Disharmony

Bad Reputation

After finishing his first five songs, he took a pause and flashed a smile to the audience. Adjusting the guitar strap on his shoulder, he wrapped the fingers from one hand around the base of the microphone as the other reached up to run his fingers through his hair, pulling his dark locks upwards.

"So are you guys having a good time so far?" he asked the crowd, his voice somewhat raspy from singing.

The crowd responded with a raucous cheer until he held up a hand to signal they be quiet.

"Well guys," he continued, "I have some pretty exciting news for you. I'm sure you've all heard of Kasia Stevens."

A murmur ran through the crowd, followed by some soft cheering. She hardly expected his fans to react enthusiastically at the mention of her name; after all, their song styles were quite different, meaning they catered to different demographics and audiences as well. Nevertheless, she had no doubt that whether they thought of her positively or negatively, they had heard of her, and that's all that mattered.

Instinctively, she pulled the bill of her cap further down in order to hide her face and made sure her hair was still tucked up into the hat as well. She knew she was being paranoid, but the last thing she needed was for someone to recognize her and cause a scene. After her last public escapade had landed her on the cover of every tabloid in the country, she had promised Henry that she would stay out of the spotlight until the tour started.

However, when she had heard that the artist Henry had invited to be her opening act was in town performing a gig, she couldn't help but succumb to the urge to check him out. After all, if she would be spending a lot of time in the next months with this man, she wanted to know something about him.

Sure, she knew what she read in the magazines. He was the golden boy of the music industry and the media alike: wholesome and pure and incapable of doing wrong. However, she had always been a strong believer in forming her own opinion of people, so when she saw the opportunity to see for herself, she jumped on it.

Focusing her attention back to the stage, she nearly fell from her stool in shock when her eyes met deep aquamarine pools. Gulping, she blinked a couple times, assuring herself that there was no possibility that he was able to see her in the crowd.

His eyes remained trained in her direction for a moment longer before scanning the room as his smile widened. "Well, I'm thrilled to announce that I will be opening for her on her tour this year."

The crowd went wild once more, and he grinned, his eyes twinkling as he placed a pick between his teeth and began the next song. Sighing in relief, she sat back in her stool and silently enjoyed the rest of the concert.

Two hours and a thirty-minute encore later, she found herself glancing around suspiciously as she stood near the side of the stage. Once a security guard had turned his back, she quickly hopped over the low metal barrier and hurried towards the dressing rooms in the back.

She had been quite impressed with his performance. Throughout the night, he had managed to keep the crowd entertained and involved, a feat not many performers could accomplish. Still, his on stage persona told her nothing about who he was as a person. Only a close inspection of his personal effects could provide that information. Thus, she was on a mission to find his dressing room.

She wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for, she just knew she was curious. Once she found a door with his name typed out on a sheet of paper and taped to the front, she pushed it open carefully and poked her head inside. Thankfully, it was empty and she crept into the room, shutting the door silently behind her.

The room was messy. Various article of clothing, including shirts and hoodies, lay strewn over couches and chairs. About six different pairs of shoes, mostly Converse of varying colors, scattered the floor and an acoustic guitar lay on the table in the center of the room, surrounded by multi-colored picks with the initials XS engraved on the front.