Wanted (A Restless Road Fanfiction)

First Time

CHAPTER 13

First Time

"It's the first kiss, it's flawless, really something. It's fearless." ~"Fearless" by Taylor Swift

The next 2 weeks went by super fast, and suddenly, it was the night of our opening show. I had worked hard at my rehearsals, and it definitely paid off. I knew the entire setlist like the back of my hand. However, I was nervous for tonight. The nerves set in about a week ago. I'd never performed in front of a crowd this big before.

Soundcheck went okay, I only messed up once, but that made me worried. Tonight was the first night that a lot of people would actually be exposed to my music. If I wanted to be successful and accepted in the music industry, I had to get this right. Right now, it was 6:00, and I went on at 7, so I had about an hour to get any last minute things done, or to just relax before the show. I think the boys were around here somewhere, but I didn't bother finding them. I was too nervous to talk to anyone but Lindsey.

"I don't know why you're so nervous, Katie. You performed great at soundcheck. You know the entire show inside and out," she said.

"I'm just worried that I'll mess up, you know? It's my first show, I want to start off on a good note," I said, and she nodded in agreement.

The minutes ticked by, and soon, there were only 10 minutes left until I went onstage. As each minute passed, I became more nervous about what was to come. Lindsey had just gotten up to get some water, so I was sitting alone. Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around.

"Hey, are you okay? You look petrified." It was Andrew.

"I am petrified," I said nervously.

"Do you want me to go get Zach?" he asked me. I looked at him questionably. "Oh, come on, I know you guys have a thing. He told me all about it. How you guys hit it off right away, how you went on a kind-of date to the lake, how you almost kissed, yeah, I know all of it. Don't worry, though, I probably wouldn't have known if he hadn't told me."

"What?!" I said in disbelief.

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna go get Zach..."

The minutes ticked by, again and again until there were only two minutes before I was supposed to go on. Finally, I saw Zach.

"Katie!" Zach said, while walking toward me. "Andrew said you were freaking out."

"A little," I said.

"One minute, Katie," the stage manager said to me.

I looked at Zach in fear. "Okay, more than a little."

"Hey, come here," he said, hugging me. "You're going to do great, I promise." He sighed. "Don't hate me for this, but I think I know a way I can help."

"Why would I-" I started, but was cut off when his lips met mine. You know how you feel when you read a Nicholas Sparks novel or you watch The Notebook? Multiply that by infinity, and you have me in that moment. He kept the kiss short, sweet, and comforting, exactly what I needed. He pulled away, and we just stood there for a moment, enjoying it.

"Wow, if I knew that that's how you cheer people up, I would've hung out with you more often," I said, laughing.

He smiled. "Good luck, Katie," he said, and let me go so I could head onto the stage and perform for the very first time.

I performed incredibly.

Every note, every word, every move was hit perfectly, as if some unknown force took over my body and made me into a different person, someone beautiful, someone strong, someone confident.

I walked off the stage that night surrounded by a newfound aura of happiness and confidence. Nothing else mattered but that moment, right there. And as I pulled off my lacey black dress and washed off my bright red lipstick before bed that night, I knew that those next six months were going to be some of the best experiences of my life.