Falling Between the lights

Concert day

I woke up to the sound of my alarm on a Saturday morning. Groaning, I reached for my phone and squinted at the screen—7:00 a.m.

Way too early for a weekend.

Normally, I would've rolled over and gone back to sleep without a second thought. But today was different. Today was concert day.

And suddenly, waking up early didn't seem so bad.

I was working with my dad at a venue in London. I'd been going with him to arenas and venues for as long as I could remember. Ever since I was little, I'd loved everything about it—the lights, the music, the energy. It wasn't just something I enjoyed anymore. It was my dream.

And now, at sixteen, I was finally chasing it.

A soft knock sounded on my door before it creaked open.

"Are you up, sweetie?" my dad asked, peeking inside just as I was about to get out of bed.

"Yeah, my alarm just went off," I replied, stretching.

"Are you excited for today?" he asked, his voice already full of energy.

"I'm very excited," I said with a smile.

"You know that famous boyband, December 10, is playing tonight," he added, like he was reminding me of something I could never forget.

"Yeah, I know. Auntie Becca texted me—they're doing a show here," I said.

"Great. Are you excited to see her? You don't get to see her much since she's touring with them as their photographer."

"Yeah—very!" I said quickly.

It was still kind of crazy to think about. My aunt was touring with December 10.

Most people would probably assume that meant I talked to the boys all the time—but I didn't. I'd never even met them. Becca had sent me photos and videos from tour, of course, but that was it. They didn't even know I existed... or that she was my aunt.

From everything she'd told me, though, they seemed nice. Funny. Normal.

Today would be the first time I'd actually see them in person.

And yeah... that would be interesting.

But honestly? I was more excited to see Becca.

"Okay, I'm going downstairs. Meet me there when you're ready," my dad said before leaving.

"Sounds good!" I called after him.

__________________________

Downstairs

"Okay, I'm ready!" I said, walking down the stairs to where my dad was waiting.

The clock now read 8:00 a.m. We always had to be early—way earlier than everyone else.

"Alright, let's go," he said, grabbing his keys as we headed out the front door.

The venue was about a 30-minute drive away, which honestly wasn't bad compared to some of the places we'd been.

___________________________

In the car

I pulled my phone out of my pocket and opened Instagram. Out of curiosity, I checked December 10's page—and, as expected, they'd just posted about tonight's show.

Of course they had.

I scrolled through the post, reading the comments filled with screaming fans and heart emojis.