Torn // In Stereo (Jakob Delgado, Ethan Karpathy & Chris Lanzon)

148. | The Final Chapter... Or Is It? (read to the end)

// Chris' point of view //

This entire journey has been one I won't ever forget. Living your dream is one thing, but living it with two of your best friends is another. Despite everything between them, Ethan and Jakob have always been there for me. From someone who never had more than one friend and was disliked by everyone else, that's a big thing. I've always wanted to do music but I could never have done it without them.

Kade meant more to me than I thought he did. After he passed away, I almost shut down. Seeing Ethan get on with his life was the reason I got on with mine. If he can do it, I can do it, right? I was convinced Kade was the one for him. So now what? I know Ethan will find his way through this.

It's our final show and our biggest. We're playing Sydney, a lot of our friends and families in the crowd. I know Lara is out there, Annabelle and the other girls as well. I haven't thought about them in a while but they're here for us and that matters to me. My parents are here somewhere and I know they're proud of me. That means a lot, too.

We're here. We made it. This is our biggest crowd, our loudest, and the scariest. It's harder playing for people you actually know. There's more pressure not to mess up, but I know I'll be okay. We always are.

// Jakob's point of view //

We're back home. The audience is huge, the butterflies in the pit of my stomach growing. I know this is a sold out crowd. Some of those tickets were bought by our family members. Being Italian, I have a lot of family here. Not only my immediate family but my Abuela and cousins too. George is out there somewhere and I know even though going to a concert for a boy band isn't exactly the coolest thing on earth for him, he's still here for me.

One minute. One minute until we go on stage and I'm ready. The hairs on the back of my neck have risen but I'm feeling more confident than I ever have before. I'm determined to give these people a good show and prove I can do this. For all of those bullies back at the academy and for all of the haters we've come across along the way, I will smash this. For Ethan and everything we went through, for Kade, I will smash this. I will smash this for the boy I love, so he can smash this for the boy he loves. One day I will either move on or we will be together again, and I can't wait for either one. My heart is racing faster and faster as the countdown starts in my earpiece. I think of every reason I'm doing this for and raise my head a little higher. Ethan comes and stands next to me, running a hand through his hair.

Twenty seconds.

"We should get used to this." He announces. I look over to see him looking at me, a small smile on his face. Then Chris comes up to the left of me.

"You guys ready?" He asks.

"Born ready."

// Ethan's point of view //

I run onto the stage first, waving at the screaming crowd. Mum is out there somewhere. I know she's the only one of my family here but that's okay. Kade's family is here too and I guess that's why I'm feeling the pressure. There is no other option but to do this show perfectly. They know Kade and I were dating because of the funeral which takes a bit of the edge off. That's just a few more people I don't have to lie to. It's getting harder and harder to lie about all of this.

The show goes great. By the end, the fans are screaming louder than ever and I can't keep the tears out of my eyes. It's over.

"Thank you all so much for coming today. Honestly, it means to much to me and to us as a band. Thank you to our families for coming and especially to Kade's family. I love you all so much and trust me: we will see you soon. I promise." I announce. It wasn't on the script and there are tears streaming down my face but I don't even care.

"That was cute, man." Chris teases, walking over and wrapping me up in a hug. The audience screams, chanting Ethis, Ethis, Ethis over and over again.

"Thank you." I say over his shoulder, away from the microphones.

"You did amazing." He whispers back. I pull away and smile through my tears.

"We hope you all have a happy and amazing day. Goodnight!" Jakob announces as the lights shut off. We run backstage and to the dressing room.

It's all over now. The tour is finished and now we go home. After a little break, we'll start making music again. We all decided that it's time to take a proper break and let ourselves recover. For me, it's obvious what I need to recover from but for the others, I'm not so sure. It's sad leaving Melbourne but home will be good. I know one day I'll have to face Kaleb and my Dad, but until then, I have my Mum and I know she loves me. If there's anything this entire experience has taught me, it's that anything can happen if you just don't give up. We never gave up on our dreams even when things hit rock bottom and now we're here. I'll never be able to repay what Jakob and Chris have given of themselves to me. Without them, I wouldn't be half the person I am today. In the end, everything has turned out okay and I am ready to face whatever comes next.

We are In Stereo, and we can do anything.

A/N: holy Jesus, that was a long book, but guess what!? THERE IS A SEQUEL!!! I'm not sure when the first chapter will be published but it will be soon. I'll keep everyone updated about when that happens.

THANK YOU SO MUCH TO bu11dog AND thevoicekidsEthan FOR HELPING ME SO MUCH WITH THIS BOOK. I COULDNT HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT YOU AND I LOVE YOU BOTH.

But most of all, thank you for sticking with this stupid book for so long :') I love you all so much. Thank you for all the reads, votes and comments. They mean so much to me.

REMEMBER TO FOLLOW ME ON INSTAGRAM @/instereo_!!!

Tegan xx