fangs / matt champion

part twelve

Tonight was the first night of tour. It was crazy how much had changed about my life. I now had a stylist/makeup artist, thanks to the label, as well as Matt and my manager on tour with me. There were other people involved with the show, like sound guys and lighting techs, but they were part of Banks' tour and were working my set as well. I had met her earlier in the day, and I was kind of starstruck to be honest. She was absolutely stunning in person and was nicer than I ever imagined. I thanked her immensely for letting me join her on tour and she told me how much she loved my music. Everything honestly felt so right, even if the shit with my mom was still at the back of my mind.

Being the opening act also had its perks because I got my own tour bus. The team all slept in it minus my manager Ana because she wouldn't be tagging along for the rest of the tour. I got my own small dressing room area which was pretty cool. The backstage area was pretty crowded as we got ready to perform. The first show was in Pomona, roughly forty minutes away from the Brockhampton factory in South Central. A group of the guys had come to see me perform and I was really happy to see them. Ian, Romil, Merlyn, Ameer, and Joba came in through the doors excitedly. "Cat!" Romil yelled, attacking me with hugs. Matt stood from the couch, greeting everyone. "How soon are you on?" asked Merlyn excitedly. "Ten minutes. I'm freaking out." I admitted, biting my lip nervously.

We talked for a couple of more minutes before a tech came to get me. I stood at the side of the stage, Matt holding my hand supportively. "I'm so fucking scared right now." I admitted, looking up at Matt nervously. "You're gonna fucking kill it. If you get scared, look at me. I'll be standing right at the front, okay?" he said, taking my face in his hands and pecking my lips lightly. He disappeared down to what I presumed was the area in front of the pit with the rest of the guys. I took a few deep breaths and shook out my shoulders. "You can do this." I whispered to myself. The intro to my song started playing, and I walked out onto the stage, light shining brightly in my face. I moved my hips to the beat, reaching out and grabbing my microphone stand. My first verse was about to begin, and I looked down at Matt.

He watched me with the widest smile on his face, instantly making me feel warm. I sang out the words that I knew so well, moving my body to the beat. To my surprise, I heard people singing back to me. A small group of girls at the front were singing along to the chorus with me, making me smile. The guys were screaming along every word. I could consciously hear them as I went song by song. I sang my heart out, added some ad libs for good measure, and moved my body to the beats I helped make. This was my peak. I belonged here. I sang four songs of my own before I said my goodbyes. "Thank you, Pomona! Y'all were fucking incredible. Banks is next, let me hear y'all make some noise!" I said, laughing as the crowd went crazy. I bowed and waved before walking offstage. Right away, everyone was congratulating me on my set.

Jillian, otherwise known as Banks, gave me a huge hug and said she loved my performance. "You have no idea how much it means to me." I smiled widely, pulling away from the hug. "I'm gonna go get ready, but dude thank you for joining me on tour. This is gonna be so much fun." she said excitedly, waving before walking over to her dressing room. The guys piled in and immediately engulfed me in their arms. "You were so good!" yelled Ian, jumping excitedly. "Seriously, you sounded great." nodded Joba. "Look how far you've fucking come, shit is wild." said Ameer, patting my back. "Thank you guys for coming. It would've sucked without you here." I admitted, smiling shyly as Matt snaked his arm around my waist. The guys went back down to see the rest of the show, but Matt stayed backstage with me.

We sat in my dressing room, eating some leftover snacks from earlier. "Babe, I'm so fucking proud of you." he mumbled, kissing my cheek quickly. I smiled, turning to meet his gaze. "I'm so happy you're coming on tour with me." I admitted, resting my arm on his shoulder running my fingers through his hair. "Me too." he nodded, pecking my lips lightly. I took a sip of my water, crossing my legs on the couch. I stared at our reflections in the mirror, thinking about everything that happened tonight. My life was changing so quickly. "Fuck, I love you." I said, resting my head on his shoulder. He laughed, wrapping his arm around me. "Fuck, I love you too." he joked, making me giggle. I sat up and kissed him passionately, forgetting about everything except me and him.