Spectrum 》Chris Evans

three

REAL LIFE

River paced back and forth backstage, humming along to the music of her opening act. She was set to go on stage in five minutes, and she was pumped.

Ruby walked over to River, stopping her in her tracks. River raised an eyebrow at her best friend, who was also her manager.

"You ready, Riv? It's a big show tonight," Ruby exclaimed, a large grin on her face. All afternoon, she had been buzzing about the show. Not only was it sold out (just like many of the other shows on the tour), but Chris Evans would be in the audience. Ruby felt like she was in a dream.

River laughed nervously, shaking her head at Ruby's excitement. It wasn't that River wasn't excited, because she was really, really excited. But despite her excitement, River couldn't help but be nervous, too. Every other night, River never felt nervous. But unlike every other night, River was playing in front of one of her biggest idols.

"I guess I am," River mumbled nervously, bringing her finger up to her mouth to chew on her nail. It was a nervous habit of her's that Ruby has spent the better part of the last 10 years trying to break.

"What if I mess up out there? Oh, God, I'm gonna make a fool of myself in front of Chris freaking Evans!" River felt panic begin to bubble inside of her. She couldn't do it; she couldn't go out there and completely humiliate herself in front of freaking Captain America!

"Hey, hey, Riv, listen to me," Ruby stated sternly, grabbing River by the shoulders and forcing her to look into her eyes. "You are gonna go out there, and you are gonna have a kick-ass show, just like you do every night. Okay?"

River took a deep breath and nodded her head. She could do this. She could do anything. She was River Kane, and she wasn't going to let anything--or anyone--stop her from putting on a great show for her fans.

"You're right. You're right! I can do this. I'm gonna go out there, and I'm gonna put on the best damn show Atlanta has ever seen," River stated matter-of-factly, her confidence rising with every word she said.

Ruby smiled wide, patting River's shoulders happily. "'Atta girl, River." Ruby turned away to grab River's guitar. She placed it in her arms and smirked.

The opening band had just finished the last song of their set, announcing to the crowd that in just a few minutes, River Kane would be taking the stage. The crowd erupted into a loud roar of cheers, making a wide smile creep onto River's face. That was her favorite part of playing shows: hearing how excited people were to see her perform. She didn't think she was anyone special. To River, she was just a girl from a small town in Canada with dreams bigger than she could imagine. But to them, she was their hero, and that's all she ever wanted to be.

"Alright, Riv, you're up. Good luck!" Ruby exclaimed, giving River a little shove to the stage. River's band had just made their way on stage, and began playing the first notes of the opening song, Running with the Boys.

River jogged on stage, smiling wide at the crowd as they began to cheer and whoop. River played the first few guitar notes as she situated herself in front of her microphone. And then, she started singing.

"We were kinda feral,
Wicked little machines.
Captains and cavalries
Forming empires in the shade
of the trees..."

River lost herself in the music, singing her heart out and playing her guitar like her life depended on it. This was her favorite place to be. It was so easy for her to be up there, singing her songs and playing her guitar. She felt as if she were on top of the world.