jacket.

'Hey, beautiful.' He says.

'Hey, you.' Ryleigh looks around for his little girl. 'Where's Layla?'

'She's with the nanny being cared for. She's had too much fun tonight.' He smiles along with her. 'That was amazing, by the way. You're a true-born performer.'

'Rory, stop. You're making me blush.' She says while going crimson red.

'I see the winner right in front of me.' Rory says, and she buries her head into his shoulder, still blushing.