ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴇʀ ʙʏ ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴀɴᴅ|ᴊ.ꜰ

🀣𝟢𝟤𝟢🀣

ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ᴛᴡᴇɴᴛʏ
↳ᴡᴇ'ᴠᴇ ɢᴏᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ...

(A/N: This chapter is gonna be shorter than normal. I feel like it works better for the plot and what lies ahead. Prepare your tissues, kids. You're in for a ride.)

   My life had changed in a single day. Before Eli showed up, I was a small artist with barely any listens. No one knew my name or recognized me for my music here in Chicago. I was practically a nobody. And In a single day, and after signing a contract we read over a thousand times, I was becoming a star.
   In two weeks, he'd booked me solid for shows. I'd perform at small places first like clubs, bars, those sorts of places. Getting me into bars was hard though since I'm not twenty-one, but he worked his way around that problem. Today, I'd be performing at a private concert at his record labels HQ. It was so big that I swore I would get lost inside of it someday.
   I was getting ready for it when someone knocked on my door. I opened it. "Hey, there's my shining star!" Eli invited himself in, I didn't mind though. "How're you feeling?" he asked. "Nervous as hell, I've never performed in front of a crowd larger than like, fifty people at most," I said.
   "You'll do great, I promise. Now, they're a few changes to the roster. We're gonna have you perform your unreleased first, So My Darling, Heather, and then you're gonna do your tribute to your dad before our other artists go on."

   "You sound like a real business man right now, Elijah." He shrugged. "I feel like one in this suit, my mom said it makes my butt look big. What do you think?" I couldn't hold it together when he'd started shaking his butt. "Okay, okay, I can't take it. We get it, your butt is huge and... Actually amazing."
   "I worked very hard on it, I'm glad someone finally appreciates it. C'mon let's go."
   Getting on that stage was etherial in so many different ways. A girl I hadn't met yet had introduced me to the stage. I'd walked over to the mic, the backup dancers already in their positions.

   'I said, "I wanted Thin Mints," and you
   said you knew a guy
   You showed up with a boombox
   And stars in your eyes.
   Who knew cuddling on trampolines
   could be so reckless?
   We bonded over black eyed peas
   and complicated exes

   Fell so deeply into it
   It was all so innocent
   Now I'm a home wrecker, I'm a slut
   I got death threats fillin' up
   semi-trucks
   Tell me who I am, guess I don't have a choice
   All because I liked-

   Now I'm a hot topic on your tongue
   I'm a rebound gettin' 'round, stealin from the young
   Tell me who I am, guess I don't have a choice
   All because I liked a boy...'

-ꜱɪx ᴡᴇᴇᴋꜱ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ-

   'All because I liked a boy
   Fell so deeply into it
   It was all so innocent
   Dating boys with exes
   No, I wouldn't recommend it

   I'm a home wrecker, I'm a slut
   I got death threats fillin' up
   semi-trucks
   Tell me who I am, guess I don't have a choice
   All because I liked a boy

   And all of this for what?
   When everything went down
   we'd already broken up
   Please, tell me who I am,
   Guess I don't have a choice
   All because I liked a boy'

   The band behind me were playing their asses off right now. I couldn't believe that this was actually real. I was performing in front of live audiences every other night. Eli was the reason this is happening, though. He'd gotten my name out there and made me into the star I'd always dreamed of being.
   As the song can to a close, I'd said my goodbyes and headed off stage. Eli was waiting for back stage with a water bottle. "You did amazing, Nani. You're killing it out there! I'm telling you, you'll be filling up stadiums in no time." He'd been gassing my head like that a lot lately, but it wasn't like I didn't believe him. I believed in myself enough to know that what he was saying was the truth. "I couldn't have done it without your help."
   I'd wrapped my arms tightly around him. "Thank you for everything you've done for me, Eli. I mean it. I would be still be a small artist recording songs in my bedroom if it weren't for you," I said. "Don't thank me, thank yourself. You're the one putting in all the work out there. I'm proud of you."
   "So, what're we gonna do when I start school?" I asked. "Do you wanna go to college?" He countered.

   I shrugged. "I'm learning everything I need to right now. I'd love to go for the experience but is it really necessary?" Eli and I sat down on one of the couches. "Look, whatever you wanna do, I'll support it. Just make sure you're doing whats best for you."
   One of the stage managers had ran over to us. "Ms. Mahina, I'm really sorry to interrupt but your phones been blowing up for the last ten minutes." I'd snatched it out her hand, saying my sorry's in the process. I'd had so many missed calls and texts from Theo.
   I called him back immediately. "What's going on? I've been trying to call you," he said. "I had a show tonight, remember? God, it feels so good to finally be living my dream."
   "I'm sorry to crash it but we really need to talk, we've only got five minutes, Nani." My brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?" My heart started thumping in my chest. "We're being shipped out, they need extra men and we're the only platoon that's ready for the job."
   Those words alone made me feel like I was suffocating. It felt like everything was closing in on me. "You're not serious right? You're not... You can't be, Theo. You only have two weeks left before you can come home."

   "I know, but they need us. I need to do this and be there, it means a lot to me and the guys on the field right now. I know you're scared but I promise I'm gonna do my best to be safe and come home to you when its all over, alright? I promise."
   I choked back the tears that were threatening to spill. "Don't break my heart, okay? You've gotta come back, I can't wear your ring forever," I said. He cleared his throat. "You won't have to. I'm gonna come back and when I do, I promise I'll make this all up to you," he said. I shook my head, even if he couldn't see it. "You don't have to make anything up to me. These are the careers we chose, and we chose to still stick by each other through all of this. I'm gonna be here forever."
   "I love you, nani. I've gotta go."
   "I love you, too," I whispered. "We've got this," he said. "We've got this."

   Word Count: 1,187.