Her Courtside Dream

Chapter Twenty-Eight

After Chase left with Dylan to play beer pong, I didn't see him for the rest of the night. I tried not to think about it, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't look around the party a couple of times, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. I don't even know why. It's not like I was expecting some grand moment where he'd come back, sweep me off my feet, and ask me to hang out again. But still, a tiny part of me kind of hoped.

But nope. No Chase.

Eventually, I convinced myself it was probably for the better. I mean, it was already a miracle that I survived talking to him without making a complete fool of myself. If he'd come back, I probably would've just ended up babbling about the Heat again or—worse—knocking something over in my nervousness.

So, maybe it was a good thing he didn't return. At least this way, I could still pretend like I hadn't blown it.

Besides, if Chase did come back, I wouldn't have been able to focus when Esmi's band started playing. And let me tell you, I'm so glad I didn't miss that.

Crimson Pulse took the small makeshift stage in the corner of the room, and from the first note, I could tell they were good—legitimately good. I wasn't just saying that because Esmi was my friend.

Their sound was like if Arctic Monkeys and Gorillaz had a love child. It was gritty and raw, but with this catchy groove that you couldn't help but get into. And even though I was more of a Taylor Swift kind of girl, I found myself bobbing my head to the beat, totally immersed in the music.

Esmi looked completely in her element up there. The way her fingers danced across the strings was mesmerizing. Her face was full of energy and her eyes were locked in like she was channeling some kind of cosmic force through the music. She was killing it, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of pride seeing her command the crowd's attention.

I'm not gonna lie, it was a little weird seeing this rockstar version of Esmi, especially since I usually only saw her lounging around the dorm. But here she was, up on stage, totally owning it. And damn, could she play.

The music had this energy that made me want to move. Even though I wasn't super familiar with their songs, I found myself swaying to the beat, and before I knew it, Poppy dragged me into the middle of the room when the band started playing one of their original songs, "Neon Dreams".

Poppy had this wild energy, her arms flailing around as she danced, laughing like she didn't have a care in the world. The beat was so infectious that I couldn't help but join her and found myself moving, laughing, and trying to keep up with her ridiculous dance moves, the two of us dancing like idiots while Crimson Pulse rocked the house.

It felt good to just let go for once, to stop worrying about how I looked or what people were thinking. I wasn't the most graceful dancer, but in that moment, I didn't care. Poppy was twirling around, her pink hair flying, and I followed suit, laughing so hard my sides hurt.

Esmi's guitar riffs filled the room, and I was lost in it. For a few minutes, I wasn't thinking about Chase or feeling self-conscious. I was just there, in the music, enjoying myself.

By the time the band finished their set, I was out of breath, and my heart was racing from the excitement. Esmi caught my eye and gave me a wink from the stage, clearly pleased with herself—and with good reason. She'd absolutely nailed it.

But the high from the part didn't last long. The rest of the weekend flew by in a blur of mundane tasks—laundry, cleaning up my side of the dorm, and trying to get my life together. The Halloween party already felt like a distant memory. I spent Saturday running errands, and folding clothes while trying to ignore the sinking feeling that I had so much more to do than I had time for.