CHAPTER TEN
THE RULES OF SELINA
ATLANTA, GEORGIA
3 weeks later
"Breathe," Tai told me, handing me a bottle of water. I nodded, taking deep breaths in. I sat in my dressing room, wearing a shit ton of makeup and a tight bodysuit. These weeks have gone by so quickly and tonight was the day of my concert. First I would be singing my song Recipe of Hate, then I would be singing my song with Madison Beer, First Love.
I hadn't spoken to Ricardo and I stayed clear away from the auto shop in these last few weeks. But no matter what I did, it seemed like my crush on him never faltered. I hated my heart for being so vulnerable and I honestly wish I never met that asshole.
There was a knock on my door and one of the stage managers walked inside. "Selina, it's time to get you in position,"
I began to panic, feeling like I couldn't breathe. Tai grabbed my shoulders, forcing me to look at her. "I wanna go home. I-I can't do this,"
"Home is 4 hours away from here—Atlanta. We've been here for a week, rehearsing for this day. You have 3,000 people who paid to watch you sing. So you're going to take a deep breath again, and you're going to give them a show they won't forget," She assured, fixing my hair. "You can do this,"
Together, we did some breathing exercises before I was rushed out of the dressing room. From backstage, I could hear the chatter of the people who came to hear me.
Madison talked with Nick before her eyes connected with mine and she smiled at me. She hugged me, something that I truly needed. "It's going to be so incredible when they realize Madison Beer here. They're going to go crazy,"
"Nah," She said, shaking her head. "They came to see you. They're going to go crazy when they see you,"
The Stage managers pulled me away and guided me to the platform behind the curtains. They adjusted my earpiece, making everything prepared for me.
The curtains opened, and instantly, lights shined on my face. On the stage were a drummer, a guitarist, and a few backup singers all wearing black. My throat tightened and I closed my eyes, breathe Selina.
"Hello, Atlanta!" I yelled, making my way to the microphone, feeling my nerves dance.
"Thank you for having me. Ya'll ready for tonight?" I said, earning even more cheers from the audience. A grin appeared on my face, there was no way this was real. The soundtrack began to play, and my grip on the microphone tighten. Closing my eyes, I tapped my heel while silently counting. Come on, Selina. You can do this.
Then, I began to sing Recipe for Hate.
"All along you weren't with me. You said 'I don't want you here anymore, so leave me. I said, 'But how could I do that if you haven't freed me?'" I was surprised to hear the audience singing back, but it only encouraged me.
"Do you know, I still wear your leather jacket? It matches the knife you placed in my back, yeah,"
The audience cheered, my lips curving into a smile.
"I'm at your mercy but tell me would you come if I rang your line? You picked me up to throw me against the wall, yet you're still on my mind,"
I closed my eyes, pouring emotion out through my words. "I didn't know I was replaceable but here you are with your new valentine. When you touched my skin, I knew you felt my heart rate. But us together is my Recipe for Hate,"
"Ever since you changed, we don't have fun these days. And this used to be our world but look what you've done," The drums began to slowly take off, and I detached the microphone off the stage. I bent down, holding hands with some of the girls up front.
"I love your hair," I said, earning a gasp from one of the girls. A giggle escaped my lips and I walked back, holding the microphone to my mouth again. "When you stopped loving me, I believed it just was a phrase. I guess when the lights went out, it meant you're my Recipe of Hate,"
The song ended and the audience cheered, and I swear I heard my name being changed by some people in the back. "For this next song, I have a surprise guest. She's really fucking cool and she's here to sing a song that we haven't released yet. You guys are the first people who get to listen to it,"
About 7 stage managers pushed the grand piano to the center of the stage, and the second curtain was pulled down, so the drummer, the guitarist, and the singers couldn't be seen.
I took a breath, sitting at the piano before adjusting my microphone onto the stand. With shaky hands, I began to play the melody. People in the audience turned on their flashlights and lifted their phones.
"Fell in love when I was young. Just two naive kids having fun, staying out, and getting drunk," I sang, feeling sweat roll down my forehead. "We'd share secrets in his favorite mustang and a few kisses too. Yeah, my daddy didn't like him much but we didn't care. Thinking we would be together for the rest of our lives,"
"He used to tell me that he loved me. We used to sing songs by the beach, next to the waves that never stilled. We always spent our Sundays together in his bed. Here I am, replaying memories in my head,"
Madison appeared on stage, and the audience went crazy. It was honestly hard to play the piano because all I wanted to do was look around. "Now, we got responsibilities and I'm thinking back, to my very first love. Yeah, I know we still dream about the nights we shared," She sang, waving at a few fans and making her way over to me.
"He used to tell me that he loved me," She leaned against the white piano, keeping her eyes on me.
"We used to sing songs by the beach, next to the waves that never stilled," We both sang, making sure to harmonize correctly.
"We always spent our Sundays together in his bed. Here I am, replaying memories in my head,"
"Now, we got responsibilities and I'm thinking back, to my very first love," I continued playing on the piano, playing the same melody repeatedly only changing the octave. As the notes got higher and higher, the song slowly ended.
When the curtains came down, we could hear the audience lose their minds. Madison pulled me into a hug, telling me how amazing I had done. Everything felt so surreal like it wasn't even real. But I knew this was just the beginning.
"And ladies and gentlemen, that is a wrap for Selina Maxwell in Atlanta," One of the stage managers said, earning a round of applause from the rest of the crew. I smiled, a tear rolling down my cheek before I pulled them all into a group hug. "Thank you guys, so much,"
When we broke apart, Tai cupped my cheek. "You should be very proud of yourself,"
"Thanks, Tai," I said, sending her a genuine smile. My backup singers, Ashley and Maya ran up to me and gave me another hug. A small giggle escaped my lips, and I threw my head back.
"I'm going to miss you guys," I said, a small frown settling on my lips.
"Oh, Selina. We're going to miss you too. Let's take a picture to remember this moment," Maya said, handing the phone to Tai. Together, we smiled at the camera, nothing but happiness in our orbs.
I heard my name being called so my head turned and my eyes landed on my parents. Mom and Dad pulled me into a hug, with tears in their eyes.
"Princess, you did so fucking amazing," Dad said, pacing a kiss on my cheek.
"Everyone was screaming and singing along to your songs," Mom said, wiping a tear away. "And we were just sitting there like 'that's our baby,'"
"Thanks, guys," I said, fighting the urge to start sobbing. Whenever I saw someone crying, the tears always threaten to come out.
Dad's eyes narrowed when he looked down at my outfit. "Let's cover this up," He said, taking off his coat and wrapping it around my body. I rolled my eyes, chuckling with my mother who only shook her head.
"So I will be coming back to Atlanta on the bus with Tai. You guys don't need to wait for me," I assured them, handing his coat back to him.
"Is that your way of telling us to fuck off?" He asked, crossing his arms. I kissed their cheeks before running back to my dressing room. "Love you guys!"
I opened my door and walked inside. Just when I sat down, there was a knock on my door, and I groaned. Opening the door, Tai stood there with a confused frown on her face.
"According to security, there was a gentleman in the crowd who wanted you to have this. They told him they cannot take gifts but he was very persistent," She said, holding up a neatly decorated box. "Don't worry, it's been cleared by security,"
"Oh, okay," I said, slowly grabbing the box, and opening it. Inside, there were about a dozen lollipops wrapped in a bow with a small note attached.
I'm sorry.