A Hidden Face

A threat

(September 15th)
9:30 pm, The Great Stadium

As the final notes of "Unsure" echoed through the Grand Stadium, the roaring crowd surged to their feet, cheering and screaming for more. Ava, under the stage name 'Ash', basked in the adoration from thousands of fans, completely unaware that Jake Hartley was among them. The stage lights dimmed, leaving a single spotlight on Ash. She took a deep breath and addressed the audience, "Thank you so much! You've been an amazing crowd!" Her heart pounded in her chest as she waved goodnight and left the stage. Backstage, Ava quickly changed out of her elaborate stage costume and into casual clothes. She pulled on a beanie to hide her distinctive hair, eager to blend in with the crowd and leave unnoticed. As she emerged from the backstage area, she collided with someone. Ava looked up, surprised. She found herself face to face with Jake, who seemed equally astonished. His friends chuckled and nudged him, urging him to say something. Jake opened his mouth but then closed it again, unsure of what to do or say. Ava broke the awkward silence, her tone icy, "Oh, it's you. I didn't know you were coming." She tried to move past him, hoping to slip away unnoticed. But Jake seemed rooted in place, staring at her with a dumbfounded expression. Sensing his discomfort, Ava paused and glanced back at Jake. Seeing how flustered he was, a small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. She offered him a chance to redeem himself, "Caught you off guard, didn't I? Didn't expect to see someone like me at a rock concert right?" She smiled. Knowing that, if she had been one second late, he would have figured out who she was. Jake blinked and shook his head, gathering his thoughts. "No, I mean, yes, I didn't expect to see you here. But it's not because of what you think." She give him a confused look, not sure why he was here. "Hmm? So why are you here? You don't really give the rock vibe type." Jake's face reddened slightly, and he jerked his thumb towards his friends, who were smirking mischievously. "They dragged me here. Said I needed to 'expand my horizons'. I didn't know you were into this stuff." He paused, his gaze flicking to the stage briefly. "How couldn't I? I love this band... Ash is my favorite. She's the band's lead guitarist." She smiled, knowing that she was Ash. Though she couldn't tell him nor anyone if she wanted to keep her normal life. Jake looked at her, puzzlement clear in his expression. "Wait, Ash is your favorite? That's... interesting." He hesitates, then added, "Maybe we're not so different after all." The words came out softly, almost like he was talking to himself. His friends called out to him, snapping him out of the moment. He looked back at Ava, his expression unreadable. "Soo, do I still give off a bad vibe?" She looked up at him, genuinely curious. Jake scoffs, his expression unyielding. "No, but I still don't like you. You're just as weird as everyone said you were." He turns back to his friends. "Wow... and for a second I thought we were actually going to get along but here we go again." Her smile was replaced with a fake one. Jake's friends pulled him away, laughing and making jokes at Ava's expense. Jake cast one last glance at her, his expression unreadable. As he walked away, he muttered under his breath, "Why does she have to be so..." As Jake walked away with his friends, Alex, Emma, Marko and Kat made their way towards Ava. "Ava! There you are!" Emma exclaimed, looping her arm through Ava's. "We saw you talking to Jake. What was that about?" Marko, the band's bassist, asked curiously, his eyes darting between Ava and Jake's retreating backs. Ava rolled her eyes, her fake smile fading. "Oh, you know, just more of his usual charm. 'I don't like you, but you're not as bad as I thought.' " She mimicked Jake's voice, drawing laughter from her friends. "Typical Jake." Kat leaned in, lowering her voice. "Speaking of Jake, have you noticed how... different he looks tonight?" She fanned herself dramatically, eliciting giggles from the group. Ava played along, nodding conspiratorially. "Now that you mention it, he does look... cleaner." They all laughed, their voices mingling with the crowd's. Ava looked towards where Jake had been standing, but he was nowhere to be seen. She sighed internally, pushing all thoughts of Jake aside. She was here to play and signed autographs. "So, should we go change so we can finish the night early? We have tones of fans waiting to meet us." Kat mentioned as their break was almost over. "Noooo, I don't want to put on those heavy clothes again. They're so hot and tiresome." Emma whined, not wanting her break to be already over since they just finished playing a few minutes ago. Ava chuckled at Emma's protests. "I know they can be a pain, but think about all the excited fans waiting to meet us. We can't disappoint them, right?" Emma sighed dramatically, but her face brightened up at the thought of their supporters. "You're right!" With a newfound enthusiasm, the group made their way backstage to change into their heavier stage outfits. As Ava slipped on her leather jacket, she checked her phone and noticed a few unread messages. One caught her eye - a direct message from an unknown account. Curious, she opened it. The message read: "If you don't want your identity leaked, meet me behind the ally way behind the restaurant at Minrow 4th street after the meet and greet or else, you can say bye to your normal life." Her expression turned into horror as she saw the picture of her and her bandmates faces at a nearby bar. "Hey guys, we have a problem." Ava spoke, as she walked towards them and read the message out loud from her phone. Emma's eyes widened in shock. "What? How did they get that photo? We were so careful!" Kat's face paled, and she bit her lower lip nervously. Marko's brows furrowed, anger flashing in his eyes. "Blackmail? Really? Who would do that?" Ava looked around, ensuring they were alone before speaking in a low tone. "I don't know who it is, but they seem to know our real identities. They're threatening to leak our faces if we don't meet them." She hesitated before continuing, "I think we should go." Emma gasped, clutching Ava's arm. "Are you serious? That's dangerous, Ava! What if it's some creepy fan or a stalker?" Kat nodded in agreement, her eyes filled with worry. Marko, however, crossed his arms, his expression determined. "We can't just ignore it." Ava sighed, running a hand through her hair. "I know it's risky, but if we don't show up, they might leak our identities anyway. We'll go together, stick close, and be careful, okay?" She looked at each of them, waiting for their agreement. After a moment of hesitation, Emma and Kat reluctantly nodded. Marko gave a curt nod, his jaw set. "Alright, let's do this. But if it gets too sketchy, we leave. No questions asked." Ava agreed, her heart pounding in her chest...

☆☆☆

Yay! This is probably the most interesting story I ever made :0
Anyway! Next chapter drops in a few minutes or hours!