Nameless

Chapter 5

The night came as though someone had betwitched time to accelerate. Suddenly the day Jasmine was playing in the park seemed so long ago. suddenly the Jasmine from a week ago was gone, and replaced by a nervous wreck that could not stand her heels as she stood backstage with the rest of the crew.

She stared at the crowd out there, and gulbed. Jasmine flinches from within as a soft sting of electricity shoots through her. That touch was now familiar. She looks down and Aiden's fingers are interwining with hers,

"Are you okay?"

She looks up at his hopeful, yet slightly afraid features, and smiled, "I will be."

She goes back to peering at the crowd, "There are just. so many people. Are you certain they know what they're attending? I mean, no offense but it is still just a talent show."

She knew that this was an annual thing. That sponsors were attending and taking this rather seriously. But Aiden knew better. He knew that this was some sort of banishing machinism so that Jasmine would try and be less aware of her nerves, so he did not answer her. He just rubs her hand in soft and slow strokes of his.

He was watching tv, and she took a shower. He was watching tv, and she was starting to get ready. She was ready, looking gorgeous and charming, and he.. well,

"Why are you still in those clothes, dear?" She adresses her grumpy husband as he tried to seem careless, flipping through channels.

"Honey? Please, please go get ready. You should come with me tonight, and we're already late." Her plea makes no difference, though. It angered her  before, her daughter's behavior. But, very much unlike her husband, she came to the inevitable realisation that she has an adult for a daughter, a responsible one at that.

"We have to trust her. You can't lock yourself in here and never face your daughter again. Be reasonable I beg of you. She'd want you there, sweetheart, you know she would." She takes a seat on the sofa beside him, strokes his hair gently as she spoke the truth to her stubborn husband.

"Please?"

"Alright people, let's go let's go! Ashely, you and your choir are next. Aiden! You have six minutes until it's your and.. " The director, Jason, stares at Jasmine with no clue what to call her.

"Jasmine." Aiden helps him. "Yes. Be ready. Alright I don't want any delay! You slack, you get sacked! Let's go!" He readjusts his headset and goes back to his pacing and shuffling around, ushering Ashely And The Weirdos next to the curtain for their routine.

Jasmine feels her stomach drain, "Oh my god, oh.. my god we're next. We're right after them, Aiden I.. I don't.." The air seems like a luxury as panic strikes her.

"No, no you're fine. We're going to be fine. Hey, look at me!" Aiden holds her arms, sternly yet confidently.

"We've got eachother. We've got this, we'll be just fine. Let's not lose our cool, it's only a five minute routine. Five minutes, Jas, okay? You're going to be great. And we'll be right behind you. Right guys?" He turns to the crew and they nod hotly, supressing their own nerves. 

Jasmine's heart rate decreased and she sighed, her mouth upturned at them all. she nods and smiles.

"Five minutes.. We'll be worth it. We've got this." She nods at Aiden who smiles reassuringly.

"Hey, hey hey! what's with the meltdown people? Let's go, be ready now come on!" Jason strides back on them and Owen flicks him off behind his back.

The next minutes tick by as though they were mere seconds and next moment, Jasmine is taking out her guitar and, like Jason had warned her, trying not to sweat of her makeup would trickle down her face. She watched as Ashely and her girls rushed backstage looking flushed, and absolutely gleeful. I can do this. She repeated the mental talisman to herself as she walked after the boys.