Ghosts {L.P.}

6:35

Ｇｈｏｓｔｓ Ｗｉｌｌ Ｓｈｏｗ Ｕｐ，
Ｓｈｅ Ｋｎｏｗｓ Ｉｔ

▶︎ •၊၊||၊|။||||။၊|• 2:01

The venue was so packed with cars, limousines, and even a couple of bikes that Riya and her dad had to park almost three blocks away on a sketchy looking street where he promised the car would be alright even against her nerves.

Somehow the parking wasn't the worst part, to even get inside the venue Riya had to argue with the security guy about being in one of the bands who was supposed to present, and her father was their manager because they wouldn't let them in. And even when they finally managed to gain access Riya still had to shove her way through the masses just to be able to breathe, and the people she was shoving weren't exactly common civilians, out of her dozens of shoves she counted a little over seven managers and at least two celebrities.

Riya had to give it to Luke, he knew how to pick a venue.

"I have to admit, your bandmates have some really good connections." Riya almost laughed as her father towered behind her to act like her very threatening bodyguard.

If he only knew the band's connection was the fact that they were dead and could write their name down on virtually every sheet without having to speak to anyone, well, he'd probably send Riya back to therapy.

"You have no idea." Her eyes surveyed the crowd, stomach fluttering in so many emotions, it was hard for Riya to focus on one.

The stage seemed so close yet so far away, another musician with his guitar atop singing calm tunes into the mic, the stage was significantly smaller than that of the auditorium but Riya was positive Reggie wouldn't mind having a little less grooving space.

It was also difficult to count numbers across the audience, but she was sure there were at least double the numbers from the time they played for the school. Each new head pushing its way through the crowded door into the even more crowded floor made a new butterfly hatch in Riya's stomach until she felt like her abdomen couldn't contain the fluttering, and it expanded all the way from the top of her head to buzzing at her toes.

"Nervous?" Riya sighed, she wished all of what she was feeling could be encompassed in just nerves; however, she could admit it was the most prominent emotion buzzing inside her.

"That's an understatement." Her father sighed in return, gently turning Riya around by the shoulders so she was facing him rather than the crowd.

His slicked back greying hair filled with gel was shining under the dim club lights across the venue, making it look a thin shade of pink and purple rather than the dull grey his hair usually was. Not to mention how his eyes looked infinitely darker than Riya was used to, however even with the dim lighting darkening his features, Riya could still see the warm smile and happy glimmer in his eyes.

"I'll tell you what I told your mom when she first went on stage. Don't look at the entire crowd, just focus on—"

"One person and let the music carry you away, I know." Her father's hands dropped from her shoulders.

"Have I already given you this advice? Am I getting that old?" Riya giggled and shook her head, the buzzing across her body momentarily toning down to just a slight tingle underneath her skin.

"No, it was Luke, one of the band members. He gave me the same advice before we first played together." Her father hummed, nodding along before placing one of his hands back on Riya's shoulder, the other deep-rooted inside the pocket of his pants.