COLLIDE ✰ BLAKE RICHARDSON

IV.

IV.

Once Leah was all settled into her dressing room, the nerves she'd been trying to push aside finally resurfaced, encompassing her stomach in a swarm of anxious butterflies. Even though she'd done countless tour rehearsals, something about actually getting up on stage and performing for such big crowds for the first time was absolutely terrifying.

They'd called her down for soundcheck already -- it wasn't that bad since the arena was empty, but she just knew that once there was actually a crowd, she would totally freak out. Leah had gone first, and once she finished, New Hope Club did their soundcheck. Though she wouldn't admit it if you had asked her, she may have stayed backstage for a little to watch them... and they were good.

After the boys were done, the Vamps did their soundcheck, which Leah stuck around to watch too. She still hadn't formally met them but was dying to.

Instead of focusing on how scared she was, Leah decided to get dressed for the show. She rummaged around in her suitcase in search of the green jumpsuit she was planning to wear. Eventually, after throwing nearly her entire wardrobe out of her massive suitcase, she found the outfit and got dressed. The jumpsuit was tight on her torso but looser on her legs, and she paired it with a tight, black long sleeved shirt and a pair of heeled boots.

Ariana Grande blared from the portable speaker she'd brought as the brunette curled her hair in front of the mirror, pausing every couple of minutes to jam out. This is why I never get ready on time, she thought.

Leah had been in the middle of belting out "Into You" when she was interrupted by a loud knock on her door. Quickly pausing the song, she switched her curling wand off before shuffling over to answer it.

"L! They're asking for you backstage now," Marie practically shouted in her face. Of course.

"Right, right, I'm coming," Leah replied, running over to grab her guitar before taking one last look at the room behind her as she closed the door. Her heels clicked on the tile floor as she and Marie walked side by side down to the stage. She clenched her fists anxiously as they neared, sucking in breaths between her teeth.

Marie seemed to sense her emotions and subsequently linked her arm through Leah's. "Don't be nervous, girl. You're a rockstar."

"I'm going to, like, forget how to play the guitar or something."

"No, you're not. You've got this. Just breathe."

"Love you, Marie," Leah gave her a one armed side hug as they reached backstage. The noise level of the crowd grew higher and higher as the reality of the situation slowly begin to sink in. She was really doing this -- performing in front of a huge crowd, in a freaking arena, opening up for one of her favorite bands in the world.

The lights dimmed on stage, causing the crowd to erupt in complete chaos. The screams were so loud that Leah had to check her ears to make sure she remembered to put her earplugs in -- she had, but they were just that loud.

Taking deep breaths, she clenched and unclenched her fists a couple of times and rocked back and forth on her heels. This was by far the most nerve-wracking thing she had ever done, but it had been her dream ever since she was little, so Leah couldn't back out now.

She was about to step out of the curtains when she heard footsteps running up behind her. Turning around, Leah was met with three very out of breath boys. "We-we wanted to say good luck," Reece huffed, bending over to put his hands on his knees.

"We kind of forgot that the show was starting already, so we ran here," George explained, shaking his head in amusement. "Bad idea."

"You're gonna smash it," Blake reassured, making direct eye contact with Leah. It may have been the nerves, but she could've sworn he winked at her.

Leah smiled wide that they had gone to all that trouble just to see her before she went on stage. "Aw, thanks guys!" she opened her arms for a group hug, and all three of them quickly shuffled over to her, careful not to smash into her guitar.

She broke out of the embrace when she felt a tap on her shoulder from one of the tech guys who worked backstage, signaling it was time to walk out. The boys wished her luck once again before heading off, and Leah readjusted her guitar strap before slowly putting one foot in front of the other, making her way onstage.

The moment she stepped into the light, it was like all of her nerves seemed to magically wash away. "Hey guys!" she said into the microphone, causing an eruption of cheers in response. "I'm Leah, and the Vamps have been kind enough to invite me to open for them on this tour. Can I get a round of applause for the Vamps, everybody?" Another eruption.

"Okay, so this first song is a cover. Does anyone here know a girl by the name of Taylor Swift?" Just like she'd rehearsed, Leah began to strum the chords of "Call It What You Want", and before she knew it she was singing as if the room was empty.

Once she was finished, Leah chatted with the audience some more, and then went on to play some more songs, such as some more covers but also some original songs as well. Her set flew by, and by the end, she was beaming ear to ear.

"Thank you guys so much!" she smiled, taking her guitar off her torso. "I hope you're all ready to jam out later... bye, guys!"

Running offstage, Leah was totally breathless and partly in shock of how amazing it had been. Almost immediately, she was greeted by Reece, George, and Blake, yet again.

"YOU DID SO WELL!!!" Blake practically screamed as she walked towards the three boys.

"Holy shit, that was so much fun," she replied, still struggling to catch her breath. "My head is spinning... wait, no, don't hug me guys, I'm all sweaty."

"We're used to it," George shrugged before they all smushed her in another hug. "Seriously, Leah, that was wicked."

"Thanks," Leah ran a hand through her hair. "I'm exhausted."

The four of them launched into a conversation about the boys' past tours and how absolutely wrecked they'd been at the end of them, but also how much fun they had been. They were laughing about God knows what when it came time for the boys to go onstage. Leah wished them luck and watched as they ran out, giggling at the crowd's insane reaction.

She watched most of their set from backstage, even though she'd already heard it during soundcheck. Towards the end, though, Leah headed back to her dressing room to change out of her sweaty clothes.

On the way there, her eyes widened as she nearly bumped right into Brad and Connor. "Oh my God, sorry," she stuttered.

"It's the Leah Brady! You smashed it out there, I can't believe we haven't met until now." Brad smiled, opening his arms for a hug. Leah almost keeled over.

She hugged both of them, still halfway in shock. "Thank you so much, I literally can't even believe I'm here right now."

"Well, you're bloody great. You deserve it." Connor chimed in. Brad nodded in agreement from beside him.

"Boys, it's almost showtime," A voice shouted from down the hall.

"That's our cue. See you later, Leah," Brad grinned before the two guys ran off to backstage.

Leah stood in the now empty hallway, finding herself unable to move. What the hell is my life?