Can We Fall In Love Now? [Nicole Row]

Chapter 23

I sat in the dressing room, hands in my lap as Lee did my makeup. She was going for something dramatic, and I wasn't one to stop her. I kept my eyes closed as she worked on the eyeshadow, and she was jabbering away as she worked. I, understandably(or not, depending on how you take it) was not listening.

I peeped one eye open, looking over at Milo as he tapped my shoulder. "Wanna pick a song to play?"

"Gloom Boys."

"Good 'ole Waterparks. I wonder if we'll meet them one day."

"I hope so." Elizama butt into our conversation, and my smile faltered a moment.

Milo just smiled over at her, "Me too, Lee."

"Can you play a song for me too?" She asked, and I stifled a sigh.

"Yeah, just after Addy's."

"Nevermind then."

I looked up at Elizama as she kept working, her brush irritating my eye(lids). "You can play her song, it's fine with me."

Milo quirked an eyebrow. Lee smiled.

"Thank you Addy! You're just the best! Milo why don't you play Mr Brightside?"

My mind flashed back to the fight, the juxtaposition of her words then, and her words now almost comical to me. 'You're such a bitch!' is definitely different from 'You're just the best!'

I nodded, and Milo gave me a look before walking away. I sighed, and shut my eye again.

After what seemed like forever, Lee finally stepped back, "All done!" She let me look in the mirror, and I admired my look. Definitely not terrible. Very bold, the dark purple-almost-black lip and the actually black and gold eyeshadow, but I like what she did. She drew little stars on my cheekbones too, and accentuated them with highlighter- I think, I never really do makeup. The point is, I love stars.

I got up, and Lee threw me an outfit. I glanced at it and shrugged before pulling myself behind one of those folding screens, changing fairly quickly. She had given me almost all black, with a denim jacket that had painted sunflowers on it. I don't know where she had gotten the jacket, but I'm keeping it. It reminded me of Sunsh- No! I stopped myself from thinking of Sunshine.

Nicole was supposed to be out of sight, out of mind now.

No more distractions.

No more Nicole.

Just the stage, and burning lights, and screaming fans. I held my guitar in my hands, and squinted out at them for a moment as I walked out, the denim jacket seeming to suffocate me now. Ethan set up by the mic, Lee plucked the opening notes of one of our most popular songs, and then Milo started up the drums.

Lee nudged me before walking away, and I frantically started to play, as I had missed my cue earlier in the song. I watched her walk away and jam out, then I smiled down at the fans, giving them a small wave before resuming my playing. My fingers ached, the smile on my face seemed too fake for me. I just kept playing, singing my few backup lyrics when needed.

The first song passed in a daze, as did the second, and the third, and the fourth.

Lee talked to me during a small break, where Ethan was talking. She spoke into the dead-mic, and I listened quietly. "Adeline, get your act together. The fans are noticing something is wrong."

I looked over at her, eyes wide, and I nodded. During the fifth song, I played more energetically, and I even paused my playing to hold a fan's hand. I think she was more Brendon's fan than mine though.

The sixth song came up, and now my energy was going. The fans know how to cheer me up, is all I'm saying. Don't know where I'd be without them (Probably Brendon's house but whatever).

I jumped around, danced around, smiled at the crowd. Lee and I sang backup together, and as she was walking away her chord tripped me up. I fell, dramatically, flat on my back - well, would be flat on my back if I hadn't been standing at the edge of the stage. My back hit the railing, and I tumbled over to the fan's side of things, eyes wide and terror coursing through me.

Cue: Chaos. The friends of the person who's head I kicked were both fangirling and helping their friend. I sat in mute shock for a moment, and I think the fans did too, before all of their voices were in my ear at once, asking me if I was alright, if I needed help getting up, if I'd take a picture with them, if I'd-

A hand grabbed my jacket, another grabbed my guitar. The nice fans were gone, and suddenly the strap on my instrument broke, pulled away from me, and I was guitar-less.

A few fans dedicated to me (Brendon's sister), pulled me up, saved me from my jacket being ripped from me, and I gave them all grateful smiles before I climbed back out.

I stood back on the stage, a little bit shaken. Ethan looked out at the crowd, scanning their faces, "C'mon guys, where's her guitar."

Incoherent screaming.

"We've gotta get it back to Addy." I moved closer to the mic and looked over at the soundbooth. They turned my mic up.

"It was my lucky one."

"IT'S MY LUCKY GUITAR NOW!" A few fans shouted back, and a few screams popped up from around that area.

"That's not very nice." Ethan quirked an eyebrow. The cameras pointed at the stage zoomed in on him.

"Don't be rude, guys. I love y'all, but Brendon gave me that and-"

Incoherent screaming cut me off.

Lee looked out at the crowd, "Well, you all have fun learning the guitar. Poor Addy here'll be stuck looking for a new one. Nobody steal that one." Lee joked, and I knew it was just to diffuse the situation, but I could only feel disappointed, and then a few people from backstage handed me a new guitar.

I grabbed the guitar, and plucked a few notes. "Well, ladies- Ethan, don't argue- I think we're ready again."

We played the last two songs, and this time, I stayed far, far away from the edge of the stage.

I walked off stage, gave the guitar to one of the people holding out a hand for it, and ran into the dressing room. I sat, quietly, before I decided to rub my makeup off.

The stars were smudged, and even now I looked shaken, like tears would spill from my eyes at any moment. The gold eyeshadow was lost in the black that had been applied, and then it was lost to the makeup wipe. I sat back down on a couch, the dressing room empty while Josh and Tyler perform, and I checked my phone. Nicole had texted thrice, once to say she was sorry, the second to ask if I was okay, and the third to say Brendon was looking for a new guitar to give me.

I texted her back, "It's fine and I'm fine Sunshine, and tell Bren that's very nice".

Everything was supposed to be right again, but it felt so wrong.