Sophie thought she must have been the luckiest girl in the world to have the family that she had. And finally, she was understanding that they looked up to her just as much. She stood and gave her sister a hug. "Thank you for telling me that," she said softly before the sisters all had to go out to the wings. Stevie and Lindsey sang, and then the sisters sang two songs each, starting with Sara, and ending with Bella.
Sophie waited in the wings, and watched as her parents sang, and then her sisters, and the crowd cheered for them. They weren't only singing for her. They were singing for everyone who had ever been driven to addiction, or anyone who had ever been hurt by addiction. It was for awareness, and that was such a powerful thing.
Stevie and Lindsey watched behind her after their set, quietly wondering how all of it was affecting her. The lights. The noise. That kind of thing had given her anxiety in the past. "Honey, why don't you go make sure that you-know-who got backstage okay," Stevie whispered, inching closer to Lindsey. He gave her a kiss, and walked off to find the guest they'd secretly invited.
Lindsey saw Justin waiting outside of one of the dressing rooms. "Hey Justin," Lindsey said, bringing the kid in for a hug. "Good to see you, again, sir." Lindsey looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Sir? You've already professed your love for my daughter right in front of me. I think we're past 'sir.'"
It was a great comfort for Justin to know that Lindsey was coming around to the idea of him and Sophie. He couldn't blame him for not wanting anyone touching her. "I really do love her, sir—I mean...Lindsey?" Lindsey thought it over for a minute, before deciding, "Lindsey's fine. And I know you do. And you wanna know how I know? Because the first time I ever saw her mother, when I was sixteen years old, I looked at her the same way. And I have ever since. Just promise me something."
"Sure."
"Don't push her too hard too fast, because even the strongest people can break. And especially since you guys are both in recovery, which makes this more complicated, I don't want either of you going out and getting tempted by stuff. And lastly, there's one thing I really can't handle in this world, and that's the thought of someone disrespecting, or hurting one of my girls. So, don't you ever do either of those things to Sophie. Got it?"
Justin knew he was just being a protective father, but God was it intimidating. He didn't know how to respond in any way other than, "yes sir." Lindsey could tell that he'd freaked the kid out a little, and gave him a pat on the back. "Don't lose sleep over it. Just remember, like all us guys do, how lucky we are to love these women." Then, Lindsey left him to go back to Stevie.
By that time, Justin could see the back of Sophie's head as she watched her sister Bella perform. He recognized her long flowey blonde hair, and when it was curled and shiny, it looked just like her mother's. He wasn't sure how to approach her. He didn't know if he should surprise her, or if he should let Stevie and Lindsey lead him to her. He knew she probably wasn't planning on performing, even though she had an amazing voice that she never liked to show off. He didn't know that if his reappearing would set back the event in some way. He'd wait until after the show to see her, and he knew it would make his night.
Stevie walked up next to Sophie, and wrapped an arm around her. "So, what did you think? Pretty great night, huh?" The last song had just been finished, and Sophie was in complete awe. Her family, as well as the other artists had been incredible. "Absolutely," she beamed.
Before either of them could say something else, Bella spoke into the mic on stage. "And now, I'd like to welcome someone very special to the stage. She's never sung in front of an audience like this before, but I think you'll all be glad she decided to, tonight. Please welcome my baby sister, Sophie Buckingham!" Stevie was totally shocked to see her youngest go out on stage, all smiles, waving to the adoring crowd. She was met with screams, and massive applause. Sophie gave Bella a hug before she hurried offstage into the wings to meet her parents.
"Bella, sweetie, what's going on? She's never done this. This could be pushing it too far," Stevie started, really beginning to worry. "Don't worry, Mom! She's fine. She's a natural. And now, everybody's gonna know that." Stevie shot Lindsey a worried glance, before he took her hand in his. "She'll be fine, angel." He kissed her quickly, before taking his guitar, and heading out on stage to meet Sophie. It made Stevie feel better to at least see her out there with her father.
"Hi everyone," Sophie smiled into the mic. Another round of cheers erupted for her, and she felt her heart sing. Now she understood why her parents had been doing this for over forty years. "I'm Sophie, and I'm here, tonight to tell you guys a little about myself." The crowd, as well as everyone in the wings quieted down in expectation.
Sophie took a deep breath, looked back at her dad who gave her a smile, and continued. "I'm only eighteen, and a lot has happened to me, already. I've suffered through mental illness for my whole life. Anxiety, depression, anorexia, and other things that weren't really in anyone's control. I have a family who would do anything for me. And I would do anything for them. But...a little while ago, I started doing something that I shouldn't have.
"I got mixed up with drugs, and while I thought it would make things easier to numb myself, it only made things worse. Walking in on your child, who you have loved and raised forever, passed out in blood with no heartbeat...that is something that nobody should ever have to do. And it was certainly not something that my family deserved. I'm clean now, though. Almost two months, and I can say with confidence that I never want to go back to where I was.
"I am stronger now, and happy. And while it takes work, recovery is the best gift that you can give yourself. And this isn't just my story."
Sophie looked off to see her mom in the wings, tearful. Her sisters looked proud of her.
"This is a story that belongs to millions of people. And tonight, we're not here promoting drug addiction. We're here to show how damaging it is, and how much good recovery can do.
"This is a song that I've heard a lot," she said with a laugh, before looking out into the crowd. The lights were blinding, and it felt like she was in a dream. "And its meant a lot of different things to a lot of different people. Recently, its taken on a new meaning for me. Its sort of like a scripture, or the serenity prayer, that I replay in my mind over and over. Its been dedicated to hundreds of people before, and it will be dedicated to hundreds more. But there's one person who it has never been dedicated to, and that's the person who deserves it most. Someone who has so bravely shared their story with the world to warn against this issue. Someone who has always picked me up, and told me that I was beautiful and worth it, even when I wouldn't believe it. Someone who I love with all my heart.
"So I'd like to dedicate this song to my Mom, the one and only Stevie Nicks, and its called Landslide."
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR NICE COMMENTS AND SUPPORT OF THIS STORY! THERE WILL BE ONE MORE CHAPTER!
