Invisible string

Chapter 2: the interview

JULY 2023

Hazel was tired.

She and her bandmate Jason had been on the road nonstop these past few months. Not only that, but they had also been finishing the recording for their next album. She had to admit that while she was exhausted and would have very much liked to just stay in bed for a full day, they were gaining so much popularity that she couldn’t really complain.

Over the past three years, they had finally struck a record deal. They had written and released an album officially—though they’d made others before that, none had been with a label. Now, with the label “Vessel" their album was doing really good, their music was climbing the charts. A song she wrote, Car Radio, had even become a hit on the rock and alternative charts. They had momentum, and they couldn’t stop.

Even if they could, Hazel didn’t think either she or Jason would want to. This—connecting to people through music, hearing the audience scream their lyrics back at them—was everything they had ever dreamed of.

Now, after a year on tour that was finally nearing its end, they were already working on their next album. Hazel still had so much to say, so many thoughts to throw out there.

“Are you finishing that song you told me about last night?” Jason stepped onto the bus and approached her with a gentle smile.

Hazel had been sitting at the table, staring intently at her notebook for what must have been twenty minutes.

“Nah, man. I’m stuck with this one. I just can’t seem to find the right words.” She exhaled, frustrated.

“I think you need to do something else. Clear your mind. Then you’ll come back relaxed, and the words will flow—you’ll see.” He bumped her shoulder with his fist, and she laughed at his antics.

Jason and Hazel were the same age. They had met back in high school, when both of them were struggling. They connected through their love of music and bonded over something else they had in common: parents who didn’t approve of music as a career.

Also, he was the first person she ever talked to about her sexuality—about liking girls. And he always stood up for her in school when the bullying was too much, and later, when her parents kicked her out. They eventually came around to accept it, but that was beside the point.

Since then, they had been inseparable. Jason and Hazel against the world.

“Ugh, I hate that you might be right,” she said.

“Might? I am right.”

Chris Woltman, the band’s manager, chose that moment to step onto the bus.

“Guys, you have the interview in 20 minutes. Hurry up.”

“Already? Wasn’t it supposed to be at 3 p.m.?” Hazel asked, shoving her notebook into her backpack.

“It’s 2:35,” Chris replied.

“Damn, I swear I looked at the clock ten minutes ago and it was only 1.” She muttered the words under her breath while Jason only chuckled.

They headed to the building. Their staff had already prepped everything, and all Hazel and Jason had to do was show up. The interview was meant to cover their current album, the end of the tour, and give a small tease about the one coming next year.

When they released Vessel, Hazel had cut her hair really short, and Jason had grown a beard. Now, almost two years later, Hazel’s hair had grown to her shoulders, and Jason had trimmed his beard. His curls were also longer and more noticeable. While on tour, Hazel had added several tattoos to her arms.