Just A Moment

The Concert

When the day of the concert came, Hope was sick with nerves. Joe went to the studios to talk with Matthews and Ross, but Hope had had to work in the daytime.

Having made her own way to the venue after work, Hope arrived at the back door of the hall. There were people everywhere; walking around, tuning up, warming up their vocals, saying goodbyes, running around with clipboards and headsets. The colours and sounds were overwhelming to Hope's senses.

'Name?' The overwrought lady at the sign-in desk yelled at Hope over the loud music.

Hope answered once quietly, then hollered her name back to make herself heard.

'Over there.' The lady shouted back, gesturing to a door on her right.

Hope wandered over through the chaos towards the brown door, dodging people as they appeared to veer in her direction.

A man walked up to her, clasping his hands in front of himself dramatically. His bright pink and green striped suit was well-cut, and his blonde hair was slicked back. His make-up was expertly applied; better than Hope could had ever done.

'Oh, dear me. You're not hoping to go on like that, are you?' He asked Hope, his voice rather high-pitched in disbelief.

Hope looked down at her work uniform and shaggy hair. 'They said there would be a place for me to smarten up.'

'Well thank goodness you bumped into me my love. Now, come this way. Let me transform you!'

As Hope was dragged through the brown door by the over-enthusiastic gentleman, whom she was soon to discover was named Joey, Hope wondered what the connotations of transform were and whether she wanted that. She had little option to protest.

After hair and makeup courtesy of Joey, Hope felt like she had just been through some intense boot camp as she staggered out of the room with the brown door. Her hair was sprayed within an inch of its life and her face was practically weighed down by the amount of makeup that had been plastered onto her. At least she'd been permitted to stay in her reliable jeans and t-shirt, so she didn't feel completely alien.

Distantly, she could hear the noisy crowd in front of the stage. This was Hope's first performance that wasn't going to be to Mack's gang, and it was fair to say that she was terrified. The pounding of her heart in her ears prompted a sickening feeling to settle in the pit of her stomach. Her palms began to sweat, and her face felt flushed and heated.

For a few seconds, as she looked around backstage at all the strange faces, Hope didn't know whether she could go on stage. The fear consumed her and threatened to close up her vocal chords. Hope had never been phased about performing before, so this new stage fright was horrendous.

All Hope wanted was to see Joe or Mack. They would know what to say. They would stop the feeling of claustrophobia and remind her that she could do it.

But Mack wasn't there. Hope had left him behind. He wasn't going to come to the concert and support her. He couldn't. It wasn't his world. She had stepped out of that world in a way that she could never return. She was bridging the gap between one world and another and praying that she wouldn't fall in the void.

Hope assessed her conscience for guilt, but unlike that first time in the studio, Hope felt like she was doing the right thing. She had to fledge sometime if she wanted a life that was worth living.

In truth, Mack had always been a local boy, and Hope knew he just couldn't imagine anything more than that. He had reached his aspirations at sixteen; there was nothing else out there that he wanted. It was tragic in a way, but Hope knew that made him happy.

One of the stage hands came up to her, handing her a mic and telling her there were five minutes before she went on. Hope repressed the ripple of fear that spread through her body by closing her eyes gently.

Two hands covered hers where they clasped the mic in front of her; finally Joe had arrived, and Hope felt an unknown amount of relief swell through her just because of his presence.

'You nervous?'

Hope nodded. 'I've never done anything like this before.'

Opening her eyes, Hope saw that Joe was smiling down at her. More handsome than ever, with perfect hair, his long eyelashes that masked powerful eyes blacked subtly by mascara, and a casual outfit of jeans and a check shirt that so epitomised Joe, Hope knew that every girl in the audience couldn't help but fall for him.

'You look beautiful.' He whispered with a smile.

Hope blushed and looked down at the mic in her hands. 'Thanks. Look, I'm not sure if I can do -'

'I know you can. I believe in you Hope. Believe in yourself.'

Meeting his eyes, Hope shook her head. 'I really don't think-'

'Then don't.'

Such a simple statement robbed Hope of any words she might have used.

'Do you trust me, Hope Jenkins?' Joe asked softly.

Hope nodded dumbly.

'Good. We can do this. Together.'

Taking her hand, Joe picked up his mic from the side and walked boldly onto the stage. The experience was so surreal that had the heat from his hand not radiated through her body, Hope would have said it was all a dream.

The crowd was a mass of darkness as the harsh stage lights beat down on her. Joe pulled Hope into the middle of the stage, then looked down at her, his hand still intertwined with hers. His smile calmed her nerves, so when the music began, Hope didn't run like she wanted to. Instead, she took a deep breath and smiled out at the dark mass of faces.

Hope loved her first performance with Joe. Their act was really well received, and Hope felt like she was flying for the whole thing. Performing was truly what she had meant to do, and she'd been waiting to find Joe beside her. Now they were together, she really believed they could do anything.

As the final notes died away and the audience erupted into applause, Hope looked to Joe with a big smile. They still held hands, physical proof of their partnership, and Hope knew that this was just the beginning for them. At that precise moment, nothing could have excited her more.