I pull my knees up to my chest and set my chin on top of them, observing everyone doing their own thing in the dressing room. Nino finally quit using that hairspray and has instead been working on her intricate eyeshadow look. Tay was sitting criss-cross in the corner of the room tapping her drumsticks against her practice pad, the rhythmic thumps accompanying the scattered chatter throughout the room.
Alex had his head over Nina's shoulder, both of them absorbed in the game on Nina's phone. Bert was clicking something on his camera, presumably fixing the settings for shooting later.
I rub my arm as I begin to get up and make my way over to Mads, who was plucking the bottom strings of her bass.
I sat down on the floor next to her, "Hey. This bass is really nice."
She turns to me and nods in acknowledgment, "Right? It's a cool model. I think it's the one Matt Kean uses, not 100% sure though."
My eyes light up as I grin, "Seriously? That's so rad!"
She nods and begins to explain the technical aspects about it and goes into detail about the strings and sound.
I give all my attention towards her as I nod with every sentence she says. I take one last look on my watch, only half an hour left until the venue opens.
😇
I pace around the dressing room, running my hands through my hair. I let out a groan as nervousness replaces all of my previous excitement.
"Is it just me or are you guys shitting bricks right now? I'm not even performing and I'm so fucking nervous," I admit, turning towards everyone.
Everyone was sitting on the couch together, all jumbled up together. They all simultaneously looked up at me as I stood awkwardly, waiting for a response.
Nino got up and sighed before nodding reluctantly, "I'm honestly really nervous too."
Nina raises her hand and lifts their index finger up before starting, "Don't be nervous, guys. It's the first gig, we'll do good, I know we will. Just remember what we rehearsed and we'll be able to do it."
I sigh happily as Nina finishes reassuring us, as they always do best.
"I agree, so come on. Everyone get their instruments and let's practice one more song and then get the fuck out there!" I shout, clapping my hands.
Everyone eagerly jumps up and grabs their instrument, Nina strumming a few chords before we start.
"Okay, what song are we playing?" Alex asks, turning on his keyboard.
"Fuck it, King For A Day," Nino blurts, smirking as she placed her fingers on the starting chord.
I agree, "Fuck yeah! Let's do it!"
"I'll count off," Mads shyly volunteers, slightly jumping up and down in place.
Tay lets out a small scream as she taps her drumsticks together, counting off with Mads.
They all start playing, the song immediately being recognized.
My face lights up as I pull out my phone and snap a few photos of each of them.
Nino starts to let loose, moving around energetically while Nina belts out impressive vocals.
Mads was calm and collected, mainly focusing on playing the right notes rather than moving around a lot. Tay, on the other hand, was going ham on her practice pad. All of her energy was being put into this song, sweat starting to pool on her forehead.
"Imagine living like a king someday," Nina screams, dragging the last lyric.
"Another day without a ghost in the walls," Nino continues, still strumming her guitar.
"We are the shadows screaming take us now! We'd rather die than live to rust on the ground!" Everyone joined in on the last lyric, Alex finishing off by slamming down on his keyboard.
Mads let out a small breathe as the song finished, "Holy fucking shit."
I begin to spin around in circles, jumping wildly.
Everyone starts to squeak with excitement, Mads and Tay hugging each other while jumping. Nina, Nino, and Alex exchange high fives while congratulating each other.
Our moment of celebration was interrupted by someone bursting through the door. We all cock our heads to the door, staring at Bert who had his camera in his hands.
"Guys, venue just opened. Shit ton of people are coming in. Let's go!" he urged, his eyes filled with a mixture of anxiousness and excitement.
"Holy shit," Nino gasps, grasping her guitar tightly. She takes on more look at the mirror before turning away.
She stops in her tracks and lets out, "Do I need more hairspray?"
I shake my head, "Just fucking go."
Nino waves me off and she runs out the room, everyone following her.
Bert and I wait until they're all in front of us before following them down the corridor. Bert snaps a few photos of them before we finally reach the side stage.
Tay taps her drumsticks against the wall nervously, while the rest of us were silent.
We all exchanged nervous looks, trying to console each other silently. We listen as the crowd outside begins to get louder. Bert signals for us to stay here while he pokes his head to look at the stage.
He turns back with wide eyes, "Not to make you guys more anxious, but so many people showed up tonight."
"I'm ready," Nina blurts out confidently, a chorus of agreements coming from everyone else.
I take a deep breath as I begin to hype everyone up, "Yeah, we got this. We've been waiting for this moment since we were teenagers. We finally get to do it, so get up there and kick ass!"
Nino puts her hand in the center of our circle, everyone following suit. We begin to push our hands up and down, making up a chant as we go along.
"1, 2, 3! Broken Clocks!" We shout, before dispersing.
The clock on the wall chimed with every second, signaling that we only had two minutes left before we went on stage.
Bert stuck his head to the stage again before returning. With a shaky voice, he let out, "We're on."
"Alright, let's fucking do it," Tay breathes out, mustering the courage before running out on stage and jumping onto her drum kit.
"See you!" Mads says before skipping onto stage and into her place.
Alex nods silently before walking onto stage and to his keyboard, turning a few knobs here and there.
Nino waves us off and yells, "I finally get to see what Tony Perry felt like!"
Nina laughs before patting Bert and I, "Take some good photos."
Bert and I stand side by side as we watch them all go onto stage, the crowd starting to clap.
"What the fuck is up, everyone? Who's ready for the best fucking night ever?" Nina screams, growling the last sentence.
The crowd is immediately responsive as Tay taps her drumsticks, counting off their opening song.
"This one's Bulls in the Bronx. Where my PTV fans at?" Nino introduces, screaming into her mic while raising her left hand in the air.
