Invisible string

Chapter 2: the interview

Jason added quietly, “And when words don’t appear, I make sarcastic suggestions. Mostly terrible ones.”

Hazel grinned at him. “Surprisingly, sometimes he’s right.”

Nick glanced at them both. “Looking ahead, what can fans expect from you guys? What’s in the future for the band?”

Hazel shrugged playfully. “Well, we’re definitely cooking something here. More music may be on the way.”

Jason nodded. “And maybe more hair experiments. My curls are… evolving.”

Hazel laughed, shaking her head. “Yeah, experimental curls. Watch out for that.”

Nick smiled. “Any advice or message for your fans?”

Hazel leaned forward, her expression half-serious, half-teasing. “Don’t get lost in your own head too much—but if you do, remember there’s a song about it. Come scream with us.”

Jason gave a small nod. “Earplugs optional.”

Hazel smirked. “Or not. That’s also optional.”

Nick leaned back, shifting to a lighter question. “So, Hazel… any chance your love life inspires any of your songs? Or… is it a mystery?”

Hazel felt a faint flush rise to her cheeks. Talking about herself outside of music had never been her strong suit. “Uh… well, I mean, I like girls. That’s… public knowledge, I guess. Since I started my musical career—and the band with Jason—I’ve never hidden who I am. So everyone kind of knows,” she admitted, her voice quieter, almost awkward.

Jason shot her a supportive but mischievous glance. “She’s basically a walking, talking biography at this point. No secrets, just songs.”

Hazel waved a hand, hastily trying to steer the conversation away. “But… dating, romance, all that… there’s really no time for that stuff. We’re busy, okay?”

Jason leaned forward with a sly grin. “Yeah, if she spent as much time on dating as she does writing lyrics at 2 a.m., the world would have, like… ten more heartbreak anthems by now.”

Hazel rolled her eyes but couldn’t suppress a small laugh. “Thanks, Jason. Always keeping me humble.”

They steer the conversation elsewhere and answer a few more questions, but Hazel is starting to get restless. She wants to sleep, and then get back to trying to write.

Nick chuckled, tilting his head toward Hazel. “So… collabs? Any thoughts there? Could be optional for you two?”

The question snapped her out of her thoughts. She wasn’t sure if it was the delirium from lack of sleep or if she just felt silly, but she glanced behind Nick and noticed the Folklore album on the wall. She thought about how maybe Taylor Swift never gets writer’s block with how much she writes. Hazel had never met her. After all, she and Jason had just started getting noticed and being invited to awards last year, but she had always been a fan of Taylor’s songwriting.

Which a lot of people might find shocking, given the difference in genres, Hazel both screams and raps in her songs. Taylor sings beautifully—country, pop, and folk. Two totally different worlds. But she couldn’t deny she found the singer absolutely stunning; she remembered watching the Brit Awards when Taylor sang “I Knew You Were Trouble”, and her jaw had practically hit the floor during that outfit change. But alas, Taylor and she sounded like water and oil.

She was also pretty sure Taylor was straight and taken—though she recalled reading that Taylor had broken up with her boyfriend of years and then been linked to the guy from The 1975. Not that Hazel really read or trusted the news—she knew how easily narratives could be twisted.